Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-05-07

like. But IN time man began to surmlSe
that perhaps the next life might be an i'm
rrovement upon this one. The analogies in
nature around him gave a strong suggestion
to this effect. The snake casts its skin and
gildes forth in a new and better one. The
beetle breaks away from its filthy sepul-
cher and enters on new career, and man
notices it and begins to hang golden scara-
bsel III his temples as symbols of his hope.
Winter retires and there comes resurrec-
tlon OF flower, foliage and fruits. lie sees
the. slllSworm weave its cocoon and die
within 1t, and after time come forth clad
III brighter colors and able to spurn the
earth on which it formerly crawied and fly
away and then he begins to carve butter
flies on tombstones and ventures to hope
that ne may likewise be freed from the en-
taEgiements and defilements of earth and
tiesn and range in freer and happier state
the universe at will. All such similitudes.
and there are hundreds of them in nature
help to strengthen mans conviction that
he viii live again, make more roseate the
hope that he will survive the wreck of the
universe.
Il a man die, shall he live again? The
answer Of Christianity is, Il believe in the
resurrection of the body and the life ever
lasting" But this answer is not unani-
nous. Modern skepticism and speculative
philosophy have proposed certain substi-
tutes for the faith once delivered Even
though the comforting doctrine of Chris
tianity be rejected men recoil from the
specter OF eternal oblivion They invent
new theories and call them by the old
sweet name of Immortality, which means
continuation without break of the individ
ual life. One substitute proposed is alb.
sorption into God, loss of consciousness OF
difference between self and another and
between self and Coda melting of human
being into Divine Being, just as sugar
melts and is lost in the coffee It sweetens.
just as the river flowing to the sea is swai-
lowed up in the great deep.
Now the loss OF individuality, personal
identity, selfhood, would be a loss Of con-
sciousness and loss OF consciousness
would be the loss Of everything of impor-
tance. If l do not know that exist this
is practical annihilation, and this does not
at all meet or satisfy the longing Of my na-
turc. This is theistic substitute. Now
Jet me mention some athelstlc substitutes,
substitutes that leave out God altogether
One OF these proposes the idea Of alb
sorptlon into the universe. The particles
of matter Of which we are composed will
mngle with earth and air and sea and sky,
and live eternally amid their ever vary
ing changes and combinations. All this
sounds well. but think of what It 1llesEs:.
Life is always dying out, and death alone
persists and conquers, according to this IN
depreciation. Materialists attempt to d1z-
zle us with an infinite panorama of whirl-
ing suns. evolving planets and astronomer
wonders, but without the self-conscious
soul life is nothing, series Of sepn'chers.
earth, ashes, dust. There is nothing III
prosnect to comfort the sorrowing heart.
Still another substitute is absorption
into the race. Immortality OF fame The
, great man. it is said. will survive in the
memory OF his fellows. Beautiful books,
useful inventions and Instructive EXAMINES
these will insure the plaudts OF poster
ify Nono!nn1 iS caiI To have ..l-pd
"Mv, soul will pass into history and the
deathless memories OF mankind and thus
in glory 7 shall be immortal" The objcc-
ton to this theory is that it makes immor-
tsiity the privilege of the few. The Alex
anders, the Caesars, the Aug1stines. the
shingtons, the geniuses, are all happily
provided for, but what Of the many who
performed no heroic deeds. who have left
no inspiring examples: Are they to be
| botted out. punished for not having what
| was never given them. for not havinx what
they could not possibly get? Is immor-
talitv thus a reward only for the distin-
| guiShed, The gifted Jew? No. is false
theory. It is pathetic and surprising t''at
men OF parts should have STONED TO con-
sole and hatfer themselves In this fashion.
Fame alone. be It as great as that of PERI
cles or Luther. is not by itself sufficient
and satsfving return for the labor its win
f:i1.S entails, ~ CSrLalAiY Is nos pay eNo''9f'
| for mans extinction. Fame is something
| left behind anyway. and those OF VINO
have no fame are like the drop of water
| that dries up after it has fallen. This SUB
| stit'te is puerile. wanting in dignity.
| The desire for Immortality is too appar-
| ent t. be onen to dispute. The savage and
| ti,e civilized. the iliiterate peasant ard the
n~ofoundest thinl-er alike want it to be so.
Even when some have lost hope they desire
| it fondl' as ever. Even when man has
| lost all hope oe living again he cannot rid
/ himself OF desire for it. That is ineradica-
be. Now here is tfe sound and legitimate
| conclusion. A desire so universal and per-
| sistent is the painting Of the creative power
--esnonsible for orr existence: It is 4 man.
! fest prophecy Of what shall be. The eS-
istencc of an organ implies the existence Of
| a fed for ire oDeration-this is 40 axiom.
OF science. There would be no fins if there
! were no water to swim II. no wings il
| there were no air to fv in. no feet if there
| were no earth to walk On. Now here is
/ another sound and legitimate conclusion
what God promises He performs. His char.
acter is perfect To hold any other
;dea OF Him would be b.asnhemous or pre-
zumDtuous. To impiant this desire and
| arovide no means for its qualification would
jhe cruel deception. To make this prom
;se and not carry it out would be a breach
Of trust as base as the sguandering "a sell
fish pleasure of the property the widow or
the orohan~cocfdes to an attorneys man