Lectures on "Life."

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4290, 30 September 1882, Page 2

Lectures on "Life."

By the Rev. S.J. Neill

■ ■ ■■ ' MARRIAGE^' ':*" '■'•■V: ■ .

Tub subject of Lore brings us nearer tii* c solution of the mysierjr of " Life " anything which we" hire yet considered. _' „,. -^^V.^ .:^-T...?^f«ifS^ I'fzlliore arid maVriaue exist' fromf QbdV J? ;Ib the Dirine Baintj tratb aod g iod or Jight and warmth or lore constitute the S rery essence of God. " God is light ": ! " God is lore "say oiir sacred Scriptures. "r" 1 In an. old Greek hymn which has come

down to j*4lfpTo#l pl-'th*j'P,fyte&jftgfi?jfnr ments, it is-wriiten^ I'a'nian*- '' and an immortal maid." To any one who haT studied the clear and comprehengire analysis of the Her. Stopfdrd Brooke it will be. erident Christy ML thedo*! t" nature of man atid womau fully »anifeiied «1 in him. -The sireet si|^licitj^ : tif ehiidfap^ r the tenderuess and Iweetnß«aVof.-Wom«B-hood, the grace audi'TigoriQf-majthood,-^, j,/ of /pur highest conception* of; tbe». ; wean •{' HimJ The dirine',io^^is.:>j^^!po| ifej!^| I |^ ponds to the heart or the t cr dirine wisdom is that which corwspoßdj^lT to the intellect or; the• man^^tflfiegf^g^.ji inseparable, co-existent, .co-animajtingyjeo-jr. -^ r operating. This image ojt the Effiniiei is W^. seen 'in all nature. It 13 most wonderful

and beautiful- The magnet illuftTal^s the?- yfundamental law off «reatipo;i male /

and female elements, known as the

positive-aod negative? poles, are ;c<«ceii- q trated towards its extremities, bat cannot ;be sepairalted. If you break a bar of'i

magnetic iron is two, you will; not find

one portion negative, and toe .other positive; but ekthfragmentiiiM perfect? f. a magnet as the whole was Jiefore being broken. ,And ; sp r ,on,^ to, the, minutest,;, vportion ofth'e m»gn^;ra^iil'^oWi^H^ Tyndall says somewhere: th^eja^rtiondr* matter, so extremely minute as to be- . . spirit^^t^fr^mai^r/will stiU^ri^tt 5,"« ■this,duaH£y^ O O f* poersaySf^ "y ?ns§sfc " JNature/with endless being nfe, ; i-f:Parts each thing into ' him 'and 'hw;' V Andia'tKe-^itliSetic.of:life-.t-> (i"(:^ 50 ■ ■ :The,.smallest unit is a ■" r . Hr> The grandest generalisation of modern science according to Dr Holcombe is thus expressed bj Hatch in his Cc>na>itutioji|?f:§ > >*MalQ; " Th> law of conjugality iiihe 1* -' ji>a*kj/ofvovery;/^^ ! I S*^:is.:/ ■ thV/universal//form-;/^lore -/ the I universal power^ of^(6r^'.i: :mxii^g^ :l;tiie ri; riage; sjth© universal result, f^and Syet r-mett.j. and" ,vWemen/^4ie'/^with^tV;beiagv> ;\/.

marriedj 1 ■] Yep, /we reply,, even sd;« ire ;; hppeitb Bhbw^ byrand-by. Leo GrindolTf H who has been railed the most ehfjrmiiiiibf'f/ •^English % writerSii^:s»yite«^«UL,.;^:/f l^phenomena, alike of matter and of'siiifiid^f resolre^ into thisl dual' »w^«;j Whether o

Ehysical or spiritual, animal of vegetable ife always presents itself-as communi** cated through one simple formula—the reciprocal action and reaction of complementaries."

