The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-01-07

| SCroeCS are paved with gOlO ana unoQ
with marble mansions, where the in
habitants are clothed in purple and
fine linen and additionally equipped
with crown, harp and pair of wings.
Such prospect of future happiness
can only appeal to the very material
who childishly wish to be rewarded for
good behavior that was doubtless in
spired by wholesome fear of hell and
the devil.
When a person draws near the end
of long and active career it is nat
ural to wish to lay down the burdens
of life and to long for period of rest
which we believe is given to all when
they pass from earth. But, to all of US,
our existence here possess strange
fascination; on every hand we see peo-
pie fight against death and try to resist
the encroachment of old age. Why is
it SO? Does it not prove that we in.
stinctively feel this to be the plane
where all the greatest epochs of our
being take place, the scene of our
growth, development and final triumph
over the environments of external
manifestations? That constant activity
is essential to earthly happiness no one
can deny; the evolutionary force must
be employed and surplus energy find
vent in seeking new fields of labor
when old vOcations have been exhaust
ed.
Some people are inclined to regard
Reincarnation from another point of
view and say that it is only the reap
pearance of the same species in diff
ferent forms. While this may be true
to a certain extent, we apply it more
particularly to the individual soul
which contains in potential form all
the attributes of divinity. 1t contains
the essence of the Absolute which
plans and evolves, but gains true Wis
dom only by the realization of fulfill
ment. The children may be the rein
carnation of their parents, the visible
product of long line of ancestors, and
apparently inheriting many of their
mental and physical characteristics,
but Theosophy teaches that the Soul of
the child is drawn to those parents
whose natures are most in harmony
with it's previous life and inclinations.
The family ties are often so strong as
to bring different members back to
earth life through shear force of af-
fection and passionate longing and in
this way we may account for such
exact reproduction or parental idiosyn-
crasies.
Why is it that some of us are so en-.
tirely devoid of certain unfortunately
disagreeable traits of character, such
as envy, malice, cupidity, inquisitive-
ness, Justification etc., if they have
not been conquered and outgrown in
previous lives? Such faults are not
the results Of environment, since they
are found in all grades of society, but
are the evidences of former undis-
ciplined modes of procedure. You
may say lit is the disposition of some
people to be thus afflicted" or "they
were inherited tendencies" Even so,
but there is reason for such dis
position or tendencies, since nature
does not hamper us with any unmerited
or unnecessary difficulties to be over
come.
Some people find objections to these
teachings from the fact that they do
not remember what happened during
their previous incarnations and feel
inclined to ridicule system so deep
and intricate as to connect our whole
earth and the entire chain of planets.
We are more blessed than we know in
being able to forget our past, with it's
errors and agOnies. Even as it is, we
often hear remorseful person praying
for forgetfulness and oblivion to the
crushing weight of sin. It is not nec-
essary for us to remember past lives,
and with most of us our brains are too
feeble to remember all that happened
in our youth or even recall with &C.
curacy the events of the past week.
However there are those who do re-
member past incarnation and there are