Part 2, Chapter 8

8 min

The conversation that I had with Wauna gave me so much uneasiness that I sought her mother. I cannot express the shock I felt at hearing such youthful and innocent lips speak of the absurdity of religious forms, ceremonies, and creeds. She regarded my belief in them as a species of barbarism. But she had not convinced me. I was resolved not to be convinced. I believed she was in error.

My conversation with Wauna made me so uneasy that I went to her mother. I cannot express how shocked I was to hear someone so young and innocent call religious practices, ceremonies, and creeds absurd. She saw my belief in them as a kind of barbarism. But she had not convinced me. I was determined not to be convinced. I believed she was wrong.

Surely, I thought, a country so far advanced in civilization, and practicing such unexampled rectitude, must, according to my religious teaching, have been primarily actuated by religious principles which they had since abandoned. My only surprise was that they had not relapsed into immorality, after destroying church and creed, and I began to feel anxious to convince them of the danger I felt they were incurring in neglecting prayer and supplication at the throne to continue them in their progress toward perfection of mental and moral culture.

Surely, I thought, such a highly civilized country, with such unmatched moral conduct, must have been guided by religious principles. My religious teaching told me so, even though the people had since abandoned those principles. I was only surprised that they had not fallen back into immorality after destroying the church and its creed. I grew anxious to convince them of the danger I believed they faced. They were neglecting to pray and plead at God's throne for help in continuing toward intellectual and moral perfection.

I explained my feelings to the Preceptress with great earnestness and anxiety for their future, intimating that I believed their immunity from disaster had been owing to Divine sufferance. "For no nation," I added, quoting from my memory of religious precepts, "can prosper without acknowledging the Christian religion."

I earnestly explained my feelings to the Preceptress, anxious about their future. I suggested that I believed they had escaped disaster because God had allowed it. "For no nation," I added, recalling religious teachings, "can prosper without acknowledging the Christian religion."

She listened to me with great attention, and when I had finished, asked:

She listened to me carefully, and when I finished, she asked:

"How do you account for our long continuance in prosperity and progress, for it is more than a thousand years since we rooted out the last vestige of what you term religion, from the mind. We have had a long immunity from punishment. To what do you attribute it?"

"How do you explain our continued prosperity and progress? It has been more than a thousand years since we removed the last trace of what you call religion from our minds. We have gone a long time without punishment. What do you think explains that?"

I hesitated to explain what had been in my mind, but finally faltered out something about the absence of the male sex. I then had to explain that the prisons and penitentiaries of my own land, and of all other civilized lands that I knew of, were almost exclusively occupied by the male sex. Out of eight hundred penitentiary prisoners, not more than twenty or thirty would be women; and the majority of them could trace their crimes to man's infidelity.

I hesitated to explain what I was thinking, but finally stammered out something about the absence of men. I then had to explain that prisons and penitentiaries in my own country were filled almost entirely with men. The same was true of all the other civilized countries I knew. Out of eight hundred penitentiary prisoners, no more than twenty or thirty would be women. Most of those women could trace their crimes to men's infidelity.

"And what do you do to reform them?" inquired the Preceptress.

“And what do you do to reform them?” asked the Preceptress.

"We offer them the teachings of Christianity. All countries, however, differ widely in this respect. The government of my country is not as generous to prisoners as that of some others. In the United States every penitentiary is supplied with a minister who expounds the Gospel to the prisoners every Sunday; that is once every seven days."

"We offer them the teachings of Christianity. However, countries differ widely in how they treat prisoners. My country's government is not as generous to prisoners as some other governments are. In the United States, every prison has a minister who explains the Gospel to prisoners every Sunday. That is once every seven days."

"And what do they do the rest of the time?"

"They work."

"Are they ignorant?"

"Oh, yes, indeed;" I replied, earnestly. "You could not find one scholar in ten thousand of them. Their education is either very limited, or altogether deficient."

