The times., 1898-09-10

The remarks recently made in the pull
pit by the Rev Forbes Phillips C'AthOl
Forbes'D, Vicar Of Gorleston. Yarmouth.
and reported in the Daily Mail, to the ef-
feet that he believed animals had future
existence and hat he would rather meet
in heaven some animate than some people
he had met on earth continue to bring in
to him a large number of letters on the
subject.
Apparently the vicar is a firm believer
in the equality of the lower animals
with mankind as regards a life af. .er
death.
Questioned on the point by Daily Mai
representative. who was desirous of OBJ
tanning a fuller expression of the reverend
gentleman opinions On the subject which
has created no little interest, he replied.
''ANhy no.? The conceit of man says No
1 venture to think the reason of man
says Yes But in the majority OF pao-
pie conceit very often taxes charge and
answers before reason gets chance.
II shall never forget the look Of alarm
and astoniShment on the faces Of some
members OF the congrega ion when | hap
pened cnce to express in the pulpit my be-
lief in their future life. One indignant
parishioner wrote TO me TO say that he
refused 10 share his hope of immortality
with his dog and cat I poin, ed out to
him that he shared the present life with
them, and as FAR as / knew he had shown
no signs 0f shUffiing of this mortal coil
What one may call Paley's physical
argument concerning the resurrection or
survival of identity, if it hold good of
the race, must also hold good of what
is sometimes called the lower order of
creation. though 1 can quite imagine a
well-bred, well-behaved animal, offering
digHiiied protest against this phrase.
Science tells us that the structure
which we cali the body IS composed of
atoms IN perpetual fiux. constantly disin-
tegs aiiEg, constantly passing away. The
boUy Of chi. .dhCod Is not the body Of early
youth once IN every dozen years, (some
scientists say less, the whole atomical
structure of the body is changed.
The bodies we have today so far as
regards the material elements, have al
ready formed the component parts of 9TH
er caroasses. and they will in turn dis
solve AMI enter into fresh combinations
But the identity of man remains the
same in spite Of all Memory, viii. etc.
are "a. there. We change the material
buttthe ego. the true seif Of man. still
remains. Death is the Tnal dissolution
of partnership between eI5:rIt and body.
But the change n partnership on the one
part is being constantly made. This ar
gument IS sound: il appITes cquaIIy TO
man and beast We must either accept
il or throw il overheard. If we accept
it, we must accept it on behalf of our
dumb friends
Take another view of life as merely a
force. No force can be lost in the uni
verse. What is the relation of animal
consciousness to the mighty life which
pulses through things temporal and cter-
nal2 Why should il cease, or come under
the exceptional law Of annihilation?
Again, we believe in a Just God. Surely
there is some compensation for our dumb
friends for what they suffer here. Sure
ly there is some reward for their loyalty,
their faithfulness, their courage, and the
higher faculties they manifest,
TT is no uncommon thing for dog to
die rather than give up his efforts to
overtake his master, who spins along on
his cycle at his twelve or fifteen-mile an
hour To say nothing of the pains of ex-
haustion. what about the agony of mind
suffered by the poor brute at the loss of
his master, and his inability to keep
pace? Has all this TO count for nothing
in the eys of Him without whose notice
not sparrow faIleth TO the ground?
But objects some one, the Bible does
not mention their future existence
THE Bible onits a number of things
which we believe and act upon. The
truth is, the men who wrote the Bible
no more doubted the future existence of
their beasts than they did their own
Job speaks of the spirit of the man and
the spirit of the beast
1T Is rather curious that the Scriptural
word used TO denote the future lie.
paradise. throws considerable light on
ths >s,.bJect. The word 'pacadeisos' is
Found in the Sanskrit, an older language.
under the form 'paradesha.' 1t is also
to be found in Armenian. Arabic. Syriac.
Chaldee. Persian. and. of course. Greek
Sometimes it is translated in the Bible
as park and other times as forest The
word has the same Identical meaning in
all languages. and implies a pleasure
garden. Wen Watered, and inhabited by
all kinds of harmless beasts and birds
Il he idea in the Eastern mind is ob-i-
GUS Our animal companions viii have
share, it may be a subordinate share.
but part they have in that future beyond
the threshold Of the shadows
Western science agrees here with
Eastern speculation. To the practical
mind and to the contemplative mind the
same thought occurs and is entertained.
This moral conviction of 4 future. which
protests against the extinction of life
with the dissolution of the atomical en-
bodiment. TO the logical mind must a so
include and protest against the extinc-
ton OF the life OF other animals as well
as that Of man.
After all ] do not see why so many
people should object to such a belief
which every age and nation have borre
witness TO. If there are inhabitants in
Mars, would the unb zlievers in the future
OF animals deny immortality 10 the Mar
tfans2 The catholic Interpretation of re-
demptiOn surely is not limited to the
men. women and children of this bit of
star dust in the universet
Such a frame of mind can only be
compared TO that OF the famous cock that
thought the sun rose every morning fer
the special purpose of hearing him
crow.
Keep In mind that SCOTS