Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 146, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1918 — THE RETURN [ARTICLE]

THE RETURN

By TOM MASSON.

(Copyright, 1918, by Western Newspaper Union.) Two souls were together in space. Space is a particular combination of unconsciousness not bounded by a horizon. A soul is an idea. When anyone knows what it is, then it is not, and when anyone doesn’t know, then we don’t know whether it is or not. And this is simply by way of explanation. Said one soul to the other: “I’m tired —tired of drifting—tired of doing nothing.” “Get bom,” said the other soul. “It’s amusing and exciting and interesting. It has a certain charm of novelty. See life.” “But,” said the first soul, “suppose I don’t like it; suppose I can’t do as I please; suppose I am the victim of circumstances —what then?” “Get bora,” persisted the first soul again. “I’ll stay here and keep tab on you. Get born, and when you want a change, just ask me. I’ll be your guardian.” “How shall I know you? When lam in that condition I may not be conscious of you.” “That’s easy. You will not have to be directly conscious. Don’t fear. I’ll be here. When you want a thing, ask for Jt. I’ll give it to you. Com* now, be off. Here’s the old world passing by.” So the earth soul was born. And at the end of a certain time he said, half to himself, “I want to be a Christian.” And he became a Christian. He humbled himself in the dust, he forgave his enemies, he forswore the world, the flesh and the devil. Then he said to his mind: “Oh mind, what is the matter with you? You are restless.” And the mind said: “Yes, I am restless. I must know things. To be consistent is the penalty of the unimaginative. Besides, if you don’t know all the arguments against your faith how can you fight for it?” “I never thought of that,” said the soul. And at the end of a certain time he said, half to himself: “Make me an atheist.” And he became an atheist. From belief he drifted to doubt, from doubt to agnosticism, from agnosticism to cynicism, from cynicism to raillery, from raillery to asceticism, from asceticism to stoicism. And then he said to the mind: “Oh mind, what have you been doing to me?” And the mind replied: “We are but seeking the truth. The phases you have been through are merely incidental; all the time you have been getting nearer the goal. Are you not more truly moral than you were? Do you not perceive that these processes of ratiocination are leading you to higher altitudes?” “I perceive nothing of the sort,” said the soul, “in just the way you have tried to teach me. But I confess that through your negative methods I have gained some ground, for now I know this: That character is three-fourths of life, and as for you, O mind, you are a shadow, only good for what you omit.” , And so again at the end of a certain time the soul whispered half to himself: “Make me a philosopher.” And he became a philosopher. Then he said to the mind: “Oh mind, allow me to take back what I said. I perceive now that you indeed are the only reality. Nothing exis’tS' except as it exists in you. What I have hitherto regarded as pleasure a'nd pain are merely subjective conditions and have no form or substance except as they exist in you. And now lam satisfied. Having discovered the limit of all things, I am content to go. Let me therefore leave this world even as I came into it.” *♦♦♦**♦ “Well, well,” said the gsiaroian soul, shaking him rather roughly, ‘ bow lid you enjoy yourself?” “It was marvelous,” said the other, rubbing his eyes. “A phantasmagoria of emotions, meetings, greetings and fleetings, loves, hates, envies, and ecstasies. Dear me, I shall have enough to think about for a long time to come.- Ailil now—be honest with me—where have I really been?” His companion smiled sympathetically. "Just dreaming,” he said.