Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1904-12-15
THE ROSE AND THE SOUL
The IMPOTENCE OF THE BLOSSOM,
THE POWER OF THE MAN.


A Discussion of the Immortality of
the Subsistence shows Us Change
without Destruction, Ceaseless
Transforms ton and No Annihila-
ton.
In responding to an argument for the
Immortality of the soul presented in
Balance: The Fundamental Verify"
Mr.. W. H. Mallock, the author Of rs
Life Worth LivingT says:
Science, he 1.-THE author Of "Balance'l
says, shows us that the individual life
must be immortal, because science shows
US that nothing which exists can be de-
stroyed That nothing can be destroyed
Is in one sense perfectly true, but in an
other 1t is equally false. II science shows
us that In one sense nothing Is de-
stroyed, 1t shows us also that in another
sense nothing endures. The material OF
the rose is indestructible, but the same
rose never blossoms twice. Mr.. Smiths
argument can apply to the soul only on
the assumption that the soul is non
composite unity. His assumption may be
| true, but 1t has no foundation in science.
To this the author Of Balance re-
spends: .D...
hold that the theory Of the indie
structibilty of matter and force sus-
tains, but do not claim that 1t proves,
separately and alone, the Immortality
of the soul. The theory Of universal
conservation forms one link in chain
of evidence which appears to me to be
conclusive. cannot agree with Mr..
Mallock in his statement, IF science
shows us that in one sense nothing is
destroyed, it shows us also that in an
other sense nothing endures." Science
shows us ceaseless transformation and
no humiliation. Matter, which is sense
less, appears constantly in new forms
in leaf, rose, an animal. There Is
also thing which is not senseless;
whether it be destructible or indestruc-
tible, let us call it the soul. Is it also
subject to transformation? Yes; 1t is
constantly changing, growing wiser or
duller, stronger or weaker, better or
worse. Under our observation 1t sur
wives these changes. 1t may descend,
and yet ascend again, and again de-
scend. 1t may suffer thousand de-
feats, and yet triumph over all. One
soul may dominate millions Of other
souls; it has the power to produce
roses and fruits and mechanisms and
music, to harness the forces and to ex-
plore the secrets Of nature. 1t Is a
wonderful thing, this soul.
Turning to Mr.. Mallock's rose. Has
it the power Of self recuperation
Weakening, may it regain its strength
May it grow better or worse through
its own powers or consent? Has 1t any
dominion over other roses or over the
forces of nature? No; the rose, we
Judge, is nonconsciOus, senseless, with
no powers of self preservation, self
help, self advancement, self assertion.
There are other distinctions between
the rose and the soul. The rose devel-
ops we'll only under favorable condi-
lions. In good soil, well protected, with
so much of heat and moisture, 1t as
ccnds in a definite time to its maxi
mum and then descends regularly and
definitely to its transformation. The
soul, on the other hand, often develops
under unfavorable physical conditions
A great soul thriyes In solitude or In
facing difficulties, dangers, pain and
persecution. The soul has no definite
rise to q maximum or descent to min
imum. The souls maximum is often
reached in old age, when its body is
weakest. The perfection Of the rose de
ponds upon the strength of It's roots
and Of the stalk upon which 1t grows
and these upon their physical nutri
ment If its roots or stalk be mutilat
ed the rose will be injured or destroy
; ed The souls body, on the other hand
, may be mutilated, it's legs and arms
may be amputated, without any mutt
lation of the soul. The strength of the
soul does not depend upon the strength
of the physical body with which 1t Ii
, for the time associated. Strong bodies
often contain weak souls. Science has
discovered no definite relation between
the perfection of the physical body and
the perfection of the soul, between di
gestion and intelligence or between
muscles and morals. No bread or meat
no system of diet or physical culture
has been found that will make a foo
wise or rascal honest The culture Of
the soul is within the soul. 1t thrives
; upon knowledge and high ideals; igno
rance and vice degrade 1t. No force ex
ternal to 1t can withhold the soupi
food. The supply of good and evil, o.
things uplifting and things degrading
is inexhaustible and subject to the de
mand Of the soul The soul pays in IT.
own coinage for its own food.
|, The materialists hold that man u
, wholly physical that the soul is {
! product of and ~"essarily inseparabl'
! from the phys dy. II this conten
: ton be SOUND Re should be shown
!, the same reactions between the bod.
!. and soul that exist between the ros'
plant and the rose-it should be show
' that healthy bodies are invariably es
sential to healthy souls; that stronl
;. bodies produce strong souls and veal
bodies weak souls; that an injury =
the body produces corresponding In
!, Jury to the soul. IL such reactions
. complete to the minutest degree, can
not be shown between the soul and tn
body, IL the soul does not necessaril.
sicken with the body's sickness or de
cay with the body's decay, why shoul'
= we assume that the soul must die wit
! the body's death?
8 These unvarying reactions betweel
b the body and the soul cannot be shown
}. They do not exist. To the contrary eI
a perience shows that the soul Is as com
o pletely independent Of the body her
g and now as Is possible in view Of tn
i present relations between the two. A
d an Imprisonment. even II it be for