RESURGAM

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21797, 1 June 1936, Page 6

RESURGAM

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. SirAs immortality is the most interesting of all intellectual speculations. I would not think it wisdom on my part if I divulged my private address to the amiable and versatile Peter Trolove. He may have my opinion of spiritualism here and now. He hit at the very core of spiritualism when he mentioned it as a cancer. It is indeed a cancer, an eye-sore, which will, before long, be relegated to the eternal darkness of oblivion. It does not help us one iota. Nor does it hold out the slightest prospect for this life or for the joys of immortality. Spiritualism smothers and stunts reason. Everything in connexion with it is disorder, confusion and ridicule. It is a caricature of Christianity. Spiritualism is but a forcing of one’s mental faculties or a dangerous straining of the imagination. It is like faith, so uncertain an arm to lean upon that the slightest act of nature will break it down. Like my amiable and indefatigable friend, Peter Trolove, I would require a whole column to scarify all the weeds out of spiritualism. There are some systems of religion which if sent to a laundry would be returned in a very threadbare condition. The scarifying, rubbing, and scrubbing would remove so much undesirable material that very little of the original article would remain. Immortality is analogous to instinct. It tells us, in conjunction with reason, in clear, and unmistakeable language, in the sweetest and most encouraging tones, to keep closely to her wise and humane teacliing. Had humanity; done this thousands- of years

ago, there would not have been the torturing, burning, and bloodshedding which almost every page of history, both sacred and profane, is blighted with. Humanity is in such a steady state of progression that it will not be long before all religious beliefs will be put upon our library shelves as Intellectual errors, which existed during the period known as the Christian period. To stop where we are is impossible. We must advance. We see a hopeful improvement taking place In every form of our national life, politically, commercially and socially. Immortality is a great preceptor. It teaches us to think right, speak right, and to act right. It teaches us to avoid all disasters between nation and nation, to help forward an eternal millennium without the help of a ridiculous and vanishing religion. Immortality walk? hand in hand with instinct, a natural disposition prior to experience, and independent of instruction. Both lead us unerringly to what is right. While Instinct provides us with the three chief commodities, immortality leads us gently on to a noble and higher plane of living. Immortality brings us all to a sure level, whether we are saints or sinners, kings or peasants. We shall all pass into that state of immortality as one man, as humanity.— Yours, etc.. W. MOSDELL. to tu im-Toa or m rxxaa. Sir, —In a very interesting letter on the question of immortality appearing on this page a few days ago, Mr W.

Mosdell makes the following dogmatic statements; “Neither are we gifted to know anything from what is falsely called ‘revealed religion.’ for there is no such thing. If anyone thinks he has a knowledge of anything revealed, let him read Bacon's ‘Novum Organum,’ and he will be quickly brought to his senses.” Passing over for the moment his unsupported denial of the existence of “revealed religion,” I should like to point out that his second statement quoted is, to me at least, a very curious one. I notice that he does not quote or refer to any particular passage in the "Novum Organum.” With your permission I should like to cite a few sentences from the same writer giving In very definite terms-his opinions on the subject of knowledge, revegled and ex-

perimentally attained. First, from the preface to the “Great Instauration": "We likewise humbly beseech Him ... that nothing of Incredulity or blindness towards divine mysteries may arise; but rather that the imagination, now cleared up, and purged of all vanity and superstition, may remain entirely subject to the divine oracles, and yield to faith the things that are faith’s.” Second, from “The Advancement of Leaming’’: ‘‘Our Saviour saith, ‘You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God’; laying before us two books or volumes to study, if we will be secured from error; first the Scriptures* revealing the will of God;

