The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1898-06-23
QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
The editor will endeavor to answer
questions of general interest in this
column.
Will you please give me the mean
ing of the word metempsychosis?
1913.
Metempsychosis or transmigration,
means the passing of the soul from one
place, state or condition into another.
This belief is one of the most import
ant phases of the religions of mankind.
1t assumes various forms. The two
principal ones are: First, that the soul
of man may reappear again in an ami
NAL, and pass through number of
different forms until it finally reap
pears in the form of man. 10 the
frivolous this idea would find an argu-
ment in its favor in the fact that per.
sons are often met with who have evil
IDENTIFY just emerged from lnhabiting
the body of little yellow dog, and
still retain the barking and swapping
habit, and also retain the pride which
has curled tail as its only basis. The
second and higher form of the belief is
that the human soul is not pure but has
some faults. 1t is thus destined to be
born again until it becomes perfect and
worthy to enter the place of its origin.
The belief that its own efforts are the
means to obtaining this desired end is
a beautiful and eIevating theory. Many
OF the greatest minds declare that this
phase of the belief does not conflict
with the Christian religion.
ThOs. Nell. Cuba is not a coral
formation. Its origin is substantially
the same as that of Central America.
2. The old question as to what would
happen if an irresistible force were to
meet an immovable body, may be side
tracked with the objection that since
no immovable body exists or can exist,
the contingency can not arise. We all
know that the force or power which has
kept the planets of our solar system
whirling through space at the rate of
thousands OF miles an hour ever since
time began, can not ever be success
fully opposed. At least our feeble or.
gan of thought will not allow us to
conjecture such a possibility. The
writer once propounded the same ques.
ton to very wise old gentleman. He
seemed staggered for moment, and
then declared confidently: well, there
would be hell to pay" 3. Winds are
caused by the atmosphere beng heated
to greater temperature in one 10:
cality than another, thus causing an
inequality Of atmospheric pressure,
which causes the colder air to
rush toward the place where the
air is lighter, because warm. Thus
currents of air are continually trav-
cling toward the equator. They are
called trade winds. 1. The first
person whom we know with certainty
to have been ruler of what is now Eng
land was the Roman emperor Nero,
who consolidated the Roman conquests
in Britannia, thus controlling the whole
country south of the Forth, about 70
"A. d. The name of the Roman gene
raj, who was really the vice-roy, was
Agricola.
One questioner; after quoting two
passages from work on natural phil
osophy, says:-"Accordingt to the above
body weighs most when at the sur
face of the earth, and decreases in
weight whether moved away from or
toward the center of gravity. Will not
body increase in weight when brought
nearer the center Of attraction as l
seem to understand in another place.
Please explain this seeming incongru-
ity. L.
The power of attraction, or gravity,
depends on the size and density of a
body. Now the earth being sphere,
if you place body below its surface,
you neutralize that portion of it which
you pass through, thus decreasing the
size of the sphere, and as the volume of
the mass neutralized is greatest near