Evening journal., 1914-05-02
Immortality IS
Mr.. WENDLING'S TOPIC
Lecturer Declares His Belief
That the Soul Leaves
After Death
SAYS AGE CANNOT
LIMIT SPIRIT POWER

Of George r. Weddings lecture in
Grace NJ. H. Church last night. An
other large audience was present
Mr.. Vending said
'No one from Plato to Ralph ado
Emerson has ever written an argu-
ment in behalf Of Immortality that is
convincing TO a person not in sympa-
thy with the purpose Of the writer.
Would your hearts be gladdened if
4 could make you share my faith in
a life beyond? Follow me then and l
shall give You my reasons for the
faith that is in me- If not, then one
Of the avenues by which conviction
may be produced is, c.osed against
me. And first let US ask what is man,
and then what is death. One of the
greatest of ancient orators said,
"There is a natural body and there is
a spiritua, body" OF the natural
body every sense gives us amp cog
nizance, but is there I'm truth a spir-
itual body? There are more things
than many OF us have dreampt of in
the philosophy of that sentence,
there is spiritual body" In all the
wide and rich domain of science there
can be found no conclusive evidence
of the souls immortality. for the sim
pie reason that until science can ar
rest and analyze a spirit, and subject
that spirit 60 all the processes of sci
entihc investigation science cannot
speak to us upon this theme. Is there
a spiritual body? DO you not know
that there is determining power
within you that even ooks upon your
mind, and directs the line of your
thoughts? Are you not conscious OF
an inner Spirit which resists and
overcomes your fears, your anger and
your desires? That determining
power we call a spiritual body. Il
controls the organism IL exacts Obe-
dience, it suppresses revolt against
its own DEGREES. IL is an imperial
autocrat of the physical organism;
when flesh and blood rebel, that spir-
itual power conQuers the rebellion and
asserts the supremacy of the spir-
itua,. In an ancient book is this
sentence: "Then sha ! the dust re-
turn to the earth as it was. and the
spirit shall return unto God who
gave it," and what a flood of light
pours upon that sentence as we per-
ceive how distinct our physical or
ganism is from the power that di-
rects and controls It. But granting
that the spirit of man is distinctive
and superior in its relations to the
physical organism, how does it follow
that the spirit does not die with the
body? How can we believe that the
spiritual body is exempt from the
fate of the natural body: We can be-
lieve Il because we have no evidence
that the spirit falls within the infiu-
ence and operation of death upon the
physical organism. In other words,
and a decisive word, before you can
ask II the spirit of man is immortal
YOU must show that that spirit lies
within the line and limit of mortality.
Before Won can ask whether II lives
again YOU must show that it dies. In
the absence OF proof there cannot be
found a single analogy or presump-
tion OF its death
Around the great fact that no argu-
ment can ever show that death has
dominion over the spirit OF man, let
us now place other considerations.
And first while the deductions of
science furnish no proof of immor-
tality. the great scientific truth that
there IS no such thing as annihila-
ton Is of immense Importance In re-
gard to this question. With that uni
versal law above and around and be-
meath us, / cannot, ] will not believe
that the solitary exception to that
law, the one and only thing that
shall be completely and forever blot
ted out, is that very greatest Of the
Almighty's handiwork, the spirit Of
man. Again. II there be a just God
man must live again to receive JUS
tice, and this argument is as univer-
sal as the faith I'm Immortality itself
Many of the basest souls live long
years of delight and ease, while be-
sides them are spirits pure and gem
+ tie and almost holy, suffering a life
l time of sorrow, and wretchedness and
! shame. The divine integrity there
/ fore demands a future for the hu-
man race. And again. man shall i've
again because there is no such thing
in nature as failing, and unless man
has another life he Is a failure. Ma
ture succeeds in all her operat ols
for while individual specimens do fall
by the way, yet the species always
accomplishes its end. but let us re-
peat that unless man lives again he
Is an absolute failure. Would you
become a mercantile prince2 Ninety
dive out OF every hundred is the
percentage OF unsuccessful mer-
chants. Is it military glory that you
seek? Napolean died at ST. Helena
with a broken heart, and on the
heights of Mount McGregor Gen raj
Grant went to his death broken IN
fortune and broken in spirit. Is Il
literary reputation that you wish? II
Is doubtful II in the last fifty y ars
five authors have appeared who's
hooks will be read fifty years h nee
Would you found a school of phil So
phy2 No English philosopher in the
last two centuries has had so great a
number OF followers as Herbert Sp n
Ger, but Spencer's influence Is wan
ing today in educated circles I'm oth
Europe and America. Man failure;
Can that be? Oh no. Man standing at
the summit. the heir of all the ages
no. the Almighty has not written he
word failure on the forehead OF such
a being, and somewhere and some
how man must and will push up and
on in a career worthy OF creature
made in the very image of the Infinite
One himself
DO these proofs of Immortality ap
ply to all ages and all conditions Ol
mcng AfN not this one be too i'm
a.. sI...s 4 ~