"And you think there can be hell on earth?" asked one.
"Yes: a man's own evil mind and life make for him a constant hell."
"And you believe heaven may begin on earth?"
"I do. Heaven is the rightful heritage of the soul. Heaven is accord with the Divine. It is the natural environment of the soul. It is more natural to do right than wrong. It is evil environment that perverts the soul."
They seated themselves on a dead tree trunk.
"Here," said David Bright, laying his hand on the fallen tree, "you see an illustration of what happens to many a life. Its environment has brought a parasite that lays hold upon the life of the tree, saps its strength, and decay follows. Destructive agencies in a sinful environment lay hold of human life, sap its strength, and moral decay follows. Many a strong man has fallen as has this magnificent tree. Nothing can revitalize the tree once fallen into decay; but, thanks be to God, there is a force that can revitalize the human being long after he seems dead and lost to the world, and that is the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."
The look of one who bears the sorrow of his race upon his heart came into the beautiful face. And the men watched him with deepening reverence for their kind.
One who had thus far been silent spoke.
"But if the soul is immortal, spiritual death cannot come."
The old man looked keenly into the young man's eyes. He spoke with deepest conviction as he said: