The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1909-04-30

able to disease, disaster, death
In order to work out our saliva
ton we therefore need to under
stand causatiOn.
Consciousness is existence,
But what is conciouSneSs:
What is existence: Our con
ciouS existence is obviously what
we are concious of. Of our real
existence we may not be con
ciouS, Everything that we know
or see or believe, all our thoughts
acts or experiences go to make
up our universe, our sense of eX-
istence, our consciousness,
We have all noted the mental
development of a child from the
first sense of mere existence up
through the various stages of
experience and education to ma
ture consciousness. At first his
universe is limited, but finally it
comes to include all that a highly
civilized man can know.
As we gain our concept of eX-
istence largely through physical
senses, it is very important that
we be able to weigh and sift
their testimony. We allknow how
deceptive these senses are. The
distant house is not actually
small because it seems to be so,
neither does the sun move be-
cause it seems TO move. SO also
hearing. taste, touch and smell
are all fallible. In fact, the i'm
preSSiOnS received by the senses
and recorded mentally require
explanation and rectiticatiOn to
make them coherent and intel
ligible.
Furthermore, we do not pre-
ceivc truth through these senses.
Not seeing the solar system right
with our eyes how can we see
the truth of the solar system
save through the understanding,
which Judges not according to
the appearance. How do we see
the truth of the multiplication
table: Surely not withour eyes,
but through knowledge of ma
thematics, that is, mentally, or
through understanding.
These senses bring to our con
ciouSness only impressions from
which we form a concept of
things. If therefore the teSti-
mony of the physical senses is
so unreliable and unsatisfactory
it is apparent that the councious-
ness gained Through these senses
cannot be true and reliable.
One of the worlds foremost
physical scientists once said, as
he laid his hand on a table, THE
only evidence we have of the eX-
iStcnce of this table is the i'm
preston it makes upon us
through force of some kind. "
The most advanced physicists
and philosophers admit SubStan-
italy that matter is only objesti-
fed senSc-imprcSSiOn. The ply
steal scientists have made radi-
cal changes in their theories re
garding matter and they now
practically unite in declaring
that matter is a form of energy
and that the atom is an aggrega-
ton eff force centerS called ions,
II is therefore conceded that
matter is not the indeStructlble
substance it has been believed
to be, but is the way substance
appears to the physical sense.
Material objects may be defined
as objectitied mental impress
siOnS, since material sense is un-
reliable and untrue, these i'm
preSSions are Il seeming only,
that is. counterfeitS of reality.
What is the true nature of sub
stance, or what is back of these
appearances, material sense does
not and cannot determine. Only
sense that can preceiye truth
and reality can declare this a
mortal'S universe is a proiec-
ton of the concept of existence
which he has obtained through
his five senses and through the
educational influences of his
childhood and youth.
five can see eXistcnceaS men
tai instead of physical, we have
taken agreat step onward. The
next step is to learn what is true
and real and thus correct our
Impressions and obtain a truer
consciousness of existence.
If we would acquire correct
knowledge of astronomy we must
be willing to leave the viewpoint
of the earth to admit that the ap-
pearance does not convey the
truth and then to secure a new
viawDoint from which the true