A debate on the question whether there is a life hereafter, opened by Dr. H. Chatley, at a meeting.of the Quest Society on Monday, Mr. A. J. Hughes presiding, was eagerly discussed by members of the large audience.
"Tf there is a into atier death," asked Dr. Chatley, "what on earth do those who have passed over do with themselves?' Theologians, he went on, had considered this question very carefully, What kind of life could they live; the more one'thought of it, the more one found it difficult realize to such a state of affairs.
The lecturer then recalled and analysed some of tke leading hypotheses on the immortality of the soul. Buddha, he asserted, did not believe in reincarna but in the re-incarnation of the Karma. One popular hypothesis was the one of the spirit which comes into the body before birth, and leaves it at death: a popular belief, but nevertheless with all its popularity there was no evidence to support it. Certain schools of spiritualists assert that the soul will not survive if you do not believe. This was also a worthless theory quite unproven. In Dr. Chatley's opinion there was no evidence in support of the contention that there is life after death. There were some hopes to be gained from the moral side of the issue. The satisfaction gained through moral acts gave us sufficient compensation.
The body after death still retained. he said. many of the properties it had when alive. The application of an electric current almost brought it back to life. With the aid of salt, to keep the heart going, the Nic would keep in operation after \death.
Whatever a man might believe about the problem, all life is definitely associated with different kinds of matter, Furthermore there was no definite evidence that anything existed outside the form of matter.
According to the metaphysical argument, it was inconceivable that one should die. In the more careful and critical of psychic researches there is no word on the existence of the ex-carnate state. Those who believed in the phenomena of the seance room, and had not allowed themselves to be carried away, conclude that spirit trialism affords no proof whatever of life after death.
The Chairman said the subject of the discussion was a very wide one in which nobody could fail to be interested Dr. Max Nordau had tackled Dr. Chatley's thewne in a most interesting manner, dviding his religions philosophy into two parts. The philosopher cnt-
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