"Oh, yes, absolutely," I replied earnestly. "You couldn't find one scholar among ten thousand of them. Their education is either very limited or completely lacking."

"Do the buildings they are confined in cost a great deal?"

"Do the buildings where they are confined cost a lot?"

"Vast sums of money are represented by them; and it often costs a community a great deal of money to send a criminal to the penitentiary. In some States the power to pardon rests entirely with the governor, and it frequently occurs that a desperate criminal, who has cost a county a great deal of money to get rid of him, will be pardoned by the governor, to please a relative, or, as it is sometimes believed, for a bribe."

"They represent vast sums of money, and sending a criminal to prison often costs a community a great deal. In some states, only the governor has the power to grant pardons. A county may spend a great deal of money to get rid of a dangerous criminal. Yet the governor will often pardon that criminal to please a relative or, as people sometimes believe, for a bribe."

"And do the people never think of educating their criminals instead of working them?

"Do people never think of educating criminals instead of making them work?

"That would be an expense to the government," I replied.

"That would cost the government money," I replied.

"If they would divide the time, and compel them to study half a day as rigorously as they make them work, it would soon make a vast change in their morals. Nothing so ennobles the mind as a broad and thorough education."

"If they divided the time and made them study half the day as rigorously as they make them work, their morals would soon improve greatly. Nothing improves the mind more than a broad and thorough education."

"They are all compelled to listen to religious instruction once a week," I answered. "That surely ought to make some improvement in them. I remember hearing an American lady relate her attendance at chapel service in a State penitentiary one Sunday. The minister's education was quite limited, as she could perceive from the ungrammatical language he used, but he preached sound orthodox doctrine. The text selected had a special application to his audience: 'Depart from me ye accursed, into everlasting torment prepared for the Devil and his angels.' There were eight hundred prisoners, and the minister assured them, in plain language, that such would surely be their sentence unless they repented."

"They are all required to listen to religious instruction once a week," I answered. "Surely that should help them improve. I remember an American woman describing a Sunday chapel service she attended at a state penitentiary. She could tell from the minister's ungrammatical language that he had little education. But he preached sound orthodox doctrine. The text he chose was especially relevant to his audience: 'Depart from me, you accursed, into everlasting torment prepared for the Devil and his angels.' There were eight hundred prisoners. The minister told them plainly that this would surely be their sentence unless they repented."

"And that is what you call the consolations of religion, is it?" asked the Preceptress with an expression that rather disconcerted me; as though my zeal and earnestness entirely lacked the light of knowledge with which she viewed it.

"And that is what you call the comforts of religion, is it?" asked the Preceptress. Her expression unsettled me. It was as though my zeal and sincerity completely lacked the knowledge that guided her view of them.

"That is religious instruction;" I answered. "The minister exhorted the prisoners to pray and be purged of their sins. And it was good advice."

"That is religious instruction," I answered. "The minister urged the prisoners to pray and be cleansed of their sins. And that was good advice."

"But they might aver," persisted the Preceptress, "that they had prayed to be restrained from crime, and their prayers had not been answered."

“But they might claim,” the Preceptress insisted, “that they had prayed to be kept from committing crimes, and their prayers had not been answered.”

"They didn't pray with enough faith, then;" I assured her in the confidence of my own belief. "That is wherein I think my own church is so superior to the other religions of the world," I added, proudly. "We can get the priest to absolve us from sin, and then we know we are rid of it, when he tells us so."

"Then they didn't pray with enough faith," I assured her, confident in my own belief. "That's why I think my church is so much better than the other religions of the world," I added proudly. "We can ask the priest to absolve us of sin. When he tells us he has, we know we're free of it."

"But what assurance have you that the priest can do so?" asked the Preceptress.

"But how can you be sure the priest can do that?" asked the Preceptress.

"Because it is his duty to do so."

"Because it is his duty."

