The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-02-06
MANS PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE.

J
MANS PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE.
1t is only by believing that the human
being has a spirit, and that it continues
to exist after death. that man can In
any degree regain his Importance in the
scheme of things. Even then he is but
one among many myriads Of competi-
tors and in no way the center or flower,
as he now thinks himself, of creation; but
still he may be an important being last
ing for countless ages, capable through
ages of perpetual additions to his
powers, and Of becoming through all
that time of more use in the work Of
the universe. He is, from the as
tronomer's point of view, Of sufficiently
little use now, for he only cultivates,
and in cultivating uses up, single
grain of sand.
We know nothing about it, of course,
except that man exists after death,
which we hold to be proved at, once by
Revelation and by the perpetually re-
peated experience of few persons to
whom it has been given to see dimly
and for few moments beyond the veil
which seems to the majority to drop
at death and to be so impenetrable; but
it is difficult to believe that anything
created-and the spirit is as much
created as the body-can remain
stationary In condition, as even mani
mate matter does not do. Why should
it, when there must be SO much, not
only to know but to do, in this illimit-
able universe? The popular notion that
man, once escaped from the confinement
of the body, does nothing except sit
on a cloud and sing psalms to the glory
of God whose glory is so perfect with
out him that he was content when man
was not In being rests upon no evidence
whether of reason or Revelation, and
seems to us derived either from mans
long experience of overtoil and misery,
and his enjoyment. therefore, of their abb
sence, or from the inherent Asiatic dis
like Of exertion
Why should we not work for ever as
well as now? If man can live again,
and grow in that new life, and exert
himself to carry out the always hidden
but necessarily magnificent, purpose OF
the Creator, then indeed, his existence
may have some Importance, and the
insignificance of his place of origin be
forgotten. For he has an inherent
quality which does not belong, 80 far
as the mind can see what must always
remain partially dark even to the
Divine, he is capable Of effort, and In
the effort and through the effort not
only of growing greater than before,
but of adding force to an inanimate
thing like his own body. What If that
~ ~, IN e,1A 1tr
aggra ndized until man, now a little
higher than the monkey, became a
really great being? There Is field for
hope in that speculat ton which is limit
less, and, dreamy as it seems, 1t is at
least more reasonable, II the existence
of spirit is conceded. than the popular
belief upon the subject-that singular
of reverence, laziness, and
intense delight at the prospect of es-
cape from all the miseries inherently |
with this present life. Some
day or other the great teachers of |
will, we believe, take up this
subject with enthusiasm and with
powers to which, of course, we cannot
pretend. They have grown out of the
crude notions of heaven and hell as the
place or harps ana the place or ire, out
they have not yet replaced them by any
definite teaching. BY and by they will,
We think, see that in falling into their |
present vagueness they have thrown |
aside their strongest weapon for the con-
version Of the world, and will once
more and examine and state strongly /
he little that Revelation teaches on the
;ubject-it Is not nothing-and the little
more that can be deduced from admit
ed facts by human reason, and then
ell us in clear words what they think.
When they do they will be startled to
Ind how strongly human interest in
heir teaching has revived, how fierce
will be the controversy as to the accu-
acy of every sentence they utter. They
ell us enough of the Whence, but are
90 cautions about the Whither.-L