Herbert Spencer's Letter 4 11 



He has never done like men who, professing the Christian principle of 

 submitting to injuries, ridicule as idiots the few Christians who propose to 

 act on that principle. 



He has not, while professing to relinquish the savage law of retaliation 

 — a life for a life — adopted the far more savage law — for one life many 



lives. 



Satan goes on to urge that he has never with rebellion joined perpetual 



insults as men have done. 



I have never turned your churches of mercy into pagan temples by hang- 

 ing up in them the torn flags of conquered peoples. 



I have never blasphemed by thanking you for aiding in mowing down 

 tens of thousands of men who worshipped you under another name. 



I have never blasphemed by calling you Omniscient while ascribing to 

 you unutterable stupidity — the stupidity of being ready to accept perpetual 

 professions of obedience as sufficient to cancel perpetual acts of absolute 

 disobedience: being so pleased with laudations, prayers, and obeisances as 

 to overlook the contemptuous disregard of peremptory commands. 



The Reply 



If while sacrificing to me in name men have sacrificed to Pagan gods in 

 act, it is your doing. You have betrayed them into this rebellion. Only by 

 your delusions has it been possible to make them think that I should accept 

 words in place of deeds. Joined though it is with lying and hypocrisy, the 

 rebellion of these beings is not worse than your rebellion, because you have 

 prompted it. 



Satan 



But if I deceived them it was only because they wished to be deceived. 

 They wished to gratify their revenge while having the blessings promised 

 to those who forgive. 



Reply 

 You cannot be pardoned. 



Satan 



But may I mete out their punishments according to their own measure? 

 They ask to be forgiven their sins as they forgive the sins of others. 

 May I torture them in proportion to their unforgiveness? For every time 

 they have professed the religion of love and practised the religion of hate, 

 may I thrust them a step lower down in hell? 



Might not some such ideas as these, presented with power, produce con- 

 siderable effects upon a few men, though not perhaps on many? 



I am faithfully yours, 



Herbert Spencer. 



end of appendices 



