“Can you tell me why the savage instituted these practices of burying the living with the dead, of following the dead in funeral processions to their ‘last resting place,’ of wearing mourning, and of erecting costly monuments on their tombs?” asked Rev. Dudley. “Yes, sir; that is very plain to the Marsites,” answered Mr. Midith. “I can account for that as easily to my satisfaction as I can account for the physiological fact that we require food in order to sustain life. Let us see if I can make it plain: We all know that the primitive savage almost universally believes in a conscious personal existence of some kind after death; that he deifies certain or all of his ancestors; that the departed need nearly the same subsistence as they do in this life; that the living may incur the pleasure or displeasure of the dead, and that the departed have the power of working either for the good or ill of the survivors. Just as soon as we believe these propositions the hecatomb, the obsequies, the mourning and the monuments naturally follow. Thus they are originated in and are founded on superstition and uncertainty, and will continue to live until we learn by a higher and deeper interpretation of nature that the vast preponderance of our most trustworthy evidence point against the primitive hypothesis of a conscious personal existence after death; and that the warrant for believing so is weakening with every advancement of scientific investigation and discovery.” “You have so far told us nothing concerning the religious beliefs of the Marsites,” said Rev. Dudley, “and as I am engaged in religious work I would feel highly interested in a brief account of their religious sentiments. You have more than an hour before the train leaves, and during that time you can give us the principal points of Marsian theology.” “In giving you our religious views, if I may call them such, you must remember that the vast majority of your people are yet very superstitious on the religious subject; many of them are even more superstitious on this subject than they are on the social, industrial and sexual questions. Some of them consider it even too sacred for discussion. Under these circumstances it is quite difficult to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth without wounding some one’s feelings; but, nevertheless, if you desire it, I shall give you a short account of it. “The Marsites are nearly what you call agnostics in their religious beliefs, if you call agnosticism a religion.” “I have heard a great deal about agnosticism, but I am not sure that I understand its fundamental principles. I would like very much to have your explanation of it, especially if your agnosticism differs from ours,” said Rev. Dudley.