text: religion can never reform mankind because religion is slavery it is far better to be free to leave the forts and barricades of fear to stand erect and face the future with a smile it is far better to give yourself sometimes to negligence to drift with wave and tide with the blind force of the world to think and dream to forget the chains and limitations of the breathing life to forget purpose and object to lounge in the picture gallery of the brain to feel once more the clasps and kisses of the past to bring life s morning back to see again the forms and faces of the dead to paint fair pictures for the coming years to forget all gods their promises and threats to feel within your veins life s joyous stream and hear the martial music the rhythmic beating of your fearless heart and then to rouse yourself to do all useful things to reach with thought and deed the ideal in your brain to give your fancies wing that they like chemist bees may find art s nectar in the weeds of common things to look with trained and steady eyes for facts to find the subtle threads that join the distant with the now to increase knowledge to take burdens from the weak to develop the brain to defend the right to make a palace for the soul this is real religion this is real worship