The herald., 1895-12-30

The Theosophists had full house at Odd
Fellows hail las, night. DR.. G. L. Mohn
gave very interesting lecture on Sorrow !;
Its Cause and Cure, and said in part:
That tho eternal and universal reign of
law is not understood by man. Science
seeks for the action of law only in physical
matter and denies its operation on the
planes of soul and spirit. Theology postu-
iates the absolute and then proceeds to de-
fine it in terms of matter. Man, left thus
ignorant of the knowledge and explanation
of life, with all its variations, its pain and
sorrow, its JOYS and hopes. naturally bears
his pain and sorrow with pi'eous COM
plant and revolts against it and God.
Theosophy shows that in the light of JUS
tice. which reigns universally throughout
nature, mans sorrow and pain are the
effects of causes he alone has generated,
either il, this or some previous life; that he
alone is responsible for his condition. Bad
laws. unequal distribution of wealth, are
not the cause OF mans sorrow. Our laws
today are the sum total of the thought OF
tue time. We violate these; better ones
would be violated. Better men will be
necessary to lice up 10 better laws. Social
reform 10 be etfectual must reform the iu-
dividuals who now violate the laws. else
better laws would be worse violated.
Self-conscious man endowed with reason
has the power To choose right from wrong.
If the latter is his choice The effect is pain
and sorrow. This will bring him back TO
the straight line of the law. THIS he re.
peas day by dag. life after life. until he
learns ahd gains the power to live in har-
mony with law. This is life's great object.
the evolution OF the soul. Nature never
compromises, never forgets, n ever forgives.
Man must pay the price of his transgres-
sions; "for rigid justice rules the world"
and man is no exception TO the law. Know
ledge of this, the karmie law, gives man q
true incentive to do right. without the pro-
mise of golden harp or the threat of a
plunge into bottomless pit of everlasting
fire. 1t makes him responsible for his
thoughts and acts: makes him Self-reliant;
it gives him strength and nobility of char
acter, instead of making him sickly,
puny. weakllng depending on mercy. No
one can shoulder our burdens for us, any
more than they can enjoy our pleasures for
us. We alone must receive the effects of
the causes we have set in motion, accord
ing to the law of cause and effect and abso-
lutte justice.
Long is the task before the soul through
countless lives on earth: no less than to
ra Sc the animal to the divine. TO sublimate
matter into spirit. to lead man up the cycle
of evolution bearing with him all the fruits
of wisdom derived from pain and sorrow.
Through thousands of generations the inn
mortal thinker, or soul. thus patiently tolls
at his mission of leading the animal man
up to the divine. In each life small adj
vance is made: with many retrogressiOns
constantly recovered; with many failures
CALAMITY n ade good; yet on the whole up
wards; the animal lessening, the divine in
creasing. Suc1 is tho story of human evo-
luton through pain and sorrow to divinity.
Next Sunday night Mr. A. E. Gibson of
Portland will lecture on 1.-The Genesis OF
Evil