Page:Dealings with the dead.djvu/201

 And now the question is asked me: "What constitutes the ego: what is the man?" The answer is: Soul is a thing sui generis, and unique. Sight, taste, and the senses generally, are some of its properties; reflection, reason, and fancy are a few of its qualities;—judgment its prerogative;—physical scenes its theatre;—earthly experience its school;—and the second life its university, whence it will graduate to—what? This shall bye-and-bye be answered. Time is but one of a vast multitude of other phases of existence, through which it yet must pass. We know something about its propensities, powers, methods and qualities; but only a very little about the soul itself. We realize somewhat of its accidents and incidents, and not much else beside. Most assuredly, modern "Spiritualism" has not added much to our knowledge; it may do so in the future, but some of us do not like to wait. The human being may be likened unto a circular avenue, divided by a central wall, which separates the known from the unknown. We begin at the centre of this wall, our conscious point, and look toward the outer edge of the circle; we see one hemisphere, and one only. What pertains to the other hemisphere,—the one behind this conscious point? Make the trial to ascertain what lies on the thither side; seek to fathom the soul within you, and what results? Why the wall is reached, nothing more; you strike it, think it, feel of it, but cannot recede from nor look behind yourself. But that there is a greater mystery behind than the one before you is proved by the fact that your entire being is but the result of an infinite, propulsive power, which whirled you into being, but will never hurl you out.