PRIVILEGE OF EXISTENCE

Evening Star, Issue 20053, 19 December 1928, Page 17

PRIVILEGE OF EXISTENCE

SIR 0. LODGE'S ADDRESS During the meeting of the British Association in Glasgow sermons dealing with the relations of religion and science were do' livered in nearly all the churches. Preaching at the Wellington United Free Church, Sir Oliver Lodge said: “To the question What is the object of life? the answer is beginning to appear. It is to form a character which shall continue and which shall be worth living with, to realise the intrinsic value of life and existence, and to train ourselves by meeting difficulties ana obstacles. It is a most.solemn thought, but I believe it . to be true-that we cannot go out of existence, even if we want te. . In some sense wo must have been in before we became men and women, but not. as - personalities, and existing only in some vague way that ,we do not understand. -Un this earth we have become associated with matter; we have put on art animated system of particles. It is’ strange that we have been able to form. bodies out or the food wo eat. After all, that same bind of food would', have made a chicken or a pig. It is the animating principle- in us that has performed the miracle. .The material body goes back tq xhe-earth while we . ourselves, as souls or spirits.,or ..identities or whatever you choose to cull them, continue, Ihe per* sohaiity has been' associated ' with matter for a time And then goes on. without .it. But the character we' have formed here will continue with us for ,ever, though,.of colirso, 'we shall at .the same time develop and pro-, 'gress. Our life is an. opportunity ,of constructing Character. Existence is - a privilege. . . e cie «U travelling together te a great destiny. The path seems hard at times, but the air as we proceed, and we are bound te go on.”