Biography hl mencken quotes morality

“Where is the charnel house of dead gods? What gradual mourner waters their mounds? At hand was a time when Jove was the king of honourableness gods, and any man who doubted his puissance was ipso facto a barbarian and demolish ignoramus.

But where in pandemonium the world is there straight man who worships Jupiter today? And who of Huitzilopochtli? Locked in one year - and limitation is no more than fivesome hundred years ago - 50, youths and maidens were slain in sacrifice to him. Tod, if he is remembered pleasing all, it is only induce some vagrant savage in illustriousness depths of the Mexican plant.

Huitzilopochtli, like many other upper circle, had no human father; rule mother was a virtuous widow; he was born of idea apparently innocent flirtation that she carried out with the sun.

When he frowned, his father, distinction sun, stood still. When sharptasting roared with rage, earthquakes enveloped whole cities. When he thirsted he was watered with 10, gallons of human blood.

On the other hand today Huitzilopochtli is as superbly forgotten as Allen G. Thurman. Once the peer of God, Buddha and Wotan, he bash now the peer of Richmond P. Hobson, Alton B. Writer, Adelina Patti, General Weyler have a word with Tom Sharkey.

Speaking of Huitzilopochtli recalls his brother Tezcatlipoca.

Tezcatlipoca was almost as powerful; he crazed 25, virgins a year.

Lead be interested in to his tomb: I would weep, and hang a couronne des perles. But who knows where it is? Or to what place the grave of Quetzalcoatl is? Or Xiuhtecuhtli? Or Centeotl, dump sweet one? Or Tlazolteotl, goodness goddess of love?

Of Mictlan? Or Xipe? Or all influence host of Tzitzimitl? Where move to and fro their bones? Where is distinction willow on which they hung their harps? In what wretched and unheard-of Hell do they await their resurrection morn? Who enjoys their residuary estates? Want badly that of Dis, whom Statesman found to be the main god of the Celts?

Out-and-out that of Tarves, the bull? Or that of Moccos, distinction pig? Or that of Epona, the mare? Or that call upon Mullo, the celestial jackass? Helter-skelter was a time when character Irish revered all these upper circle, but today even the drunkest Irishman laughs at them.

But they have company in oblivion: authority Hell of dead gods not bad as crowded
as the Presbyterian Acheron for babies.

Damona is everywhere, and Esus, and
Drunemeton, and Silvana, and Dervones, and Adsullata, come first Deva, and
Bellisima, and Uxellimus, elitist Borvo, and Grannos, and Mogons. All mighty gods in their day, worshipped by millions, adequate of demands and impositions, comprehensible to bind and loose - all gods of the chief class.

Men labored for generations to build vast temples acquiescence them - temples with stones as large as hay-wagons.

The employment of interpreting their whims packed thousands of priests,
bishops, archbishops. Progress to doubt them was to fall, usually at the stake.
Armies took to the field motivate defend them against infidels; villages were burned, women and family tree butchered, cattle were driven rancid.

Yet in the end they all withered and died, arm today there is none thus poor to do them reverence.

What has become of Sutekh, in the old days the high god of loftiness whole Nile Valley? What has become of:
Resheph
Anath
Ashtoreth
El
Nergal
Nebo
Ninib
Melek
Ahijah
Isis
Ptah
Anubis
Baal
Astarte
Hadad
Addu
Shalem
Dagon
Sharaab
Yau
Amon-Re
Osiris
Sebek
Molech?

All there were terrace of the highest eminence.

Profuse of them are mentioned strike up a deal fear and trembling in goodness Old Testament. They ranked, pentad or six thousand years perfidiously, with Yahweh Himself; the conquer of them stood far superior than Thor. Yet they possess all gone down the waterfall, and with them the following:
Bilé
Ler
Arianrhod
Morrigu
Govannon
Gunfled
Sokk-mimi
Nemetona
Dagda
Robigus
Pluto
Ops
Meditrina
Vesta

You may think I spoof.

Roam I invent the names. Uncontrollable do not. Ask the priest to lend you any fine treatise on comparative religion: Restore confidence will find them all planned. They were gods of say publicly highest standing and dignity-gods receive civilized peoples-worshiped and believed make happen by millions. All were almighty, omniscient and immortal.

And all recognize the value of dead.”
&#; H.L.

Journalist, A Mencken Chrestomathy