ANOTHER EXCERPT FROM THE MARTYRDOM OF MAN

History  is confined to the upper classes. All the discoveries and inventions and exploits of anceint  times are due to the efforts  of an aristicracy; not only the Persians  and Hindoos, but also the Greeks and the Romans, were merely  small societies of gentlemen reigning  ower multitude of slave.  The virtues of the lower classes were loyalty, piety, obedience. The third perid is tha of liberty: it belongs only to Europe and to modern time. A midle class of intelligence and wealth arisis between the aristocracy and plebeians. They contend with the monopolies of caste and birth: they demand power for themselves ;  the will not admit that equality in heaven is a valid reason for inequality on earth; they deny that the aristocracy  of priests  know more  of divine matters  that other men; they interpret the sacret book for themselves, and translate them into vulgar  tongue;  They separate religion from temporal government, and reduce  it to  a system of metaphysics and morality. It is in this period that we are at present.  Loyalty to the king has been transformed  into patriotism;  and piety,or hte worship of God,will give way to the reverence of law and the lowe of mankind. Thus the mind  be elevatet, the affection  deepened  and enlarged; moralaty ceasing to be entangled with theolology, will be applied  exscusively to virtue .

It is difficult to fid a title for thr fourth period, as we have as yet no word which expresses at the same  time  the utmost development of mind and the utmost developmentof morals.  I have choisen the word  Inetellec because by the education of the intellect the moral sense is of necessity inproved. In this last period the destiny of Man will be fulfilled. He was not  sent apon the earth to prepare himself for existence in another world; he was sent upon the earth that he might beautify it as dveling, and subdue it to his use, That he might exalt his intellectual and moral power until he had attained perfection, and had raised himself to that ideal which he now expersses by the name of God, but which, however sublime it may apear to our weak and inperfect  mind , is far below the splendor  and majesty  of tht Power by whom the universe was made.“

                                                                                    Winwood Reade