Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-10-15
nD1orTAL1TY. or ,1AN.

Thomas A. Edison. the famous In
yentor, has thought proper to add al
argument In favor OF Grass materials
ism to those already in vogue Speak
Ing to representative OF tho press,
he professed his disbelief In tho i'm
mortality Of the SOUL" and he argued
that man Is not an Individual but an
aggregate of cells, us New York. for in
stance, is an aggregate OF individuals.
There can be no existence for us. as In
diyiduals. he said, beyond tho grave.
There is, in fact, he argued. no soul
The brain Is but photographic rec.
ord. and 1t is as Irrational to claim
Immortality for anything that may BIO
in the brain as for anything that goes
to make up photographic cylinder.
mo. we are not individuals" he said;
"wn are aggregates. made up of mighty
little things" Tits is his argument.
Mr.. Edison is great authority on all
I. that belongs to the domain Of clectri-
city and any statement he may make
regarding facts in that domain is en-
when he enters the field of psychology.
or theology. he can claim no more au-f
thority than any ordinary student of
human problems, and a great deal less
than those who have given as much
time.lto those subjects as he has to.
electricity. Each one is. at home in his
!. own field OF inquiry, and It may be
questioned whether Mr., Edison Is
thoroughly familiar with the various
& questions involved in the wider one con-
corning the immortaiity5of man.
I'd question the authority of the In
ventor to speak m that subject Is, by
no; means. TO belittlc him. He is just
MS great as n student and inventor, "A
musician may not necessarily be an
sS authority on questions belonging to the
science of mathematics. though he may
be On harmony. An architect may not
i belYery well versed in geology. and yet
be prominent IN his own field.
Mr.. Edison's comparison of man to n
large communitylis. In principle the
same as that made by the? ostlc Paul,
when he likens the churr. "A human
body in which air tho }yarh members
cooperate for the benefit o. the whole
For the body" he says. "Is not one
member but many. II. the. foot shall sa. y.
Because I am not The hand. 1 nm not
Sss OF THE body; Is It therefore not OF the
bodE2 And IL the ear shall say, Be-
cause am not tho eye. am not of the
body: is 1t therefore not OF the body ?
II the whole body were an eye. where
were the hearing? II the whole were
hearing. where were the smelling? But
now God hath set the members every
one of them in the body. rs it hath
pleased Him. That there should
: be no schism In the body. but that the
members should have the same care
one for another. And whether one
member suffer, all the members suffer
4 with it, or one member be honorcd. ali
the members rejoice with 1t. Now ye are
the body of Christ. and members In
particular" Il Cor. IL: 14-27) Ncve,
was there a more striking picture drawn
of the community to which Mr.. Edison
refers. What the Apostle says OF the
various members OF. the body applies
s6 to the various cells as we'll Every
tiny cell is living It's brief life for the
service Of the entire body. {. Man is an
x aggregation. This is true, but 1t Is not
the. whole truth.
The human body Is more than an
aggregation of cells. It Is also the
ha,pitation of a spirit that controls all
Of these cells. all the various organs
and limbs. and directs their activity
toward certain end. In this respect
the comparison of the man to n city
is Imperfect. a city Is only an aggre-
CATION Of individuals, each living his
own, independent life. If a million in.
& dividiials should die in one day In New
York. that would not affect the exist.
ence of the rest OF the city In the least
II one pnrt of 1t should perish by earth
quake or be destroyed by fire, tha
would not affect the other parts, cx
cept in an indirect way. In II big cit,
there are only individuals. sometimes
cooperating and sometimes quarrelin,
X, and fighting. The human body con
q tains. besides individual cells. n spiri
that lives. and thinks. and suffers, an,
rejoces. and commands. to the best o
its ability, those cells. II the heart i
IL injured, the spirit knows that the in
jury Is irreparable, ana wlthdraws, an,
the body dies. Why should the cntir
body die because OF a small bullet hol
#tS.i In the heart. seeing that life may con
tinue though an entire leg Is torn of
by cannon ball? 1t is the spirit tina
inhabits the body that directs the re
pairs that are necessary every day
}7J that commands It's armies OF cells t
fight intruding enemies, and that leave
the body when defense is no lonse
u possible. or the tabernacle is worl
out. They tell us OF death through I'm
aginatton. and through fright. Their
Is a case said to be we'll authonticat
cd OF n man who died because he i'm
ngincd he was bleeding to DEATH TIL
body was entirely uninjured, And tn
Apostle tells us that. at the coming q
q the Savior those who belong to Hir
will be changed in moment. Thei
spirits will leave the bodies and moe
the Lord in the air. Il Thess. 4 16, II
X All OF which would beGimpossblc BIT