The Washington times., 1919-08-12

that earthly CONDITIONS pronIbEtF-The Opinions OF
/ great scientist and a modern novelist eontrasted
This Oabss bring news from Germany Of the death at
Jena Of Ernst Hase one Of the worlds greatest thinkers
dscipIa Of Darwin he outdstaneed his master Ia his
tsUiss Of sVuI and the dsxelopment Of man and mind
His "WuId Prohlsmz'' Is the most daring book ever
Wssu ON the origin Of the world and It's inhabitants for in
it cx aside all beliefs Of design or purpose in the
ton and questions the tsOry Of individual Immortality to
thu pniuE Of denying It.
In ''Ths Riddle Of the Universe which was tia most
popular and widely read of two and more vol
umss wE he Wrute Eaeckel closes the chapter on the
Immortality Of the soul with these words:
"In what stage of their individual development
viii the dissnBGdied souls spend their eternal lief
VIII the newborn infant develop its psychic powers in
heaven under the same hard conditions Of the struggle
for life which educate here eaEthf VIII the
talented youth who has fallen In the wholesale murder
of unfold his rich unused mental powers In Wal
hailaf VIII the feeble Childish cid I've forever
mental deeagf Or viii he return to an earlier stage of
davsGpmgntf''
These questions may all be summed up into one ques-
tim Is te development and mental growth after dsath?
Shall wa Be- wiser IN tins hereafter?
The gpszt maiurit would dispute Haacksl's aholish
usut Ct Immortality,
While nous has rsturnadf to tel Of the after death
almost evgY ham beg holds hs hope Of the hereafter
as mE Of hiE most cherished possessions.
The with It's great toll Of human life has led to
dspsr and mOre general thought than has bean bestowed
thE suhisct for a century,
EntdrsF aside 1zm Sprtualism, as evidenced hy rap
pings and table mougs and an the ether phenomena Of the
seancs sbs men ara dsxong time and study to the posi-
bilty 6 communication with the dad the acquiring Of
information Of circumstances and conditions which
round the Departed
death Is that which Is being written by the weLkn0m
elst Basil King for the Cosmopolitan Magazine and the
cmPg m tine SePtemher number Is IN view Of Haeekels
DEATH especially interesting, for in il be- answers some Of
fha0 afenie
In the first chapter Of HEE Kings article he said that
he had reeeiyed communications from the dead through
pencil held in the hands Of young girl who had never
before acted Of transferring intelligence from
thaas who had died evidenced claimed any powers
In that direction Her first dsmonstrsteR was entirely
uuauticip atsd and wholly surprising
The messages which Mr. King reports evidence-if
they to be accepted tus-+hat IN the afterdeath
hind knoWH In this me Whatever man brings over
with him Is good the pencil wrote 81 may be very little
but from that little he is built up. He and win work
out to the funsss Of his heng in spite Of all detrents
ME King eansTues this TO that In his knowledge
e tuth grows altar death and that be is unha1
persd IN that growth by any beliefs which may
have hindeTed him IN his earthly life.
1'Iz high and beautiful lights they and reeoenizs
says H King the needs ef loved they can Judge and
try to help; but commonplace details they reach with
considerable Effort and Of evil they only unwilling
speak but TO think The whole concept has become to
them alien and repugnant
Death was Eseckel's great stumbling block He could
lead his theories from the lowest form of life up to modern
man and speak with conviction which to him amounted tc
knowledge, Of every step.
At death, with al his wisdom he stopped and all
beyond was speculation and conjecture.
He knew that despite his books and his spoken argu,
msnts he was far from having offered convincing arau
ent that death the end Of life for almost at the end
Of his last great work he wrote: he great majority Of
philosophers grasp with the right hand the pure knowledge
that is built experience but they win not part with the
mystic faith based revelation, which they cling with
the Isft''
In the few hours which have elapsed since he died
Haecsl has found out whether be was all right or all
wrong
BE knows whether his theories were sound or only
shifting sands