,,studies ,,in ,,the ,,out-,,lying ,,fields ,,of ,,psychic ,,science ,by ,,hudson ,,tuttle ,,author ,,of ,,arcana ,,of ,,nature ,,origin ,,and ,,development ,,of ,,man ,,etc ,new ,york ,m ,l ,,holbrook ,,co ,,copyright ,,by ,,hudson ,,tuttle1 #ahhi4 ,,to ,,alfred ,e4 ,,giles1 ,,of ,,hyde ,,park1 ,,mass41 ,,an ,,erudite ,,scholar1 ,a ,,fearless ,,investigator1 ,,an ,,unshrinking ,,advocate ,,of ,,his ,,convictions1 ,,honest ,,and ,,true ,,to ,,himself ,,and ,,others2 ,,in ,,recognition ,,of ,a ,,mutual ,,friendship ,,of ,,many ,,years ,,this ,,volume ,,is ,,fraternally ,,dedicated4 ,,analysis4 ,there is a ,psychic ,ether1 related to thought1 as the luminiferous ether is to light4 ,this may be regarded as the thought atmosphere of the universe4 ,a thinking being in this atmosphere is a pulsating center of thought-waves1 as a luminous body is of light4 ,there is a state of mind and body known as sensitive1 or impressible1 in which it receives impressions from other minds4 ,this state may be normal1 or induced by fatigue1 disease1 drugs1 or arise in sleep4 ,the facts of clairvoyance1 trance1 somnambulism and psychometry prove the existence of this ether1 and are correlated to it4 ,thought transference is also in evidence1 as well as that vast series of facts which give intimation of an intelligence surviving the death of the physical body4 ,this sensitiveness may be exceedingly acute1 and the individual unconscious of it1 and then it is known as genius1 which is acute susceptibility to the waves of the psychic atmosphere4 ,sensitiveness explains the true philosophy of prayer4 ,all the so-called occult phenomena of mesmerism1 trance1 clairvoyance1 mind reading1 dreams1 visions1 thought transference1 etc41 are correlated to and explained by means of this psychic ether4 ,all these phenomena lead up to the consideration of immortality1 which is a natural state1 the birthright of every human being4 ,the body and spirit are originated and sustained together1 and death is their final separation4 ,the problem of an immortal future1 beginning in time1 is solved by the resolution of forces at first acting in straight lines1 through spirals reaching circles which1 returning within themselves1 become individualized and self-sustaining4 ,spiritual beings must originate and be sustained by laws as fixed and unchanging as those which govern the physical world4 ,sensitiveness gives great pleasures and may give pain2 the author's experience as a sensitive1 related1 shows this4 ,and1 finally1 a communication from a spirit whose life had been noble and unselfish1 given while the recipient was in a sensitive and receptive state1 detailing an account of the phenomena called death1 but which is really birth into the spirit realm1 the meeting of friends1 and the knowledge of a quarter of a century of its joys1 together with the poet's story1 it being an account given by one whose earth-life had been selfish1 and whose selfish thoughts had formed themselves into phantom companions1 following him into the realm of the future world1 and making his life there one of despair1 and how he escaped these legitimate children of his brain by heroic acts of unselfishness1 complete the story4 ,these last are no fictions of the imagination1 written to amuse the reader2 but the author is firmly convinced1 yes1 knows they are the words of actual living beings who have once lived on earth like ourselves4 ,h4 ,t4 ,,contents4 ,,page4 ,dedication #c ,analysis #e ,,chapter ,i4 ,matter1 ,life1 ,spirit #i ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,what the ,senses ,teach of the ,world and the ,doctrine of ,evolution #bj ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,scientific ,methods of the ,study of ,man1 and its ,results #ca ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,what is the ,sensitive ,state #cg ,,chapter ,v4 ,sensitive ,state3 ,its ,division into ,mesmeric1 ,somnambulic and ,clairvoyant #dd ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,sensitiveness ,proved by ,psychometry #fd ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,sensitiveness ,during ,sleep #ge ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,dreams #hf ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,sensitiveness ,induced by ,disease #ic ,,chapter ,x4 ,thought ,transference #ii ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,intimations of an ,intelligent ,force #aag ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,effects of ,physical ,influences on the ,sensitive #adg ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,unconscious ,sensitiveness #aea ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,prayer in the ,light of ,sensitiveness and ,thought ,waves #afe ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,christian ,science1 ,mind ,cure1 ,faith ,cure--their ,physical ,relations #agh ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,what the ,immortal ,state ,must ,be #ahh ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,personal ,experience--,intelligence from the ,sphere of ,light #bag ,matter1 ,life1 ,spirit4 ,,necessity ,,of ,,knowledge1 ,,not ,,faith4--,guizot forcibly expresses the value of a knowledge of future life when he says3 ,belief in the supernatural 7spiritual7 is the special difficulty of our time2 denial of it is the form of all assaults on ,christianity1 and acceptance of it lies at the root1 not only of ,christianity1 but of all positive religion whatever4 ,he stands not alone in this conclusion4 ,the difficulty1 to a great majority of men of science and leaders of thought1 appears insurmountable1 and they no longer feel a necessity for defending their want of belief1 but smile at the credulity of those who believe anything beyond what their senses reveal4 ,not only the infidel world perceives this difficulty2 it is well understood by the leaders of ,christianity1 for they have been taught its strength by the irrepressible conflict which has culminated in the want of belief at the present time4 ,with this result before them1 it is idle for the church leaders to assert that revelation in the ,bible is sufficient to remove this difficulty1 which has grown in the very sanctuary1 in the shadow of biblical teachings4 ,while the value of the ,bible1 as interpreted by theologians1 depends on the belief in immortality1 it has not proved the existence of man beyond the grave in such an absolute manner as to remove doubt2 and yet1 of all evidence it is designed to give1 that on this point should be the most complete and irrefutable4 ,the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ proves nothing1 even admitted in its most absolute form4 ,if ,christ was the ,son of ,god and ,god himself1 he was unlike ordinary mortals1 and what is true of him is not necessarily so of them4 ,his physical resurrection does not prove theirs4 ,admitting similarity1 his bodily resurrection after three days1 while his body remained unchanged1 does not prove theirs after they have become dust1 and scattered through countless forms of life for a thousand ages4 ,if1 with some sects1 the resurrection of the body be discarded1 then the resurrection of ,christ has no significance1 for it is expressly held that his body was revivified and taken from the tomb4 ,skepticism has increased1 because the supporters of religion have not attempted to keep pace with the march of events1 but1 on the contrary1 asserted that they had all knowledge possible to gain on this subject1 and that anything outside of their interpretation was false4 ,instead of founding religion on the constitution of man1 and making immortality his birthright1 they have regarded these as foreign to him1 and only gained by the acceptance of certain doctrines4 ,they removed immortality from the domain of accurate knowledge2 and those who pursued science turned with disgust from a subject which ignored present research for past belief4 ,hence1 there has been1 unfortunately1 the great army of investigators and thinkers1 in the realm of matter1 studying its phenomena and laws1 never approaching the threshold of the spiritual2 and1 on the other hand1 the more important knowledge of spirit1 of man's future1 which retrospects his present life and all past ages1 and reaches into the infinite ages to come1 was the especial care of those who scorned nature and abhorred reason4 ,hence the antagonism1 which can only be removed by the priest laying aside his books as infallible authority1 discarding beliefs1 dogmas1 and metaphysical word legerdemain1 and studying the inner world in the same manner that the outer has been so advantageously explored4 ,when this has been done1 it may be found that physical investigators have not the whole truth1 even when they have been the most exact4 ,it may be found that1 having omitted the spiritual side in all their investigations1 their conclusions are erroneous to the extent of that factor1 which may be one of the most important4 ,it may be found that in order to have a complete and perfect knowledge of the external world1 the internal or spiritual must be understood4 ,here we face the time-old questions3 ,what is matter8 ,what is spirit8 ,the philosophy of nature here rests4 ,there is no middle ground4 ,the materialist starts from the atom1 which1 he says1 has in itself all the possibilities of the universe and outside of which there is nothing4 ,,the ,,atom4--,but who knows of the atom1 into which matter1 at last analysis1 is resolved8 ,no one4 ,aside from the active forces which apparently flow from it1 we know nothing1 and speculation takes the place of knowledge4 ,that speculation1 unfettered by the requirements of accurate science1 grew rankly in the minds of the sages of antiquity1 and bore the strangest fruits4 ,from that time to the present1 speculative thought has not ceased in activity1 nor arrived at any certain conclusion4 ,the atomic theory is one of the most splendid generalizations in the whole circle of sciences4 ,as a working hypothesis its aid is invaluable1 and the solution it affords of the most intricate combination of the elements1 truly marvelous4 ,yet it is a conjecture2 the existence of the atom a guess4 ,no one ever saw1 tasted1 or felt the atom4 ,it is absolutely beyond the senses1 as it is beyond any instrumental aid thereto4 ,the entire structure of physical science1 as expounded to-day1 rests on conjecture1 the only evidence in support of which is that it explains the phenomena4 ,there is no assurance that other conjectures might not explain them quite as well4 ,it would be a waste of time to explore this field1 wherein the baseless dreams of philosophers and scientists have grown like ,jonah's gourd1 over-shadowing the barren sands4 ,the manner in which the nature of the distinct and indestructible atom was arrived at1 shows the puerility of the theory4 ,if we take a fragment of matter1 we can break it into distinct pieces2 these are again divided1 and so on1 until we reach a point where further division is impossible4 ,one of these indivisible particles1 says the ,materialist1 is an atom2 a conclusion derived from the gross conception of material division1 and the limitation of the mind4 ,endow this atom with force1 or call it a center for the propagation of force1 and the materialistic system is complete2 yet these conclusions are but dreams4 ,with equal arrogance1 the ,materialists lead to the higher ground of vitality1 of mind and of morals1 forgetting that the fundamental proposition on which this system rests is a guess1 a surmise1 and nothing more4 ,but investigation by other means than the primitive experience of mechanical division1 shows that the atom has no existence as a fixed entity4 ,professor ,crookes has demonstrated that matter has properties unknown to the present race of philosophers4 ,by way of illustration3 ,if a certain vessel be closed1 and the air exhausted1 until only one hundred atoms remain1 that hundred leave no space1 but occupy the entire vessel4 ,if the vacuum be made more perfect1 and only ten atoms remain1 the ten still occupy the whole space2 and if the process could be carried so far that only one remained1 it would still fill the space4 ,the atomist might divide it indefinitely1 and yet each division fill the space4 ,in short1 were there but one atom in the universe1 that atom would fill all space4 ,,new ,,properties4--,when matter is thus rarified1 or in other words1 when the pressure is removed1 new properties appear1 and the tangible fades into the intangible4 ,the qualities of pure force begin to be manifested4 ,the intimation is made that were it possible to make the vacuum more perfect1 there would arise out of this invisible gas1 spontaneous manifestation of energy2 or matter would be resolved into force4 ,,what ,,is ,,matter8--,having seen that the conception of the atom is immature1 and incapable of demonstration1 we find matter1 of which the atom is supposed to be the foundation1 equally incapable of definition4 ,with matter we never come in sensuous contact2 we only know its forces1 as expressed in phenomena4 ,the succession of seasons1 the recurrence of day and night1 the teeming earth1 the starry heavens--these are manifestations of matter4 ,matter here is revealed to us as an appearance4 ,matter is appearance2 phenomena are concrete expressions of force4 ,it may be asked3 ,do these phenomena create themselves8 ,do bodies become organic by the confluence of atoms8 ,rather are they not molded by the force which through them gains expression8 ,what is this force8 ,is it independent8 ,on ultimate analyses1 force resolves itself into motion1 which is discernable to the senses only as expressed in phenomena4 ,if we were obliged to explain the phenomena of matter only1 some theory might be plausibly maintained2 fronting one world we might understand it1 but we are fronting two worlds4 ,there is constantly the caused and the cause4 ,we never are satisfied that the caused caused itself4 ,we may receive the beautiful exposition of the doctrine of evolution1 and yet we have only the road over which life has been irresistibly forced4 ,why8 ,wherefore8 ,by what power8 ,instinctively we turn to the realm of spiritual causes4 ,material science1 with all its boasted accuracy and infallibility1 breaks down1 and utterly fails1 when called to explain mental and spiritual phenomena4 ,it boasts of infallibility1 when its fundamental theories are conjectures that the advance of thought may to-morrow show to be vagaries of fancy4 ,we must look to the eternal activities of spirit for the final solution of the grossest manifestation of matter4 ,,nature ,a ,,witches' ,,pot4--,the present conception of nature1 by material science1 is a witches' pot1 into which1 by some unknown process1 matter and force were placed4 ,the pot seethes1 and out of the seething conflict foams up to the surface in kaleidoscopic changes1 organic beings4 ,the savans stand around its rim like ,shakespeare's witches and chant a technical gibberish about laws2 the pre-existence and correlation of force2 the indestructibility of energy2 the eternity of matter2 the potentialities of the atom2 the struggle for existence2 the survival of the fittest1 and in admiration praise each other's profundity of sight1 while the sharpest eyed see nothing beneath the foaming scum4 ,they pride themselves on explanations1 of causes1 while really they play with words4 ,at the threshold of this discussion of the problem of mind and spirit we have that of life4 ,the living being is the most wonderful achievement of force in its multitudinous forms4 ,life is the gateway to the realm of spirit1 and beyond that gateway lie the questions we seek to solve4 ,the living being1 by the fact of its being such1 has new and hitherto undetermined relations4 ,it has escaped from the hold of the forces in part from the common lot of matter1 and a new horizon uplifts before it4 ,new and mysterious forces intrude1 the sum of which we call vital energy4 ,well we know that here the material scientist will smile or sneer1 for he has already settled the question in his own mind and that of his confreres1 that there is nothing beyond the properties of matter4 ,the animal body is composed of definite quantities of carbon1 hydrogen1 lime1 iron1 etc41 and the conflict of atoms1 the combustion of carbon by the oxygen of the air1 the burning of phosphorus in the nerves1 is the activity evolved which is called life4 ,in the higher animals1 especially in man1 this life force derived from burning elements is changed to thought1 and the quantity of thought depends on the activity of the process4 ,no one1 however1 has ever proved that such transformation occurs1 or even attempted the task4 ,the most thoughtful and profound acknowledge that at the threshold of life all physical theories utterly fail1 and that the problem does not admit of solution4 ,the more persistent declare life to be a resultant of protoplasm2 a fragment of protoplasm is the lowest form of a living being4 ,it is a homogeneous mass1 scarcely a cell or aggregation of cells4 ,these cells do not feel or know2 they are sensitive2 that is all4 ,a human being is said by these material scientists to be the sum of an infinite number of moners1 as a coral branch is the sum of a great number of polyps4 ,these moners form1 under different circumstances1 bone1 muscle1 and nerve4 ,they propagate and die4 ,their multiplication and destruction is the source and accompaniment of vital changes1 and mental states4 ,when the necessity for the destruction of a great number of these moners arises1 the end1 the destruction of all1 or death of the combined organism is the result4 ,according to this view1 by the simple addition of moners1 we obtain something none of them singly possessed4 ,the single moner has only sensitiveness1 their infinite aggregate1 in the human being1 has feeling1 intelligence1 will1 and ,god-like aspirations4 ,the time old axiom never before disputed is set aside1 and the sum is declared to be not only greater than its parts--it is infinitely greater1 and acquires qualities which the parts do not possess4 ,it may be urged that in the acquisition of new qualities the same is true of the chemical union of elements1 which yield products entirely different in quality from the combining bodies4 ,these1 however1 unite in fixed proportions in a manner far from understood1 while1 with the hypothetical moners1 they are aggregated mechanically1 as polyps in a cluster1 and this union of individuals changes not their functions1 but simply increases the mass4 ,whether we accept this moner hypothesis1 or the more generally received theory that life is the product of organization1 arising from the chemical actions in the body1 it is impossible to say wherein the dead animal differs from the living4 ,analysis can not reveal this secret1 for the living animal can not be subjected to that test4 ,the life principle escapes before the alembic or retort is brought into requisition4 ,the song of the bird can not be found by chemical analysis4 ,we know that the living being is held together1 and dominated over by the strongest forces1 and the moment these relax their hold1 decomposition commences4 ,what are these forces8 ,whence do they come8 ,whither do they go8 ,,life ,,and ,,mind4--,taking vital force in its highest expression1 in man1 it is self-conscious and has independent will4 ,it arises above the atoms of its physical being1 above the influences which environ it1 and says1 ,i will1 and executes that will4 ,i know well that if we here leave physical science for metaphysics1 there are philosophers who would not only reason away this force1 but the existence of the body itself4 ,they are true intellectual acrobats2 amusing jugglers1 who throw words instead of painted balls1 and confuse by their wonderful dexterity4 ,yet1 after all has been said1 we know we exist and have physical bodies4 ,had we not such bodies the thought of them would never have been fashioned in our minds4 ,as we know the sun will rise1 or the night follow1 we know we have bodily forms1 and are thereby brought in contact with the physical world4 ,it is a fact1 and as such can not be reasoned away4 ,in the same manner we are conscious of a mental or spiritual life which arches the physical world as the dome of the sky4 ,,is ,,the ,,gulf ,,between ,,spirit ,,and ,,matter ,,bridged8--,here we come to that vague and uncertain realm where spirit touches matter4 ,we leave the coast line of the tangible and seen for the intangible and unseen4 ,there is no bridge over the gulf1 which is said to be impassable4 ,material and spiritual phenomena are united by no common bond1 and each stands by itself4 ,the great thought stream has set toward the materialistic interpretation of all spiritual phenomena1 or ruled them out of the pale of the believable4 ,if these phenomena are real1 if man--the ego--is superior to the oxygen and carbon of his body2 if the manifestations of mind are superior to the combustion of tissue in the lungs1 then all these manifestations should be amenable to certain laws and conditions1 which ascertained1 will harmonize them into a perfect system4 ,the brain is the point of contact between spirit and matter1 and as far as the manifestations of that spirit are related to the material world while connected with the physical body1 it must be through and by means of the brain4 ,the intimate character of this relation gives strong color to the reasoning based on the material view that the brain produces thought1 as the liver produces bile4 ,but such reasoning is from appearance rather than the reality4 ,there is1 as ,tyndall eloquently expresses1 a chasm between matter and mind that can not be passed4 ,the passage from the physics of the brain to the corresponding facts of consciousness is unthinkable4444 ,were our minds and senses so expanded1 strengthened1 and illuminated1 as to enable us to see and feel the very molecules of the brain2 were we capable of following all their motions1 all their groupings1 all their electric discharges1 if such there be2 and were we intimately acquainted with the corresponding states of thought and feeling1--we should be as far as ever from the solution of the problem1 ',how are these physical processes connected with the facts of consciousness8' ,the chasm between the two classes of phenomena would still be intellectually impossible4 ,,spiritual ,,substance4--,as the experiments alluded to show that matter may1 under certain conditions1 take on new properties1 ceasing to be matter1 in the usual acceptance of that word1 the horizon of matter which has been thought to rest over attenuated hydrogen1 may extend to infinite reaches beyond1 including stuffs or substances which have never been revealed to the senses4 ,as the eye is capable of detecting only a narrow belt of rays1 and the ear a scarcely broader belt of sounds1 beyond which1 on either side1 are unknown realms of light and sounds1 so we are able to detect only a narrow range of elements2 and there may be a realm on one side too gross for recognizance by the senses1 and on the other1 one too attenuated4 ,beings fashioned of this attenuated substance might walk by our side unseen1 nor cast a shadow in the noon-day sun4 ,,spirit ,,ether4--,aside from this spiritual substance1 beyond the pale of the most attenuated matter1 is the spirit ether4 ,the students of light have found it possible to explain its phenomena only by the hypothesis of an ether1 a universal fluid of extreme tenuity1 the vibrations of which are interpreted by the eye as light4 ,this ether was at first a dream of the imagination2 but1 by answering all questions and receiving the verification of mathematics1 it has become a demonstrated reality4 ,it is probably the common medium for the transference of electricity1 heat1 and magnetism as well4 ,it is an illustration of one of the many instances where the ,imagination has overreached the ,reason in the race of discovery4 ,in the same manner we may predicate another ether1 the medium through which all spiritual phenomena are produced4 ,we may prove the existence of this ether1 by the certainty and harmony of the answers it gives1 as the existence of the luminiferous ether has been demonstrated4 ,as the great life-giver1 we may distinguish it as psycho-ether4 ,it can not be said to be material1 for it belongs to the region beyond that recognized as material by our senses4 ,it is the sublimation of matter1 vastly more attenuated than light-ether1 and thought is propagated in it from thinking centers1 as light is in the luminiferous ether from luminous bodies4 ,the qualities of this ether are the possibilities of life and spirit and to it for explanation we refer all psychic phenomena4 ,what the ,senses ,teach of the ,world and the ,doctrine of ,evolution4 ,,is ,,there ,,more ,,than ,,one ,,world--,,stuff8--,thus far1 with a few exceptions which may be called heterodox1 physicists have in their speculations used the term matter as though in ultimate conception there is but one kind of matter and the atoms of that matter are absolutely alike4 ,in other words there is but one stuff of which the cosmos is formed4 ,the senses on which this theory is based do not endorse1 but1 by their limitation1 prove the opposite4 ,we have no means of knowing of sound aside from the ear1 which is wonderfully fashioned to receive vibrations and transmit them to the brain2 yet its imperfection1 caused by the limitations of nerve tissue1 reveals the fact that it is cognizant of only a narrow field1 either side of which is a wide tract1 which to it is profound silence4 ,if a sound wave impinges on the ear with less vibrations than #af times in a second it is inaudible2 and if the number of vibrations is increased above #ch1jjj per second1 they again lose the power of impressing the ear4 ,there may be insects capable of hearing these high sounds1 which to man are silence itself2 and the long waves that beat less than #af times in a second may be sweet music to some of the lower tribes of animated life4 ,perfect as the eye may be as an optical instrument1 its range is far less than that of the ear4 ,only those rays of light having waves #a-ci1jjjth of an inch in length are visible on one side1 and the last visible radiations on the other end of the spectrum have wave lengths of #a-ege1jjjth of an inch4 ,this is a narrow limit1 and on either side there must be rays1 which eyes or nerves differently constructed would receive and interpret1 yielding1 perhaps1 colors unknown to our consciousness4 ,there is a harmony in color waves1 like music in sound waves1 for as a note blends in one1 in all octaves above or below1 so light waves1 twice or thrice the length of given waves yield the same color impression4 ,we may regard from the same point of view the sense of taste1 the nerves of which have a still narrower range1 and are apparently differently affected in animals than they are in man--substances disagreeable to him being relished by them1 and of course affecting the taste differently4 ,we are not sure that there are not senses which appreciate conditions of matter1 of which we have no conception4 ,there are insects which apparently have organs bestowing senses unlike our own4 ,their antenn have no corresponding organs in the higher animals1 and the conception of the world which these give has no analogy in our minds4 ,as the senses are thus cognizant of narrow belts of sound and light1 leaving unknown stretches on either side1 so what is called matter may be the narrow range recognized by our finite powers as a whole1 on either side of which may lie stuffs of widely different qualities and possibilities4 ,a ,,dead ,,view ,,of ,,dead ,,worlds4--,pausing to consider the received theory of force1 as an explanation of the causes of the world--creation1 we shall find that it fails to meet the high promises it vauntingly makes4 ,according to the received theory of force1 every manifestation of power and energy on the earth is originally derived from the sun4 ,the growth of plants and animals1 and all the activities displayed by the latter1 are derived from their food1 which was produced by the light and heat of the sun4 ,in illustration of the sun's incalculable power1 take1 for instance1 the rain fall of one-tenth of an inch extending over the ,united ,states4 ,such a rain-fall has been estimated at ten thousand millions of tons1 which the heat of the sun had raised at least to the height of one mile4 ,it would take all the pumping engines in the ,united ,states a century to lift this amount of water back again to the clouds4 ,if the force is so great as displayed in the rain-fall of one-tenth of an inch1 how incomprehensible the power which lifts the entire amount of water evaporated1 amounting to1 at least1 forty inches6 ,yet the force of the sun1 manifested on the earth1 is an inconceivably small part of that radiated1 for the earth only receives in the proportion that its surface bears to the sphere of its orbit1 and how incomparable is its diameter of #h1jjj miles to that of a sphere #ahd1jjj1jjj across4 ,the combined surface of all the planets would receive a scarcely appreciable ratio of the entire amount which1 unimpeded1 flies away into the abyss of space4 ,the energy radiated at the surface of the sun is estimated at #g1jjj horse power to the square foot1 and if the sun was a mass of coal1 it would have to be consumed in #e1jjj years in order to supply it1 and in #e1jjj years would have to cool down to #i1jjj degrees1 ,c4 ,if the nebular hypothesis be received1 the contraction would supply the loss for #g1jjj years before the temperature would fall #a degree1 ,c4 ,incomprehensible as this force is1 it is constantly diminishing1 and although the projection of meteors and hypothetical cosmical bodies may prolong its action1 the time must come when all its energy will be dissipated into space2 all bodies will have the same temperature1 and as there is no other source of energy1 physical and vital phenomena will cease1 and the universe1 bereft of living beings1 will itself be dead4 ,a ,,dead ,,world4--,according to the most advanced views at present entertained1 this is the end of the career of the universe4 ,balfour ,stewart endorses this conclusion by saying3 ,we are induced to generalize still further1 and regard not only our own system1 but the whole material universe1 when viewed with respect to serviceable energy1 as essentially evanescent1 and as embracing a succession of physical events which can not go on forever as they are4 ,in stronger language ,mr4 ,pickering says3 ,the final result1 therefore1 would be that all bodies would assume the same temperature1 there would be no further source of energy2 physical phenomena would cease1 and the physical universe would be dead4 ,such1 at least1 is the present view of this stupendous question4 ,in explanation of the origin of this energy1 and the reason for its loss1 ,mr4 ,stewart further says3 ,it is supposed that these particles originally existed at a great distance from each other1 and that1 being endowed with force of gravitation1 they have gradually come together2 while in this process heat has been generated1 just as if a stone were dropped from the top of a cliff toward the earth4 ,thus the universe would become an equally heated mass1 utterly worthless as far as the work of production is concerned1 since such production depends on difference of temperature4 ,in other words1 the universe becomes dead matter1 wholly incapable of supporting life1 and so far as present science gives us any information1 must remain forever at rest4 ,the fact that such a conclusion has been reached should cause us to pause in doubt of the correctness of the data leading thereto4 ,it would be more plausible were it shown how1 at the end of the great cycle1 there was renewal of the lost energy1 and return to the nebulous beginning4 ,causation moves in cycles1 and the most alarming perturbations are balanced by forces operating in other directions1 so that the result is the preservation of order4 ,planets swing wide of their orbits for a million years1 getting further and further away1 yet the time comes when they return on a pathway carrying them as wide on the other side4 ,this latest view of the universe by scientific thought1 however plausible its argument1 or apparently logical its results1 is proven by the very logic of those results to be defective4 ,,the ,,logic ,,of ,,results4--,it starts with the declaration that matter and force are inseparable1 that there can be no matter without force4 ,the nebulous beginning was a storehouse of energy1 which has been wasting ever since the first world was formed4 ,this force has been for countless ages dispersing by radiation4 ,it is still wasting1 for as it is radiated into space it does not even raise the temperature of the trackless abyss through which it passes4 ,when it is all gone1 there will be left the force of gravitation1 holding with adamantine grasp the dead residuum of suns and planets2 and1 strange conclusion to which these premises force us1 this residuum must be matter without force4 ,here the problem remains unsolved1 and a theory which proudly assumes for itself the distinction of being the only true system of nature1 which rules ,god out of the universe1 or makes ,him an unknown and unknowable quantity1 destroys life in nature1 and has no means of its restoration except by a miracle4 ,if the universe is a machine which in time will run down and die1 all its force being dissipated1 does it not follow that in the beginning some superior power united this force with matter8 ,and also1 does it not follow that if this dead universe again lives1 a superior power must draw back the scattered beams of light1 heat1 magnetism1 and other forces1 and re-endow the dead residuum8 ,thus this materialistic hypothesis1 which boasts arrogantly of its certitude1 begins in assumption and ends in a dilemma out of which confession of ignorance and acceptance of miracle only can extricate it4 ,creation is not a clock that must be wound up at stated intervals by a foreign power1 and any system which does not provide for its restoration as well as destruction1 confesses weakness4 ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,,causes4--,we have this choice3 ,to believe that forces by blind action and reaction have evolved the world from a nebulous fire-cloud and peopled it with sentient and intellectual beings1 making of it a perpetual motion1 a machine not designed1 but the result of infinite failures1 perfected by infinite blunders1 and sustained by the fortuitous equilibrium of unseeing1 unknowing forces2 or that back of these forces is an intelligence1 planning and willing through their agency4 ,if the latter be accepted1 it does not follow that the crude conception of design in nature as the direct work of a personal ,god must be maintained4 ,at the commencement of the great revival of the study of nature1 when the views which have revolutionized scientific thought were beginning to dawn1 illy defined and partially understood1 they were seized on by a class seeking support to the theological doctrines they felt yielding beneath their feet1 and distorted by plausible sophistry into apparent vindication of their dogmas4 ,of these1 ,paley became most famous1 his illustration of the watch was the most renowned of his arguments4 ,it is misleading1 as there is no real likeness between a watch and the mechanism of nature4 ,yet we do not endorse the complacency of many leading supporters of evolution4 ,evolution is undoubtedly a true statement of the method of creation4 ,it offers no further explanation and gives no cause4 ,accepting evolution and following the development of life from the least to the greatest1 what do we see but the constant unfoldment of a well defined purpose and plan8 ,are not the beings of the ,silurian and ,devonian epoch prophecies of the forms which were evolved out of them8 ,we may call things by new names1 and in place of design use adaptation2 we do not change the relations of things thereby4 ,when we see a bird cleave the air with rapid wings1 and observe the wonderful adaptation of bones and muscles and forms of feathers1 we may explain it all by evolution1 which has made the bird the embodiment of the forces of the air4 ,have we done more than state the method of growth8 ,what cause have we assigned for the process8 ,we see an interminable series of forms1 changing from age to age1 becoming more and more complex in their relations1 but pressing forward constantly to final production of man as the perfection of the vertebrate type4 ,evolution describes this process1 at every step furnishing evidence of a purpose1 achieving its ends through matter1 often failing1 but through failures at last reaching its object4 ,in this light the imperfection of organs proves nothing against design4 ,the eye of man is instanced as more imperfect than a glass lens4 ,it is as perfect as the organic material out of which it is made permits4 ,that it becomes diseased is from the same necessity of organization4 ,,evolution4--,evolution is a new name for facts exceedingly old2 but its supporters would have its scheme reach through creation to the foundation of things4 ,advancement with them means only better adaptation in the struggle for existence1 the result of accidental fitness which has pushed unorganized protoplasm to man4 ,matter and its potentialities granted1 all else flows in assured course4 ,difficulties disappear2 the riddle of the ,sphinx is no longer obscure4 ,the sunlight has fallen on the marble lips1 and ,memnon has revealed in a single sentence what mortal man has never understood1 ,the survival of the fittest4 ,the theologian has rested in blissful confidence in the arms of the ,creator2 now comes the scientist who by easy methods calls the ,creator evolution1 and falls as blindly confident into the arms of his new-named ,god4 ,the likeness is made more complete by the scorn of one equaling the sneer of the other4 ,it is a new name