APRIL ll 151|. _ i / il .»f.._,,,iU t - . o I \ », 1- -, H, Y v _ X A » . .te THE CI-IARLOTTETOWN GUARDIAN . 5 ~- -95% ss* wer .R I 4 q ,J "dl .SNA _ if ` " A f@¢£` tt- ti, . fl r 1315 ~'»'-'»"*"-».‘!~"?~.' /._ .r»°-- it *_ E.-?1;'~,15i`§`V"_{ - . 511,.; *_`____“ *_ _§,\ __"\ 5,@*~’¢% »; ¢iie¥¢¥¢¥¢¢I¢¥¢2I¢¢?¢=llti=tilt¥¢ilHI¢=Y¢¢il¢¥¢§tli&ll+='f=': sry:;¢i1i<.='¢q¢f‘¢sq<-z¢>;¢¢f¢:“;n~:I¢te»~:'=-.'- -‘ =‘»"i¢t'¢¥¢v¢=‘¢% ~ FE By H. J. Marshall. The German appears to be not merely without reverence for the past, but also without hope for tha future. in his blind rage he has destroyed in the Gothic cathedrals and churches ei’ Franco and Belgium some oi’ the nobl- est monuments wrought in stone of man`a hope oi’ immortality( No one can look on these buildings without feeling ti sense ol’ the rever- ence and hope which inspired the great mediuival builders. They are enduring witnesses oi' the victory of the spiridial over the 1_1\aterial._of u faith which triuniplis over death. \\'a4see the some intense earnest long- ing for immortality' in the many cliuntry ehwpcls in our own country, where tho- iliuss was c~onstantly oti'cr~ erl on behalf of those al rest. and the duty taught ot remembrance of the faithful departed. ~ it ie much to be rtvgrotted that the Reformers. in their feur oi’ the Roman teaching of purgatory, should have swept away the whole of this beautl~ ful side of Christian teaching, with its two fruitful ideas: the close con- nection between this life and the next und the sense of mutual help that the one may still afford the other. Little that is helpful on this teach- ing_uf immortality iiais come to us since the Reformation until almost within our own lifetime. Maurice. Kingsley, above all Drowning -- so extraordinarily in advance of his time-revived again the interest in immortality, and mario it a "reason- able hope." The hope oi imtnortulity toduy is above all reasonable. The idea of a sudden launching of H10, soul into an tcrnal doom. or into it ,cnddcn splendour of bliss for which it is totally unprepared, has 'Bolle Tl'0l1l us. Our conception of a. future lift* is more vague and defined less und less in material terms, and therefore more consonant with what we know. "it doin not yet ttaiieai' With! W” shall be." _ Where all is uncertain, "seen in tl mirror darkly." we may Yet <'°“l°°" are that ure as‘be.ig closely tv"- rccted with tho pr ismi; as cl.~>'i- as n :lower to the bud. For in thiultiilli of eternity we mast ukc one sem ni. a time. or the mind becomes bewil- ,wl-.,d'-aud no-ll rather on duality lliun duration; as we '.-ulzie life not by lci:<.th of day-i, but by £110 hulllhl 'lim ‘,_. ,.cm.|,cd in 31, aiioitcd time. .lowctt writes in ‘tis introduction to the “l’hacdo": "First of .ill 'here is the tn.' l'0UU'l Uf 5"' ties-seine", cnlidhite. innilltcted bl' the world: when thweye WHS Milli” and the wholg body seemed to be hill oi' light: when the mlihi was C109! uno t-uw int: the _.~'i.f_" --l 0' Wi!- 'l .if\\|iy. we may thin‘\ of ihe.n us trio- >.,r:~.<.st-tl bl' H H0111 10"" '97 Gm "ml man, working out l-its will at a. (ur- ther stage in the divine i'lll8rlmu8¢~ And yet we acknowledge that these are the things which eye hath |101 seen nor car heard and therefore if hllth not entered into the h+‘lll’l Uf i ' _ _ ` ' -.` 1. , 1 'V~.._\¢.;f:_*lff‘"fg uv. "Phi . ,iq -`;i_,.:h'.w_itil__l.¢ H/ .ll.‘.`l_\`_ Q _;’ ` _, .__..., .__ V- ___...._. . __-_. __ _ , f /_ #3 iT`\ i :T` - 72" V H.,.