The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-13
tween instinct and those powers. the

instinct from those OF men sprlngins from
the soul powers, We are prepared TO make
the declaration that the tiger is incapable
of acting on the considerations that in
fuenced the action OF the man; the right
fulness or wrongfulness of his act in seiz-
ing the lamb did not nor could it enter at
all in his action: he was affected by no
consideration OF right or wrong, and in
deed could not be-hence We are prepared
for the conclusion that the power to think.
to reflect and to judge of the moral quality
OF acts and thoughts is not possessed by
the higher animal organization, or, IN
other words. that they have no soul such
as We have defined il. Having thus briefly
shown by process OF elimination that
man alone possesses the powers that we
have described as soul powers. We have
established the first part Of our argument.
Having thus shown that man alone pos
sessed soul quantities. the question arises,
What are the duration of these qualities?
We argue that being an emanation from
God-they must of necessity partake Of
the nature of God, and are therefore indie
structable and eternal. But it is objected
that when the body dies We see no more
manifestation of soul life. Concede it, for
the sake ofthe argument. Does it follow
that the soul is extinct? The body was
the instrument through which the soul
manifested itself-just as tine piano is the
instrument through or by which certain
class or kind of music is manifested. Is
the impairment or destruction of the par
ticular piano destruction or extinction
of the music before that time manifested
through it? Who would thus reason?
The music manifested through that piano
had an existence in the mind or soul Of
some person anterior to the existence
of the signs made on paper by
the use of which the music on
the piano was produced, or mani
tested, and it is evident that the impair
ment or destruction of the piano did not
destroy the music. What force, then, is
there in the logic that simp y because the
instrument through which the soul mani
tested itselfis dead that therefore the soul
is dead or extinct? There are many illus
tratiOns of this thought in actual life. The
wonderful. almost inspired, conceptions
OF beauty, passion and anguish trans
ferred by the artists brush to canvas as
enduring monuments of the immortality
of genius. existed in the mind Of the
artist before a single line of the grand con-
ception was transferred to canvas. Ifthere
be any defect i'll the picture it is usually
defect of execution, not OF conception. The
canvas is but the means by which these
conceptions of beauty, passion or anguish
are manifested to the souls of others. Who
will argue that the destruction of the frail
canvas is the destruction of these concep-
tions? They existed before they were
transferred to canvas-its destruction does
not extinguish them.
But it is said that soul attributes are the
result of that mysterious power called life
operating in connection with animal Or
ganization-but a tiger has life and ami
NAL organization-and we have already
shown that he possessed no soul qualities.
Besides if soul qualities are the result of
these it would follow as logical sequence
that the manifestation of soul powers
would be in exact proportion to the
strength Of the forces operating to pro-
duce this resultant-hence the elephant in
which these forces exist in the larger de-
gree would give us the grander manifesto
ton of intellectual and moral qualities.
brief answer, but full enough to show the
logical absurdity of the objection.
But it is said that soul qualities are the
the human brain. We have already shown
by a process of logical elimination that
the power to think. reflect and to Judge of
the moral quality Of thoughts and acts, is
not property Of matter. None of it,
by itself or in combination with other,
possesses these powers. Wonderful have
been the combinations and resultants Of
the operations Of chemists, but life even in
10 fhoir
How much further beyond their powers
must be the production of the soul powers
mentioned abo We Besides, this grey mat
ter has been analysed and its constituent
elements ascertaincd; none of these
elements in their simplest form
show any trace of these powers. How
is it possible, then. by combination to pro-
duce that of which no trace even existed
in the elements? Besides, if these powers
are resultant, it is law of chemistry
that all resultants may be reduced back to
the constituent elements. II would in
deed be wonderful achievement to re-
duce the power to think as q resultant
back to its constituent gases. Again,
take the case Of a strong and healthy man
suddenly killed by bullet penetrating
both ventricles of the heart, this grey
matter exists intact IN the brain immedi-
ate,y after the extinction of life. Decay
does not Immediately affect its powers
Does the man think, reflect and Judge of
the moral quality of thoughts and acts
after the extinction of life? If so, then
these soul powers exist after death and the
argument answers itself.
This argument has proceeded far enough
to show its line Of thought. Much nigh:
be added by way of illustration, details
and further supporting propositions, but
nv time and your space iorbids.
We conclude, then, that the soul is no
only a unit with the powers ascribed to it,
but tina. it is an invisible, immaterial and
eternal entity or being. This is but the
enumeration Of the attributes of spirit
or a spirit existence. | will not attempt
to repeat the reasons found IN every text
book OF mental philosophy and moral
science TO show its unity. We have shown
that II was not matter; yea, more, that it
was not a property of matter; therefore
that it was immaterial. If immateral
ana possessing the power to think and re-
fleet and endowed with moral sensations
and percepiions-the highest and best EVIL
deuces of iite--it Is a spiri. existence AS
such, what evidence have We that spirit
existence was ever destroyed2 That il ex-
lists is manifest. Existing with no evil
dence Of its destruction or of its destructi-
bility, we ought TO believe in its immor-
;aiity-hence. 1 conclude il a man die he
will live again. ORANGE JACOBS
In At