for the old fact1 that the forms of life on this earth are united by common parentage1 and have been differentiated by the accumulation of infinite beneficial changes4 ,the struggle for existence has been the center around which these have aggregated4 ,this no careful student will deny4 ,having granted this1 what then8 ,is anything explained8 ,have we approached the cause by a single step8 ,really1 has anything been done more than to explain the phenomena of the world with new words and phrases8 ,of old it was said the world is a machine with gods or a god at the crank2 to-day the god at the crank is the ,unknowable1 the laws of nature1 the potentiality of matter2 or in the most recent theory the all-god has appeared in the revival of the god imminent in the universe1 which is regarded as an organism1 with a god-soul4 ,this is poetic but neither sensible nor scientific4 ,forever and forever old ideas are washed on the shore of time1 out of the wreck of the past1 and instead for being relegated to the museum1 are galvanized into grimace of life1 and branded as new1 when they are rapidly disintegrating in every part4 ,,the ,,survival ,,of ,,the ,,fittest4--,the survival of the fittest is a wonderful scheme of the preservation of the best4 ,to illustrate1 take the tiger and the deer4 ,once they herded together1 the tiger not being1 as now1 noted for strength or cunning1 nor the deer for caution and fleetness4 ,the dull tiger was able to take as prey the least cautious and weakest of the deer4 ,the fleetest deer propagated1 and then only the most cunning tigers were able to procure food1 and continue their kind4 ,as their strength and cunning increased1 the cautiousness and fleetness of the deer increased in this matched game of life2 the two species reacting on each other until we now have the perfected deer and tiger4 ,in both kingdoms of living beings1 among all their diverse families and species1 this struggle has gone on1 and the result is the differentiation from abysmal protoplasmic slime the humming bird on the flower to the leviathan in the deep2 the litchen on the rock to man with an intellectual comprehension of unknown breadth4 ,we here have the chronicle of creation1 and ,froissart was not more garrulous with his exploits of lord and lady than the chroniclers of the changes effected in specific forms on their way to man4 ,we hear all that is said1 and with a feeling of disappointment1 while admitting all1 respond that we were promised a cause1 and have been given only a method8 ,what stands behind the struggle for existence8 ,what is the infinite force of the ceaseless unrest1 which throws each wave higher on the tide line1 working like a blind giant1 hewing out organic forms from protoplasm1 and amid infinite failures approximating ever to the perfect1 with constant prophecy that that perfection will be attained8 ,the survival of the fittest reveals the prodigal method which preserves one of a million germs1 casting the others back into the seething crucible for new trials4 ,can it claim anything more8 ,the laws of nature are grooves in which causes run to effects2 but why do they thus move8 ,calling them by other names will not satisfy4 ,as ,newton1 when he gave the law of gravitation mathematical form1 penetrated not a step toward its cause1 so the biologist has not passed the threshold of the domain of life4 ,a recent scientific association sat in silence after a verbose and flippant discussion on protoplasm1 when asked by a member what was the difference between living and dead protoplasm8 ,not one could answer4 ,life had escaped their observation4 ,protoplasm dead is no longer protoplasm4 ,the protoplasmic germ impelled by the forces of life1 commences its growth1 sending out its feeding vessels1 and from the beginning copies the paleontological history of the earth1 and more completely the biography of its direct ancestors4 ,when we consider that this invisible fleck bears in its cell or cells the impress of every condition bearing on its progenitors from remotest time1 and will express it in all these conditions1 it is no longer a phenomenon on which we gaze1 but a miracle of creative power1 and all that has been written by physiologists since ,galen's time as to its cause is as children's prattle4 ,the material side furnishes no adequate explanation4 ,its coarse methods are not adapted to measure the illusive psyche4 ,the balance weighs not1 the scalpel dissects not1 the retort holds not the elements of the soul4 ,scientific ,methods of the ,study of ,man1 and ,results4 ,,the ,,evolutionist4--,scientists have different ways of studying man4 ,the evolutionist first develops the form4 ,he says that life began in protoplasm in the unrecorded ages of the past1 and step by step1 through mollusk1 fish1 saurian and mammal1 has arisen by the struggle for existence and survival of the fittest1 until the mammal by strangely fortuitous chances has become a human being4 ,as the human body is a modified animal form1 so the intellect is a modified and developed instinct1 the highest and most spiritual conscientiousness being only the result of accumulated experiences of what is for the best4 ,the highest of animals is man1 with no barrier between him and them1 and subject to the same fate4 ,there is no indication of a guiding intelligence1 and if he possess an immortal spirit1 so does the mollusk and the fleck of protoplasm4 ,,the ,,chemist4--,the chemist has his method1 that of analysis4 ,he takes the vital tissues and resolves them into their elementary parts4 ,he tells us that there is so much hydrogen1 carbon and nitrogen in the muscles2 so much lime and phosphorus in the bones2 so much phosphorus in the nerves1 and iron in the blood4 ,he separates these elements in retort or crucible1 and weighs them with nicety so that he knows to a thousandth of a grain their proportions4 ,he has made the ultimate analysis1 and these are all he can discover4 ,life is the result of their union2 mind the burning of phosphorus in the brain1 and as for spirit1 it is quite unnecessary to explain the phenomena4 ,the chemist has finished his work1 and placed in the museum the results of his analysis4 ,that body perhaps weighed one hundred and fifty pounds4 ,in a large glass jar is the water it contained--clear1 crystal water1 such as flashes in the sunlight of a rainbow-arching shower1 or a dewdrop sparkling on the petals of a lily4 ,there are about eight or ten gallons of it1 for the body is three-fourths water4 ,there is a small jar of white powder representing the lime2 another1 still smaller1 the silex2 another the phosphorus4 ,there are homeopathic vials containing a trace of sulphur1 of iron1 magnesia1 the potash1 the soda1 the salts and so on until the vials1 great and small1 contain more or less of almost every element4 ,here we have what was once a human being4 ,we have every thing that went to make him1 except one1 which lacking1 these elements are lifeless1 and of no more value than water from the brook and earth from its banks3 the vital1 or psychic principle4 ,place the contents of all the lesser jars in the greater water jar1 shake1 dissolve1 and manipulate1 dead and inert they remain1 and will remain so long as thus treated4 ,the chemist in his analysis has made no account of the subtile principle which made these elementary atoms an expression of its purpose4 ,the living form has its origin in the remote past1 and its atoms were arranged and brought into union by a vital process which thus began2 which must begin in this manner and traverse the same path4 ,phosphorus may be essential to give activity to the brain1 and a given amount of thought may correspond to a fixed amount of phosphorus burned in nerve tissue4 ,what of that8 ,we know that in one of these vials is all the phosphorus that existed in one human being2 we may burn it all1 and it will give flame1 not intelligence4 ,if intelligence comes from its burning1 the process must take place in nerve cells organized for the purpose1 and that structure must have been planned by superior thought4 ,to call the ingredients of these bottles a human being would be like calling a pile of brick1 mortar and lumber a house1 except the comparison fails in the house being built by outside forces1 while the living being must be organized from within4 ,no mixing of the contents of these bottles and jars can evolve life1 or even the smallest speck of protoplasm4 ,,the ,,anatomist4--,the third scheme is that of the anatomist1 who with keen-edged scalpel bends over the body after life has gone out of it1 and traces the course of arteries and veins1 the form and location of nerves1 the attachment of muscular fibers1 and in connection with the physiologist defines the functions of each separate organ4 ,an exquisitely fashioned machine it is1 wonderfully and fearfully made1 growing up from an invisible germ4 ,after anatomist and physiologist have finished1 and on their dissecting table only a mass of rubbish remains1 they triumphantly point to it and exclaim3 ,see6 ,we have settled the question of spirit6 ,there can be nothing beyond this organism4 ,we have determined how every cell and fiber of it are put together1 and the functions they perform4 ,no where is there an indication of any thing superior or transcending this material form4 ,here is where the food is digested2 here it is assimilated2 here this secretion is made2 here excretion of poisonous matter takes place2 here in the brain1 in these gray cells1 thought arises4 ,ah6 it is a wonderful complex machine4 ,indeed it is1 and what has become of the power which moved it8 ,you have a strange machine1 unlike all others1 for it is1 according to your ideas1 an engine to make steam1 instead of to be moved by it2 a mill to make a waterfall1 instead of to be run by falling water4 ,what is the difference between a dead man and a living one8 ,incomprehensibly great1 and yet the dead man to the chemist1 the anatomist1 the biologist1 is identically the same as the living4 ,that unknown element1 life1 escapes the crucible1 the retort1 the scalpel1 the microscope1 and the conclusions of those who take it not into consideration are the vague conjecturing of children1 who have gained but a half knowledge of the subjects that excite their attention4 ,yet science proudly claims the knowledge of all things possible to know4 ,it has searched into the foundations of the earth and ascended the starry dome of infinitude2 it grasps the inconceivably small and the inconceivably great2 it delves in the hard stratum of facts1 and sports in the most sublime theories4 ,it gives the laws of the dancing motes1 and those which guide the movements of stellar worlds2 the sullen forces of the elements and the subtile agencies which sustain living beings4 ,,what ,,is ,,beyond ,,the ,,strife ,,for ,,existence8--,what1 ,o ,science1 is there beyond the grave which shuts down with adamantine wall between this life and the future8 ,the answer comes3 ,beyond8 ,there is nothing4 ,do not dream1 but know the reality4 ,what becomes of its music after the instrument is destroyed8 ,where is the hum of the bee after the insect has passed on its busy wings8 ,where is the light in the lamp after the oil is burned8 ,where is the heat of the grate after the coal has burned8 ,given the conditions and you have music1 heat and light4 ,when these conditions perish you have nothing4 ,as the impinging of oxygen against carbon in the flame produces light and heat1 so the combination of elements in the nerves and brain produces the phenomena of life and intelligence4 ,as the liver secretes bile1 so the brain produces thought4 ,destroy the brain and mind disappears1 as the music when the instrument is broken4 ,look you and see the strife for existence4 ,see you the myriads of human beings who have perished4 ,the world is one vast charnel house1 its material being worked over and over again in endless cycle4 ,tooth and claw to rend and tear2 arrow1 club1 spear1 sword1 and gun to kill2 the weak to fall1 the strong and brutal to triumph1 to multiply1 and advance by the slaughter of its own weaker members4 ,the atom you can not see with unaided eye devours and is devoured1 and ascending to man1 he is by turns the slayer and the slain4 ,there's not an atom of the earth's thick crust1 ,of earth or rock1 or metals' hardened rust1 ,but has a myriad times been charged with life1 ,and mingled in the vortex of its strife2 ,and every grain has been a battle-field ,where murder boldly rushed with sword and shield4 ,turn back the rocky pages of earth's lore1 ,and every page is written o'er and o'er ,with wanton waste4 ,the weak are for the strong1 ,and ,might is victor1 whether right or wrong4 ,enameled armor and tesselated scale1 ,with conic tooth that broke the flinty mail2 ,the shell protecting and the jaw which ground ,the shell to dust1 there side by side are found2 ,the fin that sped the weak from danger's path1 ,the stronger fin that sped the captor's wrath2 ,a charnel house where1 locked in endless strife1 ,cycle the balanced forces1 ,death and ,life4 ,if you seek for a meaning or a purpose you will find none4 ,what you call design is only the harmony of fluctuating chances produced by countless failures4 ,,philosophy4--,invoke philosophy with her robes of snow1 pretending to a knowledge of the world and its infinite destiny2 it will tell you of the cycle of being2 the succession of generations2 that life and death complement each other1 and that all you may hope for is change4 ,unceasing change is the abiding law1 and he who grasps to hold1 will find but shadows in his grasp4 ,,religion4--,religion may teach us a pessimistic view of the world1 and to bow like cringing slaves unquestioningly to the rod4 ,we may accept that all is for the best whether we understand it or not1 as the unalterable decree of fate1 yet as rational beings we recoil from this bondage1 and the questions are ever present1 of the purpose of this life and the evidences of that future of which the most doubting dream4 ,religion1 resting as it does on the immortality of the spirit1 should answer us so plainly and absolutely that there could be no doubt4 ,that there is weeping and broken hearts shows that it does not1 or else that it makes that existence so terrible that the dread of it is more than that of annihilation4 ,the fear of ,hell1 which has driven the world to madness1 is now cast into the lumber room with other errors1 outgrown1 and in the free atmosphere one can not understand the terrors it once awakened4 ,the arbitrary heaven is also passing away1 and a more natural conception of the future life is gaining precedent4 ,yet the words of teachers of religion are cold and soulless1 and even the poets1 touched by the finger of a decaying faith1 voice the incredulity of the age in lines which speak only in despair4 ,oh6 poet of immortal song1 how chilling to the heart the words that yet too often find response in its doubts and fears3 ,and the stately ships go on ,to their haven under the hill2 ,but oh6 for the touch of a vanished hand1 ,and the sound of a voice that is still4 ,break1 break1 break1 ,at the foot of thy crags1 ,o sea6 ,but the tender grace of a day that is dead1 ,will never come back to me4 ,there is little consolation to be found in these directions4 ,let us turn back to first principles2 let us for a time forget the claims of scientists and take up the book of nature at her plain alphabet and ascertain whether these claims of material science have a sure foundation4 ,what is the ,sensitive ,state8 ,a ,,race ,,without ,,sight4--,if the human race were born without organs of vision1 man could form no idea of the beautiful and splendid phenomena revealed to the eye4 ,the normal state would be blindness4 ,day and night would be marked by intervals of repose and activity1 but the cloudy midnight and the radiance of the sun1 the glories of morning1 the splendors of sunset1 the star-gemmed canopy of the cloudless night1 the infinite changes1 the phantasmagoria of heaven and earth1 would be unknown4 ,the flowers might bloom in beauty1 their fragrance would delight1 but their form and color would be unrecognized4 ,the mind1 deprived of the infinite series of sensations which flow into it through the sense of vision1 would have none of the conceptions thereby engendered4 ,if a being who could see should attempt to reveal to the sightless race the beauties of the world as seen by the eye in the light1 they would treat him as an impostor relating an idle tale1 to them incomprehensible4 ,a ,,race ,,without ,,hearing4--,if to the deprivation of sight were added the loss of hearing1 the vital powers would not be impaired2 the organic functions would continue the same1 but all sounds would cease and perfect silence reign4 ,the mind could form no conception of music1 the songs of birds1 the sighing of the wind1 the roar of the storm1 or the soft modulations of the human voice4 ,as nature would be voiceless1 so man would be dumb4 ,the gift of speech would be lost with the power of receiving the sounds of words4 ,the soul1 in silence and darkness1 unable to communicate its thoughts with others1 would be bereft of all the sensations1 emotions1 and conceptions which arise from seeing and hearing1 nor could it be taught these by those who possessed these senses1 for no conceptions could be formed of sights never seen1 or sounds never heard4 ,,sensitiveness4--,in like manner1 the sensitive condition reveals a universe which is unknown to the senses1 and of which man is as profoundly ignorant as those born blind are of light4 ,it is the heritage of all1 yet manifested only at rare intervals in favored individuals4 ,it is as it would be with the sense of sight1 were thousands blind1 while a few saw imperfectly1 and only one with distinctness4 ,the sight of that one would indicate what all might attain under favorable circumstances1 as the perception of those who are sensitive shows what is possible in this direction4 ,it is through this gateway that we are able to penetrate the arcana of a higher existence1 and it is our purpose to go by easy steps along the pathway that leads into the vista stretching beyond this portal1 into unexplored regions1 of which scarcely a conception has yet been formed4 ,we have consciousness of spiritual realities1 of an infinite after-life1 and aspirations which it alone can satisfy1 and for which this mortal sphere furnishes no provision4 ,shall we regard these aspirations as idle longings1 and this consciousness as a baseless fancy8 ,or have we spiritual energies which have called this spiritual nature into being8 ,the eye is created in conformity to the laws of light1 to receive the rays and allow their impingement on the optic nerves4 ,it is proof of the existence of light4 ,in the same manner1 spiritual perception is evidence of the existence of spiritual energies4 ,it would be quite as difficult for the mind to comprehend spiritual being1 if without this consciousness1 as for the blind to understand the beauties of light4 ,sensitiveness is a faculty pertaining to the spiritual nature1 and is acute in proportion as that spiritual nature dominates the physical senses4 ,it is possessed by all1 and by a few in a remarkable degree4 ,it is variable in the same individual1 is often the result of drugs1 of fatigue1 of sleep1 and may be induced or intensified by hypnotism or mesmerism4 ,it may manifest itself suddenly and at long intervals1 once only in a lifetime1 or be a steadfast quality4 ,it may have all degrees of acuteness1 from impressibility scarcely distinguishable from the individual's own thoughts1 to the purest independent clairvoyance4 ,,conditions ,,and ,,illustrations ,,of ,,sensitiveness4--,for one mind to influence another1 the two must be in harmony1 at least in certain points4 ,the thought vibrations in one will not otherwise awake like vibrations in the other4 ,take for illustration two musical strings1 one with fixed attachments1 and the other with a moveable bridge or stop4 ,now if the first be set in vibration1 the other1 being on a different key1 will not respond in unison1 but the stop will slightly move2 and if the vibrations continue1 the stop will move forward until the exact length of chord is attained1 and then both strings will vibrate in harmony1 one repeating the notes of the other4 ,if an hundred musical instruments were placed in a room1 only two of which were tuned alike1 if one of these were touched1 its mate would respond1 but the others would remain silent4 ,these thought vibrations may be received suddenly like a flash1 as in the case of premonitions and warnings of danger1 the sensitive state lasting but a brief time2 or it may be cultivated and become permanent with the individual4 ,the hypnotic1 or somnambulic subject1 may be more or less affected at first1 and slowly fall under the influence1 until the continuous condition is the same as that in which a premonition is received4 ,as an illustration of the method by which this is accomplished1 whether the operator be a spirit clad in a physical or in a celestial body1 the improvements by age and use of the violin may be taken4 ,this instrument1 the most perfect of all in its capacity for expressing the delicate feelings of the soul1 gains its soft sweetness and rich perfection by use and age4 ,the cremona1 worth its weight in gold1 may once have been harsh1 with dissonant tones1 rasping to the ear4 ,the ,tyrolese maker selects the smoothest wood his mountain affords1 clear of grain1 and free from flaw or blemish4 ,he carves the parts with sedulous care and exhaustless patience2 swell and curve and hollow are wrought1 polished1 and cemented together so as to make them as one4 ,then the delicate strings are drawn over the bridge1 and the instrument tested4 ,it may squeak or jar1 and refuse1 even in a master's hands1 to express his desire4 ,but with every vibration of the strings it improves4 ,every movement changes its fibers1 and forces them into harmonious accord4 ,after a time they will all be in unison4 ,the playing of a single tune may not produce this result2 a score or a thousand may not4 ,it may pass from hand to hand1 and generation after generation may grow old and die1 as each successive master touches its strings1 before all its deepest qualities are expressed4 ,then its tones melt in voluptuous harmony2 wail with the broken hearted2 fill the soul with the gladness of delight2 revive the murmur of the sombre pines2 the song of the birds in the forest2 the laughing of falling waters2 the hoarse voice of the tempest with hail and lightning flash1 rush of winds and burst of clouds4 ,nature speaks through the instrument1 and vibrates the heart with every emotion1 passion1 and aspiration4 ,in the same manner1 if a being independent of1 and detached from the physical body1 should attempt to impress its thoughts on a sensitive1 it might no more than partially succeed after many trials4 ,each effort1 however1 would be more successful1 for thought vibrations constantly tend to efface the causes of discord1 and if the ,intelligence is patient1 and the sensitive submissive1 the thoughts of the former would at last flow uninterruptedly into or through the mind of the latter4 ,and what is thus possible for a sensitive1 in regard to an individual intelligence1 is possible to acquire in relation to the thought atmosphere of the universe1 or psychic-ether4 ,if this be possible1 if a being may become thus exquisitively sensitive1 and receive the waves of thought as they traverse this ether1 as the eye catches vibrations of light1 that being would be a focus to receive the intelligence of all thinking beings in the universe4 ,the sensitive state1 then1 is the outcropping in mortal life1 in apparently abnormal form1 of that which is normal to the spirit of life4 ,we thus conclude that its most astonishing development1 as revealed1 is immeasurably below its normal capabilities when freed from the limitation of the body4 ,the permanent condition of a spiritual being after separation from the physical form must be that of the most perfect and delicately sensitive4 ,what we see here in partial or total eclipse1 is there in the glory of full light4 ,,thoughts ,,not ,,words ,,impressed4--,while ,max ,mller ardently supports his theory that thought itself depends upon the words which express it1 we constantly meet with facts which indicate that the idea is conveyed from one mind to another1 and there is clothed in words according to the culture of the receiving mind4 ,the vividness with which the idea is impressed insures the use of similar verbal clothing4 ,an instance is reported by ,dapson1 in ,deleuze1 where a sealed letter was given a very susceptible magnetic subject4 ,it reads3 ,no other than the eye of ,omnipotence can read this sentence in this envelope4 ,troy1 ,new ,york1 ,aug4 #ahcg4 ,the subject read it3 ,no other than the eye of ,omnipotence can read this in this envelope4 ---------- #ahcg4 ,he omitted sentence1 and all the date but the year4 ,it is to be observed that in all instances of thought transference or sensitiveness1 the reproduction of names1 dates1 etc41 expressed by arbitrary words1 are the most difficult and unreliable1 and this has been a source of doubt1 and an argument against the truthfulness of the magnetic subject4 ,it requires a deeper hypnotic state to receive dates and names correctly1 than connected ideas4 ,it is because ideas and not the verbal form are received1 that culture becomes of greatest value connected with sensitiveness1 as will be amplified in a succeeding section1 treating on misconceived sensitiveness1 whereby is made possible the seemingly superhuman achievements of authors1 philosophers1 sages1 statesmen1 and inventors4 ,it will also be more extendedly treated of in the chapter devoted to the consideration of ,dreams4 ,sensitive ,state3 ,its ,division into ,mesmeric1 ,somnambulic1 and ,clairvoyant4 ,,the ,,sixth ,,sense4--,in the normal state we know and understand the external world through and by the senses4 ,the eye reveals to us the beauties of light1 and by its aid the wondrous diversities of nature4 ,the ear brings to the mind the varied sounds1 makes oral speech and the sweet harmonies of music possible4 ,the organ of smell sentinels the citadel of health against pestiferous odors1 and gives the exquisite enjoyment of perfumes4 ,ordinarily we rely on these senses as our guides1 and so complete is our reliance that we recognize no other avenue to knowledge of the external world2 yet at times we find that our minds extend beyond the senses and have capabilities which can not be referred to them4 ,there is an interior perception1 which has been called the sixth sense1 which1 sensitive to impressions from supernal sources1 at times rises above all the others4 ,it is through this sense or better1 this sensitive state1 that we gain an insight into the spiritual nature of man4 ,the senses would lead us away to a gross materialism1 for they belong to the animal organization2 this sensitiveness leads us in an opposite direction4 ,we find through it another nature overlaid and obscured by the senses and their understanding4 ,this sensitive state is the activity of the spiritual being1 in the ratio of its perfection1 and is really as normal as the most sensuous condition4 ,the study of this state is the gateway to the understanding of our spiritual being1 and the first lesson it teaches is that man is a dual creation2 a spirit1 an intelligent entity1 clothed with1 and circumscribed by1 a physical body4 ,only so far as that body interferes with the activity of the spirit1 is it of interest to us in the present discussion1 which relates entirely to the spirit4 ,this sensitive state is possessed by many1 and in many more it may be induced by proper means4 ,it may be laid down as a rule that whatever weakens the physical faculties strengthens this spiritual perception4 ,thus it is often manifested in disease1 after fatigue1 or in the negative hours of sleep4 ,some drugs have the power of inducing it1 and mesmerism is the strongest of all artificial means4 ,i use the term sensitive with the meaning here given1 and from that meaning shall not deviate4 ,many who possess this power in a slight degree may not distinguish its perceptions from those of the senses with which they blend1 but there are times when the mind passes into an entirely different state from that of its normal activity1 that of sensitive receptivity1 and what is usually termed intuition is intensified4 ,i propose to study this sensitive state first in connection with that of wakefulness1 and then with that of sleep2 and from simple thought-reading to the reception of thought from supernal sources4 ,hitherto the discussion of spirit has been considered impracticable by scientific methods1 and theology and metaphysics have occupied the field4 ,in this border-land between the known and the unknown1 ignorance and charlatanry have held high carnival1 and those who love scientific accuracy perhaps are excusable in regarding the belief in spiritual beings as a superstition2 yet there has accumulated as folk lore1 as myths1 as an outside1 out-of-the-way literature1 a vast mass of material1 some of which1 it is true1 is mere rubbish1 through which gleams bright veins of truth1 showing the close relations between the seen and the unseen universes4 ,here and there a sensitive mind has received the light in clearer effulgence1 and made the surrounding gloom more densely impenetrable4 ,at remote intervals the oriflamme of the spiritual conception of nature has flashed athwart the intervals of gross materialism1 but religion1 moral conduct1 not knowledge1 has been the motive4 ,this age demands knowledge for its own sweet sake1 assured that the highest morality will flow therefrom4 ,in the study of the conditions of the mind1 the various states of sleep1 clairvoyance1 somnambulism1 etc41 will be defined and illustrated4 ,,sleep4--,sleep is the twin sister of death only in appearance1 for aside from poetic fancy1 sleep is the negative condition of activity4 ,in perfect sleep all the faculties of the mind are in repose1 and the bodily functions go on with the least waste4 ,it is essentially restful and recuperative4 ,the waste of the body1 its wear and tear of muscle and nerve is repaired2 new cells take the place of those broken down1 and the debris moves slowly forward to the excretory organs and is eliminated4 ,in this state of negative repose there is no manifestation of thought1 and it is as unlike the clairvoyant or sensitive state as that of wakefulness2 but shaded into this state of sleep1 as into that of wakefulness1 are various degrees of sensitiveness4 ,the conditions of sleep are provocative of this impressibleness4 ,night is negative2 the silence and the vail of darkness shutting out external objects conduce to make the mind negative and susceptible4 ,at midnight is the culmination of this negativeness1 and hence the ghastly dread of that hour has a foundation in fact1 and is not an idle superstition4 ,ghosts may never appear1 yet if they were to appear the midnight hour1 of all others1 would be assigned by the student cognizant of this fact for them to come like shafts of frozen moonshine1 into the walks of men4 ,,mesmeric ,,state4--,mesmerism1 under whatever name1 animal magnetism1 hypnotism1 etc41 is a potent means in the study of psychology4 ,it has made it possible to command many of the most evanescent phenomena1 and allow of their careful examination1 when otherwise they came at rare intervals and at such unexpected moments as made it impossible to carefully compare and study them4 ,somnambulism1 clairvoyance1 and that state of exquisite sensitiveness which makes us receptive of impressions transformed into dreams1 may be commanded in a sensitive1 and observed at leisure4 ,in the commencement we must free ourselves from the commonly received idea that sleep has any resemblance to any of these several states which are usually called magnetic1 mesmeric1 or clairvoyant sleep4 ,as already stated1 sleep is the negative of being1 and more distinct from these states of exalted perception than waking4 ,the incongruous and often incoherent visions which arise in the half-waking state1 or when only a part of the mental faculties are at rest1 are the ordinary dreams1 which have no significance1 and are very different in their origin and meaning from the impressions received in the sensitive state1 which is one of intense wakefulness and activity4 ,the sensitive condition is possessed in a marked degree by about one in five1 and may be induced in a still larger ratio4 ,it is more frequently found in women than in men4 ,it may be cultivated1 and become an important factor in the character and happiness of the individual4 ,we will simply for convenience divide the sensitive state into the hypnotic1 somnambulic and clairvoyant2 but it must be borne in mind that these merge into each other2 and that no sharp line can be drawn between them4 ,mesmerism may be regarded as the method by which all of these states may be induced4 ,the mesmeric state is equivalent to the hypnotic4 ,after years of delay1 mesmerism has been accepted under another name1 that of hypnotism2 but the theory of a fluid or specific influence is discarded4 ,hypnotists cannot1 however1 exceed the most common experiments without the facts demanding even as a working hypothesis1 this specific influence4 ,the ticking of a watch held close to the ear1 or intensely gazing at some object1 will throw a sensitive into an abnormal condition1 at the mercy of the dominant idea1 and he becomes an automaton in the hands of an external influence4 ,this is the hypnotic state1 beyond which the dominant idea fails4 ,a sensitive may be led by a dominant idea1 but soon manifests a power which stretches beyond into an unexplored region of possibilities1 exhibiting mental perceptions far more acute than those possess who are around him1 or he himself possesses in his normal condition4 ,hypnotism as treated by its exponents is an extremely complicated state1 ranging from the cataleptic to the independent clairvoyant4 ,to define it with the usual narrow meaning is extremely misleading and unscientific4 ,there are two distinct states of hypnotism4 ,the first is that in which most platform experiments are made4 ,the sensitive is capable of carrying on conversations1 answering questions1 and is governed by a dominant idea1 believing all the operator wishes1 and doing as commanded4 ,the sensitive rapidly enters the next stage1 when he becomes insensible to pain1 and irresponsive to the address of any one except the operator4 ,until this stage is reached consciousness and memory are retained1 a fact fatal to the theory of automatic action or unconscious cerebration4 ,in this profound state the sensitive has no memory of events which occur4 ,it is an induced1 incipient somnambulism1 the true counterpart of that which under proper condition appears spontaneously4 ,the report of the ,committee on ,hypnotism1 vol4 ,i41 p4 #ie1 of ,proceedings of ,american ,society for ,psychical ,research1 shows that it confined its attention to fifty or sixty students of ,harvard ,college4 ,of these about a dozen were affected1 and of these1 two were so good that attention was confined to them4 ,the extraordinary mixture1 in the hypnotic trance1 of preternatural refinement of discrimination with the grossest insensibility1 is one of the most remarkable features of the condition4 ,a blank sheet of paper1 with fine-cut edges1 without watermarks or any thing which could lead to the recognition of one side or edge from the other1 is shown to the subject with the statement that it is a photograph of a well-known face4 ,as soon as he distinctly sees the photograph upon its surface1 he is told that it will float off from the paper1 make a voyage around the walls of the room1 and then return to the paper again4 ,during this imaginary performance1 he sees it successfully on the various regions of the wall2 but if the paper is meanwhile secretly turned over1 and handed to him upside down1 or with its under surface on top1 he instantly recognizes the change1 and seeing the portrait in the altered position of the paper1 turns the latter about1 'to get the portrait right4' ,in the hypnotic state the subject is under the control of the operator1 and in a great degree an automaton2 in the somnambulic1 he in part regains his individuality1 and in certain lines of thought and action is superior to himself in his waking moments4 ,natural somnambulism comes without warning1 and illustrates the condition induced by mesmeric passes4 ,,somnambulism4--,sleep waking1 or sleep walking1 whatever may be its cause1 mental derangement by disease or intense exertion of mind or body1 or a constitutional inclination thereto1 is of deepest interest to the psychologist as proving the independence of the spirit of the physical senses4 ,the somnambulist has lost the use of his senses4 ,he feels1 hears and sees nothing by touch1 ear or eye1 and yet the objects to which his attention is drawn are plainly perceptible4 ,the ,archbishop of ,bordeaux is authority for the following narrative3 ,a young clergyman was in the habit of rising from his bed1 and writing his sermons while asleep4 ,when he had written a page he would read it aloud and correct it4 ,once in altering the expression ce devin enfant1 he substituted the word adorable for devin1 which1 commencing with a vowel1 required that ce before it should be changed to cet2 he accordingly added the t4 ,while he was writing the ,archbishop held a piece of pasteboard under his chin to prevent him seeing what he was writing1 but he went on without being in the least incommoded4 ,the paper on which he was writing was removed and another piece substituted1 but he at once perceived the change4 ,he also wrote pieces of music with his eyes closed4 ,he once wrote the words under the notes too large1 but discovering his mistake1 he erased and rewrote them4 ,he certainly did not see