in another sphere, possibly, in
another planet; and its description based on nothing more substantial
than memory, vague and fleeting as a dream. Anyhow, I am inclined to
think that incarnation here might be traced to something of
more--infinitely more--importance than an apple; possibly, to some cause
of which we have not, at the present, even the remotest conception.
People, who do not believe in the former existence, attempt to justify
the ills of man here, by assuming that a state of perfect happiness
cannot be attained by man, except he has suffered a certain amount of
pain; so that, in order to attain to perfect happiness, man must of
necessity experience suffering--a theory founded on the much
misunderstood axiom, that nothing can exist save by contrast. But
supposing, for the sake of argument, that this axiom, according to its
everyday interpretation, is an axiom, _i.e._ a true saying, then God,
the Creator of all things, must have created evil--evil that good may
exist, and good that evil may exist. This deduction, however, is
obviously at variance with the theory that God is all goodness, since if
nothing can exist save by contrast, goodness must of necessity
presuppose badness, and we are thus led to the conclusion that God is
at the same time both good and bad, a conclusion which is undoubtedly a
_reductio ad absurdum_.

Seeing, then, that a God all good cannot have created evil, surely we
should be more rational, if less scriptural, were we to suppose a
plurality of gods. In any case I cannot see how pain, if God is indeed
all mighty and all good, can be the inevitable corollary of pleasure.
Nor can I see the necessity for man to suffer here, in order to enjoy
absolute happiness in the hereafter. No, I think if there is any
justification for the suffering of mankind on this earth, it is to be
found, not in the theory of "contrast," but in a former existence, and
in an existence in some other sphere or plane. Vague recollections of
such an existence arise and perplex many of us; but they are so elusive,
the moment we attempt to grapple with them, they fade away.

The frequent and vivid dreams I have, of visiting a region that is
peopled with beings that have nothing at all in common with mankind, and
who welcome me as effusively as if I had been long acquainted with them,
makes me wonder if I have actually dwelt amongst them in a previous
life.

I cannot get rid of the idea that in everything I see (in t