The tall dark mountains and the deep toned seas, O listen ye, our spirits! drink it i From all the air! "Tis in the gentle moonlight; Comes to our bed and breathes it in our ears. Night and the Dawn, bright Day and thoughtful Eve All time, all bounds, the limitless expanse, As one vast mystic instrument, are touched By an unseen living hand, and conscious chords -The dying hear it, and as sounds of earth The prospective triumph of knowledge over ignorance, of wisdom over folly, of Harmonial Philosophy over Discordant Theology, seems universal and complete. Substantially built temples of attractive industry, the thoroughly organized homes of happiness and distributive justice, will occupy acres now covered by massive structures of mythology and bigoted superstition! The social wilderness of vice and misery will become a landscape of life and loveliness unsurpassed. Eternal Use and its spirit bride, Beauty, will dwell in every habitation. Birds and animals, no longer fearing, will love their lord and master; and instead of the old heavens of storm-clouds, and the old earth of thorns and thistles, "all things shall be changed." Who, let us now ask, can resist the aggressive march of truth? What power do you know of, either in Church or State, that can roll back upon Nature's heart the outward flowing tides of wisdom? Who can lacerate and cripple the beautiful feet of the Arts and Sciences? Do you fear? "O, ye of little faith!" Do you not see the majesty of truth? Surely, the churches will float upon the deluge of eternal principles that is to come! Let the Arts and Sciences flow forward; the "gates of hell" (discord and ignorance)" shall not prevail against them." Priesthoods must eventually disappear beneath the sun-flashes of justice and truth. Truth is incessantly speaking from the inner temple of human life. Ignorance is the only misfortune and mystery; for that which is perfectly known is neither hurtful nor mysterious. It a strong man be ignorant of beauty, and in the haste of his blood, his tongue knoweth no emphatic language suitable to ears refined, he belches forth the words of profanity—even in such a mind the truth will out; so the ways of God are not "past finding out." In a fine sense, He is "as full, as perfect, in hair as heart." His ways come out daily, hourly, momenta rily-in the bright and black, in the wise and foolish, in the ugly and beautiful, upon great mountains, and in all the valleys, in all human history, and upon every star in the bending firmanent and thus He is "All in All!" Will not error and delusion vanish in proportion to the approach of truth and reason? It is our great happiness to believe that the inharmonious and conflicting elements of society will one day obey the commandment, "Peace, be still." This is the voice of the Eternal Spirit. It attaineth utterance through the mouth of every inspired soul, who loveth justice and harmony between man and man. The good-minded everywhere, who fill high sta tions in Church and State, will, in due time, join the army of the Free! There is no freedom outside of truth. Absurd and vain is the attempt of bigots to stay the advancement of eternal principles. Truth will out. God is absolute Truth, and Nature is absolute Truth; and one is no more divine and eternal than the other; both are unchangeable and irresistible. Behold! ye faithless ones of earth, the world of mind is in energetic motion. Its life is throbbing and yearning for harmonious and peaceful expression. The whole heavens are teeming and beaming with spiritual intelligences. They must speak, and their voices will be heard (O, how gladly!) by the listening ear of the millions. But the very proud, the noble of earth, the so-called educated-how slow, how conceited, how large with emptiness, how incapacitated for the simple truths of wisdom! But to reach the thronging multitudes of every country, to educate the masses in the natural ways of spiritual truth, to convert the sectarian churches, to simplify and elevate the systems and principles of government-what an easy task, indeed, when man's reason begins fully to realize the true philosophy of Nature and destiny. We look with joy unspeakable for the triumph of Science over silliness; of Reason over ignorance, which holds its sessions of superstition in every land. When untrammeled and reverent Reason shall sweep the boundless horizon of Progress -just as the telescope describes the measureless abysses of starry worlds-then will astounding discoveries be made in all the kingdoms of Nature. Labor-saving machines will bring at once relief to muscle and growth to mind. Then will mankind's earthly condition, both physical and mental, be ameliorated and improved. And the paths of progress will not lead, as now, through gloomy forests of error and bloodshed; but, instead, each soul will be attracted righteously by the celestial rays of eternal Truth. "Truth is mighty, and will prevail!" CHAPTER II. THE PHILOSOPHY OF DISEASE. THE Philosophy of Disease is given in the first volume of the Harmonial series. We are not fond of re-writing our positions on any subject; yet it may be profitable to make a new statement of a momentous question. Judging from the number and singularity of the letters we have recently received, a large proportion from several well-educated physicians, we conclude that, even at this late day, the Harmonial Philosophy of disease is not very well understood. For the purpose of further explaining our positions, and particularly to erect a standard, or standpoint, from which to analyze the different theories of popu lar schools, we proceed to define our philosophy of disease. We would invite the candid-minded, whether physicians or not, to give the following statements more than a passing perusal. The human body is constructed double throughout. Binary compositions, both solid and fluid, are everywhere visible. The right and the left, the perfect adaptation of structures exactly opposite and dissimilar in function, are facts within every man's observation. Now, let it be observed, each operation within the human body occurs upon the same general plan. Reciprocal actions are perfectly exhibited in every part. The reciprocal operations are attended with periodical changes. These periodical changes are attended with either an increased or else a dimin ished degree of temperature. This temperature exerts one of two influences: first, it either agrees with and promotes healthy conditions, or it does not. If the bodily temperature does not accord with that balanced state which we term "Health," the result is a change among the atomic motions of the parts most affected by the disturbance; and the next, or succeeding effect, is either too much or too little heat (or vital fire) in the assailed organs or functions. If too much heat exists in a particular part, then the atoms of that part are in too rapid motion for health, and the first development is an "inflammation." The part or parts are "on fire;" while in some part or parts, the atomic motions are at the same time too slow, to a corresponding extent, and the result in those localities is the development of a "chill"-all because those departments are deprived of their appropriate quantity of the vital fire, which is the soul principle, or rather the ultimate organization of the immortal and far more interior spirit. Extreme CHILL. -HEALTH. Negative. Extreme Of course, as you readily comprehend, no substance is moved without being first actuated by some adequate principle or force Wherefore let the doctrine be established that, whenever the body is disturbed from its center of gravity, whenever it is made to wabble in its orbit, or caused to vibrate in the sphere of life, the producing causative power may be traced primarily to that soul-principle, which animates the physical temple, and which clothes the mind, spirit, or understanding—in shortest word, the whole interior individualized MAN. |