Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-06-04
DID WE LIVE BEFOREg
How the Theory Of Pre.Ex,sterce
Has Taken ROOt--A Talk Win
Believer.
"Nery Man What ne Has MADE Himself
"enius an Inheritance from Other
Ltves-Past Incnrnations.

=, = - 'N"JSSN AuuVn talked OF IN
New York by those who are fond Of ex.
pioring new fields Of thought. Not only
is IL talked Of, but believed in, by larae
NUMBER ofpersons whose brains Command
respect IN the practical pursuits OF life
~ Is a little startling to hear an envied
business man or an table editorn declare
ms Delief In pre-existence, unless one Is
lamiliarlzed with the reincarnatlon doc
urine. You can't think OF him as ANYBODY
out himself; but he can, because he has
accustomed his mind to It.
lhoeed, among believers In this inter-
esling theory, 1t is quite the fashionable
recreation TO give your friends the bene.
NJ OF what you think you-were In the life
immediately preceding this one, and also
10 hazard Anew guesses as TO what they
were. AS you can readily see, this is a
lresh and fascinating field for conyersa-
ton. II has extraordinary possibilities
and no limitations. But hereis queer
thing In regard TO IL: You can tell a
friend that you believe he was no end OF a
scoundrel in his past embodiments, and
ne never gets angry with youth all prob
ability he agrees with you, and admits
That the penalties imposed upon him In
inns lie are just. Yet II he limited that
he mad been wicked and worthless in this
me, however irresponsible he may have
oeen for II, and that whatever trouble he
Is now staggering under is the direct re.
suit OF his wrong doing, be would most
likely knock you down, II Won should be-
long to the sex that gets knocked down.
HIS previous existences, however, how can
Islander and detract with impunity. They
are a long way in his rear, aud neither
reflect glory nor shame, for the reason
that reputatioa's data for this existence
begins with this existence.
Yet the re-embodiment theory distinctly
states that we are what we have made
ourselves. We suffer from ourselves.
The objective man born into the physical
world is the creation of the person he last
animated. Our Joys, SORROWS and sins
are OF our own making. Our life is a
fabric woven by ourselves. The Eastern
word for this Is "karma." 1t is a sadly
put upon word just now, reiterated so
cden that 1t is likely to grow little
welrlsome. We have no Western equlya-
lent for this Hindu term, which IL vol
ume compressed into a single word
"And what an idea It conveys OF sowing
and reaping, and justicem
| was present where two or three were
gathered together discussing reincarna-
ton, recently The editor of humorous
journal Joined us. Somebody repeated
the conversation TO him up TO the point
we had carried 1t. ooh, yes, l believe
that lived BEFORE" he said, seriously,
"and that shall live again, and again
and again"
Then, In a lighter vein: 81 must have
lived to very poor purpose, too, when l
created such "a karma for myself as | am
now experiencing. Think of It, doomed
to edit the stuff they call humnr. What
could have done TO deserve lt2'
One man, Il writer whose name carries
weight all over tbs American newspaper
world, told me in confidence that he had
reason TO believe he had been re-embodled
nineteen times on this planet alone, and
that in one OF his embodimcnts he had
been crest French military man.
| know woman whose friends believe
her TO have been an anchorlte in some
previous existence. Traces OF grim as
ceucism are still noticeable in her II she
were told TO choose between bed OF rose
leaves and a board, she woulu chose the
board. She denies herself bodily ease
from . curious feeling that she ought TO
which her reason doesn't indorse. She
makes every bit Of toll as hard as possible,
although she talks much about simplify
ing life and labor.
Another woman thinks she was man
in an existence Immediately preceding
this, because she doesn't care a cent fol-
men; finds 1t impossible TO love them, and
is bored by the society of the handsomest
and best of them in an hour or less time
And still another admits having been a
gossip and talebearer in another lie
During her childhood she would risk
breaking her neck any time to be the
first TO tell something on somebody
However interesting II IS to surmise what
our previous lives were, 1t Is still more
interesting to shape out our future lives
According to the Buddhistic theory We
can be what we wish to be. We are crea
ting our future lives now. In truth, tina
is a law which fulfllls itself even in thi'
world, as Stonewall Jackson, who believed
In IL, demonstrated. Emerson also be
lleyed that every man could possess whai
he wished to possess IL he would only
pay the price.
Not every one who believes In re-em
bodiment OF spirit is Buddhist. People
of all religions and Of no religion take t.
it, at least Just now when 1t seems to DC
the vogue. 1t is gratifying to the ego;
1t makes every man his own ancestor, and
ranks him In the matter OF age and exper-
renee equal with the Oldest and wisest
One of the chief allurements OF this the
ory is that 1t makes no man older than the
Youngest infant, except In this round Of
life. II consoles the old, for 1t promises
them youth over again. talked WIN
one of its strongest adherents the other
day--a man whose opinion on all subjects
pertaining TO the mundane welfare Of
mankind is honored. asked him what
was the strongest point he could make IL
favor OF the re.embodiment theory
nThe Justice Of it," he answered. Ut
is the only plan which promises
absolute justice to every human being
ana makes each responsible for himself
| believe that we are the creaturesoi cen
turtles, Of cycles, of millions and millions
Of ages. We have always future before
us greater than the past. Our blunders
can be retrieved, our sins atoned for, our
lopgings realized. We shall reap as We
have sown, and, mark you, this belief
makes us exceedingly particular 10 tnt
sowing. II were TO play the tyrant anc
oppressor here | truly believe that In my
next embodiment should pay the penalty
~, h.tn,, a miserable serf, aud j shOuiC