The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-12-01

To the Editor of the J oURNAL AND COURIER:
What good does 1t do to have another
life If we have to begin again as in
fants and learn everything all over
again? We do not, however, have to
learn everything all over again All
that we have to learn again is how to
use new body with its new brain, and
as it is almost sure to bea different kind
of body from our last one and placed
under different conditions, even this
work brings us new experiences. Any
real lasting knowledge that we have
once gained we do not have to work
for again, and lasting knowledge is that
which promotes the growth and devel-
opment OF the real ego that reincar-
mates, and which in essence is stored
up for future use. Can we not see that
much of the surface knowledge of
facts and trivialities that engage our
attention in the present life would not
only be useless at promoting soul eyo-
luton, but even would not serve us on
coming into another life at another
age of the world and into another ma
tionality? The only good that such
temporary knowledge can do us is to
develop our faculties for learning, and
to strengthen our characters, il we
cheerfully perform our duty in learn
ing whatever is necessary for this life,
trivial though it may be in itself
When Beethoven and Mozart came
into their last life they brought with
them much knowledge Of the science
of music which they did not have to
learn over again and for which they
must have worked throughout num-
Der of previous lives. They may have
had to learn something new of the
| mechanical part of music, of musical
| instruments, which are constantly I'M
dergoing change from century to CEN
| fury, and they may also have had to
bring under their control the new
| hands that were to express the essence
| of music that was within them, but
| even in this they had acquired that
| habit of mind that is necessary for
mechanical requirement, so in early
| childhood they stood far beyond their
| most aged contemporaries as gifted
| musicians. 1t is said that poet is
! born and not made, or, in other words.
| one life is not long enough to make a
| poet. One must come here with the
accumulated result of the work of
many lives, in that line or he is not
worthy Of the name of poet. Thus it
is of genius and of talent in any direc-
| ton. Let any one begin any special
development for which as we say he
has no ability, that is, at which he has
| nc hof boy
| will he accomplish? A little it is true,
but, mere beginning. Yet that little
will not have to be learned again.
| When a child, after his vacation, goes
| back to his school he does not have
| to learn the same lessons as before,
| unless he has failed in his first at
| tempt, but he begins just where he left
off the year before. Now, these school
years of his are just like our school
| hours. If we improve our advantages
we are from life to life going on ever
| further towards graduation, and the
| little that We accomplish in any one
life should not discourage us. Those
| who do more than we have generally
| started ahead of us in this incarnation
| by means of their work in the past
| and they stand just where our efforts
can surely lead us at some future time.
Then we have every reason to work
with hope and courage, as we are al
ways on the road to all that we may
desire in the way of developing our
abilities. We need more lives, and we
shall have them or the material uni
verse is a total failure.
When from an average life we take
away the years of infancy. and the
years of learning how to learn and the
years of waning vitality at the close of
| the life, and then from the remaining
! years take away the hours from each
/ day necessary for rest, recreation and
sleep, We can readily see how little
| time is afforded us for what we call
our work, even with what We call a
successful life, implying good health
and favorable conditions. And what
! about the failures. those who pass