The marriage of man nnd woman is a double marriage, for in each man and in each woman there exists already another marriage, viz., that of intellect and will, or of head and heart, as' we sajr in popular language, and it is-because of this first marriage that the second is possible. As the loadstone lying in the bosom of the earth becomes a'miniature magnet, re-

ceiving .power from the great magnet of which the globe itself consists, so does man receiving bis life from God become made in the image of God, become a finite form of the divine love and wisdom. It js quite a 1 study in itself to trace this dual principle through nature, and all that we haye L said 'must be regarded as only suggestive to you, pntting you on the track that leads through .a varied and delightful country which you traverse and examine at your leisure. '-.Earth," says Homer, "is the wife of Heaven." Spirit and mattery aland • in, the relation of/ positive and negatife to each other. We read, "-the spirit bf God brooded over the abyss." Spirit is the active, living, mi pregnating element*? matter the passive; and receptive.' The poetic myth of Venus rising all-beautiful from the sea appears to" be another version of the satne principle," another version of the same old story of Eve ruling from'the' brqast of Adam,, the enrth, or the femiriine principle waking into separate consciousness and assuming its objective, conjplementaTy and attractive relationship to the masculine. We nave; noticed how this marriage and sexrelation is visible in the mineral .world: we see, it also in the sensuality of plants. Plants hare been divided into phanerogamic ancVcryptogainic, or plants with open marriages, or plants with concealed, or not clearly discoverable marriages. There is an interchange of love that we ar/ all-un-conscious, of taking place around us when we walk in th'e'gardens,' or the open fields in the summer, time. Writers on this subjecffell ns that ,? in some forms of the' vegetable kingdom 'the sexes are as distinct, to <wien as animals, and 1 their interchanges of love are wafted to and : fro by the feet and wings of. insects, and the whisperings current-'of^the concerted ' winds." Every- spoonful honey -we thoughtlessly 'swallowed has a romance and a tragedy : , £pr it represents the lifelong labors of a single bee; aromancers, we, tbink-of that interchange of the loves of flowers which took place as •the bee gathered the honey, singing at once the song of. love and of work. &h ! Heaven may be opened to us all, perhaps, where we least expcot it. The higher we come in the animal world, "the nearer we come to man; the more do we perceive the advance of the love principle.; The gentle and beautiful birds thatbatheiheir plomage in the light of heaven, and fill the woods with their songs, are noteji for their simplejaffection and fidelity. Again, in language, we find that the consonants correspond to the, male principle;' they are rough, harsh, fixed, limiting the sound and organiajwr ifcinlo an expression or sign of our^kleM or'thqughtSr whereas the vowels {'ire,' soft, - rounded, - fluent expressive of the, affection*. It is so in words. In* some instances, "with words as with plants, we name them neuter; while in other words, as in some plants and animals; the sexes are'unjted in the same 1 individual. Speech rand; music-are relatively male, csnd - female.; Tennyson, intuitively seeing this, has said of the« true woman ihat she sets herself to man " Like perfect music unto noble words." Bass has been called the masculine, and

soprano the feminine element of music, the marriage T of whichjresults in harmony. It is taM Jtbit' in the Ypice\of man and woman -the same principle iff evident. " Woman's - Toice - divides' itself into soprano and contralto/as man's is divided into tenor, and bass. Soprano is the voice of woman's affection** contralto the voice of her intellect. Tenor the voice of man's affection, bais that of the intellect. Contralto the male voice of a woman, tenor

