ISBN: 9781517752705

It is a vision I have seen: upon a vast plain, men and women are gathered in dense throngs, crouched in uncomfortable and distressing positions, their fingers hooked in the straps of … More...

It is a vision I have seen: upon a vast plain, men and women are gathered in dense throngs, crouched in uncomfortable and distressing positions, their fingers hooked in the straps of their boots. They are engaged in lifting themselves; tugging and straining until they grow red in the face, exhausted. The perspiration streams from their foreheads, they show every symptom of distress; the eyes of all are fixed, not upon each other, nor upon their boot-straps, but upon the sky above. There is a look of rapture upon their faces, and now and then, amid grunts and groans, they cry out with excitement and triumph.I approach one and say to him, Friend, what is this you are doing?He answers, without pausing to glance at me, I am performing spiritual exercises. See how I rise?But, I say, you are not rising at all!Whereat he becomes instantly angry. You are one of the scoffers!But, friend, I protest, don't you feel the earth under your feet?You are a materialist!But, friend, I can see-You are without spiritual vision!And so I move on among the sweating and groaning hordes. Being of a sympathetic turn of mind, I cannot help being distressed by the prevalence of this singular practice among so large a portion of the human race. How is it possible that none of them should suspect the futility of their procedure? Or can it really be that I am uncomprehending? That in some way they are actually getting off the ground, or about to get off the ground?Then I observe a new phenomenon: a man gliding here and there among the bootstrap-lifters, approaching from the rear and slipping his hands into their pockets. The position of the spiritual exercisers greatly facilitates his work; their eyes being cast up to heaven, they do not see him, their thoughts being occupied, they do not heed him; he goes through their pockets at leisure, and transfers the contents to a bag he carries, and then moves on to the next victim. I watch him for a while, and finally approach and ask, What are you doing, sir?He answers, I am picking pockets. - Taken from The Profits of Religion written by Upton Sinclair Trade Books>Trade Paperback>Classics>Coll Classics>Coll Classics, CreateSpace Publishing Core >1<

ISBN: 9781517752705

This excoriating critique of religion, especially as represented by powerful clerical institutions, is a lesser-known work by the author who had earlier become famous with his publication… More...

This excoriating critique of religion, especially as represented by powerful clerical institutions, is a lesser-known work by the author who had earlier become famous with his publication of The Jungle, an exposT of the poor labor conditions and unsanitary practices in Chicago's meat-packing industry. More than just a tirade against religion, this is the work of an impassioned, idealistic socialist writing at the beginning of the First World War, when the notion of an international socialist revolution still seemed like a very real possibility to many of the left-leaning thinkers of the day. Sinclair's chief concern is social justice and his aim is to enlighten common people by training his critical intelligence like a sharpshooter on the many hypocrisies of established religion, which stand in the way of achieving a just society for all. More than anything he is particularly incensed by the collusion of religion with the power structure of capitalism in exploiting the poor to increase its own wealth while ignoring the obvious material needs of the less fortunate. In the end Sinclair places his faith in a new religion based on the known facts of human nature and on the largely untapped potential of human beings to solve their own problems through reason and science.This work, written before Sinclair and others on the American left became disillusioned with Stalin's Soviet-style socialism, offers an interesting glimpse into the intellectual currents prevalent on the left at the beginning of the twentieth century. Trade Books>Trade Paperback>Classics>Coll Classics>Coll Classics, CreateSpace Publishing Core >1<

ISBN: 9781517752705

It is not too much to say that today no daily newspaper in any large American city dares to attack the emoluments of the Catholic Church, or to advocate restrictions upon the ecclesiastic… More...

It is not too much to say that today no daily newspaper in any large American city dares to attack the emoluments of the Catholic Church, or to advocate restrictions upon the ecclesiastical machine. -from Holy History Few readers have not heard of Upton Sinclair's 1906 book The Jungle, his fictionalized account of Chicago's meatpacking industry, which set in motion dramatic social and governmental changes and highlighted the power of investigative journalism. But his 1918 book The Profits of Religion, a viciously witty censure of religious institutions in America, remains unjustly obscure. Drolly but bitterly subtitled an essay in economic interpretation, this potent book condemns religious leaders for taking advantage of the credulity and hopefulness of ordinary Americans to line their own pockets and amass political influence. Not merely a brilliant work of persuasive journalism, this is also a document of the idealistic socialism that lingered after World War I, when the triumph of the movement's ideal still seemed possible. American writer UPTON SINCLAIR (1878-1968) was an active socialist and contributor to many socialist publications. His muckracking books include The Moneychangers (1908), King Coal (1917), Oil! (1927), and Boston (1928). Trade Books>Trade Paperback>Classics>Coll Classics>Coll Classics, CreateSpace Publishing Core >1<

ISBN: 9781517752705

Paperback, [PU: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform], Bootstrap-lifting? says the reader. It is a vision I have seen: upon a vast plain, men and women are gathered in dense throng… More...

Paperback, [PU: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform], Bootstrap-lifting? says the reader. It is a vision I have seen: upon a vast plain, men and women are gathered in dense throngs, crouched in uncomfortable and distressing positions, their fingers hooked in the straps of their boots. They are engaged in lifting themselves; tugging and straining until they grow red in the face, exhausted. The perspiration streams from their foreheads, they show every symptom of distress; the eyes of all are fixed, not upon each other, nor upon their boot-straps, but upon the sky above. There is a look of rapture upon their faces, and now and then, amid grunts and groans, they cry out with excitement and triumph. I approach one and say to him, "Friend, what is this you are doing?", Contemporary Fiction<

ISBN: 9781517752705

THIS book is a study of Supernaturalism from a new point of view-as a Source of Income and a Shield to Privilege. Trade Books>Trade Paperback>Classics>Coll Classics>Coll Classics, CreateS… More...

THIS book is a study of Supernaturalism from a new point of view-as a Source of Income and a Shield to Privilege. Trade Books>Trade Paperback>Classics>Coll Classics>Coll Classics, CreateSpace Publishing Core >1<