The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-08-10
What Does II Matter.

munications, u couched In good, plan English,
from any who may have IDEAS 10 present.
whether agreeing with the editor or not.l
What Does IL Matter.
"0ne question, more than others all,
From thoughtful minds implores re-
ply:
1t is, as breathed from star and pail,
What fate awaits us when we die?"
The old patriarchs believed that
when q man died that was the last OF
him. Even solomon, with all his
wisdom, seems to have doubted that
man lived beyond the grave. There
can be no question that the doctrine
of the immortality of the soul is to
be traced to paganism, not to Moses
and Abraham. Seneca's preponderant
authority is that the soul and body
perish together; that there is nothing
after death and that death itself is
nothing. A doubt has always existed
in the minds Of past generations rela-
tive to the souls immortality, and it
is safe enough to say that it always
will exist, despite assertions to the
contrary. DR.. johnson when asked,
shave we not proof enough of the
immortality of the soul!" replied, 81
want more !"
Concerning this much discussed
question, "The undiscovered country,
from whose bourn no traveller returns"
l am pleased to observe that voice
has been heard from as far West as
Wisconsin. The gentleman referred
to intimates that his "lonely and Sc
cluded life" has led him to much
thinking, but for all of that he still
clings to that mythical idea of Heaven,
place of perpetual sunshine and
perennial flowers, halos, crowns and
harps. Heaven is simply prototype
of earth-life, only on larger and
more magnificent scale. 1t is crea-
ture of imagination inspired by our
local conditions and surroundings,
superinduced by desire to possess
something that does not exist. The
world at large, now days, requires a
living observation of living facts.
Mere assertions, without proof, count
for nothing.
What does it matter, anyhow,
whether we live after death or not !?
Belief in hereafter is not, and never
was, universal. The Sadducees did
not believe in the Immortality of the
soul, but thought that it became ex-
tinct with life at death The ancient
Hebrews, "the chosen people of God, :"
had no belief in the existence of
ghosts or souls. 1t is also fact that
numerous tribes of Indians in North
and South America, when first dis
covered, had no idea of such things.
Where the Indian is found believing
in a devil and hell, it is the result
of his intercourse with Europeans.
The Bushmen, of Africa, say "Deatll
is only a Sleep" and the Gypseys,
when spoken to by Borrow relative to
future life, exclaimed with much
earnestness "What is it not enough
to have borne the wretchedness of
this life, that we must also endure
another?"
"H. E." in a naive way, remarks
that "The question, IF man die,
Shall he live again.? cannot be ans
wered better than to picture the
growth of the plant from seed time to
harvest" | fail to see, however, just
what bearing, if any, that illustration
l
has on the question If the seed is
totally destroyed by fire it certainly
is past all resurrection in this life Oh
any other, for that matter.
Life, under the best of conditions
in time, becomes decidedly dull ant
monotonous and when one consider!
an eternity of it, never-ending con
seriousness of continued action or in
, action, as the case may b., it is any
thing but pleasant to contemplate
Believing or having faith in anothe
life does not make it so. Faith nevc
> proved anything Of a spiritual nature
: but facts, solid facts, have demon
e stratcd the truth of a great man
+, things connected with our every da
:, earth-life.
After all, gruff old Carlyle wa
j. about right when he 50 trenchanti
: SAID: "Just in proportion as know
+ edge increases, faith diminishes
= Hence they who know the most a
!, ways believe the least.
IL Lenore.
Do We Inherit the Earth Only.
: The New York Daily Press open
- its columns to brief discussions COZ
| oI ,o1in;.,.o c,l,ioutc nv,