The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12

IL nv seeond contention. Now. note how
"scboI,,,icus" surrenders on this second point
also; IN the literature OF the Persians and
Hindoos. the Egyptians, the Greeks and
Romans, the doctrine 81 immortality 70
found /" "ot cours. It IT," Belief In It 10 found
In all countries: IN some shape or other " ~
confessed b, all peoples Cicero 100 b. Cd
advise, US to consult the most ancient authors.
a. they are the best on Immortality. He tells
US that all the ancient peoples believed In IT,"
PLATO sscrihes all his knowledge OF Col aud
the soul to the aucsDts. to the harharians. VIZ.
Chald.ans and 10 the Egyptian priests
Aristotle traces belief In God 10 the gray mlss
Of antiquity. There Ia a similarity In all relig-
ions and beliefs and hence they must rave the
same origin. But the divine Plato and his mas
ter tSocrstesl were the hrst to put philosophy
on a practical bass Hence the clearne" with
which they speak Of immortality. Evangelical
says OF the grent philosophers Plato alone OF
all the Greeks had arrived at the vestlbu's OF
truth and stood at It's very portals. and Angus
tine. In City OF God expressed his admiration
for his gigantic Intellec', and that the name OF
| his admirers Ia legion" Justin taught
| that all In whom the logos entered were
| Christians He considered Hernclitus and
! Socrates as Christians. and 40 do L."
! Moreover. beiieve-I hope Mr.. Higgins will
not 10 scnndalize - that Socrates IL In Heaven.
for he died martyr FOR the unity OF the one
, true God" THE great Augustine snvs that
! Christianity existed during the interval that
! .lanspd between the beginning OF tho human
: race and the coming Of Christ" when Christ
| came. the true religion already existing began
/ tn he Gale Chr,tian" The truths of
| Christianity are founi In germ In pngnnism
! Zoronstpr Duidha, Confucius and the found
| ere o. all religious communities prepared the
| wav for Christ"
| Now. II this |. not admitting my whole con-
/ tent On. VIZ. that tn. Christian doctrines were
| no revelation" hut were already known 10
| Other crseis and races and absorbed from
them. do not know tho meaning o. words.
| The refore grace uly accept his surrender
| and grant him nm unconditional and honorable
! parole. with all hls arms ~ erudiion and other
wise. which have proved to DO actual helps in
/ my contest
! Al thi. ront II will he interesting to nots the
charming naIvetA ~ srme Of his admissions.
The truth. of Christianity are found in germ
| In paVnni.m." In germ IL very cool. but will
! he not p'esss strs'ch this admission li't's
more until II nts the exact fact. ~ historic lit
! era'ure and say not ''in germ" merely but In
| snhstance or In full? The Golden Rule is taught
| In 'un by C0n'uciu. 500 nc The rsnuncn-
! tory unworthy li's NJ virginia. rurity 10 'aught
| absolutely by bud lhism 600 Is Cas- In also
III. doctrine ~ low. or Intense charity. toreive-
| nest. reaca AMI non.-esis'snce. a. well NJ this
! doctrine. o. divine Incsrnations and virgin
| mnih~rhooi The doctrines Of nersonal Inn
| mortality. rurHa'o'y. he'll and heaven are
! tarrh' IN the rgrp',-n Book ~ IN" Deal and
| IN P'a'os works specifically and mInuisly. 5000
! n. c. % 400 BE.
The .N'onl vary nsIvs admission which
! "S,ho'as'icus" m-ks IL this: Hsnc. tho
| "e--n.-s with which they iS"crntes md PLATO
I
, Christ came III. tru. rslig'on then existing
! hogan 20 ne raNed Christian In other words,
, hen. the drrtr'r-. .II-'tnR In the Greek-
! Roman world r-ga-iirv personal mmor'ality.
! hsll rurrntnrv AMI heaven, of which Plato or
: Soc-a'". az clearly speaks. began To be called
/ "CHr'stian" nv = H-llen zad. orientAllze'.
! I"-'.h sa"t n.s' chilled "Chri.tian" In tn.
! Crack Roman city ~ Antioch about 30 A.
| l. Are not th"ss admissions Just what
I have he.n urging all the tIms7
| Lot ma therefor. ngaln ask "Scholasticus" to
! stretch 'hs admission n littls mo-s u1til II ~.
| the hand NJ h's'or'c and phllnsophr truth. Ike
! I've glove ~ sincerity md vsraci,y, and with
| our hands o. clothed viii grasp hi.. md he
I will then tell Va what | have been fro,, the
/ 'rs' roni.n ling. hist not on'y did Sorra'ss
! the ravnn." CNria' an"-in riato's "PhTlo"
/ teach ~. Christian dor' rine ~ immortality
! clearly $40 vs'r. before Christ. hut rrorer'-er'y
| than can 10 'o'n from one end OF the Christian
| nh~ 10 tho other.
| Subdivisions" seems 10 make great point
! or distinction about the raRans teaching also
| ralrrnrnatior NJ the soul. &c. hut this only
! shows that they hal an even greater ido, ~
/ tho souls immortality than the Christian
/ n-crihss 10 \ The b. ldhlst and othsr pagan.
I believed that the soul IL not only Immortal IN
Tho 'uturo hui vaa also I'm mortal In the past.
/ and whilc the Chr 'stlan believes that the soul
/ commences A. b nth. the pagan hs''eved thai II
! never Commenced. but always was and always
/ will bs either rs n separate personality or.
"a merged and lost In God. being
/ rereatedly born again" or ''reincarnatad"
! un'll per'"cils dryeorei AMI purin-d,
! and TIM, then II mny attain "nirvana" or ''sh-
| .ou's peace" ny extinction o. "sel'" and ultl-
| mat. ABSORPTION IN ihs universal soul-Goi.
I Thi.. there'p-a .esm. e. heths BuIdhists iIes.
| that personal eIIs'.nce-or separation from
| God-s IN EVIL. and his RI lig Qua ideal seems 10
! he to attain absolute union with the soul ~
! Goi which he hop-. To attain finally by nhso-
| rtay hlotting ont "sslt" This. not an dlf.
| f-r.nt from the Christian ideal A. might APP
pear at Nrst sight. eXc-pt that tho Christian
p-rsists in holding 10 his vain and cancelled
| Idoa o, "s.l'." and rcs.ntlno the idsa
! Of being entirely lost In God, ike the lit
, tie rain drop disappearing In the ocean.
! The Buddhist. however. seems willing 70 co a
step farther and give up all to let his little rain
drop ~ sxistenc- fall into the great ocean Of
| the Infinite and become ultimately ind,-
! tinguishahls from II. Are not then. the
| Buddhist and Plsionist really more heroic
more Ideal mn unselhsh In heir conceptions
than Ia the Chr stlan. alter ALP ''scholastIcu.."
therefore should not misund erstnnd or mis- n
! tcrrrct thsm. as he seems TODD. and should re-
! mem her that this 10 one Of the oldest and most
! extensive religions or Ihllosorh'rs In tho
world. which hes encompnssed Asia. has un-
| douhtohly Influenced Christianity. md has
! Termeatcd nll the anc'en phIosophic thought
! o Europe md In not even out OF date yet
| "Schol,s'icus" stl harps on tho nearly
thresihare string that | was inconsistent In
my statements o. to the doctrines OF Socrates
and 7 nto. and tries to make out that the
doctrine. In Pla'o's "Phrdo" were Platon @
and not Socrntic. Now, whether Socrates
was tho author ~ tho doctrines | have
! quoted from Pla'os "Phwio" or Plato him
self IL of no consequence In this discus
81 Ia unasftnn thnf he