ep.

"God," she said; with a gasp, "and going to church," she added,
laughing at her own abruptness. "I was wanting a church to go to."

"You don't belong to the Established Church, then," he said. "Well, I
don't go to church myself; but I make a difference on Sundays. I don't
work, and I read another kind of book. It is my day for the plains of
heaven. I should like to be there all the time, if I could manage it;
but I can't, not being a monk in a cell. When I can, I make the
ascent, however, with the help of the books that take one there."

"I used to read religious books too," said Beth; "but I found little
illumination in them, most of them being but the dry husks of the
subject, uninformed of the spirit, containing no vital spark, and
stained with blood."

"How?" he exclaimed.

"This God of the Hebrews," Beth began, looking dreamily into the fire,
"what is his history? He loved cruelty and bloodshed. The innocent
animals first suffered in his service; but, not content with that, he
went from bad to worse, as men do, and ended by demanding human
sacrifice, the sacrifice of his own son. And for that specially we are
required to adore him, although it must be clear to the commonest
capacity to-day that the worship of such a deity is devil-worship. I
do not say there is no God; I only say this is not God--this
blood-lover, this son-slayer, this blind omniscience, this impotent
omnipotence, this merciful cruelty, this meek arrogance, this peaceful
combatant; this is not God, but man. The mind of man wars with the
works of God to mar them. Man tries to make us believe that he is made
in the image of God; but what happened was just the reverse. Man was
of a better nature originally, a more manifold nature. He had
intellect for a toy to play with on earth, and spirit for a power to
help him to heaven. But instead of toiling to strengthen his spirit,
he preferred to play with his intellect; and he played until he became
so expert in the use of it, and so interested in the game, that he
forgot his origin. And then it was that he projected an image of
himself into space, and was so delighted with his own appearance from
that point of view, that he called it God and fell down and worshipped
it. If you would understand man, consider God; if you would know his
God, study man."

Arthur Brock reflected for a little.

"What you say sounds real smart," he said at last, "and there's a kind
of glamour in your words that dazzl