the female voice of man.", "Music," says an author writing on this subject, "is the feminine principle—the'heart of "the universe. the tone is to the word, what expression is to form, what affection is to thought, what the heart is to the head, what intuition is to argument, what religionTs to philosophy, what moral is to power, what woman is to man, music is toltbe universe." This also is suggestive. Barbarians produce, as a rule, nothing but discord. No genuine music is possible, it is affirmed, among people generally addicted to concubinage or polygamy. The* unrivalled, religious music of Christianity is due to the chastening influences' of' Christianity. 'And it is said that the present advanced, and advancing, state of musical science is one good omen, of heavenly influences descending upon the world, and a prediction of, the coming reign of lote. This same principle has been symbolized in nearly all the old forms of religion.' It is seized upon and used boldly by St. Paul, who gays that there is a spiritual marriage between Christ and the Church— "Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the,Churcli." The man is to love the woman even as his own flesh. "This.mystery;," he says,, "is great" Man, as he looks abroad on nature, sees himself repeated in the beautiful mirror, even as the universe is the mirror of the 'Infinite and Eternal.' We have glanced at the sensual elements yearning for ' marriage from - their divine sonrce through spirit aa3, matter into elemental forms, and fsfegs upward through the kingdoms of nature to men .and spirits •* Until wo Sid, as dai-kneaa rolls : Far off, and £eghy migfa diaaojire,' '.. .s That nuptial coxi%sa are.the^pojes „ / 1 On- which" ' the heavenly \Bpberes. revolve/? ' This vast induction should/Open our eyea; to look abroid in rtbls God'a universe, ana to see th'at'death is quit^animpossibility;, that it is only change onward upward: For sex, love, and marriage we may now perceive «r* eternally ttfey are Omversaj. Under the teaching this ,great law.pf duality ihat is msnifestedTrom God to the minutes atorarw© feel constrained terconT dude that there is in this, wide, unjverse the complement or fittin^halffor what- * erer is, whether atoms,molecules, men or " women. You.may not here ;haver'your * true life complementror'auy at "all; but what is 7Q years—not,4_moment in eter- , nity. Says Dr Holcombe,;" To Trial who , has discovered the- organic bond of con- , section between the visible" and/ invisible r worlds; who can : realise l' the divine, solidarity or mutual cohesion of things; who know* . that - the-.- future life, * springing^ /roin^R v "»»? SW** L*™ ' a*suming limiUr iorniß, js» beautiful, t > ethereal,.ana perfected contiouatiou of

The business carried on for so many years past by_Mr James Fiolay, in Williamson street, and kaown, probably, to all our readers, has been removed to more commo. dions premises in Brown street, two doors from Allaway's Temperance Hotel. The stock of jewellery is by far the largest and best ever on the Thames, and an inspection of Bime is respectfully invited. The watch* molting branch is still carried on as before by Mr William Finlay.—[Advi.] '

