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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1950-02-02, Page 7Have You Ever Lived Before? Millions believe that they have had a previous existence on earth -- and will live again, Where is evi- dence for this belief, There was the case of the little girl who told Fielding Hall, author of that great work, The Soul .of a People, of her previous life 'as a man who ran a marionette show. Not only did she show a. remark- able knowledge of the manipulation of the puppets when first given some, but she actually recited por- tions of dialogue from puppet plays which she had neitlieT seen nor read. Far more convincm was the fact that she described the place where she had previously lived and also some of her former relations and friends. Some of the latter are still living: they confirmed every word the child had said, Vishwa Nath, as a boy of three, described in minute detail his for- mer life in Pilibhit, India. At last his parents were persuaded to take him there. He identified relatives and places exactly and immediately and told of his life at a certain school. Infant Prodigies H • pointed out his former home, now in ruins, and when shown a group photo of the late owner and some friends picked out by name firstly the ratan he said had :formerly been his uncle—and then himself in his former life! The mother of the young man he claimed to have been questioned him thoroughly: he ansewered every one of her questions accu- ately and without a moment's hesi- tation. In like manner he answered tate questions of two men who had been his schoolfellows in his for- mer life. But we do not need to go to the ]Cast for such instances. Shaw Des- mond wrote his novel Echo "From earth memories which I have had since a child of any life as gladiator in the Roman arenas. .Authorities of that period speak of it as amazingly accurate, though the author had not at that time studied old Rome in any book. The same astonishing knowledge of a vanished age was shown by' Joan Grant in her novel Winged Pharaoh, Shaw Desmond himself has ex- amined several such cases, and writes of a child of five who was taken to a city hundreds of mitis away, to which it had never been fit Its present life. "I have lived in that city," the child had said. On arrival he led kis parents through a maze of streets to the house he had so min• lately described.. Still more astound- ing, people who had known the child In his previous Incarnation testi- fied to the accuracy of his mem- ories, Then there are the prodigies such as Mozart, who composed and play- ed at the age of five, Yehudl Menu hin, who went only eleven astound. ed Toscanini by the depth and ma- turity of his playing, so that the maestro said that he knew no vio- linist of any age to surpass him. Most amazing of all was two- year-old Andre Lenoir, who multi- plied in a moment any five -figure number by any other five -figure number before the astounded pro- fessors of Brussels. All these children demonstrated abilities which they would simply not have had time to acquire in their short lives, From where_ did they bring them? Perhaps more convincing than these few instances of remembered past lives—thele a number of multi- tude of others—is the number of eminent thinkers through the ages who have believed in the theory of reincarnation, Plato and Pytha goras, Hegdl and Hume, Sir Hum- phrey Davey and Alfred Russel Wallace, and the great psychologist Cesare Lonibroso, to name but a few It is the very basis of Buddhism and Flinduisin, and was taught by many Fathers of the Christian Church. A number of Roman Cath. olic ecclesiastics, including Arch- bishop PasGavalli, have accepted it as true. Lining Up—For Dry Bread—In Athens—Sniall boys from the Athens, Greece, "Children's City" line up for a slice of bread, part of some 2200 loaves made from the millionth ton of Western Nation aid to arrive in Greece. The flora• was made into bread by Greek army and distributed and distributed to relief agencies sponsored by Queen Fredericka. There is evidence, too, that Christ Himself both accepted it and taught it. He did not rebuke His disciples for suggesting that a certain man might have been born blind as a re- sult of his own sins, and said of Join the Baptist: "If ye willreceive it, this is Elias, which was for to come," (Matt. xi. 14), But for many present-day believ- ers in reincarnation it is neither the evidence of people such as Vishwa , Nath nor the great weight of authority which is decisive. They believe because it is so reasonable a theory. If the universe is based on order and justice it seems to be, Indeed, the only theory that fits the facts. It seems unjust that a child should be born suffering from some