ment unenlightened as to the facts about the old and new worlds, and the immortalities connected with each. For that reason we have touched upon the constrast of the two, and upon Goethe's fruitful example in regard to them. His oft-quoted saying was, that the main proof of immortality was the impossibility of doing without it. But what-which-and whose immortality? were questions it took his life to settle. With noble and unselfish minds similar knowledge must lead to similar conclusions, and bring the healing satisfaction of truth as above quoted.

Such healing occurs wherever the new views of science are made known. Mr. Carrington, in the Open Court article above mentioned, describes the new immortality as "annihilation," unless our personal consciousness, memory and personality are continued. But are they not?—and in the only way naturally possible? Every day they are passed to and invested, and so continued in a new social life and environment; until the life, which they are, is all expended. Shall we now sit down, like the spoiled child, and cry because we shall not have the cake which we have eaten, or passed to others, to enable them to continue our consciousness, memory and personality? "Annihilation" under correlation is not possible. As Goethe says it:

Those who understand and feel his "One and All" and "The Legacy or Inheritance" have passed the fear or possibility of annihilation. There is nothing now more stupid than to have to die in order to get to heaven, find hell or secure continuance. Those who wait till then are assured by science that they are "too late." Yet what a relief would even annihilation (if possible) be to the millions of Asia, Africa, Europe, and America, whose terrors over endless existence and its Nirvanas, heavens and hells have been, and still are, the main cause of fearful anxiety, weakness, slavery, and misery? The new certainty relieves from these ills and from "annihilation" too. As our poet says: "Only the truth heals, saves an lives." Those who live in and trust to that are insured "eternal continuance." As the editor of The Open Court said in reply to Mr. Carrington: "I must emphatically declare that man's life is not finished at his death. That the after-life constituted by the effects of life itself is a salient part of the present life, and has to be constantly considered in all our actions. A consideration of the status

of our being after we are gone should be the supreme motive of all our principles, and I would not hesitate to say that it constitutes the basis of all true morality,"-and he might well have added,of all real health, help, consolation and courage.

That is the immortality, which, as Goethe said, "we cannot do without." Or as Hugo Münsterberg says in his little thoughtinspiring book The Eternal Life (Houghton, Mifflin & Co., publishers): "The man whom we love belongs to a world in which there is no past and future, but an eternal now."...."The life which we live in this world of eternity has no possible other measure than that of its significance, its influence and its value. If in those directions the aim is fulfilled, our life-work is so completed that we should become disloyal to ourselves and should deny the meaning of our particular individuality if we were aiming towards influences which do not belong to us, and towards a significance to which we have no right: in short, if we demand more than this, our particular life." (Pp. 63-69.)

As to the consolation and satisfaction of the new view we cannot forbear a few lines from a recent letter of one lady to another in regard to an "old mortality" funeral of an esteemed friend. Either of these parties, had they lived in the New Testament days, from their religious nature, nurture and education might well have been spoken of by John as "the elect lady." From such a source such sentiments as these indicate the dawn of the new day with its new consolation: "I have just returned from the funeral. It was all sad-very, very sad. Still I am glad I was there-for it has planted a new feeling in my heart. It seemed odd that the belief in "imortality," which is supposed to be such a great help and consolation at such times, does not now seem to help at all. I cannot help but wonder now at our calmness at the time of our own dear mother's death. I could not banish her to some spiritual Botanybay in another world we know not how nor where. She seemed specially present to-day by her influence, as she is in a way every day I live, and courage comes from a beautiful life well spent-not from a life of which we really cannot conceive.

"I felt to-day how that nothing said or done showed what this struggling, sacrificing blessed mother had done-there was nothing of the bravery and courage that had saved and kept the family about her for years. When I was thinking of this reality and what it had done and left to be continued, the talk of the beauty of a future existence dried my eyes, and made me inwardly angry. I wanted to get right up and tell what this noble mother had done,

and what all her friends had to do that the promise of her life might be realized. I somehow wanted credit given and the life continued instead of sending it to a "future state," where it can do nothing. When my summons comes 'to join that innumerable caravan' I hope that you will do what is possible to save me from moving on with it to any pale realm of shade,' but take me with you into the life that is and make what I have done the beginning of its end and aim, or of something better. I suppose that I am a rebel at heart, but as I love you, I hope that you are, or may become one, too; and that we may do something to prevent death from having added to it the horror of eternal banishment."

