Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-02-16
THE ROSE AND THESOUL
THE IMPOTENCE OF THE BLOSSOM
THE POWER OF THE MAN.


without Destruction, CeaseIes.
Transformation and No Annihiln-
tion.
In responding TO an argument for the
Immortality Of the soul presented in
Balance: The Fundamental Verify"
Mr. W. III. Maliock. the author of is
Life Worth Liying:" says:
Science, he 1.-THE author of balance
says shows us that the individual life
must be immortal, because science shows
us that nothing which exists can be &C.
stroyed. That nothing can be destroyed
IS in one sense perfectly true, but In an
other il rs equally false. If science shows
w that In one sense nothing Is de-
otroycd, II shows US also that in another
sense nothing endures. Tile material OF
the rose IS indestructible, but the san
rose never blossoms twice. Mr. Smlt .
argument can apply to the soul only on
the assumption that the soul is a non
composite unity. lis assumption may be
true. but it has no foundation In science.
TO this the author of Balance" re-
spends:
| hold that the theory of the indie
structibility of matter and force sus-
tains, but do not claim that it proves,
separately and alone, the Immortality
of the soul. The theory OF universal
conservation forms one link in a 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, ii 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 Il leaf, Il rose, an animal. There Is
also Il 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 it is
constantly changing. growing wiser or
duller, stronger or weaker. better or
worse Under our observation it sur
wives these changes. 1t may descend,
and yet ascend again, and again de-
scend. 1t may suffer thousand de-
feats, aud yet triumph over all. One
soul may dominate millions of other
souls; ii has the power to produce
roses and fruits and mechanisms and
music, to harness the forces and to ex-
plorc the secrets of nature. 1t IS
wonderful thing, this soul.
Turning to Mr.. Malock's rose. Has
1t the power OF self recuperatloni
Weakening, may it regain its strength?
May ii grow better or worse through
its own powers or consent? Has it any
dominion over other roses or over the
forces of nature? No; the rose, we
judge, is unconscious, 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 well only under favorable condi-
lions In good soil, well protected, with
so much of heat and moisture, it as
eendS in definite time to its maxi
mum and then desccnds regularly and
definitely to its transformation The
soul, ON the other hand, often develops
under unfayorablc physical conditions.
A great soul thrives In solitude or In
facing difficulties, dangers, pain and
persecution The soul has no definite
rise to n maximum or descent TO a 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 its roots
and of the stalk upon which II grows,
and these upon their physical nutri-
ment. If its roots or stalk be mutlat-
ed the rose will be injured or destroy
ed The Souls body. on the other hand,
may he 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 it is
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 n fool
wise or a rascal honest The culture OF
the soul Is within the soul. 1t thrives
| upon knowledge and high ideals; igno-
rance and vice degrade il. No force ex-
ternal TO II can withhold the souls
food The supply of good and evil, OF
| things uplifting and things degrading,
Is ineXhaustibie and subject to the de-
| mand Of the soul The soul pays in its
own coinage for its own food.
The materialiSts hold that man Is
wholly physical, that the soul is
| product Of and necessarily inseparahlc
| from the physical body. II this eouten-
| ton be sound there should be shown
| the same reactions between the body
| ana soul that exist between the rose
| plant and the rose-it should be shown
| that healthy bodies are invariably es-
,entlal 20 healthy souls; that strong
| bodies produce strong souls and weak
! bodies weak souls, that an injury 20
| the body produces Il corresponding in
! fury 70 the soul If such reactions
complete to the mluutest degree can
| NOT hr shown between the soul and the
body. If the soul does not necessarily
Sickcn with the hody's sickness or lie.
cay with the bodv's decay, why should
we assume that the soul must die with
the body'S death?