Evening star., 1922-04-16
BY THOMAS n. MARsHAtr.

BH THOMAS n. MARSHALL
T will soon be high noon Of
another Easter. The childfen
i this morning have their COLI
ored eggs. Women every
where are adorning themselves
with spring finery. The churches
: Will be crowded. For today at
least. humanity will be lifted out
Of itself. A pleasing sense OF SELF
satisfaction Is universal.
Secretly we felicitate ourselves
for our conduct during the Lenten
season. II we have heard Of indul-
gences granted by the church. we
pride ourselves that as Protestants
we frown down such foolishness.
Nevertheless. we have Q feeling
that our religious zeal OF past
weeks will somehow Offset any
worldly extravagance that we may
indulge in hereafter.
Music flooding all our churches
proelaims that Christ. the Lord. is
risen today. Seemingly, the last
Sadducee has disappeared from the
face Of the earth. We have the
Immortality have been brought to
life. For the moment we are not
troubled about the question wheth-
er death ends all. The, Lenten
spirit Of Righteousness per-
vades our being. We are quite Ger
tain that we are not only the heirs
Of all the ages, but the eternal
sons of God as well. This thing
which we call life is but heeting
Aim upon the never-ending screen
OF experiences. whether we have
there Is a future existence into
which opens that mysterious door
called death.
It IL the annual experience
through which the nominal Chris
tian passes. It may vary In de-
gree. but it never changes in kind.
For more years than I can re-
member, each of these Easter days
recalls q long-gone one. when I
listened to sweet singer fill the
groined arches of little church
with the music Of the words:
Christ. the Lord. is risen today"
Subsequently I had occasion to
ask that young man in whom he
put his trust Quite promptly he
gave me the name Of his senior
partner. Our trust IL very apt to
abide more In the person OF some
one we know than in the unseen
and eternal.
Today is a good day soberiy to
ponder our belief in Immortality.
some men believe in future life;
others rather hope for a future
life, when they think OF 1t at all.
and still others give no thought
whatever to the subject We do
not know whether our future life
is to be led in the body or In the
spirit Our only logical reasoning
about tn esubject is that man is-un-
able to complete his WORT; within
the limit of his human existence.
All else we possess is mere faith.
Now ana then a man is caught
and punished by the law of man.
and this gives US an illusory be-
lief that. whether of nature or
God. there are certain principles
of rewards and punishments. But
We unconsciously, perhaps. have
become accustomed to the idea
that 1t is bad luck more than any
thing else to be convicted in Amer
lea. This quite naturally has had
q deadening effect upon our be-
1fef in fmmortalfty.
We shall be returning to normal
in all the relations Of life when
we begin a conscientious consider
alton Of the question whether. not
withst anding the so.called laxity
of law enforcement. there is not
running through nature q law that
enforces itself. 1t is not needful
to put man in the penitentiary
in order that he may be punished.
Incarceration may protect society
against his outbreaks, but 1t does
not preserve him for himself. II
he has quiet moments in which he
brings to bear upon his conduct
ne principles Of right or wrong
he gets himself, although society
may never get him. And when
man has once condemned himself
in the forum Of his own conscience
he is apt to sit down and seriously
ask himself whether there be a
future life.
He may examine the question
from the viewpoint OF revealed re-
lie1on or from the outlook OF
natural religion. II he be interest
ed exclusively in the phase OF re-
wards and ptlnishments 1t is not