"That's the corn-crake."
"Yes, it is."
The Electric Battery and the Earth Circuit.—The pupil feigned ignorance, and asked: "What is religion?"
"If you do not know from experience or intuition, I cannot explain it to you; in that case it would only seem to you folly. But if you know beforehand, you will be able to receive my explanations, which are many. Religion is connected with the Source or the head station. But in order to carry on a conversation one must have an earth-current."
"What is that?"
"That is the draining off of superfluous earthliness to the earth. As one advances in technical knowledge, one learns to speak without a wire. But for that there are necessary strong streams of electricity, clean instruments, and clear air. The electric battery is Faith, which is not merely credence, but an apparatus for receiving and arousing the divine electricity. Unless you believe in the possibility of success in an undertaking, you will not set to work, and accordingly you acquire no energy. With faith and a good will all is possible."
"But Faith is a gift for all that."
"Yes; but if, from pride or obstinacy, you refuse to receive it, it is no gift for you. Is that clear?"
Improper and Unanswerable Questions.—The pupil asked: "If God is one, why are there several religions?"
"Since the existence of God is an axiom, you should say, 'Since God is one, why are there several religions?' I answer: I do not know, and, strictly speaking, it does not concern me. All agree in the chief point—that there is a God, and that the soul is immortal."