16 



Laplace and Darwin all were abused and insulted by the holy ones for 

 their heretical writings, which have brought us such blessings. The 

 church opposed the abolition of slavery, both here and in America, the 

 bishops in the House of Lords applauding king George when he said 

 that slavery was a useful institution because it was taught in the holy 

 Bible, and the southern States of the Union appealing to the ' word of 

 god ' in justification of their cruelty. The burning of witches, taught 

 in the Bible, was vigorously encouraged by the church ; and the cruel 

 horrors of the Inquisition are too well known to need description. All 

 measures of reform in our own country have been opposed by bishops 

 and nobles together ; the church and the state having aided each other 

 in trampling on the people's rights, and enslaving both their minds and 

 bodies. In spite of the present very apparent poverty and misery, the 

 people are exhorted by the church to increase and multiply, being told 

 that it is a blessed thing to have one's quiver full, and that it is wicked 

 to listen to those who preach conjugal prudence, small families, and 

 social thrift. In short the Christian religion has entirely failed in its 

 mission, being a standing menace to all progress, and a cause of un- 

 ceasing animosity all over Europe. 



Do we imagine that all the priests and ministers of the Christian 

 church believe the fables of the creation and fall ? I would stake my 

 existence on it that if we were to cut off their salaries there would be 

 barely half a dozen parsons in each denomination who would stick to 

 i'heir soul-saving business. ( Their trinity is supposed to consist of god 

 the father, god the son, and god the holy ghost; but if we represent 

 the first by the letter 1, the second by s, and the third by d, we should 

 be much nearer the mark. . s. d. is the Christian trinity, and pew 

 rents, tithes, etc., the means by which the one thing needful is kept 

 up. Ten million pounds sterling are annually spent in supporting the 

 clergy of the established church alone, while poverty, wretchedness 

 and crime confront us at every turn. The struggling workers of this 

 country, not content with having to contribute towards the payment 

 of 29,000,000 annually, as interest on the national debt resulting from 

 accumulated religious war charges, are foolish enough to spend more 

 than a third of this amount in keeping a host of state-made drones, 

 who oppose all progress, drain the hard earnings from the workers, 

 and assume haughty airs towards their poor dupes. In the face of the 



