LIFE HEREAFTER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2364, 21 January 1915, Page 7

LIFE HEREAFTER

REMARKABLE ADDRESS BY SIR OLIVER LODGE

A striking address on the subjeot of science and religion was delivered by Sir Oliver Lodge at Walworth in November last. ■

"We all know," Sir Oliver Lodgo eaid, "that there are powers of good and powers of evil. Wc are fighting them at the present time. Why are wo fighting? This is the holiest war that we'were ever engaged in because the powers of evil are loose, and becaußo thero is spiritual wickedness in nigh places, and in fighting them wo are agents of good._ it is a holy war. What is the- doctrine opposed to us? That there is nothing higher than the State, that the State is the summit of everything, and that the State is entitled to do whatever it pleases if it is conducive to its benefit. No moral law, no existence higher than a powerful State. Well, that is practical Athoism, that is what we are at war with. If the world ever came under such domination as that life would not be worth I livinj>. In literal truth it would be far better to die than to live under such domination as that. We know there is a moral government of the world; we know there are high ideals. We know how splendidly our troops are behaving. Our troops could not do the things they have done with those beliefs forced upon them under thiskind of coercion and falsity of belief. We are sometimes told of tho importance of right belief and the condemnation that follows wrong belief. • But there is great truth in this, and we 666 it going on now. Right belief Kives you strength, dotormiiiation, and energy, and such vigour that you are irresistible, and cannot be overcome. The other belief must succumb. The powers of God are stronger than the powers of evil. M'e are not the only agents of the Deity, but we are agents, and our help is wanted, in resisting forces of evil. When free will ' was granted to creatures they had tho power of doing; wrong as well as the power of doing right. We have the power to help, and we have the power to hinder the process of development. A. great deal of the government of this planet was handed over to man, and if he does not do things they are not done. There are many things we can do, and many things which we cannot do. •those we can do wo are now fortunately trying to do with all our might, and the. spiritual and material interact, i'hey are not far apart, they are much closer than we think. Mind and consciousness are not limited to the brain. A.n extraordinary doctrine people have is that the brain is your mind. Why do they say that? Because if you destroy tho brain your mind appears to go. But what goes? Not your mind. I'our consciousness is still there, but it can no longer manifest itself. It has lost its power of manifestation. The brain is the organ of mind, but if we destroy tho body we do not get at tho soul. The soul wields the body. Why do you do things? Way do you go to tho front? Because you have made up your mind. Your mind works your body, not vico versa; and once your realise that consciousness is something greater, something outside tho particular mechanism that it makes use of. you will understand that survival or existence is natural. It is the simplest thing. It is unreasonable that the soul should jump out of existence when the body is destroyed. Conversations with Spirits. We ourselves are not limited to the •few? yearn that .'wo live .oii the earth; we shall go on without it. Wo shall certainly continue to exist. Why do I say that? I sa yit on definite scientific Bay that? It say it on definite scientifio certain friends of mine still exist, because 1 have talked with them. Communication is possible. One must obey the laws; one must find out the conditions. I do not say it is easy, but it is possible, and I have conversed with them as I might converso with anyone in this audience this day: Being scientific men they have given proofs that It is-really- they, not some personation, not something emanating frca myself. Some of those proofs are being published; many more will have to he withheld for a time, but will be ultimately published. But I tell you with all the strength of conviction I can muster that the fact is so, that we can still exist, that people take an interest in what Is going on, and know far more about things than wo do, and Bre able from time to time to communicate I know that is a tremendous conclusion. I do not think any one of us realises how great a conclusion it is. You know very well that it is. not I only, but other scientific me:i think the' same, tnd you know there are many scientific men who do not think the same. There are many who have not yet investigated. It.is riot for everybody to investigate, but if a person gives 30 or 40 years of his life to investigate this thing, he is entitled to state the result that he has arrived at. You must have evidence, of course, and the evidence is recorded in the volumes of a scientific society such as we have got, and there will be much more evidence. The evidence is not a matter for casual conversation; it is a matter for serious study. It may take you some years to agree with the conclusions, but there is no hurry. But those who have given most attention to it have gradually in the process of many years come to tho belief that the proof is now becoming crucial. I have no doubt whatever about it now, though for many years—ever' since the 80's—I have all sorts of other methods'of explaining these things until gradually they have been eliminated one after another and now no other method remains except the simple one that the people who iwmmunicato are the people they represent themselves to be. Survival of existence is scientifically proved by careful scientifio investigation, and that of itself leads us t4 the perception of a unity running through all states of existence. That is why I say man is not alone, that is why I soy I know he is surrounded by other intelligences, and if you once step over the boundary you must see there is no limit to the higher and higher intelligence until you come to God. But it is no strango land to which lam leading you. Tho cosmos is one. We here on this planet are' limited in certain ways, and are blind to much that is going on, but I tell you wo are surrounded by heings working with us, co-oper.vtinj, h'elpicg, such ns people in visions have had some perception of,_ and that which religion tells us that saints and angels aTe with ns, that the Master Himself is helping us is, I believe, literally true."