Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-11-10

tify his brain, saw with his wild soul
the miracles of the day-break; of
the sunrise and the splendor of the
long, glowing day. The natural
man is always a poet and the glory
of the scene took possession of him.
In his heart an idea was conceived
to which his lips gave birth in the
word "Deva," signifying brightness.
The brightness impressed him; fill
cd him full of itself. Deva is the
Sanskrit for bright. Sanskrit we
need not say, is the oldest of written
languages. Not until within the
past fifty years was it translated into
English or Ineligible to English
students; but now the key has been
discovered, the treasure house of the
ancients unlocked, and he who will
may adorn himself with gems of
knowledge from those early days,
which illuminate and transfgure all
present conceptions.
Taking the word Deva and carrying
it down through the historic years,
besring in mind its significance,
brightness, we may open the gate
which admits us to the secrets of the
ancient religion of the Persians,
known as "Flre Worshippers."
Brightness was to them mystery
which aroused devotion; they wor-
shipped it in all its forms; in the
Sun, in Fire, in the Dawn-where-
ever it appeared, as a manifestation
of the invisible spirit. They bow
ed to it as Deva, which word, enin-
ent philologists tell us, came grad
ually to mean divine.
We said that language is pro-
duct of growth. Even the school
boy knows that English is a COM
posite language, composed of Latin,
Greek, German, French, etc.; be-
vond this the finished scholar knows
that all these languages date back to
the Sanskrit for ancestry-and the
ancestral significance of many of our
commonest words is destined to ex-
ert a powerful influence upon popu-
lar religion. Scholars already I'M
derstand it and the people will un-
derstand it more and more as they
read the works of Max Mueller,
Whitney, Johnson and others.
Carrying this word, Deva, along
in vet another channel, it has been
discovered that it is also the Latin
deus, hence it and Deity are syn
onomous. Here is food for thought,
opportunity for investigation. 1t is
not at all matter to call respecta-
BILE people 'sinfdels" about, but it is
one of the high themes soliciting
candid study, and the long winter
evenings can not better be employed
than in the research that will illu-
mine this subject. 1t is not novel.
Probably every educated clergymen
in the country knows all, and infin-
itely more than is here stated; the
lament is that they do not tell it to
the people, or that the people will
not allow them to tell it.
Looking backward to the origin
of this single, every day word, di-
vinity, doubtless many will cry out
against the audacious heresy that
asserts itself in the bit of indisputa-
BILE truth thus revealed. It is the
unreasoning people who will do
this. Sincere minds, who have not
CHANGED to know it before will send
out their thanks for its benediction.
Many devout soul, rebellious
against the meaningless bandying Of
sacred words; hungry for bread to
satisfy its Unborn craving, halls the
glad tidings of these patient Oriental
students with joy that gives it it's
first revelation Of true divinity. And
why should any be SO blinded as to
pull backward the heavenly mes
sengers? Is our conception of the
divine, the great, unutterable nys
terry to which every soul is yearning
upward to-day, less noble, less true,
because it is also true that humanity