, devotion, and obedience are still required of the
seeker to enable him to become a finder.

In his "Varieties of Religious Experience," which I heard William
James deliver as a series of lectures at Stanford University when I
was a Freshman over sixty years ago, he said of the religion of the
Quakers: In a day of shams it was a religion of veracity rooted in
spiritual inwardness and a return to something more like the original
gospel truth than men had ever known in England. He continued, so far
as our Christian sects are evolving into liberality, they are simply
reverting in essence to the position which Fox and the early Quakers
so long ago assumed.

With this conclusion I heartily commend to sympathetic seekers today
the brief allegory by Stephen Crisp: "A Short History of a Long Travel
from Babylon to Bethel."

Anna Cox Brinton

A SHORT HISTORY

In the days of my youth, when I lived at home in my father's house,
I heard many people talk of the house of God; and that whosoever did
attain to get into it did enjoy all manner of happiness, both in this
world and that which is to come. And a great desire kindled in me, if
it were possible, to get into the house; yet I know not where it was,
neither did they who talked of it; but they had heard the report, and
they reported what they had heard. There were also some books, that
had been written by men who had been in that house; which books did
declare much of the joy and felicity they had in the house. These
books I got, and read them over and over; which did much strengthen
my belief in the truth of the reports: yet by no means could I tell
which was my way. But so ardent were my desires, that I thought myself
willing to forsake my father's house, my country, and all, and travel
anywhere, wherever my legs would carry me, so that I might find this
house.

And upon a time, as I was breaking my mind to a friend of mine upon
this subject, he readily told me, there were men appointed in every
place to guide those who were willing to go thither, and it was their
business, and they had nothing else to do. When I heard this I was
comforted, and desired him, if he loved me, to make me acquainted with
one of those men. He told me he would; which he did. When I came to
treat with the man, I let him know the fervent desire I had to get
to the house of God, of which I had heard such excellent things; and
that I understood he was one appointed to guide any thither, w