Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-19

can indeed cause changes in existing bodies
| but II cannot bring the whole substance o.
thing into existence. Therefore we con
clude that the soul does not proceed from
the immediate action Of the soul Of the
| parents.
| We hold in opposition to Rosmni that
| the sensitive soul such as we find 1t in IRA
tional animals is incapable of becoming in
| tellective by seeing ideal being. The
merely sensitive soul does not possess the
power OF perceiving ideal being because
ideal being is spiritual and can not be
reached except by a spiritual and intel
lective power. According to Rosmini's
system there would be no essential differ
ence between the human soul and that OF
the brute, and there would be no reason
| why the soul OF the mere animal. which
| is naturally sensitive, could not change its
nature by means Of a vision OF ideal being
and become human. Again, according TO
| his system, we should have to abandon the
| spirituality OF the soul. because sensitive
! soul to become spiritual should have to
change It's nature an operation which 1t can
| not perform by means of the vision of ideal
being.
Divine Creation.
| We are led therefore to adopt the system
| OF creatonism. We hold that the human
soul Is produced by the immediate creation
OF God The soul is spiritual In oti 3r
words, it's being is Independent OF matter.
But a spiritual substance can not be pro-
duced except by the immediate creation of
God. 1t follows, therefore, that the human
soul is produced by the immediate creation
OF God.
| substance that is not produced by
means Of creation must necessarily be
educed from another substance.
A spiritual substance however, can not be
educed from other substances. 1t can not be
educed from another spiritual substance be-
cause the latter is also simple and indivisi-
BILE. 1t can not be educed from a material
substance, because the potency of material
substance does not extend to things higher
and of different order
Therefore, the human soul is producible
and. as matter of fact is produced by the
sole and immediate creation of God
The mode or manner of producing thing
must agree with the nature of the thing.
But the nature of the soul consists in it's
having being independent of matter.
Therefore it must be produced independently
of matter, fact which implies divine
and immediate creation.
The origin and the end Of being must
agree because both proceed from the essence
sence. The end of the human soul con-
ssts in It's being referred directly to God
without the interposition Of any intermediate
end. 1t is by virtue of an origin accord
ing with such an end that the soul proceeds
Immediately from God without the interposi
tion of any second cause. Therefore, 1t is
due that the soul should be produced or
created Immediately by God Inferior sub
stances are ordained directly for man, by
whom they are mediately and finally re-
ferred to God. Hence these inferior sub
stances originate and proceed from God in
mediate way by means of secondary
causes.
An Interesting Question.
The exact moment when the soul is created
has always been an interesting question.
Plato taught that human souls were created
at the beginning of the world, that at first
they possessed ineffective life only, but
were afterward confined in bodies as pun
ishment of sin. The same opinion was
credited to Origen 1t is certain that his
followers defended 1t during the fifth and
the sixth century. According to st. Jerome
some philosophers in his day thought that
God created human souls on the sixth day
of creation, and that He preserves them in
a sort Of treasury and from this supply fur
as it is generated. st. Jerome describes this
opinion as foolish. Leibnitz asserted that
the bodies Of all men, or rather the corpus
cles, were originally formed In Adam and
are evolved and transmitted by successive
generations. According to him a merely
sensitive soul is at first conjoined with each
corpuscle. This sensitive soul Is afterward
elevated to rational life by the forces of
nature, or by special act of God. Christian
philosophers teach that the human soul is
created at the precise moment when it is
Joined with the body. "Creando infundtur,
infundendo creatur," as the saying amongst
them runs. In other words, it is infused by
creation and created by infusion.
The Catholic opinion is that human souls
are created by God and infused into their
proper bodies at the precise moment when
these bodies, respectively, are fit to receive
them. This opinion rests on the following
reasoning:
The rational soul is naturally the form Of
the human body. With this body it effects
one substance and complete nature. But
according to the natural order the form of
the corporeal composite should be produced
only when the composite is produced. There
fore the human soul should be produced only
when the man appears, viz. when it is con-
Joined with body properly disposed to re-
ceive it. Again, the soul is an incomplete
substance. 1t is only a part, though the
nobler one, OF human nature. But God never
produces nature mutilated and imperfect
He always endows 1t with the perfection
that Is natural to it. Therefore the soul
must be produced by God, not in a separated
condition, but in the very body in which 1t
Is to have its whole and natural perfection
Discredited Theories.
The opinion of Plato and OF the followers
of Origen involves several consequences that
are false and opposed to mans nature. The
pre-existence of souls implies that the union
of the soul with the body is merely ac-
cidental and that the soul is a mere spirit,
not specifically different from the angels
According to these philosophers the soul is
not only united with the body accidentally
but also unnaturally. This certainly would
be the case II the soul were not destined for
the body, but were thrust into 1t like
prisoner on account of a crime. 1t would
result also that man is not special nature
which the Creator intended in itself hut tho