-I&3j&\ySMeP)MR' 'ejaioing^ito, sub. JwftWlStVita gloom, and death without ceasing io ki&solenin, is "divested of iti terror. - -To-h im-our-last great-change, by whicb^rft jjknpl* disapjwir,-froin ,our Mfthry" inAouS't is not "SoSn*oli''«evas'ti&'lifbiii*g of- & latch';- t Only a step into the open air Qsfrcf a*teat already luminous ' "- N With light that shines through its transAm we spoke" of life in a primary and in • general way, and then of human lifeV so aow, after spoafcibf? ©f universal duality and wrriigeiiwfcprifoeedHo speak of the •ex relation nnd'm»rri(iKe ihT humanity. , In no domain of nature can we see so eleaxly and; rejbjcei,so: deeply, 1 in/ the Mnificence of the AH-Good as in the duafcty of humanity. We Jnay adihirS' the MKiment oi: the . Latin poet Clandian'— „-vn A j^i .. •_' ThV^nlle-tjoßglls toother live inl'ove/ ' The liajifcf trees enamoured intertwine, * '• Palm nods to palm, the poplars softly sigh, ; Topopta,«; j alders,j)onlars;'iki^eßand^il , WhispjijitpQr Jnfendoityassionß'to 'each or thoA^fWfifuY of : Sir? W. ' Jonei— .^ffi^mju'i• T' 1 i- ' '»' "»Mie"wlii^wiriag-of tAe learns Appears an * interchanjK, of loyej t , % - Or some low-ky*tui; from Nature's self to smiling Worlds-above." BB^fter^'iheWthings,' the wealth' cadi beauty and variety'df nature God ■mat neffids make a helpmeet for man. The sensuality of man. and woman really donsiitft in the compleoientaricess of soul. If lord and truth,, or- the intellect and affections e.xisjj&;n exactly the same proportion and^rfnatieo in human , beings, then know, nothing of the lore of man and woman. However the affection may grow in man, theinteilect should always grow in its? proper relation to it: andjjowejrfcrl,ikfrihtelle6t may dcvelope in woman, the affection should also grow in equal relationship. ' " For woman is not undeveloped man, / Bnt diverse: conld Jwe make her m the .&-""W, !f,'' i f * '• ' Sweetrlove were slain : his dearest bond is this, ~- „; , , Not like 6> like, bVt like in difference. Yet in the- long years^liker must they BFOW:., r , r ". „ ,r 'j ' The man be 'morepf woman; she of^man." God knowb there are woman* rights enough, rights which hare long been trampled Updn', W.'have not yet been unfolded, but they'who would make man and woman in every way equal, are as guilty of war against liearen as were .the old giants of'classic'story. Surely, we should let rest' ttfis "proud, watchword of . "equal"; , * \ '' Seeing either sex alone Is half itself, and in. true marriage lies [ Nor equal,,nor uheajaal; each fulfils* Defect "in "each, 1 and t always thought in , thought, , t H , ; \ <„ > „ : „ Pnrojwe iapurp^ge, wjll.in will they grow, The'mnglejrare and,p«rfeqt animal, f , The^wo,-cen^'hear^ ; beating, with one full stroke, life. t ( l - There i^nofhing rwhieh needs to be more^eWMlrseenaßdunderstood than the relation of man and woman; .for this is the fountain of life,' er,en as 1 heredity is There w.pexi.fo^Opd nothing which we .hoidd Brittle* know so tbbrougly as the Mtnre of tree lore; and How* can we separate it from God, seeing God is lore. We need lore in the hearts and homes of men and women, far more than we need gold, or railways,, or, civilisation. Lord Beaoonsfield ,jja one of his works says, " Instead of lore being'the occasion of all theotiacry of thiswrtrld, as> is sung by fantastic, I believe that the misery of this worUL is; occasioned by there not being ?lore enough." Certainly lorn and leisure are the two great wants-of man and woman,, nowadays. By 'leijtare* I do not mean inactivity ;, heaven will he, isy by'no* ' means a place of inaetirity, but our <oettritrisiahnrdenandm cursor.lt is- 4 disgrace to our boasted advancement that] • large nor lion of thc-hunka raee'haWfo slave without anytime hardly for soul, development. It is the dark cloud which" broods orer the Teirtb; and keeps out .the 1 sunshine of, eternal lore., Erery, man, womaft'and r child' 'should J& active, for a msdaibFr time id eachrday, rising' their best jtqjmrijii, that way, be t st, f suited to. them^ind'the cbmmoh c good. ,It is a dis» grace to^oufe organisation, that any, man has to bjf jidle^that, any man has to toib his life ©$U" ?Jput even greater' thanothat is the want^of>lor«.fiHe indeed would be' - a god sent man who' Will oome and Hell us! how weiaire, to xeesedy the evil. ' A man 1 and wotoan^lora' each other, but 'social- ' distinctions are regarded as being of more - value than the rery jGbd oF hearcn which 1, is lore, So their lires, in this world at least,, must iietfcefjSrth .have' separate'ends', > Poison a >rid^itterne?s atid weakness hare, been dropped into^twp Jives. Arid when, this hapDeM r rre4pentJy^ society^b'ecomes^ weak ana feeble'; men cannot,work,tas they should, and womfq^flanpot-wflit, and; bear as they might _,do jp^erwwe.,- (Or again, two people fancy .they love each other, something cxtejrnafcb«B<decided the point; they : ,get m*md* they .loae that grace and polish and ;i freshneis."ofi life whicbt.Ujtfy; wer* a* first to) careful to manifest; with loss of 4bve'comes,loss of energy* <fe>>fofo!ai>life? "Soniething is Bought to keep.up the interest'ln life, which lore only and without effort cap dp. Perhapt^llfey^ieparati/iperHipa respecting theTsMcfofaer; oTsoeietyfthey ±eep " up a seembribibn. Vu^uVther case two, lives are coinfe»Wt{vel> :ip R L The whole' world, asjrejl/M tfie, person's themselves, is poorer-ieeause'so much aotire love is > fire on ice, compassed with tH« electricity which wafts our words to tke.«nds of the, earth/ It is' much -harder; task to get 'each man andwomao hi» and her. full, and proper lovel^thAn it is to bb that there is a harmonics t ac|irity forjH.men in the great workjnops 'of the world. Nohoay_ yet thtl^f'lnow of- hat ever solve3"the^ problemVrae greatest practical probjem of every as^ Poets hafe^ngT-, rfW ,; .; :,, M Tbe leSi&ngnes of the forest, the'ftM»r- { slnrefHho sod; ' The happ^y'birda that hymn their . in tne ear of Cfod. -~—' The BUBffl»r/whKl fth'atrfenugSth'mnßib- , ov«r>^»od and sea, " Have ••ph a voice that singeth this swtot> \ aong.of songs to me. ?-.&('<> TlnTworW is, fall of beauty * likancther* worlds above, t „ > tvt-js* -' And itjm do our duty it might-bo full of lof**?v, , , , i?* T But riepier Gerald Msssey W any. one else iristrtcts'US^how the duties^re^b be^ reached MW done, pr what they'are tbat will brinVabout this celestial Jrder-.pt things^ \i * /.. ret; iv fi,\ >«) We eafinpi; fullj enter into this other half of^tlie subiect to-night, which has to " do with^th^iqcia). .etbips, hnt thUmuch '„ *re pbtli H>ft. *"»*, until "* understand

