III + 

Pantheism + 

G. H. Bondy felt rather as though he were dreaming. Marek settled him in an easy chair with quite maternal solicitude, and made haste to bring some brandy. + 

вАЬHere, drink this up quickly,вАЭ he jerked out hoarsely, offering him the glass with a trembling hand. вАЬYou came over queer down there too, didnвАЩt you?вАЭ + 

вАЬOn the contrary,вАЭ Bondy answered unsteadily. вАЬIt wasвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ it was beautiful, old chap! I felt as if I were flying, or something like that.вАЭ + 

вАЬYes, yes,вАЭ said Marek quickly. вАЬThatвАЩs exactly what I mean. As though you were flying along, or rather soaring upward, wasnвАЩt that it?вАЭ + 

вАЬIt was a feeling of perfect bliss,вАЭ said Mr.¬†Bondy. вАЬI think itвАЩs what youвАЩd call being transported. As if there was something down thereвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ somethingвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

вАЬSomethingвБ†вАФholy?вАЭ asked Marek hesitatingly. + 

вАЬPerhaps. Yes, man alive, youвАЩre right. I never go to church, Rudy, never in my life, but down in that cellar I felt as if I were in church. Tell me, man, what did I do down there?вАЭ + 

вАЬYou went on your knees,вАЭ Marek muttered with a bitter smile, and began striding up and down the room. + 

Bondy stroked his bald head in bewilderment. + 

вАЬThatвАЩs extraordinary. But come, on my knees? Well, then, tell me whatвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ what is there in the cellar that acts on one so queerly?вАЭ + 

вАЬThe Karburator,вАЭ growled Marek, gnawing his lips. His cheeks seemed even more sunken than before, and were as pale as death. + 

вАЬBut, confound it, man,вАЭ cried Bondy in amazement, вАЬhow can it be?вАЭ + 

The engineer only shrugged his shoulders, and with bent head went on pacing up and down the room. + 

G. H. BondyвАЩs eyes followed him with childish astonishment. вАЬThe manвАЩs crazy,вАЭ he said to himself. вАЬAll the same, what the devil is it that comes over one in that cellar? That tormenting bliss, that tremendous security, that terror, that overwhelming feeling of devotion, or whatever you like to call it.вАЭ Mr.¬†Bondy arose and poured himself out another dash of brandy. + 

вАЬI say, Marek,вАЭ he said, вАЬIвАЩve got it now.вАЭ + 

вАЬGot what?вАЭ exclaimed Marek, halting. + 

вАЬThat business in the cellar. That queer psychical condition. ItвАЩs some form of poisoning, isnвАЩt it?вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

Marek gave an angry laugh. вАЬOh, yes, of course, poisoning!вАЭ + 

вАЬI thought so at once,вАЭ declared Bondy, his mind at rest in an instant. вАЬThat apparatus of yours produces something, ahвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ erвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ something like ozone, doesnвАЩt it? Or more likely poisonous gas. And when anyone inhales it, itвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ erвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ poisons him or excites him somehow, isnвАЩt that it? Why, of course, man, itвАЩs nothing but poisonous gases; theyвАЩre probably given off somehow by the combustion of the coal in thatвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ that Karburator of yours. Some sort of illuminating gas or paradise gas, or phosgene or something of the sort. ThatвАЩs why youвАЩve put in the ventilator, and thatвАЩs why you wear a gas-mask when you go into the cellar, isnвАЩt it? Just some confounded gases.вАЭ + 

вАЬIf only there were nothing but gases!вАЭ Marek burst out, shaking his fists threateningly. вАЬLook here, Bondy, thatвАЩs why I must sell that Karburator! I simply canвАЩt stand itвБ†вАФI canвАЩt stand itвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ I canвАЩt stand it,вАЭ he shouted, well-nigh weeping. вАЬI never dreamed my Karburator would do anything like thisвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ thisвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ terrifying mischief! Just think, itвАЩs been going on like that from the very beginning! And everyone feels it who comes near the thing. You havenвАЩt any notion even yet, Bondy. But our porter caught it properly.вАЭ + 