=._-_n_.,, /-~ -1;_ _ ("~ ' " ,a 1 _ ai L-,t PAGE NE lf ’ man in any sensible manner to con- ceive them. Fourthly, there may have been some nioinents in our own lives when we have risen above our- selves. or be_en conscious of our truer selves, in which the will of God has superseded our wills. . . . . These precious moments, if we have ever known them, are the nearest ap- proach which we can make to the idea oi immortality." We may believe, moreover, that no true link is snapped: our prayers are as valid, as helpful to their welfare now, as agreeable to the ‘Divine Will as when they were at our side or across the sea. and their prayers may even now be sending u-ii help und strength unsougbt. Theiw there is u conception of probation, of growth and development. conceivably' tbrouixh ulihllliihcred ages, under a rule of Perfect fWiudon1, i'ort'o-ct Love: which begins with a holiness 'wiiich"Myers' defines as "u joy too high as yet i`or our enjoyment, a wistioni just beyond our learning, a rapture of love which we still strive to attain." This lilo is realized to be a hind of apprentice ship: "llere work enough to which ’lhc lllusiei .-.-<.i~k , und catch Hints \_ the pinp;-r craft. lri in of the lofi: lrut. pl:i_r.'° Tn Platt: ii-im:\»:ti-ilii;.' 'wus .2 coilliuu- ous growth in kiiowi.srl~5'.\ inr.--.lrh sie|~\.i<'- liven until the noni is at- tained. in the "l'h'icdo" i»e \vi~.'.--:»; "the ar--l wires nothing with li-:r _ except ber educatin..." Slum St. Paul and Plato both agree that it is the invisible which alone is real, and the vlslhi-;~-all wi nee ot tciieh-shall change und pass :lw.=._v. for them earth hi fill: t.'i'cnll'. l10i|\'¢.‘i| 1-l-ne the iie-‘.1{t.y: '.\ll We h,-*fe willed. of hoped. or dreamed of good shall exist; .Lt-i |18 semblance. but itself." Et. when wo think ot the mer. Awlio lin* ti gone truth us. it is no linuertlie features we loved. er the bands we clasped. that wo thi-.ik of now, but oi’ their dauutleso souls. their hope and faith that never v.jrvci'cd, their cour- age that at the last supreme moment conquered death. 'To auch we uiuy apply I’o_mpiiiu's words: “Through such soul.; alone. “God stooping, shows auilicient of ills light. For us l' the dark to rise hy. And i rise." * Thus death become# n. passing from a world of sbadow~yto the supreme reality. i am not -_ture that Ilrown~ ing would strictly lrold tliat- “Llie. with all,it yields of Joy and woe. l§‘iust our chance o' the prize nf learning' love~- liow love might be, hath been indeed. and is," But. rather, us Pluto teaches us.and Plotiaua. and Bt.._Augulstinc after him. that there is u ladder or ascent oi' the soul in love as in all beauti- ful, eternal things. passing from bod- ily lo spiritual. and from nplrituul to §\ ~\_J. . C"§;~;i?r€\ ` 2 ~§_,_q iiiiri””iiii§”`iii§§iiiTifsli“tii“iliiiiiiiiiiiiiéiiiiii Divine, wiiere uionii we possess lt in its reality. So that if we were ask ed, Shall we possess those we love again? we. might zinsvlrer, Not as on earth. but infinitely more. \‘_Vitli Plato the soul is ever passionately striving towards perfection, as an object of censelesa aspiration und de- sire. Diotiinn says in the -Symposi- um: “lic who has been thus far ln- l~'ti‘ucted in Loves mysteries. _ . . on approaching the end of his initiation. will suddenly descigv :i wondrous Beauty. even that for the sale of which ali his foriner tolls; were un» tlertaken. . . , ever-existcnt_ uncreut» ed, iinperisliable. knowint: neither iu~ crease nor decay. _ . in this commu- nion only will it be possible for :i innu. bolioldlui.: thc i-it-autiiul. . . to begat. not images of virtue, but the realities. . _ and. having begotten #nd nourished lruo virtue, to become it friend of God :md attain to iniinorftai» ity, if over mortal has attained." ilerc in the divine element in man. for Plato, lay the real ground for hope-: "We are an heavenly, not an carliil.