Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-05-13
HE'LL.


The minds Of men throughout all
christendom are to-day directed TO the
consideration Of the alleged hereafter. OF
which q hell is presumed to be the
greater part. Despite the growing SEN
timcnt, not only among skeptics, but
among the professedly orthodox as well,
that there is no such place, and though
hades is the word used in the new ver-
sion of Scripture, the term hell continues
still full of meaning. whether the locality
indefinitely referred to by it is full OF
iddlcrs or not. Even among the irrev-
erent and ungodly ''this is hell" or ''that
is hclr' is q current expression. The
idea involved is that the dreadful place
of punishment is somewhere on earth,
and is a counterpart of the direful hell
Of the hereafter. The orthodox may
pick up . crumb Of satisfaction in the
expressions of the ungodly, wherein lies
an indirect admission Of the belief that
there is . veritable hell. Still among
the very orthodox, those who have faith
as large as a mustard seed, by which
HOLY Writ assures us mountains may be
moved. there exists an Indebtedness as
to the location OF the s'bottomlcss pit"
that staggers the positive man, who IS
thirsting for scientific information. Locus
inferni may be shut out from view BY the
dense sulphur fumes that perpetuaily
rise from its cavernous depths. Even
the formularies Of the Catholic Church,
with all their rigorous precision OF de-
tail, have abstained from every formal
declaration as to where the roasted
cohorts suffer. This makes the appli-
cation of logic to the discussion
painful, if it must be viewed, as the or
thodox insist, from the standpoint Of
fact instead Of speculation pure u sim
pie. And then who knows what hell is!
Is it ''pain of loss. remorse Of conscience
in FORGETTING the presence Of God and the
company of the angels; or is it pain OF
sense" actual. personal torment! This
question is answered ~variously IN the
different religious creeds. Those who
do not believe in the authenticity OF re-
vealed religion, but who entertain any
idea whatever Of hell, think that its pun
ishments are inflicted on earth; that
with their present capacity Of endurance
men could not suffer more than they do
at times on this footstool. In other
words, every human being carries a hell
in his own mind and body. Thousands
believe that the Bible hell or hades is
totally inconsistent with the idea Of
Divine mercy; that human beings who,
a. well a. the circumstances OF which
they are creatures, should be tortured
for acts for which He alone is ultimately
responsible, is An idea monstrous in
logic and morals.
The ancient heathsns (so our clergy
denominate the Greek and Latins) enter
tanned graphic. poetic ideas Of future
punishment. Strange to say. that from
those heathens, at Last, we have come &c
borrow "hades" ~ . substitute for the
gross Saxon "hsll." Sisiphus rolled
stone laboriously and forever to the tor
Of . hill on the summit Of which il
could not come to rest. Tantalus stood
In limpid water up TO his lips while de
licious fruits were just beyond his reach
Always psrishins with hunger and thirst
he oould neither eat nor drink.
But In the midst Of these vasaries ant
spsoulatiops The startling idea Of . de
ceased sagebrush editor may be ~ good
~ anybody slss's. He conceived hell t.
be . long, huge trough into which thu
wicked are cast ~ 700 ~ the spirit
leaves the mortal frame. A host Of tall,
muscular devils (wrstches doomed to I
hsllish job) walk up and down armed
with massive pestlss made Of iron wood,
with which they beat down the ever
bowling damned. Al in an omnibus. x
In this trough. there ID always room fol
one more. The undying victims arr
kept crushed down under blows from thu
heavy psstls clubs Piled cruelty forever
by the hsartlsss tends who would los,
their places and be thrown in the trough
themselves II they should relax thsil
vigilance for . single moment.
- Ea