with his eyes and yet the vision was perfect4 ,the case of ,jane ,c4 ,rider1 known as the ,springfield somnambulist1 created in its time much wonder and speculation among intelligent persons acquainted with the facts4 ,a full account of it was published in the ,boston ,medical and ,surgical ,journal1 ,volume ,,xi41 ,numbers #d and #e4 ,miss ,rider would walk in her sleep1 attend to domestic duties in the dark or with her eyes bandaged1 and read in a dark room with her eyes covered with cotton batting1 over which was tied a black silk handkerchief4 ,she learned without difficulty to play at backgammon while in this state1 and would generally beat her antagonist1 though in her normal state she knew nothing about the game4 ,a young lady1 while at school1 succeeded in her ,latin exercises without devoting much time or attention to them1 apparently4 ,at length the secret of her easy progress was discovered4 ,she was observed to leave her room at night1 take her class-book1 and go to a certain place on the banks of a small stream1 where she remained but a short time and then returned to the house4 ,in the morning she was invariably unconscious of what had occurred during the night2 but a glance at the lesson of the day usually resulted in the discovery that it was already quite familiar to her4 ,a young man on a farm in ,australia1 after a hard day's work1 went to sleep on a sofa2 after some little time he arose1 passed through several gates1 opening and fastening them4 ,reaching the shed1 he took off his coat1 sharpened his shears1 caught a sheep1 and had just finished shearing it when his companions came with lanterns in search of him4 ,the shock of awaking caused him to tremble like a leaf1 but he soon recovered4 ,the sheep was shorn as perfectly as if the work had been done in broad daylight4 ,,moral ,,effect ,,of ,,mesmerism4--,dr4 ,voisin recommends a suggestive application of mesmerism4 ,he experimented on a coarse1 debauched and lazy woman1 who was susceptible to magnetism2 and kept her in the mesmeric sleep ten or twelve hours a day1 and to its value as a curative agent he added moral education4 ,during her sleep he suggested ideas of obedience1 of submission1 of decency1 and exhorted her to useful labor4 ,in this sleep she memorized whole pages of moral books4 ,a complete transformation was effected in her in a few months4 ,what a glorious field here opens for the moral reformer6 ,the calloused criminal who will not listen to moral suasion1 deaf alike to entreaty and prayer1 may be hypnotized1 and in that susceptible condition taught the ,lord's ,prayer and moral precepts2 his moral nature roused and thus be transformed into a new being4 ,the influence of some men when brought into contact with criminals is explained by their strong mesmeric or hypnotic influence4 ,they always lift up those they control4 ,they are born masters1 though they may not understand the cause of their strength4 ,,trance ,,and ,,clairvoyance4--,the trance or clairvoyant state has been observed in all ages and among all races of mankind4 ,it has1 in seasons of great religious excitement1 become epidemic1 the devotee falling in convulsions1 becoming cataleptic1 and after hours1 days1 or even months of apparent death1 awakening with mind overwrought with visions of the strange world in which it had dwelt during the period of unconsciousness4 ,the records of clairvoyance are as old as history4 ,if prophecy1 the clear seeing of the future1 be its fruit1 the prophets and sages of the past were all more or less endowed with this gift4 ,socrates and ,apollonius predicted1 and were conscious of1 events transpiring at remote distances4 ,cicero mentions that when the revelations are being given1 someone must be present to record them1 as these sleepers do not retain any recollection of them4 ,pliny1 speaking of the celebrated ,hermotimus1 of ,clazomen1 remarks that his soul separated itself from the body1 and wandered in various parts of the earth1 relating events occurring in distant places4 ,during the period of inspiration his body was insensible4 ,the day of the battle of ,pharsalia1 ,cornelius1 a priest of profound piety1 described while in ,padua1 as though present1 every feature of the fight4 ,nicephorus says that when the unfortunate ,valens1 taking refuge in a barn1 was burned by the ,goths1 a hermit named ,paul1 in a fit of ecstasy1 cried out to those who were with him3 ,it is now that ,valens burns4 ,tertulian describes two females1 celebrated for their piety and ecstasy1 that they entered that state in the midst of the congregation1 revealed celestial secrets1 and knew the innermost hearts of persons4 ,st4 ,justin affirms that the sibyls foretold events correctly1 and quotes ,plato as coinciding with him in that view4 ,st4 ,athenagoras says of the faculty of prescience1 that it is proper to the soul4 ,volumes might be readily filled with quotations like the foregoing1 showing that clairvoyance has been received as true by profound thinkers in every age4 ,swedenborg1 ,zschokke1 ,davis1 are not peculiarities of modern times1 but repetitions of ,socrates1 ,apollonius1 and countless others who deeply impressed their personality on their times4 ,,what ,,is ,,clairvoyance8--,clairvoyance is a peculiar state of impressibility1 presenting gradations from semi-consciousness to profound and death-like trance4 ,whether natural1 or induced by artificial means1 the attending phenomena are similar4 ,in its most perfect form the body is in deepest sleep4 ,a flame may be applied to it without producing the quiver of a nerve2 the most pungent substances have no effect on the nostrils2 pins or needles thrust into the most sensitive part give no pain2 surgical operations may be performed without being felt4 ,hearing1 tasting1 smelling1 feeling1 as well as seeing1 are seemingly independent of the physical organs4 ,the muscular system is either relaxed or rigid2 the circulation impeded in some cases until the pulse becomes imperceptible2 and respiration leaves no stain on a mirror held over the nostrils4 ,in passing into this state1 the extremities become cold1 the brain congested1 the vital powers sink1 a dreamy unconsciousness steals over the faculties of the mind4 ,there is a sensation of sinking or floating4 ,after a time the perceptions become intensified2 we can not say the senses are intensified1 for they are of the body1 which for the time1 is insensible4 ,the mind sees without the physical organs of vision1 hears without the organs of hearing1 and feeling becomes a refined consciousness1 which brings it en rapport with the intelligence of the world4 ,the more death-like the conditions of the body1 the more lucid the mind1 which for the time owes it no fealty4 ,if1 as there is every reason to believe1 clairvoyance depends on the unfolding of the spirit's perception1 then the extent of that unfolding marks the degree of its perfection4 ,however great or small this may be1 the state itself is the same1 differing only in degree1 whether observed in the ,pythian or ,delphic oracle1 the visions of ,st4 ,john1 the trance of ,mohammed1 the epidemic catalepsy of religious revivals1 or the illumination of ,swedenborg4 ,the revelations made have a general resemblance1 but they are so colored by surrounding circumstances that they are extremely fallible4 ,the tendency of the trance is to make objective the subjective ideas acquired by education4 ,this is exhibited in cases of religious ecstasy and trance1 when the subject sees visions of winged angels and of ,christ2 transforming dogmas and beliefs into objective realities4 ,such revelations1 of course1 have no more value than the illusory visions of the fever-stricken patient4 ,yet there is a profound state which sets this aside1 and divests the mind of all trammels1 and brings it into direct contact with the thought atmosphere of the world--the psycho-ether4 ,time and space for it1 then1 have no existence1 and matter is transparent4 ,the weakening of the physical powers by disease is favorable to sensitiveness4 ,as the senses are deadened1 the powers of the interior consciousness are quickened1 and a new world rises above the horizon of the corporeal senses4 ,evidence of the truth of clairvoyance was given in the ,brooklyn ,eagle1 soon after the loss of the ,arctic1 in #ahed4 ,the wife1 son and daughter of ,captain ,collins were making the tour of ,europe1 and the ,captain1 to gratify a passing whim1 consulted a clairvoyant as to their locality4 ,the answer was that they were at that time visiting a church1 which was accurately described4 ,when the wife's letter came1 it contained a narrative of a visit to a church at exactly the same hour1 describing it as the clairvoyant had done1 thus showing that the communication was quite correct4 ,as the family had arranged to return on the ,arctic1 and as the ship was a day late1 of course ,captain ,collins became anxious4 ,sunday and ,monday passed without news from the ship1 and his anxiety increased4 ,he thought of the clairvoyant and called on her4 ,at first1 although apparently deeply entranced1 she could see nothing4 ,everything was in a cloud4 ,at length she was able to see the three persons standing on the deck of a ship1 amid great confusion1 and almost concealed in fog and mist4 ,this was all she could discern4 ,this was nearly two days before the telegraph announced the loss of the ,arctic1 and the arrival of a boat-load of survivors on the ,canadian coast4 ,but the ,collins family were not among the saved4 ,if we compare what may be called artificially induced with the spontaneous clairvoyance1 we shall find them similar4 ,the first example is of a sensitive1 a youth of seventeen1 who was blindfolded by means of soft paper folded double1 and then gummed over his eyelids1 and a silk handkerchief tied over this paper4 ,under these circumstances the sensitive was able to take a pack of cards and select any one called for1 read the pages of a book1 although those present were ignorant of the words1 his sensitiveness being entirely independent of the knowledge of those around him4 ,,clairvoyance ,,from ,,disease4--,there are instances where persons have fallen into this sensitive or clairvoyant state by disease or a nervous shock1 and in the prolonged trance which followed1 manifested all the phenomena usual to the induced somnambulic or clairvoyant state1 even in higher degree4 ,of these ,mollie ,fancher is one of the best examples4 ,she was called the sleepless girl of ,brooklyn1 and for nine years1 it is claimed by competent authority1 did not sleep1 and ate so little food that it was claimed she did not partake of any4 ,she was1 at fifteen years of age1 healthy1 but delicately organized4 ,at that time she was thrown from a street car1 and her head and body injured4 ,a day or two afterwards she was seized with violent spasms4 ,one by one her senses failed4 ,sight was first to leave1 and hearing followed4 ,then she lost her speech1 and then the ability to swallow4 ,this last she had not been known to exercise for nine years1 and during the same length of time her eyelids were closed4 ,she took no sleep1 unless the intervals of trance be called sleep4 ,she was breathless and rigid as dead4 ,these spasms lasted less than a minute1 and were accompanied with1 or followed by1 violent muscular contortions4 ,her lower limbs became twisted entirely around each other4 ,her right arm was bent upward and doubled under her head4 ,she had no use of her right hand at all1 and of the left hand only the thumb and little finger4 ,lying all the time1 night and day1 upon her right side1 her right hand cramped under her neck1 and only her left free1 with closed eyes1 and working back of her head1 as she was forced to do1 she wrought the most exquisite worsted work and wax flowers4 ,the darkness or light were all the same to her2 in fact1 the light was painful to her1 and even the gas-light was placed in the further corner of the room and shaded4 ,she regained hearing and speech after several years1 but otherwise her conditions remained unchanged4 ,she knew the thoughts of those who came near her2 printed pages or a sealed letter held in her hand back of her head were readily read4 ,mr4 ,henry ,parkhurst made many experiments to test her powers4 ,she repeatedly read sealed letters he gave her1 and1 as a crucial test1 he took a letter at random from the waste basket of an acquaintance1 tore it in strips1 and then cut the stripes into squares4 ,he shook the pieces well together1 put them into an envelope1 and sealed it4 ,this he handed the blind girl4 ,she passed her hand over it several times1 took a pencil and wrote the letter verbatim4 ,mr4 ,parkhurst opened the envelope1 arranged the pieces1 and found she had made a perfect copy4 ,not satisfied1 with the assistance of two friends1 ,mr4 ,parkhurst secured an ancient mining report1 yellow with age1 and with averted face1 so that he might not see the contents1 he tore out a page of tabulated figures with explanation4 ,this he folded and tore into scores of pieces4 ,some of the pieces fell on the floor and were allowed to remain there4 ,the others he put in an envelope and sealed1 and handed to one of his assistants1 who put it in another envelope1 which he also sealed and handed to the third1 who enclosed it in the same manner4 ,then the party went to ,miss ,fancher's room1 and asked her to give them the contents of the envelope4 ,she took it in her hand and wrote1 ,it is nonsense2 figures in which there are blank places1 words that are incomplete1 and sentences in which words are missing4 ,she wrote on1 in some sentences skipping three or four words1 and began with the last five letters of a word having ten letters4 ,the table of figures she made contained blank spaces1 but she wrote it out2 and the gentleman returned to ,mr4 ,parkhurst's1 where they arranged the pieces in their original form4 ,they found that the copy made by ,miss ,fancier was absolutely correct1 and the blank spaces represented the pieces left on the floor4 ,when these were fitted in1 the broken sentences were complete4 ,dr4 ,spier1 from the first her attending physician1 watched her case with unrelenting vigilance1 and made a full record of her changing symptoms4 ,one day he received a note from her1 warning him that an attempt would be made to rob him1 and the next day the attempt was made4 ,she knew when he was coming1 and would mention the moment he started from his residence1 a mile away4 ,in the early stages of her illness1 ,dr4 ,spier administered an emetic to test whether the claim that she had not partaken of food was true4 ,it gave her great pain1 and proved that her stomach was empty4 ,she well knew the nature of the medicine1 although purposely he attempted to keep it from her4 ,soon after she went into the rigid condition which lasted nine years4 ,when she began to recover1 the memory of these nine years was gone1 and she only remembered the incidents of the previous4 ,nine years and a half after administering the test1 when ,dr4 ,spier entered the room1 ,miss ,fancher broke out with3 ,you thought ,i didn't know you gave me that medicine1 but ,i did4 ,you wanted to learn if food was in my stomach1 but found none there4 ,it made me very sick4 ,you will not do so again1 will you8 ,thus she returned after all that time to the thought which she had at the moment of entering on that strange experience4 ,she had a double life1 and did not remember anything which occurred in her trance4 ,a ,,similar ,,case ,,in ,,england4--,the case of ,mollie ,fancher is not alone1 although1 perhaps1 not more remarkable than that of ,miss ,eliza ,hamilton of ,england4 ,a physician visited her in #ahhb1 when she was fourteen years of age4 ,he found that in #ahha she had met with a severe injury which had caused paralysis of her limbs and right arm4 ,she had been treated at the hospital for four months1 at the end of which time she ceased to take food and returned home4 ,he saw her about two months thereafter1 and thus speaks of her3 ,she frequently passes into a trance condition1 in which her left arm becomes as stiff and immovable as her right one4 ,she sings hymns and repeats passages from the ,bible1 but is quite insensible to pain when pinched or pricked with a pin2 nor does she hear or speak when addressed4 ,when she revives1 she tells her friends that she has been to various places and seen various people1 and describes conversations which she has had1 and objects she has seen in the rooms of persons she has been visiting4 ,these descriptions1 on inquiry1 are found to be correct4444 ,at times she speaks of having been in the company of persons with whom she was acquainted in this world1 but who have passed away2 and she tells her friends that they have become much more beautiful1 and have cut off the infirmities with which they were afflicted while here4 ,she often describes events which are about to happen to her and are always fulfilled exactly as she predicts4 ,her father read in her presence a letter he had received from a friend in ,leeds1 speaking of the loss of his daughter1 about whose fate he and his family were very unhappy1 as she had disappeared nearly a month before and left no trace4 ,eliza went into the trance state1 and cried out1 ,rejoice6 ,i have found the lost girl6 ,she is happy in the angel world4 ,she said the girl had fallen into dark water where dyers washed their cloths2 that her friends could not have found her had they sought her there1 but now the body had floated a few miles and could be found in the ,river ,aire4 ,the body was found as described4 ,now1 knowing that her eyes were closed1 that she could not hear1 that her bodily senses were in profound lethargy1 how are we to account for the intensivity and keenness of sight1 the quick deftness of figures enabling her to make the most beautiful contrast of colors in her worsteds1 or the delicate adjustment of the petals of her flowers8 ,her mental powers were exceedingly exalted1 and scarcely a question could be asked her but she correctly answered4 ,in this case the independence of the mind of the physical body shown in every instance of clairvoyance1 is proven beyond cavil or doubt4 ,if it is demonstrated that the mind sees without the aid of eyes1 hears when the ears are deaf1 feels when the nerves of sensation are at rest1 it follows that it is independent of these outward avenues1 and has other channels of communication with the external world essentially its own4 ,it must be here observed that as long as the mind is united with the body1 usually the physical senses overlay and conceal the higher psychic faculties4 ,the mind seemingly is dependent on the body1 and is changeful to corporeal conditions4 ,it becomes enfeebled by disease1 by accidents to the brain1 and at times disappears1 like a lingering spark from a flame1 in the dotage of age4 ,this1 however1 is only external appearance1 arising from the limitations fixed by the contact with physical matter1 as the light of the sun may be shut out by an opaque body4 ,the case of ,laura ,bridgeman is an illustration and evidence from another point of view that the intellect is1 in a measure at least1 independent of the senses4 ,completely deprived of sight and hearing at an early period of childhood1 she was a blind and deaf mute4 ,she never had any knowledge1 through the eyes1 of the bright landscape1 of the glorious sun1 morning and evening1 the blue sky1 the floating clouds1 the waving trees1 the green hills1 the beautiful flowers4 ,all was darkness and profound night4 ,she never heard the exquisite notes of harmony1 of instrument or modulated voice1 the sigh of winds1 the carol of birds4 ,to her all had been unbroken silence4 ,dr4 ,howe1 her kind and angelic teacher1 says3 ,as soon as she could walk she began to explore the rooms of the house4 ,she became familiar with forms1 density1 weight1 and heat1 of every article she could lay her hands upon4444 ,an attempt was made to give her knowledge of arbitrary signs by which she could interchange thoughts with others4 ,there was one of two ways to be adopted3 ,either to go on and build up a language of signs which she had already commenced herself1 or to teach her the purely arbitrary language in common use2 that is1 to give her a sign for every individual thing1 or to give her a knowledge of letters1 by combinations by which she could express her ideas of the existence1 and the mode and condition of existence of anything4 ,the former would have been easy1 but very ineffectual2 the latter seemed difficult1 but if accomplished1 very effectual4 ,i determined1 therefore1 to try the latter4 ,after describing the process by which he taught her to associate names with things1 he goes on to say2 ,hitherto the process had been mechanical1 and the success about as great as teaching a knowing dog a variety of tricks4 ,the poor child had sat in mute amazement1 and patiently imitated everything her teacher did4 ,but now the truth began to flash upon her2 her intellect began to work2 she perceived that here was a way by which she could herself make up a sign of anything that was in her mind1 and show it to another mind1 and at once her countenance lighted up with a human expression4 ,it was no longer a dog or a parrot2 it was an immortal soul1 eagerly seizing upon a link of union with other spirits6 ,i could almost fix upon the moment the truth first dawned upon her mind1 and spread its light to her countenance4 ,i saw that the great obstacle was overcome1 and henceforth nothing but patient perseverance1 and plain1 straight-forward efforts were to be used4 ,at the end of the year1 a report of the case was made1 from which the following extract is taken3 ,it has been ascertained beyond a possibility of a doubt1 that she can not see a ray of light1 can not hear the least sound1 and never exercises her sense of smell if she has any4 ,thus her mind dwells in darkness and stillness1 as profound as that of a closed tomb at midnight4 ,of beautiful sights1 sweet sounds1 and pleasant odors1 she has no perception2 nevertheless1 she is happy and playful as a lamb1 a bird1 and the enjoyment of her intellectual faculties1 or the acquirement of a new idea1 gives her a vivid pleasure1 which is plainly marked in her expressive features4444 ,in her intellectual character1 it was pleasing to observe an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a quick perception of the relation of things4 ,in her moral character1 it is beautiful to behold her continued goodness1 her keen enjoyment of existence1 her expansive love1 her unhesitating confidence1 her sympathy with suffering1 her conscientiousness1 truthfulness and hopefulness4 ,her spirit was locked within her body without the least contact with the world through the most useful senses2 yet she not only thought1 but thought in the same manner as those who possess these senses in perfection4 ,if thought depends on the senses1 then the quality of thought should change when deprived of the senses4 ,it is true that when thus fettered in expression1 it does not escape the limitations of its surroundings1 yet in the struggle we see the indication of the limitless possibilities of the spirit when these are cast aside4 ,sensitiveness ,proved by ,psychometry4 ,light emanating from suns and worlds1 as it wings its swift way across the regions of space1 bears on its rays the pictures of every object from which it is emptied or reflected1 and hence the universe1 from center to remotest bounds1 is filled with pictures2 is a vast storehouse of photographs of all events from the fading of a leaf to the revolution of a world since time began4 ,thus a ray of light leaving the earth during the coal age bears a picture of the then existing gigantic forests and inky seas1 and is yet somewhere passing the remote coastlines of unknown systems1 and could some swifter messenger overtake it1 he would have a view of the world as it was when that ray was reflected from the carboniferous period4 ,the messenger is not needed to overtake the fugitive ray1 for the light thus reflected1 struck against rock and tree1 and photographed the images of every moment since the stars first sang together4 ,every atom still vibrates to the molding hand of life under which it has at some time passed1 and the sensitive mind is able to catch these vibrations and interpret their meaning in forms of thought4 ,the discovery of this wonderful faculty of the mind is not of recent date4 ,almost fifty years ago an ,episcopal ,bishop remarked to ,dr4 ,buchanan that when he touched brass1 even in the night1 when he could not know with what substance he came in contact1 he at once felt a disagreeable influence and recognized an offensive metallic taste4 ,such experience had been common to a great number of persons1 and frequently observed1 but this time it was called to the attention of the right man4 ,all the world for ages had seen bodies fall to the ground1 and countless millions of eyes have seen the phenomenon with no more thought than the brute1 until a falling apple drew the attention of ,newton4 ,dr4 ,buchanan at once saw that there was a profound philosophy back of this fact which transcended the senses4 ,he began a lengthy series of experiments1 by which he discovered that it was by no means rare for persons to be affected by metallic and other substances4 ,in a class of one hundred and thirty students at the ,eclectic ,medical ,college1 forty-three were sensitive in greater or less degree4 ,medicines held in the hand without any knowledge of their properties1 produced the same effect1 varying only in degree as when taken into the stomach4 ,by placing the hand1 or merely coming into the atmosphere of a deceased person1 the sensitive was able to locate and describe the disease4 ,in this field ,dr4 ,buchanan has stood almost alone1 until recently ,m4 ,bourru and ,m4 ,burot of the ,naval ,medical ,school at ,rochfort1 have made extended experiments on the action of medicines at a distance1 which is really another way of stating the facts observed by him a generation ago4 ,they held the metals and drugs six inches or so from the back of the head of the patients and proved all that ,dr4 ,buchanan claimed for his discovery4 ,but the discoverer did not rest here2 he went a step further and found that a letter or any article having been brought in contact with the person1 when taken in the hand or placed on the forehead of one sufficiently sensitive1 gave the character of its writer or owner4 ,repeated experiments1 such as any one may make1 prove beyond question that the sensitive can in this manner read the character of the writer from his writings1 his state of health1 better than the most intimate friend1 or even the writer himself4 ,it is a marvelous statement1 but only marvelous in our not understanding its cause4 ,when this is revealed1 and mystery removed1 the subject allies itself with other phenomena of mind1 having their origin in impressibility4 ,prof4 ,denton carried the results of psychometry far beyond the boundaries reached by ,dr4 ,buchanan4 ,if the world is one vast picture gallery of every act and thought since the beginning of time1 the fossil shell1 the rock-fragment1 the broken arrow head1 the shred of mummy1 and the rush leaf from the banks of the ,nile should reproduce in the sensitive the story of their origin and age4 ,by a great number of experiments1 the details of which fill three volumes1 ,prof4 ,denton sought to establish this generalization and write the geological and pre-historic history of the earth4 ,that he found a kernel of truth can not be denied1 but he allowed sources of error to creep in and vitiate his wonderfully suggestive and patient research4 ,a person sensitive to the degree that enables him to feel the influences given to a fragment of stone thousands of years ago1 would be more strongly impressed with the influence imparted by the one who secured it1 and held it in his hands before the experiment4 ,it is from this cause that uncertainty rests on his otherwise well-planned experiments4 ,yet he has proved that such sensitiveness exists1 and that by it the story of history from fragments of ruined architecture may be read1 and scenes in geological ages by fossil1 bone or shell be described4 ,how8 ,really psychometry1 depending on the sensitiveness of the brain1 is a lower degree of clairvoyance1 and is merged1 in its clearest forms1 therein4 ,sensitiveness means the capability of receiving the psycho-ether waves as they pulsate from some center1 and as everything touched by life is in a state of such vibration1 the recognition is only a question of the delicacy of the receiving organization4 ,there is a vast accumulation of narratives of ghosts1 witches1 apparitions1 hallucinations1 illusions1 dreams1 etc41 which it is the present fashion to relegate to the sphere of superstition and ignorance4 ,many of these1 however anomalous1 have a foundation in fact1 and will be found1 when stripped of the portions superstition has added1 readily explainable1 either as subjective1 arising from impressions on the sensitive1 or as objective and manifested by the same principles4 ,as sensitiveness to these subtile influences greatly varies in different individuals and at different times in the same individual1 and at times becomes clairvoyance1 scarcely an illustration can be given of one without introducing the other4 ,we must constantly bear in mind that there is one fundamental cause back of all these so-called occult phenomena1 varying in the degree of its manifestation in accord with the channel through which it flows4 ,,subjective ,,spectral ,,illusions4--,dr4 ,abercrombie is authority for the following illustration of subjective spectral illusions3 ,a gentleman of high mental endowments1 and now upwards of eighty years of age1 of spare habits and enjoying uninterrupted health1 has been for eleven years subject to the daily visits of spectral figures4 ,they in general present human countenances2 the head and body are distinctly defined1 the lower parts are for the most part1 lost in a kind of cloud4 ,the figures are various1 but he recognizes the same countenances repeated from time to time1 especially of late years1 that of an elderly woman1 with a peculiarly arch and playful expression1 and a dazzling brilliancy of eye1 who seems just ready to speak with him4444 ,this female is dressed in an old-fashioned ,scottish plaid of ,tartan1 drawn up and brought forward over the head1 and then crossed below the chin1 as the plaid was worn by aged women in his younger day4 ,he can seldom recognize among the spectres any figure or countenance which he remembers to have seen2 but his own face has been presented to him1 gradually undergoing the change from youth to manhood1 and from manhood to old age4 ,it is not necessary to call in the aid of an invisible being to explain such appearances4 ,the house had been occupied by ,scotch who dressed as described1 and the influence they left impressed itself on the gentleman's sensitive brain4 ,all houses where men have lived and died are haunted houses1 not by actual ghosts1 but by the subtile force which persons impart to everything with which they come in contact4 ,that he was subject to some influence outside of himself is shown by the appearances always being of some one that he had never seen1 and hence they could not have been revived pictures from his own brain4 ,after he had been in the house for a long time he began to see his own face2 that is1 after he had imparted his own influence to his surroundings1 he received them back as from a mirror4 ,dendy1 in his ,philosophy of ,mystery1 mentions ,m4 ,andral1 who in his youth saw1 in ,la ,pitie1 the putrid body of a child covered with larv1 and during the next morning the spectre of this corpse lying on his table was as perfect as reality4 ,he could not see it by a mental effort1 nor any where else than on his table1 and whenever he looked at that1 the appearance at once came4 ,it may be said in explanation1 that the sight of the disgusting object produced a strong impression on the optic nerves and mind1 and a suggestive object1 as the table reproduced the same state4 ,we have no evidence that one object1 under the same light1 affects the optic nerves more than any other would under the same circumstances4 ,vivid mental impressions are more readily reproduced than those that scarcely ruffle the surface of thought2 but this does not account for the student not seeing the appearance at any other time or place than on the table where it had laid1 and which we would say retained the influence imparted to it by the body having lain there4 ,professor ,hitchcock says that during a severe sickness1 day after day visions of strange landscapes spread out before him--mountain1 lake and forest2 vast rocks1 strata upon strata piled to the clouds2 the panorama of a world shattered and upheaved1 disclosing the grim secrets of creation1 the unshapely and monstrous rudiments of organic being4 ,his son1 ,professor ,charles ,hitchcock1 adds that his father saw the sandstone beds of the ,connecticut valley spread out before him1 covered with tracks1 and by the superior insight wrought by sickness1 cleared up some doubtful points to which he had vainly given his attention4 ,professor ,hitchcock became1 in consequence of his sickness1 exceedingly sensitive1 and the geological specimens near him1 or that he had handled1 brought up in his mind the pictures of their primeval age4 ,,hallucinations4--,the received definition of an hallucination is a false perception without any material basis1 being formed entirely in the mind4 ,an individual who sees pictures on a blank wall1 or who hears voices when no sound reaches his ear1 is hallucinated4 ,the reason for this being that the erroneous perception constituting the hallucination is found in that part of the brain which ordinarily requires the excitation of sensorial impressions for its functions4 ,in this view1 hallucination is evidence of mental derangement and incipient insanity4 ,this explanation is by no means sufficient for this class of facts4 ,that a certain tract of brain can of itself give the mind complicated representations1 never before seen or imaged in the mind1 is not established4 ,the reappearance of objects that have been seen is better explained1 and still more satisfactorily1 by causes which unite them all together1 and with all like phenomena4 ,george ,combe says of a painter who inherited much of the patronage of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 and believed himself to possess a talent superior to his1 was so fully engaged that he had painted three hundred large and small portraits in one year4 ,the fact appeared physically impossible1 but the secret of his rapidity and astonishing success was this3 ,he required but one sitting of his model4 ,his method was as follows1 as given by himself3 ,when a sitter came1 ,i looked attentively on him for half an hour1 sketching from time to time on the canvas4 ,i did not require a longer sitting4 ,i removed the canvas1 and passed to another person4 ,when ,i wished to continue the first portrait1 ,i recalled the man to my mind4 ,i placed him on the chair1 where ,i perceived him as distinctly as though really there1 and1 ,i may add1 in form and color more decidedly brilliant4 ,i looked from time to time at the imaginary figure and went on painting1 occasionally stopping to examine the picture exactly as though the original was before me2 whenever ,i looked towards the chair ,i saw the man4 ,this method made me very popular1 and as ,i always caught the resemblance1 the sitters were delighted that ,i spared them the annoying sittings of other painters4 ,this painter was far from incipient insanity4 ,he was sensitive to impressions1 and able by that organization to recall the image of the sitter1 but not that of one who had not occupied the chair4 ,the ,rev4 ,t4 ,l4 ,williams1 ,vicar of ,porthleven1 in ,the ,journal of the ,society for ,psychical ,research1 ,july1 #ahhe1 gives his personal experience3 ,on an occasion when ,i was absent from home1 my wife awoke one morning1 and to her surprise and alarm saw me standing by the bedside looking at her4 ,in her fright she covered her face with the bed clothes1 and when she ventured to look again the appearance was gone4 ,on another occasion1 when ,i was not absent from home1 my wife saw me1 as she supposed1 coming from church in surplice and stole4 ,i came a little way1 she says1 and turned round the corner of the building1 where she lost sight of me4 ,i was at the time in the church in my place in the choir1 where she was much surprised to see me on entering the building4444 ,my daughter has often told me1 and now repeats the story1 that she was passing my study door1 which was ajar1 and looked in to see if ,i was there4 ,she saw me in my chair1 and as she caught sight of me1 ,i stretched out my arms1 and drew my hands across my eyes1 a familiar gesture of mine4 ,i was in the village at the time4 ,now1 nothing occurred at or about the times of these appearances to give any meaning to them4 ,he adds3 ,a good many years ago there was a devout young woman living in my parish1 who used to spend much of her spare time in church in meditation and prayer4 ,she used to assert that she frequently saw me standing at the altar when ,i certainly was not there in the body4 ,mr4 ,williams must have been a man peculiarly endowed with psychic force to thus impress himself4 ,the following is from the pen of the gifted ,mary ,howitt1 and not only gives a remarkable fact1 but her explanation of the same3 ,i conducted ,mrs4 ,nenner through a room which contained some ancient furniture and a quantity of valuable old china4 ,this china had been left in our care by a friend during his lengthened absence abroad4 ,his thoughts from his place of sojourn at the antipodes constantly reverted to these heirlooms4 ',who are these six gentlemen1 evidently brothers1 sitting where the old china is8' asked ,mrs4 ,nenner1 when we had passed through the room4 ',there was no one there at all1' ,i said1 much surprised4 ',then1' said she1 ',i must have seen six brother spirits4 ,there they were sitting2 tall1 fair men1 light haired1 all strikingly alike1 all the same age4 ,they must be brothers6' ,i recognized in her description the owner of the china4 ,before ,mrs4 ,nenner left1 we showed her a portrait of the owner of the china1 our friend on the other side of the world4 ,she at once said1 ',oh1 that is one of the six brothers6' ,in some mysterious manner the intensity of thought fixed by the possessor of the china upon his possessions--we knew that his thoughts constantly reverted to them--had been able to manifest itself to the sight in the form of the man himself1 but multiplied into six forms4 ,it should be observed that this gentleman was of what now we should term a 'mediumistic' temperament4 ,it is possible1 that being at the antipodes1 he might be1 at the time his multiplied form was beheld1 asleep--it being night there when it is day with us--and that his thoughts might have1 in a dream1 revisited ,england4 ,since civilization began1 mankind have held certain stones and metals as precious1 and attributed rare qualities to charms1 relics and amulets4 ,we may indulge our mirth over the miraculous qualities ascribed to the bones of martyrs and the teeth of saints1 a bit of wood from the true cross2 but casting aside the rubbish gathered by imposture and credulity1 we discover a great truth4 ,precious stones and metals have become so because of the subtile power of their emanations4 ,in a true relic the sensitive perceives the full expression of the original owner's life1 and feels it reproduced in him4 ,as the phonograph treasures up the tone1 the accent1 the quality of the voice1 and the thought of the speaker1 so the relic preserves and constantly gives forth the character of the one it represents4 ,shrines and holy places have cause for being regarded as sacred1 and their preservation in purity for the one and only purpose is correct in science4 ,the church devoted to the worship of ,jehovah holds its devotees with the invisible bonds reaching out from the walls forged from the psycho-aura of all preceding worshippers4 ,that the members hold their houses exclusively for certain uses may be the result of superstition1 but they are right in thus doing4 ,a church building given over during the week to shows and entertainments1 and nightly filled with the class such would draw1 would become so saturated with worldly influences as to be unfit for the promulgation of the highest religious thought on ,sunday4 ,both audience and minister would feel the depressing effect1 and religious zeal would reach zero4 ,how strong and enduring the impress stamped on a relic or jewel may be1 is shown in the following story told of ,robert ,browning by ,mr4 ,knowles 7,spectator1 ,jan4 #cj1 #ahfi73 ,mr4 ,robert ,browning tells me that when he was in ,florence some years since1 an ,italian nobleman 7,count ,ginnasi7 was brought to his house4 ,the ,count professed to have great mesmeric powers1 and declared in reply to ,mr4 ,browning's avowed skepticism1 he would convince him of his powers4 ,he then asked ,mr4 ,browning whether he had anything about him then and there1 which he could hand him1 and which was in anyway a memento or relic4 ,it so happened by curious accident1 that ,mr4 ,browning was wearing under his coat sleeves some gold wrist studs to his shirt1 which he had quite recently taken into wear in absence of his ordinary wrist-buttons4 ,he had never before worn them in ,florence1 or elsewhere1 and found them in an old drawer where they had lain forgotten for years4 ,one of these he took out and handed to the ,count1 who held it in his hand awhile and then said as if much impressed1 ',there is something here which cries out in my ear1 ,murder6 murder6' ,and truly1 said ,mr4 ,browning1 these studs were taken from the dead body of a great uncle of mine1 who was violently killed on his estate in ,st4 ,kitts nearly eighty years ago4 ,they were produced in court as proofs that robbery had not been the object of the strangler1 which was effected by his own slaves4 ,they were taken out of the night-gown in which he died and given to me4 ,sensitiveness ,during ,sleep4 ,the ,index published the following3 ,recently the youngest child of ,warren ,wasson 7,katie7 fell into a well and was nearly drowned4 ,a day or two since1 a letter was received from ,mr4 ,wasson1 who is in ,oregon1 written before he had heard of the occurrence4 ,he stated that on the same ,sunday1 at the time of the accident1 he was taking a nap1 and was awakened by a terrifying dream4 ,he thought he saw little ,katie dripping with water1 and the little boy next older than ,katie was immersed in the water1 and that he was able to save him only by taking hold of his ears4 ,when he pulled him out1 he was covered with spots like a leopard4 ,mr4 ,wasson says that as he awoke he was covered with cold sweat1 and in an agony of mind4 ,this is a very strange coincidence1 and the dream corresponds with the occurrence1 save that the little boy was not in danger4 ,it was the little girl who was spotted from the chill4 ,it resembles a wrongly received telegraphic dispatch1 in which one word is substituted for another4 ,,effect ,,of ,,strong ,,mental ,,impression4--,a strong mental impression carried into sleep is conducive to impressibility4 ,inspector ,jewett1 of the ,brooklyn ,police1 was so worried about the lost pistol of ,john ,kenny1 who had shot a car-driver1 as he wanted the weapon in evidence against the ruffian1 that he dreamed about it4 ,he saw it in a certain saloon1 in a certain place1 and the next morning went to the saloon and found the pistol exactly where he saw it in his dream4 ,the rescue of the crew of the ,sparkenhoe1 ,november #cj1 #ahge1 by ,capt4 ,adam ,s4 ,smalley1 as told by him1 is a fine illustration of impressibility in sleep4 ,he sailed from ,bordeaux ,november #bd1 #ahge1 in the brigantine ,fred ,eugene1 bound for ,key ,west1 and soon encountered stormy weather4 ,when six hundred miles at sea1 on the night of the #bith1 he suddenly awoke from sleep1 deeply impressed with a dream1 in which he had seen a number of men in great peril4 ,he related this to his wife1 adding that he hoped no shipwrecked crew needed his assistance4 ,at midnight1 he again retired1 and again the vision was repeated with more distinctness1 and the men appearing on a wreck needing the utmost dispatch to rescue them4 ,the ,captain went immediately on deck1 and without any assigned reason1 changed the course of the ship two points1 and1 giving orders to be called at daylight1 retired1 and slept till the appointed time4 ,going on deck at dawn1 and sweeping the horizon with his glass1 he discovered a ship far to the windward1 with a signal of distress displayed4 ,he endeavored to work his vessel up1 but with short sail and heavy sea1 most of the forenoon passed1 and a long distance remained4 ,he was resolved to take a long tack1 and not change his course until prompted to do so by the same impulse that bade him do so the night before4 ,more sail was made1 although prudence forbade1 in the face of a gale at any moment threatening to break1 and all the men stood at their posts for over an hour1 awaiting the orders for tacking4 ,at last the prompting came1 and going about1 the vessel reached a point two miles to the leeward of the distressed ship1 where her three boats1 containing twenty-three men in all1 had put off to intercept the brig4 ,they were taken on board1 the boats cut loose1 and all sail taken in as quickly as possible1 and in ten minutes a fierce hurricane lashed the sea to foam4 ,the gale raged four days with unabated fury1 so that1 had they not been rescued at the very moment they were1 they would have certainly perished4 ,we have two explanations4 ,the first is that of thought transference--the reception on the sensitive brain of ,captain ,smalley of the intense thoughts of the perishing crew4 ,as the inductive plate sends its influence across miles of space1 we may suppose that the vibrations from them would go out across the wide sea interval1 and1 finding a receiving instrument1 be converted again to thought4 ,the second explanation is that of the interference of spiritual beings1 who impress their thoughts on the mind of the ,captain in the same manner4 ,the prompting as to the course to steer is beyond and outside of the dream1 and proves the extreme sensitiveness of the commander4 ,a ,,dream ,,saves ,a ,,shipwrecked ,,crew4--,of precisely similar character is the impression received by ,capt4 ,g4 ,a4 ,johnson of the schooner ,augusta ,h4 ,johnson4 ,he sailed from ,quero for home1 encountering a terrible hurricane4 ,on the second day1 he saw a disabled brig1 and near by a barque4 ,he was anxious to reach home1 and thinking the barque would assist the brig1 continued on4 ,but the impression came that he must turn back and board the brig4 ,he could not shake it off1 and at last he1 with four men1 boarded the brig in the dory4 ,he found her deserted1 and made sail on her4 ,after a time they saw an object ahead1 appearing like a man on a cake of ice4 ,the dory was again manned1 and sent to the rescue4 ,it proved to be the mate of the bark ,leawood1 clinging to the bottom of an overturned boat1 which1 being white1 appeared in the distance as ice4 ,this premonition came without seeking1 and in direct opposition to the desire of ,captain ,johnson1 desiring to escape from the storm1 and reach home without delay4 ,a ,,life ,,saved4--,the ,biddeford 7,me47 ,journal thus relates the story of the narrow escape of a sailor3 ,last week the schooner ,ida ,may lay at ,government ,wharf1 near the mouth of ,kennebunk ,river1 with one man on board1 ,freeman ,grove1 who was in the cabin asleep4 ,in the night he was awakened by some one touching him and saying1 ',you will be drowned4' ,on opening his eyes1 no one was present1 but he immediately went on deck1 and found the side of the vessel caught under the wharf by the tide1 and shortly it would have sunk1 and cabin and all been under water4 ,with a plank he pried the side from the wharf1 and she came up with the tide4 ,the sleeper1 being in the cabin1 must have been drowned had he not been awakened by the voice4 ,perhaps no greater disaster was ever accompanied by a greater number of special premonitions and warnings of coming danger than the ,ashtabula horror1 where a train crowded with passengers plunged into a gulf in a fearful storm1 and1 taking fire1 was burned4 ,the ,times published a list of the names of those saved by presentiments4 ,one1 in particular1 is related at length1 and is thoroughly vouched for4 ,a young lady1 by the name of ,hazen1 having with her a colored servant1 started from ,baltimore for ,pittsburg1 where she was to be married4 ,she had purchased tickets at ,buffalo for the ill-fated train4 ,during the night previous1 ,aunt ,chloe1 the colored slave1 had a dream1 which so impressed her that when they reached the depot she positively refused to go on that train4 ,auntie had been as a mother to ,miss ,hazen1 who lost her mother in infancy4 ,the young lady1 perhaps somewhat a believer in the superstitions of the slaves1 humored ,auntie's mood1 and deferred going until the next train--in all probability thereby saving the lives of both4 ,,clairvoyant ,,dream-,,state4--,the ,oakland 7,cal47 ,tribune records a pleasing story1 which fully illustrates what may be called a permanent dream-sensitiveness identical with clairvoyance3 ,twenty years ago1 a bachelor in ,oakland dreamed of visiting a family consisting of parents and two little girls1 who were unknown to him in his waking hours4 ,from that time forth1 he continued to dream of them for a score of years4 ,he saw the children grow from childhood to womanhood4 ,he was at the closing exercises when they graduated4 ,in fact1 he shared all the pleasures and griefs of the family4 ,his friendship to his dreamland friends seemed so real1 he often remarked that he felt certain he would know them in reality at some future time4 ,two months ago1 in a dream1 he saw the husband die1 and from that time he ceased to dream of them in a period of twenty years4 ,he received a letter from ,new ,york ,city1 the writer being the widow of a cousin of his1 with whom he had had no intercourse since his boyhood--over thirty years4 ,she wrote that she wished to make ,san ,francisco her future home1 and it was arranged for him to meet her and her two daughters at the wharf at ,oakland4 ,on their arrival1 imagine his surprise to see his dream friends4 ,they were equally so when he related to them the dreams in which they had figured4 ,he told them incidents connected with their past lives which he could not have known under ordinary circumstances4 ,he described their former home1 even to the furniture and household ornaments1 and was correct in every particular4 ,the sequel is that he married the lady1 and they are living happily in this city4 ,,allegorical ,,dreams4--,when important intelligence comes in allegorical form1 it is difficult to give adequate explanation1 without calling to our aid an outside intelligence4 ,the ,london ,news has the following3 ,most people remember the terrible railway accident1 in which ,dickens himself and his proof-sheets escaped1 while so many perished4 ,in the train there chanced to be a gentleman and lady just returned from ,india4 ,the lady said to her husband1 ',i see the great wave rolling on2 it is close to us1' and then the crash came1 and she was a corpse4 ,the husband was unhurt1 and at a later time explained his wife's strange words4 ,ever since they had set sail from ,india1 she had been haunted in sleep by a dream of a vast silvery wave1 and always1 just as it was about to break on her1 she had awakened in terror4 ,less tragic1 but quite odd enough for ,mr4 ,proctor's collection1 is the anecdote of the south-country farmer's dream4 ,the good man awakened from his first sleep1 and aroused his wife to tell her about a startling vision4 ,he had dreamed that he saw a favorite cow drowning in a pond in a neighboring common4 ,there ain't no pond there2 said the wife1 with natural irritation and double-shotted negatives4 ,this was undeniably true1 but the farmer was uneasy4 ,at last he arose1 dressed1 and walked up the long lane which led to the common4 ,everything was quiet1 but just at the top of the lane the farmer heard a sound as of a man digging4 ,then a light caught his eye4 ,it glimmered through a hedge that divided the lane from the fields4 ,the farmer cautiously drew near1 till he was just above the ditch4 ,there he spied a country fellow1 with a lantern1 digging a long1 straight1 deep hole in the ground4 ,an ax lay beside the hole4 ,at this point the farmer slipped1 the hedge rustled1 and the delver fled away4 ,the farmer secured the lantern and made for home4 ,just at the entrance of the lane1 the time being about two in the morning1 he met one of his servant wenches hurrying in the direction whence he had come4 ,what do you want1 my lass8 ,no good1 ,i fear1 said the agricultural moralist2 and1 in short1 he made the girl tell him her story4 ,she was going to an assignation with her young man1 who had jilted her1 and was courting another girl4 ,she had threatened him with an action for breach of promise of marriage1 and the swain had promised that1 if she would but meet him at two in the morning1 at the bend of the lane1 he would satisfy her1 and remove all jealousy and differences4 ,very well1 my lass1 said the farmer1 come1 and ,i'll show you what he had to give you4 ,he led the way1 and revealed to the horrified girl the long1 deep1 narrow hole and sharp ax which had awaited her4 ,naturally1 she did not any longer pursue her lover2 and here is a dream which even ,mr4 ,proctor will admit not to have been purposeless4 ,indeed1 the machinery of the drowning cow made the vision appeal directly to the bucolic mind4 ,of the same prophetic character is the following well-authenticated dream3 ,mrs4 ,jacob ,condon1 living a few miles from ,reed1 ,pa41 dreamed a few nights ago that her year-old baby was burned to death1 and that she sent word of the casualty to her husband1 who was working at a distance from home1 by ,james ,portlewaith1 a neighbor4 ,the next morning she told her husband of her dream1 and admitted that it made her despondent4 ,he laughed at her fears1 and went away to his work4 ,late in the forenoon1 ,mrs4 ,condon left her kitchen to go to the wood-shed1 a few steps away4 ,while she was there she heard her baby screaming4 ,she ran into the house and found the child lying in front of an open grate1 wrapped in flames4 ,she threw an old coat about the child1 and smothered the flames1 but it was so badly burned that it died in a few minutes4 ,mrs4 ,condon went to the door to call for assistance4 ,as she reached the door1 ,james ,portlewaith was passing the gate4 ,she sent him to her husband with the dreadful news1 thus fulfilling her terrible dream to the letter4 ,mrs4 ,howitt1 whose veracity no one can dispute1 gives the following experience in the ,psychological ,review1 ,london1 which may be taken as an illustration of thought transference1 or as the interposition of a supreme intelligence3 ,i dreamed that ,i received a letter from my eldest son4 ,in my dream ,i eagerly broke open the seal1 and saw a closely-written sheet of paper1 but my eye caught only these words in the middle of the first page1 written larger than the rest and underlined1 ',my father is very ill4' ,the utmost distress seized me1 and ,i suddenly awoke1 to find it only a dream2 yet the painful impression of reality was so vivid1 that it was long before ,i could compose myself4 ,the first thing ,i did the following morning was to commence a letter to my husband1 relating this distressing dream4 ,six days afterwards1 on the #ahth1 an ,australian mail came in and brought me a letter1 the only letter ,i received by that mail1 and not from any of my own family1 but from a gentleman in ,australia with whom we were acquainted4 ,this letter was addressed on the outside1 ',immediate1' and with a trembling hand ,i opened it2 and true enough1 the first words ,i saw--and these written larger than the rest1 in the middle of the paper1 and underlined1 were3 ',mr4 ,howitt is very ill4' ,the context of these terrible words was1 however1 ',if you hear that ,mr4 ,howitt is very ill1 let this assure you that he is better2' but the only emphatic words which ,i saw in my dream1 and these1 nevertheless1 slightly varying1 as1 from some cause or other1 all such mental impressions1 spirit revelations1 or occult1 dark sayings generally do vary from the truth or type which they seem to reflect4 ,stainton ,moses1 ,m4 ,d41 who has given life-long attention to psychic research1 remarks on the apparent discrepancy between the words of the dream1 and the letter as follows3 ,it may be permitted to the writer to suggest1 that through a fuller acquaintance with1 and deeper observation of1 the phenomena of 'spirit revelation1 occult1 dark sayings'1 etc41 the truth has forced itself upon various philosophic minds1 that in obedience to a primal law of spirit's intercourse with spirit--it is always the essence or spirit of an idea or fact which is sought to be conveyed to the mind1 and not the mere literal clothing of that idea or fact4 ,this essence or spirit of the idea is the grain of true wheat alone needed2 the form is simply the husk that clothes it for a temporary purpose1 and must of necessity fall away from it as a dead thing4 ',in this material1 matter-of-fact age1 literal truth1' says the ,rev4 ,james ,smith1 'the lowest of all truths in one sense1 is generally regarded as the highest4 ,but they are superficial thinkers who dabble only in literal truth or physical truth4' ,this is a knowledge of ,law ,spiritual1 without which progress is impossible for the student of psychology4 ,,the ,,idea1 ,,not ,,words1 ,,conveyed4--,if the idea was sent through the psychic-ether1 as a wave of thought1 it would translate itself into language1 and the language of the receiving mind would be the one into which it would be translated4 ,it would pass through space as the essence of thought1 and the sensitive recipient would clothe it with the garments of words4 ,wm4 ,howitt1 on his visit to ,australia1 had a dream which he regarded as having great importance as a fact in ,mental ,science4 ,he says3 ,some weeks ago1 while yet at sea1 ,i had a dream of being at my brother's at ,melbourne1 and found his house on a hill at the further end of the town1 next to the open forest4 ,the garden sloped a little way down the hill to some brick buildings below2 and there were greenhouses on the right hand by the wall as you looked down the hill from the house4 ,as ,i looked out the windows in my dream1 ,i saw a wood of dusky-foliaged trees1 having a segregated appearance in their heads2 that is1 their heads did not make that dense mass like our woods4 ',there6' said ,i1 addressing some one in my dream1 ',i see your native forest of ,eucalyptus6' ,this dream ,i told to my sons1 and to two of our fellow-passengers1 at the time1 and on landing1 as we walked over the meadows1 long before we reached the town1 ,i saw this very wood4 ',there6' ,i exclaimed1 'is the very wood of my dream4 ,we shall see my brother's house there4' ,and so we did4 ,it stood exactly as ,i saw it1 only looking newer2 but there1 over the wall of the garden1 is the wood exactly as ,i saw it and now see it1 as ,i sit at the dining-room window writing4 ,when ,i look upon this scene ,i seem to look into my dream4 ,this mysterious perception of scenes and events which1 after perhaps years1 come before the dreamer or enter into his life1 is supported by ample testimony4 ,in the ,spiritual ,magazine1 #ahga1 the author1 speaking of this dream1 gives further curious details3 ,in a vision at sea1 some thousand miles from ,melbourne1 ,i not only clearly saw my brother's home and the landscape around it1 but also saw things in direct opposition to news received before leaving ,england4 ,it was said that all the men were gone to the gold-fields1 and that even the ,governor and ,chief-,justice had no men-servants left4 ,but ,i now saw abundance of men in the streets of ,melbourne1 and many sitting on doorsteps asking employment4444 ,when in the street before my brother's house1 we saw swarms of men1 and some actually sitting on steps1 seeking work4 ,all was so exactly as ,i had described1 that great was the astonishment of my companions4 ,if we were to regard sleep1 after the common usage1 as a simple state1 dreams1 visions1 thought transference1 and the appearance of a person while living at a distance1 become a mass of irreconcilable details4 ,but this is a wholly erroneous view of the character of sleep4 ,it is one of the most complex and changeful conditions1 ranging from the disturbed doze of the overweary1 to the most sensitive clairvoyance4 ,it will be seen that many of the so-called dreams are really visions received in a more sensitive condition than is furnished during the waking hours4 ,dreams4 ,,sensitiveness ,,during ,,sleep4--,there are dreams and dreams4 ,when greatly fatigued1 mentally or physically1 the partially awakened faculties often become impressed with strangely distorted thoughts4 ,then there are the terrible dreams from indigestion1 the peculiar interpretations of bodily discomfort1 as dreams of frosts and snows1 when chilled during sleep1 or of burning forests when over-heated4 ,galen gives examples of such dreams in the case of a man who dreamed that his right leg was turned to stone1 and soon after lost the use of it by palsy2 and another patient who dreamed that he was in a vessel filled with blood1 which the physician accepted as a sign that the man ought to be bled1 by which a serious disease under which he labored was cured4 ,in perfect sleep dreams do not occur1 because all the mental faculties are dormant4 ,the conjecture that the mind always dreams1 but fails to remember1 is not true4 ,a hearty supper1 by inducing indigestion1 is a prolific cause of bad dreams4 ,derangement of the perfect correlation of the mental faculties1 in sickness or the weakness of age1 is a frequent cause of the wildest and most incoherent visions4 ,all these causes may be well considered1 and after their influences have been eliminated1 there remains an order distinct and inexplicable by known causes4 ,the dreamer may not be sensitive to psychic influences while awake1 but during sleep may become exceedingly so4 ,night favors sensitiveness because of its negative influence4 ,all nervous diseases are aggravated by the coming of twilight1 and midnight is the hour when the most perfect negativeness is reached1 as high noon is that of extreme positiveness4 ,it would be an easy task to fill volumes with dreams that have been received as premonitions of future events1 or forecasts of desired information1 which was otherwise impossible to obtain4 ,i do not desire to crowd these pages with any more than will serve to illustrate the various characters of the true psychic dream1 and show how the extra sensitiveness acquired in sleep explains this subject4 ,it is misleading1 however1 to employ the word sleep in this connection1 for in sound sleep there is dreamless rest4 ,sleep is the repose of the faculties1 and impressions are not recognized4 ,the peculiar condition in which these dreams occur1 is mistaken for sleep1 but is nearer trance4 ,the silence of the night and its soothing negative quality1 enhances this state1 and impressions are borne into the receptive mind on the psycho-ether4 ,dreams that reach into the future and foretell events concealed from human ken1 and which no reasoning or forethought can predict1 are of interest as revealing glimpses of a new field of thought--that of prophecy4 ,in the ,glimpses of the ,supernatural1 is a dream related by a dignitary of the ,church of ,england3 ,my brother had left ,london for the country to preach for a certain society to which he was officially attached4 ,he was in usual health1 and ,i therefore had no cause to feel anxiety about him4 ,one night my wife awoke me1 finding that ,i was sobbing in my sleep1 and asked me the cause4 ,i said1 ,i have been to a small village1 and ,i went up to the door of the inn4 ,a stout woman came to the door4 ,i said to her3 ',is my brother here8' ,she said1 ',no1 sir2 he is gone4' ',is his wife here8' ,i inquired4 ',no1 sir2 but his widow is4' ,then the distressing thought came to me that my brother was dead4 ,a few days after1 ,i was suddenly summoned into the country4 ,my brother had been attacked by a fatal illness1 at ,caxton4 ,the following day his wife was summoned1 and the next day1 while they were seated together1 she heard a sigh and he was gone4 ,when ,i reached ,caxton1 it was the very village ,i had visited in my dream4 ,i went to the same house1 was let in by the same woman1 and found my brother dead and his widow there4 ,the story told by ,dean ,stanley has been widely circulated4 ,the chiefs of the ,campbells1 of ,inverawe1 gave an entertainment4 ,after the party broke up1 one of the guests returned1 claiming protection1 which ,campbell pledged himself to give4 ,it afterwards appeared1 in a brawl1 he had killed ,donald1 the cousin of ,campbell1 and notwithstanding his pledge1 he ordered him away4 ,the murderer appealed to the word of his host1 and was allowed to stay for the night1 where ,campbell slept4 ,the blood-stained ,donald appeared to him saying3 ,inverawe1 ,inverawe1 blood has been shed2 shield not the murderer4 ,having sent the guilty man away1 the last time the vision came1 saying3 ,inverawe1 ,inverawe1 blood has been shed4 ,we shall not meet again until we meet at ,ticonderoga4 ,in #ageh1 there was a war between ,france and ,england1 and ,campbell1 belonging to the ,forty-second ,highlanders1 went to ,america4 ,on the eve of the engagement the general said to the officers1 who knew of what they regarded as ,campbell's superstition1 that it was best not to tell him the name of the fortress they were to attack on the morrow1 but call it ,fort ,george4 ,the fort was assaulted in the morning and ,campbell mortally wounded4 ,his last words were3 ,general1 you have deceived me4 ,i have seen him again4 ,this is ,ticonderoga4 ,vouched for as this occurrence is by the highest authority1 it is of great significance1 not only as a dream1 but it shows that death brought about a sensitive condition like that in which the dream was received1 and enabled ,donald to again appear4 ,among the news items of the ,san ,francisco ,chronicle1 appeared the following3 ,yesterday morning ,w4 ,s4 ,read1 of ,oakland1 with a companion named ,stein1 started out from ,long ,wharf to reach a yacht upon which they were going on a fishing excursion4 ,when about two hundred yards from the wharf the boat was capsized and ,read was drowned4 ,he started to swim to the wharf1 but when within fifty feet of it he sank and did not rise again4 ,connected with this sad event is a dream3 ,last ,friday night the sister of the deceased dreamed that her brother had gone out in a boat on ,sunday1 that the boat had been upset and he drowned4 ,so vivid was the impression of the dream1 that on ,saturday morning she went to her brother's office1 told him of it1 and implored him not to go out1 but he laughed at her fears as the result of a disordered mind4 ,dr4 ,m4 ,l4 ,holbrook relates the following instances of dreams1 which are certainly worth recording3 ,over twenty years ago ,i was subject to attacks of acute bronchitis1 which in ,spring gave me great trouble4 ,on one occasion ,i was so exceedingly ill ,i felt ,i should not recover1 and in this mood ,i fell to sleep1 during which1 in a dream1 or what appeared to be such1 my sister1 who had died when ,i was a little boy1 seemed to come to my bedside and said3 ',martin1 you are not going to die2 you have much important work yet to accomplish1 and we have come to cure you4' ,then what ,i can only describe as a shock of heavenly electricity struck me on the head1 and was intensified over the lungs1 where it seemed to almost burn through my chest1 when it passed towards my feet in a delightful glow4 ,the shock was so great that ,i awoke1 free from the disease1 and have never had the trouble since4 ,in #ahfg ,i was alone in my sleeping-room in ,new ,york1 and dreamed that ,i was dying1 and in my struggles awoke4 ,there was nothing peculiar in this experience1 it may be truthfully said1 for this sensation is quite common with those who suffer with nightmare4 ,the singularity of the case was that every night for a succession of nights the same thing happened1 growing more and more intense1 until the last night ,i thought ,i could not escape1 and died4 ,after it was over1 the thought came to me1 ',well1 it is not so bad after all2 a rather pleasant experience6' ,at this moment my father-in-law1 who had been dead several months1 appeared to me4 ,he was the same as when alive1 but more spiritual and beautiful4 ,he said3 ',martin1 ,i have been endeavoring to show myself to you for several nights4 ,now ,i have succeeded1 and shall trouble you no more4' ,that was the last of my disturbing dreams4 ,my thoughts were not upon him4 ,i have never been able to convince myself that the vision was not objective1 though ,i know some may not look at it in the same light4 ,dr4 ,a4 ,m4 ,blackburn1 of ,cresco1 ,iowa1 a well-known physician of that town1 dreamed that he was called to visit a little girl in the neighboring town of ,ridgeway4 ,on his return he came to a broad river which it was impossible to cross4 ,while waiting on the banks1 an old friend1 long since dead1 appeared and assisted him in crossing4 ,when the doctor arose in the morning he related his dream1 and so strongly was he impressed with its prophetic meaning that he secured a policy on his life1 talked over and arranged his business1 and having adjusted all his affairs1 he awaited the fatality he said was sure to overtake him4 ,a day or two after1 he was called to ,ridgeway to visit a little girl1 and on his return his horse ran away and he was killed4 ,there is an allegorical element in this dream1 and the presence of a departed friend who assists him over the stream1 gives it a poetic cast4 ,yet who can say that it was not realized8 ,a dream is related by ,j4 ,crysler1 of ,republic ,city1 ,kansas1 which proved not only true1 but the elements of the double1 or of the appearance of the dreamer in the place he dreamed about1 is introduced4 ,he said1 while from home he dreamed that his wife was sick1 and awoke4 ,on falling asleep again1 the dream was repeated1 a thing that had never before occurred to him4 ,he remarked to a friend in the morning1 that if he believed in dreams he would go directly home1 as he felt troubled4 ,he1 however1 waited and completed his business1 reaching home the next day1 when he found his wife just recovering from a severe attack of illness4 ,their three-year-old boy lodged with his mother1 and became restless4 ,all at once he asked3 ,ma1 what man is that standing there8 ,why1 she replied1 ,i see no one4 ,oh6 said he1 it is pa6 and turning over1 contentedly dropped to sleep4 ,the thoughts of the father1 intensified by his solicitude1 struck the sensitive brain of his child with such a force as to produce the impression that the father was an objective reality4 ,a prophetic dream must be impressed on the receiving mind1 from a source having more than human intelligence4 ,there must be a mind back of the impressions1 capable of comprehending cause and effect more clearly than mortals are able to do4 ,the effect cannot rise above its cause4 ,laugh at the fantasies of a fevered brain1 or the visions produced by a gorged stomach2 the nightmare of the gourmand2 the ghost-seeing of the dyspeptic2 but there remain the dreams of the clear head and pure heart as angel visitants1 and these should be treasured4 ,when we rest in the arms of sleep1 she hushes us with hymns sung by angelic voices1 and sweet visions of the morning land4 ,sensitiveness ,induced by ,disease4 ,disease1 by weakening the physical powers1 is often conducive to a wonderful sensitiveness4 ,in some cases of fever1 the senses are wrought to an astonishing acuteness1 especially hearing1 the patient being disturbed by even the ticking of a watch in a remote room4 ,the inner perception at other times is made equally acute4 ,if the pulsations of sound become so magnified and painful1 the waves of thought in the psycho-ether may become equally magnified1 and reproduce the thoughts which sent them forth to the mind of the recipient4 ,many of the facts given in illustration of other phases of sensitiveness apply equally well here4 ,mademoiselle ,n---- was convalescing after a very prolonged illness1 which had reduced her to a state of extreme weakness4 ,all her family had gone to church1 when a violent storm arose4 ,mademoiselle ,n---- went to the window to watch its effects2 the thought of her father suddenly struck her1 and1 under existing circumstances1 she felt much uneasiness4 ,her imagination soon persuaded her that her father had perished4 ,in order to conquer her fears she went into a room in which she was accustomed to see him in his arm-chair4 ,on entering1 she was very much surprised at seeing him in his place1 and in his accustomed attitude4 ,she immediately approached to inquire how he had come in1 and in addressing him1 attempted to place her hand on his shoulder1 but encountered only space4 ,very much alarmed1 she drew back1 and turning her head as she left the room1 still saw him in the same attitude4 ,more than half an hour elapsed from the time she first saw the apparition4 ,during this time ,mademoiselle ,n----1 who was convinced that it was an illusion1 entered the room several times1 and carefully examined the arrangement of the objects1 and especially of the chair4 7,de ,boismont1 page #bgf47 ,nothing had occurred to her father1 and the appearance may be adequately accounted for on psychometric grounds4 ,the chair was vibrant with the influence of the father1 and those vibrations constantly carried out with them his image4 ,mrs4 ,denton1 an extremely sensitive person1 relates an experience which shows how exactly similar the impressibility which may be called normal in contradistinction to that induced by disease4 ,on entering a car from which the passengers had gone to dinner1 she was surprised to see the seats occupied4 ,many of them were sitting perfectly composed1 as if1 for them1 very little interest was attached to this station1 while others were already in motion 7a kind of compressed motion71 as if preparing to leave4 ,i thought this somewhat strange1 and was about turning to find a seat in another car1 when a second glance around showed me that the passengers1 who had appeared so indifferent were really losing their identity1 and1 in a moment1 were invisible to me4 ,i had had time to note the personal appearance of several2 and taking a seat ,i awaited the return of the passengers1 thinking it more than probable ,i might in them find the prototypes of the faces and forms ,i had a moment before so singularly beheld4 ,nor was ,i disappointed4 ,a number of those who returned to the cars ,i recognized as being1 in every particular1 the counterparts of their late but transient representatives4 ,mary ,dana ,shindler1 in the ,voice of ,truth1 says3 ,an aunt of ours was very ill with fever1 and her only brother1 commanding a packet ship between ,havana and ,charleston1 was daily expected2 but we feared he would arrive too late to see his sister in earth-life4 ,one morning while we were watching at her bedside1 she suddenly sat up1 clapped her hands1 and exclaimed joyfully1 ',brother ,william has come6' ,we all thought her mind wandering2 but in about ten minutes he arrived at her house1 and from that moment she began to recover4 ,she could not tell us how she discovered that he had arrived1 but only said1 ',i knew it2 ,i heard1 and felt