physi- cal, mental, or social handicap. There is no injustice if he is so handicapped because his previous conduct has made such a lesson necessary for him. Or it may be that previous experience has so strength- ened his character that he is ready and able to face such a test—and triumph over itl May life not be, in fact, a school? We continue to return until we have been through every class and learnt all the lessons thoroughly—till we are strong enough to endure both advertisy and prosperity. Promo- tion is only on merit: none can learn our lessons for us, A Grim Theory? There are many who find it diffi- cult to accept the teaching that for perhaps fifty years of evil living— however bad —a just God will con- demn erring human beings to an eternity of torment. There is liter. ally no proportion --,between offence and punishment. For the reincarnationist, however, there is neither reward nor punish - merit. A matt reaps that alone which he sows. If he puts his hand into the fire he gets burned, until he learns not to play with fire, 'Yet there are few who can learn this lesson in one Iife, Moreover, if this is the only life, there are evidently many who can and do play with fire without getting burned, At first sight this may seem a somewhat grim theory, yet it is not sa. There is not one of us who can- not eventually learn by experience the laws of God and nature by which man may live a happy and useful life—whether on this earth or elsewhere, It is only by learning through experience that we really make this knowledge our own. So for each one of us there is in- finite hope. there is always a chance to do better, Have you ever said: "I wish 1 could have my life over again?" Well, maybe you cant A ratan is known by the company he doc:ges. Silence isn't always golden. Some- times it is just guilt, Granted New Canadian Patent Acetylsalicylic acid has proven to be one of the most reliable and effective agents in the treatment of rheumatism and arthritis over the years. The best known acetylsalicy- lic acid preparation is sold under the trade name of "Aspirin" in Canada. A recent development for the treatment of rheumatism and ar- thritis has been the combining of a hitherto little -used compound, calcium succinate, with acetylsalicy- lic acid. This compound, calcium succinate, renders the acetylsalicy- lic acid non toxic, allowing large, prolonged dosage to be taken with no harmful side effects. This. combination of acetylsalicy- lic acid and calcium succinate has become one of the widest used me- thods of therapy in the world for the treatment of rheumatism and arthritis, Dolcin Limited of Toronto recently were granted a patent in Canada for the use of this com- bination in the treatment of arthri- tis and rheumatism. Scientific Facts About "Aa>t goners" It isn't necessary to suffer that "morning after" feeling—at least it isn't according to the Danish, bi- ologist, Dr. Erik Jacobson, who has been conducting a scientific in- vestigation into alcohol and hang- overs. He has written an exhaustive trea- tise in which he describes how a person (if he feels that way and his bank balance can stand it) can drunk and never have a hangover. become drunk and never have a hangover. He also explains that.it is quite possible for a person to get delirium tremens ("D.T.") even though he may be a strict teetotaller. It seems that if you are content with a single whiskey or a glass of beer every hour and a quarter, the alcohol percentage in your blood will neither rise nor fall. Though it would be a futile thing to do, you could go on drinking all day !ong at that rate and remain sober. Your liver would be getting rid of the alcohol as fast as you swallowed it, But what can be done to avoid the hangover headache? The secret, according to the doctor, is to eat while you are drinking, preferably something rich in protein such as meat. Drinking on a full stomach will also reduce the chances of a hang- over and retard the intoxicating effect, Drinking on an empty stomach can make you 'dizzy within a few minutes, because the alcohol then passes almost directly into the blood stream. And the more concentrated the drink the more quickly It is absorbed. Soda -water, so innocent and harm- less when taken by itself, acts 111ce a super -charger when mixed with al- cohol; it speeds up absorption. A hangover headache is caused through tite increase in pressure of the fluid surrounding the brain, With most people a good prevent- ative is to take one or two aspirin tablets after the party and before going to bed. Hard drinking is not always the cause of delirium tremens. It is what doctors call a "deficiency di- sease" resulting form the lack of Vitamir B The confirmed toper finds that most of the energy he needs to carry on