Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-09-08
MANS PROPER STUDY.

III iy sl{ -.. ". 4
Gan any Intelligent human regard
himself as merely mortal and temporal?
Is man limited to this life and this ter
restrlal sphere2 How cnn that be,
when he has capacities and aspirations
that demand the Infinite and eternal?
1t is impossible; for even what we
know as nature never cages a bird, NOR
gives wings to the tortolse,-an we
transcend nature. We are conscious of
the supernatural, the spiritual, and of
a self-identity that can neither end nor
be lost.
There is no more competent proof
than ones self-consciousness. 1t is q
DIVING revelation within us of an end
less inspiration of further and higher
truth. There may be men who are born
to die; Who are mere animals of the
earth, earthy.-bound and limited by
their own deficiencies; or there may be
other men VINO forfeit their birth-right
to Immortality, and to all the possible
tiles of the infinite and eternal by their
sins,-by their betrayal of the divine
trust, OF Which the penalty, in bound-
less sense, sis DEATH"
Homly Is not n function Of the sec
ular press; but as the proper study of
mankind is man, II Is the duty of
everyone worthy of the name of man
to know himself so far as he can; and
how important this is if, instead OF be-
ing confined TO this small clod, the
ephemera of an aimless hour, man is
endowed with immortality, possessed OF
Infinite faculties. and destined to cX-
patiatc through all time and space in
an eternal evolution! Our bodies die
and turn to dust; yet we know that our
bodies are not we: that our inner. self
conscious individuality, our real iden-
tity, is moral mental and spiritual,
with powers as far above dull brutes
endued.
AS beasts excel cold rocks and BRAN
bles rude
The sinner dies; but st. Paul assures
| us that, THE just shall live by faith"
And here, as st. Paul is quoted, the
| Virglnian- Pilot feels it a duty to re-
mark that Paul. aside from his charac-
| ter as q religionist, is far the ablest,
acutest and clearest of all mental phi
losophers, ancient and modern, who are
known TO us that have written about
the psychology of man on It's spiritual
side; and 10 him and his writings we
commend all earnest students of man
as considered above and apart from his
mere physical being. ~ man Of God
and faith, no ADLER metaphyscian, phil
osopher, logician and eXpositor ever adj
dressed the common human under
standing on subjects at once so high
| abstruse and important. No man car
! know him without loving and admirlng
him, and being eager to praise him.
And not the least of st. Paurs SER
vices to man are his teachings (not
bare assertions) OF mans Immortality
and his infinite sphere. Morally great
and beneficent to us in all his lessons,
he is our unique benefactor in intro
ducing mortal man to his immortal
self. and at once demonstrating the
necessity and feasibility of this human
development from the finite to the in
finite: offering us, aside from relig-
ious faith, the only solution of the
mystery of temporal life and reconcll-
ing it and all its difficulties with the
utmost yearnings of our spiritual and
eternal being.
I'VE know what we are. but we know
not what we shall be-" says the pathetic
Ophelia; but she speaks perhaps only
of this world and existence; but it is
true of all possible life. We ought to
SO live as to he equal to all occasions
and opportunities; and though we shall
err and come short of what we should
do, TO try earnestly TO do our best, to
Improve, to risc--to do good and eschcw
evil-thcse are our reasonable service
to the God who made us, and to our
selves.