The record-union., 1893-07-05

Let the vain fancies of the past fade and
pass away, as they will in the presence of
the larger truth, negative though it be,
and hope springs ever to lay hold hold on
the newer truth TO support its dreams,
and SO we come down at last 10 this, our
age, and tind that Immortality is the
great hope of its greatest souls. If the
law of the survival OF the fittest applies
IN one place, why not in another? This
hope has survived and now is lowering
out in such scientific minds as Martineau,
LeConte, Wallace and a host of others
who rank equally with Huxley, Hoeckel
and others of the egnostic school, and
with them this hope is as joyous as the
song of bird on a sweet May morning.
st. Paul once said: 1.-THE earnest ex-
pectation of creation longeth for the man
hesitation of the sons Of God" What
prophecy of evolution is that. John Ad-
d1ngton Symonds says that the doctrine
OF evolution infuses life into every matter
OF inquiry. Under its influence the con-
ventlonal faith of the past becomes filled
with thought. Our inherited faith in a
future life OF selfish ease and pleasure-a
reward for a sort of political loyalty to
Jesus-transforms itself into life of con-
tinued progress beginning where this one
stops and going on to still higher things
according to the use we make of the laws
OF soul progress here.
Instead of happiness as an end in
heaven, happiness there, as here, will be
an attendant of worthy effort for the good
OF others, and of self through unseltish-
ness. The hope that includes the race
prompts love for all, and makes heaven
Tor any insecure while one wanders in
ignorance and sin.
Instead of having ones happiness en-
hanced by the knowledge of the misery
OF others, as was once taught, the new
I n ts-NNa Il
hell with the knowledge of one lost soul.
Now if great hope like that Of put
ting an end to human slavery and saving
| the nation was sufficiently ideal to
prompt men to forsake home, friends
and all that domestic life held dear to
them for the sake of helping to realize
that ideal, how much greater must be the
incentive to self-sacrl1ice, coupled with
the knowledge that the principles for
which they were giving themselves were
eternal, and that their sacrifice was to
make the worlds life brighter and purer
for all time.
How much easier self sacrifice becomes
for principle when we know that death is
but transition.
Someone to love? How much more
| holy becomes that love when we know
that the ties that bind cannot be broken
| by DEATH Sad indeed is the sorrow that
is devoid Of hope, but gently flow the
| tears of love when reunion is assured.
lis but for little while and then we
shall know again as we have known, and
heart will cling to heart, and thought
will gravitate to kindred thought there as
here. Think you so, says one? / GER
tainly do, else evolution is not true, but
believing it to be true 1 can also believe
that we shall retain all that we have
gained here which belongs to the heart
and the mind and with inhnity opening
out before US what shall we not attain TO!
Is it not a grand hope? Then let us hold
it grandly, and away with all sadness
and gloom. Though round about us are
clouds and darkness, life still blooms
hope is eternal.
Let our loyalty then to eternal things be
worthy the hope we entertain.