Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-09-29

circumstances In much modern thought
he is but a spectre, in which all his an
cestors re-appear and perform their
ghostly walk. It Is therefore quite re-
freshing TO read vigorous argument
in favor Of the free agency Of man.
The author OF this volume takes the
view that science knows OF neither
creation nor humiliation; that the doc
trine of creation necessarily leads to fa-
talism, which is destructive Of our con-
ceptlon Of divine justice. The only es-
cape from this difficulty Is, in HIS View
the acceptance Of the doctrine Of "eter-
nalsm.' which means that birth ana
death. growth and decay, are trans
formations. The soul Of the Individual
which is the essence Of the individual
Is uncreatabe and indestructble, pre-
existent and after-exlstent, immortal
and eternal" on this theory the au-
thor explains the responsibility OF man.
on the ground that whatever he Is or
does now. Is the result Of his acts In
previous exlstences. II follows, from
this reasoning. that there IL no living
thing NO low that II may not, through
natures unceasing changes and OPP
portunltes, reach the form Of man, and
that there can be no higher forms OF
life In other worlds, to which man may
not ascend.
There Is a close approach to
truth in the reasoning Of the author OF
this volume, but In several respects he
fails to grasp the thread that would
have taken him out Of the confusing
labyrinth OF eternal soul-transmigra-
ton. Especially Is this the case, when
he dscards from his theology, or phil
osophy, all recognition Of revelation as
source Of information concerning God,
toward Him and one another. All
systems that leave this source Of in
formation out, must be discarded as in
complete
Transmlgration does not solve the
riddle Of existence IT, as alleged, II Is
true that every soul has existed from
all the ages OF eternity that It Is with
out any beginning and has constantly
appeared end reappeared, why, then,
have not all souls by this time reached
the very highest perfection they ever
can reachY IL, having already had end
less time in which to develop, they
have not developed TO the utmost posi-
hility, THY can never do So The case
Is hopeless from the outset, We can
not think universe in which souls 60
onward from lower forms OF life 10 that
OF man, OF angels and gods, and then
go backwards again toward those OF
man, animals, devils only TO commence
anew the upward procession, and then,
In due time the downward course,
Such a universe would to human think
Ing he nlonstroslty. But the doctrine
of never beginning and never end
ing TRANSPORTATION Of souls necessitates
this conception. II presumes an eternal
up and down, since otherwise, by this
time there could be no imperfecton to
progress from, there being no begin
ming to the progress.
The Gospel alone can solve all such
riddles. That places man where he be-
longs In the universe. 1t teaches him
lis origin his mission, the means
whereby he can gain exaltatIon. and all
his duties. True, the Gospel does not
solve all difficulties, but It gives the
inqulrlng mind n satisfactory reply to
them all promising perfect knowledge
as the soul shall be prepared to see
| and 10 comprehend.