The record-union., 1893-07-05
Is not such an ideal for thought worthy

OQs
What is evolution but law operating
throughout infinite time. The same law
which now develops and matches the
chicR from the egg presided over the
formation of the worlds; developed the
spirit of man from the dNinL0 of the ami
NAL which was developed from the life
force of still lower form. The self-con-
scious soul of man is then the child of
God, mothered by the physical world and
weaned only at death. Or, to use the
illustration of the egg, as the chick uses
OF the lite-force within the egg and bursts
It's shell for larger physical existence
here, SO the spirit of man having ex-
hausted the quantity of life-force allotted
to 1t here frees itself from its shell by what
we call death, and goes on living a larger,
broader, higher life: but escaping from
the physical, governed by the same spirit
ual laws there that govern the mind and
heart here. In man, the Hfe-force
which was individualiZed in the plant,
and attained consciousness in the ami
mai, becomes self-conscious, moral, and
thus has reached the last stage afforded
by the conditions of this world. Physical
death is therefore absolutely necessary to
still higher life. This is the thought that
Is now growing out of the close-sighted
observation of science and the compile
mentary thought follows naturally that
what makes for the best and fullest life of
the mind and of the heart here will
operate there only freed from the limita-
tons and the cruder satiSfactions of the
physical life which come in to hinder
here.
This is the ideal that would offer you
to-day, friends, to lift your visions above
the sod and the dew; above the defeats
and failures; above tue heartaches and
the tears; above the anguish and the re-
morse OF this physical existence; and, If
1t can but be kept in view, it seems to me
1t ought to add halo of hope to the
hardest worldly conditions. 1t was his
lntuitional faith in his own immortal
nature that made Jesus say: "Be Of good
cheer, have overcome the world" 1t
was the same faith which sent st. Tele-
machus from his home in the East to
give his live in the arena at Rome, that
the world might wake to the horrible
beastliness of the gladiatOrial shows. 1t
was intuitional faith in the same i'm
mortal life of man which enabled Latimer
and Ridley to sing amid the flames, and
inspired Goethe to say that death was
but natures artifice to get more life.
Now this intuitiOnal faith in immor
tality is all that the world has had to
satisfy its longings in that direction since
time began until the dawn of our scien-
titic period, and having no knowledge of
the laws Of life such as we have now it is
little wonder that the old ideas of the
| hereafter took on strange and fantastic
forms, often more horrible than inviting.
Belief IN immortality is far from uni
yersal to-day, nor can it be said that all
nations have always held to the belief, as
was claimed by writers few years ago.
Nor are the unbelievers the idiots as was
once too easily assumed.
Huxley and Tyndall and Morley and
Hoeckel and many others of equal
mental acumen can hardly be ranked
among the idiots, and yet they are only
the leading representatives of whole
schools of thinkers, who at this day are not
sure in their own minds that anything is
to follow this. And even if it could be
proved that all men believe in immortal
lty and always have believed in it since
time began that would not prove the
fact.
All men believed that the sun moved
around the earth until the astronomers
discovered the facts about it, and then
they were burnt for their impudence
But people no longer believe what their
foreiathers believed for thousands of
years about the sun.
All men in Christendom believed in
hell-hre as necessary adjunct to the be-
lief in immortality for over a thousand
years, and they believed that it was
under their feet down in the earth, or
under the earth, but no one with any
hhO'ASN9N "a s5SOAO-y CC4OfCc blldS any
more.
Belief in anything, by any number of
men, is no longer regarded as proof that
that thing exists unless evidence access
sible to all can be brought forth in its
support.
The resurrection of Jesus would be no
proof of individual Immortality except to
him who did not closely examine the
story, and even if all accepted it that fact
would be no proof that you or | shall rise
as He is said to have risen unless the idea
of His Diety is laid aside. But among
scholars who give up the Diety of Jesus
the bodily resurrection is usually given
up, too.
1t might be argued with more reason
that, putting aside all theories, the desire
still remains, and being almost universal,
is strong evidence for the reality of the
thing desired. But turning to India we
find the chief desire of the pious Hindoo
is to escape the endless round of future
lives awaiting him by attaining Nirvana,
absorption ofall individuality, in Brahma,
an ideal prompted, perhaps, by the intol-
erable conditions of life in India. The
same negative argument might be urged
against the desire among many peoples,
ancient and modern. Unhappiness al
ways stimulates a desire for either an
Inhalation or something better than the
conditions afforded here.
The idea of justice, it has been claimed,
demands Immortality TO even up the in
justice of this life, but against that comes
the counter argument that character is
the reward as well as the punishment for
deeds done as we go along. The idea of
the blessings OF wealth and advantage
has no place in a philosophy in which
character is the only reward of goodness,
and lack OF it the only punishment.
Then, again, within the last twenty
five years spirituaism comes forward
making strong claims; and certainly no
where i'll the history of the belief in i'm
mortality does it take such a strong, glad
hold of people as among spiritualists
The faith of the Christian is conventional
beside that of the spirtualist which is
thoughtful, and he intends that it shall be
scientific some day. l hope it may; but
so far the evidence does not appeal to all
minds alike, and thar is absolutely nee
essary before the proof can be said to be
scientific.
If 1. then, drop one argument after an
other you no doubt begin to think, what
then is the basis in fact for this hope?
The one sure fact, and facts are what
we want, that battles every attempt to
break it down is what Mr.. Chadwick
calls 1.-The stupendcus fact of self-con-
sciousness-of personality"
Here is something that every living
soul bears witness to. 1t is the only
universal evidence we have that we can
rank among facts at all.
Science acknowledges it as fact. but
stands powerless in view of it-utterly
unable to account for it or to destroy it,
That it mas been evolved out of matter
must be the conclusion. Yet how it is
connected with matter-with the brain
is as yet inconceivable. Yet here it is
thinking in us all about itself, at this very
moment.
Science cannot say anything about it in