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INTRODUCTION.
an occasion for the manifestation of the emotivu of joy from the depths of the soul. We may, therefore, say that the soul is the true fountainspring of joy, which comes into play the moment some kind of restraining bond, or bonds, are removed from its natural exhilaration of delight. A necessary corollary from this is, that when all kinds of bands are removed from the soul, it will be permanently established in its own blissful nature, that is, it will eternally enjoy the inborn joy of freedom which is the natural property of the substance of which it is made.
A moment's reflection now suffices to show that, of the three kinds of happiness enumerated above, the one which is within the reach of all, whether rich or poor, wise or iguoraut, and which is neither temporary like the sensualities and refined pleasures of senses which materialism provides us with, nor liable to be followed by pain, is the natural joy of the soul, which is checked back only so long as it (the soul) remaius burdened with the load of desires, obligations, and fetters of any description whatsoever.
In so far, then, as materialistic science pretends to extract happiness from its refined inventions and innovations, it is a failure out and out. since it does not only not remove the causes which mar the natural delight of the soul, but actually invites us to enter into the slavery of senses by tempting us with all kinds of material attractions. It only remains to consider its claims from the point of view of the improvements it brings about in sanitation and the like, which are necessary for the prolongation of life and enjoyment of health. .
In this department, certainly, it has done useful work, but even here it is impossible to give an unqualified asseut to its claim, since the amount of harm it has done to the beliefs of men by setting up a temporary bodily individuality in place of the soul, is too great to be counterbalanced by the little improvements it might have made here and there in the sanitary conditions, etc., of towns and cities.
Spiritual Science, then, is the true Science of Happiness, and it is no exaggeration to say that its pursuit trot only enables the soul to eujoy the felicity of Gods it is hankering after, but also brings those natural causes into existence upon which depend the health and longevity of all living beings, and which science is trying to create artificially, in ignorance of the higher Laws of Life,
PII
