suddenly conferred upon him. In either case there must have been a 

 particular moment when he became immortal. Can we conceive of 

 such a thing as the species being mortal one moment and immortal 

 the next?] The question of how he became immortal is still more 

 difficult, as the question why, or for what merit,' is wholly unanswerable. 

 Then, again, science teaches us that animal life, of whatever form, will 

 vanish from the earth long before the inevitable decay of the planet 

 itself. Geologists tell us that, in obedience to a general law, all species- 

 have their term of living. They appear, and after a time disappear. 

 How absurd, then, to raise a question as to the conscious individual 

 immortality of the countless myriads of a species that shall itself have 

 utterly vanished without leaving a trace ! 



Are we, then, annihilated at death ? Yes, as conscious individuals. 

 We are bound to admit the force of all the arguments brought 

 forward by science against the theory of a future conscious existence ;. 

 but these arguments in no way affect the great problem of the " ego," 

 or "self," which exists in all of us, irrespective of consciousness,, 

 memory, or other brain function. A man may be unconscious, and 

 yet live ; therefore consciousness is not necessary to life. When we 

 ask ourselves whether we shall be annihilated at death, we should first 

 of all have a clear definition of the word " we " before we reply. What 

 are we ? What am I ? I am not consciousness, which is but a function 

 of one of my organs, the brain, and which merely enables me to know 

 myself. Then what am I ? I cannot conceive that I am anything but 

 the energy or life-power developed by the aggregation of my life- 

 particles, which causes the various organs of my body to perform their 

 functions, as cerebrating, etc. The primordial germ of my body was a 

 simple bioplasm, consisting of a combination of life-molecules, com- 

 posed of energetic atoms. From these molecules evolved fresh mole- 

 cules, which, under the laws of heredity and variation, acquired new 

 properties ; until, at last, a complex organism became developed, possess- 

 ing far higher powers than those belonging to the primordial germ. 

 As the development of species continued, higher forces became mani- 

 fested ; until, at last, the condition of man was reached, and a life- 

 power developed of a much higher order than any previously known. 

 This life-power, or human energy, is the "ego," the "self,". the cause 

 of the bodily functions, and is eternal. Kant declared there was a 

 world unknown, independent of our conscious phenomenal world ; 

 and this we must admit to be true, for we have already granted the 



