g at her in amazement.

"There is no such thing as a freak of nature," corrected Arletta, "the
utmost reason prevails for all of her acts; but the simplest of nature's
laws appears complex and incomprehensible to the Apeman, who merely uses
his brain as an organ for self-gratification instead of an instrument to
grasp natural laws for which purpose it is intended. And therefore,
while your famous Apemen stunt the growth of the brain by misusing it
for the base purpose of accumulating individual wealth, our great men
utilized their brains to receive, understand and operate the wise laws
established by nature for the equal benefit and betterment of all
mankind. And therein lies the chief difference between the piece of
human machinery your soul now occupies and that which it once directed
over four thousand years ago. Behold," said she, dramatically pointing
at the director of the band, "that you were," and then casting her eyes
upon me, "that you are. Does your mind lack the strength to fully
appreciate the magnificent lesson nature has forced upon you, and which,
no doubt, stands unparalleled in the history of your species?

"Oh, if each little Apeman could only be made to understand, that the
present body is but one little installment of the innumerable lives his
soul has to preside over, and that the rich and powerful today may be
the weak and lowly tomorrow, he would begin at once to treat all living
things with equal kindness and sympathy. If he could only realize that
the dog he kicks, the horse he mistreats, or the poor mental or physical
weakling he takes advantage of might possibly be impelled by the same
soul that moved the form of his deceased father, mother, or offspring,
his selfishness and cruelty would vanish forever. If he could only
comprehend that the soul suffers as well as the flesh it stimulates, and
that it must naturally continue to do so, more or less, until every
particle of living matter has been cleansed and remoulded into the
highest type of earthly being, he would strive to reach perfection
himself and urge others to do likewise. For all terrestrial life must go
up or down together; a moment of selfish pleasure now, means an age of
suffering and torment in the future. Such are the immutable laws of
nature. And these laws must be obeyed before mankind can climb the
ladder of greatness.

"It sometimes appears as if Natural Law works very slowly before
reaching a given point, but there is alwa