Mr. World and Miss Church-Member Part 14

"When Jesus discerned that his claims were more readily accepted by the poorer and more ignorant cla.s.s of people, he lauded them in his teachings, while the learned and more respectable cla.s.ses were subjected to his abuse and sarcasm.

"By his unusual tactics" overcame the prejudices of his enemies and, for a long time, escaped punishment. But finally he was arrested and convicted and, notwithstanding his so-called Divine power, he came to an inglorious end by death on a cross. His friends, unable to prevent his cursed death, quickly formed a plot to perpetuate his doctrines.

They carried out their plot by stealthily robbing Christ's body from the grave and secretly burying it elsewhere, and then spreading the news that he, of his own power, came forth from the grave. To complete the fraud they also claimed, a little later, that he had ascended into Heaven. What was the purpose of all this? It was to prove that Christ was Divine and thereby to make his teachings authoritative and eternal.

"I wish to inform you that the ma.n.u.scripts and parchments, in sub- department number six of this hall, all point to the fact that Jesus Christ was born like any other babe and that his father was Joseph.

Dishonest, indeed, is any one who would rob Joseph of this honor.

'Honor to whom honor is due.' While Christ was a great man, he never had in him the elements of Divinity. Let millions in the world glory in their imaginary theology, yet that is no reason why scholarly research should be put to naught, or why it should be sacrificed. We are living in the morning twilight of a better day when G.o.d shall be worshiped and Jesus Christ ignored when all thought of Divinity will center at the true focus and a man will no longer receive the glory that belongs to G.o.d."

The vigorous applause which followed the remarks of this speaker fell with grating horror on my ears. "Can it be possible," thought I, "that any one can publicly teach such doctrines of h.e.l.l, and be thus applauded? Whither are so many of the church and the world drifting that they should give ear to such theology as it comes from the mouth of the Devil?"

Miss Church-Member and her escort left the lecture room and visited a few more of the sub-departments where they saw many objects of literary interest and, with the aid of experts, examined some of the old ma.n.u.scripts dating back to the time of Christ. They left the hall and were next attracted by the words over the entrance of Hall No. 9 appearing thus:

LITERATURE ON LIFE.

1. Vegetable Life. 2. Animal Life. 3. Mental Life. 4. Spiritual Life.

At the suggestion of Miss Church-Member they entered, and could readily see that the attendants and lecturers of this hall were also of a very high cla.s.s. One of the speakers elaborated on the theory that life is the result of spontaneous generation.

Another, in speaking on spiritual life, made special reference to the fact that Jesus Christ claimed to be the "Life," and then proceeded to refute this claim by a series of arguments which were altogether too philosophical to be understood by the two companions.

Finding no pleasure in this metaphysical atmosphere, Mr. World conducted his companion to the adjoining hall devoted to the "Literature of Fiction."

Here they spent a season delightfully, perusing works of fiction and listening to addresses, all of which advocated the views of Satan.

I heard one of the lecturers, in a discussion on "The License of Pure Fiction" make these dangerous remarks: "The highest fiction of the world is that in which human life is pictured in ideal colors, even though it be done at the expense of truth.

"There can be no harm if the reader should gain a false view of life.

The very charm of such a view will act as a stimulus to a wider experience and to a higher culture.

"In our real life, as we come in daily contact with the world, we see and suffer enough. Therefore it cannot be harmful if fiction carries us into strange worlds of morality or into any mythical realm. I give you but the result of long and careful study, and I advise you to read the wildest and most exciting forms of fiction, and thereby get the healthful and exhilarating effect that comes from total mental absorption. All this will tend to the development of your nature so that you will, by contrast, better appreciate the substantial things of life."

I saw that Mr. World and Miss Church-Member next visited the hall devoted to the "Literature of the Pa.s.sions." After they had entered, Miss Church-Member, at first, felt embarra.s.sed, and her sense of modesty would not have allowed her to remain had it not been that her conscience was eased by these conditions:

1. She saw that among the moving thousands that were present in the ma.s.sive hall many belonged to the higher cla.s.ses of society.

2. She was also informed that not a few of the throng held good membership in various branches of the visible church.

3. She readily observed that Mr. World was so much delighted that she offered no protest, and that he seemed to take an interest in the endless program as carried out in one department or another.

