It is no spirit who from heaven hath flown
And is descending on his embassy;
Nor traveler gone from earth the heaven t'espy!
'Tis Hesperus--there he stands with glittering crown,
First admonition that the sun is down,--
For yet it is broad daylight!--clouds pass by;
A few are near him still--and now the sky,
He hath it to himself--'tis all his own.
O most ambitious star! an inquest wrought
Within me when I recognized thy light;
A moment I was startled at the sight;
And, while I gazed, there came to me a thought
That even I beyond my natural race
Might step as thou dost now:--might one day trace
Some ground not mine; and, strong her strength above,
My soul, an apparition in the place,
Tread there, with steps that no one shall reprove!
--Wordsworth.
I
_THE SOUL_
Subjects which a few years ago were regarded as the exclusive property
of cultured thinkers, are now common themes of thought and conversation.
Psychology has been popularized. Materialistic doctrines are at a
discount even in this age of physical science.
It is difficult to explain the somewhat sudden appearance of intense
interest in questions which have to do with the life of the spirit; but,
whatever the theory of its genesis, there is no doubt of its presence.
This, therefore, is a favorable time for a somewhat extended study of
the stages through which we pass in our spiritual growth. I shall
endeavor to use the inductive method in this inquiry, and trust that I
am not presumptuous in giving to these essays the title,