288 The Gods of To-day the Scorn of To-morrow

Nations, like individuals, have their periods of youth, of manhood and

decay. Religions are the same. The same inexorable destiny awaits them

all. The gods created by the nations must perish with their creators.

They were created by men, and like men, they must pass away. The deities

of one age are the by-words of the next.