Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-06-05


can never contemplate this material
immensely without making a step on
ward. realizing the wider scope of the
spiritual. To US living beings soul
must always be placed far above mat
ter. Why then should man, superior
to these senseless though awe inspir-
ing mountains, die among them and
pass into oblivion while they go on for
ages?
The consensus of opinion has al
ways been that he does not. The be-
lief that he mingles in the affairs of
beings still in the body has-as a su-
perstition-largely died out, but scien-
tif1c investigation has taken its place.
and research goes on in the supernat-
ural as we'll as In the natural. though
there is probably no dividing line be-
tween the two.
The Alps are my favorite mountains,
though l do not consider them su-
perior to the Canadian Rockies. But
the former are in the center OF a CIV
ilized continent. while the latter are
still solitary and not so easily reached.
Mountain climbing has always been a
passion with me. and in the Alps one
finds every facility for the purpose.
Before I was twenty / had stood on
the summit Of the Jungfrau and
year later made the ascent Of the Mat
terhorn.
My favorite Alpine region was that
about Mont Blanc. which climbed
| several times and always with the
same guide. Otto Marx. though ascents
are not usually made without two
| guides. Marx, though possessing the
wiry, close knit build of the typical
mountain guide. had q spiritual coun-
tenance. He climbed mountains not
so much from a love of encountering
their dangers as for the contempla-
ton of the splendid scenes to be found
| among them. He vas a silent man.
not easily drawn out, but it is my
fancy to dive into the inner depths of
such persons because l expect to find
there treasures not to be found among
the more gaIrulous. So whenever
while climbing we reached O conven-
lent spot for resting and looking out
upon the broad expanse Of mountains
and valleys and cliffs, peaks here and
there extending far above the clouds.
l would begin my pumping.
He told me that he was born among
the mountains and he could not be.
lieve that he would ever leave them.
"All things must have a beginning "
be said. my beginning is in my
body. l can only propel myself on
my legs. helping myself up steep
heights, at times helping with my
hands. When die l shall be free
from such contemplate methods
Though we sometimes retrograde. in
the main we progress. Man first could
only walk on his legs; then he made
an animal carry him. and now he goes
rapidly by steam. When he dies he
from the flesh to the iron horse. Once
have cast off the body ! shall not
be subject to gravity. I shall pass
over this broad valley to yonder noun
tain by some such means as the cleo
trio current. l cannot conceive Of the
mechanism by which l shall move
any more than half q century ago one
could conceive of talking to another
hundreds of miles away by means OF
a telephone or of flying among the
clouds in an aeroplane. Do you sup
pose man can make such progress as
this. clogged with the body, to &C
complish nothing at all when freed
from it,"
Sitting there. looking out upon the
terrestrial grandeur. ! was deeply i'm
pressed with his reasoning. did no,
stop to inquire whether or not 1t was
logical, and it does not appear TO me
now to matter whether 1t was logical
or whether 1t violated every logical
principle. There are deductions that
only appear to US through the feelings
and this feeling that we shall live
again after our present life is perhaps
the most important of all such deduc'
tons.
Many were the talks in this vein
had with Otto Marx while we were
resting above the clouds. When we
had descended into the valley he would
be again shut up like an oyster. Some
times when we were alone together In
Chamounix ! would endeavor to gel
him TO converse on these subjects. but
never once succeeded. Sometimes
fancied that he saw these sights OF
what be would be in the future only
from q great height and when inspired
by the peaks. And yet this did not de
stroy his faith in them.
The last climb Otto and I made to
gether we started one morning from
Chamounix 10 ascend the mountain
and stopped for the night at the Grand
Mulets. the cabin erected for the shell
ter OF climbers. We had our supper
before dark and sat looking out ovei
the succession of mountains and gorge.
and the great ice river pouring witt
invisible sIowness down into the val
ley ! tried to induce Marx to talk
but failed.
What Is the matter with you. Ottoi'
] asked.
Herr" he replied, ~ feel some
thing"
What do you feelT
THAT this trip will be my last ul
the rnaup+afpD