, 1877-07-21

OF this appears even IN jewish literature
YOU remember the cast-out demons
that entered into the herd of swine,
causing them to run down steep place
into the sea. Seeing this strange doc.
trine that the soul may live its earth life
over ard over repeatedly, passing IN
turn into the bodies Of many men and
various of the lower animals and even
insects, fics and spiders, seeing that in
some more or less developed from this
notion has prevailed so widely, and been
rooted so deeply in certain nations and
races, the question naturally arises, why
is il? What is there in the theory that
commends it to 81 many mindsl 1t is a
common saying that what everybody be.
lirves must be true, and the idea OF this
maxim is good one, but for present ap.
plication would state it thus. What
large numbers OF people believe and hand
down to their children must have some
truth or apparent truth at the founia.
ton. Men do not believe at random,
they have some reason for their belief,
sound or unsound. So think it worth
while to pause moment to consider
why half the world for thousands OF
years have believed in the tfansmigra-
tion OF souls, soul wandering as the Ger
mans call it.
And / would put down as first rea-
son, the human.like qualities and actions
of animals. The eye has been called the
window of the soul-does not the eye
of faithful good natured dog, look as
though an imprisoned human soul looked
out at it sometimes The eye of the
COW or the horse, does it take a great
effort of the imagination to conceive
that mute human soul looks out at
them. Then how like the cries of chill
dram are the cries Of many animals par
ticularly when in pain. There is scarce
ly human passion or feeling that is
not manifested by looks, cries and mo-
tions by many Of the lower animals. To
account for these human-like actions, it
was simple theory to say that the souls
of the departed had power to take pos
session of animal bodies. On the other
hand some men act much as if possessed
by the souls OF animals, thus Gratiano
says to ShylOck:
Thou almost mak'st me waver in my faith.
To hold opinion with Pythagoms
That souls OF animals infnse themselves
Into trunks Of men; thy currish spirit
Governed wolf who hanged for human
slaughter,
Even from, tho guiiows did his fell soul fleet
And whilst thou lay'st in thine unhallowed
= -------- dam -s-----..
Infused itself in thee; for thy de9lres -
Are wolnsh bloody starved and ravenous.
All cases of insanity epilepsy as well
as outbreaking brutality are easily and
satisfactorily accounted for to the savage
or semicivilized mind on the theory
that souls of animals, or savage, or
wicked men Gun take possession of hu
man bodies.
In the second place this doctrine Of
fers solution to some of the great prob
lens that perplex religious minds in all
ages. will notice but one OF these.
The suffering OF this world falls upon
men very unequally. Moreover it seems
to many minds far greater than it ought
co be. And the question that has ever
arisen out of the darkness and wretched-
ness and misery of mankind, is why is
there SO much pain and suffering and
sorrow, or if it must be why must some
bear so much more than Others. The
theory we are considering answer it thus;
All suffering is punishment for sin and
the misery of the world is great now to
atone for great sins former state
Even the brother of Henry W. Beecher
sets this forth in his book Conflict of
the Ages" as the best solution Of the
problem of evil ever offered. He argues
that when we see child that has never
sinned suffering, we must believe that its
soul is guilty OF sins in a former life If
we would believe that Cod is just and
good.
There is yet another consideration ia
fovor of tb;s arrange theory, that will