not in an effort to discover the complicated microscopic stru ctu re main reasons: firstly in the hope of Hall in Walhalla* a t h a « i
tru th , h u t in an alleged “ necessity of the brain; it shows us th e true better conditions of life beyond the al ” Turks and krabs h
ofemotion”— th a t is, in im agination “ elem entary organs of the soul” in grave; and, secondly, in th e hope of ham m ed’s lovely c a rd e d ?
th
h I
and poetic conceit. As K a n t puts the ganglionic cells.
The exper- seeing once more the dear and loved old Greek demi-gods and he™
it, the im m ortality of the soul is im ental argum ent proves th a t the ones whom death has torn from us. in the enjoym ent of nectar
d
not an object of pure reason, but a various functions of the soul are As for the first hope, it corresponds brosia at the table of Ze
am '
“ postulate of practical re a s o n .” bound up with certain special parts to a n atu ral feeling of the justice of
B t 1
.
But we m ust set “ practical reason*’ of th e brain, and cannot be excer- com pensation, which is q u ite cor-
jet’ ‘° We' eI S e rio u sly we m ay
entirely aside, together with all the cised unless these are in a norm al rect subjectively, hut has no n h - . epK
118 eternal life in Paradise,
“ exigencies of em otion, or of m oral condition; if the areas are destroyed jective validity w hatever. W e make
>m a,n‘s ent^ ei,t >n duration. Do
education, e tc .,” when we enter their function is extinguished; and our claim for an indem nity for the ' ' e Iea lze wbrtt etern ' ty m e a n s ? —
upon an honest and im p artial pur- this is especially applicable to the unnum bered defects and sorrows of
Un’nteJ’ru Pk'd continuance of
suit of tr u th ; for we shall only at- “ organs of th o u g h t,” the four cen- our ea rth ly existence, w ithout the n r n f n ^
The
tain it by the work of pure reason, tral in stru m en ts of m ental activity, slighest real prospect or guarantee ! > • ” ,, . 7 " , ° * 16 " w andering
startin g from em pirical d ata and The pathological argum ent is th e of receiving it. We long for an <
° ruitless search for rest
capable of logical analysis. We com plem ent of the physiological; eternal life in which we shall meet ? •
Unhappy A ha«uerus, should
have to say the sam e of ath an atism when certain p artso f the brain (th e no sadness and no pain, but an un- ¡ 7 ° ”
appreCiate an “ etern al
as of theism ; both are creations of centres of speech, sight, hearing, bounded peace and
joy. The pic-
a t .lt8 l ™e vulue- The best we
poetic m ysticism and transcendental etc.) are destroyed by sickness, their tures th a t most men form of
this l " eHl\ after a c°urageous life,
“ faith ,” not of ratio n al science.
activity (speech, hearing, vision, blissful existence are extrem ely cur- >'pel1 ,n dol“ g good according to
W hen we come to analyze all the etc.) disappears; in this way nature ions: the im m aterial soul is placed u **
•’
.eternaI peace of
Eferent proofs
nroofs th a t have been herself
herself m
m akes
akes the
the decisive
d e c is iv e physiol-
n h v s in l-
_____ i„
... . . .
H g 'a v e .
L o r d , give them an
different
in the m idst of grossly m aterial eternal re s t.”
