"What a wonderful world this is! What writer of fiction could draw upon
his imagination for anything to compare with this extraordinary freak of
nature?" soliloquized I, arising and taking a seat opposite Arletta and
staring at her in amazement.
"There is no such thing as a freak of nature," corrected Arletta, "the
utmost reason prevails for all of her acts; but the simplest of nature's
laws appears complex and incomprehensible to the Apeman, who merely uses
his brain as an organ for self-gratification instead of an instrument to
grasp natural laws for which purpose it is intended. And therefore,
while your famous Apemen stunt the growth of the brain by misusing it
for the base purpose of accumulating individual wealth, our great men
utilized their brains to receive, understand and operate the wise laws
established by nature for the equal benefit and betterment of all
mankind. And therein lies the chief difference between the piece of
human machinery your soul now occupies and that which it once directed
over four thousand years ago. Behold," said she, dramatically pointing
at the director of the band, "that you were," and then casting her eyes
upon me, "that you are. Does your mind lack the strength to fully
appreciate the magnificent lesson nature has forced upon you, and which,
no doubt, stands unparalleled in the history of your species?
"Oh, if each little Apeman could only be made to understand, that the
present body is but one little installment of the innumerable lives his
soul has to preside over, and that the rich and powerful today may be
the weak and lowly tomorrow, he would begin at once to treat all living
things with equal kindness and sympathy. If he could only realize that
the dog he kicks, the horse he mistreats, or the poor mental or physical
weakling he takes advantage of might possibly be impelled by the same
soul that moved the form of his deceased father, mother, or offspring,
his selfishness and cruelty would vanish forever. If he could only
comprehend that the soul suffers as well as the flesh it stimulates, and
that it must naturally continue to do so, more or less, until every
particle of living matter has been cleansed and remoulded into the
highest type of earthly being, he would strive to reach perfection
himself and urge others to do likewise. For all terrestrial life must go
up or down together; a moment of selfish pleasure now, means an age of
suffering and torment in the future. Such are the immutable laws of
nature. And these laws must be obeyed before mankind can climb the
ladder of greatness.
"It sometimes appears as if Natural Law works very slowly before
reaching a given point, but there is always a reason for every one of
its movements. While apparently incomprehensible, still it was in
accordance with an eternal law, that you were sent back here again after
an interim of over tour thousand years. My soul, which had been held a
captive during all that time, might have remained here for millions of
years had you not come back to release it from its peculiar bondage. But
you did return, and nature thereby demonstrated that it never forgets
anything, from the workings of the great living things of which the
suns, moons and planets are but mere organs, down to the minutest
microbe of the microbe. So you can readily perceive that at least two of
the bodies which your soul has inhabited were chosen to perform great
services for the human race. First, by a natural course of instruction,
you proved to the Sagemen over four thousand years ago that the soul was
indestructible. And now, through a mysterious operation of nature you
are brought back here in an inferior organism and have had a positive
manifestation of the identical principle thus established, in order that
you might resurrect and make known to all mankind the unalterable truth--
Natural Law. Do you not feel highly honored to be called upon twice for
such grand missions?"
"But I cannot understand," said I, "why nature, after having allowed the
Sagemen to reach such a state of physical, mental and moral superiority,
should destroy them just when they had reached the threshold of
success."
"Nature did not destroy the Sagemen," replied Arletta, "they
extinguished themselves in making an effort to accomplish something
beyond their powers. They tried to operate a law with which they had not
become sufficiently familiar to insure success. If one of your little
Apemen experiments with steam or dynamite and is blown to atoms, that is
his own fault, not nature's.
"For a thousand years the Sagemen had made remarkable progress along
scientific lines. They had mastered themselves, and had learned to think
both individually and collectively; and also to properly distribute and
enjoy the products of their combined efforts. They had acquired a
thorough knowledge of the particles of which the earth is composed, and
had secured control of the atmosphere that surrounds it. They had
harnessed the chemical properties of the sun after reaching the earth,
and had gained possession of many other valuable utilities by following
the course of Natural Law, but when they undertook to regulate the
earth's path in space they simply over-stepped the confines of their
abilities and failed. That was one of nature's laws they were not
thoroughly acquainted with. However, as it requires many drawbacks to
achieve extraordinary success in all things, humanity should not be
discouraged over this failure, but gradually work its way up again until
it has not only reached, but surpassed the high standard of excellence
attained by the Sagemen.
"In the great stretch called time, the length of one little human
existence is but a mere fraction of a moment. Therefore, one should
devote his best efforts during that brief period, to making better the
conditions of the place in which he has to spend many lives, for,
according to what he has done in one life, so must he contend with in
the next. If, while possessing physical and mental strength in one body,
he assists in upholding a corrupt social system which takes from the
weak and gives to the strong, he must expect these same conditions to
exist when he returns as a weakling. For as long as hogs are bred and
slaughtered, so must he take his chances of being one of them. How much
better to help mankind seek a higher plane of intelligence, in which
equality would be a reality, thus firmly cementing the tie of sympathy
and love between all living things. In this case he would have no fear
concerning his chances upon the next visit, no matter in what form he
might appear. And how much better to carry on the work of decreasing the
birth of the lower animals and increasing the numbers and quality of the
higher species, until there was nothing left on earth but the very best
type of human beings for all souls to inhabit.
"Natural Law is very easily understood if the mind is properly directed
toward it. Great thoughts are easily conveyed from one to another after
the strong intellects have conceived them. Nature itself is simply the
principle of the utilization of creative life. This principle plainly
shows an evolutionary tendency of all living particles toward a final
state of complete intelligence. This intelligence is absorbed by the
mind. The mind itself is expanded in proportion to the quantity it takes
in, and is capable of directing it for either good or evil purposes. The
difference between good and evil is merely that between unselfishness
and selfishness. Owing to its immature growth, the mind has a tendency
to use the intelligence it acquires for selfish ends. And here is where
the soul or conscience has its work to perform, in trying to direct it
into good channels.
"Intelligence means the ability to think, or understand the thoughts
conceived by others. The most intelligent mind will listen to the soul,
and use the thought as an unselfish medium with which to aid others. The
poorly developed brain stifles the pleadings of the conscience and
utilizes it as a selfish weapon to secure the power to take from others.
The battle of existence is constantly carried on between selfishness,
which is bred from the very lowest form of intelligence, and
unselfishness, which represents the very highest state of mentality. A
well-balanced mind wants all men to enjoy equal rights and opportunities
in common with one another, affording each a chance to rise as high as
his capabilities will permit. For the more intelligent beings there are
in existence, the better for all concerned. If you want to eradicate
disease, you must stamp out the conditions that breed it. Before you can
reach the highest form of intelligence, you must exterminate the causes
which create selfishness. And he who labors to improve others,
unconsciously produces better conditions for himself."