The Washington herald., 1907-08-26
BELIEVES IN IMMORTALITY.
George c. Tanner Takes Issue with
Paul c. Chamberlain.

Editor The Washington Herald;
Mr. Paul c. Chamberlain has told Us
that Mr.. Goldwin Smith commended his
article in The Herald on Confucius.
His article has considerable merit. but
will Goodwin Smith bestov vspralse upon
Mr.. Chamberlain's last effort, in which he
tells Us that after this life We are oO-
livion? It is not the question Of whether
we prefer oblivion to Immortality. but
10 know the facts in the case.
Every created thing is indesTuctible-
You may take a drop Of water. grain
Of sand. and you may pound them with
a pile driver. put them In the hottest
furnace, or do what you may 10 destroy
them. but you viii find your efforts
fruitless.. You can change the form Of
these things, turn the water into vapOr,
and the grain Of sand into powder, but
every Ingredient Of both remains with
out the slightest diminution. When We
burn wood or coal, the form Of these
things are changed into ashes. but not
thing is destroyed by the process.
As Tripplet discovered true zero TO be
more than 200 degrees colder than zero
before his experiment; as Roentgen dis
covered the X-rsy TO be as many degrees
advanced in radiance; so on this earth,
We have only faint glimpses of things.
The eagle has finer eyes than man; II
we could see the planets, see their in
habitauts, what wisdom could we no.
CLEAN from them? All this is for US
through progression. When we leave
this earth, if We are worthy, by our in
telligence, to go to a better world, or
better system, We will go there, and
there we viii commence TO know what
beauty really Is, what music, what love,
what perfume, and everything which we
only have the most imperfect ideas of
here, We VIII begin 20 realize and know
as they are. Pleasures that would de-
stroy US by their intensity now. We will
grow into by our progression, and from
one superior existence TO another, and
finally, when we are fitted We viii draw
near to God.
To suppose. though, that everything
else is indestructible and that man,
which is Gods masterpiece is not so.
that he is the one exception. is absurd
Or TO say that he is mere vibration.
a bundle Of phosphorus and carbon, is
equally so.
We would not be gifted with a vision
even sufficient to see the real works Of
God as revealed TO Us in space If they
were not there 10 teach US that there
are our future homes; that we are des-
tined to reach them. and by fitness
through progression know them, and
finally reach the presence Of the great
Supreme Ruler of the Universe.
Time is an invention Of man, and only
known on this brutal little earth. Il will
take US cons of years to be fitted for
the grand event, and TO reach the goal
The hardest ordeal is on this earth, and
the dream even OF the Immortality Of
the soul is the summum bonum Of man.
As Addison says I'm his Cato:
Il must be so-Plato thou reasonost Welt
Else whence this pleasing hcpe. this fond desire
THIS longing after Immortality.
Oh whence this secret dread and inward horror
OF falling into naught? Why shrinks the soul
Back herself and startles az destruction?
fi5 the divinity that stiTs within US,
Us Heaven itself that points out hereafter,
And intimstes eternity 10 men.
Eternityi thou pleasing dreadful thought!
GEO C. TANNER