“And does God permit this horror?” it asked. “He permits it on the planet Earth.” Now the word God is not an adequate translation of the idea expressed in the angel’s question, but let it stand. The real idea is untranslatable by any one word in any language of earth. It was a composite of Love and Time and Purpose, raised to the highest power, an idea for which I can find no other word than God. “Earth is a strange star!” the angel said. “The inhabitants of this world have a common saying to that effect,” I answered. “It is a fragment of race wisdom, handed down from their remote ancestors, who, when they first tried to adjust their celestial consciousness to the baffling conditions of this star on which they had been placed for their education, observed to one another, ‘This is a strange world.’” “And are they obliged to perpetrate this horror before us by the conditions of this planet?” “No.” “Then why do they do it?” “From force of habit.” “Then was it ever necessary?” “In far away times,” I said, “men were more isolated than at present, there were fewer of them in incarnation, and a brilliant archangel who had their training in charge taught them to develop courage and resource, and to accentuate their egos, by struggling with each other, two by two.” “But there are millions of beings down there!” the angel exclaimed. “And I see bodies fall by thousands!” “That is what they call a great victory,” I said, “and one of their commanders gives to those who have slaughtered a vast number a little iron cross.” “An iron cross? Why iron?” “Iron is the metal of Mars,” I said, “Mars, their war-god.” “And why a cross?” “It is the symbol of their Christ.” “The one who died down here to make men love one another?” “The same,” I admitted. “Truly, I agree with the remote ancestors of these people, from whom they have inherited the saying, ‘This is a strange world.’” “Would you like to approach nearer?” I asked. The stranger hesitated, then said, with a patient smile: “My friend,” glancing at the Beautiful Being, “wishes me to learn something of this star. I will approach nearer.” We descended to perhaps a hundred feet above the lane which separated the enemies. “Look!” exclaimed the stranger. “The souls are leaving their bodies! Is that the purpose of this business, to free souls from bondage?” “Not directly,” I answered. “Each would like to hold the other in bondage; but being unable to do that to any great extent, they take the opposite way.” The stranger looked more confused. “My friend,” explained the Beautiful Being to me, “came from a region where the Law of Opposites does not apply.” “You have never taken me there in our wanderings!” I exclaimed. “No, you are so attached to the Law of Opposites.” This was an old jest between me and the Beautiful Being. “Look!” the stranger interrupted me. “There is a soul coming toward us now.” I went forward to greet the newcomer. He was a German officer.