In dismissing this father of humbugs, (the fall of our first parents,) which ended in Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Paradise, by way of consolation, we may in justice say, “Farewell, Adam and Eve; you have had but a rough beginning. God and the Devil have both conspired to make you unhappy, But never mind, do your best; comfort and console each other; the whole world is before you. This garden trade has proved a failure altogether. If you can but procure a spade, a hoe, and shovel, you will in time get on; and, as your present misfortune originated from that unforeseen quarrel in the garden, live in peace, and share equally in your troubles, and also in your prosperity. Things are not so bad, after all; and if Adam’s wound in the side is not yet entirely healed, it is your duty, Eve, as a good wife, to pay particular attention to it. It is for your interest, also; for if Jehovah should, be again offended with you, as in the garden, and take from Adam the opposite rib from which you sprang, and of it make a second Eve, the serpent would pay another visit to mar your happiness, and your troubles would have no end.” What kind of religion there was, if any, in those days, we know not; but Cain and Abel, Adam’s sons, appear to have been worshippers of Jehovah, notwithstanding the expulsion of their parents from Paradise. We have it recorded that, in the course of their worship, Cain’s offering was of the “fruits of the earth,” and Abel’s was “a lamb with the fat thereof.” Cain’s offering had no respect paid to it; but, on the other hand, Abel’s offering was respected. The reason why the one was rejected and the other accepted, we have no means of knowing; at any rate, Jehovah knew that murder would follow as a consequence. Here, then, we have an account of the _first religious quarrel_, and the murderous spirit that was connected with it. And history confirms this truth, that the same murderous spirit has always, more or less, shown itself in all religious disputes; but more dreadful and furious in the Jewish and Christian religions than in any others. From Cain, the first religious murderer, to the present day, intolerance and blood appear to have stained the pages of Jewish and Christian history. And now, that those days of persecution have passed away, let us do all in our power to prevent their recurrence.