certainty and conviction that in
some cases is as real as the certainty and conviction of the present
existence, and which will be proof against all argument to the contrary.
To such people the knowledge of previous existences is as much a matter
of consciousness as the fact of the existence of last year--yesterday--a
moment ago--or even the present moment, which slips away while we
attempt to consider it. And those who have this consciousness of past
lives, even though the details may be vague, intuitively accept the
teachings regarding the future lives of the soul. The soul that
recognizes its "oldness" also feels its certainty of survival--not as a
mere matter of faith, but as an item of consciousness, the boundaries of
time being transcended.

But there are other arguments advanced in favor of Reincarnation, which
its advocates consider so strong as to entitle them to be classed as
"proofs." Among these may be mentioned the difference in tastes,
talents, predispositions, etc., noticeable among children and adults,
and which can scarcely be attributed to heredity. This same idea carries
one to the consideration of the question of "youthful genius,"
"prodigies," etc.

It is a part of this argument to assume that if all souls were freshly
created, by the same Creator, and from the same material, they would
resemble each other very closely, and in fact would be practically
identical. And, it is urged, the fact that every child is different in
tastes, temperament, qualities, nature, etc., independent of heredity
and environment, then it must follow that the difference must be sought
for further back. Children of the same parents differ very materially in
nature, disposition, etc.; in fact, strangers are often more alike than
children of the same parents, born within a few years of each other, and
reared in the same environment. Those having much experience with young
babies know that each infant has its own nature and disposition, and in
which it differs from every other infant, although they may be classed
into groups, of course. The infant a few hours born shows a gentleness,
or a lack of it--a yielding or a struggle, a disposition to adjust
itself, or a stubbornness, etc. And as the child grows, these traits
show more plainly, and the nature of the individual asserts itself,
subject, of course, to a moulding and shaping, but always asserting its
original character in some way.

Not only in the matter of disposition