, 1877-09-22

have stiff angels after Fra Angelica, and
angcls quito deformcd, after Sassoterato
aud the old religious artists. Why can't
We Cinnamon preserve our antique relig.
ieus art, even if it is ugly, as well as
you?'
found Chang Wau Eo, the Chinese
priest, very radical He defended him.
self and his faith splcndidly. Sometimes
he WAS drcadIully irreligious, and often,
to me, sacrileglous. Once he replied:
"Heathen who do you call heather
To me-" he said, "every one is n heather
who does not believe in our religion"
When told him that thought Mo
hammed and Contucius and Buddha were
impostors, his eyes snapped, the crimson
came 10 his checks, and he exclaimed:
so was your Christ an impostor!'
"Do you call all the prophets impos-
tors every one since Moses p asked.
"Yes, all who claim to be prophets
all who claim spiritual connection with
| Col. Z'roasler, the Persian prophet,
WAS an impostor, and SO was
b u d ha, who lived in Benares,
and Mulammed, who lived in Mecca.
CJntucius and Moses and Socrates were
not prophets; they were simply wise
men. They were great writers-great
leaders. The prophets have all been ig-
norant men-a adventurers.
What do you say of Brigham Young
they have just declared him to be the
only living prophet, seer and interpreter
in the world 7" remarked.
LET 2,0G0 years 60 by, and Brigham
Young will be just MS much respected as
a prophet as is ZorCaster, Buddha, or
Mohammed. He is just rs much q
prophet AS they. But they are all impos'
tors. God is too great to need n proph--
ct. He is too great to need a religious
broker on earth, end every man who sets
himself up as u partner Of God is u
| fraud"
Chang Wau Hos language made me
shudder. Still determined to draw
him out. wanted to hear just what
this heather had TO say,
''Do you believe in religion, Wau HO r.
/ commenced.
yes" he said 1--WE are all alike. We
all believe in religion nation, Mr.
Perkins. We all have the same God.
We all pray to Him The same--the Chi
uaman, Turk, Englishman, and South
American. He is the same God all over
the world, only each nation spells His
name differently. We call Him joss, the
Hindoos call Him Bramola, the Greeks
call Hin Theos; the Italian, Deus; the
American Indian, Great Spirit the
Frenchman, Dieu; the German, Goot;
the American, God; and so on Every
nation has the same God, only they spell
il differently. This same God in 20 diff.
erent nations has the same attributes
omaiscience, omnipresence, potentially.
Every nation pyays to Him the same.
You aud 4. though you call me heathen,
worship the same God. We believe pre-
cisely ali1e, except when we come to the
prophets, aud then all the nations disa-
gree"
"WLat do you argue from that :" l
asked.
Il argue this-the prophets are all i'm
posters. They cause oil the trouble"
"All impostors every one Of them ?" I
exclaimed.
| "Yes, all human impostors. They
make all the trouble. The world is COS
nopolite as TO God--we only differ when
we come to the prophets. The prophets
make all the wars--cause all the eblood-
shed. The Turk and Russian would not
be fighting now were it not for Christ
aud Mohammed. Who ever heard Of
two nations fighting about God : 1t is
these human impostors which they hitch
on to God that causes all the wrangling
aud bloolshed"
"But how about Confucius 7" l asked.
"Confucius," said Chang Wau Ho, "was
not y prophet. He did not claim to be
prophet He was teacher like Moses.
They both expounded the laws. They
both claimed to be human. Moses was
thief, a murderer, and liar oncc-he
stole the Egyptian jewels, murdered an