him4' ,bishop ,bowman1 in a sermon delivered in ,philadelphia1 narrated a remarkable experience1 which shows how near the state of death approaches trance or clairvoyance4 ,the usual light treatment of the fact of the result of cerebral disturbance is far from a satisfactory solution3 ,on my return from ,japan1 ,i preached in ,california1 and probably overworked myself4 ,the last ,sunday in ,february1 after holding divine service in my ,st4 ,louis ,church1 ,i returned home1 when ,i was immediately taken sick with a lingering fever1 which the physicians predicted would end fatally4 ,at this point ,i seemed to fall into a kind of ecstasy1 and ,i did not know whether ,i was alive or dead4 ,i imagined ,i was on board a magnificent ship1 and heard the captain say1 ',stop her1' which ,i thought to be the voice of my ,divine ,master1 when my young eighteen-months-old child1 who had died twenty years ago1 came to me and said that she had heard that ,i was coming1 and had come to meet me4 ,after some conversation which ,i do not recollect1 she said1 ',do you think ,i have grown1 papa8' ,she then arose in a form of glory ,i have never before witnessed1 and never again expect to see until ,i die1 and then returned to her usual state1 saying that she came in that shape to see if ,i would know her4 ,she said that many other friends had inquired after me1 and that an old gentleman and lady had taken her up and kissed her1 saying that her papa was their boy4 ,i then asked her where her mama was4 ',oh1 she is away doing something for the ,lord1 but will meet us on our arrival at the wharf4' ,it was a season of great preciousness to me4 ,it seems to me that ,i have come back from the other world2 and although it is peculiar for me to say ,i was dead1 it seems to me ,i was not in the body4 ,the testimony of those who have approached nearest to death1 and have been brought back to life1 favors1 if not proves1 that at that great crisis1 as the senses fail1 spiritual sensitiveness becomes acute1 and the perceptions merge into a universal consciousness4 ,a gentleman while swimming failed to sustain himself1 and before assistance could reach him1 sank1 as he supposed1 to rise no more4 ,then he saw1 as if in a wide field1 the acts of his own being1 from the first dawn of memory until the time he entered the water4 ,they were all grouped and ranged in the order of the succession of their happening1 and he read the whole volume of existence at a glance2 nay1 its incidents and entities were photographed on his mind1 illumined by light1 the panorama of the battle of life lay before him4 7,sleep1 ,memory and ,sensation1 page #dc47 ,clairvoyance has1 as thus appears1 a retrospection1 and is as able to see the past as the present1 or previse the future4 ,the element of time does not appear to enter into the cognition of events by this faculty4 ,everything is in the present1 and the past is only distinguished by order of sequence4 ,a gentleman in ,iowa related to me his experience while insensible from the effect of cold4 ,he was overtaken by a fearful storm1 such as sometimes sweep across the prairies1 and1 losing his way after hours of vain struggling1 sank exhausted in a drift of snow4 ,the past events of his life came in a panoramic show before him1 but so rapidly moving1 that from boyhood until that moment was as an instant2 then came a sense of perfect physical happiness1 and he began dimly to see the forms of those whom he had known while living1 but were now dead4 ,they grew more and more distinct1 but just as they came near and were1 as he thought1 overjoyed to receive him1 darkness came suddenly and great pain2 the vision faded1 and he became conscious of the presence of his friends who had rescued him1 and were applying every measure to restore him to life4 ,how near he had reached the boundary line1 the dead line beyond1 from which there is no return to the body1 was shown by his crippled hands and feet4 ,it is a singular fact that no one has ever recovered from a near approach to this line1 who does not tell the same tale of an exalted perception and intensification of the mental faculties4 ,sometimes this is exhibited by the recognition of an event then transpiring1 with which the subject is intimately connected1 as in the following1 wherein the deaths of near relatives or friends are discerned3 ,it is a historical fact that ,rev4 ,joseph ,buckminster1 who died in ,vermont1 in #ahab1 just before his death1 announced that his distinguished son1 ,rev4 ,j4 ,s4 ,buckminster1 was dead4 ,the ,eaton 7,o47 ,telegraph gives the following parallel case3 ,on ,wednesday morning last1 at four o'clock1 ,gen4 ,john ,quince breathed his last4 ,but a few minutes after that1 ,joseph ,deem1 who also died on the #adth1 aroused from his sleep1 and said to his son ,john1 who attended him1 ',gen4 ,quince is dead4' ,to this ,john replied1 ',you are mistaken1 father1 ,gen4 ,quince is well1 and goes by after his mail every day4' ',yes1' said ,father ,deem1 ',gen4 ,quince is dead4' ,shortly after a neighbor came in1 and said that ,gen4 ,quince had suddenly died4 ,whenever the power of expression is retained1 we see the development of clairvoyance at the approach of death4 ,sometimes the paralysis of the muscles prevents vocal expression1 but where this is the case1 the eyes show the ecstasy which the lifting of the vail from a new world only can give4 ,mrs4 ,helen ,willmans relates this touching story of the death of her child3 ,from her birth she had been afraid of death4 ,every fiber of her body and soul recoiled from the thought of it4 ',don't let me die6' she said4 ',don't let me die6 ,hold me fast--,i can't go4' ',jenny1' ,i said1 'you have two little brothers in the other world1 and there are thousands of tender-hearted people over there1 who will love and take care of you4' ,but she cried despairingly1 ',don't let me go4 ,they are strangers over there4' ,but even as she was pleading her little hands relaxed their clinging hold from my waist1 and lifted themselves eagerly aloft2 lifted themselves with such a straining effort that they raised the wasted body from its reclining position among the pillows4 ,her eyes filled with the light of divine recognition4 ,they saw plainly something we could not see4 ,but even at that supreme moment she did not forget to leave a word of comfort for those who gladly would have died in her place4 ',mamma6 mamma6 they are not strangers4 ,i am not afraid6' ,and every instant the light burned more gloriously in her blue eyes1 until at last it seemed as her soul leaped forth upon its radiant waves1 and in that moment her trembling form relapsed among the pillows1 and she was gone4 ,thus we perceive that sensitiveness1 which is first manifested in the mesmeric state1 breaks in at rare intervals1 during wakefulness or sleep1 as vivid impressions or dreams1 arises to clairvoyance as the spirit and physical body are separated more and more1 and reaches its most intense expression at the moment of death1 when the union between the two is severed4 ,it is after this great event that the spiritual being1 formed from attenuated substance1 far beyond the horizon of the most ethereal known to the senses1 is free from the environments of the physical body4 ,it sees1 hears1 feels1 with the organization of its new being1 and is cognizant of a world unknown to the mortal senses4 ,thought ,transference4 ,the ,english ,society for ,psychical ,research have given greater attention to thought transference than any other subject which has engaged its attention1 claiming that if it be proved1 it becomes the foundation for a working theory1 co-ordinating a vast number of related facts and phenomena4 ,it was the conclusion of the committee after numerous experiments1 that thought reading was an established fact4 ,the adage1 ,the devil is near when you talk about him1 is proven daily2 for when an individual is going to a certain place expecting to meet certain ones1 his thoughts go before him1 and impress themselves4 ,when those connected by intimate relations think of each other1 their thoughts vibrate in responsive brains4 ,distance has inappreciable influence on the transference of thought4 ,it may take place in the same room1 or when the two persons are thousands of miles apart4 ,as a personal experience ,i will relate one of many similar incidents which have awakened my attention to this wonderful phenomenon4 ,sitting by my desk one evening1 suddenly as a flash of light1 the thought came to write an article for the ,harbinger of ,light1 published at ,melbourne1 ,australia4 ,i had by correspondence become acquainted with the editor1 ,w4 ,h4 ,terry1 but there had been no letters passed for nearly a year4 ,i had not thought of him or his journal1 for ,i do not know how long a time1 and ,i was amused at first with the idea of writing on the subject suggested4 ,but the impression was so strong that ,i prepared and forwarded an article4 ,nearly two months passed before ,i received a letter from ,mr4 ,terry requesting me to write an article on the subject1 on which ,i had written1 and making due allowance for time1 the dates of our letters were the same4 ,in our experience this crossing of letters answering each other1 has twice occurred1 the second by ,mr4 ,terry answering a request of mine4 ,i have gathered a series of facts illustrative and demonstrative1 by their culminative evidence4 ,if any one statement be questioned as improbable1 we must consider the probabilities increase with each and every instance corroboratory1 and when a constantly augmenting series continue in the same line1 each number adding strength to the others1 the probability becomes a certainty4 ,dr4 ,nicolas1 ,count de ,gonmys1 of ,corfu1 gives his personal experience in ,march number1 #ahhe1 of the ,journal of the ,society for ,psychical ,research3 ,in the year #ahfi ,i was officer of health in the ,hellenic army4 ,by command of the ,war ,office ,i was attached to the garrison of the ,island of ,zante4 ,as ,i was approaching the ,island in a steamboat1 to take up my new position1 and about two hours distance from the shore1 ,i heard a sudden inward voice say to me over and over in ,italian1 ',go to ,voterra4' ,i had no association with the name of ,m4 ,voterra1 a gentleman of ,zante1 with whom ,i was not even acquainted1 although ,i had once seen him1 ten years before4 ,i tried the effect of stopping my ears1 and of trying to distract myself by conversation with the bystanders1 but all was useless1 and ,i continued to hear the voice in the same way4 ,at last we reached the land2 ,i proceeded to my hotel and busied myself with my trunks1 but the voice continued to harass me4 ,after a time a servant came and announced to me that a gentleman was at the door who wished to speak to me at once4 ',who is the gentleman8' ,i asked4 ',m4 ,voterra1' was the reply4 ,m4 ,voterra entered1 weeping violently1 in uncontrollable distress1 imploring me to follow him at once1 and see his son who was in a dangerous condition4 ,i found a young man in maniacal frenzy1 naked in an empty room1 and despaired of by all the doctors of ,zante for the past five years4 ,by magnetism ,dr4 ,nicolas effected a perfect cure1 the maniac becoming in the mesmeric state clairvoyant4 ,the following is by ,c4 ,ede1 ,m4 ,d41 ,guilford 7,j4 ,s4 ,p4 ,r41 ,july1 #ahhb74 ,lady ,g4 and her sister had been spending the evening with their mother1 who was in her usual health and spirits when they left her4 ,in the middle of the night the sister awoke in a fright1 and said to her husband1 ',i must go to my mother at once2 do order the carriage4 ,i am sure she is ill4' ,the husband1 after trying in vain to convince his wife that it was only a fancy1 ordered the carriage4 ,as she was approaching the house where two roads met1 she saw ,lady ,g4's carriage4 ,when they met each asked the other why she was there4 ,the same reply was made by both4 ',i could not sleep1 feeling sure my mother was ill1 and so ,i came to see4' ,as they came in sight they saw their mother's confidential maid at the door1 who told them when they arrived1 that their mother had been taken suddenly ill1 and was dying1 and had expressed an earnest wish to see her daughters4 ,the daughters having so recently parted from their mother1 made them peculiarly susceptible to her influence4 ,t4 ,w4 ,smith1 ,ealing1 ,w4 ,england 7,j4 ,s4 ,p4 ,r41 ,july1 #ahhb71 had this experience1 showing the close bonds which unite husband and wife3 ,i left my house1 ten miles from ,london1 in the morning as usual1 and in the course of the day was on the way to ,victoria ,street1 when1 in attempting to cross the road made slippery by the water cart1 ,i fell1 and was nearly run over by a carriage coming in an opposite direction4 ,the fall and the fright shook me considerably1 but beyond that ,i was uninjured4 ,on reaching home1 ,i found my wife waiting anxiously1 and this is what she related to me3 ,she was in the kitchen when she suddenly dropped1 exclaiming1 ',my ,god1 he's hurt6' ,mrs4 ,s4 who was near her heard the cry1 and both agreed as to the time1 etc4 ,the ,rev4 ,p4 ,h4 ,newham 7,j4 ,s4 ,p4 ,r41 ,feb4 #ahhg71 relates an extended series of experiments in will power4 ,he was able while in church to draw the attention of any one in the audience by simply directing his thoughts to them4 ,he experimented at a series of concerts1 selecting those in front of him so that they could not catch his eye by simply raising their heads4 ,it was very interesting1 he writes1 to see them first fidget about in their seats and at last turn their heads around and look about them1 as if to see whence the uncomfortable feeling that influenced them proceeded4 ,the ,london ,spectator for ,christmas1 #ahha1 contains an interesting story by ,a4 ,j4 ,duffield1 of thought transference4 ,the gist of this story is that a ,mr4 ,strong went to ,lake ,superior and became foreman of the ,franklin copper mine4 ,he fell sick and would have died but for the care of a lady whose husband was a director of the mining company4 ,she had him carried to her own house1 and nursed him with kindest care until he recovered4 ,seven years after this event1 when he had drifted away from the mines1 he was sitting by himself one evening1 when he suddenly saw this kind lady in a room with nothing in it1 no fire1 no food4 ,she was calm and quiet1 with the same face she had when she nursed him in the fever4 ,he thereby was made deeply conscious that she was in distress1 and sent her a most liberal amount of money by mail4 ,the day after he received a letter from the lady1 saying that her husband was sick1 and that they were in great suffering1 and asking for aid4 ,in this instance the mind of ,capt4 ,strong was bound to his preserver with strong bonds1 love1 gratefulness and expectation of some time repaying his great obligation4 ,it was in proper condition for the reception of such thoughts1 while1 on the other hand1 under the pressure of suffering1 the lady's mind was in a condition to give force to the emanating thoughts4 ,the ,springfield ,homestead published what it called an odd circumstance1 but so far from being odd is of proverbially common occurrence4 ,a ,mrs4 ,a4 and her daughter called on their relative1 ,mrs4 ,b41 of ,central ,street4 ,on their way thither they remarked how pleased they would be if ,mrs4 ,b4's daughter1 ,mrs4 ,l41 of ,hartford1 could only be there too4 ,this remark was repeated to ,mrs4 ,b41 and she replied that her thoughts were similar4 ,then one of them recalled the old saying that the combined thoughts of three women can bring any one from any place1 and the reply was made that if wishing would bring ,mrs4 ,l4 she would surely come4 ,mrs4 ,b4 prepared strawberry cake1 saying her daughter1 ,mrs4 ,l41 was fond of it1 and that she was going to lay a plate for her just as though she were there4 ,as they were sitting down to tea1 the door bell rang and in came the much wished for ,mrs4 ,l41 greatly to their surprise4 ,when asked how she happened to come1 she replied that she did not intend to do so until that day1 and decided to do so because tormented with the impression that some one wanted to see her4 ,she is not accustomed to come to ,springfield1 not having visited her sister before in a year4 ,henry ,watson1 of ,mill ,village1 ,pa41 was suddenly impressed that his services were needed at a certain point on ,french ,creek4 ,there was no assignable cause for his going1 and he resisted it as a vagary4 ,the impression1 however1 grew so strong that he yielded as to a charm4 ,when within a short distance of the spot cries for help reached his ears4 ,in the creek he found ,george ,dowler and wife struggling for their lives4 ,they had attempted to ford the creek1 and missing the way were submerged4 ,he was holding on to the horse while the swift current was carrying his wife to her death4 ,taking a boat1 ,watson rescued her from certain death4 ,had he not arrived at that very moment1 she would have been inevitably drowned4 ,l4 ,m4 ,hastings of ,osceola1 ,iowa1 had a son murdered near ,grand ,island1 ,neb4 ,the night after the crime was committed he awoke about midnight with his attention fixed on an apparition at the foot of the bed4 ,he saw the representation of two men with great distinctness1 and something told him that they were the pictures of the murderers of his son4 ,he studied them carefully until they faded out of sight1 and then arose and wrote a description which was forwarded to the prosecuting attorney4 ,it was found to be a thoroughly accurate description of the men who were then under arrest and who were1 without doubt the guilty parties4 ,mr4 ,hastings had never seen these men nor received any description of them4 ,,transference ,,of ,,thought ,,and ,,pain4--,mrs4 ,arthur ,severn1 the distinguished landscape painter 7,j4 ,s4 ,p4 ,r41 ,march1 #ahhd71 writes of an accident to her husband which at once impressed itself on her3 ,i woke with a start1 feeling ,i had a hard blow on my mouth1 and a distinct sense that ,i had been cut under my upper lip1 and held my handkerchief to the part as ,i sat up in bed1 and after a few seconds1 when ,i removed it1 ,i was astonished not to see any blood1 and only then realized that it was impossible that anything could have struck me1 and so ,i thought it was only a dream4 ,i looked at my watch and saw it was seven1 and finding ,arthur 7my husband7 was not in the room1 ,i concluded he had gone out on the lake for a sail as it was fine4 ,at breakfast 7half-past nine7 ,arthur came in rather late1 and ,i noticed he rather purposely sat farther away from me than usual1 and put his handkerchief to his lip in the way ,i had done4 ,i said3 ',arthur1 why are you doing that8 ,i know you have hurt yourself2 but ,i'll tell you why afterwards4' ,he said3 ',well1 when ,i was sailing1 a sudden squall came1 throwing the tiller suddenly around1 and it struck me a hard blow in the mouth under the upper lip and it has been bleeding a good deal and won't stop4' ,i then asked3 ',at what time did it happen8' ,he answered3 ',it must have been about seven o'clock4' ,i then told what had happened to me1 much to his surprise and all who were at the table4 ,rev4 ,j4 ,m4 ,wilson1 head master of ,clifton ,college 7in ,j4 ,s4 ,p4 ,r41 ,march1 #ahhd71 presents a fact which1 while admitting of telegraphic explanation1 may be referred to a higher source3 ,i was at ,cambridge at the end of my second term in full health1 boating1 football playing1 and the like1 and by no means subject to hallucinations or morbid fancies4 ,one evening ,i felt very ill1 trembling with no apparent cause2 nor did it seem to me at the time to be a physical illness1 or chill of any kind4 ,i was frightened2 ,i was totally unable to overcome it4 ,i remember a struggle with myself1 resolving that ,i would go on with my mathematics1 but it was in vain4 ,i became convinced that ,i was dying4 ,i went down to the room of a friend1 who was on the same staircase4 ,he exclaimed at me before ,i spoke4 ,he pulled out a whisky bottle and backgammon board1 but ,i could not face it4 ,we sat over the fire1 and he brought some one else to look at me4 ,toward eleven1 after some three hours1 ,i got better1 went to bed and after a time to sleep1 and next morning was quite well4 ,in the afternoon came a letter stating that my twin brother had died the evening before in ,lincolnshire4 ,rev4 ,canon ,warburton1 ,winchester1 ,england 7,j4 ,s4 ,p4 ,r41 ,may #ahhd71 relates the following1 which is of interest as an example of transference of thought and of sensation3 ,i went from ,oxford to stay a day or two with my brother1 then a barrister at #aj ,fish ,street1 ,lincoln's ,inn4 ,when ,i reached his chambers ,i found a note on the table apologizing for his absence1 and saying he had gone to a dance1 and intended to be at home soon after one o'clock4 ,instead of going to bed1 ,i dozed in an arm-chair1 but started up wide awake exactly at one1 ejaculating1 ',by ,jove1 he's down6' and seeing him coming out of the drawing room into the brightly illuminated landing1 catching his foot in the edge of the top stair and falling head-long1 just saving himself by his elbows and hands4 7,the house was one ,i had never seen1 and ,i did not know where he was47 ,i again fell adoze for half an hour1 and was awakened by my brother suddenly coming in and saying3 ',ah6 there you are6 ,i have just had as narrow an escape of breaking my neck as ,i ever had in my life4 ,coming out of the ballroom1 ,i caught my foot and tumbled full length down stairs4' ,the following is vouched for by ,miss ,millicent ,ann ,page1 sister of the ,rev4 ,a4 ,shaw ,page1 ,vicar of ,lesly1 ,england1 to whom it was related by ,mrs4 ,elizabeth ,broughton1 ,edinburgh3 ,mrs4 ,broughton aroused her husband1 telling him something dreadful had happened in ,france4 ,he begged her to go asleep again4 ,she assured him that she was not asleep when she saw what she insisted in then telling him4 ,first1 a carriage accident1 which she did not see1 but she saw the result3 a broken carriage1 collected crowd1 a figure gently raised and carried into the nearest house1 and then a figure lying on the bed1 which she recognized as the ,duke of ,orleans4 ,gradually friends collected around the bed1 among them several members of the royal family--the ,queen1 then the ,king--all tearfully1 silently watching the dying ,duke4 ,one man1 she could see his back1 but did not know who he was1 was a doctor4 ,he stood bending over the ,duke1 feeling his pulse with his watch in his other hand4 ,then all passed away4 ,in the morning she wrote down in her journal all she had seen4 ,it was before the days of the telegraph1 and two or more days passed before the ,times announced the death of the ,duke of ,orleans4 ,a short time after1 she visited ,paris1 recognized the place of the accident1 and received an explanation of her impression4 ,the doctor who attended the ,duke was an old friend of hers2 and as he watched by the bed he said his mind was constantly occupied with her and her family4 ,the reason1 therefor1 was the remarkable likeness between the members of her family and those of the royal family then present4 ',i spoke of you and yours when ,i reached home1 and thought of you many times that evening1' said the doctor4 ',the likeness between yourself and the royal family was never so strong4 ,here was a link between us1 you see4' ,certain dreams may be explained by thought-transference1 which is liable to take place during the varying moods of slumber as while awake4 ,rev4 ,j4 ,c4 ,learned writes 7,j4 ,s4 ,p4 ,r473 ,it was in #ahhc that ,i took charge of the ,unitarian ,church in ,exeter1 ,n4 ,h4 ,five miles away1 ,rev4 ,a4 ,m4 ,bridge was preaching at ,hampton ,falls1 with whom ,i sometimes exchanged pulpits4 ,after a year or so he gave up the work in this little parish1 and somewhat later entered upon an engagement in the town of ,east ,marshfield1 ,mass41 as the railroad runs1 eighty miles from ,exeter4 ,on ,wednesday1 ,dec4 #acth1 #ahfe1 on waking in the morning1 ,i remarked to my wife upon the very vivid and singular dream which ,i had had1 and related it fully4 ,i had seen ,mr4 ,bridge taken suddenly and violently ill4 ,he seemed to be in a school-room4 ,he sank down helpless and was borne away by friendly hands4 ,i was by him1 and assisted others in whatever way ,i could4 ,but he grew worse2 the open air did not revive him2 a leaden pallor soon spread over his features2 peculiar spots which ,i had never seen before1 like moles or discoloration of the skin1 appeared upon his face1 and after much suffering he died4 ,immediately after breakfast1 and while we were still speaking of the dream1 a ring at the door admitted ,mr4 ,wells ,healy1 an old parishioner of ,mr4 ,bridge1 at ,hampton ,falls4 ,i guessed the nature of his message4 ,he had come to ask me to attend the funeral services of his former minister4 ,i attended the funeral as requested4 ,i learned from the family the particulars of his death1 which coincided remarkably in several points with the dream already repeated to my wife1 and when ,i looked at the dead man in his coffin1 my attention was fixed by the peculiar spots on his face to which ,i have alluded1 and which were stamped on my memory4 ,,double ,,presence4--,,appearance ,,of ,,living ,,persons ,,at ,a ,,distance4--,it would appear that this projection of thought to distant localities may be so strong as to carry the appearance of the projector with it4 ,this may be explained by the aid of psychometry1 or by the actual projection of the psychic individuality1 so as to give the impression of identity1 and not only that1 but to receive and retain impressions on the part of the projector4 ,the double presence which has so perplexed the student of these mysteries thus admits of solution1 and becomes a part of the fabric created by sensitiveness to thought impressions4 ,these appearances of living persons as apparitions or ghosts1 have been repeatedly employed as evidence of the subjectiveness of ghostly apparitions of the dead2 that as one must be unreal so must the other4 ,but this conclusion is unwarranted1 as by the principles here advocated the apparitions of the living are under the same law as those of the dead4 ,it is possible for the independent clairvoyant at any time1 in spirit1 to visit distant localities and persons1 and if the latter are sufficiently sensitive1 they will recognize the clairvoyant's presence4 ,the phenomenon of double presence1 in this manner can be produced1 as somnambulism may be1 by artificial means2 that is through mesmerism or hypnotism4 ,many remarkable stories are recorded of the double1 some of which are unbelievable unless the principles heretofore stated are understood4 ,josiah ,gilbert1 in the ,london ,speculator1 gives the following pleasing narrative3 ,a son of a family named ,watkinson1 residing in ,lancashire1 had gone to ,america4 ,one summer ,sunday afternoon1 they were attending services and occupying a large square pew near the pulpit4 ,it was hot1 the door of the small building was wide open1 and one of the party who sat looking down the aisle could see out into the meeting-house yard1 which was shaded by tall trees4 ,suddenly1 to his intense surprise1 he saw the absent brother approaching through the trees1 enter at the chapel door1 walk up the aisle1 come to the very door of the pew itself1 and lay his hand upon it as though he would take a seat with them4 ,at that moment others of the family saw him also1 but at that instant he vanished4 ,this strange occurrence naturally raised sad forebodings1 but in course of time a letter arrived1 and it appeared that the brother was alive and well4 ,he was then written to and asked if anything peculiar had happened on that ,sunday4 ,he replied that it was odd that he should remember anything about a ,sunday so long passed1 but certainly something had happened on that ,sunday4 ,he had come in overpowered with heat and had thrown himself on his bed1 fallen asleep and had a strange dream4 ,he found himself among the trees of a country chapel2 service was going on2 he saw them all1 the door being open1 sitting in their pews2 he walked up the aisle and put his hand on the pew door to open it1 when he suddenly1 and to his great chagrin1 awoke4 ,s4 ,f4 ,deane1 ,m4 ,d41 of ,carlton1 ,neb41 had a remarkable experience which he relates as follows3 ,after my arrival in ,nebraska1 ,i made my home with my daughters4 ,at the time ,i left ,wisconsin1 my wife was not well and ,i hesitated to leave her4 ,after ,i had been absent about three weeks1 ,i had retired to my room1 which had a door opening into the street4 ,about two o'clock in the morning while awake1 with sufficient light from a partially obscured moon to see distinctly any person in the room1 fully conscious of all my surroundings1 and with my face toward the door1 ,i saw it open and a person step into the room1 which ,i at once recognized as the exact image of my wife4 ,she came directly across the room1 knelt at my bedside1 put her arms about my neck1 kissed me and said she had been very sick but was better now4 ,then she said she must go and see ,adelaide1 and arose and passed across the room1 to the door of our daughter's room4 ,she was gone a few minutes when she again came through the open bedroom door into my room1 looked at me1 as much as to say good-bye1 passed out at the door1 and was gone4 ,while she was present a peculiar calmness came over me2 but when she was gone a great anxiety took possession of me1 and could ,i have taken a train1 ,i should have at once started for home4 ,but ,i at last resolved to await a letter1 which came in due time from my son4 ,he wrote3 ',mother is quite sick1 though better than night before last1 when about half-past two or three o'clock in the morning we thought for twenty or thirty minutes she was dead4 ,she lay insensible1 pulsation ceased1 or only fluttered at intervals1 and respiration seemed suspended1 but she rallied and is now in a fair way to recover4' ,she did recover and enjoyed a fair degree of health4 ,there is no limit to the facts of this class which might be collected4 ,enough have been here produced to show that coincidence offers a poor apology as an explanation4 ,the student will observe also1 that however carefully the facts are selected bearing on this one point of thought transference1 it is impossible1 so intimately related are the branches of psychic science1 to have them entirely free from the possibility of other explanations4 ,granting that thought may be transferred from one mortal to another1 admits that a spirit may transfer its thoughts to a mortal also1 and hence a spirit seeing a friend in distress may act as a messenger4 ,but in such a case thought is transferred1 and in the same manner4 ,the sensitive on one side receives the pulsations of thought from the other1 through and by means of the psychic ether4 ,it will be thus seen that there is no mystery in one mind becoming cognizant of the thoughts of another mind1 for if in sympathy1 such a result is sure to follow4 ,as a lamp gives light1 because it is able to set the light medium in motion1 or give off waves therein1 so the brain gives off waves1 or is a pulsating center in the psychic-ether4 ,these waves go outward and form the sphere of the individual1 as the waves of light go out and form the sphere of light around an incandescent body4 ,to be recognized1 they must strike against a sensitive or sympathetic brain1 wherein they may be reproduced4 ,by sympathetic1 we mean one which1 for want of a better term1 we will say is similarly attuned4 ,thus1 when two musical instruments are placed at some distance from each other1 and one is played1 if they are not attuned in harmony the other will give no response2 but if they are1 then when one is touched1 the other answers note for note4 ,the brain1 being a pulsating center1 its thoughts1 as they go out in waves1 have to other brains1 a tangible representation4 ,the psychic-ether1 pulsating with innumerable waves1 may be regarded as a universal thought atmosphere1 and the sensitive brain is able to gather from it thoughts and ideas which its pulsations express4 ,if any reliance can be placed on the observations of the most credible witnesses1 whose evidence would be received on any other subject1 and in law would be given power to decide on life or death1 these facts of ,thought ,transference cannot be rejected4 ,if they are received1 they demand explanation4 ,if thought passes from one mind to another1 or1 as it is often expressed1 the will influences a distant person1 it is self-evident that something passes from one to the other4 ,what is this something8 ,facts conflict with the hypothesis of its being matter radiated from one individual to another1 as light was once supposed to be transmitted4 ,it passes too readily through vast thicknesses of solid matter1 and is too instantaneous in its action1 to consist of radiant particles4 ,on the other hand1 all of its phenomena show a striking relationship to light1 heat and kindred forces4 ,,how ,,is ,,this ,,influence ,,exerted8--,admitting that there is a psychic-ether1 in which thinking produces waves1 how does one individual influence another thereby8 ,if the brain vibrates like the strings of a musical instrument1 as no two are alike1 no two vibrate alike4 ,this is more than a mere illustration4 ,both depend on similar laws1 for the string excites vibrations in the air1 which are felt by the nerves of the tympanum of the ear4 ,thinking creates undulations in ether1 which are impressed on other minds4 ,the string of the instrument excites similar vibrations in contiguous strings2 for the atmosphere transmits the waves of sound4 ,this is very beautifully shown by a simple experiment1 which equally well illustrates the method by which mind influences mind4 ,if a plate of glass is strewn with sand1 and1 while held in a horizontal position1 a bow drawn across its edge1 a musical sound will be produced from the vibration of the plate1 and the sand1 by the impulse1 forms into various geometric lines1 according to the note produced--each note giving rise to a figure peculiar to itself4 ,so invariably is this the case that a piece of music might be accurately written from the forms assumed by the sand4 ,now1 if a piece of parchment or paper be stretched1 with proper precautions1 across the top of a large bell glass and strewn with sand1 and the glass plate held over it horizontally1 and the bow drawn across its edge1 the forms assumed by the sand on the paper will accurately correspond with the forms on the glass4 ,if the glass is slowly removed to greater and greater distances1 the correspondence will continue until the distance becomes too great for the air to transmit the vibrations4 ,when a slow air is played on a flute near this apparatus1 each note calls up a particular form in the sand1 which the next note effaces and establishes its own4 ,the motion of the sand will even detect sounds that are inaudible4 ,professor ,wheaton devised a means of beautifully illustrating this sympathy4 ,if a sounding board is placed so as to resound to all the instruments of the orchestra1 and connected by a metallic rod of considerable length with the sounding-board of a harp or piano1 the instrument will accurately repeat the notes transmitted4 ,the nervous system1 in its two-fold relation to the physical and spiritual being1 is inconceivably more finely organized than the most perfect musical instrument1 and is possessed of finer sensitiveness4 ,but it must not be inferred that all minds are receptive4 ,light falls on all substances alike1 but is very differently affected4 ,one class of bodies absorbs all but the yellow rays2 another1 all but the blue2 another1 all but the red1 because these substances are so organized that they respond only to waves of the colors reflected4 ,some individuals have the ear so organized that they can hear certain sounds1 but are totally deaf to others4 ,the waves of sound strike all tympanums alike2 yet in these instances they are incapable of responding to certain waves4 ,some person who delight in music1 although all the lower notes are plainly heard1 as soon as the tune rises to a high key1 can not hear a single sound4 ,in others1 this is reversed4 ,the eye of some individuals is similarly arranged--some colors being undiscernible1 while others are perceptible4 ,the vibrations are the same in all these cases1 but owing to peculiarities of organization are not felt4 ,as musical instruments to respond must be attuned in harmony1 so there must be correlated harmony between minds which transmit and receive thoughts4 ,all minds give out vibrations1 as all musical strings give out sounds2 and as there must be a corresponding string to receive its notes1 so there must be not only a sensitive but harmoniously attuned mind to receive the thought vibrations4 ,individuals not mutually harmonious--at least in some point--do not excite a mental influence on each other2 but if they are thus organized1 they will influence each other4 ,this is unavoidable1 whether the will is excited or not2 but if the stronger will is exerted1 its power is proportionally greater1 and it will magnetize the weaker2 and the peculiar phenomena attending that mental state will be manifested4 ,it is not the body which magnetizes or is magnetized2 it is the mind2 and these effects are produced outside of the physical system4 ,the fact that one person can magnetize another by the simple power of the will1 though at a distance1 is evidence that the mind in this exercise of power is independent of the body4 ,if we grant1 for the sake of the argument1 that there is a spirit back of the physical aspect of mortal life1 it will be readily seen that all that has been said of the transference of thought between individuals1 holds true between spiritual beings1 as this transference at last resides in the spirit-being4 ,as man is a spirit incarnated1 differing in that respect only from a disembodied spirit1 the body is the only obstacle between him and the