The Destiny of Man. 



evolution of the most exalted spiritual qual- 

 ities which characterize Humanity. The 

 body is cast aside and returns to the dust 

 of which it was made. The earth, so 

 marvellously wrought to man's uses, will 

 also be cast aside. The day is to come, 

 no doubt, when the heavens shall vanish 

 as a scroll, and the elements be melted 

 with fervent heat. So small is the value 

 which Nature sets upon the perishable 

 forms of matter ! The question, then, is 

 reduced to this : are Man's highest spirit- 

 ual qualities, into the production of which 

 all this creative energy has gone, to dis- 

 appear with the rest ? Has all this work 

 been done for nothing ? Is it all ephem- 

 eral, all a bubble that bursts, a vision 

 that fades ? Are we to regard the Crea- 

 tor's work as like that of a child, who 

 builds houses out of blocks, just for the 

 pleasure of knocking them down ? For 

 aught that science can tell us, it may be 

 so, but I can see no good reason for be- 

 lieving any such thing. On such a view 