drinking and keep alive comes from the calories contained in the drink. He is inclined to eat much less than normally. What he does eat ig seldom rich in vitamins, but because he gets no vitamin B he develops "D. T.s. Alcohol has a paralysing effect on the t ervous system. The centres governing self-restraint are first at- tacked. People drink because they find alcohol relieves thein of tension, In fact, some "advanced" thinkers have suggested that alcohol in mo- deration is the only effective medi- cine for people whose lives are bound by frustration and mono- tony. How "T® 'max Camera Prints Most amateur photographers, particularly camera club photogra- phers, wax their prints, Generally after the prints are mounted. The print is placed on a level, solid surface. A piece of cardboard or an old print is placed against the sidep and edges of the print and wax, such as simonize automobile wax, is applied with cotton, A light coat should be first applied in one direc- tion. It should be left to dry for about" 30 minutes and then lightly polished with cotton. Then a second coat should be applied in the direc- tion opposite. This gives the print greater depth, luster and quality. Canadians Chart Worms' Behavior Until Drs. A. P. Arnason, R. A. Fuller and J. W. T. Spinks, three Canadian research scientists, came along last month with a communica- tion in Science, not much was known about the movement of worms in the soil. There was noth- ing for it but to dig up the grubs or larvae and note their positions at the time. Drs. Arnason, Fuller and Spinks hit on the idea of making the worms radioactive, so that their movements above ground could be followed with a Geiger -Muller counter. How were the larvae of the worms to be made radioactive, Feeding them with radioactive food was not practicable. It was decided to insert a radioactive cobalt wire into the body of a worm. Surviving cutworms and wireworms behaved normally after the wire had been inserted, There was no loss of movement. The wire was shed with the skin at the right time, Nor were bad effects from the gainina rays noted. For lack of enough radioactive cobalt wire the Canadians fixed a speck of radioactive cobalt metal in the tail notch of grubs with some plastic. There was no difficulty in following underground movements, This method made it possible to tell where the larvae were in a hori- zontal plane. But how deep were they? And how could their move - up and down be noted? The Catta- dia'as calibrated their instruments for varying soil depths. Theirs is the first recorded method of following both horizontal and vertical mov'e- inent at the same time. The Cana- dians promise to find out how under- ground grubs respond to tempera tune, lignt, soil moisture, soil type, soil firmness and various foods and chemicals. New House - Building Method Promises ratter, Cheaper Homes es Nearing completion in Norfolk, in regions where vermin and rod- Va., Is one of the worlds most lents are a hazard, Moreover, by use unusual housing projects, Spon- of certain kinds of aggregate, it can Gored by Nelson Rockefeller's Ian- be made a superior insulation. Also, ternational Basic Economy Corp- it is proof against fire and requires oration, the houses are built of con- little paint and otherwise minimum crete and are themselves not dra- malieally different from the run of u kee • More to the p p point, sand small, concrete modern houses; but and gravel are among the most universal of the globe's materials, their method of construction is Road -building equipment, likewise, startlingly different, Indeed, they c an be can be made available. may, as the sponsors hope, open a He laid out a highway, coin new era in low-cost house con- struction, For the central point of posed of a series of concrete slabs. departure in these houses is that Skipping the first square, or slab they are erected with the sweep, he would place a portable form or mold on the second. This form cost, and machinery with which great highways are built. would comprise the inside and out- The Norfolk houses, which are side walls of a four -room house. He would fill this form with con. expected to be the prototype of much larger projects in other parts crete, let it set, retnove the form. o, the world, stem from the draw. Then lie would go back to the first slab, lift it by ' ing board of Wallace Harrison. patented vacuum lifting device means and place, it or, When I visited him the other top of the just -completed room sec day in his Radio City office, he said tion to form the roof! his first thought had been about ,Nlr. Harrison built t:+.v nuu�c•a at a more or less conventional house, his long island place, icon; it; out something built of wood and full technical problems For wstanre, he