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Hadley Sept. 14. '98.

My dear Susan -

When you said with evident emphasis, that
you see something attractive in features of the Roman Cath-
olic Faith, or worship, it did not, at the moment, ^{appear [?]} expedient to
respond, when there was so much to be said & so little
time. But it seems to be right, if not due to you & to the others -
& perhaps myself, that I sh'd make some answer.

We are here in a very small corner of the Universe, and
we are in relation to the whole of it. It is plain that we
are so made as to be more or less conscious of belonging to a
world of unseen life, of scenes, realities, persons, beyond the reach
of the senses, in extent, interest, duration. Mankind has never been
satisfied without knowing something of that other life, & serious
people generally believe that they & those they love are to
go with it, or nearer ^{to it,} when they die. They do not really
doubt, or holistically or permanently doubt, that God, the Maker,
(for nothing made itself) cares for both these worlds of life,
the seen the unseen, & has a purpose for them. Noted, I do
not call that other "world" "supernatural". It is just
as natural as this one, more so perhaps. It is superhuman,
supermundane, superreal, but it is in the actual or
eternal order, as this is. God Himself is Natural.

At a time when He saw it to be needful to
show Himself more distinctly & fully to His children -
a time with wh. we have little or nothing to do - He brought
Himself into the most perfect union - the only perfect union -
with humanity, -into man, - by taking all that is human into
Himself in a living Person like other men, & going thro'
a perfect human experience, under the simplest conditions-