and then the creatures expressing His power: whereof the latter is a key unto tire former.” Again, from the same source: “The Third (limitation of science is) that we do not presume by the contemplation of nature to attain to the mysteries of God. . . If any man shall think by view and enquiry into these sensible and material things to attain that light, whereby he may reveal unto himself the nature or will of God, then indeed is he spoiled by vain philosophy. . . Hence it is true, that it hath proceeded, that divers great learned men have been heretical, whilst they have sought to fly up to the secrets of the Deity by the waxen wings of the senses.” Hence I find Mr Mosdell’s reference to Francis Bacon as an opponent of the conception of “revealed religion” somewhat mystifying. I should like Mr Mosdell to note particularly the way Bacon uses the words “revealed,” "the mysteries of God,” “the oracles of God,” and his reverent and favourable references to the Scriptures—just the opposite of what your correspondent would have us believe was the famous philosopher’s attitude. I have not, as yet, mentioned my own position in the matter, but perhaps it would be as well to do so, in order that Mr Mosdell apd others may know in what direction my bias lies. My attitude to both experimental science and revelation approximates to that of Bacon, especially in the following conclusion of his: “Therefore let no man, upon a weak

conceit of sobriety or an ill-applied moderation, think or maintain, that a man can search too far, or be too well studied in the book of God’s word, or in the book of God’s works; . . . but rather let men endeavour an endless progress, or proficience, in both,” with this limitation in respect of the material side, “that we do not so place our felicity in knowledge, as we forget our mortality.” If a tenth of much energy and time were devoted to a study of the Scriptures of truth as is at present absorbed in the pursuit of material knowledge, the world would undergo a transformation unparalleled in its history.— Yours, etc., B. W. COLLINS, May 30, 1936.

TO TBS EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir,—-In his letter under the above heading, Mr W. Mosdell discusses a Subject that is of interest to all. Eternity (endless time), and space (endless distance) are infinite, and man’s mind being finite cannot grasp them, though we speak glibly abous them. That man, retaining the consciousness of the individual, is immortal 1 do not believe. To me, it seems that all movement, whether of the heavenly bodies, or that of the smallest atom, the lightning flash, the volcano, the growth of a blade of grass, the life of an animal, our own thoughts and emotions, are all one energy, manifesting Itself in different-

forms, just as electricity developed at Coleridge, and sent to the city, perhaps to one building, can be found manifesting itself in heat, light, and power. It would appear that when man dies, the energy which gave life to his body and mind returns whence it came. From what we know, no primitive people have any conception of a beneficient God. Such conception only appears in civilised man, but all primitive people have their malevolent God, or Gods, and the former is the offspring of the latter. In the animal world every animal, however strong, must be on the alert, to protect itself from others, and this is tKe foundation of man’s belief in supernatural beings. In his earlier existence, and over a very long period, man had the usual animal fear of others. When he became supreme in the animal world, he still found that he was liable to disaster from many natural causes. This, like his earlier dread of other animals, had its origin in something visible and real, .He came to the conclusion that some real individual, who had the quality of invisibility, was the cause of his falling over a cliff, being struck by lightning, or what-not. I think the God of today can be traced in His development from such beginnings. Mr Mosdell says “we cannot know anything beyond nature,” and explains immortality as “desire,” that is, desire to live. That this desire is universal is quite true, but if we accept this as proof of immortality, we must concede immortality to all animals and plants. An observance of the sagacity and morality of plants will and does reveal this “desire” to be as strong in plants as in ourselves. That spiritualism can give no proof of immortality is, of course, true; as it appears to me, the messages from the beyond do not come from there. To use an analogy from nature, with a receiving wireless set, one can tune in to transmitting stations of varying wave lengths. In the same way, one’s mind can be attuned to pick up thoughts of other minds. We can see this in action, in the panic of a mob, or other popular emotion. When one rises from one’s knees (after engaging in prayer) feeling ease and comfort Of mind, what has happened is that one’s‘mind has been attuned to receive thoughts of a certain kind. One has accordingly received the energy desired, as tne thoughts had that particular energy’s wave-length.—-Yours, etc., GEO. SAGE. May 30. 1036.