Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-12


one aud simple, because, if the principle
were made up of parts, the special exercise
of any one part would leave the others in
their strength and integrity. Wherefore our
soul, or the principle of our faculties, is
simple.
This truth is also clear from considera-
tion of the opposition between the laws of
thought and the laws Of motion. If the
thinking principle, or soul were material and
merely corporeal its efforts should be gov
erned by the laws of mere bodily motion
e. g., the laws of mechanical, physical and
chemical motion. But the laws Of thought
are altogether opposed to the laws OF mere
bodily or corporeal motion. Mere corporeal
motion is always caused from without and is
a transient act, which perfects not the body
which eXerts 1t, but that one in which the
effect is produced. Thought or cogitation, on
the other hand, proceeds from that being in
which it is found, perfects it and is an i'm
manent act. Exercise weakens and destroys
corporeal motion, but increases and
strengthens the power Of thinking. Cor
poreal motion is exercised by means Of a
contact of parts and acts only on the super
fcies. Thought, or cogitation, begins with
out contact with anything and penetrates to
the innermost point Of a thing. Corporeal
singular thing, which is determined by time
and place Thought contemplates the alb
stract and the universal, nor is it confined by
any space or place. 1t cannot be said prop
erly that thought is the effect of organized
matter, because matter, however well Or
ganized, can never of itself change the laws
of its condition and become empowered to
perform acts that are above its nature. 1t
follows, therefore, that the soul, or think
ing principle, within US is imnaterlal and
simple. This truth is proved again by
consideration of the pernicious conse-
quences that would follow the adoption of
the materialistic view. If the soul be moth
ing other than part Of the body or a more
force of the body, there is no longer room
fer the nobility OF man, intellectual con-
cepts are mere eyolutions of matter, free
dom of the will is destroyed morality is
overturned and we have nothing to fear or
to hope for beyond the borders OF the pres
ent life. 1t has always been the persuasion
of mankind in general that the soul is a
spirit, something above matter and distinct
from it, and hence comes the universal be-
lief in the existence of place destined to
be the abode of souls after the death of the
body. In fine, the simplicity of the soul
will be shown in a stronger light by means
OF what we are about to say regarding it's
spirituality. The human soul is not only
simple, but also spiritual.
Spirituality of the Soul.
The human soul is certainly spiritual If it
clicits operations that are really spiritual
that originate only in the energy OF the
mind without the concurrence of corporeal
organ, because the "modus o9erandi" of
thing follows its mode or manner Of ex-
listing and denotes its nature. AS a mat
ter CT fact intellectual and voluntary oper-
ations proceed from the soul only with
out the assistance Of an organ. Therefore
the human soul is spiritual.
The spirituality of the intellect and OF
the will is shown by comparing them with
the cognitive and appetitiye powers that ex-
list in sersitiveness and are provided with
organs, If 1t should appear that cognltion
and rational appetite are excited under CON
ditions that are opposed and superior to
those which are followed in the organic
faculties it will follow that they do not pos
sess an organ.
The conditions according to which the
intellect exists Itself show that 1t differs
from the senses and is superior to them.
Organic cognition requires an individual
and concrete object. Intellectual cognition
perceives the universal. which can not be
Impressed on an organ. Organic eognition
can perceive only mutable contingent and