The Washington times., 1920-01-11

brutality within himself has If he but knew It, NOTHING
TO FEAR
Read Drapsrs description of the Underworld, as it
was seen and believed by the Greeks three thousand
years ago.
The Underworld is also the realm to which spirits
retire after death AT its portals beneath the setting
sum- is stationed a numerous tribe of spectres-
Sorrow, Disease Age, Want, Fear, Famine War, Toll
Death, and her hafbrother, Seep-Death, to whom,
is useless for to offer either prayers sacrifice
In that land of forgetfulness and shadows there is
the unnavgable lake Avernus Asheron, Styx, the
groaning Cocytus, and Phlegethon, with its waves of
There all kinds of monsters and forms of fearful
import. Cereberus with his triple head; Charon
freghng his boat with the shades of the dead; the
Fates, in their garments of ermine bordered with
purple; the avenging Erinnys; Rhadamanthus, before
whom every Asiatic must render his account; Aeacue
before whom every European, and Mnos, the dread
arbiter of the judgment seat.
There, too are to be seen those great criminals
whose history is a warning to The giants, with
dragons feet extended in the burning gulf for many
mile; Phelgyas in perpetual terror of the stone
pended above him. whicS falls; Ixion, chained
his wheel; the daughter of Danaus, still vanly try
ing to fill their sieve; Tantalus immersed in water to
his chin yet tormented with unquenchable thirst
Ssyphus, desparingly laborng at his everdescending
stone
At the gate to their Underworld those ancents planted
wardens and inhabitants whatever they feared
and dreaded earth: Old Age, Hard Work. Sorrow We
at least have advanced sufficiently know that leave
DenlnQ
power of the from lake leaves
the salt and all impurities behind it, only the pure water
rises.
So with human beings. When the power that is above
lifts consciousness of the body it leaves all impuy
behind all the horrors that belong to the BODY not to the
SOUL of man.
Studying history and ancient religions you realize that
the began think they devoted the power of
thought ninety per cent to horror cent progress
not more.
They invented spectres with which to frighten them
selves each other They invented most atrocious
tures to inhict upon their fellows. They built hideous
prisons thousands of before they built library
hospital, a school, an insane asylum
Brutal, cruel themselves, they invented and wor-
shipped gods like themselves gods that cruel brutal
revengeful jealous unforgiving
And cunning thinkers that led them did not fail to
make horror profitable This picture shows you what they
told the ignorant when he died, when he went to the
Underworld away from the beautiful light of the and
the green fields They told him Also however, that far
over to side he would find the Eysian Fields plains
bliss and happiness celestial reserved seats were
The wanderer in the Underworld would also find peace
full blessed Lethe he river of oblivion of which whoever
tastes though he should ascend to the Eastern boundary
the earth and again life and day. forges what
sver he had believed"
II man would write book entitled, "what Men Have
Believed" telling briefly and simply how uselessy they
have tormented themselves what monstrous fasehoods
they have accepted sacred truths during thousands
past and how they have tortured each other in the
of sacred truth, which in reality helsh false
hood the history of would horrible nightmare
But even in falsehood there is teaching
The Greek picture of the Underworld tells you of Death
o whom is useless for to offer either prayers
sacrifice That good belief it made realize that
they must accomplish their work NOW that when Death
came 1t would be too late. NO USE IN PRAYING TO
DEATH. ACT NOW.
The ancients made horror part Of religion A few
moderns do the thing, but only a few.
Not many insult Divine power by picturing it cruel
monster.
rather in looking toward f,ture