The record-union., 1892-11-26
" REORGANIZATION" "
DR.. Grifiths Talks About the Law of
Heredity.
AT Each New Birth the Ego Awakes
From Its Sleep and Resumes
Its Developments

Philosophy teaches said the speaker,
"that the Thinker, the Higher Ego. Of
every man, that which Is Of the nature of
Deity, is eternal both as to past and fu-
ture. 1t is illogical to presume an eter-
nifty of only one dimension. Therefore,
if an eternal future for the soul is pred
Gated, its natural coraIlary is an eternal
past. The thinker is constituted OF an
infinite capacity which requires intni-
tudes wherein to develop it. The one-llfe
theory does not meet requirements.
Great injustice is inflicted upon the great
majority if only one earth life exists for
the thinker within which TO develop ca
pacities, opportunities for which in its
present status are alone afforded by
earthly conditions. Nowhere in nature
is Injustice known to be operative, and
to presume it in mans case is to
set him up as the one exception
in the whole scheme OF evolution.
Such IS dense ignorance and arrogant as
sumption, and a conclusion unWarranted
by what is known Of man IN other rela-
tions to nature, all of which prove that
nature is harmonious throughout and that
man, as an integral part is in entire accord
with it. Hence the logical conclusion
that an individual endowed with capacity
for acquiring all held within a given en-
vironment-the present instance this
eartll-a cessation of the function of ac-
QUESTION by death of the body, is in no
sense final, but only temporary; that IS,
that which is called death is only period
OF rest or inactivity following upon a
corresponding period Of activity. In
activity VIII shortly terminate and be fol-
lowed by resumption of the process Of
acquisition. In other words, the Thinker,
the individuality. Is constituted of great
sqnpgifN G11alifipH n a u
simulate vast stores of knowledge as re-
suit OF extended experience on this earth;
not having sufficient time and OppOr-
tunity to satisfy its capacity in one earth
life, il responds to the law of periOdicity,
and what is known as death ensues. That
condition Of rest amply fits it for awaken
ing, return and resumption Of the pro-
cess which its inherent condition enables
II to engage in. Just as a given
man in carrying on plan when
Overtaken by night and exhaustion tenn
porarily suspends operations, sleeps, is
recuperated thereby, and again takes up
his plan, so the Thinker, having a grand
ideal 10 evolve that requires continuous
time and opportunities, wears out one
body after another, and finally, by re-
peated lives in many bodies, satisfies its
capacity so far ds this earth is concerned,
and then, and then only, leaves the earth
fOrever-nO one suppOSes that because
night has oVertaSen the worker he has
abandoned his task. The IDEA in his mind
IS not appreciably affected by those cOndi-
tons, but only temporarily interrupted
by Oncoming night, and present insult
hciency of the vehicle by which he hopes
to effect its ultimate realization. Exactly
so with the Thinker and its work The
Higher Ego, the idea, never grows weary
or ceases effort TO realize its possibilities,
though it is overtaken in its unfinished
task by death of the body.
Death, after all, is only a change and
the beginning of another kind and degree
OF activity. As fact, change involving
death OF some portion of the body con-
stantly takes place. 1t is only when the
greater cycle involving the whole ply
steal organism takes place that death, as
such, is recognized. The same conscious
ness that actuates the body during minor
changes persists as the Higher Ego when
the greater change ensues, and again later
chooses another body suited to its re-
quirements for further development.
Another phase, which is by some con-
sidered an evidence of relncarnation,
is the fact of different persons possessing
certain knowledge, talents, and even
genius, having been born with the same
in full or partial exercise and as some
thing not either inherited from parents,
because not possessed by parents, or ac-
Qured in the present life. For instance.
three children in the same family, all un-
, UCI Iile Sdlllt IuullbuCe, y 6L 6dcl one OlS-
tinctly different in character from both
OF the other two. The theory of physical
hcredity is usually advanced as an eX-
PLANTATION. But in the light OF Justice
logic and common sense, hereditv, as
commonly understood, Is entirely made
quate to account Tor their different char
acters and meet other exigencies. Justice
condemns the false conception that one
human being may be arbitrarially en-
dowed by others with good or evil traits,
irrespective Of merit or demerit in hear
ing in itself Present traits of character,
tendencies and idiosyncracies Of progeny
are but exact combinations of already
existing qualities which were generated
and exercised in other previous earth
lives. The Ego has but Just again aWak-
cned from its sleep and rest to resume its
development and the parents are only
the open door, the appropriate channel,
through which the Ego once more
enters upon the objective side Of
life 10 again engage in its activities. 1t
does so with It's previously selt-acquired
store OF traits, tendencies and habits. 1t
does no more receive them from its pa
rents than from any other couple, 1t
utilized that particular channel at that
particular time simply because of similar
conditions existing III itself and the me-
dunn chosen. The new born child is as
old as its parents, Tor al! three have a
common age and origin.
The Ego is self-constituted. of its own
development, and sets to work with its
own capital, invests it and reaps its own
reward OF merit Of happiness, or de-
merit of misery, exactly in accordance
as 1t i now wise or foolish as a result of
its thoughts and deeds of previous earth
lives. If 1t utilized and made good use
OF opportunities then, it is now wise and
Well-conuluOned; if it wasted them, the
account Is now presented Tor liquidation, /
,,r will lR trth
there is absolutely no escape from conse-
Quences OF violated law, nor can one be
debarred from reward of contormance TO
law. Entirely upon this basis may be
accounted forthe excess ofknowledge pos
sessed by one over that OF another. The
former has simply utilized opportunities
afforded in past lives; the latter has not |
Both have returned to the school of lie.
this earthly experience, picked up
dropped threads, and proceed TO further
weave out the grand destiny.
There is an absolute method in the
succession of events which applies TO
humanity as a whole and the individual
as a unit. Given 4 certain one who has
knowledge pertaining to this earth
which he did not acquire III his present
life, and the conclusion is 10 -ical and in
evitable that he acquired that knowledge
in some previous life on this same earth,
and that the previous life corresponded
to the present one. Where else and
under what possible other circumstances
could he have acquired 1t?
Present character and knowledge are
our memory of past lives, and the only
memory possible to the present stage of
our evolution.
Later, when we have Outgrown the
childhood stage OF evolution, memory
may be so extended and perfected that
we shall be able to review all past expert
enceS not only that of this earth but of