urged for the im m ortality of the ogical experim ent. The ontogenetic pleasures. The im agination of each
soul, we find th at not a single one argum ent puts before us the facts believer paints tb« en d u rin g s p le n - \ ,A " y .1'" p a r,ial 8cholar w,l° *"
them is of a scientific ch aracter ; of the developm ent of the soul in dor according to his personal taste, . Ç'lu a ‘" e " "
g,'" loglcal calcul-
not a single one is consistent with the in d iv id u al; we see how the The A m erican In d ian , w hoseathan- " T ° ‘ *"“ e’ a ‘‘d has reilected on
the tru th s we have learned in the child-soul g radually unfolds its var- atism Schiller so well depicted
" ’" g 8erles of ““ ‘Hons of years
last few decades from physiological ious powers ; the youth presents tru sts to find in his P aradise the ,h<i org an ><= h ' 8‘°ry «f the earth has
psychology and the theory of de- them in full bloom, the m ature finest h u n tin g grounds with in n u m ­ occupied, must adm it th a t th ecrude
scent. The theological proof— th a t m an shows their ripe fruit; in old erable hordes of buffaloes and bears; notion of an eternal life is not a
a personal creator has breathed an age we see the gradual decay of the the Eskim o looks forward to sun* comfort, but a fearful menace, to
beHt of ,u«n. Only w ant of
im m ortal soul (generally regarded psychic powers, corresponding to tipped icebergs with an inexhaus-
as a portion of the divine soul) into the senile degeneration of the brain, tible supply of bears, seals, and C eal J '^ g n ie n t and consecutive
m an— is a pure m yth. The cosrno- The phylogenetic argum ent derives other polar anim als ; the effem inate
8 ° an di8pUle iL
logical proof—th at the “ m oral order its strength from palaeontology, Cingalese liâm es ids P aradise on
' *’*' ',e8t a,,d omet plausible
of the world*’ dem ands the eternal and the com parative anatom y and the wonderful island-paradise of ground p)r ath an a tism is found in
d u ratio n of the hum an soul— is a physiology of the brain; co-operat- Ceylon with its noble gardens and lhe boPe th a t im m ortality will re­
baseless dogma. The teleological iog with and com pleting each other, forests adding th a t there will be Ul,ile 1,8 to the beloved friends who
proof—th a t the “ higher d estin y ” these sciences prove to the h ilt that unlim ited supplies of rice and curry, bave been prem aturely taken from
of m an involves the perfecting of the hum an brain (and consequently, of cocoa nuts and other fruit, alw ays UH bï 8°me grim mischance. B et
his defective, earth ly soul beyond its function— the soul) has been at hand; the M oham m edan Arab
even this supposed good fortune
the grave— rests on a false an th ro p - evolved step by step from th a t of believes it will be a place of shady
proves to be an illusion on closer
ism. The m oral proof— th a t the the m am m al, and, still fu rth e r back,
gardens of flowers, watered bv cool in q u iry ; and in any case it would
defects and the unsatisfied desires from th a t of the lower vertebrate, springs, and filled with lovely be greatly m arred by the prospect
of earth ly existence m ust be ful-
These inquiries, which m ight be
m aidens; the C atholic fisherm an of <d meeting less agreeable acquaint-
filled by “com pensative ju stice” on supplem ented by m any other re-
Sicily looks forward to a daily anceH and the enemies who have
the other side of e te rn ity — is noth- suits of m odern science, prove the
superabundance of the most val- tr °ubled our existence here below,
ing more than a nious wish. The old doctrine of the im m ortality of
uahle fishes and the finest m acaroni, Even the closest family ties would
ethnological proof— th a t the belief the soul to be absolutely untenable;
and eternal absolution for all his inv°lve m any a difficulty. There
in im m ortality, like the belief in in the tw entieth century it will not
sins, which he can go on com m it- are fdenty of men who would gladly
God, is an innate tru th , common to be regarded as a subject of serious
ting in his eternal home; the evan- Haiirifice all the glories of Paradise
all h u m an ity — is an error in fact, scientific research, but will be left
gelical of N orth Europe longs for
b m eant the eternal companion*
The ontological proof— th a t the wholly to transcendental “ faith.”
an immense G othic ca th e d ral, in s b iP of tbeir “ better h a l f ” and
soul, being a “ simple, im m aterial The “critique of pure reason” shows
which he can c h a n t the praises of lbeir m other-in-law .
