The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-04

form. The simple element IS f aeanhie tbs
| while the complex, formed from the
simple, must necessarily die.
Therefore, death to the physical form
| is inevitable because 1t is complex ana noi
form, or entity is impossible because 1t is
simple and strictly elementary Dea.n.
therefore, is always relative ana never a',
absolute. 1t is a cessation of that rune
| tional activity which creates visible form
and consequent identity through the con-
version of the simple INTO the coInpieA,
cessation of that correlative activ ny
which reconverts the complex INTO tHe
simple-on the contrary. that ac ,,I,i, Is
effect of death is absolute destruction OF
visible form and the identity dependent
upon it; in other words, dlslntesTfat Lon
integrate cannot be disintegrated Renee
the composing element, or elements, OF
form cannot die-only the form ITSELF
| Therefore death can be only relative ana
never absolute.
| We spoke of the beginning or the splL,ii-
ual, the actual man. as coincidenu MIN hot
that of the physical man Edgicaiiy end e,1,1'
which has beginning must nave an emu
There can no more be beginning than
an end to Immortality Why, therefore,
Sha not the sprtna VIVA man he shall not is
to be found in the radical disunctloh 'hae
exists between the two
Let us look into their contemporaneous
beginning and development 1or Deter
knowledge of that distinction ana LOT
better understanding OF the trutn OF tne
apparently illogical proposition tnat an
entity may have beginning without nee
essarily Having an end Both begin In
Independently in one and the same mn
material, immortal element; that IS 10 say
il that specific energy or HE wI1lch ae-
velops a material cell that otherWise
would perish into men and through MN
into his immortal soul. ana essehtla1iy.
therefore, the two are then one: But
their development. although interdepend-
ent also, creates the radical distinction we
are in search Of. Nothing can De more
radical than the distinction between NOR
tally and Immortality and that Is pre-
cisely what this distinction, creaIeo
through development, actually o Is not he he
dwelt upon. It consists of the develop
ment of the simple, the inmaterial into
the complex, the material ana the aggre
cation of these materials into form. me
physical man is therefore simply ma
terial form whose identity consists IN
parts and features of that form Wnlch are
the physical senses. NOW me QeNelop-
ment of the spiritual man Involves no
change whatever in that out OF wnlch. or
more correctly. in which. he is developed
1t consists of the accumulation ana reten-
ton of every impression received by the
sensorium through the st.,ses' me nodli y
such exist. during life In the BODY and
the uses made of them.
The spiritual man, therefore. is not a
visible form, but an entity made up of
the sum of all the impressions, together
with that which has been developed out
of them by ratiocination or otherwise. He
Is definite recognizable, self-consciouS
condition of a whole that has no parts
His identity IS as perfect as that of the
physical man for it is that OF the phy-
steal man. Identity can only be recng-
nized bv the mind the spiritual man. The
body Of the dead man cannot recognize
itself, nor can the living man recognize
the identity of anything when. all the
sensual avenues to the sensorium are
closed.
The actual man is, therefore, the soul,
the spiritual man. Hence death OF the
material body no more involves death OF
the immaterial soul than does death of
the material form invole death of the i'm
material elements composing 1t. And.
since the latter proposition is suscept-
BILE of positive proof by demonstration,
it becomes positive proof of the former:
Although far from the truth, it would
seem that the initial question. is Eiec-
tricity God?" has been lost sight of in
the effort TO show that the material uni
verse. which is perishable. is formed out
of the immateral, which is imperishable.
That the evident purpose, end and aim
of creation. SO far as this earth is con-
cerned, in the creation of man. That the
evident purpose In the creation of man
is the creation of his soul That while the
mortal man must die and lose his ident-
itv the immortal soul of him can neither
die nor lose it's identity. The relation of
all this to the main question Will appear
further on.
Let us pause to remark that man is a
born egotist Exaggerated self-import
ance Is a characteristic of his that is
unfailinlg and unintsrrupted IN its heredi-
look upon the world he lives In as the
center of the universe and himself as
the sole object for which the universe
siders himself the only son. He forgets
that since the world he lives in Is but
a small and comparatively insignificant
body among the great ones of the uni
than nrOb3hle that he
himself would hold a relatively insignifi-
cant place among the Inhabitants Of those
greater bodies. His ultimate destiny is
he reaches the higher confines OF 1t, he
may find that he compares with them as
the travel stained peasant rr, in,m eIgrs
foreign shore. If he should, 1t will mean
that the gradations in the DEVELOPMENT
of souls that exist while they are in the
body are not completely swept away
when they leave it. And this will mean
continued opportunity for advancement
and opportunity under vastly improved
conditions together with the amending
happiness that is inseparably connected
with It,
One more thought in this connection. 1t
is quite possible to conceive that a soul
verted as to be insensible to every inf1u-
ence leading to it's advancement even af-
ter It has left the body and, therefore,
it may become irrevocably lost to the
good.
But to return to the main question, a
legitimate deduction from all that has
been said is the conclusion that the
physical body is man but not actual man,
so electricity is Goo but not the actual
God. That is to say. that while electrici-
ty is Of God and is God, God Is not cleo
tricity, but God.
1t would be an affront to the intelli-
gence Of the thoughtful reader to direct
attention to the fact that. while scrip
tural authority has been carefully avoid
ed there is not statement in this paper
which if rightly considered is not in fun
accord with it. But some readers are
more prejudiced than thoughtful.
~ \ \ \ + =
a successful entertainment recently, and
the programme that was offered and sue
cessfully carried out was credit TO the
committee on entertainment. r. 70. Wells.
special deputy for the A. Q. U. w, made
very interesting speech, In which he
paid a compliment to the Degree OF
Honor and to the membership of Emerald
Lodge in particular. Emerald Lodge,
the senior of Los Angeles, has the graft
tude of Magnolia for courteses extended
and for assistance rendered by the drill
team.
One assessment has been levied for the