The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-05-11
The Path to the
Great Beyond
By EDWARD LEVINE
20. isss. Western Newspaper Union,

by this sympathy one can becom
all things, one enters into the fulfil
ment of his desires. and with peac
there comes an ending Of all sorrows.
1t was q mystical book Of the Mic
die Ages that the old scholar read, On
at length, when he had come to tn
end, he lay back on his mattress an
sent his wishes forth.
He was seventy-five years old. Year
before he had been famous as al
Psychologist, but life had gone so har,
with him, that he was satisfied at tn
end to shut his garrec door and sur
round himself with his few books ant
pieces Of furniture and dream of tn,
past.
He had no kith or kin. Years, many
years before he had loved a girl. She
had married another. She must be IN
old woman now. the man thought
nearly his age. He wondered how life
had dealt with her; whether she had
children; whether she ever thought of
him.
He did not know that Alice had been
dead nine years. and that she had died
with his name upon her lips. Her
marriage had been happy, as marriage
goes, but when one comes to the end
things fall into their true proportions
and she knew then that the love of her
youth had been the love of her life.
Because she was not free from the
Illusion of the world she lived again
not consciously, though Mt some period
In her evolution long distant she was
to remember each Of the incarnations
Of the past. She lived, a child of
eight years, the only one Of a poor
mother who earned her living in a
small country town.
~ dent know what We'll do when the
new baby comes" her mother said to
her.
The father had died FIVE months be-
fore in an accident.
''But l guess God will provide" she
added.
The little girl played in the bare
room while her mother was at work.
Vague thoughts fitted through her
mind. Although she did not know 1t.
they were submerged memories of her
past life, the longing for the compan-
ionship of her youthful lover, who
now. an aged man, lay dreaming in his
garnet.
And he was thinking: "The gross
ness Of that youthful love Is burned
away. I only want to see her, just to
sit with her, be with her, and have her
for my comrade. .n"
That Is the spiritual love. which Is
never unfulfilled and never fails Of
accomplishment, not only in one life.
but in many lives.
And he read again by the failing
lamplight the words of the strange
book:
"By this sympathy one can become
all things, one enters into the fulfill
ment Of his desires, and with peace
there comes an ending OF all sOrrows."
As he lay there upon his bed he sent
his mind out to the girl he had loved
In youth. He saw her not as an old
woman. but young and fresh and beau
tiful as when they had loved.
And this makes no difference; the
soul remains unchanged although the
body changes.
And the child. playing In the bare
room, stopped in her play, and felt the
wish, flung out across thousand
miles Of space, across the great chasm
that bounds the separate lives Of men.
/. Il became translated, in her child
ish brain, into the longing for a play
mate.
It grew stronger as the old man
sent out all the intensity of his wish
until he seemed to lose his own identity
and to become one with the loved OBJ
ject.
And then he had no longer any per-
sonality Of his own, for all souls are
one In the Oversoul.
In the morning the old woman who
cleaned his room found him lying back
on his bed. He locked asleep; 1t was
not until she shook his shoulder that
she found he was dead.
sDeath Of an old scholar" the papers
briefly commented. He had lived a
tragic life, ending in failure. He was
forgotten. 1t was. sad, but thousands
of lonely old people died every year
under just the same conditions. His
death was blessing to him.
But a thousand miles away child
stopped in her play and q happy smile
came upon her face. Softly she tip
toed to the door Of the adjoining room
and knocked.
MAY come in, Mamma?
"Come in, dearie."
She went softly to the bed and stood
looking down at the tiny form nesting
In the hollow of her mothers arm.
The babe stretched up his little arms
toward her In hardly conscious recog-