The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1858-05-15

/ Ihe Boston do'tTTtdt reports lho SUB
stance of an address recently delivered
before the Lowell Institute by Rev. Mr.
ALeER on the Doctrins of Future Life,
which is very readable. We COPY
Death is not an entity, but an. event.
Life is positive experience, death mega
ton. Life is q continuous process. an
inward possession, and in the quiet routine
| of custom it gives US no shock of surprise;
but death is an impending circumstance
/ which we dread. In the Hebrew concep-
tion, twas a majestic angel standing inthe
courts of heaven ready to obey beheSis.
/ The Greeks sometimes depicted death
as twin boys, one white and one blsck.
/ There is also classic representation OF
death as q winged boy with an inverted
torch, a sad brow, and butterfly at his
feet. 1t has been represented in the guise
/ of a fowler setting his snares. But thess
are all unsatisfactory conceptions. Death
on the pale horse is purely prcduct OF
| the Imagination. The most common PSF
sonation is that of the skeleton with
dart, the grizzly king of darkness. But
i this is only the effect of death and not
/ death itself. These have no hold on real.
/ tiles. and are to be brushed sside as phan-
toms of nightmare. They give US no
penetrative glance into what death really
| is. Various figurative modes OF speech
which are used give no aid In reaching
the true question. The separation OF the
soul from the body is not death. Death
is the condition of the body when the
soul is gone.
Death has no existence except in the
conception of the living. Hence the
realization of death is the death Of death.
What is death in its true aspectY Lie
has been defined as the sum of functions
resisting death. It is the operation OF sn
organized force. That operation Is a con-
tinuous process of waste and replacement.
The close of that process is death. Life.
in other words, is the coordination OF
actions-the continuous adjustment OF
functions. Death is the abandonment.
In the balance of these two forces life
exists. The loss of the equipoise Is
death. Death therefore Is no monster
nor force, but simply an act of completion.
Death is necessity; hidden and
indirect process and completion Of life
The individual dies that others may live.
The plant lives by elements, man lives by
the plants and the elements. 1t Is obvi-
ous that if individuals do not die. new
individuals can net live, and lndiyid-
nails can have no other life. Death is
necessary and benign, and over it is the
dove and rainbow. Death Is benignsnfs
because it increases the number to enjcy
life. 1t called up great multtudes WITH
eager eyes to the perennial feast Oh exist
ence. Room was made for new compa.
nv to view the ever moving spectacle aud
feast of the world. It renders the
amount of enjoyment, the quantity OF
conscious experience immensely greates
| and keener than one person can enjoy In
the aggregate number of hours. Each
swarm has its happy turn, fulfilled
its term, and returned to its Creator.--
Death, the echo of the voice of love,
reyerberates from the limit Of life.
If death is abolished, and thousands OF
wears mass. all the fountains of knowledge
drained, and no unsounded future remain
ing, with nothing beckoning US onward,
at last the incesssnt and eternal mo-
notonv would become unuttefabiY 10TH
some. and what would we not give for
change, to die, to pass into some other
realm. to lie down and sleep forever. Man
would no longer be man. II would leave
us another race of beings. There could
be no social relations, or hardly anything
as It is now; and when the jaded lndi-
vidual has exhausted all, life would DC
hateful dungeon to him, and he would
even prefer to lie down in the eiysian
grave The certainty and mystery of
/ death stimulates and makes the romapce
of life. Take away death and brazen
wall encloses us, against which We wsuld
forever chafe.
i The gift of immortality on single
person would be still more fearful curse
than if distributed over the rest OF man
| kind. To see all whom he has iovsd
pass away and leave him to form new ties,
again and again to be renewed, would De
dreadful indeed. He would be solitary
angel hovering over universal tomb.
| He would be the most wfetched coilceiv.
i able creature. Death therefore Is benig-
nant. and when men wish no such sp-
/ pointed event, they are deceived and
| know not what they wish. The story OF
the Wandering Jew is thrilling sermon
against. and an illustration Of the repui-
/ siyeness of an endless existence on earth.
| Death was to US while We live what We
think it. IF we confront il, it looses its
fictitious terrors; if we crouch before the
Imagination of it, It is fearful. Fancy,
| inspired by fear, has too often pictured It;
| the literature upon the. subject is gen.
eraIly ghastly. The subject should be
broached by the cloudless intellect, guided
by faith and the light of science.
Death is the inaugurssing condition OF
another and higher form of life. On
psrely natural grouds man ought TO Be
ashamed to be afraid to join the mute
! sleepers of the grave, but much more SO
on psychological and moral grounds. For
such a being as man. there should be no
meaner future allotment than the pelueid
palace of the stars. This thought enables
US to smile on the grave, and disrobe
death of its false frightfulness. Il comes
as the evening star of memory, and the
morning star of hope. Let the night come,
it shall be welcome; and as We gird our
loins to enter the ancient mystery, We VIII
exclaim with vanishing yoice 70 those
we leave behind: Though Istoop intoa .
tremendous red cloud, il is to be but Tor
time: press Gods lamp blaze to ny
| heart-its splendor, soon or late VIII
pierce the gloom; I shall emerge sorns-
where"