"Education will root out more sin than all your creeds can," gravely answered the Preceptress. "Educate your convicts and train them into controlling and subduing their criminal tendencies by their own will, and it will have more effect on their morals than all the prayers ever uttered. Educate them up to that point where they can perceive for themselves the happiness of moral lives, and then you may trust them to temptation without fear. The ideas you have expressed about dogmas, creeds and ceremonies are not new to us, though, as a nation, we do not make a study of them. They are very, very ancient. They go back to the first records of the traditionary history of man. And the farther you go back the deeper you plunge into ignorance and superstition.

“Education will root out more sin than all your creeds can,” the Preceptress answered gravely. “Educate your convicts and train them to control and overcome their criminal tendencies through their own will. This will do more for their morals than all the prayers ever spoken. Educate them until they can see for themselves the happiness of living moral lives. Then you can trust them to face temptation without fear. Your ideas about dogmas, creeds, and ceremonies are not new to us, though we do not study them as a nation. They are very, very ancient. They go back to the earliest records of humanity’s traditional history. And the farther back you go, the deeper you plunge into ignorance and superstition.

"The more ignorant the human mind, the more abject was its slavery to religion. As history progresses toward a more diffuse education of the masses, the forms, ceremonies and beliefs in religion are continually changing to suit the advancement of intelligence; and when intelligence becomes universal, they will be renounced altogether. What is true of the history of one people will be true of the history of another. Religions are not necessary to human progress. They are really clogs. My ancestors had more trouble to extirpate these superstitious ideas from the mind than they had in getting rid of disease and crime. There were several reasons for this difficulty. Disease and crime were self-evident evils, that the narrowest intelligence could perceive; but beliefs in creeds and superstitions were perversions of judgment, resulting from a lack of thorough mental training. As soon, however, as education of a high order became universal, it began to disappear. No mind of philosophical culture can adhere to such superstitions.

"The more ignorant the human mind was, the more completely it was in slavery to religion. As history progresses and education reaches more people, religious forms, ceremonies, and beliefs keep changing to match advances in intelligence. When intelligence becomes universal, people will abandon them altogether. What is true of one people’s history will be true of another’s. Religions are not necessary for human progress. They actually hold it back. My ancestors had more trouble removing these superstitious ideas from people’s minds than they had getting rid of disease and crime. There were several reasons for this difficulty. Disease and crime were obvious evils that even the least intelligent people could recognize. But beliefs in creeds and superstitions were distortions of judgment caused by a lack of thorough mental training. As soon as high-quality education became universal, however, this distorted judgment began to disappear. No mind trained in philosophy can hold on to such superstitions.

"Many ages the people made idols, and, decking them with rich ornaments, placed them in magnificent temples specially built for them and the rites by which they worshipped them. There have existed many variations of this kind of idolatry that are marked by the progressive stages of civilization. Some nations of remote antiquity were highly cultured in art and literature, yet worshipped gods of their own manufacture, or imaginary gods, for everything. Light and darkness, the seasons, earth, air, water, all had a separate deity to preside over and control their special services. They offered sacrifices to these deities as they desired their co-operation or favor in some enterprise to be undertaken.

"For many ages, people made idols and decorated them with rich ornaments. They placed them in magnificent temples built especially for the idols and the rituals used to worship them. This kind of idolatry took many forms, reflecting different stages of civilization. Some nations in the distant past had highly developed art and literature. Yet they worshipped gods they had made or imagined for everything. Light and darkness, the seasons, earth, air, and water each had a separate deity to oversee and control its particular functions. People offered sacrifices to these deities when they wanted their help or favor in some undertaking.

"In remote antiquity, we read of a great General about to set out upon the sea to attack the army of another nation. In order to propitiate the god of the ocean, he had a fine chariot built to which were harnessed two beautiful white horses. In the presence of a vast concourse of people collected to witness the ceremony, he drove them into the sea. When they sank out of sight it was supposed that the god had accepted the present, and would show his gratitude for it by favoring winds and peaceful weather.

