Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-03-19
ELDER suDBuRY's PHILOSOPHY

.
city made upon tho minds Of those
closely acquainted with him rs well
illustrated 10 the following incident.
related 10y a friend
Accompanied Dos fellow teacher
] met him unexpectedly one dItel-
noon ucar the corner OF thc temple
| block. and said without prcmcdiAtipn'
prof --.rermt me to Introduce Co
sou "a man whom I regard as the
greatest philosopher ! have ever met.
the finest reasoner ] think. that our
state cor tains today. and I might go
even further'
Just here Elder sudbury interrupt
cd by saying Don't 30 any further
! brother"
This man. continues this narrator.
was as modest as be- was deep. wise
and subtle OF thought. In conversation
simple and Unaffected. he came, az
once 60 the core of tho topic bon hand
and presented the very gist of ID Boo the
fewast possible words Ills analysis
of any subject was keen and APP
usrently true. his logic. however dry
seemed always fauluess and irresisti-
BILE. DTS demonstrations were sweep
ing n their nature and always majes-
tic BOO their reach.
since his death the writer has felt
kecnly the failure OF not having taken
more frequent opportunities OF speak
ing with him. The book OF Covenants
ns he named that volume, was hiied
with "a singular depth. brilliancy and
beauty under his exposition; ana
he seemed 20 know O. by heart. To
him every line was laden with deep
and far-reaching spiritual truth ana
the whole book was a unit in express
sing the greatness and worth or the
human soul Il was truly remarkable
how he could find that most impor-
tant phase Of our great human prob
lem In every section Of this work; ana
IL sometimes seemed 20 those who
listened TO him that he really expected
90 and this theme on every page ana
that only our Ignorance prevents us
from discovering IL In every chapter
If not in every paragraph.
And whatever may be finally deter
mined as to the worth OF his reason'ns'
we readily admit the Judgment OF ms
friends that samuel j. Sudbury was
man of remarkable mental genius and
Of extraordinary philosophic Insight
Few questions of science. philosophy
or religion. were unknown % him. and
10 AN ~ the more perplexing ones he
seemed 10 possess solution. or nc least
a key for solving them.
II was a favorite diversion Of this
modern philosopher TO discuss the ori-
gin and destiny NJ the spirit Of man.
and many % time the writer has lis
tened with o. feeling NJ admiration and
wonder To- his consistent and daring
| logic In dealing with this greatest cone
/ ter ~ earthly interest and reality. as
known 20 man. His main proposition
| on this subject was that mantle real
man. the cssence-is spirit. not merely
| that man may become spirit. but that
| ne Is now as much spirit as he over
was or viii be-. and consequently Is
like unto God himself Man. he
urged. is and always viii be spirit;
temporarily situated here. under certain
Limitations as 70 action. man as spirit
! Is self active now. has always been in
am active condition In his previous es-
! tates. and will ever be self-activc In his
| future estates-the lives that are 60 be.
/ To him the doctrine Of eternal lives,
meant the succession Of experiences
dives) through which the same con-
scious Identity. or person. would pass
In the eternity Of endless progression.
Like unto the Great Cause itself, the
spirit 90 man Is uncauscd; it not only
/ win become immortal. not only Is Inn
mortal. but has always been so; and
never having had any bcginning it can
never cease 90 be.
A natural corollary Of this strict view
was that since man ls self-eXistcut,
/ zclf-actlve, uucrcated Identity no part
" the real man over becomes part OF
any other identity or person, Thus.
/ though the mortal part Of the body APP
/ pears 90 waste away only that part
| given by the blood goes back % the
/ earth whence 10 came. while. according
/ to Elder Sudbury's reasoning the real
body IS an inheritance from the provi-
/ Gus NO. is built into its proper form
l and junction from tho atmosphere. each
/ person having and using an atmos-
| phcre Of his own. ON this View the
blood and the parts or the body de-
| rived from the food. together consti-
| tute only the medium through which
the eternal and Indcstructible body ~
man i7 adapted 20 its present earthly
| environment
THE real body the ono that is eter-
NAL though phangcahle does not lose
ts identity II is only the blood that
goes back Co the earth The body.
resolved again into the elements. goes
into gaseous condition, and is hold
there like O. hank account or store out
Of which the body FOR the life 20 he
win boz organized, each particle nttlng
again into lbs appointed place. The
blood is simply the present medium for
conveying these elements 20 their place
in the body Blood is made from food
which is borrowed for the time being
from other things OF earth. and Is de-.
nycrod back 20 tho earth as soon as
che man is done with h.
only thu. Elder sudbury would ar
guo. can boz effected the restitution o