вАЬPoor fellow!вАЭ said the astonished Bondy, full of sympathy. вАЬAnd did he die of it?вАЭ + 

вАЬNo, but he got converted,вАЭ cried Marek in despair. вАЬBondy, youвАЩre a man I can confide in. My invention, my Karburator, has one terrible defect. Nevertheless, youвАЩre going to buy it or else take it from me as a gift. You will, BondyвБ†вАФeven if it spews forth demons. It doesnвАЩt matter to you, Bondy, so long as you can get your millions out of it. And youвАЩll get them, man. ItвАЩs a stupendous thing, I tell youвБ†вАФ; but I donвАЩt want to have anything more to do with it. You havenвАЩt such a sensitive conscience as I have, you know, Bondy. ItвАЩll bring in millions, thousands of millions; but it will lay a frightful load upon your conscience. Make up your mind!вАЭ + 

вАЬOh, leave me alone,вАЭ Mr.¬†Bondy protested. вАЬIf it gives off poisonous gases, the authorities will prohibit it, and thereвАЩs an end of it. You know the wretched state of affairs here. Now in AmericaвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ + 

вАЬIt isnвАЩt poisonous gases,вАЭ Marek exclaimed. вАЬItвАЩs something a thousand times worse. Mark what I tell you, Bondy, itвАЩs something beyond human reason, but thereвАЩs not a scrap of deception about it. Well, then, my Karburator actually does burn up matter, causes its utter combustion, so that not even a grain of dust remains. Or rather, it breaks it up, crushes it, splits it up into electrons, consumes it, grinds itвБ†вАФI donвАЩt know how to express itвБ†вАФin short, uses it up completely. You have no idea what a colossal amount of energy is contained in the atoms. With half a hundredweight of coal in the Karburator you can sail right round the world in a steamship, you can light the whole city of Prague, you can supply power for the whole of a huge factory, or anything you like. A bit of coal the size of a nut will do the heating and the cooking for a whole family. And ultimately we shanвАЩt even require coal; we can do our heating with the first pebble or handful of dirt we pick up in front of the house. Every scrap of matter has in it more energy than an enormous boiler; youвАЩve only to extract it. YouвАЩve only to know how to secure total combustion! Well, Bondy, I can do it; my Karburator can do it. YouвАЩll admit, Bondy, that it has been worth while toiling over it for twenty years.вАЭ + 

вАЬLook here, Rudy,вАЭ Bondy began slowly, вАЬitвАЩs all very extraordinaryвБ†вАФbut I believe you, so to speak. On my soul, I do believe you. You know, when I stood in front of that Karburator of yours, I felt that I was in the presence of something overpoweringly great, something a man could not withstand. I canвАЩt help it: I believe you. Down there in the cellar you have something uncanny, something that will overturn the whole world.вАЭ + 

вАЬAlas, Bondy,вАЭ Marek whispered anxiously, вАЬthatвАЩs just where the trouble is. Listen, and IвАЩll tell you the whole thing. Have you ever read Spinoza?вАЭ + 

вАЬNo.вАЭ + 

вАЬNo more had I. But now, you see, IвАЩm beginning to read that sort of thing. I donвАЩt understand itвБ†вАФitвАЩs terribly difficult stuff for us technical peopleвБ†вАФbut thereвАЩs something in it. Do you by any chance believe in God?вАЭ + 

вАЬI? Well, nowвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ G. H. Bondy deliberated. вАЬUpon my word, I couldnвАЩt say. Perhaps there is a God, but HeвАЩs on some other planet. Not on ours. Oh, well, that sort of thing doesnвАЩt fit in with our times at all. Tell me, what makes you drag that into it?вАЭ + 

