The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-04-24


 aid to a great extent in making live world, l can not see that the place would be paradise for me in any sense of the word. Perhaps if l were to reach this New Jerusalem my whole ex- istence would change, my ambitious thoughts would cease to worry me, my spirit be able to adapt itself to life of eternal joy and laziness; but do know that unless l should change completely in spirit, the heaven painted by the orthodox divine can never be heaven to me.
 The orthodox divine has placed me in sad dilemma as to which path to take 10 insure a happy and peaceful future. His heaven is not at all suitable for my existence, and am certain that his hell would prove anything but haven of rest to me wouldn't mind suffering for while, but to be tumbled head over heels into burning lake of brim- stone and sulphur. and to be forced to swim and kick in that red-hot muddle through all eternity, is too horrible even to dream of. l sometimes labored un- der the belief that would prefer the he'll SO graphically pictured by the ortho- doX divine, to his heaven. as on the whole the company in the former place would prove far more agreeable to me You see, about all the great men of the past were hcathens or unbelievers. and therefore, are now roasting in hell Nearly all the great authors philosophers and poets, whom have learned to admire and love for the great work they accom- plished in behalf of humanity. have gone to the bad place. Those sweet great singers, Homer Virgil. Shakespeare, Moliere, Byron, Goethe and Burns are suffering below And all the great leaders, statesmen and warriors of the past, men who undid empires and kingdoms and in their place created new ones they, too, are struggling below But the question is. if l went to he'll would be allowed 10 chat with these demigodS, would be allowed to remain in their company and hold interviews with them; or are things so internally hot there that no one cares to speak to his room-mates, anal finds his hands full iii lodging about for himself? This isa very serious question with me. for if 1 were certain that at times should find time to converse with thcse worthies of the past, who have made this world what it Is, l should rather a thousand times go to hell than heaven: but. if on the other hand, as soon as l shuttle off this mortal coil am to be dumped into burning lake of birthstone and Sul- phur, and every time l show my head above the surface in the hopes of getting glimpse of Shakespeare, Napoleon, Byron or some other earthly god of mine some arehlevil is going to punch me with d pitch-iork and force me to dive under the boiling liquid again, l doubt very much whether l want to % hell
 Sometimes think I would !:kr to remain on this earth forever. l have led such happy life of late that hardly care to be disturbed believe l can accomplish some good here and can live for some purpose Being am bilious in spirit am allowed full scope here to spread my wings and sail forth. Being born homely l have a good op- portunity to make myself entertaining and attractive; being born poor have a fair chance to become rich in earthly goods, and being born weak am on a fair road to power and influence. like this world better every day. as it be- comes more attractivelv beautiful every day live in it. do not meet with SO much wickedness as used to. because have learned better than to look for it, and my fellow-beings appear better and nobler now than they did in years back, because have learned to search out their good deeds instead of picking out their faults and mistakes. have learned to look on my fellow-beings as brothers and sisters-all of equal birth and of one family, and to love them as such, have learned that to laugh at the mistakes of others is to simply show a weakness in my own makeup" that wickedness is more nearly related to circumstance than to intention. and that before have the right to find fault and condemn fellow-being for a sin com mitted, ought to consider we'll whether if placed in the same rols or situation as my fallen brother or sister, should |. have been able to resist the temptation. l find that whenever take this dues- |