The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-05-19

sf it W8Ys act about tins tc turu baek.
At last We came to the foot of the
ladder, the top of which was hidden
by the darkness, reaching up into
loft above. How had the folly to
climb up that ladder, without asking
the least explanation from my friend
Wolfgang. is a mystery TO me 1t
would seem as though madness were
contagious. sfris &.
Up [ climbed, he behind me, until
Z reached the top. There | stepped
upon the dusty floor of the loft, and
rocked around me. 1t was an inn
mense garnet, the roof pierced with
three windows, and in tie midst stood
small table loaded with books. 1t
was impossible to look outside, for
the windows were at height of ten
or twelve feet above the floor. / did
not at first perceive low door, and a
large square hole at some height up,
eontriVed in the wall. WolfgaDg.
without saying word, pushed toward
me an old box which served him for
a chair; and, taking up in his two
hands pitcher of water, he drank
a long draught, while l looked on IN
silence. r.v
: We are in a loft of the old slaugh-
ter house." said he, with a strange
smile, setting down his pitcher on the
floor; "the council has voted funds
for building one outside the city. /
have been here for five years without
paying any rent. Not a soul has come
to interrupt my studies" Sitting
down upon some old logs of wood In
one corner" Now" continued he,
let us come to the point. Are you
certain, Kasper. that we have soul?"
/" Hark you, Wolfgangl replied |,
if you have brought me here to IA K
metaphysics, you've made great mis-
take. l had just come from Hasen-
kOpfs lecture, and was going to the
beer house for dinner, when you
stopped me. I have had my dose Of
abstraction, and that is sufficient
Explain yourself clearly, then, or
else let me return to my dinner"
You live, then, only to eat" said
he, in harsh tone. Do you know
that l have passed whole days with
out tasting a morsel of food, only for
the love of science?
Each to his taste; you live on
syllogisms aud dilemmas-I love sau-
sages and strong beer. What else do
you want?"
He became very pale, his lips trem-
bled; but. restraining his anger, he
slid, Kasper, since you won't an
swer me, at least listen to my ex-
plantations. Man needs admirers, and
[ want you to admire, and be in some
degree astOunded, by the sublime rev.
citation / am about tA make to you.
1 10 I L 81
you to listen for an hour to that
which has cost me ten whole years of
faithful study" Na
Well, go on; am listening
| His face was agitated anew by some
powerful emotion, and began to bit
terly repent having climbed up the
ladder. l assumed grave expression
in order not to anger him any further
and this appeared to calm him some
what; for, after a moments silence,
he exclaimed, . You are hungry; we'll,
there is my bread, and there my
Observation-Disclosures listen."E IE
Never mind. WolfgaDg; [ will
listen to YIN without that."
He smiled bitterly and went on.
We ere not the only beings that
have souls. From the plant up to
man, all beings liVe-they are ami
mated-therefore they have a soul.
Yes, all organized existences have at
least one soul; bur, the more their
organism is perfected the more COM
plicated does it become, and the num-
Der of souls is increased. That is
what distinguishes living beings, the
one from the other. The plant has
only one soul-the vegetable soul.
Its function is simply to obtain nu-
| triment from the air and through the
roots. The animal has tl0O souls;
| first, the vegetable soul, whose func-
tions are the same as in the plant;
and the animal soul, strictly so called,
whose organ is the heart Lastly,
man has three souls-the vegetable
soul; the animal soul, whose func-
tons are carried on the same as the
brute; and the human soul, or the
reason, whose organ is the brain"
Here Wolfgang paused for some
moments, and, looking at me, said
Well, what do you think of this
Why it's theory, like any other
the only difficulty is, that the proof il
wanting" .-la Els ~.
A sort of frenzy seized Wolfgang al
this reply He sprang from bis seat
exclaiming, "Yes-yes, the proof i:
wanting; thai is what has troubled
my soul for ten whole years That
has been the cause of all my sufferings
and privatiOns! Upon myself; yes
upon myself, Kasper, tried to ex
pertinent first. More and more was
this sublime conviction forced upor
me, without my being abe to prove
it. But at last the proof is found:
have it here; soon shall you hear TIA
the three souls manifest aud proclaim
themselves; you shall hear them r.
CONCLUDED TO. MORROW