The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-05-06
doc" and Sam" i'm Converse
ton.
By F. F. CORLISS.

heart always goes out to the poor,
friendless, ne-er do we'll who is hun
cry and cold and who has no place to
lay his head.
SIN my younger days l felt as kind
ly towards them as you do, Sam. |
have been charitable and tried to help
them, but it is no use, Sam. They
will even turn on you and bite the
hand that feeds them; you can't teach
them anything. They can learn only
by hard knocks and suffering"
"In the language of life such people
have not learned the alphabet. They
are in the primer class, but in time
they will unfold, evolve into knowl-
edge of better things, for the law of
life is a progressive growth"
Got any cigars, Doc My pipe is
upstairs. Nothings gives one peace
full contented mind like a good smoke,
eh?"
what do you know about re-incar-
nation, SAM"
''Well, know just as much about it
as any one and l know nothing. Why
do you ask? Why not talk about
something that | can comprehend ?"
''You see, Sam, to talk about these
trite, common things that we see daily
is like walking in a circle; we never
get anywhere. Mentally we are like
dog trying to catch his tail. We
would not know what we now know if
in some past time we had not reached
out for the unknown thing beyond us.
We owe great debt to the world S
dreamers, the pioneers of thought,
whom others have scoffed at.
eff men had not let their minds
wander, had not searched the I'M
known to discover natures laws, her
forces and hidden resources, the world
would still be burning candles, riding
horseback and they would have then
thought that the wireless transmits
sion of thought was a FOOLS vision"
"Well, if you think that you know
anything about this abstruse subject,
Doc, go ahead and spout. had rather
smoke and listen to you, because when
talk it has got to be about something
that is within my reach and less apt
to give me brain fag."
"You surprise me, Sam. Because,
at your age, retired and nothing to do
but think and wait for Father Time
with his scythe, this subject ought to
be of the most vital interest to you.
81 know very well that You wish to
live on and watch the march of events
and benefit by the progressive i'm
provements that man is, by the aid of
God, bound to make. | am sure that
| do. Now, if re-incarnation is just
a myth and delusion, then you and |
and the millions that are now living
are headed straight for oblivion.
81 am not going to discuss theology
with you, Sam, because | know that
your mind is all befuddled now so that
you don't know whether you are going
or coming. But religion is something
instructive with all of US and in this
short talk l wish to give you some
thing basic on which to rest your re-
ligious hope and faith.
Every birth and death form a circle
"a closed link as it were in an end
less chain Of progressive life. Death
is the fulfillment of a law of nature
and persists in all kingdoms-mineral,
vegetable and animal.
In the vegetable and mineral king
doms we can watch the elemental life
die in one form to be reborn in an
other. This is not the re-incarnation
that we are discussing, but is lower,
a primitive form of it. 1t eXemplifies
law of nature that governs the evo-
luton Of life and mind. And when we
discover law that works on one
plane of life we know that it works on
all planes throughout the universe, be-
cause nature is a continuity of law
and life and mind.
''Now these are facts of nature,
Sam, that give philosophers and scien-
fists basis on which to rest their
theories Of a re-incarnation of the
life of man."
Hold on minute, Doc. Your talk
sounds logical, but l don't believe it
will hold water any better than a
sieve"
81 want you to forget about the
science of things and listen to common
sense. Moses must have passed out
somewhere about five thousand years
ago. Then there is Jesus, Buddha,
Socrates, Shakespeare and host of
other great intellects and have you
ever seen them come back? They
have been dead to the world for long
time, and | am stating facts. The
trouble with you, Sam, is this, you
don't seem to know anthing save what
you can see and handle.
81 will freely admit, Sam, that
the aforesaid people are all dead and
up to the present time may be dead
to this planet. But the universe is
nl1ita a uood sized n1aca and for q II we