of gadgets like automatic dishwash. found that the corner: tended to ers, writes Robert A. \lullen, in crack and Lound a ti•a4 of niakina The Christian Science Monitor thein thicker and gtroji-er bi using Then, during the war, had followed nylon -rubber tubes, inflated with air his phase of thinking of houses as a to act as corner forms, Wiieu "machine for living," During this ready to remove forms. all he had period, he had explored with a ma• to do was deflate the corner tubes. jor airplane firm the idea of apply- Getting the steel wall forms to slip ing aeronautical experience to mass off easily was apro.t' ieut until . s house building. workman remembered an old -coup But after the war, it became cleat try trick of washing the surface to him, and to the Rockefellers, with a tannic acid solution. At that the world's most urgent need Long Island, he used a gantry was not for gadgets, for aesthetics, crane, but at Norfolk he found that or fancier ways of living. The a bomber crane used during the war need was just simply for plain to clear air fields of crippled bomb - houses to protect from weather and ers was idea] for lifting. the room provide a minimum standard of form and roof section. comfort. Then, one day in Venezuela, the Of course, this still left a need bright idea came. The Rockefellers for actual field experience, and especially cost experience. At Nor - have extensive projects in Vene- folk, an especially acute housing zuela, and at one point needed a shortage existed, So, at the request couple of houses for executive per- of a Norfolk businessman, the sonnel. Mr. Harrison discovered Rockefellers built 200 houses, meet - that to erect two rather modest ing all federal housing adininistra- prefab houses of United States de- tion requirements, sign would cost about $20,000 per . This job has shown that they 'house. By coincidence, at the same time can build a good, five -room, con - he wanted 22 acres of swampland crete house, having automatic heat, filled in as a site for a warehouse. good plumbing, but no gadgets, He asked a local contractor who that will rent for $45 a month. If was building some roads for an oil the house were to be sold, it would sell for approximately $5,000 to company what it would cost to do land included. The house is the filling job. The contractor rough, roughly comparable, except for the looked at a near -by hill and opined attic, to the new houses one sees in that with his big earth -moving ma- suburbs selling for $8,000 to chinery, he could cut the hill down $11,0„ course, roughly co and fill the swamp for not more parable"0. parable s a 'relative term and d than $20,000, In other words, you t might not meet with universal ct)uld move a mountain in Vene- agreement. zuela for the price of a five -room It is true the hQgses are not house! In this vivid fashion, Mr. Harri- especially pretty, They suffer from son was reminded of the widely ac- the same fate as most modern con - ceped fact that the cheapest sort crete houses in that they are square of construction known to modern and squat, 'Let they have a full - length window and certain man is road building, His thoughts inevitably roamed in hat direction, a amount of shrubbery, which goes coining up with the question: Why with the house, may offset some of the angular uniformity of the group, not use road -building machinery to However, these Norfolk houses construct houses? Back at his Long estate, were a pioneering effort, to lead .Island he began a series of experiments the way for thousands of even more all aimed at using giant road -con- austere units in places of the world struction equipment to build the where any sort of roof is better than a leaky tent, or rat -ridden pion world's best cheap house, He was hut, where sanitation and protection very glad to settle on concrete. It has many advantages, especially in must necessarily come before tropical climates where destructive charm; and where a good, cheap insects quickly spoil soft woods and house is just about the most hu - manitarian item that can be. offered, ft :s•J .�° a. o, t k> ��a�.��� , � ,ems, , a :� r r 5 Tot Takes A Traffic Ticket—in a joking mood, the Berlin traffic cop gives a ticket to Karin Wendler, 7, for driving without a license, The car is not a toy, but can do most anything a normal- sized auto can. Darin amazes Berliners ridiing throe li city stretts in Germaily's stliallest atito. For Mine Safety --fit the Wenn Crosshands Colliery, British coal imine, the inventors of a power -operated support to guard coal ruiners from cave -itis resulting from boring or blasting tx- 'aitiiite a scale -model Named the Tromit, the steel-archad saieiy deviee is operated by re oto, eo"tr& "OW SMOKS! 1�1,crE92 C+11F5! Pointer