Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-06
SPIRES OF THE SPIRIT
There Is No UnbeIief
@E Nv DR FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS
BY DIR. FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS
Chaplain of the United States Senate

EASIER is not mowers ana
fashions. It is the thunder
ing proclamation of the souls
II Believe. 1t is a surge of
certainty that death is not
a port, but a portal. Exclaimed
a great American who, while
here, influenced for good un-
told thousands Of lives. Some
day you will read in the
papers that / am dead. Don't
you believe a word Of it. I'll
never be more alive than on
the day of my funeral"
Easter is the festival Of the
living dead.
The supreme affirmation Of
faith, II believe in God the
Father Almighty" makes in
evitable the answering shout.
And in the life everlasting!"
But it is vital to realize that
the everlasting is a part of
the now. The fact is that in
the teaching and life Of Jesus.
the nov" and the forever"
are all Of one piece. The
gospel of how and forever, by
its vistas of an ampler life
that death cannot block nor
bury, is the only thing that
makes sense Of the universe.
1t is when the here" is iso-
lated from the hereafter"
the now" broken OF from
the forever" that life takes
on the gray hues Of futility,
boredom and Illustration.
The authentic Christian
insight regarding the Be
yond" is suggested on the
grave of Sir Robert Baden
Powell, founder of the Boy
Scout movement. A little
marker above his last resting
place has upon it his name.
the dates of his birth and
death, and underneath it the
Scout sigma circle with q
dot at the center which
means gone home"
One day not long ago. DR..
Crosby Bell. teacher Of young
preachers, suddenly found
himself at the height Of a
successful career face to face
with imminent death. After
a heart seizure he was told
that his mortal span would
end in a few hours. What be-
came of the belief he had
held before his students and
the world? Gloriously he
found that it was not just a
faith he held, it was a faith
that held him. To his wife he
dictated a hurried message
for his boys" to be read to
his classes after his depar-
ture. He had 'glorified the
here" and now had his hand
on the doorknob Of the here
after" In that valedictory
statement. glowing with q
new expectancy. this is what
he said of the here: Life
owes me nothing. / have had
work I loved. and I have
lived in q beautiful place
among congenial friends. ]
have had love in its highest
form. and ! have it forever. "
And then, with deaths door
opening wider by the hour.
disclosing the hereafter" he
added, II can see now that
death is Just the smallest
thing. Just an accident; it
means nothing. There Is no
real break. God is there, and
life. and all that really
counts in life goes on"
Such q belief is the most
stupendous thing in all the
universe. Franklin D. Lane,
a member of the cabinet in
Washington during World
War 1, whose published let
tiers have uplifted a great
host, confessed that some
times he was uncertain about
his own religion. But he
wrote to q friend in Europe
"As for your religion, various
of your friends think it odd
I think you are a subject OF
real congratulation. A man
who can believe anything
is miles ahead Of the rest OF
us John, If you have a
religion that can get hold
Of people, grip them and
lift them-for Gods sake
come over and help us.
Such was the heart-cry Of q
great man sitting in the
Presidents cabinet. That
cry out of the depths grew
out Of his consciousness that
when men boosted Of their
unbelief they we're really
confessing to a belief that
was hideous and shatterine
to all things fine and fair
Thus the agonizine plea, II
you really have a faith that
holds and grips and lifts. fol
Gods sake come over ano
help US.