The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-18

~ a man die. SHAH hs i've sssinT-
Job xsv.iA
sOas question more than others all
From thoughtful minis iusplores reply.
II "a as brea1heS from star 10 pail.
What fare awaits Us when we dier'
I. Is the great question Of the ages.
question thar undesiies the Easter joys
and Easter rrfanphs. Il Is one OF the
three great Inks Of human delvirg-the
Row. the why. the where ~ life. More
important thar tire first two is the last
After dea.h-zhass All nations and
tribes OF men have asked T. Its import
Is universal Scarcely q scattered rem
nant OF humanity that has nor had some
idea Of immortality. Varied are the cir
cumstances that inpel the question. First
naturally One as he sees his friends
pass sway-their bodies buried. IN
stfrctivsfy asks where Is the real self
the soul. the ego, that which thought and
felt and loved and hved-not the poor
body. but the conscious nature that was
more than body Shall that not live
again. The brevity Of live starts the
question Many animals are longer lived
than man Is Il possible that thss\tis-
proportion Is ahsolute7 beast living
longer than an intelligence that can
weigh the stars The premature death
Of enc Just entering with slI powers fully
equipped into the arena of life bids Us
ask II one so young, so talented, so TT
in every way 20 1--we, X he dies shall he
not live again? The length OF human
life, even more than the brevity OF each
separate life, forces the question 20 an
ultimate answer. According to the SCI
entific theory OF evolution, 10 has taken
hundreds Of thousands % years 10 pro-
duce life as 10 Is As far as the physical
man is concerned. science sees no further
development. But evolution asks the
question, where the physical ends, may
not the spiritual begin? Nay must IL
not begin, Can evolution end with this
stage Of progress? Does death destroy
the power that is inherent in each tn
dividual llfs2 Here Is a man. of fine in
telligence. capable OF attachments he has
only begun TO apprehend- His latent
powers are tremendous. That man rep
ressnts the end OF the whole trend and
struggle OF life from its very beginning.
But is IL the end7 As far as that one
life is concerned. the whole vast ammeas-
urable expenditure OF existence asserts
the question, IL this man dies shall he not
live again. The same Is true of any hui
man being who can think immortality.
Why. even OF some animals the question
Is asked. May not the animal mind
live again? The vfeissitudes and ad-
versities OF this life lead US 10 in
quire about another life. The question
called failure Men who have been
hafried here. who feel that there Is still
something within them that iustihes an
other trial ask IL that trial shall not be
granted. II they shall not have another
chance 10 make or TO redeem character.
The sufferings, physical and mental. the
tears and turnoils Of life so dIspropor-
tionate demand an answer one way or an
other 10 the all-absorhing question. In
n 4
difficulties that surround Us here, may We
not believe that this life is only one mo-
ment i'm an eternal process OF becoming"
Likewise the injustice and inequalities
Of this sphere help PROFOUND the ques-
ton. A man who has been the victim
Of injustfce-who dies uniustly. has a
right 10 ask IL he shall not live again.
Lives that are thwarted, dwarfed and
INSTRUCTED by the incon gruities OF this
world look beyond for satisfaction, for the
restoration of lost powers and the attain
ment OF lost ideals. Even the voice OF
nature bids us ask the question OF the
ages. The resurrection In the natural
world. OF spring out OF winter. OF day out
Of night. suggests a transformation
through death out Of the material into
the spiritual In the sprinEtime the snake
casts OF it's old slough and giides forth
renewed The beetle breaks from its
n.
The ugly worm weaves It's own grave and
lies down in the cocoon apparently dead.
but at length II breaks the cerements OF
seeming death and energies the gold
harr'd butterfly" Man as he sees all
this. asks for his loved ones even more
than for himself. May they not have a
resurrection also? and he chooses the
butterfly as his emblem OF immortality.
with different feelings the question Is
-
"a he nears the gloom and GOODNESS Of the
grave cries. ''Tf man dies shall he live
again." With despair. by the man OF
unbehsf. With peace. by one who has
the testimony Of n good conscience. with
hope. by the man Of faith Scared though
he be by the conflicts Of the world. with
eager longing and pure delight. by the
aged Christian as he enters the portals OF
paradise and at last in triumph. Art
thou not from everlasting 70 everlasting.
o Cod. mine Holy One9"
Thus the question Is asked By men OF
AL faiths and no faith and with different
feelings. How is II answered.
First. IN the negative way No God. no
immortality. What We call soul "a no
soul but only finer quality OF matter.
and matter only the chance rOrnhfra ftrr
Of eternal atoms without creator and weld
Of purpose. Absolute denial Of future
rSrSfffnTr
% some. but not many. Of all the multi
tuses ~ men. According - this view All
ones faculties drop away Ike cloak az
the great unclothing, Man sinks quietly
into the iudeScribah'e peace OF the MIR
vana. Few say believe IL. Most men
shrink iustinctively from destruction OF
circumstances Death an absolute
destroyer Of al lnaividualltvl 20 live
TO more This self % be biotted ont,
w. z.s4k ~
strength 7 defy annihilation Within
ne springs the hope. the assurance Of con
tinued life. II Is sn Intuition ths.
amounts 20 al absolute conviction. Il
have immortal IonEings IN ne" Ard nv
friends ny loved ones shan they be lost
forever Can atheism or the doctrines
% auuihtlation rob ne = re sweet h7na
- reunior7 No. Love viii not fat the
loved ones de These ties thar bind hu-
man hearts 80 closely arr not altogether
earthly. They belong TOO 20 heaven
The negative answer viu no, 10. r. can
not BE- The heart recolls from the very
thought e death ending u all
Ssc0nd-The neutral reply. A 70.
know. This SIS the modern gnFH4IF.v 7.
Is held bv many very res2~cfah BE. x.-w
Intelligent ard very good people 7, e
convenient n ire way II zvo3sf-w -.
trouble - finding a fos1u satlor for f-f.s
II - easy Sc an escape from a-w -
the resoor 81 hfiirfes that -nttrs4- -
artiv and Inadequate TIE asnoztf. So.
Ne wit rot believe whaf - arns -.
s71E ard "a whole lite r1nt~s slr-s +hss
pos -ton- Faith - TEs essential H,.ssa -
ST knowledge. The mar q Nu.f-.~s -.
Heves What - does -ct kroz VIZ -
bays goods or the ssSsIrrs utso~ - q ~e~+.s,
u~o6s- TIE man - science halg.-sx 49,.
- 1oes 1ct know Thel - STARTS rrsf zt~-v