The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-13
and creates dead level from which
all moral differences fade.
The Persian Philosophy.

The Persian Philosophy.
Commencing our quest for the
pure heart, think we need to avoid
the shadow and even the darkness of
one of the ancient traditions regard
ing what is pure and what is corrupt
| think it is to Persia that we can
trace the idea that matter is corrupt
of whatever kind, that it belongs to
the kingdom of evil, while the spirit
only is pure. Whatever vagrant ex
istence the opinion may have had be-
yond the ancient limits OF Persian
thought, it is certain that it was hos
pitably lodged among those people
and found its place in the dual or
two-fold philosophy of Zoroaster.
| Darmesteter, in his introduction to
the "Zend Avesta," the chief sacred
book of the Zoroastrians, says: THE
Good Deity is all light, truth, good
ness and knowledge. The evil deity
is all darkness, falsehood, wickedness
and ignorance. 4 Whatever
the Good Spirit makes, the evil spirit
mars. When the world was created
the evil deity broke into it, opposed
every creation of the Good Spirit
with plague of his own, killed the
first born that had been the offspring
and source of life on earth; he mixed
the poison with plants, smoke with
fire, sin with man and death with
, life"
So do we find the thought of Per
STA, and in some quarters we have en-
countered in Christian Europe and
America very similar conceptions.
We have had in our Christian doc
trines that of two natures in man, the
one good and the other evil, quite as
distinct as the Eastern understanding
regarding them, having their respec-
tive sources in two separate and hos
tile spirits.
1t does not seem to me to further
an intelligent Interpretation of mans
nature. A more rational, and there
fore a more definable statement, in
my judgment is, that the nature of
man as a whole is essentially and ele-
mentarily good, and will always ap-
pear so in actual life, when all it's
powers are cultured, developed and
rightfully poised and symmetrically
related to each other. The discords
in a musical instrument under the
hands of novice are no proof that
an evil genius was engaged in the
making. The discords may be a
proof of vast musical design in the
construction; they are certainly
proof of want of mastery on the
part of the would-be player. If dis
cords were structurally impossible in
the instrument the range of harmony
would certainly be vastly restricted.
A discord may be wrong combina-
ton of notes that are right in them
selves, while it is not unknown to
musicians that certain so-called dis
cords greatly aid the finest harmo-
MES.
Ill-ProportiOned Combinations.
With equal fidelity, I think we
may say that wrong phase of hui
man character and conduct is made
such by an ill-proportioned combina
ton of elements that are right in
themselves. A fire that burns down
London or Chicago when i'll
placed would drive the machinery of
continent when controlled, and so
nation, state or an individual may
make sad wreck by misdirection, but
will serve the highest interests of the
celestial kingdom when all their pow
ers are set to the right orders. Not
an energy can be omitted or des-
troyed without diminishing the best
results.
The pious John Tauler said: "Cut
away all evil failings from thy heart
and it will do thee no harm either in
head or in hand or any member. But
hold thy knife still till thou hast
really seen what ought to be cut off. :"
l think if the knife is held long
enough and sufficient study be made,
it will appear at last that nothing
belonging to the inherent constitu-
tional structure will need be severed.
DR.. Lyman Abbott in his current
ar icles in the Outlook on The Re-
ligion of an Evolutionist," says of
man that "Every man is two men-a
centaur, part animal, part man. Some
have almost outgrown the animal
and some have very small head on
a very large beasts body" l am not
satisfied with this statement unless
we are willing to say that even the
elemental beast is good working
machine if it have some rational mind
to direct its energies. A locomotive
engine is an awful beast when set in
motion and left to itself, but in the
hands of an intelligent engineer it is