Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-05-10
THE FUTURE LIFE.
SOCIETY FOR PSYCH!CAL RE-
SEARCH SEEKS TO FIND

Out What II is-hope for Future Life is Be.
leved Not to Be Craved by Many Who Live
on Earth-Many Want Eternal Rest" The
Hub" Will Settle the Matter for All Time
Pointed Questions to Be Answered-Ad.
dressed to All Glasses Of People.
Whether or not mankind, irrespect-
i've of religious teaching and tradition,
really desires future life is to be
tested 10y the American branch of the
Society of Psychical Research. TO
To this end the headquarters in Boyl-
ston place, Boston, is sending out
series OF questions attached to blank
form upon which an orthodox church
member may come down to the brass
tacks OF confession. Under any cir
cumstances, his name will be with
held from publicity.
Behind the questions that are pro-
posed one may read that the Soc ETY.
for Psychical Research has q dim inn
preston that most people, coming to
the jumping-otr place, have had
enough of living; that unless the new
kind is to be away ahead of ordinary
life they would rather quit and be
represented only by tombstone.
There is widespread literary ira
dition that men naturally desire fu-
ture life" reads the circular in
doubling Thomas way. "From tLis
assumed fact" it goes on, rubbing it
in, it has been variously argued that
such universal desire cannot be des-
tined to disappointment, and it must
vitiate convictions and engender illu-
sorry evidence in its own support"
But" reads the second paragraph,
"there is some reason to suppose, both
from the ordinary conduct OF men and
from sporadic declarations of individ-
uals, that this tradition is far from ac-
curately representing the facts, and
that these are actually more various
and complicated. Moreover, it should
not be forgotten that il India the lit
erary tradition seems to be exactly re-
versed, and it is assumed that men
naturally crave for extinction or alb
sorption in the absolute.
at become a question, therefore,
what the actual sentiments of men
are, and what, consequently, is the
actual bias with which they are likely
to receive the doctrines and the evil
dence that bears on the subject.
Both these questions are capable of
being determined with sufficient pre-
cision by instituting a statistical in
quiry over sufficiently wide field
collecting answers till it becomes evil
dent that the percentages of the vari
Gus types OF answers have become
constant"
With these preliminary doubts ex-
pressed, the society goes on in an in
genious way to show why the results
should be not only OF interest to the
society, but psychologists, and especi-
ally to every religious organization.
"For," it says, both the scientific
labors of the former and the moral ex-
hortations of the latter are likely to be
in some degree, at least, Intellectual,
so long as they are conducted in igno-
rance, and so in disregard, of what
men really want. 1t is only when
facts have been ascertained that they
can be argued from for the various
purposes of the scientist, the philoso-
pher, and the theologian.
First OF all, therefore, it is neces-
sary to discover the nature of human
sentiment; and to obtain it in its pur-
ity, it is desirable to exclude, as far as
possible, all extraneous influences,
whether OF religious or OF scientific
kind. 1t is, OF course, recognized that
these may and often do influence sem
timent, that they may engender or
check it, as also that there may be
marked divergence between conviction
or belief and sentiment. But as it is
primarily the nature of the sentiment
which has to be determined, these
other considerations should be ex-
cluded as far as possible.
"Hence the subjoined questions
should be understood as directly re-
ferring only to the personal prefer
ence, sentiments, or desires OF those
who answer them, quite irrespective
of their religious faith or reasoned
convictions"
These questions are directly to the
point. Necessarily they have not been
taken from the orthodox catechism.
They are:
al. Would you prefer to live after
| ueatu or uOt!
az. (a) II you prefer to live, do you
desire a future life, whatever the con-
ditions might be?
"(b) If not, what would have to be
its character to make the prospect
seem tolerable? Would you G. g., be
content with life more or less like
your present life?
"(c) Can you say what elements in
life Gf any are felt by you to call for
perpetuity'
as. Can you state why you feel in
this way as regards questions ] and 2?
"a. DO you now feel the question
OF future life to be of urgent import
lance to your mental comfort?