In the world of Brief the state prescribes the manner of public highways and each citizen must contribute his share to their creation and maintenance.

These Briefites excel us in more than a score of ways.  They are much purer in morals, more refined in manner, more harmonious in government, and unusually bright in mathematics.  Very intricate and elaborate problems are solved by these people of a few years.  They are inferior to us in a hundred ways.  In the broad fields of manufacture and invention they lag a long distance in the rear.  This is principally due to their lack of time.

RELIGIOUS LIFE.

The religious life of the people of Brief is, on an average, of a higher type than is found in our world.  Their belief in immortality has run parallel with their existence as a people, and their devotion to their Creator is marked with unusual fervor.

Their Redeemer is worshiped quite separately from God, and with distinctive adorations.  The name of their Redeemer, phonetically rendered, is Kerm-Cher.  The most faithful translation of this word into our language would be God-affluence.

Kerm-Cher, or God-breath, appeared upon Brief full grown, and pronounced his benediction on the race, declaring his origin, and the purpose of his coming.  Similar to Christ, he confirmed his identity by unanswerable miracles.

Many, however, disbelieved in Kerm-Cher, and held to the old axiomatic truths.  Thus creeds were prevalent and they remain until now, only there is much less variety than is found amongst us.

Kerm-Cher set up a new reign, and accepted a temporal throne for a season.  He finally announced that his ambassadorship would soon cease and that his followers would lose the throne of civil power, that they would be tested for a season in the valley of humiliation and by the fires of terrible persecution, and that they who would endure unto the end would be glorified.

These religious features are remarkably similar to the system under which the Christian religion of our globe is fostered.

CHAPTER XXI.

The Life on Wings.

As I darted from world to world, I was not then fully conscious of the vast stretches of space that I had covered.  No mortal nor angel tongue can even commence to describe the vastness of created things and the trackless oceans of space in which the ponderous suns and planets revolve.

According to the classification of our astronomers I next found myself in the constellation of Perseus, and was again convinced of the weakness of our most powerful telescopes, for I now saw thousands of immense stars, hitherto invisible to me.  Not one of these stars is within a trillion miles of any other.

In this distant system of our universe I saw that the same plan of creation obtained.  Around a majority of the stars a group of various sized worlds revolves.  On many of these worlds human life abounds in endless degrees of development and in a countless variety of manifestations.  I marveled anew as I saw the endlessness of the Infinite Mind, supporting not only the conscious life of this whole constellation, but also of all the constellations of our universe, and of all the universes scattered at large throughout the unending depths of space.