The trouble is that the old view with its "end of the world" and horrible eschatology, viz., "death, judgment, heaven and hell," lies directly across the evolution and continuity of our race. The new immortality naturally and at once takes its place, as the great motive and hope of mankind, as soon as those horrors are shown by science to be absolutely impossible in their old meanings. By far the happiest day in the life of any human being is the achievement of this conviction. He then for the first time stands forth "emancipated, regenerated and disenthralled." He is no longer to be a

victim of mercy or sacrifice. The old "gods and their altars sink into the dust," or are transformed into something new and strange. because true. He opens his eyes upon a new and enduring home

far newer than if he had been transferred to the planet Mars. He finds the "chief end of man" is to glorify Man and to enjoy him here, now, and for ever: that the real joy, success and bliss of life is in helping our generation to leave a better in its place, and in forefeeling that heaven on earth, which we are here co-operating with natural and human evolution to realize. This is the New Era, the happiest, the most glorious of our race. And even now as we are leaving the old Paradise and gazing out wistfully into the future, the life of the new world dawns clearer, happier-for we know— "That world is all before us, where to make Our paradise, our Providence, our guide!"

THE BHAGAVADGITA.*

BY THE EDITOR.

NEW translation of the Bhagavadgita! It seems as if we had enough, for the Bhagavadgita has been translated and retranslated by Sanskrit scholars, and reduced to poetic form by poets and admirers, and yet Professor Böhtlingk said in his comments on the text, "An impartial investigation of the philosophical contents of the Bhagavadgita, uninfluenced by any commentary, is highly desirable by some one conversant with the philosophical systems of India."

If there is any authority on ancient Sanskrit literature, since the death of Roth and Weber, it is Professor Garbe, of Tübingen, and so it is natural that we hail the present edition as the one deemed desirable by the lamented Böhtlingk. Professor Garbe's solution. of the problem is new and yet it will at once appeal to scholars as the only possible one. We are struck first of all with the similarity of the results of textual criticism of the Bhagavadgita as compared to that of other religious books, a parallelism not observed by our learned author, but which will go far to corroborate his results.

The Bhagavadgita is a religious book, and I do not think any one will criticise me for looking upon it as the canonical exposition of Brahmanism. The orthodox Hindu treats it as an inspired book. and it takes the same place with him that the Old Testament does with the Jew; the New Testament, with the Christian; the Dhammapada, Paranibbana Sutta, Buddhacharita etc., with the Buddhist : and we are confronted with analogous features in the development of all these scriptures.

Professor Garbe comes to the conclusion that the Bhagavadgita, which bears traces of several redactions, is originally theistic, but has been revised by a philosophical pantheist. Although it is not consistent, it represents the development of Brahmanism from

*Die Bhagavadgita, aus dem Sanskrit übersetzt von Richard Garbe. Leipsic: Haessel. 1905.

the time of the first deification of Krishna down to the period of metaphysical speculation, in which Brahmanism has become the All-soul and universal principle of the universe. The Bhagavadgita, in its present shape, bears traces of all these different epochs and has thus become a book dear to every Hindu. Professor Garbe believes that Krishna was originally a real man, though he would not endorse euhemerism as a general principle of explaining religious myths, he claims that in this special instance it affords the correct solution. (Page 23.)

The Bhagavadgita is an episode in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, but the epic element in it is of no consequence, the main topic being an ethical sermon preached by Krishna upon the battlefield.

The Kauravas and the Pandavas, two kindred races, are preparing for battle, and the old blind king, Dhritarashtra, begins to doubt whether it is right to wage war on his kin, when he is informed by his charioteer of the conversation that takes place between Arjuna, the general of his forces, and Krishna who appears before Arjuna as a charioteer and teaches him the duties of life. In the eleventh song Krishna reveals himself to Arjuna as the only God and Lord of the world, who for the present purpose has assumed a human form. The contents are too well known to be repeated here, and the fascinating thought that pervades the whole Bhagavadgita has been condensed by Emerson in his beautiful poem entitled "Brahma," from which we may be permitted to quote the following stanzas:

"If the red slayer think he slays,

Or if the slain think he is slain,
They know not well the subtle ways
I keep, and pass, and turn again.

"Far or forgot to me is near;

Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished gods to me appear;

And one to me are shame and fame.

"They reckon ill who leave me out;

When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt,
And I the hymn the Brahman sings.

"The strong gods pine for my abode,
And pine in vain the sacred Seven;

But thou, meek lover of the good!

Find me and turn thy back on heaven."