"In ancient times, we read of a great general preparing to sail off and attack another nation's army. To appease the ocean god, he had a fine chariot built and harnessed two beautiful white horses to it. A vast crowd gathered to watch the ceremony as he drove the horses and chariot into the sea. When they sank out of sight, people believed the god had accepted the gift. They believed he would show his gratitude by sending favorable winds and peaceful weather.

"A thousand years afterward history speaks of the occurrence derisively, as an absurd superstition, and at the same time they believed in and lauded a more absurd and cruel religion. They worshipped an imaginary being who had created and possessed absolute control of everything. Some of the human family it had pleased him to make eminently good, while others he made eminently bad. For those whom he had created with evil desires, he prepared a lake of molten fire into which they were to be cast after death to suffer endless torture for doing what they had been expressly created to do. Those who had been created good were to be rewarded for following out their natural inclinations, by occupying a place near the Deity, where they were to spend eternity in singing praises to him.

"A thousand years later, history mocked the event as an absurd superstition. Yet at the same time, people believed in and praised an even more absurd and cruel religion. They worshipped an imaginary being who had created everything and had absolute control over it all. He had chosen to make some people exceptionally good and others exceptionally bad. For those he had created with evil desires, he prepared a lake of molten fire. After death, they were to be thrown into it and tortured forever for doing exactly what he had created them to do. Those he had created good were to be rewarded for following their natural inclinations. They would take a place near the Deity and spend eternity singing his praises.

"He could, however, be persuaded by prayer from following his original intentions. Very earnest prayer had caused him to change his mind, and send rain when he had previously concluded to visit the country with drouth.

"He could, however, be persuaded by prayer to change his original plans. Very earnest prayer had caused him to change his mind and send rain after he had decided to bring drought to the country.

"Two nations at war with each other, and believing in the same Deity, would pray for a pestilence to visit their enemy. Death was universally regarded as a visitation of Providence for some offense committed against him instead of against the laws of nature.

"Two nations at war with each other, both believing in the same God, would pray for a plague to strike their enemy. Everyone regarded death as punishment from God for an offense against him, rather than as a consequence of breaking the laws of nature.

"Some believed that prayer and donations to the church or priest, could induce the Deity to take their relatives from the lake of torment and place them in his own presence. The Deity was prayed to on every occasion, and for every trivial object. The poor and indolent prayed for him to send them food and clothes. The sick prayed for health, the foolish for wisdom, and the revengeful besought the Deity to consign all their enemies to the burning lake.

"Some believed that prayers and donations to the church or a priest could persuade God to act. They believed he would take their relatives from the lake of torment and bring them into his presence. People prayed to God on every occasion and for every trivial thing. The poor and lazy prayed for him to send them food and clothes. The sick prayed for health, the foolish for wisdom, and the vengeful begged God to send all their enemies to the burning lake.

"The intelligent and humane began to doubt the necessity of such dreadful and needless torment for every conceivable misdemeanor, and it was modified, and eventually dropped altogether. Education finally rooted out every phase of superstition from the minds of the people, and now we look back and smile at the massive and magnificent structures erected to the worship of a Deity who could be coaxed to change his mind by prayer."

"Intelligent and humane people began to doubt that such dreadful, needless torment was necessary for every imaginable offense. The torment was reduced and eventually abandoned altogether. Education finally erased every form of superstition from people's minds. Now we look back and smile at the grand, magnificent buildings raised to worship a God who could be persuaded to change his mind through prayer."

I did not tell the Preceptress that she had been giving me a history of my own ancestry; but I remarked the resemblance with the joyous hope that in the future of my own unhappy country lay the possibility of a civilization so glorious, the ideal heaven of which every sorrowing heart had dreamed. But always with the desire to believe it had a spiritual eternity.

I did not tell the Preceptress that she had been telling me the history of my own ancestry. But I mentioned the resemblance, with joyful hope for my own unhappy country. Perhaps it could one day achieve such a glorious civilization, the ideal heaven every sorrowing heart had dreamed of. But there was always the desire to believe that this heaven had a spiritual eternity.