The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-03-28
KNIGHTS IEMPLAR HELD
!. THEIR EASTER SERVICES
From Mondays Daily.

the services for the Knights Templar
at Centenary Methodist church, at
three O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
Members OF Mankato commandery in
full regalia attended in body. Rev.
Keesey delivered the sermon and
spoke as follows, his topic being
"The Quest of Immortality" The
text was:
Job IA: IA, "lf a man die, shall he
live again?''
This old book of Job is one of
the most interesting bits OF litera-
ture ever contributed to the world S
life and whether this story is actual
fact or merely drama, it still has
it's lesson for today. A lesson grow
ing out of the sad and sombre side
of human life. You will notice that
Job sandwiches his question in be-
tween two striking figures. There is
hope of tree if it be cut down,
that it could sprout again. Through
The scent of water it will bud and
bring forth boughs like a plant This
is one figure. The other is that of
the stagnant pool that 'decayeth and
drieth up Then Job inquiries which
OF these figures represents man? Is
there hope for him, like the hewn
tree, or is death the end of him
like the dried up pool? and thus,
Renan remarks: Job floats between
despair and confidence. IF a. man
die, shall he live again?' CONTIGUOUS
evaded this question. 4 venture to
ask about DEATH said Ke Loo, and
CONTIGUOUS answered: While you do
not know life, how can you know
about death?'
Question Asked BY Many.
Now | have selected this question
for consideration because men every
where are asking it today. | do not
known of any question whose final
answer would mean SO much to hui.
mainly. Tell men they must not ask
it. You might as well tell Niagara
to stop its onward plunge, or the
moon to halt on it's path. Tell them
it doesn't matter and they will look
at you with hungering, wondering
eyes. Tell them there are enough
present things TO claim our attention.
and they will carry this question off
to some clustered cell and ask it
there.
among the charming letters of
Edwin Booth there is one written in
1863, few weeks after the death
of his beautiful young wife. in which
he expresses his desire that she shall
come back and speak to him some
word of comfort. He writes: y, who
have ever laughed at such things,
now feel mystified, and half believe
that such things may be- Said Rob-
ert lngersoll at the grave of a
brother: Life is narrow vale be-
tween the mountain peaks of two
eternities. The skies give back no
sound. We cry and the only answer
is the echo of ones wailing cry
And there are times when the de-
voutest Christian would give a thou
sand years of future paradise for
the paradise of present word or
touch.
All Agreed on One Point.
"Of course, we are all agreed the
influence of mans life will live
'on after his body falls, and in this
sense we often speak of man be-
ing immortal, quite apart from any
conscious personal future. He may
believe in, but is this enough? And
when l ask is it enough be it far
from me to intimate in any way that
it is not much. 1t is very much. But
is it enough to say that man
lives in influence? I answer, not
when the soul is continually crying
out to live again, and this cry means
that the accumulated experience of
1ifo dom nd chi, in, ,i,l,
TO develop and prove itself. We are
living in a time that seems to be to-
tally Indifferent about these things
And when people lose all fear of
God, they will not be very much con-
cerned about their faith in future
life. And is it not a strange moral
paradox that while evidence for the
truth of future life is increasing,
indifference about it is becoming
more and more apparent?
Materiaiism Shakes Faith.
"The impression has prevailed that
modern science has played sad havoc
with the last article in the Apostles
Greed. And it must be admitted that
adhesive materialism has shaken
too many faith. DR.. Johnson once
said: 4 fain would have more evi.
dence of mans Immortality Not long
ago it was common for science to
brush aside all speculation about a
future life as among the things un.
movable But now all this has
changed. We now have men of the
first rank in science and philosophy,
and their tribe is increasing, who
are giving themselves to what is
known as 'phychical research" And
this research is leading them into an
investigation that will throw great
light on this question.
There is one phase of this inves-
LEGATION known as 'spiritism,' or
| 'spiritualism.' | am not spiritualist,
but am compelled to say that there
probably is something in it. Men
tell us they would be willing to go
the rest of the way without muir.
muir If they could talk for five min
utes with some one who has passed
within the veil. Mothers have prom.
Used to come back to guide and guard
their children. Wives have promised
to come back and comfort husbands,
and friend has pledged himself with
friend to return. And who shall say
these have not kept their promises +?
You know, one OF the stock objec-
tons to a belief In the future life is
that nobody ever comes back.
Shakespeare wrote of that 'undiscov.
cred country from whose bourne no
traveller returns. How do we know
mo traveller returnSY Do we exnect