вАЬI donвАЩt believe in anything,вАЭ said Marek in a hard voice. вАЬI donвАЩt want to believe. I have always been an atheist. I believed in matter and in progress and in nothing else. IвАЩm a scientific man, Bondy; and science cannot admit the existence of God.вАЭ + 

вАЬFrom the business point of view,вАЭ Mr.¬†Bondy remarked, вАЬitвАЩs a matter of indifference. If He wants to exist, in HeavenвАЩs name, let Him. We arenвАЩt mutually exclusive.вАЭ + 

вАЬBut from the scientific point of view, Bondy,вАЭ cried the engineer sternly, вАЬit is absolutely intolerable. ItвАЩs a case of Him or science. I donвАЩt assert that God does not exist; I only assert that He ought not to exist, or at least ought not to let Himself be seen. And I believe that science is crowding Him out step by step, or at any rate is preventing Him from letting Himself be seen; and I believe that that is the greatest mission of science.вАЭ + 

вАЬPossibly,вАЭ said Bondy calmly. вАЬBut go on.вАЭ + 

вАЬAnd now just imagine, Bondy, thatвБ†вАФBut wait, IвАЩll put it to you this way. Do you know what Pantheism is? ItвАЩs the belief that God, or the Absolute, if you prefer it, is manifest in everything that exists. In men, as in stones, in the grass, the waterвБ†вАФeverywhere. And do you know what Spinoza teaches? That matter is only the outward manifestation, only one phase of the divine substance, the other phase of which is spirit. And do you know what Fechner teaches?вАЭ + 

вАЬNo, I donвАЩt,вАЭ the other admitted. + 

вАЬFechner teaches that everything, everything that is, is penetrated with the divine, that God fills with His being the whole of the matter in the world. And do you know Leibniz? Leibniz teaches that physical matter is composed of psychical atoms, monads, whose nature is divine. What do you say to that?вАЭ + 

вАЬI donвАЩt know,вАЭ said G. H. Bondy. вАЬI donвАЩt understand it.вАЭ + 

вАЬNor do I. ItвАЩs fearfully abstruse. But let us assume, for the sake of argument, that God is contained in all forms of physical matter, that He is, as it were, imprisoned in it. And when you smash this matter up completely, He flies out of it as though from a box. He is suddenly set free. He is released from matter as illuminating gas is from coal. You have only to burn one single atom up completely, and immediately the whole cellar is filled with the Absolute. ItвАЩs simply appalling how quickly it spreads.вАЭ + 

вАЬHold on,вАЭ Mr.¬†Bondy interrupted. вАЬSay that all over again, but say it slowly.вАЭ + 

вАЬLook at it like this then,вАЭ said Marek. вАЬWeвАЩre assuming that all matter contains the Absolute in some state of confinement. We can call it a latent imprisoned force, or simply say that as God is omnipresent He is therefore present in all matter and in every particle of matter. And now suppose you utterly destroy a piece of matter, apparently leaving not the slightest residue. Then, since all matter is really Matter plus Absolute, what you have destroyed is only the matter, and youвАЩre left with an indestructible residueвБ†вАФfree and active Absolute. YouвАЩre left with the chemically unanalysable, immaterial residue, which shows no spectrum lines, neither atomic weight nor chemical affinity, no obedience to BoyleвАЩs law, none, none whatever, of the properties of matter. What is left behind is pure God. A chemical nullity which acts with monstrous energy. Being immaterial, it is not subject to the laws of matter. Thence it already follows that its manifestations are contrary to nature and downright miraculous. All this proceeds from the assumption that God is present in all matter. Can you imagine, for the sake of argument, that He is really so present?вАЭ + 

вАЬI certainly can,вАЭ said Bondy. вАЬWhat then?вАЭ + 

вАЬGood,вАЭ said Marek, rising to his feet. вАЬThen itвАЩs the solemn truth.вАЭ + 