National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-03-18
FUTURE EXISTENCE.
Something About the Belief I'm Ipamor-
taIity-EarIy Teachings.

| To the Editor OF THE REPUBLICAN:
Henry Ward Beecher recently said in one of his
sermons; "If ten thousand scientific men assure
me there Is no proof Of immortality have that In
me that assures me of it." For n reply to Mr.
Beecherl shall refer him to portion Of an arti.
| Gle which appeared in THE REPUBLICAN, of August
3, 1881, which asks question and gives the an.
| swer-viz: How is 1t that belief in future
state of existence has taken such strong hold on
| the minds of the people? It Is because you have
taken our infant children before they had ideas Of
| their own and warped them in the Sunday school,
| and filled their little heads, not with knowledge
but beliefs; and when they get older they cannot
| throw II oil. To illustrate: Teach child about
ghosts, witches, and hobgoblins, and you may af-
| terward educate him, put him through college
| but let him pass graveyard Mt night, see some
thing he cannot account for; what is the first idea
| that comes into his mind? A ghost! He stops
and begins to reason with himself: why. there Is
no such thing in nature as ghost; my education
| tells me better than that; where did l get that
| stupid idea from?' twill
TROUBLE HIM AT FIRST
to think how he got II; ut last he brings his mind
back to his childhood days, when his old nurse,
or some one who had the care of him, used to
frighten him with ghost stories. Now, that alb
surd idea has chung to him in spite of his educa-
ton, and that is why SO many believe as they do"
i was greatly surprised that an advanced and
original thinker like Beecher had not broken
away from the apron string of his early training
Has man soul? First, what is soul2 The lexicon
says 1t is the immortal part of a man, but il does
not tell us which part of man that is. It Ger.
tainly cannot mean the body, because that decom.
poses il cannot be the mind, for that often per-
ishes before the body; 1t cannot be thoughts, for
they are born and die the same instant. To H.
lustrate, | make motion with my hand What
is that moton2 Can you analyze IL -? No; because
IL Is not matter. It's an effect. What becomes of
III Ii Is dead; 1t was born and died the same in
slant Can ever make the same motion again
No, but can make another one like It, and still
another, but not the same for It was made at an
other time, think thought can think 1t
again
WHAT IS THOUGHT?
Not matter but one effect produced by matter, of
course. What has become of the first thought?
Born aud died the same Instant IL were to live
thousand years my thoughts might be similar,
but not the same i feel aware that am on dan.
gerous ground to attack the foundation of spirit
ualists and Christians. But just give us one fact
to prove the Immortality Of the soul. Notwith-
standing, the, clumsily put up, job, pretending
eighteen hundred years ago TO kill n man and
bring him TO life again, II has been ascertained
therefore His death was only pretense. II Is
true, perhaps that He was stuck with a spear; but
as blood ana water came forth u shows that He
was not struck In vital part This miracle, as
i was called, was necessary at the time 70 estab.
lish the new religion and the immortality Of the
soul We are assuming, of course the whole thing
TO BIO fact which requires proof The way in
which the body was
TAKEN FROM THE TOMB
shows II 10 have been no miracle. Why did they
not take the body out without breaking the Kings
great seal on the door. or rolling away the great
stone2 Then II would have had the semblance of
q miracle. Suppose the cashier of q bank should
find his safe had been robbed aud the door broken;
would he for one moment suppose II TO be mira.
ele2 Not much. How, then, could those credu.
lous fools believe the robbery of a tomb in such
way us Il described TO be a miracle? The world
was easily humbugged then; but II is quite differ
ent now, for We doubt everything, and when we
doubt we investigate And that spirit of inyesti.
CATION was taught TO Adam and Eve in the Garden
Of Eden-if there ever was such place. for we
have not been able 10 locate II vet The frst time
God ever opens His mouth 10 speak, says the &C.
count, He
TELLS ADAM AND EVE
they may parake of the fruit OF all tho trees exeept
one, aud the day they eat Of that they shall surely
dle. No sooner does he attempt TO leave the GAR
den than another being steps up to Eve aud tells
her That Being going ont OF the Garden has told her
lie, 81 tell you that you may ea OF the tree and
not diei but your eyes VIII he opened and Won
VIII become Ike gods, knowing good from evill"
NOW, how were these ignorant people to find out
which statement was true except by experiment?
lhey all spoke the same language, and, let him be
snake, angel or devil, they all Understood each
other. Now, what did take placer According 10
It's own account what the devil told them came