pecies of Christian-I was that as much as anything-to

h; but there was far more to it than that; or,

could love anybody, as I grew faintly to appreciate her inner attitude and

information about ours. She soon found that we had many, that they varied widely, but had some points i

taboos, to please or placate. There were some common features in certain groups of religions, but the one always present was this Power, and the things which must be done or not done because of it. It was not hard t

ience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and so on, of our God, and of

h her, but she was greatly puzzled by the Sacrifice, an

rtain sects had believed in infant damnation

t God was Love-and

ll of

large, her fac

to burn-for eternity?" She fell into a sudden shudder

wise and noble women, quietly busy at some work of their own until they we

grief of hers was assuaged, and seemed ash

"We haven't any. And when we get a thing like that into our minds it's like-oh, like red pepper in yo

asked, ve

s such a God-for there wasn't. Or such a happening-for there wasn't. Nor even that this hideous false idea was believed

"she turned pale for a mi

ole nation of women was peaceful and sweet

some when you be

our religion grew to any height a

her things, I grew to see

ast? For what was thought and

new less than we do. If we are not beyond them, we are unworth

I suppose-that women were by nature conservative. Yet these women, quite unassisted by an

e seemed to know pretty much

ren-the first. And then the whole breathless hope of us was for THEIR children-if they should have them. And they did! Then there was the period of

r such a radical difference i

h. Their great Mother Spirit was to them what their own motherhood was-only magnified beyond human limits. That meant that they felt beneath and

r theory of worsh

? What i

Love which they felt so strongly did not seem to ask a

reverence, obedience, from you. You hav

thers-not FOR them. We don't have to do things FOR them-they don't need it, you know. B

les of ours, that Jealous God, that Vengeance-is

of eternal punishm

ight as stars, and there were tears

. "We have no punishments in life, you s

for children nor criminals-such mi

ures, and cures; sometimes we have to 'send the patient to bed,' as it were;

, a great tender limitless uplifting force-patience and wisdom and all subtlety of delicate method. We

mean a per

but we certainly do not assume a Big Woman somewhere, who is God. What we call God is a Pervading Power, you know

it an Indwelling Spirit just as you do, but we insis

you have them! Or do you w

them off-because it seems c

clothes-in you

senting his Omnipotent Deity as an old man in a flowing robe, flowing hair, flowing beard, and in

at we had simply taken over the patriarchal idea-that ancient one which quite inevitably

development of our religious ideals. "They lived in separate gr

of that,

ead,' in that sense-just our chosen

everybody loves them. They find life made rich and happy for them by the diffused love and wisdom of all mothers. So it is ea

ur preservation of such a very ancient state of mind. Thi

ve, six thousand

erful progress in those

nd us, and are initiated by some great teacher who is dead. He is supposed to have k

e great Heb

xtremely ancient traditions, some far older than their people, and grew

you know

e it sa

n as many words?

me text that did say so, an

stand is why you keep these early religious ideas so

on,' and think it is final. But tell me more about these little

sson in applied religion, which

ir relation to it, similarly, was filial, a loving appreciation and a glad fulfillment of its high purposes. Then, being nothing if not practical, they set their keen and ac

little set of performances called "divine service," save those religious pageants I have spoken of, and those were as much educational as religious, and as much social as either. But they had a clear established connection between e

ut the theory that such an inner power demanded outward expr

in hours to the Temple Service, which meant being there with all their love and wisdom and trained thought, to smooth out rough places for anyone who needed it. Sometimes it was a real g

he applicant was directed to someone more s

ys crave. It gave to the "heart" the blessed feeling of being loved, loved and UNDERSTOOD. It gave clear, simple, rational directions as to how we should live-and why. And for ritual it gave first those triumphant group demonstrations, when with a union of all the arts, the revivifying

ve one another-you DO bear one another's burdens-you DO realize that a little child is a type of the kingdom of heaven. You are mor

d Ellador. "Wh

e first time in my life, to

never s

ing?" She lo

, going on

urse. Life does go on

life goes on

ame pe

pleased to think that I had something to teach fro

" I could see her practical mind heaping u

t die here, of course, but then we 'enter

u know?" s

hastily continued. "Let us assume it t

pling, tender, mischievous, motherly smile

y and half a little sorry. The transparent honesty

olish idea," she said calmly. "

ver seemed to me necessary. I don't say I had ever seriously and courageously discussed the subject with myself even; I had simply assumed it to be a fact. And here was the girl I love

WANT it for

ant to go out like a candle? Don't you want to go

. I want my child-and my child's child-to

ad never been so eloquent on the subject of religion. She could be horrified at Damnatio

ly. That's what we all want, of course-Peace and Beauty, and Comfort and Love-with God! And Progress too, r

I said, "only for

your beautiful religion of love and servic

s to assume them to be necessary and essential, and to criticize-strictly among ourselves-their all-too-perfect civiliza

uch discussion, and to press the s

etermined one

e, but we can make it a sort of Quaker wedding, and hav

we were, penniless guests and strangers, with no chance even to use our

give them our nam

atever we asked, to please us. As to the names, Alima

sion. "You are going to be Mrs. Nicholson," he said. "Mrs.

ly?" she demanded, a da

man who belongs t

e are monogamous, you know. And marriage is the ceremony, civil and religious, that joins the

the girls, "is that here we have nothing

es before they are married

They have their maiden names-

omes of them?

their husbands', my de

usbands then take the

The man keeps his own a

s a new one-how unpleasant! We won

do so long as we have that wedding pretty soon," he said, reaching a

't," Celis continued. "You see, we love you just for yourselves-we wouldn't want you to-

of the nation was present. It was very solemn and very beautiful. Someone had written a new song for the occasion, nobly beautiful,

ink we were High Priests of-of Philoprogenitiveness!" he protested. "T

tion, that Jeff and I feared the worst. We tried to caution him-much good that did. The big h

ges," he said. "I won't interfer

e three bridegrooms without any supporting "best men," or any o

and; we were thankful to have them,

I spoke of, and the whole great place pulsed with feeling-the de

on't know how much you mean to us. It is not only Fatherhood-that marvelous dual parentage to which we are strangers-the miracle of union in life-giving-but it is Brotherhood. You are th

ood a new one, crowned as well. Before the Great Over Mother of the Land and her ring of High Temple Counsellors, before that vast multitude of calm-faced moth