spirits above him4 ,sensitiveness to impressions from another1 or from a spirit1 rest on the same cause2 and in the higher realm of spirit1 the transference of thought is controlled by the same laws1 and reaches more perfect expression4 ,intimations of an ,intelligent ,force4 ,,belief ,,in ,,guardian ,,angels4--,memory brings back the days of our childhood and again we hear our mother sing that simple song of joy1 which1 it is said1 ,bishop ,mc,kendree murmured on his dying bed3 ,bright angels have from glory come1 ,they're round my bed2 they're in my room2 ,they wait to waft my spirit home2 ,all is well6 ,all is well6 ,we approach the dark river of death alone1 but we are not to cross without a guide4 ,we may be blind to the light of the celestial sphere in the full pulse of health2 we may be insensible to the presence of the nearest and dearest of our departed2 yet when death loosens the bonds which unite the physical with the spiritual body1 what is known dimly as clairvoyance1 the full possession of the spiritual senses1 bursts upon the awakened spirit4 ,then the dying find that death is life1 and to leave earthly friends is to meet the hosts of heaven4 ,that there are guardian angels has been taught from immemorial time1 and in some dim form is a belief of all except the lowest races of mankind4 ,it is a beautiful belief1 full of consolation1 of assurance1 and comfort to the struggling and striving4 ,how hard may press the iron hand of fate1 how sharp the flinty stones beneath our bleeding feet1 we think of those blessed messengers by our side1 and feel that our burdens are for the purpose of giving us strength1 else they would turn us aside to more pleasant paths4 ,we know that they are with us in the darkest hours1 and enjoy with us the days of our sunshine4 ,we delve in the soil and smirch of the world1 and the physical being obscures and overlaps the spiritual to such a degree that our horizon is shut down on that side by thick clouds1 and only at long intervals can a ray of light penetrate the darkness4 ,our lives might be so well ordered that we would be as conscious of the presence of these guardians as of earthly friends4 ,what is possible at rare moments of lucidity is possible at all times under like conditions4 ,the fault is not on their side1 but on ours4 ,the sun forever shines in the heavens1 just above the thin vail of clouds1 and if the sea does not reflect the starry night1 it is because of its agitated surface4 ,we do not see through the thin vail1 which separates the world of spirits and men4 ,we cannot see the air which surges a profound and agitated ocean above and around us4 ,without material rays of light we could not see material things1 and would be practically blind4 ,if we ascend a mountain in the night1 we can only perceive the gray and mossy rocks a few yards ahead of us1 bordering the path1 beyond which would be impenetrable darkness1 gloomy abysses1 seemingly unfathomable1 and above1 the dark night-clouds without a star4 ,on the summit we rest awaiting the morning1 seeing nothing1 but scenting the faint odors of pine and the fragrance of flowers borne upwards on the gentle air4 ,patiently we wait until the gray ,east blushes with a long horizontal line of light flaming upward toward the crimson clouds1 and the distant mountain-tops with the silver flood4 ,lo6 the orb of day pushes the clouds aside1 and flashes over the world in triumph4 ,what transformation6 ,what grandeur and beauty6 ,valleys of eden1 loveliness at our feet1 and snowy summits above our heads6 ,grand forests clothing the hillsides1 bloom and flower everywhere2 gem-like lakes1 and flashing torrents1 endless prospective of mountains on one side1 and of plain on the other4 ,all night we were in the midst of this grandeur and beauty1 yet saw it not4 ,we seemed suspended between earth and sky1 and around us only blackness1 yet all this splendor of scenery existed the same as it did before the light made it visible4 ,thus the world of spirit may exist around us1 unseen1 unfelt1 except as we perceive the odor of asphodels1 or hear the faint murmur of angel whispers1 for our eyes are blind to the light1 by which it is revealed4 ,,facts ,,unreferable ,,to ,,previously ,,considered ,,causes4--,after referring to hypnotism1 somnambulism1 clairvoyance and thought transference1 a great mass of the facts presented for explanation1 there still remain a large number which stand apart by themselves1 and which bring an outside or independent intelligence with them1 which no exaltation on the part of the actor can supply4 ,the only adequate or even plausible explanation of these facts is that which refers them to the agency of intelligent beings beyond our ken4 ,the presence of such entities may or may not be recognized by the percipient4 ,the ideas and motives may be impressed all the same4 ,we may be assured that unconsciously those who by study and practical experience become adept in particular lines of thought or practical affairs1 are the most proper mediums for the communication of spirits dwelling in the same sphere of thought1 and that such communications are continuously made unconsciously to the percipients4 ,the weird stories which come up from the rugged toilers of the sea are full of interest in this particular4 ,the infinite solitude of waters2 the long and lonely watches1 with the sweep of waves and the silent stars1 conduce to a state of abstraction and reverie1 peculiarly favorable to the reception of impressions4 ,if there is need in this world of the watchful care of guardian angels1 the sailor on the lone ship which plows the trackless waste at the mercy of the elements requires them most4 ,human skill and foresight may provide to the utmost1 and yet there remains the greater dangers which can not be foreseen or provided against4 ,the sailor1 feeling that he is helpless in the hands of the elements1 becomes superstitious1 though often what is called in him superstition1 is belief in influences which future knowledge may accept as valuable accessions to the realm of mental science4 ,i have from the lips of ,capt4 ,d4 ,b4 ,edwards1 the narrative of two incidents in the life of his brother1 which illustrates this faculty of intuition1 if we may give it that name2 and if one were to gather up similar stories which are told by the officers1 volumes might be filled4 ,capt4 ,john ,b4 ,edwards was in command of the steamship ,monterey1 one of the ,new ,york and ,new ,orleans line of steamers4 ,in one of his voyages he came up with ,sandy ,hook in a terrible storm4 ,the air was so full of driving snow that the officers could not see the length of the vessel4 ,the sea was high and rapidly increasing1 and no pilot responded4 ,to remain was impossible2 to go on was almost certain destruction4 ,if the ,captain could make the light-ship he would know his bearings1 and be able to steer into harbor2 but in that drift of blinding snow and rush of waters1 in which he had made his approach from the sea1 he had been unable to make observations1 and had no assurance that he had not deviated from his course under the influence of the drift of wind or current1 at least to the variation of a league or more4 ,in his perplexity he ordered the ship to be stopped1 and for a moment reflected on the difficulties of his position4 ,while thus waiting1 with every sense strained to the utmost1 an impression came like a flash1 that the light-ship lay in a certain direction4 ,he immediately ordered the officers to keep a sharp lookout forward1 for he would run ten minutes in a certain direction to test his impression4 ,the great wheels again revolved1 and the steamer swung obedient to command1 and rushed on into the drift4 ,in six minutes the mate on the bow threw up his hands1 crying3 ,hard-a-port6 hard-a-port6 and the steamer quickly responding to her helm1 passed the stern of the light-ship1 from which the ,captain easily took his bearings and safely steamed into the port of ,new ,york4 ,during the war ,capt4 ,edwards was coast pilot for the ,government steamer ,vanderbilt4 ,during one voyage he came up to the ,hook2 a storm was coming on and no pilot in sight4 ,the ,commodore came to the wheel-house and asked ,capt4 ,edwards if he thought he could take the ship into port4 ,edwards shrank and trembled at the question1 for he knew the ship was drawing as much1 if not more water1 than was on the bar1 and the responsibility thus thrust upon him was overwhelming4 ,but suddenly he was forced to speak1 replying without hesitation3 ,yes1 sir4 ,go ahead1 was the order of the ,commodore4 ,with every faculty intensely active1 his strong and steady hand held the wheel1 and the ship went over the bar without touching1 and all was well4 ,his ability and trustworthiness for the action received the highest recommendation from the ,commodore4 ,it is sad to learn that this noble man sacrificed his own life in caring for his mate1 who was a victim of yellow fever in the hospital of ,rio ,janeiro4 ,from the many remarkable experiences in his own life1 ,capt4 ,d4 ,b4 ,edwards related1 ,i take one which is characteristic of the others4 ,he is a strong and powerfully built man1 with every line indicative of honest resolution and endurance4 ,he has retired from the sea-faring life1 but has made his home by the coast4 ,he impresses one with rare and sterling honesty and purity of character1 and a self-contained repose which is a peculiarity of most officers who have passed their lives at sea4 ,he said that one bright day in ,march1 sailing up ,long ,island1 he was overtaken by a snow-storm which suddenly concealed all landmarks1 and the wind momentarily increasing1 soon became a terrific gale4 ,in that narrow strait one has not to sail for a great length of time in the wrong direction to reach the coast4 ,as night came on the situation became more appalling1 and wreck most certain4 ,he gave the wheel to the mate and allowed himself time to reflect4 ,he could arrive at no conclusion4 ,suddenly it flashed through his mind to steer by the lead6 ,how8 ,why1 where the ,thames enters the ,sound it is deeper4 ,when you reach that channel follow it into safety4 ,it was the only chance1 and he seized it4 ,he went to the bow1 for he would trust no one1 ordering the mate to implicitly1 and with utmost readiness1 obey orders1 and hold the vessel on her present course4 ,standing at the bow1 with the spray falling in torrents over him1 and the wind straining the spars to the utmost1 he cast the lead to find the ordinary level of the ,sound4 ,he continued to cast until suddenly deeper water was indicated1 and with joy he gave the order that changed the course of the vessel1 and in a few minutes brought her into the still waters of the ,thames4 ,then1 he said1 in a change of warm1 dry clothing1 they sat in the snug cabin and drank their hot coffee with a sense of peace words can but feebly express4 ,,saved ,,from ,,death ,,by ,a ,,premonition4--,it may be said that under the stimulus of danger and great emergency1 the mental faculties become intensified1 and that we can not fix their limits2 that all that was required of ,capt4 ,edwards was courage to act in response to knowledge he had acquired1 but which was latent until called forth by the extraordinary demand4 ,we shall now introduce facts to which this pleading will not apply4 ,the first shows two distinct intelligences1 one of which was superior to that of mortals1 for it could foresee the future1 and must have acted on ,capt4 ,mc,gowan1 to compel him to relinquish a well formed plan1 without any assignable reason1 and pursue one entirely different4 ,the thought of the theater had not entered his mind1 and he gave his boys no excuse for breaking his word with them4 ,capt4 ,mc,gowan1 #abth ,u4 ,s4 ,i41 thus relates this story 7,j4 ,s4 ,p4 ,r41 ,feb41 #ahhe73 ,in ,jan4 #ahhg1 ,i was on leave of absence in ,brooklyn1 with my two boys1 then on a vacation from school4 ,i promised to take them to the theater that night and engaged seats for us three4 ,at the same time ,i had an opportunity to examine the interior of the theater1 and went over it carefully1 stage and all4 ,these seats were engaged on the previous day1 but on the day of the proposed visit it seemed as if a voice within me was constantly saying1 ',do not go to the theater2 take the boys back to school4' ,i could not keep these words out of my mind2 they grew stronger and stronger1 and at noon ,i told my friends and the boys ,i would not go to the theater4 ,my friends remonstrated with me1 and said ,i was cruel to deprive the boys of a promised and unfamiliar pleasure1 and ,i partially relented2 but all the afternoon the words kept repeating themselves and impressing themselves upon me4 ,that evening1 less than an hour before the doors opened1 ,i insisted on the boys going to ,new ,york with me1 and spending the night at a hotel convenient to the railroad1 by which we could start in the early morning4 ,i felt ashamed of the feeling which impelled me to act thus1 but there seemed no escape from it4 ,that night the theater was destroyed by fire1 with the loss of #cjj lives4 ,had ,i been present1 from my previous examination of the building1 ,i should certainly have taken my children over the stage when the fire broke out1 in order to escape by a private exit1 and would just as certainly have been lost as were all those who trusted to it1 for that passage by an accident could not be used4444 ,i never had a presentiment before nor since4 ,what was it that caused me1 against my desire1 to abandon the play after having secured the seats and carefully arranged for the pleasure8 ,,saved ,,from ,,intemperance4--,s4 ,h4 ,mann1 of ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 wrote the following personal experience to ,dr4 ,m4 ,l4 ,holbrook4 ,when a youth1 he was clerk in a country store1 and formed the habit of saturating loaf sugar with brandy and eating it4 ,it was in the early part of this century1 and before the temperance movement had been inaugurated4 ,at that time the use of alcoholic beverages was considered almost as essential to health as food4 ,he had regarded the saturated sugar as a pleasant confection and had not become aware of the strong hold the habit had taken on him1 or how passionately fond of it he had become4 ,one day he went into the cellar with his sugar1 saturated it1 and was in the act of raising it to his mouth1 when his arm became paralyzed1 and a voice out of the air1 for he was alone1 spoke to him in stern tones1 saying3 ,young man1 stop6 ,if you continue this habit you will die a drunkard6 ,he could not move his hand to his mouth1 and at last he let the sugar drop as his hand fell helpless by his side4 ,the occurrence made such a strong impression on him1 that he became a total abstainer1 at a time when nearly all drank1 and has remained true to his convictions all his life4 ,a ,,soldier',s ,,life ,,saved ,,by ,a ,,dream4--,this story is yet more remarkable4 ,rev4 ,l4 ,w4 ,lewis1 in his ,reminiscences of the ,war1 published in the ,christian ,advocate1 relates an instance where a dream saved the life of a soldier3 ,a man by the name of ,williams had told a dream to his fellow-soldiers1 some of whom related it to me months previous to the occurrence which ,i now relate4 ,he dreamed that he crossed a river1 marched over a mountain and camped near a church located in a wood1 near which a terrible battle ensued1 and in a charge just as we crossed the ravine he was shot in the heart4 ,on the ever memorable #gth of ,december1 #ahfb 7,battle of ,prairie ,grove1 ,northern ,arkansas71 as we moved at double-quick to take our places in the line of battle1 then already hotly engaged1 we passed the church1 a small frame building4 ,i was riding in the flank of the command opposite to ,williams1 as we came in view of the house4 ',that is the church ,i saw in my dream1' said he4 ,i made no reply1 and never thought of the matter again until the evening4 ,we had broken the enemy's lines and were in full pursuit1 when we came to a dry ravine in the wood2 and ,williams said3 ',just on the other side of this ravine ,i was shot in my dream1 and ,i'll stick my hat under my shirt4' ,suiting the action to the word he doubled up his hat as he ran along and crammed it into his bosom4 ,scarcely had he adjusted it when a ,minie ball knocked him out of line2 jumping up quickly he pulled out his hat1 waved it over his head shouting1 ',i'm all right6' ,the ball raised a black spot1 about the size of a man's hand1 just over his heart1 and dropped into his shoe4 ,here the prophecy was a long time ahead1 and foretold the exact coming of a ball depending on a combination of circumstances which would seem impossible for reason or intuition to foresee and foreknow4 ,its fulfillment was peculiar1 for by guarding against it1 the danger was averted and the dream proved untrue4 ,,an ,,error ,,corrected ,,in ,a ,,remarkable ,,manner4--,the head bookkeeper in one of the largest sewing machine companies in ,new ,york ,city1 in balancing his books found an error of #e4jj4 ,it was a small sum1 but as a mistake was as damaging as #ejj4 ,he set his assistants at work to find it1 yet day after day their labor was in vain4 ,they worked for a week and accomplished nothing4 ,he became greatly annoyed and filled with anxiety4 ,in his own words3 ,the third ,sunday after the search was begun1 ,i got up late after a sleepless night and started out on a walk for exercise4 ,my mind was on my books1 and ,i paid no attention to the direction ,i took4 ,my surprise was1 therefore1 genuine when ,i found myself at the door of the company's office in ,union ,square1 for ,i had not certainly intended to go there4 ,mechanically ,i put my hand in my pocket1 drew out the key1 opened the door and went in4 ,as if in a dream ,i walked to the office1 where ,i turned the combination and unlocked the safe4 ,there were the books1 a dozen of them in a row4 ,i did not consider for a moment which to take up4 ,it was by no volition on my part that my hand moved toward a certain one1 and drew it from the safe4 ,placing it on the desk1 ,i opened it2 my eye ran along the column of figures1 and there before me1 plain as day1 was the missing #e4jj4 ,i made a note of the page1 put the book back in the safe1 and went home4 ,it was then noon4 ,i lay down and fell into a deep sleep from which ,i did not awake until nine o'clock on ,monday morning4 ,after a hearty breakfast ,i hastened to the office feeling like a new man4 ,it seemed as if a burden had fallen from me1 and ,i was walking on air4 ,this bookkeeper1 by anxiety and overwork1 had become very sensitive4 ,he was by the account he gives of himself1 in a state bordering on clairvoyance4 ,he was automatically used1 not by a dominant idea1 for the dominant idea caused his mistake1 and that could not suggest to him the book and page1 which were readily found by his hand being moved by some cause4 ,as the hand could not move itself1 it must have been acted on by an intelligent1 independent force4 ,a ,,mother ,,saves ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,her ,,son4--,of warnings there are no end1 and1 however much the truth of prophecy may be denied1 it is certain that within at least narrow bounds future events may be foretold4 ,one instance of this being correctly done may be referred to coincidence1 but two places the probabilities on the other side1 and three makes it impossible4 ,it will be readily comprehended that no guess told the soldier a ball would strike him at a certain time and place1 or the father that the theater would be burned on a certain night4 ,there is a series of facts which show direct interposition of superior intelligence1 of which the following may be taken as examples4 ,col4 ,walter ,b4 ,daulay gives his personal experience when on shipboard the ,gulf of ,lyons in a gale of wind3 ,i had the mid watch4 ,the night was dark and terrible1 the wind howled furiously and the heaving sea tossed our ship about like a bit of cork4 ,i stood by the mizzen mast1 holding on by the fife-rail1 and shielding my face from the blinding spray that came driving over the deck4 ,suddenly ,i heard my name pronounced as distinctly as ,i ever heard it in my life--',walter6 ,walter6' and it was my mother's voice that spoke4 ,she continued to call me from the gloom about the main mast1 and without stopping to reflect1 or thinking where ,i was1 ,i leaped forward4 ,hardly had ,i reached the after-companion-way1 when ,i heard a crash behind me1 and was called to myself4 ,i turned and found that an iron-banded burton-block had fallen from the top and struck the deck exactly where ,i had been standing6 ,had ,i remained by the fife-rail three seconds longer than ,i did1 my brains would have been dashed out4 ,i always regarded that as an interposition in my behalf of a power independent of human will4 ,,death ,,foretold ,,in ,a ,,vision4--,the following facts are vouched for by ,s4 ,bigelow1 a gentleman of unquestioned integrity and a shrewd observer4 ,in the early days of our war one ,albert ,dexter1 near ,ionia1 ,mich41 enlisted in ,co4 ,d1 ,third ,michigan ,cavalry4 ,his sister1 ,mrs4 ,john ,dunham1 living then and now in ,ionia1 had what she terms a vision the day before he enlisted in which she saw him--her brother ,albert--on horseback2 saw him wheel and fall from his horse4 ,she told ,albert of her vision and importuned him not to go1 but he made light of her fears and vision1 and went with his company to the fields of blood and carnage1 and often in his letters he referred to his sister's fears and vision in a light and joyful mood2 but in his last letter he seemed to believe in the vision and in its probable fulfillment4 ,more than two years had passed since the vision1 and no unfavorable news from ,albert1 when one afternoon in autumn1 as ,mrs4 ,dunham was alone in her quiet home1 she heard a loud rap at the door1 opened it1 saw no one1 felt impressed1 and queried with herself1 ,why can't they tell me8 but could get nothing definite beyond her impressions1 and the plain1 loud rap about which she could not be mistaken4 ,but during the quiet hours of night her spiritual vision was quickened1 and she saw ,albert on horseback1 advance1 then wheel1 and then saw him shot and fall1 and as plainly as though she had been by his side4 ,she saw just where he was hit1 how he fell1 etc4 ,hence she knew all1 having full confidence in such manifestations1 as they were not new to her4 ,she suffered intense agony and a sleepless night1 not expecting herself to survive2 was pale and haggard in the morning1 and scarcely able to be up4 ,she told her friends and family about the matter in detail1 even to the writing of a letter by the lieutenant informing them4 ,she gave the contents of the letter before it was written4 ,this was on ,tuesday night and following morning4 ,the next ,sunday ,mrs ,d4 was visiting six miles from ,ionia1 and during the day a messenger came bringing a letter1 which ,john ,dexter had just received from the lieutenant of the ,third ,michigan ,cavalry1 giving particulars of his brother ,albert's death while engaged in action the previous ,tuesday1 confirming in every detail what ,mrs4 ,d4 had seen and told2 and farther1 she felt or saw the messenger with the letter while yet far from the house1 and told him what he had1 and gave the contents of the letter1 assuring him that it was no news to her4 ,another brother1 ,james1 enlisted and went to the war1 and one evening as ,mrs4 ,d4 was in bed and ,mr4 ,d4 was reading1 they both heard plainly the report of a pistol 7or what seemed to them such71 and ,mrs4 ,d4 saw ,albert and ,james come in and fall near her bed1 and told ,mr4 ,d4 that ,james was dead1 which was fully confirmed by letter in about two weeks4 ,,the ,,assassination ,,of ,,garfield ,,predicted4--,the assassination of ,garfield was foretold by many sensitives1 for that great event seemed to cast a strong shadow before it4 ,several of these prophecies have been published since the event1 and consequently have lost their weight as evidence1 while others had been widely published before the terrible tragedy4 ,the following rests on the integrity of ,s4 ,bigelow1 and is unquestionably true4 ,a gentleman in ,cleveland1 ,o41 well known there1 saw and knew that ,garfield would be assassinated long before he left his quiet ,mentor home1 and was so oppressed with the knowledge that he told ,mayor ,rose and ,dr4 ,streator1 two very prominent and wealthy friends of ,garfield1 and both active politicians as well1 and they conferred with others1 and finally wrote to ,garfield about it2 but the sensitive1 in the meantime1 felt impelled to do something1 and that he must go and see ,garfield and warn him1 but being a stranger and in humble circumstances he thought he could not go2 but he could get no peace until he did1 and finally plucked up courage to undertake the1 to him1 dreaded mission1 and went alone and sad1 to ,mentor4 ,garfield met him in person 7not by secretary as he did others7 at the door1 and greeted him cordially1 and thus enabled him to overcome his embarrassment in a measure1 and to talk freely1 which he did1 and as a consequence ,garfield's bed was moved from his bedroom on the lower floor to the chamber4 ,this precaution prevented the crime for a time1 which was ripe for execution4 ,the same gentleman felt impelled to go to ,washington with the fateful vision1 but was prevented from going1 and thus unwarned1 ,garfield met his death4 ,,omens4--,almost every one has good and had omens1 and although they may think that they have entirely outgrown such superstition1 they will find that there yet lingers more or less of the feeling from education or heredity4 ,they do not believe that seeing the moon over the left shoulder indicates bad luck1 and over the right good fortune1 yet they would prefer to see it over the right4 ,they do not think ,friday a more unlucky day than the other six1 yet avoid commencing important business on that day4 ,there are a great number of omens and signs1 many of them peculiar to the individual2 others world-wide1 and held from remote antiquity4 ,of these it may be said that while of themselves these signs and omens have no relation to the events they presage1 if we suppose a person to accept a certain omen as foreshadowing a certain event1 a superior being foreknowing that event and desiring to impress it on the mind of such person1 might use the sign to convey the warning4 ,to further illustrate3 ,there may be no connection between seeing the moon over one's right shoulder and a fortunate event in store2 but a superior being1 foreseeing that event1 may so influence our minds as to make us catch a glimpse of the crescent on the right4 ,mrs4 ,bancroft1 a daughter-in-law of the great historian1 has described an uncanny circumstance which happened at a wedding in #ahfc1 where the wives of ,major ,thos4 ,y4 ,brent and ,capt4 ,eugene ,barnes1 of the ,c4 ,s4 ,a4 met1 each wearing her bridal dress4 ,while dressing for the occasion1 ,mrs4 ,brent's companion discovered a blood spot upon the dress of the ,major's wife1 which could not be accounted for1 and somewhat excitedly exclaimed3 ,it is a bad omen6 ,two days after1 ,mrs4 ,brent experienced a severe pain in the region of her heart1 although at the time in the best of health4 ,this occurred at the birth-place of her husband4 ,two days later she heard that while storming a ,federal fortification1 her husband was killed on ,july #dth1 #ahfc1 as far as she could learn at the identical time that she experienced the heart-pain4 ,the ,major was shot in the breast by a ,minie ball and instantly killed4 ,another fact occurred at the time of finding the blood spot1 and that was ,mrs4 ,thomas ,bright addressing the two ladies as war widows4 ,she believes in omens1 and believes that these facts pointed to the death of the lady's husband1 which occurred so soon after4 ,a ,,dream ,,realized4--,the ,mobile ,register published the following1 under the title of ,a ,dream ,realized1 which should be regarded as a trance1 in which state the transcendent knowledge was given by some superior intelligence3 ,a man named ,bronson1 who was an agent for a seed house1 was travelling through ,tennessee making collections4 ,one night1 after he had finished his business in ,chattanooga1 he made ready for a horseback ride of fifteen or twenty miles the next day4 ,upon retiring to his room for the night he sat down to smoke a cigar4 ,he was neither overtired nor sleepy1 but1 after smoking a few minutes1 he had what he termed a vision4 ,he was riding over the country on horseback2 when at the junction of two roads he was joined by a stranger4 ,he saw this man as plainly as one man can see another in broad daylight1 noting the color of his hair and eyes and taking particular notice of the fact that the horse1 which was gray in color1 had a y branded on his left shoulder4 ,the two rode along together for a mile or more1 and then came to a spot where a tree had been blown down and fallen across the narrow highway4 ,they turned into the woods to pass the spot1 he in advance1 when he saw the stranger pull a pistol and fire at his back4 ,he felt the bullet tear into him1 reeled and fell from his horse1 and was conscious when the assassin robbed him and drew his body further into the woods4 ,he seemed to see all this1 and yet at the same time knew that he was dead4 ,his corpse was rolled into a hollow and covered with brush1 and then the murderer went away and left him alone4 ,in making an effort to throw off the brush1 he awoke4 ,his cigar had gone out1 and1 as near as he could calculate1 he had been unconscious1 as you might call it1 for about fifteen minutes4 ,he was deeply agitated1 and it was some time before he could convince himself that he had not suffered any injury4 ,by-and-by he went to bed and slept soundly1 and next morning the remembrance of what had happened in his vision had almost faded from his mind4 ,he set out on his journey in good spirits1 and found the road so romantic1 and met horsemen going to town so often1 that he reached the junction of the roads without having given a serious thought to his vision4 ,then every circumstance was recalled in the most vivid manner4 ,he was joined there by a stranger on a gray horse1 and man and beast tallied exactly with those in the vision4 ,the man did not1 however1 have the look or bearing of an evil-minded person4 ,on the contrary1 he seemed to be in a jolly mood1 and he saluted ,bronson as frankly as an honest stranger would have done4 ,he had no weapons in sight1 and he soon explained that he was going to the village to which ,bronson was bound1 on business connected with the law4 ,the agent could not help but feel astonished and startled at the curious coincidence1 but the stranger was so talkative and friendly that there was no possible excuse to suspect him4 ,indeed1 as if to prove to his companion that he meditated no evil1 he kept a little in advance for the next half hour4 ,bronson's distrust had entirely vanished1 when a turn in the road brought an obstruction to view4 ,there was a fallen tree across the highway6 ,this proof that every point and circumstance in the vision was being unrolled before his eyes1 gave the agent a great shock4 ,he was behind the stranger1 and he pulled out his revolver and dropped his hand beside the horse to conceal it4 ',well1 well6' said the man1 as he pulled up his horse2 'the tree must have toppled over this morning4 ,we'll have to pass around it to the right4' ,bronson was on the right4 ,the woods were clear of underbrush1 and1 naturally enough1 he should have been the first to leave the road1 but he waited4 ',go ahead1 friend1' said the stranger1 as if the words had been addressed to the horse2 the animal which the agent bestrode started up4 ,bronson was scarcely out of the road before he turned in his saddle4 ,the stranger had a pistol in his right hand4 ,what followed could not be clearly related4 ,bronson slid from the saddle as a bullet whizzed past him1 and a second later returned the fire4 ,three or four shots were rapidly exchanged1 and then the would-be murderer1 uttering a yell showing that he had been hit1 wheeled his horse to gallop off4 ,he had not gone ten rods when the beast fell under him1 and he kicked his feet from the stirrups and sprang into the woods and was out of sight in a moment4 ,the horse had received a bullet in the throat and was dead in a few minutes4 ,a ,,young ,,lady',s ,,dream4--,miss ,amelia ,ederly1 young lady highly endowed1 both mentally and physically1 and free from superstition or inclination to the marvelous1 while visiting friends one evening shortly before her death1 related a dream which she had a few days previous1 which had vividly impressed itself on her mind4 ,she thought she saw herself ready for burial1 with her parents and friends weeping around her4 ,she had no feeling2 only surprise that her body was clothed with a blue dress with yellow roses1 and she attempted to expostulate at this want of taste1 but no one gave attention to her remarks4 ,she jested about the dream1 and it seemed not to make any deep impression2 but ten days after this visit she was taken sick and died4 ,she had mentioned her dream only once1 and her sickness could not be referred to mental impression received thereby4 ,a ,,warning ,,voice4--,dr4 ,fisher1 of ,waterford1 ,england1 is authority for the following3 ,miss ,louisa ,benn1 who lived with her mother in ,wednesbury1 had become desirous of going to ,australia2 her friends assisted her to means4 ,after she had made preparations1 she left her home for ,london1 and secured passage on a ship4 ,on the day before the sailing of the ship her mother heard a cry of1 ',oh1 mother1' seemingly from the cellar1 and in her daughter's voice4 ,she was so alarmed that she telegraphed for her daughter to return1 which she reluctantly did1 for she was already on board1 and her luggage being stored away1 could not be given her4 ,her regret vanished when news came that the vessel was lost1 and with it nearly all the passengers4 ,,an ,,objection4--,here arises an objection often urged against such premonitions4 ,of an hundred or more of passengers1 one only is warned1 while all the others are allowed to go on board and blindly meet their fate4 ,if such warning come from ,god1 with whom all things are possible1 the objection would have pertinence1 and be unanswerable unless relegated to the mystery of ,godliness4 ,but such warnings do not come from ,god1 but from spirit intelligences just above ourselves1 departed friends who preserve an interest in those who remain on earth4 ,it is not probable that all1 or even any considerable portion of these intelligences1 are able to forecast the future1 or possess the equally essential ability to impress their thoughts on their earthly friends4 ,the few who know the events of the future may find it impossible to communicate with their friends4 ,hence the rare occurrence of such premonitions1 and the strange spectacle of only a single individual among hundreds receiving intimations of approaching danger4 ,thus where the laws and conditions of impressibility are understood1 it is not anomalous that so few are impressed1 but this fact confirms the theory of sensitiveness4 ,premonitions and presentiments of coming events form a numerous class of well attested cases4 ,they usually relate directly to the person receiving them1 and those recorded in a majority of instances refer to sickness or death4 ,it may be supposed that a great majority of premonitions received1 are not recognized1 or at least recorded4 ,many by reception defeat their fulfillment1 quite as many1 probably1 as bring their fulfillment by being received4 ,when an individual has a premonition that he is to die at a certain time1 and does thus die1 it is said the prophecy so worked on his mind that it killed him at the appointed time4 ,possibly this might happen1 but it rarely does4 ,far more often the knowledge prepares for the event1 and the individual survives to point at the prophecy as a failure4 ,again1 the presentiment comes with the certainty of a decree of fate1 and the future is without shadow of turning1 and inexorable to our efforts or our prayers4 ,,abraham ,,lincoln',s ,,dream4--,the following dream by ,abraham ,lincoln is a matter of history1 and is in harmony with the susceptible nature of that great man4 ,he related it to ,mrs4 ,lincoln and others present in the following words3 ,about ten days ago ,i retired very late4 ,i had been up waiting for important dispatches4 ,i could not have been long in bed1 when ,i fell into a slumber and began to dream4 ,there seemed to be a death-like stillness about me4 ,then ,i heard subdued sobs1 as if a number of persons were weeping4 ,i thought ,i left my bed and wandered down stairs4 ,there the silence was broken by the same sobbing1 but the mourners were invisible4 ,i went from room to room4 ,no living person was in sight1 but the same mournful sounds met me as ,i passed along4 ,i was puzzled and alarmed4 ,what could be the meaning of all this8 ,determined to find out the cause of a state of things so mysterious1 ,i kept on until ,i arrived at the 'end room1' which ,i entered4 ,there ,i met a sickening surprise4 ,before me was a catafalque1 on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments4 ,around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards2 and there was a throng of people1 some gazing mournfully upon this corpse1 whose face was covered2 others weeping pitifully1 ',who is dead at the ,white ,house8' ,i demanded of one of the soldiers4 ',the ,president1' was his answer2 'he was killed by an assassin6' ,then came a loud burst of grief from the crowd1 which awoke me from my dream4 ,i slept no more that night2 and although it was only a dream1 ,i have been strangely annoyed by it ever since4 ,this occurred but a short time before the event it heralded1 which plunged the nation into grief4 ,had the ,president given heed to its warning1 and not been persuaded by his wife1 