In this poisonous hall Miss Church-Member stultified herself more than in any other place which she had ever before visited, and thereby added one more decisive step in her downward course. She tarried longest in one of the sub-departments where Satan's expert doctors of literature delivered their special lectures on the writings of each author as far as they related directly or indirectly to the pa.s.sions.

These avowed experts carried on their fiendish work under the cover of a pleasing dignity. After their crafty manner they quoted or read the fine sentences of an author, preferably those of a sensual cast, and then placed a premium on the pa.s.sionate by describing the fine style of the author and showing how true to nature was the language he employed.

Thus I saw that the leaders of this department were using the choicest and the foulest productions of the pen, gathered from the authors of all lands, languages and ages, and Miss Church-Member, by degrees almost imperceptible, voluntarily sacrificed her finer moral taste on a popular and polluted altar.

To a pure heart there was an unclean cast and a withering effect prevalent throughout all the departments of this hall, and my heart burned as I continued observing how the agents of Satan plied their subtle influences so as to popularize this cosmopolitan resort. So effectually has Satan entrenched his views that some of the strong defenders of this hall of literature are connected with the church, and types of this same teaching have found their way into some of the Christian schools of the world.

After this protracted visit Mr. World and Miss Church-Member left this hall and continued their studies in hall after hall, until more than one half of the twenty-eight halls were visited. Their next objective point was the second grand division of this College devoted to "_The Elements of Success in Authorship._"

My heart trembled at what my eyes saw. The great army of writers who studied in this department came from all countries of the earth. "Can it be true," thought I, "that so large a portion of our authors get at least a part of their training in the schools of the Devil?"

"O Blackana!" I sighed, "how long have these things been?"

"Since the beginning of literature," was his cold and brief reply.

"Always so large a percentage of the world's authors found at that school?"

"It has never been on the decrease," he continued. "So many have visited these halls that it has been a veritable meeting-place of almost all authors of all lands and all ages at some stage in their careers. Some who came tarried long; others, not satisfied, foolishly drifted to the schools of the King's Highway which ever carry on their work in opposition to the University of the World."

Here also, in this second grand division, the subtlest kind of teaching was prevalent. In one sub-division Mr. World and Miss Church-Member read these general laws written in bold letters where all who desired could read:

RULES FOR THE WINNING AUTHOR.

1. Give quality rather than quant.i.ty.

2. If you will not compose your best, compose nothing. The world is heavily overstocked with inferior compositions.

3. Write nothing that will cause regret on your death-bed.

4. Do not follow in the rut. Go by some path untraveled before, over land or sea, and tell the world of your new discoveries.

5. To be acceptable, in the highest sense, you must teach differently than others, even though it be at the expense of what is commonly called "truth." Novelty is the winning feature.

6. In any one composition strive first to arouse the curiosity of your intended readers; then keep the curiosity suspended and finally give it satisfaction in accordance with the aim in view.

7. You may be influenced by religion, but not by religious nonsense.

If your writings win, you are a teacher of millions. So, in order to reach the public ear, you may cater to the tastes and wishes of the majority.

8. If you see some vile conditions of humanity, send out, in your writings, vials of vileness. "Like cures like." If any part of the church cries, "poison, poison!" you may justify yourself by the fact that the so-called "poison" in your productions will only neutralize the poison so prevalent in society, on the same principle that poison is administered to a sickly body in order to effect a cure.

9. You are always safest when you are true to nature, even though some sentimental people may charge you with being vulgar.

10. Words of profanity are not allowable if they are the mere expression of the author, but any foul or profane expression may be quoted. An author should not be charged with the impropriety of his characters who are merely taken from actual life.

The above ten commandments, if properly interpreted and obeyed, will surely lead to literary success.

Then Mr. World escorted his confiding friend from hall to hall of this second grand division, and at many intervals they could be seen spending a quiet season on the lawns which surrounded the entire structure.

Their tastes were now more in harmony than ever, and their friendship was fast reaching that intimacy where each one was searching for pearls in the deep ocean of the other's love.

CHAPTER XII.

THE THEATRE.

1. Mr. World and his friend tarry at Satan's Theatres which lay in seven grades, one below the other.