The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-08-08

youthful ambition, we're realized horizon
opened up with vigorous attractions. Inc
past was forgotten, the gain looked upon insig-
nifcant Such is the leading featur& of the moral
organization of man. This is a positive fact, UNI
9ersal and constant. SO much so that 1t Gas given
origin and sanction to the conclusion which is "a
sad conviction shared by all sooner or later, ana
briefly but bitterly expressed: There is no hap
piness here below" 1t is not the conclusion OF
pessimist it expresses the cool sentiment OF hui
mainly. We read of Alexander that after reach
ing the summit of military glory, he wept like a
child, because he knew of no other world to CON
quer The inspired word tells that Solomon after
draining all the cups of human happiness concud-
ed that: "All is vanity The conclusion is in
evitable, namely, man cannot find his happiness
within the possibilities of life.
Where then find that for which the soul Graves,
and therefore should have? 1t must be outside the
boundaries of this life. 1t comes from the senti-
ment which man carries within himself of the i'm
mortality of the soul The soul, convinced through
faith of its Immortality and seeing perspecively IN
the horizon of hope eternal and infinite bliss, has
all its voids filled up. Peace, contented feelings,
an intimate frmness, quiet calm and self pos
session will penetrate that soul, animate It, Sus-
tain it even in the midst of suferngs trials, death
itself and this change will attest very forcibly
that man has come in possession of the secret OF
his own nature and of those things that to his
peace and happiness Is this deusion or a
perstition? 1t is entirely outside the province of
science to investigate. Pure reason is unable to
oppose it. That faith, which procaims it, is CO.
eval and coextensive with the history of the human
Il IL, f,T+ IL that r-o-
to complete the measure of mans happiness, to re-
ect it. and yet hope to fill natural craving OF the
soul. is to hope in vain The honest testimony of
those who have no faith in Immortality confirms
this Their soul Graves for something which they
cannot find within the compass of this life. Their
worldly goods may be enviably prosperous, yet you
hear the plantive cry that their life is sad. They
may be free, quiet. enjoying health and friendship,
guarded against all material concerns, situated be-
tween past which they lost without regret and
future from which they expect nothing, yet within
themselves they feel anxiety, restlessness
which they are unable to overcome. What is it!
1t is a want cravingSwhich they cannot analyze,
and yet it commands them, absorbs them, carries
them beyond all the perishabe goods by which they
are surrounded and which fail to satisfy them.
Having neither faith nor hope, they must nourish
their souls with boundless illusions, visions in the
far of-hoping, as it we're, against hope. Not I'M
frequently in moments of spontaneous honesty,
elected especs$ly by contact with cold death which
according to their theory is the end of this ridicu
lous existence, will they be heard to exclam, ooh,
let u.s. in spite of ALL cherish the illusion of future
ex;s tence" There is no sentiment so tenacious.
deeply rooted in human nature as the feeling, the
sensation of ones own Immortality. and although
mystery in itself, one cannot conceive how it
could be otherwise. Faith in it is the completion
of mans natural craving for happiness here and
hereafter.