in wizards and witches, under which millions of creatures, both young
and old, were cruelly tortured and put to death. We turn over the
smeared pages of this history in haste, thankful that from such a
nightmare the world has wakened." *

The world has awakened, but the Church still snores on, confident and
happy in the belief that she has a devil all her own, and that he is
attending strictly to business.

Next we have Buddhism, _which numbers more followers than any other
faith_. It is five hundred years older than Christianity. It has its
prophet or Messiah who was exposed to a tempter,** and overcame all
evil; its fastings and prayers; its miracles and its visions. Of
Buddha's teachings Prof. Max Muller tells us that he used to say,
"Nothing on earth is stable, nothing is real. Life is as transitory as
a spark of fire, or the sound of a lyre. There must be some supreme
intelligence where we could find rest. If I attained it I could bring
light to men. If I were free myself I could deliver the world."

*Clodd, F.R.A.S.

** "Afterward the tempter sent his three daughters, one a
winning girl, one a blooming virgin, and one a middle-aged
beauty, to allure him, but they could not. Buddha was proof
against all the demon's arts, and his only trouble was
whether it were well or not to preach his doctrines to men.
Feeling how hard to gain was that which he had gained, and
how enslaved men were by their passions so that they might
neither listen to him nor understand him, he had well-nigh
resolved to be silent, but, at the last, deep compassion for
all beings made him resolve to tell his secret to mankind,
that they too might be free, and he thus became the founder
of _the most popular religion of ancient or modern times_.
The spot where Buddha obtained his knowledge became one of
the most sacred places in India."
--Clodd.

Buddha, like Christ, wrote nothing, and the doctrines of the new
religion were fixed and written by his disciples after his death.
Councils were held afterwards to correct errors and send out
missionaries. You will see, therefore, that even "revisions" are not a
product of Christianity, and that "revelations" have always been subject
to reform to fit the times.*

* "Two other councils were afterward held for the correction
of errors that had crept into the faith, and for sending
missionaries into other