The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1905-08-23
Are Horses Immortal?

1VuiS aino mcu anu are hWhfucu lm
mortality in the next world. He
says many passages Of the Bible
would seem to favor this view and
quotes as sample the following
famous passage from III Kings:
'Ard when the servant of the
man of God was risen early and
gone forth, behold an host encom-
passed the city with horses and
chariots. And his servant said
unto him, Alas, my master! how
shall we do
"And he answered, fear not; for
they that be with us are more than
they that be with them.
"And Elisha prayed, and said,
Lord, / pray thee, open his eyes
that he may see. And the Lord
opened the eyes of the young man;
and he say; and behold the noun
tain was full of horses and chariots
Of fire round about Elisha"
The point is found in the last
clause and certainly presents some
curious matters for speculation.
Elijah, predecessor of Elisha. was
carried to heaven by the horses
undoubtedly, and the only ques-
tion is what was done with the
animals when they reached the
blessed abode. 1t is hard to think
that Elijah would turn his horses
adrift after they had borne him to
the regions of bliss, bet if not, did
he take them in heaven with him
or was there special heaven pro-
vided for the faithful friend and
servitor of man. In the case of
Elisha, above quoted, the horses
are represented as appearing in
such a way as to render certain
that they were possessed of spirits
or souls, and would be endowed
with future or continuous exist
ence. The question is little too
deep for US and belongs rather in
the domain of theology rather than
the arena of secular supposition.
But from other sources besides
the Old Testament, proof is OBJ
tanned that horses were regarded
as the possesors of souls. 1t would
be difficult to persuade Bedouin
that he was to be separated from
his horse after death. 1t is ques
tionable if he would want TO go
even to heaven if he had to leave
behind the companion of his joys
and SORROWS, his trials and his
dangers. whom he loved better
even than the wife of his bosom.
Many Of the scientists, es-
pecially those who deal with Psy-
chology, discuss this question and
are inclined to believe that many
of the animals are endowed with
reasoning power. Whether their
resemblance to man goes to the ex-
tent of possessing souls is of
course impossible to determine.
Some of the earlier of the Asiatic
religions gave animals much
higher rank in the intellectual and
spiritual world than is now accord
ed them. The souls of all animals
were supposed to be interchange
able and by the doctrine called
metempsychosis, TRANSPORTATION
of souls occurred. not only from
one man to another, but from a
brute to man and vice versa. This
belief was very prevalent in the
ancient world and perhaps was
shared by the earlier Hebrew writ
ers which, as Mr.. Angellinsists,
presupposed the possession OF
souls of horses. Dean Swift, in
his celebrated story, the Houyhn'
hnms, a race of horses endowed
with reason and noble qualities,
carries the idea of equine superi.
ority even farther. His horses
were the only rational animal, pos.
sessed Of the power of speech and
remarkable for the virtues of clean.
illness, truthfulness and integrity
Man, on the other hand, was far in.
ferior, possessing all the wors