vftnd jn^ome.deßree^feel,,. that lotjmb of God, and is utterly opposed to everything of self, to every form and phase of sel-r fishness, we do, not know what the real and true form of love is] at all. There is so much of self tuipgled with our best, lores' that we are^hardly fit to consider the question properly.j Dr Bourgeois,' of the Acadenay^of^ M^edicine, Pans.ifter saying that general'iguorance prevails on this subject,; goes on to speak of lovej" as an attraction to .the beautiful,, 'the good, the true, lively desire forpossession," the first part of which .is. good enough, but the second brings in -the element of self. True Ipvejs the nature of God, and God is absolute unselfishness, love seeks not self but is that state or corTditidiTof 'bur^being which finds > supreme delight T in, blefcsing others/ la ' that beautifuUl3 ott.- of 1 Cor,, which 'at | once describesjtbe character of lore, and i rof Him, «h.o is leve, ,it is said " love I seeketli not its own," "endureth all things," "never, failetbl" These wordsflhould be written in overy home,-- im>. printed-in-er-ory-heart they are true; contain the healing balm 1 for'the 'w6rld >»v^6tst«<toal«dies, for they will tend to" mate our lore trae, and thrteforSß strong, •' ' ■ -':'* "^ j , h .. } it^^ t " Learn by H mortal yearning to ascend' Towards a higher, object. Love was giten, '•'*"[» - r: ' - Encouraged, sanctioned,," chiefly for that * end: ] For this the .passion to excess was driven That self might be annulled : her bond-

agfeproye r-. ? | The fetters of a dream, opposed to love." We also read in our laureate of the selfannihilating power ot lore— "Love tookup-the*harp of life, and smote on all the chords with might; Smote the choi-d of self, that, trembling, ' [ pass*d in music out. of sight." And agj«m_on the.useuof ilove— " God gives us love. Sometimes to love, 1 He lends us;' but when love has grown To ripeness; that on which it throve Falls off, and love ia leiValone."