PREFACE. 
XXIX 
It is in a way extremely trying to live in a world where 
connotation varies so wildly. 
The Sicilian peasant who can roar with laughter at 
some blasphemous obscenity of his village priest while pre-
serving his devotion to the deities satirized, will justly be 
astonished and disgusted with me.  He will hardly credit 
that anyone can take deities so seriously as to do anyone 
an injury on their behalf.  He is at heart a Pagan ;  Mary is 
his mistress and Jesus his « Bambino », and he loves to 
play with them in the woods where the sunlight traces its 
faint fan-patterns among the leaves. 
The idea of a Jesus who objected to people playing on 
a Sunday — who insisted on being worshipped in a silk hat 
and frock coat, who couldn’t stand people obtaining re-
freshment after 12-30 — well, it never struck him, that’s 
all ! 
So when I go wandering among country-side Catholics 
I am nearly as happy in their simple worship as I am with 
the grander and austerer conceptions of Mohammed.  But 
England !  The people have materialized their God into a 
Parish Councillor, at the best ;  at the worst, he has been 
made the excuse for every crime. 
The prevalence of syphilis in the Indian army has in-
creased from 8 % to 80 % lest God should be shocked 
by our unholy recognition of the human nature of the 
human soldier. 
It is useless to multiply examples.  All I wish to do is 
to justify my agreement with Shelley and Nietzsche in