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Dear Sinclair: -

I have given a day and part of a night to reading "The Profits of Religion".

It is a terrible book, and absolutely convincing. Like all others who are more or less familiar with the literature of the social revolution, I knew that institutionalized religion has always been the ally of Oppression. But the mass of evidence that you have collected from all ages is overwhelming, and the manner in which you arrange it and relate it to your thesis is surely masterful in the extreme.

It would be hard to overestimate the importance of this single work, for it strikes at the very solar plexus of the ancient and vicious system. But I have a strong suspicion that the series, of which this book is the first, will place you definitely among the greatest social critics of all time. By the time you have dealt with Education, Journalism, Literature and Art in the same way that you have here dealt with Religion, you will have a complete philosophical study of the whole social process from the standpoint of the civilization that is going to follow our present state of barbarism.

I hope you are properly grateful that such a service has been left for you to render. No mere materialist, however learned and sincere, could have done the job as it ought to be done, as you are doing it. You are that rare thing — an iconoclast with a genuine passion to construct. Your work glows with that passion. Everywhere it is evident that you know and cherish the higher values.

Letters like this encourage Upton so that he wants to write 15 books per day!

I have not allowed myself to become "chesty" over the words you wrote on the fly leaf of my copy — "love and best wishes"; for I know they express your attitude toward all men. Just the same, it made me happy that you cared to write them down for me.

I have written to The New Republic, asking if I might submit a review of the book. We shall see. If they let me do it, I'll try to judge from their letter what tone might be suitable; but I have never yet lied in print! It may be necessary for me to assume the aloof, judicial air, giving the impression that I have porching eyebrows and whiskers to the knees! Because, you know, you really do worry the Catholics a bit.

God bless us all! What a wallop you carry in either mitt!

As you may have noted, the radicals of Minnesota are about to launch a people's daily with a million dollars to go on. I want on that paper. I want somebody to take my muzzle off. I particularly want it taken off in the city of Minneapolis!

Yours,

Jno. Neihardt