The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-04-30

his times, and is it not also in our
time? That the first coming together
of any man and any woman in the sex
relation is the true marriage, or ought
to be, and that all subsequent unions
are adulterous and unlawful.
How different from the social order
Of today, by which marriage is consid-
cred that union sanctioned by the
state! And yet is he not lifting the
veil from a monstrous system of
wrong and Of misery when he takes
this step2 If the first union is mar
riage how many men are living in
adultery? It is a thought with all the
terrors Of the law in 1t. The lifting
aside Of this veil from the social or
der would cure the social evil, and
save to society yearly many thousands
of Gods children who are now known
as abandoned women whilst their true
husbands according to Tolstoi) are
living with some woman in a COM
Portable home surrounded with chill
dren, and this latter marriage Is the
one sanctioned by the church and the
state and by the social order!
What a revolution In the home life
Of the world would the universal ad-
mission Of this doctrine Of Christ
createi
The other laws Of Christ are: Be
not angry; take no oaths.
Why have not men done as Christ
commanded?
They admit the beauty and truth of
the teachings, but say, they are i'm
practicable. Because the church has
| sanctioned this excuse and given me n
balm for their consciences by hold
ing up these maxims as impracticable
in this age. and only possible of fulfill
ment in the heavenly state, he rises
to the greatest height Of his anathemas
against the Orthodox, Catholic and
Protestant theologians. He calls them
all Pseudo christians" His use of
| illustrations in his attempt to show
up the falsity of the church's creed
makes him a master Of parable. He
says that the excuse that these are
iridescent dreams impossible to de-
PRAYED humanity is due to the teach
tngs Of ''other worldliness'' of current
theology. That if he hired a man at
a few francs a day and the man sud
denly found himself to be a millionaire
he would not work. If the Christian
learns that he has a home of heavenly
bliss awaiting him hereafter and that
he only has to believe, he will not
make good his life that now is. He
comes to the unmistakable teachings
Of Paul on the subject of faith, and
these he does not hesitate to throw
over board, and calls Paul a meto-
physician who did not understand the
simple meaning Of Christ. He reduces
the whole system Of Paul and Calvin
ism to dust, and substitutes the plain
words, Of Jesus as applicable entirely
to this life, and not only practicable
but easy.
He thinks that the present life is
one to be conserved, and perhaps the
only individual life the race will know.
In regard to a future state, one would
imply that he is a pantheist, believing
that the individual life Will be merged
in the life Of the race, but he is not
concerned with this, and does not
dwell upon it. His whole soul is pour
ed into the idea Of redeeming the time
that now is, and he thinks Jesuss
most clear teachings are meant for this
life, to promote happiness and well
fare Of the race as 1t lives in the pres
ent age, and that until that is done
there will always be misery. and death
and disappointment and eternal night
But when men adopt these teachings
and try them and find them so easy,
they will find heaven on earth and will
not be so much concerned about the
one beyond the grave.
He began to practice these teachings
one by one, and saw the normal life
not among people Of his sation, but
among the peasants. Their life was
more happy, sincere and real He
identified himself with them, and be-
came their champion, working on his
own estate with his hands. He found
that Jesus taught that the perfect life
was not one of riches, but of pow
erty. He began to give away his for
tune, and did reduce himself to the
ranks Of the toilers. He now discov-
ers that Solomon had come to the
same conclusion about the laboring
man being happier than the rich. The