ft ¡8 more
and indivisible e n tity ,” cannot he this treasured faith to be a mere
the Lord of Hosts for all eternity. tban questionable w hether H enry
involved in the corruption of d eath _ superstition, like the belief in a
In a word, each believer really ex-
would like the prospect of
—is based on an entirely erroneous personal God which generally ac-
pects his eternal life to be a direct b v ing eternally with his six wives;
view of the psychic phenom a ; it is com panies it. Yet even today mill-
continuation of »‘is individual life or Augustus the Strong of Poland,
a sp iritu alistic fallacy. All these lions of “ believers”— not only of
on earth, only in a “ much im proved wbo bail a hundred m istresses and
and sim ilar “ proofs of a th a n a tism ” the lower, uneducated masses, but
and enlarged edition.”
three hundred and fifty-two child-
are in a parlous condition ; they are even of the most cultured classes_
We must lay special stress on the ren- As he was on good term s w ith
definitely annulled by thescientific look on this superstition as their
criticism ’ nf thu i ♦ /
i
, ...... , ....... ...... —
—
„ B lueir , thoroughly m aterialistic character the V icar of C hrist, he m ust be a R-
criticism of th e last few decades.
dearest possession and th eir most of C hristian atl.analietn, which is ’’"•'■«d »<- be ¡n Paradise, in spite of
eubiect k a d T n ,” P° rlaDCe
' he “ priCele8S ,re ‘ 8 u re ” a
there- closely connected with the absurd his sins, and in spite of the fact
n n ,in ,h le < t
t
7 ’^
to en ter more deeply dogm a of the “ resurrection of the 'h a t his mad m ilitary ventures cost
“
h l ! . Pr° ° f9 ° f " n '>’->r ‘a l 't y ” into the subject, a n d - a s s u m in g it body.” As thousands ot paintings ‘he lives of more than a hundred
a brief exposition of the sound scien­ to be tru e—to make a critical in-
of famous m asters inform uh , the thousand Saxooa.
t i f i c argum ents ag ain st it.
The q u iry into its practical value. It
bodies th a t have risen again, with
A nother (insolubledifficulty faces
physiological arg u m en t shows th a t soon becomes ap p aren t to the im-
the souls th at have been horn again, the aih an a tist when he asks in what
pnt im
I
not an independ- p artial critic th a t this value rests, walk about in heaven ju st as they atage of their individual develop-
f a 8" r t nCe’ bUt’ Hke f° r lbe m° Sl P1,rt’
fMnCy-
the! did in this vsle of tenrs; they see ">*<•» «be disem bodied souls will
I, , e lv i h ’. h l 6 r ' r g Hr anim al8’ w ant of clear judgm ent and consec- God with their eyes, they hear his "pend their eternal life. W ill th e
i a n - e ereh
E
U" ,‘t; ,a l ° ' Uti” ‘ hoU6 h ‘- . ^ ¡" my firm and ' voice with their ears, they sing new-born infant develop its psychic
* 'a r e i n s t ^
ll''c l,',n8 ’ an< these
n h v s ira l
mkUC • eterm ,oe
by
¿ a n v of t h e n t ,em i(; a l p 7 * 8f,e8 as
a n il in a t
i
u n ctl°ns,
n t
ce “
H 1°
“ WS
m en, P. h a h,8t" loft'<*l an?«.
based on the extrem ely
honest conviction th a t a d e fin ite [ hym ns to his praise with th eir lar-
, abandonm ent o f these “a th a n a tist i y n x , and so forth. In fine, the
ilIu8ions” would involve no p a in fu l, modern in h ab itan ts of the C hristian
loss, but an inestim able, positive P aradise have the sam e dual char-
' 7 hUm 8ni' y -
—
° ( b<><,y a " d ...... ’
—
-
M an’s “ em otional crav in g ” clings | g .n s of an earth lv body, as our
to the belief in im m ortality for tw o 1 ancient ancestors had in O din’s
t
powers in heaven under the sam e
hard conditions of the “ struggle for
Kfe” which educate men here on
e a r th ? Will the talented youth
Wh" Ka"
i0 th - " “
Concluded on Page 5.