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Religion in The Mysterious Island

From: <Skravitz~at~aol.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:56:49 EST
To: jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il

Here are some quotations from The Mysterious Island of a religious nature.
1) We know that we are dealing with religious men on the very first page
(Part I, Chapter 1) when Cyrus Smith shouts, "Overboard with everything
heavy!... Everything! We are in God's hands!"
2) (Part I, Chapter VI, near the beginning) Verne writes: "The castaways
could depend on no one but themselves and on Providence who never abandons
those whose faith is sincere."
3) (Part I, Chapter XIV, first sentence) "The next day, the 16th of April,
Easter Sunday..."
4) (Part II, Chapter 2, at the end) "This day - October 29th - was a Sunday
and before going to bed Herbert asked the engineer if he could read to them
some passage from the gospel.
     "Gladly," replied Cyrus Smith.
     He took the sacred book and was going to open it when Pencroff stopped
him and said to him:
     "Mister Cyrus, I am superstitious. Open at random and read to us the
first verse that catches your eye. We will see if it applies to our
situation."
     Cyrus Smith smiled at the sailor's idea and obliging he opened the
gospel exactly where a ribbon separated the pages.
     Suddenly his attention was fixed on a red cross which was made with a
pencil and placed in front of Chapter VII, Verse 8 of the Gospel of Saint
Matthew.
     And he read this verse as follows:
     "For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth."
5) (Part II, Chpater XVIII) "You will be alone, under the eye of God, who
reads into the depths of the heart, but you will be neither lost nor ignored
as was Captain Grant."
6) (Part III, Chapter II at the end) "Do we have some chance of pulling
through, Mister Cyrus?" asked the sailor.
     "Yes, Pencroff."
     "Hm! Six against fifty!"
     "Yes, six... without counting..."
     "Who?" asked Pencroff.
     Cyrus did not reply but pointed upward.
7) (Part III, Chapter XVI at the end) Cyrus Smith replied:
    "All great deeds return to God from whence they came!"
8) (Part III, Chapter XX) And raising his arms toward Heaven he cried:
    "Ah! All powerful God! It is by your will that we are saved!"
9) (Part III, Chapter XX) "My friends," said Cyrus Smith with a voice of deep
emotion, "may God of all mercy receive the soul of Captain Nemo, our savior!"
Received on Tue 08 Feb 2000 - 03:58:10 IST

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