The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-19
The Other Life.

and when they heard of the resurre ,5
ton of the dead, some mocked' anu Vbis
ers said. We will hear thee again o. 'Ni'
matter.-The Acts Xvii:32.
Since those old days the number OF mus
who mock has steadily decreased. we
have heard again of this matter, anu no
attained to something IKE sc, Csl ffer
concerning the continuance of lie are
the incident of death. The time lor d
gument has passed. and, while all resa,u
Immortality as a possibility ana maj
look upon it as a glorious and ailurihs
probability. the great ma erity nave
faith which cannot be shaken.
The world presents to the care1ul on
server a curious and interesting parauo3N,
First it is true that we are wonderIuliy
absorbed in purely material things. W.
have discovered so many forces Wnlci,
our fathers knew nothing about anu
have so eagerly set ourselves to the tash
of making them contribute to our conVe.
nience and comfort, that at first sig II
seems as though we had abandoned all
thought of the future and were making
ourselves content with the present. TO
the exclusion of what will happen Wheh
we fall asleep.
But, second, this very enjoyment OF TO-
day is a hint of tomorrow. If we can 90
so much now, If we have developed ca
pacities which grow by what they feed
on and which hint at no limitation, ST.
lent and subtle logic tells us that extlnc-
ton in the midst or on the very threshold
of achievement Is an unthinkable anon
ally. The orchestra must not lay down
their instruments in the middle of a
symphony; the thinker must not cease
to think when he mas laid the 1ounua
tons Of the house, but should certainly
go on until the structure is completed.
1t seems to me, therefore. that the
trend of the age is in the direction or a
larger. wider and firmer beilef IN
Immortality. The more we know of this
world the more we feel the need of an
other We have not done with God when
we have done with our earthly life. "A
quiet conviction has stolen into the uni
versal consciousness that there are other
rooms in the Fathers mansion which we
shall some time occupy, and that they
who have gone are simply day
march ahead of us in the souls journey
This thought is SO prevalent that we
can feel it's presence everywhere. 1t has
changed our mental attitude toward sor'
row and bereavement. The desolate
churchyard of other days, with it's moss
covered stones and it's atmosphere Of
loneliness and hopelessness, has no place
in the spiritual economy of these days
A brighter outlook has forced us tc
change all that. Our cemeteries are ne
longer neglected, but their broad acre:
are covered with flowers, as with a sac
kind of good cheer.
This change in the outward is proof o
a change in the inward. The heart o
man is not as the heart of our fathers
and the faith of man is deeper. The 9th
er world is no longer a dream, but {
mist-covered reality. In time to come
the mists will roll away, because the SUI
will grow brighter, and the future will b.
as clear to us as the present Possibilit.
has given way to probability, and proba
bility is slowly surrendering to demon
stration.
A light fills the eyes, a joy fills tn
heart, and separation is no longer TIL
! equivalent of despair. God has Spoken
! often, but we are just now learning t
hear what He has been saying ever sine
death first brought it's shadows into tn
household. Religion has larger ele
ment of rejoicing in it. We have hereto
/ fore stood at the door of the tomb an
tearfully wondered who had taken TIL
body of Christ away, but now we hav
! heard angel voices say, "He is risen a
/ He saidr' and our graves have becom
resting places, mere bivouac on tn
/ road to heaven
During the last half century the Who'll
complexion of human experience has bee
altered. The fear of an arbitrary judg
has given way to love of just, merci
full, a sympathetic and loving Father
/ For the first time we take a positiv
pleasure. unalloyed by timdity, in re
peating the Lords prayer. When we gaz
! through our tears at the sky we feel a
though we We're looking into the win
dows of our future home. When we bea
the ills of life Gods goodness drive
away the old thought of His wrath, an
patience and resignation bring a smil