for various reasons have refrained from speaking of before
now. It was the absence of houses devoted to religious worship.

In architecture Mizora displayed the highest perfection. Their colleges,
art galleries, public libraries, opera houses, and all their public
buildings were grand and beautiful. Never in any country, had I beheld
such splendor in design and execution. Their superior skill in this
respect, led me to believe that their temples of worship must be on a
scale of magnificence beyond all my conceiving. I was eager to behold
them. I looked often upon my first journeyings about their cities to
discover them, but whenever I noticed an unusually imposing building,
and asked what it was, it was always something else. I was frequently on
the point of asking them to conduct me to some church that resembled my
own in worship, (for I was brought up in strict compliance with the
creeds, dogmas, and regulations of the Russo Greek Church) but I
refrained, hoping that in time, I should be introduced to their
religious ceremonies.

When time passed on, and no invitation was extended me, and I saw no
house nor preparation for religious worship, nor even heard mention of
any, I asked Wauna for an explanation. She appeared not to comprehend
me, and I asked the question:

"Where do you perform your religious rites and ceremonies?"

She looked at me with surprise.

"You ask me such strange questions that sometimes I am tempted to
believe you a relic of ancient mythology that has drifted down the
centuries and landed on our civilized shores, or else have been gifted
with a marvelous prolongation of life, and have emerged upon us from
some cavern where you have lived, or slept for ages in unchanged
possession of your ancient superstition."

"Have you, then," I asked in astonishment, "no religious temples
devoted to worship?"

"Oh, yes, we have temples where we worship daily. Do you see that
building?" nodding toward the majestic granite walls of the National
College. "That is one of our most renowned temples, where the highest
and the noblest in the land meet and mingle familiarly with the humblest
in daily worship."

"I understand all that you wish to imply by that," I replied. "But have
you no building devoted to divine worship; no temple that belongs
specially to your Deity; to the Being that created you, and to whom you
owe eternal gratitude and homage?"

"We have;" she answered grandly, with a majestic wave of