\' plant." For ol‘ proof there ie none. it rests finally on our iaith in tied :intl God's izoodncss. "lf," writes Myers, "death be rt-ally :i. sheer trun- cation ot' moral pi'ogreJ~;s, absolute alike for the individual and for the |~.ace_ then any human conception ot' ai moral universe must be given up. We are shui i_h 'land-locked pools; Will' speak to us of an infinite sea?" it seems to come liy intuition rather than by reason-to be spiritually ra- ther than mentaily discerned. “lt came to me," says Socrates, "apart from demonstration. with u kind of likelihood or fitness." And, comment- ing on these words. Patcr arlds: "lt is one of tlioso coiivicilons wliieii await stronger, bei.lcr argiliuelxts than arc forthcoming, but will wait. for them with uniailing patience." Still we may believe there is good g'l'ou|1d for the words oi' one ot the Calrds to his brother: "immortalityl if not. something better. if better there can be." it is a hope that has been held for immemorial years by the best and wisest oi' our race. which has Klvon life its surpassing voiue, which solves all iii`e`s riddles and opens all its treasure houses. it rests flnully on the words oi’ One, and they are few words and t‘ni‘ei"ully chosen, nnii my little. Wiint evidence imve we that shall give tluist- words. so grcut u value as to hold up alone this ire incndous weight nf 'n world's ll0l>07 it would seem that the Divine Prn- vltlence has willed that man's lust uct on earth. the surrendering oi his soul into._the ,hands _,cf its lll=t,lt.»l'. shall, alike for the wisest and n1ui~;t ignorant, bill for the strong und the weak. ho nn ni-.t oi' childlike trust. lt seems almost strange to us thai. with su many missing hence. in the iulneiui of their powers and stron:-1 love of lite, none should have been permitted to send buck any niessage ol comfort or of hope. That all is well with tiiem we are assured. "Even now," we may believe with .§tiyers. “our loving memory-love is itself it prayer-supports and strengtlioiis those delivered souls upon their up- ward way." And since. tn quote lilni oncomore. "it is the soul in man _which iinlts him to other souls. tin- hody which diesevers even when ii scelml to unite." \\‘t~ are not severetl _, //I".|", Z I as ' “ , \ _<°`~L. _ ng J ,` / T l ` ` l (r"/ ${‘___*‘ _Q \ ~ ,Q \ \\ \ \ > »_y .`. .wi 'A' W ~--~~»~~ ' , ,iff 2.4, . - il ...i .ii if qi / ‘\~/\f‘/";l -mlb - k’/{*».»f \/"\/"v~\/--\. _I >c {' ‘ \ < ,_ ip "\ `§.;\f\éL ";HQ}if\‘,';"'\_.\~.,fTx-/ \ , __.,_¢¢f‘“” , _ / - pi-na..- -» ‘At ' I leaf `§‘,W l. in ~ --/ _ ,L_ si?-°="- it i ~_»"-.=_'-';__.,_~_._: ,Aff I Mg _ ` \,'i -..-fi-M; -- » I. I .-'I ~- I I \`\‘.\ ati' til lliffn .tt J . i iii" i' 3; i ` iiiiiiwiiifriiéi ”i“'Fiiiiiii`”l”i”b‘h”f ”li"ii§iEi“”“i panacea#eeueeeeeeneenenmeeeeevuwenweneewnew#ensues , it is ao iiiifereiil from other uiorn- iuza~alwe.vs. \viict'|`i‘cr inncuill er. lllliwrllls snow is still in the air or the soft, sweet l>i~c-ezes and sliining sun have culled out the crocuses on the layvn. On Cliristlnas one awaken with u. sense of anticipation. The excited wlilspers of the cliildren, the glad bells in the churclies, the long stretches of glistening uiiitoiiess und the merry greetings iiulkp un atinospliei-n ot' joy, On Easter uiorniiig there is silence. Tile world reenis hushed, breatlilesu. waiting oven as centuries ago it wait- ed. fearful lest aft.-r ull God rind man Should iuil in the supi'r‘t1ic iiioinent ol' testing. when iloalli and i,ift- strutt- Kietl togctiier in ii ioinb in lii,. garden. in those curly liotlrs ot' l