The Washington herald., 1921-08-11
What Shall We Believe About
the Soul?

To the Editor, The washiprton Herald:
1t is hardly century since all
Christian America and Europe re-
garded the soul as a kind of bodily
organ near, or within. the heart, or
"a belief in it's immaterial substance
did not exist until the time of Des-
cartes." The word soul represents
Psukhc. and the Latin Amina, or the
Sanskrit Altman signifying breath.
life. or self, and SO applicable to all
animated beings.
! In the New Testament the Greek
Psukhc is yariously rendered life.
| MARK VIII $50. and soul" (Mat-
thew XVI, 26D. For whosover will
save his Psukhe shall lose it," and
what shall a man give in exchange
for his Psukhe" This changed rem
dering, in two consecutive verses OF
the English. indicates the belief OF
the sixteenth century. In both cases
the Greek represents the Hebrew
idea of the "self'-'whosoever will
save his self shall lose it," and
what shall a man give in exchange
for his self" The ordinary modern
idea of a soul mas no foundation in
ancient Hebrew teaching: for ac'
cording to the Bible man has "liv-
ling soul" (Gen. ii. - like other ami
mails. because animated by the
breath of life"
In view of the fact that the word
soul, like. the word will. is a popular
and not a technical one, and that ali
\ the elements that it can be shown
to possess are known by other
special names and can be referred &c
their proper places in a system OF
psychology, some are disposed tc
drop the term altogether as liable
to lead to confusion rather than con-
tribute to clearness. But II appears
that its retention can be Justiheo
as supplying a place which no other
term in use now supplies, and IT
thus avoiding the necessity Of in
Producing a new one. 1t is true thai
it expresses a complex conception
whose elements may be separated
and are specifically named. but there
is need OF a term to embrace these
elements in combination, and thu!
frequently obviate a circumlocution
besides having the advantage o.
conveying crystaliZed idea ant
familiarizing II. The English wore
has. indeed, many vague and un'
scientific associations from which 4
is difficult to Iiberate it. but the cor
responding German word Seel'
seems to be frcer from these and II
used by scientific writers in sub
stantially the same sense that vii
be given here to the word soul.
1t is hardly necessary to say tha
this sense has little in common will
that given this term by religious
writer's. The latter sense. however
il not noticeably different from tina
of the New Testament, and no com
plant Is made of its use by thes'
writer's. Neither docs II differ es
sentiaIly from the earlier Greel
usage or from that of Scipio thu
younger, Cicero, and others who. long
anterior to Christianity, speculate'
upon Immortality II they did no
teach it, That doctrine. as shown
by Tylor, was not such a strange!
to other nations as 1t was to tn,
Hebrews, and the distinctive char
acteristic of Christianity was tn
ENGRAVING OF the foreign tenet upoI
Judaism in which II was previousl!
unknown. e..
But by none of these writer's
whether pagan or Christian. wa
There ever any attempt to analyz'
the soul, or to look upon IL phi
losophically as part of the mind
The conception was purely ontolog
ical. and by most the existence of {
soul in man was simply taken 70,
granted. while concern was onl.
manifested for its future destin!
after the corporeal part should hav,
returned to its elements. There is
however. one important respect II
which this conception harmonize
with the scientific one, and that i
the uniform investure of Il with tn,
capacity for enjoying and suffering
In whatever language. and from
whatever standpoint the soul hai
ever been mentioned. IL has Away
been Identified with pleasure ant
pain and made to embody the deep
est expression of sympathy an'
feeling.
i II, therefore. we define the sou
!, as the feelings taken collectively
!. we do but echo the common senti
lment Of all mankind in all countries
and all ages. Still. this definition
falls short in one particular of ex
, pressing the full conception as I
DferRnts ftseIf IA fhe mind and A n