The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-09-02

that the teachers of religion, at this
time, were greatly divided among
themselves, and they had led great
portion Of tho lay world into their
disputes. One party, in an age of
reasoning, and when nothing in
science was taken upon trust, gave
up their reason altogether, and fol-
lowed authority as blindly as they
could, stiH, however, feeling the in
f1uence of the age; for they would
argue upon the existence or non-ex-
istence of authority, and would fit it,
unconsciously, each man to his con-
ceit. Indeed, superstition was the
disease of the age, and while the
healthy part of the community en-
ployed and enjoyed the freest use of
their reason, this same infirmity ap-
peared among other people in other
forms; 80 that some men took up the
notion that the human mind might
act independently of sense and see
without eyes, and know intuitiyely
what existed at distance. Other
parties, among professors of religion,
allowed nothing in religion that they
allowed daily in the evidence of other
matters. They gave no weight to re-
search, and thought about religious
facts, and dreamed that each one
among themselves gained Il kind of
spiritual knowledge by intuition. 1t
was time of conceit and quackcry;
but there was better spirit abroad,
of which this man, Host, was the
representative. He began in the pes
thence, and went to all houses indiffer-
emily, whether they were princes or
peasants, and there was common
sense in what he did and said, a uni
versal character in his religion, which
struck men ill these evil days. They
drew nearer to each other under his
influence; and l recollect this great
building thronged in one of the last
months that men continued here
with congregation of oil orders and
all divisions If opinion, who met to
pray together and listen to Host.
He stood yu..der, Charles; RS nearly
there, think, as can tell from the
ruins; he was rapt by his own dis
course, and his face was rs the face of
an angel. And, truly, three days
after, he was dead; and they buried
him--the last sound of the organ, the
last service of this church, being for
him. Here is his name still on the
tombstone"
Pho lilccto beato.
Populus miser1imus.
Charles memory Was deeply i'm
pressed with this history, and he fol-
lowed his father. much enerossed
and animated by what he had heard.
Not SO Panlett; for tho rnins of Lon
don occupied his mind, and filled him
with deep pity and regret for the fair
world destroyed; and SO they return
ed to their temporary habitation 1.-THE
father sorrowful, the son exnlting;
one full Of the old world, one dream
ing great actions for the new.
After another days rest the sole
surviving family of mankind set forth
again on their pilgrimage. Paulett
again carried his Alice, and Ellen
and Charles walked hand in hand,
with such a basket of necessaries as
they could support Paulett secured
about lis person n large packet of
diamond~, collected in palaces and
noble dwellings, near London, and
the apparatus he required for trans
mltting them into water; and search
ing for and finding the remains of
the railroad to the coast ut Dover.
they kept on in that track, which.
from its evenness. offered facility to
their journey. But in several places
1t had been pnrposely broken up dur
ing the connections which preccd-
ed the final triumph Of the drought,
and the tunnel near Folkestone had
fallen in the middle from want of the
necessary attention to the masonry.
These difficulties seemed harder to
bear than those which they had met
with in the beginning of their pill
grimage, when their hopes of reach
ing a certain bourne were more
secure. The destruction of London
had thrown deep gloom over all
their expectations; and, besides, that
help was removed to much greater
distance, they could not but feel it
very probable that similar fate
might have befallen the other places
they looked to. Nevertheless, none
of them murmured. They went
steadfastly though sadly on; and the
two children, with less knowledge Of
what Was to be feared, were eucour-
aged by their parents whenever they
broke into merrier strain. Alice
was the happiest of the party, for