Page:Dawn of the Day.pdf/120

84 to-day we are shown how the belief that there was at God could arise, and whereby this belief has gained its weight and importance: thereby the counter-proof that there is no God becomes superfluous. When,formerly, the adduced “Evidences of the existence of God" had been refuted, there always remained a doubt whether no evidences better than those that had just been refuted could be found: at that time the atheists were not yet proficient in making "’’tabula rasa.’’"

‘’"In hoc signo vinces.’’—However for Europe maybe advanced in other respects, in religious matters it has not yet obtained the liberal ‘’naivéte’’ of the ancient Brahmins, a fact indicating that, in India, four thousand years ago, people were wont to think more deeply and the delight in thinking was more universally transmitted than it is now among us. For those Brah-mins believed, first of all, that the priests were more powerful than the gods, and secondly, that the power of the priests rested in the observances: whence their poets never wearied of praising the observances (prayers, ceremonies, sacrifices, songs, metres) as the real donors of all good things. The propositions are true, though much poetic fancy and superstition may have sunk in.One step further, and they flung the gods aside.Europe also will have to do so ere long. One step further, and they no longer wanted the priests and