The age-herald., 1900-01-07

age, D. D.
 Possibly every reader of this work by Dr.
 Savage, just from the press, will concede
 that 1t is a most ambitious subject; more
 than this-it is certainly the most impor- tant subject that occupy the mind of a
 human being. For, upon the decision of this question in the mind of each person depends the kind of life he lives. Whether | the hope of immortality influences him to l so live as to lay up for himself treasures in Heaven, or wheather he shall say to his l soul, "eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" | In Life Beyond Death," Dr. Savage has
 written book of some 300 pages; he has
 given review of the worlds beliefs on the l subject; he has treated the present eondi- 1 tions of thought and feeling in regard to in- l mortality, and he has discussed the proba- | bility of it being demonstrated as fact.
 The whole book bears evidence of much l thought and study upon the subject; but it 1 only contains an interesting accumulation 1 of knowledge that is already possessed by l most thoughtful students and readers-the l only difference Is that here it is laid down and written about in a very readable way 1 If pr. Savage is not ready to affirm posi- l lively that there is life beyond death. he
 nevertheless, feels sure that he knows d l great deal about things in this life and nev- l CT hesitates to denounce many of the beliefs l which are part of the creeds of different re- | ligfous bodies
 Much more of his time, it seems to the
 reader, Is taken up with denouncng doc- l trInes and faiths held by certain denomina-
 tions than is given by proving the chosen supJect Until the reader instinctively be- l gins to wonder if pr. Savage will leave any 1 thing whatsoever upon which to base and | prove the belief in immortality. Ridicule is | an easy but very dangerous weapon to
 weild, and especially dangerous in the hand Of a man who writes smoothly and with | as persuasive style as Dr. Savage. Final- | iy, however, this passage is reached: q do
 not believe for minute that I have a soul. | If have, 1 might lose 1t, as the theologians l say. believe I am a soul and have a | body" This positive statement is reassur- 1 ing and although the reader knows Dr. Saw | age to be free-lance in the word of rei-
 gious thought, it is comforting to be assured | that he still has faith in a few of the beliefs
 dear to the heart of mortals here below.
 E. D. Savage Savage seems to think is necessary in l his review to dwell upon these things and
 as has been said he gives much space to his personal opinions about them. However 1 he has much firmer beliefs and convictions | about some things than he seems willing to | admit. About the middle of the book after | a chapter on "The Agnostic Reaction" the ] author gives a chapter on the Significance l of Spiritualism" While the author takes |
 ftualst in the accepted term-proving that 1 1t is too all-embracing-he does say, how | ever. that he believes that in spritualism
 there is a great truth, perhaps not yet
 clearly outlined. understood or dernonstrat- l ed In this chapter Dr. Savage makes | very reasonable argument for this truth l which he believes lies at the heart of spirit l ualism; he admits the fraud which often-
 times accompanies it in public exhibition;
 meets many of the arguments against 1t in | a perfectly rational way. In fact, writes
 with so much force and earpestness upon
 the subject that it unconsciously proves his
 firm faith in it. One of the best points that | he makes is in answer to the complaint off, l ten made that whatever comes from the | other side is always silly and foolish, noth- | ing digniied, nothing worthy. Dr. Savage
 denies that such messages are invariably | worthless and further says: "The very silli- | est thing on the face of the earth, it seems | to me- that people do, is ito go to mediums
 for advice, particularly in regard to f1nan- | cial matters. am fairly up in arithmetic; 1 but I hope one of sense would come to | me, if he could after I was dead about | stocks on Wall street. I do not know why l I should be supposed to know much about thousand things because I am dead. | Fools die every moment and I suppose they are as big fools five minutes afterwards as | they were before. If I wanted advice in | financial matters, I would rather have a | word from Pierpont Morgan than from ! congress of a thousand spirits, although 1 knew the message genuine"
 In the next chapter headed "Present Con- | ditions" the author admits that he talks a | little Tout of the school" for he goes on | to affirm that not only large per cent of | the people who sit in the, pews, but a large | per cent of the ministers themselves, do not | feel sure about immortal life While the | reader naturally feels that Dr. Savage over | states his charge here in regard to the lack | of faith and is pessimstic in his belief of l present conditions in regard to the spread | ing doubt fn mems minds concerning the | life hereafter, yet the author here gives l some of the most valuable and beautiful | work of his book He shows in a very fore | ible way the different kinds of life one leads l who believes or does not believe in immor- | talitv and gives an illustration in a lady | friend who has two nephews who refuse to | have faith in God or a hereafter. They say | "We are rich and we propose to do just as
 we please: we are going to indulge in all | sorts of things that desire: and you
 know perfectly well that there isn't fam | fly in the city that wouldn't be glad to have
 1Ie marry into it, in sphte of their knowing | all about what we do" Dr. Savage's an- | swer was: eff could look into the faces of
 those young men and say, I know. and I ! can make you know by scientific demon- | strations that you are going to live-that | you have got to live. whether you want to | or not and that as you cross the border line l you take with you what you are your
 mean, selfish, warped, contemptible selves | if vau have made yourselves such-and l that there is not moments peace for you | in all eternity until YOU come into harmony | with the eternal peace of God-if could say
 that to them. it seems to me ,that we would | have in our hands the mightiest ethical
 power of which the world ever dreamed
 We could transform the world" Dr. Saw
 age claims that the firm belief in immortal life would settle and improve many of the aJ hf tnda To cax nr tn | sake of social order, of industrial satisfac-
 ton and peace. then, men need to be taught | that they are souls. and that how they live l what kind of lives they live. whether or no | they cultivate mind and conscience and | heart and become noble men and women, l a TO Things q great deal more innOrtant than