The Portland daily press., 1885-02-11
THE RELIGION OF OUR FORE
FATHERS.
MIR. Blanehnrd's Lectnre Last Evening

AAF' nAanenhrd's Gecture Last Evening.
Whether walking or riding, people were
sure to find great difficulties attending locomo-
ton last evening. The fact that SO large an
audience was present to hear Mr.. Blanchard
attests the interest felt in his lectures.
Mr.. Blanchard stated that owing tc the un-
propitious weather he should repeat the lecture
two weeks from last night.
lie then began his remarks by a reference TO
the interest which should be taken in the SUBJ
leet by the people Of this country, and especial
~ or New England, as being descendants of
the Anglo-Saxon branch of the Teutoac race.
Inc question, How are we to learn the re-
ilgion OF our forefathers? naturally presents
ltseif. Christianity among the Teutonic
peoples is OF comparatively recent date but
through the zeal of the early priests all literary
and monumental traces of the earlier religion.
as well as the, customs arising from it, were
destroyed IN every country save the island of
Iceland. Here we find the two Eddas, colIec.
lions OF NEUROLOGICAL stories the older being in
verse, and the later, the compilation of which
was completed about the year 1850, in prose.
FROM Ihese works our knowledge of the an
Gent Ieutonic religion is drawn.
The religion of people owes muoh of its
nature to the character of the country they
inhabit. Norway, with its low hanging clouds
enveloping everything with mist, its great
climatic changes, its mountainous Topography,
ana It's herce storms, gave the Teutons re-
hgion IN which darkness, cold and death were
represented by gods OF evil; and light, beauty
and noble things were represented to be benefi-
cent gods. And as the Teatons were Obliged
TO maintain constant strife with the ele-
ments a sense OF freedom became inbred in
their nature and they believed the gods to be
struggling with nature and the evil spirits
VI the beneticeRt gods, OdiD was the chief
ana acteo LOT his Master, the one unnamed and
unnameable God believed in as being above
al other gods. From these divinities we have
the names OF the days of the week, Saturday
being named for one of them, and not derived
from the Latin as generally supposed.
The gods OF evil were headed by Loki, who
was assisted by an army of interiors.
Our 1ore-fathers believed in immortality
with all the intensity Of their nature. 1t vas
lncomprehensble to them how the souls con-
tanned IN their strong and hardy bodies could
perish Their heaven, Valhala, was to be the
abode OF happy warriors. They pictured it 90
an immense place, the walls of which were
formed OF spears and the roof OF shislds Here
were brought the heroes who had fallen upon
the held of battle During the day they fought
tlercely among themselves, killing and MAIN
ing each other until the evening when wounds
were nealed and the dead restored to life. The
night was spent in feasting. Good women
spent their time after death in heaven called
the Hall of Friends.
Thesherce nature of the people was EXPIRE 80 I'd
fully in their idea Of He'll The place Of pm
ishment was thought to be an inmensa cave
lined with serpents, the poison from whose
iangs dripped into the lake beneath. Here in
to torment were plunged the wicked.
striking feature about this religion was
the transformers with which sill things were
invested. When the warriors of ValhaIa had
become sufficiently numerous they were to at
tack Loki and his forces. II was then that
the strife between good and evil was to end by
the Interpositon of the supreme God and the
final triumph of good.
Mr.. Blanchard closed by tracing the iDfla-
ence OF the Anglo-Saxon race in the history of
the world. II was branch of the race which
took possession OF Normandy. William. the
Conqueror was an Anglo-Saxon. From this
PEOPLE We get our first instrument of constitu-
tional liberty, Magna Charta.