who gave no credit to the supernatural1 the course of events would have been different4 ,had he heeded the dream it would have been brought forward as evidence to prove the worthlessness of such visions4 ,a ,,little ,,girl ,,predicts ,,her ,,own ,,death4--,little ,maud1 three-year-old daughter of ,george ,t4 ,ford1 of ,elmore1 ,mich41 came to her mother one day and said1 ,maudie is not going to stay2 she is going away off to be buried up in the cold ground4 ,about a week later1 she said1 ,let ,maudie go and ride with you to-day1 for she will never go again4 ,on the morning of the day of her death1 she came to her mother and said1 ,maudie don't feel well4 ,don't you feel sorry for ,maudie8 ,she is going away off where you will never see her again4 ,her mother clasped her to her bosom1 wondering what she could mean1 but was not long left in doubt4 ,the child grew seriously ill1 and later in the day she said1 ,good-bye--lift me up--,i hear the band playing--,i am going now1 and passed away4 ,,prince ,,leopold',s ,,dream4--,another instance1 important in consequence of the noble station of the person to whom it relates1 is given in the ,fortnightly ,review1 by ,w4 ,h4 ,myers3 ,the last time ,i saw ,prince ,leopold 7being two days before he died71 he would talk to me about death1 and said he would like a military funeral4 ,finally ,i asked1 'why do you talk in this morose manner8' ,as he was about to answer1 he was called away and said1 ',i will tell you later4' ,i never saw him to speak to again1 but he finished his answer to me to a lady1 and said3 ',two nights now1 ,princess ,alice has appeared to me in my dreams1 and says she is quite happy and wants me to come and join her2 that is what makes me so very thoughtful4' ,i take this to be a sign of his approaching removal to the world of spirits1 in which1 as a member of a ,spiritualistic family1 he has been1 from his earliest youth1 an implicit believer1 thus illustrating the truth of the observation1 that1 ',signs are vouchsafed to the believing1 now1 as of old4' ,,another ,,case4--,miss ,mary ,paine1 when on her way to visit some friends in ,gainesville1 ,ga41 on passing the ,mars ,hill ,graveyard1 ordered her driver to stop the team1 which he did4 ,then she exacted a promise from him that he would bring her back and bury her by the side of her sister ,jane4 ,for1 said she1 ,i shall never come back alive4 ,i shall die away from home1 and ,i want you to promise to bring me back for burial4 ,to this declaration she clung1 nor would she be persuaded that1 as she was in good health she would have a pleasant visit and return home happy4 ,before three weeks had passed she died of a congestive chill1 at her friend's house in ,gainesville1 and as she had requested1 was brought back to ,mars ,hill and buried by the side of her dear sister4 ,dr4 ,h----1 who is of exceedingly skeptical organization1 said that he once had an experience which baffled his powers of explanation1 and caused him to doubt his materialistic views4 ,he had been called to a distant farm-house on an intensely dark and stormy night to visit a patient4 ,there was a stream with wide marshy borders1 across which a narrow causeway had been constructed1 barely wide enough for carriages to pass4 ,as he drove onto one end of this narrow way1 suddenly there came the thought that he would meet a runaway team1 and his horse and carriage be overturned into the morass4 ,at that time of night this was wholly improbable2 but the thought came to him instantly with all its contingencies4 ,if ,i should meet a team1 what shall ,i do8 he asked himself4 ,then he thought there was one place wider than the rest1 and he answered1 ,i would reach that place and get as far out of the way as possible4 ,get there1 then2 get there1 was the urgent impression4 ,he involuntarily hurried his horse1 reached the place1 and1 driving to the very edge1 drew rein4 ,he was in a tremor of nervous excitement1 yet had seen nor heard nothing to excite him more than the interior impression4 ,but he soon found his haste had not been in vain4 ,he heard the rattle of wheels and clatter of hoofs1 as a runaway team struck the further end of the causeway1 and in a moment they swept past him4 ,had they met him unprepared1 he certainly would have met with a serious1 if not fatal1 accident4 ,this intelligence which saw the approaching team and the great danger in which ,dr4 ,h4 would be placed1 was independent of his mind1 for it brought a knowledge that mind did not1 nor could not know until revealed by some foreign power4 ,whence came the premonition1 the thoughtful care8 ,not out of the air4 ,it was from an intelligent1 individualized entity above and beyond physical existence2 and all theories which leave out this element fall short of covering the multitudinous facts which unite and bind them together in a harmonious whole4 ,,seen ,,at ,,his ,,funeral4--,dr4 ,john ,e4 ,purdon1 now of ,valley ,head1 ,ala41 is authority for the following narrative1 which records the appearance of a soldier soon after his death1 and may be taken as evidence of the sensitiveness on one side1 and of the reality of the existence of the appearance on the other3 ,in the year #ahgb1 while in charge of the convalescent hospital1 ,sandown1 ,isle of ,wight1 ,i returned from a short visit to ,london1 bringing with me for change and rest ,miss ,florence ,cook1 who afterwards became so celebrated a medium4 ,on the evening of my return home1 ,i took a walk with ,miss ,cook along the cliffs towards ,shanklin4 ,during the walk she drew my attention to a soldier who seemed to her to be behaving in a curious way1 turning round and staring at me1 and omitting the usual military salute which she had noticed the other men give as they passed by4 ,as ,i could see no one at the time my curiosity was excited1 and when she said the man had passed a stile just in front of us1 ,i crossed over and looked carefully about4 ,no soldier was in sight2 on one side was an open field2 on the other1 perpendicular cliffs4 ,i asked a country man at work in the field if he had seen a soldier pass just before ,i appeared1 but he had not4 ,on my return from town ,i found that a certain chronic patient who had been a long time in the hospital1 and on whom ,i had performed a minor surgical operation some time before1 had died of pulmonary consumption4 ,miss ,cook and another young lady on a visit to my wife1 never having seen a military funeral1 persuaded her to take them to a cross-road1 where they would see the troops pass without being seen themselves4 ,as we marched past1 the coffin being carried on a gun-carriage1 ,miss ,cook said to my wife1 ',why is the little man in front dressed differently from the other soldier8' ,my wife answered that she could not see any one in front1 nor could the other girl either4 ,miss ,cook then said1 ',why does he not wear a big hat like the others8 ,he has on a small cap and is holding his head down4' ,they then returned home1 and the funeral party passed on to the graveyard which was two miles from the hospital4 ,just after the firing party had fallen in to march home1 ,hospital ,sergeant ,malandine came up to me in the graveyard and said3 ',private ,edwards reports sick1 sir1 and asks permission to return by train4' ,i asked what was the matter1 and the sergeant answered that ,edwards had had a great fright from seeing the man we were burying looking down into his own grave at the coffin before it was covered by the clay6 ,,appearance ,,after ,,death4--,light1 a journal that exercises great discretion in the facts it publishes1 vouches for the following appearance coincident with death1 received from ,mr4 ,f4 ,j4 ,teall3 ,in the year #ahhd my son ,walter was serving in the ,soudan1 in the #c;d ,king's ,royal ,rifles4 ,the last we heard from him was a letter informing us that he expected to return to ,england about ,christmas time4 ,on ,october #bdth ,i returned home in the evening1 and noticing my wife looking very white1 ,i said1 ',what is the matter with you8' ,she said she had seen ,walter1 and he had stooped down to kiss her1 but1 owing to her starting1 he was gone2 so she did not receive the kiss4 ,he was in his regimentals1 and she thought he had come on furlough1 to take her by surprise1 knowing the back way2 but when she saw he was gone and the door not open1 she became dreadfully frightened4 ,my son ,frederick and daughters ,selina and ,nellie were in the room1 but none of them saw ,walter2 only ,fred heard his mother scream1 ',oh6' and asked her what was the matter4 ,i thought1 having heard many tales of this kind1 that ,i would jot it down1 so ,i put the date on a slip of paper4 ,after that we had a letter from the lady nurse of the ,ramleh ,hospital1 in ,egypt1 to say that the poor boy had suffered a third relapse of enteric fever4 ,they thought that he would have pulled through1 but he was taken4 ,when we got the letter it was a week after he died2 but the date when the letter was written corresponded with the day ,walter appeared1 which was on ,october #bdth1 #ahhd4 ,my wife never got over the shock1 but brooded over it1 and finally died ,april #bith1 #ahhf1 of mental derangement4 ,,forewarning4--,miss ,lena ,harman1 as reported in the ,globe-,democrat1 is authority for a most instructive narrative of ghastly interference in the affairs of men1 which forms another link in the chain of evidence showing that there is a spirit-world interested in the events of this4 ,miss ,harman was a warm friend of ,mrs4 ,lena ,reich1 who was foully murdered by her husband in ,new ,york4 ,she had not seen her for several months prior to her death1 but the last time she met her1 ,mrs4 ,reich told her a pitiful story of her husband's abuse1 and said she ought not to have married him for she had been forewarned4 ,she had been obliged to have him bound over to keep the peace1 and knew he would yet kill her4 ,the warning came before she was married1 even before their engagement4 ,in her own words it happened this way4 ,adolph had been courting me for some time1 and ,i knew that ,i loved him4 ,one night1 a terrible dark1 storming winter night1 he told me that he loved me1 and offered himself to me4 ,i acknowledged that ,i was not indifferent to him1 but asked a few days to think over the matter and consult my friends4 ,adolph did not like this delay1 and tried to reason me out of it1 but ,i was firm and carried my point4 ,well1 we sat up very late that night together1 no one else but ourselves being in the room4 ,when he finally left it was past midnight1 and the weather was very cold1 so ,i fixed up the fire to make me a cup of tea to quiet my nerves1 and warm me up before going to bed4 ,i was a little sorry ,i had been so positive to ,adolph about the time1 as ,i loved him and ,i thought ,i might as well say yes1 any way1 so that he would have gone home so much happier4 ,as ,i poured out my cup of tea ,i said aloud to myself1 ',yes1 ,i love ,adolph4' ,just then ,i heard a noise on the stairs1 and1 thinking some one was going by my door1 ,i turned off the gas1 because ,i did not want any one to know ,i was keeping such late hours4 ,as the fire in the stove gave out a ruddy light1 and the half-darkness of the room seemed so peaceful1 and suited my mood of mind so well1 ,i did not light the gas again1 but sat and sipped my tea in the darkness1 saying little things to myself aloud4 ,suddenly1 however1 ,i heard a slight noise behind me1 and at the same time ,i heard a church clock1 strike the hour of one4 ,well1 ,i looked around without a thought of anything strange1 and saw my ,ernest1 to whom ,i had been previously engaged1 and who died before the ceremony1 almost at the altar4 ,he was dressed in the same clothes as when ,i saw him last--his wedding suit--for we were going to our wedding when he died of heart disease4 ,i shrieked and tried to fly from my room1 but he spoke3 ',do not move1 ,lena2 ,i will not harm you4 ,i come because ,i love you1 and because ,i pity you4 ,lena1 if you marry ,adolph ,reich you will lead the life of a dog4 ,he will be cruel and jealous1 and unreasonable1 and1 worse than all1 he will murder you in the end4 ,yes1 he will murder you6 ,stay6 ,i see the scene now6 ,he grasps your hair2 he holds a sharp carving knife in the other hand2 you reach out for the knife and seize it1 when1 with a terrible oath1 he draws the keen blade out of your grasp1 and almost severs your fingers in doing so6 ,oh6 he has you down on the bed2 he draws the knife2 you struggle and scream4 ,he strikes the blade into your neck6--your beautiful neck2 you struggle more violently and escape4 ,with the blood spurting from your wound1 you run from the room and fall in the hall2 and the villain escapes1 carrying the knife with him6 ,oh1 terrible6 terrible6' ,then there was a silence2 ,ernest said no more for some minutes1 and ,i was too much horrified to speak2 but again he said3 ',lena1 ,i love you as much as ,i ever did1 and it won't be long now before you join me here1 and we shall be happy again4 ,oh1 do not marry ,reich1 as you value your life and soul6 ,farewell6 ,god keep you6' and he was gone6 ,the warning was fulfilled to the letter4 ,after the infliction of the terrible wound which caused her death2 she had crawled out of her room1 and fell in the hall from the loss of blood4 ,how many similar warnings pass unheeded1 and yet how greatly might the recipients be benefited by heeding them6 ,effects of ,physical ,influences on the ,sensitive4 ,individuals who are influenced to an unusual extent by their surroundings1 are regarded as nervous1--a name covering a multitude of ills for which no other term is at command4 ,a cat entering the room1 however stealthily1 in some awakes the most disagreeable feelings4 ,another is so sensitive to the electric state of the weather as to presage the coming storm several hours or days in advance4 ,sunday is so called because of its supposed connection with the phases of the moon4 ,the superstitious observation of the ,signs arises from the dull understanding or ignorance of this influence4 ,that man is a magnet1 and has polarity corresponding to that of the earth1 is a plausible conjecture1 which receives confirmation by the influence of the earth currents on many forms of disease4 ,some patients are so exceedingly sensitive that they can lie at ease in no other position than with their heads to the north2 and it has been argued that if such position is best for the sensitive it is for all4 ,more especially is the influence of physical forces seen when death occurs after a lingering disease1 which1 by reducing the bodily strength1 makes that of the spirit more susceptible4 ,he's going out with the tide1 is the common expression of all the rough coastwise people4 ,it may be called a superstition of sea-faring races2 but it is a fact that for some inscrutable reason the old1 sick and infirm more often die at the ebb-tide than when the tide is rising4 ,a poet beautifully expresses this belief3 ,when the tide goes out he will pass away1 ,pray for a soul's serene release6 ,that the weary spirit may rest in peace1 ,when the tide goes out4 ,a physician on the ,connecticut coast1 who had made special observations1 said3 for more than thirty years ,i have lived and observed among the rough1 hardy souls hereabout2 and for more than fifty my father before me gathered facts and wisdom from practice4 ,i have stood by hundreds of death-beds of fishermen and farmers1 old and young1 during the last quarter of a century2 but ,i can hardly recall a single instance of a person dying of disease1 who did not pass away while the tide was ebbing4 ,it is a fact that in critical cases ,i never feel concerned to leave a patient for an hour or two when the tide is coming in2 but when it is receding1 and particularly in the latter stages of the ebb1 ,i stay by1 if ,i can1 till the turn comes4 ,you'll scarcely credit it1 but the daily record of the tides is the most important part of the almanac in my practice4 ,if a patient who is very low lives to see the current turn from ebb to flow1 ,i know the case is safe till the ebb sets in again4 ,when the tide comes in death waits for dole1 ,when the tide ebbs it takes a soul4 ,francis ,gerry ,fairchild says that during five years he noted the hour and minute of ninety-three demises1 and of these all but four 7who died of accidents7 went out with the ebb of the tide4 ,in his own words3 ,i who have sat with my fingers on the wrist of many a feeble patient1 and noticed the pulse rise and strengthen1 or sink and vanish1 with the turning of the tide1 know that it is fact4 ,of twenty-one cases of death registered on the sea coast of ,long ,island at ,orient1 by ,capt4 ,d4 ,b4 ,edwards1 ,i find1 by careful examination1 that with only one exception1 the aged1 or those who had been suffering from long sickness1 died at the ebb of the tide4 ,those cases were taken as they came1 and afford an average that may be depended upon4 ,not that the coming and going of the ocean wave as it rolls round the world has special influence4 ,the cause is more profound1 and blended with the force of gravitation4 ,not only is the ocean agitated and piled up beneath the moon2 the deeper and more elastic aerial sea is more strongly fluctuated1 and the electric and magnetic conditions change with certain periodicity4 ,the maximum of positive force is attained at high tide1 constantly increasing as the tide comes in1 and then recedes to the zero of negativeness with its outgoing4 ,with the flood of water1 and higher pressure of atmosphere1 the forces of life are stimulated by the increasing positiveness4 ,when these stimulants withdraw1 the tide runs to the negative pole1 and a soul ebbs from the mortal shore4 ,man is sensitive to the influences of the sun and moon1 and to the stars4 ,the influence of the moon in cases of lunacy has been observed from ancient times1 and a lunar month measures the cycle of changes in most cases of madness4 ,during health these subtle changes are not felt1 or too feebly to be remarked4 ,it is during sickness1 when the physical energies are so enfeebled that slight forces turn the balance for or against1 that the most palpable effects are produced4 ,there are moon-tides and sun-tides in the ocean and in the air4 ,sometimes these augment1 at others depress each other4 ,the magnetic disturbances are much greater at times than others2 hence the subject is complicated2 but when investigated it will be shown that there is co-operation between vital force and the energies of nature4 ,a spirit is a harp attuned to respond to the touch of myriad forces4 ,it is placed in the center of these multitudinous energies1 coming in from every direction4 ,it is sensitive to the touch of the sun1 the moon and the planets1 and to that of the farthest star that twinkles on the verge of the ,milky ,way2 not in the sense of astrology1 but in as faithful a manner4 ,if the magnetic needle trembles because of a spot in the sun2 if the magnetic currents of the earth are disturbed by activity of the solar disc1 can we for a moment doubt but the more delicately ethereal spiritual perception will feel such disturbances8 ,the sweet influence of the ,pleiades has more than poetic meaning1 and the cold light of the moon brings on its beams the breath of love4 ,it is well known that many diseases are aggravated by the approach of night1 while others are most severe during the day4 ,all nervous pains become intensified at the approach of night--a fact admitted1 but referred by material science to the imagination1 the fancy having free reign during the silent hours of darkness4 ,during the day1 the half of the earth illuminated is positive to the other unilluminated hemisphere4 ,hence the sensations of evening are different from those of morning4 ,we have enjoyed the light and been positive during the day2 when night advances1 we become passive in the enveloping darkness1 and enter a state twin sister to death1 to arise in the morning again to meet the positive day4 ,sleep during the night is more restoring than during the day--a distinction recognized by animals and plants4 ,night is no more terrible than day1 yet the mind1 oppressed by the negative condition then imposed on all things1 peoples it with fancies4 ,the hour of midnight is the established season for ghostly appearances4 ,he who boldly walks along the churchyard path at noonday1 would fain whistle to keep his courage up at the hour of midnight4 ,even ,hckel1 the great naturalist1 confesses that as the evening fell on him1 while alone on the extreme point of ,ceylon1 and the shadows deepened on the weird forest and lonely sea1 an uncanny feeling crept over him4 ,and the soul moves in the circle of the seasons2 not only has human life its ,spring1 ,summer1 ,autumn1 and ,winter2 in the long three score years and ten1 it swings through this circle with each succeeding procession of seasons1 and experiences the changing impressions they so rapidly bring4 ,unconscious ,sensitiveness4 ,,silence ,,and ,,receptivity4--,i sit down with the friend of my heart1 and neither speak a word2 we visit in close communion of souls1 in silence2 spoken words would be only jarring discord4 ,the shallow mind is supplied with a wind of words3 like a dictionary he is all words1 but without a thought4 ,the highest thought1 the most profound feelings1 are beyond the sphere of speech4 ,the restless wind is ever sighing2 the restless1 unbalanced soul is ever chattering its half-formed thoughts4 ,the shallow brook splashes and dashes over its bed with noisy tongue2 the deep river flows onward without a ripple on its broad surface to tell of its tremendous power4 ,if we would learn of nature we must retire to her solitudes and let no one intrude4 ,the dearest and nearest may draw with well meaning hands an opaque vail between us and the sun4 ,in the solitude of the forest1 by the shores of the sullen sea1 and in the depths of star-lit night1 we rest as dwarfs1 overpowered by the stupendous elements1 yet the center of all forces and phenomena4 ,we are in the vortex of creative energies1 and if we silently question1 the answers fall as soon as our minds are receptive to them4 ,in its adoration of the boundless1 the soul mirrors its own infinitude4 ,the shoreless expanse of sea1 with sky and wave blending1 lost in mist1 in the never-reached horizon2 the depths of stars1 beyond and beyond1 in vistas leading out into absolute void1 beyond all created things--to such the soul acknowledges kinship1 and in them finds its satisfaction4 ,the thoughts of the stars are untongued1 but they vibrate across the limitless ether1 and are eloquent to the receptive mind4 ,immeasurably more needful of receptivity born of silence1 is the contact with the infinite realm of spirit4 ,the ocean of being1 invisible1 is before us4 ,we may not dictate1 nor with blatant cry make demands4 ,we shall be grateful for a grain of manna from the heavenly skies2 we may gather a full repast4 ,as spiritual beings1 into the warp and woof of whose existence enter the strands of immortal life1 we are capable of comprehending the laws of this unseen1 and heretofore unknown universe4 ,as suns are pulsating centers of light1 spiritual beings are pulsating centers of thought1 and as light waves go out circling until lost on the remotest coast line of the universe1 so thought-waves go out from the thinking mind1 and are caught up by all minds receptive to them4 ,by the sea1 the soul sees the inner world expressed by a series of changing pictures4 ,the ships sailing from harbor1 with all their white sails set1 and bent to the breeze which wafts them into the gray mist until lost to view1 express the voyage of human beings4 ,the white birds1 with flapping wings1 are the purposeless spirits of the air4 ,the stars1 what consolation they have given the wretched in long ages of suffering1 by their eternal placidity1 their quietude from the feverish follies which we know intuitively belong to a lower life4 ,the truly receptive mind is least alone when alone4 ,then it becomes the headland against which beat the waves of thought from every thinking being in the universe4 ,like the telegraph receiver1 it picks out the thoughts to which it is sensitive1 and the others go on to those receptive to them4 ,it thus becomes apparent that there can be an education superior to all others2 the education of receptivity1 or sensitiveness to the thought atmosphere or psychic-ether4 ,not that this can take the place of the ordinary training of the faculties1 for their training1 rudely performed as it is1 often leads to a high sensitiveness2 more often leads away from it4 ,the poet is most sensitive to poetic thought1 and in this sense is a medium1 not only for individual poets1 but1 perhaps1 unconsciously1 for the inseparable thoughts of all4 ,the truly great statesman receives influx from the ,united ,congress of all past leaders4 ,through the sensitive preacher1 all preachers of the past find tongue4 ,the man of science1 if successful in research1 may be praised for skill and faithfulness1 but beyond these qualities are the impressions descending from all who think or ever have thought on their special subjects4 ,there is a sensitiveness of organization1 and not of culture1 which makes of the possessor a mouth-piece1 an instrument1 such as it is4 ,there is a sensitiveness1 better here called receptivity1 which comes of right culture1 and is the highest form of mediumship1 though its possessor may be wholly unconscious of his gift4 ,,receptivity ,,and ,,greatness4--,here and there are those who by organization are sensitive and ready instruments to bless the world with the light of higher spheres4 ,there have been many in the past fifty years4 ,centuries have gone by and not one of these barren--centuries during which man remained stationary or retrograded into dense ignorance4 ,as mountain peaks catch the light of morning when all the valleys and plains below are wrapped in darkness1 so these sensitives arise into the atmosphere of spirit1 and bathe their foreheads in its glory4 ,who should be more sensitive to the urgencies of a threatened state than he who has the responsibilities of government8 ,whom would the departed statesman1 who1 loving his country1 seek to impress1 if not the ones in power1 who could make such impressions available8 ,but those in power may not be impressible1 and this is most unfortunate for the state4 ,they ,,may be1 and then it can be truthfully said that the forces of heaven fight its battles4 ,such an one was ,lincoln4 ,his receptive mind responded to the thought waves of the psychic atmosphere1 and he became the center of a thought-vortex--the concentration of unnumbered intelligences--with the holy spiritual fervor of the sage and prophet4 ,feeling himself called to a mighty task1 and consecrated to its accomplishment1 his great and earnest soul responded to the breath of inspiration4 ,he was misunderstood by men because he acted from motives they could not comprehend1 and which were uncomprehended by himself2 but during the years of darkness1 anxiety and care1 the cabinet on which he relied was not the executive officers1 but one formed of those ,fathers of the ,republic1 who1 on the hour of its birth1 gave its flag to the breezes of heaven4 ,he failed at times2 disasters came1 representing the periods when the clouds obscured the clear light of inspiration4 ,he disregarded the impressions of impending danger1 and disobedience sealed the record of his labors with his blood6 ,then in invention1 the contrivances by which the elements are harnessed and become willing servants1 we take one man as an illustration4 ,a poor uneducated country lad1 with a simple knowledge of telegraphy sufficient to send messages over the wires1 that is all--no college learning1 no one to assist1 to direct1 to advise4 ,he soon entered a field where no mortal could advise1 where no mortal had been or knew aught to advise him4 ,he became sensitive1 and the secret chambers of the lightning were unlocked to him4 ,what to other men who had devoted a life-time of study was obscure and mysterious1 became to him the ,,abc to higher readings4 ,he sent his voice across the continent1 he recorded the sounds so that the instrument would in all after years give us back the tones of those we love2 he prolonged the lightning's lurid flash into a continuous blaze1 and converted night into day2 he made the current leap from the wire to the passing train and over an intangible wire from ship to ship1 across leagues of sea4 ,,true ,,inspiration4--,,ole ,,bull4--,what is meant by the oft-repeated assertion that great and exceptional persons are inspired8 ,more especially in music and poetry is the influx from some foreign source distinctly marked4 ,ole ,bull1 the king of all violin players1 was1 by his own confession1 subject to an influence beyond himself4 ,when a boy1 he was attempting1 unaided1 to translate into musical sounds the splendor of his ideal1 a voice encouraged him constantly with ,bravo6 which he accepted as a sign that he was doing well4 ,unlike ,socrates' demon1 instead of being always the same1 it was that of many celebrated musicians4 ,on one occasion1 the voice of ,handel murmured in his ear after a rendition of that composer's ,hallelujah ,chorus1 ,only shadow music sung by shadows4 ,my soul asked1 ',where1 then1 is the substance1 ,master8' ,in my world1 the voice replied1 where alone all things are real1 and music is the speech4 ,,paganini4--,of ,paganini it was said that he not only enchanted his listeners1 but played as one enchanted1 losing consciousness1 and throughout his performances remained as one entranced4 ,so real were musical conceptions flashed on his mind1 that they became objective1 and danced before him in wild expression of rhythmic motion4 ,how far the ecstasy of all true musicians may account for their super-normal efforts1 depends on the meaning accepted of ecstasy4 ,it really is a state of sensitiveness to harmonious sounds1 which at its best differs little from the most exalted form of clairvoyance1 or1 perhaps better1 clair-audience4 ,,blind ,,tom4--,all have heard of ,blind ,tom1 an idiotic negro1 uncouth1 untaught1 yet who was able to play the most intricate music1 in a manner only attainable to others by years of study and practice4 ,his improvisations were the wonder and delight of the listeners1 and were dashed off with the fingers of what might truly have been regarded as an automaton4 ,by what method could his astonishing facility of execution1 delicacy of expression1 and masterly touch be explained8 ,he was never taught a lesson in music1 was incapable of forming a continuous train of thought2 yet no conservatory ever graduated a superior performer4 ,we are forced to accept one of two conclusions3 either that he was of himself superior to any one in musical ability1 or that he derived this gift from an outside source4 ,the first1 on the face of it1 appears an absurdity4 ,he was no more the cause of the music he produced than was the piano on which he played4 ,both were instruments1 he standing between the force and its effect4 ,,handel4--,in the sphere of sacred music1 perhaps ,handel stands without a peer4 ,so far above the ordinary level is his sublime work1 that he receives not his full mead of praise2 for we applaud most that which echoes some part of ourselves1 and with his strains we are bowed in humility and awe4 ,in twenty-three days he produced ,the ,messiah1 a work which1 for vastness of conception and exquisite finish1 is the grandest and most perfect choral work the world has ever known4 ,he belonged to no school1 has no imitators1 for he is too far removed for imitation to be attempted4 ,well has it been said that the power of such souls baffles criticism4 ,that they tower so far above the common level1 and possess such exceptional mental and moral powers1 leads to the supposition that they touch a thought-sphere not touched by those less sensitively endowed4 ,,beecher4--,this great preacher1 who left ,plymouth pulpit vacant1 a vacancy which never can be filled1 is a fine illustration of these views4 ,the man and his inspiration were constantly struggling for mastery4 ,he would advance1 on the tide of that inspiration1 to the very brink of the precipice of heterodoxy2 his large heart and enthusiasm carrying him and his hearers far beyond the limits of their narrow creeds1 and then recovering himself he would recoil1 restate1 explain and hedge against the severity of the criticism provoked4 ,but constantly he gained ground1 and carried his hearers with him4 ,he never retreated quite as far as he advanced1 and in later years the inspiring power had educated the man to its level1 and he bravely and boldly stood by his words4 ,for an entire generation he stood in his pulpit1 a divine oracle1 every ,sunday having an audience of the entire country1 and as an elevating1 educating power1 was immeasurable4 ,he broke the fetters from the slave2 he broke the fetters of superstition from millions1 more bondsmen than the negro slave4 ,if you were to gather up all that he has written it would make a library of itself1 and yet there is little of all that he has written or spoken that has permanent value1 or will endure4 ,its value consisted not in its enduring qualities2 rather in its being tentative2 steps leading upward1 and of no use after once being passed over4 ,he did not1 he could not1 preach the ultimate truth4 ,the laity1 as a conservative force1 restrained him4 ,like an eagle burdened with a great weight1 he carried his church and the world forward1 and with every new wave of inspiration the burden grew lighter1 but he never was quite free4 ,the limitation of the individual always stands in the path of perfect inspiration4 ,he was forced to speak after the forms of the creeds and beliefs which he inherited1 and believed by those he would instruct4 ,those beliefs were perishing1 and his modifications did not quite grasp the whole truth1 and hence must disappear4 ,but through him a mighty influence was exerted2 not such as may be likened to the avalanche which plunges down the mountain1 but like the breath of spring1 melting the snow and ice of winter1 warming the indurated soil1 and making possible the bursting forth of flowers1 the prophecies of autumn fruitage4 ,it is remarkable that few writers have given the world more than one master-piece1 and often a single short poem1 out of a mass of composition1 is all that remains of permanent value4 ,gray's ,elegy and ,sweet ,home are examples4 ,the genius which could write these wonderful poems ought to have been able to write others equally perfect2 yet only once did the authors touch the pure fount of inspiration4 ,mrs4 ,julia ,ward ,howe in such a moment wrote the ,battle ,hymn of the ,republic1 which1 unlike anything ever before written1 and unlike anything else she ever wrote1 became the marching song of a nation along the pathway of justice4 ,,mrs4 ,,harriet ,,beecher ,,stowe wrote before and after the production of ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin1 works of some merit1 but nothing that approached the wonderful story that did more to arouse the nation to the wrongs of slavery than all other influences combined4 ,according to her own words1 she composed in a state in which she was overwhelmed with the subject and forced to write as she did4 ,,dickens entered the same state1 and with such distinctness were his characters brought before him1 that he heard their voices1 and his dialogues were the work of a reporter rather than of a composer4 ,,bunyan4--,perhaps no book ever exerted a greater influence than ,pilgrim's ,progress1 written by one who in his youth was wild and godless1 a tramping tinker and rough soldier1 uneducated and unversed in literary invention4 ,he possessed in a prominent degree the sensitive temperament1 as his portrait shows1 and a fine mental endowment1 however uncultivated it might have been4 ,so long as ,bunyan was a part of the jostling world1 he was like other men4 ,his sensitiveness could only be made valuable by isolation1 and that came to him in an unlooked for manner by his incarceration in jail4 ,there his spirit gained freedom4 ,it became susceptible to the thoughts of another sphere1 and he wrote that remarkable book1 which has pleased and strengthened millions of struggling souls4 ,afterwards1 when liberated1 he became one of the fanatics among whom he was cast1 and his writings and speech were of no value1 except as they faintly echoed what he had written in his ,pilgrim4 ,once only had the conditions essential to sensitiveness been his1 and then it was forced upon him1 and the result was one book of value1 and no more4 ,the success of that book destroyed the conditions for the reception of anything as pure1 bringing around him the jarring conflict of religious fanaticism4 ,,tennyson4--,the sensitive condition of ,tennyson has been graphically described by himself1 in words which leave no misunderstanding4 ,in a letter written in #ahgd to a friend1 he says3 ,i have never had any revelation through anesthetics1 but a kind of waking trance 7this for want of a better term7 ,i have frequently had1 quite up from boyhood1 when ,i have been all alone4 ,this has often come upon me through repeating my own name to myself silently till1 all at once1 as it were1 out of the intensity of the consciousness of the individuality1 the individuality itself seemed to dissolve and fade away into boundless being2 and this is not a composed state1 but the clearest of the clearest1 the surest of the surest1 utterly beyond words1 where ,death was an almost laughable impossibility1 the loss of personality1 7if so it were7 seeming no extinction1 but the only true life4 ,i am ashamed of my feeble description4 ,have ,i not said the state was utterly beyond words8 ,illustrations to an unlimited extent might be drawn from the lives of authors1 artists1 inventors1 statesmen and warriors1 in confirmation of the views expressed4 ,in fact1 scarcely a single one of all the