New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-02

ly man like Mr. Myers, the hope of immortality
is the one indispensable thing in religion. III
spite of himself the miseries, and above all 'iir
Establishments of the world make him pesSi-
mist He loves Plato. but somehow or o''rr he
cannot get away from Schopcnhaucr lhere
could hardly be more melancholy essay than the
one in this volume entitled The Dlschchah''h'ii'
Of France. and the one on lenhEsoE DIS
Prophet emphasizes the disnay WIN whlch 'le
author surveys the future OF religious oeH'i III
the light of modern speculation. Ills nope r'S''
in the opinion that the human race Is rcahH ohN
Just beginning its career, ana that the 'h""Sa"u9
Of years which arc past are buf days OF lh'ahcS
to tie aeOns which are to come. we are an
clients of the earth ana il th"re he indeed an
unseen world. we assurcdy nccd not imagine
says he, that we have yet exhausted our means
Of discovering it," But hc doubts whether the
oracles of life will not presently he dump III INC
face of despair Ii is only if "cvolutlon DC a
moral as we'll as material law that men VIII
look back on TennysOn as no helated dreamer
but as n leader who, in tho darkest ho"f VI '"'
worlds thought, would not despair at TN" destiny
of man" If Mr. Myers had left the problem thcre'
he would have done we'll perhaps. But in his
first essay the one which gives title to ms VOL
ume he cndcavors to find an argument for IN
mortality in hypnOtsm ana auton'atlsn' anu W
vidod consciousness and the oth"r phrhohie"'
with which, modern physiological psychology mas
70 deal To tine ancient and modern believers IN
thaumaturgy the argument might appeal, p"t
surely science has not reached conclusions as TO
whether these phenomena belong to the podiN
organism or To that. whatever it is. which Is
superior TO the bodily organism. How Is the
reality of a superior life TO be proven By phases
~ a. fu1 nj inferior ana
diseased? intellectually the hypnotizcr Is su-
pcrior TO the hypnotic patient. That order oil
things is not a hopeful presagc of the future NE
That the phenomena of tccpathy are alIl'd 10
those of certain diseases suggests not the domi-
nation of spirit over matter, but IN" rev"r'e buV
the whole subject is open and investigation has
barely touched the edge of it. more important
pont is tho apparently automatic recurrence 20
the consciousness Of living persons Of thoN" WHO
are dead usually as apparitions. Instances OF TINS
kind are cited by Mr. Myers from the l1orc'd-
inrs of the Society for PsYchica Research b"!
even in This case y is strange that th' external
form confcsscdly lost a. death and the Sui hi'''
0eetnr accident of clothing are usually PROMINENT
in the plantasm.
To MFR. Balmforth all these things arr III hnrr-
cnt. He looks ~ religion as the force whl'' VIII
sanctifv the humanity Of tho future hot III
another world but earth He holds tfa' IN" 'r"'
teacher Of English workngmcn. that when mas lei
thnm away from tho Christianity OF IN" present
day. was tho stern pressure OF economic crc"m
stance. There was misery for when Inc NhuIon
in mono of its forms gave any promise OF I'li''
In fact the means Of oppression were IL 'ii' iHn''
r. man who were above all religious. and they
uscd them rolcntlcssly, holding mp h"for" tm''h-
selves an ideal of life which early ChrlS''ahry
had condemned Among the men OF the pl'''i'
century the greatest teachers Of the Worklh2h'"'
no SAYS. have been Carlyle. Rusfin ana MUM"
Arnold lie concludes his book win ''' S"''P"
nrcdiction: I'VE ire, say. nearing the Jaw" u"
Pr -. ~. orronic ,rri,d lii, most
cherished beliefs. the mos sacred faiths TN m'S'
venerable institutions, have been thrown inf' tue
crncjblc of criticism. and ou Of ia" alemoi. th'i"
,nust emerge new truths and nohlcr id"-i'' wUi'n
will load mankind 10 the realization OF 4 hI."''
order Of industrial, social and ndNliia III