G02 



OAHSPE. 



theless, it grows cereals equivalent to all the 

 food of that class consumed by the people. It 

 is noted as a grazing country, and it is celebrated 

 for its hardy fruits as apples, pears, plums, and 

 cherries having repeatedly won the highest 

 prizes at fruit exhibitions, both in North Amer- 



ica and in England. A member of the Dominion 

 Parliament recently, playfully but truthfully, iv- 

 niarked in the House of Commons that in the 

 blooming season he could, in the Annapolis val- 

 ley, drive without interruption for over a hun- 

 dred miles under the apple blossoms. 



O 



OAHSPE (pronounced ho-as'pe), a book that 

 professes to have been produced through divine 

 inspiration. Its writer was Dr. John B. New- 

 brough, who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 

 about 1825, practiced dentistry for many years 

 in New York city, and died there April 23, 1891. 

 lie was a believer in spiritualism, and in ac- 

 cordance with his interpretation of that belief he 

 abstained for seven years from animal food, made 

 frequent fasts, and spent much time in prayer 

 and meditation. Finally he believed he was 

 spiritually directed to obtain a type-writer, which 

 he did, and for an hour at sunrise each day he 

 seated himself before it and struck the keys as 

 the supposed spirit inspired him. At the same 

 time he was told not to read what he had written. 

 After a time he was told to " read and publish," 

 and he found he had produced this book. He had 

 given away all his property, but in some mys- 

 terious manner $10,000 came to him for the ex- 

 penses of publication, and in 1882 the book was 

 printed and issued. The full title is : " Oahspe ; 

 a New Bible in the Words of Jehovih, and his 

 Angel Embassadors. A Sacred History of the 

 Dominions of the Higher and Lower Heavens on 

 the Earth for the Past Twenty-four Thousand 

 Years ; being from the Submersion of the Con- 

 tinent of Pan in the Pacific Ocean, commonly 

 called the Flood, or Deluge, to the Kosmon Era. 

 Also a Brief History of the Preceding Fifty- 

 five Thousand Years, together with a Synopsis 

 of the Cosmogony of the Universe ; the Creation 

 of Planets : the Creation of Man ; the Unseen 

 Worlds ; the Labor and Glory of Gods and God- 

 desses in the Etherian Heavens ; with the New 

 Commandments of Jehovih to Man of the Present 

 Day. With Revelations from the Second Resur- 

 rection, formed in Words in the Thirty-third 

 Year of the Kosmon Era." 



Oahspe teaches that there is one Supreme 

 Being, whom it calls Jehovih. It condemns all 

 war and the eating of animal food. It declares 

 that there is a sunken continent in the Pacific 

 Ocean, which proves the origin of the story of 

 the flood, and predicts that all present religious 

 systems will be superseded by the religion 

 taught in Oahspe, whose followers shall be called 

 Faithists. They will be anti-warriors, non-flesh- 

 eaters, and instead of preaching religion will 

 practice it, working for others and not them- 

 selves. The present systems of government and 

 social order will be abrogated. Co-operation 

 will take the place of competition, and wealth and 

 poverty will be superseded by universal comfort 

 and content. In the words of the preface, 

 Oahspe is intended to mark " the beginning of 

 the new or Kosmon Era and Kosmon Church, 

 without any creeds of worshipful gods, lords, 

 saviours, priests, or preachers, but in which all 



people shall worship the Great I Am. Jehovih." 

 Its length is about equal to that of the Old Tes- 

 tament. It is divided into thirty-six books, the 

 titles of some of them being : " Book of Jeho- 

 vih," " Book of Sethanes, Son of Jehovih," 

 " The Lord's First Book," " Book of Fragapatti, 

 Son of Jehovih," "Book of Cpenta-Armij, 

 Daughter of Jehovih," " Book of the Arc of 

 Bon," " Book of Jehovih's Kingdom on Earth." 

 and " Book of Discipline." It contains many 

 new and original words, some of which are : 

 "Adu," death ; " Beast," the animal man ; 

 "Che'ba," the desire that comes of inspiration ; 

 " C'Vorkum," the roadway of the solar phalanx ; 

 'Emun," choking atmosphere: " Es'enauers," 

 heavenly musicians; "Hada" atmospherea ; 

 " Hi-dan." highest light ; " Isaah," a Chinese 

 prophet; "Scpe-oke,"a spirit house; "Schood 

 of Hein." a negative place ; " Homa." refreshing 

 perfumes. It is divided into verses, like the 

 Bible. 



The following passages will give a fair idea of 

 the style and contents of the book : 



Unto Thee will I acknowledge my iniquities ; I can 

 hide nothing from the eye of my Creator. Hear me, 

 then, O Father ! 



I took up arms against my brother. With great 

 armies I encompassed him about to despoil him. 



His widows and orphans I multiplied by the stroke 

 of my sword. To my captains and generals who 

 showed great skill in killing I built monuments in 

 stone and iron. Yea, I inscribed them from top to 

 bottom with their bloody victories. 



To my colonels and generals I gave badges of gold. 

 I called to the damsels, saying : " Come, a great honor 

 I give to you : ye shall dance with the officers of 

 death." I covered the earth over with drunkards and 

 widows and orphans ; to beggary I reduced them, but 

 I whetted their pride by saying, Behold what great 

 standing armies we have. Such is the voice of man, 

 () Jehovih ! . In all the nations of the earth this voice 

 riseth up to thee. As thou spakest to Zarathustra, 

 and to Abraham, and to Moses, leading them forth 

 out of darkness, speak thou, Jehovih ! Man hath 

 faith in thee only ; thou alone wast sufficient in the 

 olden time ; to-day thou alone are sufficient unto 

 thine own creation. Speak thou, O Jehovih. 



Thou, Jehovih ! As thou hast declared thyself 

 in the Book of Jehovih ! 



To thee I covenant myself, to be thine forever! 

 And to thee only, Jehovih. 



And I abjure all gods but thee. And I abjure all 

 lords but thee. And I abjure all saviours but thee. 

 My corporeal body I dedicate and covenant unto 

 thee, to be in thy service during all my life. My 

 spirit I also dedicate and covenant unto thee, to be in 

 thy service forever. My mind and soul I dedicate to 

 thee, to be in thy service henceforth and forever. I 

 will search to find the highest Light, and I will prac- 

 tice the same toward all men. women, and children. 

 Unto them will I not only do as 1 would be done 

 by, but more ; I will do for them with all my wisdom 

 and strength, all my life. 



