The Star in the West

THE OLD BOTTLE 153 soon eclipsed man's reason , monopolizing worship and exacting prayer : What folly can compare With such stupidity as prayer ? 1 Crowley very truly remarks in that battering-ram of religious destruction , “ Pentecost ”-a witty note is appended , quoted from the “ Sydney Bulletin , ” which suggested , that instead of perpetually worrying the Almighty for rain , the people should pray once and for all for a big range of mountains in Central Australia , which would of course supply rain auto matically --that man cannot elude fate by such a paltry dodge ; for even the god of our imaginings is not quite such an ass as all that . The messenger in “ Jephthah ” most sensibly remarked , when he rushed with the news of the enemy's approach into the as sembly of Israel : My lords , take heed now , prayer is good to save While yet the foemen are far off ; but now They howl and clamour at our very gates . Which in other words simply means , as long as man does not see or understand he will pray ; when he does , he won't . Another juggle to elude fate is sacrifice . Sacrifice and prayer have ever run in harness together under the whistling of the priestly lash . “ I will brain you if you refuse to render tribute to me , " said the primi tive chief to his primitive neighbour ; “ I will put you in jail if you won't pay me your taxes , ” says the modern government to the modern citizen . And as 1 The Sword of Song , Pentecost , vol . ii, p . 178 . 2 Ibid . vol . ii, p . 209 . Jephthah , vol . i, p . 69 . 3