fmann. "They are a craven set, who are
pious merely because they are afraid of hell. When a passion gets
possession of them, the impotence of their religious frenzy at once
becomes manifest. They fall an easy prey to the impulses of nature,
and the supernatural fails to come to the rescue. It would be vain
for Seraphin to try to give up the unbelieving Louise, whom his
strait-laced faith makes it his duty to avoid. He has fallen a victim
to your fascinations; all the Gospel of the Jew of Nazareth, together
with all the sacraments and unctions of the church, could not loose the
coils with which you have encircled him."

In this scornful tone did Carl Greifmann speak of the heroism of virtue
and of the energy of faith, like a blind man discoursing about colors.
He little suspected that it is just the power of religion that produces
characters, and that, on this very account, in an irreligious age,
characters of a noble type are so rarely met with; the warmth of faith
is not in them.

"Mr. Schwefel desires to speak a word with you," said a servant who
appeared at the door.

The banker nodded assent.

"I ask your pardon for troubling you at so unseasonable an hour," began
the leader, after bowing lowly several times. "The subject is urgent,
and must be settled without delay. But, by the way, I must first give
you the good news: Mr. Shund is elected by an overwhelming majority,
and Progress is victorious in every ward."

"That is what I looked for," answered the banker, with an air of
satisfaction. "I told you whatever Caesar, Antony, and Lepidus command,
must be done."

"I am just from a meeting at which some important resolutions have been
offered and adopted," continued the leader. "The strongest prop of
ultramontanism is the present system of educating youth. Education
must, therefore, be taken out of the hands of the priests. But the
change will have to be brought about gradually and with caution. We
have decided to make a beginning by introducing common schools. A vote
of the people is to be taken on the measure, and, on the last day of
voting, a grand barbecue is to be given to celebrate our triumph over
the accursed slavery of religious symbols. The ground chosen by the
chief-magistrate for the celebration is the common near the Red Tower,
but the space is not large enough, and we will need your meadow
adjoining it to accommodate the crowd. I am commissioned by the
magistrate to request you to throw open the