Evening star., 1922-04-16
Easter Morning Reflections
For Patriotic Men and Women

material which religion he studies.
He can consider his own life and
recall that abuse Ct HE hedr g,
its care produced strength. He
may review the whole arcanA Of
nature. he may examine the aiii-
verse by microscope or Telescope.
and wherever he finds Q violation
Of law he will md q sure punish
ment. It 10 to be seen, III avery
nower that grows, In every BUD
that blossoms. In every harvest
that comes to fruition.
4 + + i
Just now faith in immortality 10
q very dim and uncertain faith.
We daily suffer great Breaches OF
moral laws, which would not oc-
cur II the perpetrators pohssssed
either q fear Of or Q desire for lin.
mortality. Complaint today 10
largely . complaint over the In
stability Of life. The general good
is secondary to Individual safety.
Not whether the world shall be-
come right or wrong, but whether
SsSSA SAS buoy W Wu1S 0VgkS OuV
else does. IL the question. There 10
a never-ending search for change.
for Excitement. fer thrills. Happi.
ness 10 at the foot Of the rainbow.
Is 1t to be wondered. therefore.
that when men speak Of ifnmor.
tality they let 1t die out as an
thems are lost In the arches Of the
churches?
Faith in Immortality should be
revived for the general good OF the
republic. An old Scotch clergy
man once prayed the Lord to shake
his congregation over hell. ''btit,"
he concluded. "dinna let them drop
in" For the restoration Of Amer.
lea to q normal condition of
thought ana conduct II IL needful
that there shall be restoration OF
universal faith in q life that Ii to
come and OF rewards and punish
ments there to be bestowed. It is
not essential that this faith shall
be true. 1t Is Just as good q thing
though 1t be a bare and naked
falsehood. 1t may be as ifnpalpablA
as the air we breathe. Like the
sunshine. we may not see It, and
vet. like the sunshine, without It
we cannot see It IL one OF the be.
liefs. whether true or false, we
ought to cherish right. certain that
II is true.
womanhood may never have
been perfect. but I have never
known q man who was not the
better for his faith that his moth.
er was the one woman without
reproach in Ali recorded time. The
American republic may not be
without fault and blemish. yet the
finest type Of citizen gives his un.
grudEinR love and confidence to
its principles az being those ideals
Ssst ealSra1se rents 70 g ths
history of the church through all
the long ages since its Founder
left It "a lamb among wolves"
may be filled with errors. incon.
sistencies and supefstitions. yet
no man can say that his life has
been the poorer. his work less ef-
ffieiently done; or his satisfaction
tering belief in the church's car.
diral principles.
There are things not provable to
everv mind. mayhap untrue. yet
Of inestimable va1ue to the world.
because the sons and daughters
Of time have had faith in their
real existence. Immortality may
be q myth. dream. d nightmare,
a ffgment of a disordered fancy.
Death may end 1t all. but Of what
avail thus to believer, Has the
world ever moved onward and up
ward, save as It has had faith In
things It. could not see and hope
far beyond mortal vision? The
world lives not on mathematical
certainty. but on probabilities. It
could not live otherwise. for half
the world succeeds and the other
halt fails. II all could foresee re.
suits. energy would die out, enoTt
would cease, all would fall.
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= To the best Of men there come
moments Of . psychic feeling that
some mysterious being 10 not only
looking over their shoulders. but
peering into their lives. We are
but dull clods IL at more or less
rare intervals q moving finger
does not write upon the tablets Of
our hearts and, having writ, move
on. Let faith in Immortality be
true or false. religious or super
stitious, yet let 1t abide. Let it
be the sound mans wisdom or the
mad mans folly. Only let 1t be.
It win stabilize ae nothing else
the thought and conduct OF the
world.
1872. By Thomas R. Marshall.,