lf in the suite provided for me, and as we were obliged to
pass through the reception hall there I found myself face to face with
the King George, and the following dialogue occurs.
King--Where are you going, Father?
I--On a recreation trip, Your Majesty. (I should have said, on a
reformation trip.)
King--I hope you will have a bon voyage.
I--Your Majesty's wish, God grant it to be so, and I pray that His
Favour shall crown with joy, all the desires of H. R. H.'s, the Prince,
in his journey.
King--With your prayers, Father, I believe H. R. H. will be well
successful.
And with one of his well known diplomatic smiles that contain manifold
meanings, King George bid us farewell, and in a few moments the big
whistle blew and a gentle vibration of the boat gave the notice that we
were on the move. I went into my cabin and looking through the hole that
was doing duty of a round window, I beheld the monument of Themistocles
passing slowly, and when I could see that no more, I felt something
melting in my heart and over-flowingly coming up into my eyes in the
shape of two drops of burning water. I took them on the tips of my
fingers and after kissing them with all the tenderness of a loving
heart, I sprinkled them into the apeiron, farewell to my loved ones left
behind me, while the big S. S. in full steam was now carrying me faster
and faster into the unknown and uncertain.
I did not leave my cabin and there took my meals for two reasons; first,
H. R. H. expressed the wish to take his meals at the regular
first-class dining table, with all the mortals therein, and I had little
desire to meet him anyway; and second because I wanted to be alone to
indulge undisturbed in my thoughts and study them and keep notes of them
for my future use.
The history tells us that it took thirty years for the greatest
philosopher that was ever born to give his definite opinion as to the
immortality of the soul. And if a philosopher like Socrates, after
thirty years of constant study, he knew one thing, that he knew nothing,
it is absurd to dare say that we shall ever know more than Socrates did,
and in regard to the most perplexed problem of the human soul we can
only rejoice in the fact that we are placed in a more advanced position
above Socrates, that we can look upon these problems with more light,
and that is the light that comes from Galilee.
Alone as I was in my cabin I thought of Socrates, I thought of
Confucius, of Bu
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