Year: 1879

IL 10 W "
distinct belief upon the subject; and al
though cannot yet say that my mind
is distinctly and definitely made up
about 1t, have, in the course of my re-
flection, been led to entertain hope so
strong that 1t closely borders upon the
certainty of belief that there is future
state for the brute creation as well as for
mankind, and that the orthodox belief
is erroneous.


Heterodox as this opinion may be
deeper reflection only serves to convince
me that is true, and leads me to desire
that mere light should be thrown upon
the subject Ever since my childhood,
when can remember feeling a deep
sense of the injustice which the popular
idea did to my conception of the Creator,
down to the present time, have sought
for some reason upon which could en-
tirely accept the orthodox view and have
found none. AS far as / can find, the
Scriptures afford no basis for 1t; philoso-
ply disowns it, and science consigns
both man and beast to one fate. So far,
indeed, from confirming the idea of total
humiliation L have found much to
strengthen the opposite side of the ques-
ton and any belief at which may have
already arrived has been in great meas
ure deduced from a consideration of some
of the passages which L quote, and 9th
ers of similar import: I" Most of the ar
guments of philosophy in favor of the
immortality of man apply equally to the
permancy of the immaterial principle
in other living beings" says Agassiz.-
Culver is said to have expressed sim
liar opinion. In the memoirs of Charles
Kingsley, himself no mean student of
love of animals was strengthened by his
belief in their future state "a belief
which he held in common with John
Wesley and many other distinguished
men," The following words which
George Mcdonald put into the mouth of
one of his characters, taken in connec-
ton with many similar passages scat
tered throughout his books, show how
far he has accepted this idea of the i'm
mortality of animal life. "My uncle
had, by no positive instruction, but by
occasional observation, not one of which
can recall, generated in a strong hope
that the life of the lower animals was
terminated at their death no more than
our own. The man who believes that
thought is the result of the brain, and
not the growth of an unknown seed
whose soil is the brain, may well sneer
at this. for he is himself but q speck of
dust that has to be eaten by the devour-
ing jaws of time; but L cannot see how
the man who believes in soul at all can
say that the spirit of man lives and the
spirit of his horse dies. do not profess
to believe anything of certain sure my
self, but do think that he who, if from
mere philosophical considerations, be-
lieve the one ought to believe the other
as WELL Much more must the theoso-
phist believes it," If we recall the char
acter of Wilfrid Cumbermede we can at
once see how strong a declaration the
foregoing passage is on the part of the
author. 1 will not fill more space with
further quotations all tending to show
the same point. 1 cannot help but feel
that the savage of whom the poet sang:


To be contents his natural desire


He asks no angels wing, no seraph's fire;


But thinks, admitted to that equal sky,


His faithful dog shall bear him company"
has an idea of heaven far nobler than
that held by many civilized Christians.