The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-06-05

branches without trees Z? Then follows
this question of child ooh, Mamma,
Mamma don't little clean white guinea
pigs have souls2 and the mother says.
~ never should have had the heart to say
No, especially as we have no positive
proof to the contrary" Now if we turn
from modern speculation to the scrip
lures of the Old and New Testaments,
which "H. O." intimates are not opposed
to the theory, and examine them critic
ally, we shall find that they favor it. In
deed the only passage relied upon to
prove the annihilation of animals is the
twenty-frst verse of third Ecclesiastes: !:
Who knoweth the spirit of man that
goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast
that goeth downward to the earth?'
This book, canonical though it is, has
every evidence of having been written by
Solomon after his apostacy. He had be-
come not only an idolator but an out
spoken materialist. The preceding verse
reads.
'For that which befalleth the sons of
men befalleth beasts; even one thing be.
falleth them as the one dieth so dieth
the other; yea they have all one breath /;
so that man hath no prominence above
the beast; for all is vanity. All go to one
place, and all turn to dust again"
But if this scriptural philosopher was
disposed to class mankind and animals
together as doomed to eternal death,
others for whom we have more respect
do not separate them in Immortality
Elisha says that he distinctly saw the
chariots and horses of heaven that bore
his Master away st. John, the Revela-
tor, again and again tells of the celestial
horses as we'll as of the redeemed of man
kipH on1 fo1| o11 \ &c n
be visions of fact, or else conclude his
rhapsody to be the dream of disten-
pered imagination. Isaiah says that God
will create new earth, and he peoples
this earthly heaven of the future with
perfect men and perfect animals.
"All Scripture being given by inspira-
ton, as claimed by the orthodox" we
have right to cite the story of Balaam.
The ass was rejecting animal She had
a mind, the equivalent of soul. Her
memory was perfect 1t treasured up
every incident of her life from the time
that she became the property of the pro.
phet but, like deaf and dumb person,
she lacked the power of vocal expression
until 1T was miraculously bestowed
Then she used it most intelligently. Her
conversation with Balaam evinced q bet
ter intellect than his, and the angel de-
clared that her master owed his life to
her knowledge. In fact, the whole story
goes to show that Balaam was remarka-
BILE for nothing but his inferiority to the
ass. 1t is not necessary to assert our be-
lief in this story, or to deny its truth,
but, as in heading of our articles the
opinions of III. O." and myself are styled
"heterodox" have endeavored to reason
from an orthodox" standpoint. Take
the Bible as we may, literally or fgura-
lively, the preponderance of its teachings
is that there is future world of happi
ness, and our ideas of happiness can only
be derived from what should make US
happy here. Green pastures and still
waters have more allurements for us
than an everlasting chorus of "hallelu-
Jahs around the throne" and to make
those
"Sweet fields beyond the swelling food''
attractive there they must be peopled
by what makes them attractive here. The
birds must sing upon the trees cattle,
sheep and horses must feed in the mead
ows, and-well l can't help saying it, but
| should be happier, even there, with my
own horse and dog.
If all animals were cursed for the sin
of man, why should they not participate
III nlo AeoeHptlOH II every IhlhS was
made from nothing science has shown
US that it can never return to nothing
We know that not an atom of matter by
any possibility can be lost, whether it
forms part of onr bodies, or of an ami
NAL, or of the smallest insect or shrub,
and we may reason thus in regard to the
spirit of life wherever it is distributed.
We may at least trust that an infinite
Father will not allow any of His crea-
lures to be lost, but that, purified from
earthly imperfections, men and beasts,
and even trees and plants may live again
in that LAND of pure delight" where
or+iy,o s,,rinoS oIidoe