Mr. World and Miss Church-Member: A Twentieth Century AllegoryHarris, W. S. (William Shuler)
Religion
Mr. World and Miss Church-Member: A Twentieth Century Allegory
Harris, W. S. (William Shuler)
Christian fiction
One of the most surprising sights that greeted Mr. World in this second
revolution was Satan’s Modern College of Narcotics which is a series
of schools built and operated with great care, intended to counteract
the special efforts ever being put forth by the devotees of the King’s
Highway to teach the relations of narcotics to the nervous system.
Formerly Satan did this branch of work in one of the wings of the
Temperance College, but on account of the great stress put on this
subject by the Surpassing Schools of the Christ, Satan has built this
modern institution, and now the church is in confusion because _so
many of its members have such an indistinct vision that they cannot
discern between the wool of the sheep and the hair of the wolf, even
when each animal is wearing its own hide._
The most mysterious schools revealed by this second revolution were
called the Schools of Emergency. These required the skill of the
interpreters to give Mr. World an idea of their work.
This is also a modern idea of the Evil One, and since their erection
the schools have been patronized by an astonishingly large number of
disappointed church-members who receive instruction more readily from
the modern methods here in vogue than from the old-time system.
Then did Mr. World behold a new line of schools in course of erection,
but the interpreter refused to give him satisfaction when he asked the
purpose of these new schools.
When the great telescope had finished the second revolution, Mr. World
was surprised to see that it commenced on the third round as the outer
end of the telescope pointed more directly toward the base of the
Observatory.
Startling scenes were now laid bare. The underground schools of this
Great University seemed to be greater than the surface operations.
Mr. World first saw the Opium Schools, built in the form of large dens.
After this came the Schools of Iniquity, operated in darkness. Here
all forms of evil are taught and made to appear justifiable under
certain conditions. Many of these underground schools could not be
clearly seen by Mr. World, but ere the telescope completed its third
revolution he saw the Schools of Suicide more distinctly than during
his visit, and got a glimpse of the limitless Law Departments
Underground, and the terrible pictures of sadness and sin as seen
beneath the Devil’s Hospital.
Mr. World raised his eyes from the telescope and looked towards the
interpreter. “What lies beyond those vast elevations?” he asked as he
pointed to a rugged mountain range farther down the Broad Highway.
“Back of those mountains lies the beautiful Wizard City, shut in from
all the world. Ask nothing more about it.”
“But may I not enter it?”
“Not unless you are fortunate enough to discover one of the paths that
lead to the Summit. From thence one can see the City.”
CHAPTER XVI.
EXPERT INVENTORS OF THE BROAD HIGHWAY.
1. Mr. World and Miss Church-Member fail to see the Ways and Means
Committee at work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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