The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-10-04

for what purpose is man brought to
this world. what is the highest aim
in life to which we must strive
These and the like questions have
busted the minds of men in all gen
erations, even in the most primitive
ages, and this also is the "nodus"
of all philosophy and metaphysics;
70 determine definitely and clearly
the highest ideal in life to which We
must strive, and what are our rela-
tions to the world Of reality and to
the world of supernatural And again
the dilemma of the human conception
of right and wrong, good and evil
the mutabiity that We experience in
our life, the constant restlessness
and agitation; at times We condemn
that which We sanctioned before
and vice versa Some rimes we seem
to find tranquility and peace of mind
in eDhemcral things and the burden
Of life does not weigh upon MS heavily,
or that we i'm our agitation. in the
daily stormingS of life are benumbed
and feel not the pressure that weighs
upon our soul. SO this anthony is
repeated endlessly; and how many
of MS are driven to despair through
this anthony? How many have dis
penscd with all morality because
they are not able to discern what
morality is? Is life a continuous tor.
tue and menace which requires sac
rli'co. srlf-denial and submissivenesS'
they ask: surely, his cannot be
the meaning of life? How shal! man
live and he content and happy with
his life? is therefore the greatest
and the graycst problem The an.
sWer to this question is to be found
in religion. All religions. whether
monlatic or polytheistic. modern or
ancient, all philosophy from the for
est philosophy of India ill the trans
ccdental philosophy of Kant is an
attempt to determine (which is the
way that man should walk in and
live
This problem occupied the minds
Of many great theologians and moral
teachers: this dualism ia human
nature found expression in every re-
ligiou. in the Jewish Kabbalah il
is expressed by the good inclna-
tton tnd the evil inclination. This
mysticism so much derided by the
mateialistic school has not been eX-
planned away. The modern school
of philosophy developed a series Of
now thoughts and new perceptions
regarding the practical use of reli-
zion, and determined more clearly
her different phases; it succeeded in
bringing to a systematic arrangement
the religious teachings, but after all
il did not succeed in explaining the
cause Of the dualism in human ma
turc.
a beautiful. though painful, de-
Scrptiou of the awakening OF hui
man consciousness we find in Pascal
and ST. Augustine, also m the late
moralist, 1olstoi | mention these
three because, to my knowledge,
they resemble each other very close
lN rot only in their attempt to
solve the religious problem, or in
other words, that dualism in hui
man nature, along the same line. bit
they also bear close resemblance i'm
their lives. All of them experienced
both sides of life. In their earlier
lives they We're given TO worldly
pleasures and vile indulgences, and
in later life were awakened by that
secret instinct dwelling in the depth
OF every soul. Their moral nature
burst forth like n radiant light in
the darkness They experienced the
pain and anguish OF Or Jekyll
and Mr.. hyde" they We're not men
of perfect righteousness: men that
are born with a greater share of
godliness, and who conquer vice with
out excessive difficulty but they were
"penitent souls" full of deep re-
morse. who were awakened and
stirred. by the very vices they in
dulged in, to an overflowing meas
IRE, AMI therefore was their awak
ening so tragical and sublime.
A beautiful portrayal of the hu-
man desire 10 penetrate his inner
self we already find in the Hindu
Upanishad.
Ianaka. King of the Videhas, comes
20 the Hindu sage in the forest and
questions him: "Yajnavalkya." he