The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-10-20
THE THE0S0PHISTS.
MORALS DISCUSSED ny MRS. THIRDS
LAST NIGHT.
Karma and Reincarnation-No vicarious
Atonement-EthIcs Will Have
New Meaning-Etc.

Philosophy and Morals" was the
subject of Mrs. Thirds lecture last night
and a large audience listened to her ad
dress, which was substantially as fol-
lows:
However widely men may differ in
thought, it seems to me tina we all agree,
practically, rs to right and wrong. In
the study of the religious books of all
creeds we find that the ethical laws are
the same. All teach that it is the duty
OF man to love his fellow-man, to act
Justly, etc. The difference is only in
the words, not in the thought. The
Wisdom Religion does not give new
system OF ethics; no, it is the fountain
from which all religions have sprung; il
is the truth which we find in all sacred
books.
We claim that man has sprung from
the divine; he was working with gods,
and from this time of spiritual unity on,
we read the same old story Of duty.
Men have made written codes Of morals
and have imposed punishment for evil.
But this does not prevent evil, as there
is possibility of escape from punish
ment. Besides. there is difference be-
tween doing good and being good. There
is need for another inducement to live
good; we need new rules for guidance.
Christianity breaches that the laws
are the expressed will of God, and as
we owe gratitude to God we must fol.
low the laws. But in this time Of
materialism faith has grown weak and
proves insufficient in the presence of
temptation. What we need to make
man better is a philosophy which ex-
plains the cause of things and the re-
lation of one thing to another. People
want reason for their condition.
1heosophy asserts that mankind is ali
one the spiritual sun shines upon us all,
and only on the lower plains is differ
ence. This can be realized and scien-
tific men have affirmed that matter re-
duced becomes one element. Our philo.
sophy asserts this holds true on all
planes, the essence, the spirit of all
men is the same. Within us the
divine intellect is all one, differentiated
merely by different experiences. There
| fore when we close our minds and
hearts to others we limit our horizon,
but when we sympathize with and
share the burdens of our fellow man,
we add another horizon. We can only
progress by recognizing all men as
brothers. This brotherhood is the sole
and certain basis for morality.
Professor Huxley has admitted that
the law of the survival of the fittest only
applies to the lower planes. On higher
planes the law is reversed. We come
from the spiritual unity to the materi.
atty, where the spiritual mind shall
acquire individuality by creating separ-
ate centers. After this being done
nature reverses the process and we have
to return to spiritual unity. When the
Tmind is individualized the spiritual
voice within calls us back to unity.
Our minds and the world of today
demand altruism, not selfishness. Man
lives for humanity not for self, and only
by working for each other can we rise.
We need to give love to our fellow man
and overcome hate, which makes the
world miserable. By love the world
will be lifted up.
In Karma and in Reincarnation we
| find aid for enforcement. Karma is the
law of ethical causation: Whatsoever
we SOW, that shall We also reap" as the
bible expresses it. If we live for self
alone our hearts will be narrow and our
spiritual growth stunted. No sins will
be forgiven, we will have to bear all the
consequences.
We d. not believe in vicarious
atonement. Reincarnation affords
the guaranty that this law will
be enforced. This doctrine is
strange to the Western world only
since few hundred years We find this
idea in the New Testament, and the
greatest philosophers of Europe, and
many theologians, as Phi. Brooks, have
acknowledged it. Without reincarnation
we cannot explain hfe's mysteries, our
origin and our destiny. A good man
will come back to reap the beautiful
sunshine of his sowing; bad man may
come back to receive the punishment
| for his evil acts. Karma and Reincar-
nation to enforce the moral code--what
more would be required? Morality will
have new meaning when there is no
escape from punishment, and on the
other hand a possibility for spiritual
development.
Though we are all evolving to spirits,
there is possibility to assist and hasten
the development by speedily throwing
off all thoughts of self. BY substituting
altruism for selfishness we reach Il e
spiritual unity.
Those masters of wisdom
who have completed the les
son and have attained the light
of the highest knowledge have the
choice to enter NirvaDa or to go back
again into earthliie for uplifting the
human race. Nlrvana is state of
omniscience, of spiritual enlightenment,
of power and glory unspeakable, and
such who sacrifice themselves for the
human race are Christ or Buddha.
Seldom they come into earthlife, but
they always help mankind back to the
blrthlight, repeating the story of I'M
mortality of the soul and of spiritual
unity.
In very old book, 1.-The Voice of the
Silence" the question is put whether
there can be any bliss when the world
around US cries ? The answer is no.
This should induce us not TO strife for