brilliant names that head the list on the scroll of fame but might be taken as an example4 ,,the ,,great ,,leaders in history1 statesmanship1 war1 literature1 the arts1 in science and in invention1 few in number1 appear like centers on whom the thoughts of their time converge1 and from whom they are radiated4 ,they are moved by forces beyond themselves1 and plan wiser than they know4 ,napoleon schemed for his own aggrandizement1 but above him was a power which directed his efforts4 ,the art of war was an open book to him1 and his tactics1 the fresh product of his teeming brain1 were a constant surprise and menace to his enemies4 ,until his mission was accomplished he was invincible4 ,when he transcended that1 which was to break down the absurd distinctions of feudalism1 and make the serf a man1 and in arrogant pride looked on the nations as his prey1 the conditions of his receptivity were destroyed and his defeat assured4 ,these great minds have no ancestral lineage1 they rarely transmit their talent to their offspring4 ,for a brief moment1 that of their great achievement1 they gain the heights never before reached1 and not again to be reached by their posterity4 ,,concentration4--,it has been said that great concentration of mind--the ability to exclude all objects and subjects except the one under consideration--is the prime factor of genius1 and an adequate explanation of its achievements4 ,in other words1 concentration is another name for sensitiveness4 ,what is concentration8 ,is it not a mental state in which one idea1 a group of ideas1 dominate2 and where is the difference between this state and the hypnotic8 ,is it not a condition of exceeding sensitiveness to ideas related to the dominating8 ,there really is slight distinguishing difference between the concentration of writer1 speaker1 or inventor1 and the mesmeric1 or hypnotic state of the sensitive4 ,all the difference observable is from the side on which the subject is approached4 ,this concentration has been called attention to by some authors1 who would make genius itself dependent entirely on attention1 which ,buffon speaks of as protracted patience4 ,the mind that can take hold of the thread of a subject1 and hold fast to it in all its intricacies to the end1 is enabled to do so by superior attention4 ,concentration is more expressive1 and under whatever name1 the same mental state is designated4 ,the profound student always falls into it when absorbed in his work1 and becomes absent-minded1 which is an expression commonly used to explain one of the most inexplicable mental states4 ,when under control of the will1 such concentration of mental power becomes priceless to its possessor4 ,it is similar to the hypnotic state1 with none of its disadvantages1 and removed to a higher plane4 ,the mind in this highly sensitive condition is impressible to the thought waves in the psychic-ether4 ,on the other hand1 when this concentration or attention is not controllable by the will1 the condition of the unfortunate individual is most deplorable4 ,he is lost in reverie1 a dreamy1 misty state of mind which unfits him for the duties of practical life4 ,the difference is that between forgetfulness of duty1 which has been the butt of endless ridicule by the world and of burlesque on the stage1 and the reaches of thought attained by the philosopher1 and the divine songs of the poet4 ,the first essential requisite of profound thought is abstraction from the distractions of all matters except the one in hand4 ,ability to thus concentrate the mind at pleasure may be inherited or the product of education4 ,in fact1 correct education may be said to consist mainly in the control of the attention1 and the ability to concentrate the mind on the one subject presented4 ,the higher education of the future will recognize and give prominence to the cultivation of this hitherto ignored faculty4 ,it is one of the possibilities of the future to encourage the culture of the sensitive faculty1 and the results will be far more wonderful in normal education than now arises from what seems abnormal1 and the product of chance4 ,sensitiveness1 as has been shown in the preceding pages1 is possessed by all in greater or less degree1 and may be cultivated like any other mental quality4 ,as its laws and conditions are more thoroughly understood and its inestimable value realized1 it will become a part of all substantial educational training4 ,,the ,,extension ,,of ,,this ,,theory ,,into ,,the ,,life ,,beyond4--,this theory1 without calling to its aid spiritual beings1 marks out the laws by which such beings may control the sensitive and become cognizant of the thoughts of each other4 ,man being a spirit1 limited by a physical body1 through the sensitive state1 under certain conditions1 he breaks away from his limitations and feels the waves of thought created by others through the psychic-ether4 ,when freed from the physical body the spirit must possess the same power in larger degree and impress its thoughts on the sensitive in the same manner4 ,sensitive beyond mortal conception in its most exalted state1 it is in connection with all spiritual intelligences1 and a converging and diverging center of telegraphic communication4 ,as it advances in this sensitiveness1 distance becomes a less and less factor1 until eliminated1 and a thought sent forth wings its way until it meets the one for whom it was intended4 ,thus1 what has been made the toy of a leisure hour1 the imperfect attempts at thought-reading1 mesmeric control of the will1 and the mystery of communion of minds sympathetic1 are really the crude manifestations of an undeveloped faculty1 which1 after the evolution wrought by death1 becomes the glory of spirit-existence4 ,prayer in the ,light of ,sensitiveness and ,thought ,waves4 ,when ,president ,garfield was lying tortured by the wound which caused his death1 the prayers of a whole nation arose as one united voice for his recovery4 ,from sixty thousand pulpits petitions to the throne of grace ascended4 ,there were days set apart for united appeal to ,god4 ,he was eminent in the church as in war and politics1 and if prayer ever received answer1 it would seem that it should be in his case4 ,yet the good man1 the scholar1 the statesman and theologian died1 just as he would have died had no petition been sent to the throne of grace4 ,the ocean ship1 freighted with passengers1 is broken through by an iceberg1 and slowly filling1 settles down into the waves4 ,wildly the best and purest men and women pray to ,god for help1 but the ship is not thereby sustained1 or delayed a single moment in her final plunge into the abysses of the sea4 ,on occasions of great public calamity1 where drought blasts the harvest1 locusts devour the fields1 or pestilence rages1 days are set apart for prayer4 ,every minister of the gospel and every layman daily prays with utmost fervor4 ,yet the rain falls not1 the locusts devour1 and the pestilence pursues its way without shadow of turning4 ,prayer in such cases is as hopeless as it would be if the maker should stand on a railroad track1 and1 when he saw a train approaching1 pray to ,god to stop it4 ,it is a petition for the impossible4 ,in one way it yields results1 often of an astonishing character4 ,if the makers are sincere1 the attitude of prayer harmonizes and strengthens their faculties1 and enables them to bear with greater fortitude the vicissitudes of time2 to bear1 but not avert1 impending fate4 ,how many captives chained in dungeons have1 in imitation of the apostle1 prayed fervently with perfect faith that their chains might fall off1 and the bars of their prison door be drawn aside1 and met with no response4 ,how many zealous martyrs have been led to the stake1 praying to ,jesus for deliverance which came not2 and ,jesus himself1 in the hour of his mortal agony1 prayed to the ,father1 to be answered by silence1 and to find bitterness and mockery2 a cross and a crown of thorns1 where he had expected a throne and the glittering scepter of the nations4 ,the once all-powerful belief in the ability of delegated men to control events and elements by supplication to the ,deity1 which made the medicine men1 the priests and jugglers1 the tyrants of mankind1 has now1 in civilized countries1 dwindled into the intercessions for moral help1 and an occasional prayer for physical changes1 as for rain in times of drought1 the staying of grasshoppers1 or the approach of disease4 ,it is difficult for the gospel minister to give up entirely the rle of the medicine man1 and cease to pray for the sick in the misty hope that ,god will answer4 ,it is almost as troublesome for the preacher to let go his hold on the weather1 and not follow the ,indian's rattling gourd1 shaken at the sky1 with prayer for the same object4 ,this is the degradation of prayer1 and the preacher clasps hands with the juggler4 ,that this pretense is yet maintained1 is made most remarkably apparent in a work on prayer recently published4 ,an incident in the life of ,president ,finney1 of ,oberlin ,college1 copied from its pages1 will amply suffice to illustrate this anachronism1 a belief of savage man forced into the highest civilized thought4 ,there was drought in ,oberlin1 and the thin1 hard clay soil of that region suffered severely from a total failure for three months1 of rain4 ,clouds promised the desired moisture1 but hovered over the lake1 and poured out their waters there4 ,this they did day after day1 raising the hopes of the anxious1 and then drifting away4 ,finney1 who was an enthusiast1 was walking in the street one day1 when a friend met him and said3 ,i should like to know what you mean by preaching that ,god is always wise and always good1 when you see him pouring out that great rain on the lake1 where it can do no good1 and leaving us to suffer so terribly for want of the wasted water8 ,finney said3 ,his words cut me to the very heart2 ,i turned and ran home to my closet1 fell on my knees1 and told the ,lord what had been said to me1 and besought him1 for the honor of his great name1 to confound this caviler1 and show forth the glory of his power1 and the greatness of his love4 ,i pleaded with him that he had encouraged his people to pray for rain1 and now the time had come for him to show his power1 and his faithfulness as a hearer of prayer4 ,before ,i rose from my knees there was a sound of a rushing mighty wind4 ,i looked out1 and lo1 the heavens were black2 clouds were rolling up1 and rain soon fell in torrents1 continuing for two full hours4 ,those who are acquainted with the lake region know the peculiarity of these storms1 and will readily understand the rapidity of their coming4 ,they require no prayer to move them1 and that the coincidence of the rain and the prayer should be endorsed by leaders in theology1 is a strange instance of mental aberration1 or1 as ,darwin would say1 atavism4 ,the absurdity of the representation apparently escapes the notice of those who accept it4 ,the zealous ,finney telling an ,omnipotent ,god what he ought to do to show his power and keep his promise for his own interest and reputation1 as though the rain was not withheld for some good purpose well known by the ,omnipotent6 ,and then by his pleading1 this little ,president of a then obscure college1 changed the will and purpose of the ,almighty1 and brought the rain to a narrow section of country1 leaving regions beyond equally suffering without a drop of moisture6 ,such instances prove too much4 ,they maintain the changefulness of ,god1 and the power of man to persuade ,him to alter the course of the elements4 ,mr4 ,finney heralds with ostentatious pride this case when the clouds came at his call2 he does not tell us of the prayers he and all the praying people of that region had daily offered for weeks and months for the same object1 which brought no moisture6 ,rain is sure to come at some time1 and if the seasons of prayer be continued long enough1 the last one will surely be followed by rain4 ,this instance is introduced to illustrate the limitation of the power of prayer4 ,the insensible elements can not be influenced4 ,the clouds and the winds1 the storm and the earthquake1 will not come or go at our bidding1 or the invocation1 even1 of a saint4 ,yet earnest prayer1 within fixed limitations1 may be and has been answered1 as is proven by innumerable witnesses4 ,not by a personal ,god to whom the appeal is made1 but by harmonizing the prayer-giver with subtile spiritual forces1 which work in ways not comprehended by a gross view of the world4 ,when we consider human and spiritual beings as laved by an ocean of attenuated substance1 elastic and receptive beyond comprehension1 and that each being is a vortex of vibrations1 we understand how from an intensely wrought mind vibrant thoughts go forth1 and although they strike an infinite number of individuals who are not sensitive to them1 they find others in mortal bodies or spiritual1 as harps like attuned set each other in vibration1 and move those thus receptive to answer their appeals4 ,the power and strength given by prayer arise from this harmonizing of their being by spiritual aspiration1 which lift the mind into the realm of superior spiritual forces4 ,it is then that the appeal to ,god goes forth in vibrations1 to be recognized by spirit friends1 and by them conveyed to mortals who have the ability to respond1 or directly reach some responsive mind in the mortal body4 ,the following narrative of ,dr4 ,joseph ,smith1 of ,warrington1 ,england1 which is accredited by the journal of the ,society for ,psychological ,research1 ,may1 #ahhe1 is a fine illustration of what is popularly known as ,god's answer to prayer3 ,i was sitting one evening reading when a voice came to me1 saying3 ',send a loaf to ,james ,grady's4' ,i continued reading1 and the voice continued with greater emphasis1 and this time it was accompanied with an irresistible impulse to get up4 ,i obeyed1 and went into the village and bought a loaf of bread1 and seeing a lad at the shop door1 ,i asked him if he knew ,james ,grady4 ,he said he did1 so ,i had him carry it1 and say that a gentleman sent it4 ,mrs4 ,grady was a member of my class1 and ,i went down next morning to see what came of it1 when she told me that a strange thing had happened to her last night4 ,she said she wished to put the children to bed1 but they began to cry for want of food1 and she had nothing to give them4 ,she then went to prayer1 to ask ,god to give them something1 soon after which the lad came to the door with the loaf4 ,i calculated on inquiry that the prayer and the voice ,i heard exactly coincided in point of time4 ,as a member of his class1 a close connection existed between ,dr4 ,smith and ,mrs4 ,grady1 and he was thereby receptive to the eager appeal she made1 incited by her children's cry for bread4 ,the case of ,henry ,young ,stilling has become a text in most orthodox books on the subject of prayer4 ,he was a physician at the court of the ,grand ,duke of ,baden1 the intimate friend of ,goethe1 who1 impressed with his remarkable experiences1 urged him to write an account of his life4 ,stilling desired to study medicine at a university1 and in an answer to prayer to know which he should choose was directed to ,strasburg4 ,in order to attend that school he required a thousand dollars1 and he had only forty-six2 yet with this he started on his journey1 freely relying on heavenly aid4 ,on reaching ,frankfort1 he had only a dollar left4 ,he made his case known by prayer4 ,walking on the street he met a merchant1 who1 learning his purpose of attending the university1 asked where the money was to come from4 ,stilling replied that he had only one dollar1 but his ,heavenly ,father was rich and would provide for him4 ,well1 ,i am one of your ,father's stewards1 said the merchant1 and handed him thirty-three dollars4 ,settled at ,strasburg1 his fee to the lectures became due and must be paid by ,thursday evening1 or his name stricken from the roll4 ,he spent the day in prayer1 and at five o'clock nothing had come4 ,his anxiety became unbearable1 when a knock was heard at his door1 and his landlord entered and inquired how he liked the room1 and if he had money4 ,no1 ,i have no money1 cried ,stilling in despair4 ,i see how it is1 replied the landlord2 ,god has sent me to help you1 and handed him forty dollars4 ,stilling threw himself on the floor and thanked ,god1 while the tears rained from his eyes4 ,his whole life's experience was of a like character4 ,he prayed constantly to ,god1 and at the last moment his necessities were supplied4 ,how difficult it is to suppose that ,god interested himself especially in one of thousands of students1 overlooking the others1 equally poor and needy1 and as earnest in their efforts6 ,how easy to suppose that an angel friend1 foreseeing the great capabilities of ,stilling1 interested himself1 and by influencing this or that mind smoothed the way1 and furnished the means he imperatively needed4 ,it will be remarked that at no time were his necessities exceeded4 ,no one gave him lavishly1 or more than sufficed for his urgent needs4 ,rev4 ,h4 ,bushnell1 in his ,nature and the ,supernatural1 refers to an interesting incident he learned on his visit to ,california4 ,the man had hired his little house of one room1 in a new trading town that was planted last year1 agreeing to give a rent of ten dollars a month4 ,when the pay day came he had nothing to meet the demand1 nor could he see whence the money was to come4 ,consulting with his wife1 they agreed that prayer1 so often tried1 was their only hope4 ,they went according to prayer1 and found assurance that their want would be supplied4 ,when the morning came the money did not4 ,the rent owner made his appearance earlier than usual4 ,as he entered the door their hearts began to sink1 whispering that now1 for once1 their prayer had failed4 ,but before the demand was made1 a neighbor came and called out the untimely visitor1 engaging him in conversation a few minutes at the door4 ,meanwhile1 a stranger came in saying1 ,doctor1 ,i owe you ten dollars for attending me in a fever1 and here is the money4 ,he could not remember either the man or the service1 but was willing to be convinced1 and had the money when the rent owner again entered4 ,the same explanation applies here as to the preceding4 ,the following indicates not an answer to the prayer1 but a direct communication4 ,it is related by ,dr4 ,wilson1 of ,philadelphia3 ,the packet ship1 ',albion1' full of passengers from ,america1 was wrecked on the coast of ,ireland1 and the news was that all on board had perished4 ,a minister near ,philadelphia1 reading a list of the lost1 found the name of one of the members of his congregation1 and went immediately to inform the wife of the sad fact4 ,she had been earnestly praying during the voyage of her husband1 and had received assurance of his safety amid great danger4 ,hence1 to the astonishment of her pastor1 after he had informed her of the shipwreck1 and showed her the list of names of those who were lost1 she told him that it was a mistake1 that her husband had been in extreme peril1 but was not dead4 ,when the next tidings were received it proved that her husband was among the passengers1 and had been in great peril1 but that he had escaped1 and was the only one saved4 ,there could be no connection between the wife's prayer and safety of her husband1 but the state of mind induced by prayer allowed her to receive the message of his safety4 ,the celebrated artist1 ,washington ,allston1 refined and sensitive to a fault1 had at first to struggle with great difficulties1 and endure the pinchings of poverty4 ,at one time he was reduced to the want of even a loaf of bread for himself and wife4 ,in despair he locked himself in his studio and earnestly prayed for assistance4 ,while thus engaged1 there was a knock at the door1 and opening it a stranger appeared1 who inquired if the artist still possessed the beautiful painting1 ,the ,angel ,uriel4 ,mr4 ,allston drew it from a corner1 and brushed off the dust4 ,the stranger said he had greatly admired it when it was on exhibition1 and inquired the price4 ,the artist replied that as no one seemed to appreciate it he had ceased to offer it4 ,will four hundred pounds purchase8 said the stranger4 ,i never dared ask one-half of that4 ,then it is mine1 exclaimed the visitor1 who explained that he was the ,marquis of ,stafford1 leaving the artist overwhelmed with gratitude4 ,where the answer to prayer follows so directly the appeal1 we may suppose that the intensity of thought may affect directly the individual who responds4 ,thus1 when ,allston was so despairing1 his thoughts would go widely forth1 and the ,marquis of ,stafford having seen the painting1 and desiring it1 might have the thought of it awakened1 and be thereby drawn at the special time to the artist's studio4 ,of course the case is also open to the direct intervention of angelic messengers1 for all this class of facts intimately blend1 and are controlled by the same general laws1 and it is difficult to determine to which of the two causes they should be referred4 ,the door that admits angelic beings makes the influence of thought waves also possible4 ,the cure of ,melancthon by the prayers of ,luther is well known to the student of the ,reformation4 ,the former had been given over to die1 when ,luther rushed to the death-bed of his loved friend with tears and exclamations of agony4 ,melancthon was aroused and said3 ,o ,luther1 is this you8 ,why do you not let me depart in peace8 ,we can't spare you yet1 ,philip1 was ,luther's answer4 ,then he bowed down for a long hour in prayer1 until he felt he had been answered4 ,then he took ,melancthon's hand1 who said3 ,dear ,luther1 why do you not let me depart in peace8 ,no1 no1 ,philip1 we can not spare you from the field of labor2 and added1 ,philip1 take this soup1 or ,i will excommunicate you4 ,melancthon took the soup1 began to revive1 and lived many years to assist the sturdy reformer with his facile pen4 ,luther went home and told his wife1 in joyous triumph1 that ,god gave me my brother1 ,melancthon1 in direct answer to prayer4 ,now1 such a cure would be called faith cure1 or magnetic healing4 ,the state of feeling induced by long and fervent prayer was the source of magnetic power1 and therein1 and not through the direct intervention of ,god1 was the prayer answered4 ,bishop ,bowman gives the following account of the unexpected recovery of ,bishop ,simpson1 when he was supposed to be dying3 ,i remember once1 when there was a conference at ,mount ,vernon1 ,ohio1 at which ,i was present1 ,bishop ,james was presiding one afternoon1 and after reading a despatch saying that ,bishop ,simpson was dying in ,pittsburg1 asked that the conference unite in prayer1 that his life might be saved4 ,we knelt1 and ,taylor1 the great street preacher1 led4 ,after the first few sentences1 in which ,i joined with my whole heart1 my mind seemed to be at ease1 and ,i did not pay much attention to the rest of the prayer only to notice its beauty4 ,when we arose from our knees1 ,i turned to a brother and said1 ',bishop ,simpson will not die2 ,i feel it4' ,he assured me that he had received the same impression4 ,the word was passed around1 and over thirty ministers present said they had the same feelings4 ,i took my book and made a note of the hour and circumstance4 ,several months afterwards1 ,i met ,bishop ,simpson1 and asked him what he did to recover his health4 ,he did not know2 but the physician had said it was a miracle4 ,he said1 that one afternoon1 when at the point of death1 the doctor left him1 saying that he should be left alone 7by the doctor7 for half an hour4 ,at the end of that time1 the doctor returned1 and noticed a great change4 ,he was startled1 and asked the family what had been done1 and they replied1 nothing at all4 ,that half hour1 ,i find1 by making allowance for difference of localities1 was just the time we were praying for him at ,mount ,vernon4 ,from that time on he steadily improved1 and has lived to bless the ,church and humanity4 ,bishop ,bowman adds3 ,on the ,god who has so often answered my prayers1 ,i will still rely1 scientific men and philosophers to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,the scientific man would reply that he had no desire to dispute the fact as stated1 but1 instead of a personal ,god who had struck down ,bishop ,simpson with disease1 changing his purpose because supplicated by the ministerial conference1 the intense fervency of thought of that conference united in prayer had gone forth in a magnetic beam1 and given the suffering patient the strength of a new life4 ,if there was divine agency1 it stood back of the laws of spiritual forces1 in which case1 prayer was only a means of preparation1 unitizing1 harmonizing and directing4 ,he was affected just the same as he would have been had he been in the conference hall1 for distance1 as has been repeatedly shown1 is an unimportant element in the exercise of these psychic forces4 ,there are several charitable institutions which their founders claim to have been entirely supported by means of donations made in answer to prayer4 ,as these are often brought forward in evidence of the direct answer to prayer1 they become of interest to the student of this subject4 ,the ,bristol ,orphan ,home is typical of its class4 ,george ,mller1 its founder1 began with no wealth1 aside from his sublime faith in his appeals for divine aid4 ,in his ,thirty-sixth ,annual ,report1 he says that in #ahge his faith was put to trial most severely4 ,he commenced the year with #bj1jjj in his treasury1 which in three months was reduced one-half1 or only enough to meet expenses for a single month4 ,the treasury had never been as low1 and the number of orphans had doubled4 ,he fervently prayed1 as the situation became more alarming1 and at the end of the month so many donations flowed in he had #dh1jjj4 ,in the forty-one years this institution has been conducted1 during which no appeal for charity has been made directly1 except through prayer1 #c1cbe1jjj has been received4 ,as the results of its use1 #df1djj persons have been taught in schools wholly sustained1 and tens of thousands in schools assisted2 #if1jjj ,bibles1 #bdg1jjj ,testaments1 and #ahj1jjj smaller portions of the ,scriptures circulated2 above #ec1ejj1jjj tracts and books in various languages distributed2 of late years #agj missionaries annually assisted2 #d1fgg orphans cared for2 five large edifices built1 at a cost or #ege1jjj1 able to accommodate #b1jej orphans4 ,such an institution may have no organized soliciting board on the earthly side1 but of necessity must have on the spiritual side4 ,it is a potent center of attraction to those who have means1 and are looking about for some worthy object4 ,the leaders1 with self-abnegation1 devote their lives to the unselfish work1 and the angel messengers1 with equal devotion1 act as solicitors to those they are able to approach4 ,we may also regard as a potent factor1 earnest prayer going out on waves of thought1 and directly affecting susceptible minds1 calling their attention to the great charity1 and influencing them to sustain it4 ,this explanation of the effect of prayer1 and of the causes contributing to its answering1 while removing it from the realm of miracle1 makes the subject one of absorbing interest4 ,the ,divine ,spirit never directly answers1 but there are laws and conditions through which the earnest spirit is granted the assistance it desires4 ,it is a mistake to refer the answer directly to ,god1 as it would be to say he supports the world in space by his extended arm4 ,the ,protestant churches hold as sacrilege the appeal to any being but ,god4 ,the ,catholics are more wise1 and offer their prayers to their patron saints1 by which comforting love and assuring affection are awakened by direct contact4 ,christian ,science1 ,mind ,cure1 ,faith ,cure--their ,psychic ,relations4 ,out of the recently received views of spirit1 derived by psychic investigations1 have grown a number of systems1 drawing nice distinctions between their claims1 and1 in some instances1 expanding to the estate of psychic science1 attempting not only to correlate the facts of spirit1 but to found on them a system of morals4 ,it is because of this that ,christian science1 theology1 mind cure1 faith cure1 metaphysics1 etc41 have a place in the discussions entertained in this volume4 ,nearly all of these begin as methods of healing4 ,their first office is to restore health4 ,such has been the application of almost all new discoveries1 which reveal and are half shrouded in mystery4 ,electricity and magnetism met this fate1 and mesmerism was at first thought to be a curative agent for all diseases4 ,it is a singular fact that all religious systems1 from that of the lowest savage1 whose god is represented by a stick or a tuft of feathers1 to the purest form of ,christianity1 depend on miraculous healing for their evidence of genuineness4 ,it is true the weight of such evidence is constantly lessened with the advance of culture1 yet it still remains in force1 and by many believers is received as conclusive and final4 ,charlatanism seized mesmerism1 as it has everything new1 and brought its healing potencies into disgrace by its ignorance and pretensions4 ,the germ of truth was then1 and from time to time has reappeared under startling names1 and in some instances so changed as to appear superficially1 as something entirely new4 ,those who scorn mesmerism received the new claimants1 the only change being in name4 ,i propose to briefly examine some of these1 and1 if possible1 find the rock of truth on which they rest4 ,,christian ,,science4--,first1 as having attracted most attention1 is ,christian ,science4 ,it claims to be a system for curing the sick1 preserving health1 and a perfect moral guide in the conduct of life4 ,healing the sick is only an accidental means of testing the genuineness of the devotee's belief4 ,healing is the first step on the lowest plane4 ,it makes the proud claim of being the ,science of ,spirit1 and as spirit is causation1 ,christian ,science is the ,science of ,sciences4 ,it aims to be a complete system of religion and morality1 and demands the highest1 most unselfish1 devoted lives4 ,it demands universal love1 unfaltering charity2 neither to think or act evil2 the suppression of scorn and hate2 a belief that all is good1 for all is ,god1 who is absolutely good4 ,it widely differs from the faith cure1 and mind cure1 as it introduces and demands the highest excellence in the conduct of life1 while the faith cure calls for simple faith in the means employed1 or in the power of ,god4 ,christian ,science shows the source of its inspiration when it declares healing to be a test of faith and character4 ,,theosophy resembles ,christian ,science1 extending over the broadest field of morality1 intellectuality1 and spirit1 eschewing healing as a test4 ,the teachings of both1 by appropriating all that is valuable in other doctrines1 are similar4 ,theosophy1 however1 states one fundamental doctrine on which its superstructure rests4 ,this is the pre-existence of the soul or spirit1 and its repeated incarnations on earth4 ,as this doctrine has been criticised elsewhere1 the arguments against it need not be here introduced4 ,as guides in the conduct of life they have nothing true which they can claim as new1 and their distinctive features remain to be demonstrated1 or are revived speculations and dreams of the world's dawn1 when nature was a riddle and life a mystery4 ,,the ,,faith ,,cure rests on the declarations of the ,bible1 that faith will remove mountains1 and redeem the lost4 ,when ,christ or his disciples laid hands on the sick to heal1 the first and paramount question was3 ,have they faith8 ,there is curative power in faith4 ,it is half gained to have the sick confident that they will recover2 and the belief that they will be sustained by certain means often has more influence than the means4 ,,the ,,mental ,,cure asserts the superiority of the mind over the body1 as a scientific fact1 without appeal to ,god or faith4 ,in vital essence1 in making the body the servant of the mind1 all these systems are identical4 ,christian ,metaphysics and ,christian ,science1 a difference of name1 and mental cure1 mind cure1 etc41 have the same basis4 ,each has enclosed a narrow field1 and writes its name over the entrance4 ,christian ,science1 by making the greatest display1 has become most conspicuous4 ,many of its propositions call forth no dissent1 others are on their face too absurd to require contradiction4 ,the same line of argument will apply to all these systems1 and they need not be taken separately4 ,,influence ,,of ,,the ,,mind ,,over ,,the ,,body4--,the mind has a very great influence over the body1 as has been remarked by those who have investigated the subject since the time of ,hippocrates4 ,the strongest mind sometimes is found in a weak body4 ,lord ,brougham1 with a frail physique1 performed the most ,herculean mental tasks4 ,it is said that he once worked one hundred and forty-four hours1 or six consecutive days1 and then slept all ,saturday night1 ,sunday1 and ,sunday night1 and was waked ,monday morning by his valet to resume his labors4 ,the power of mind over the body is illustrated by the annals of explorers in the frigid zone1 and in the deadly regions of the tropics4 ,the leaders of such expeditions1 with all the burden and responsibilities of their position1 bear up better than their men1 and rarely succumb to adversities to which the latter yield4 ,the hardships met by ,dr4 ,kane and ,lieut4 ,greely are fresh in the mind2 and the invincible ,stanley1 braving the savage foes and deadly malaria of the ,black ,continent1 is another example4 ,such leaders1 encouraged by the honors success will yield1 and dreading the shame of defeat more than death1 persevere against all opposing forces1 while their men1 with less at stake either to win or lose1 sink1 apathetically1 before reaching the goal4 ,in such cases1 the will sustains the body1 and shows its independence of the material forces which affect it4 ,in no instance is the control of mind over the sensations1 affecting it through the body1 shown with greater force than in the terrible ordeals of martyrdom4 ,the weak and delicate woman1 as well as the strong man1 was bound on the rack1 or subjected to the unspeakable horrors of the thumbscrew1 burning pincers1 or the smouldering fagots1 and yet so far from uttering moans or sighs1 smiled on their tormentors1 or sang hozannas amid the flames4 ,their minds had risen to such exaltation that physical pain was unfelt1 in fact1 was a relief to the mental tension4 ,there is no pathological phenomena more freely attested than the sudden vitiation of the secretions by intense mental disturbances4 ,a mother subjected to intense fright1 or fear1 will have her milk become poisonous to her babe4 ,dr4 ,a4 ,combe mentions an instance where a mother left her child to assist the father in combat with a drunken soldier4 ,after the fight was over she nursed the babe1 which was strong and healthy4 ,after a few minutes it ceased nursing1 and sank dead in its mother's arms4 ,the milk had become a virulent poison4 ,a lady with a violent temper was warned by her physician against indulging it while nursing her babe1 and she had obeyed until the child was several months old1 strong and healthy4 ,at that time she became enraged at some trivial circumstance1 and soon afterwards she nursed her babe1 which became ill1 and within an hour was dead4 ,the changes wrought in the saliva by anger are well known4 ,the bite of an enraged man is as much to be dreaded as that of a mad dog4 ,blood poisoning is almost a sure consequence of inoculation with the saliva of an angry man or brute4 ,hydrophobia itself is probably a spontaneous production in canines subjected to starvation and ill-usage4 ,great joy or grief produces secretions in the blood1 which make it poisonous4 ,the prostration by grief is only equaled by that of violent disease4 ,the blood and all secretions therefrom become so affected that a long time is required to eliminate the morbific matter from the system4 ,if this is not accomplished1 lingering illness or death is the final result4 ,this is distinct from sudden death1 on the disclosure of some startling news1 of grief or joy4 ,the heart in these instances suddenly fails at the nervous shock4 ,successful labor is always invigorating1 while unsuccessful is depressing4 ,it was observed in the early mining days of ,california that a stranger passing the claims could readily discover those that paid and those that did not1 by the manners of the men who were working them4 ,if unsuccessful1 they were depressed1 ill with fevers and idle4 ,if successful they were at work early and late1 cheerful1 well1 and energetic4 ,every pursuit that ennobles and elevates the mind1 tranquilizes the system1 enhances the general health1 and prolongs life4 ,such is the wonderful sway the mind holds over the body4 ,on the other hand1 we find the body exciting a powerful influence on the mind2 so intense and complete that leading physiologists believe that the latter is a result of1 and entirely dependent on1 the former1 and having no existence independent thereof4 ,the microscope has poured a flood of light on disease4 ,in most cases1 as with these epidemics and contagions1 a specific germ is introduced into the blood and multiplies1 feeding on the vital fluid4 ,if taken into the system of a saint it will1 by multiplication1 produce the disease1 just as certainly as in the system of the vilest malefactor4 ,there would be more reasonable grounds for hoping to drive a hungry tiger away by mind cure1 than the myriads of microbes that swarm in a drop of the fever patient's blood1 or the microbes in the lungs of a consumptive4 ,then is the system of mental cure a sham8 ,no6 ,it claims too much4 ,when millions of bacilli swarm in the lungs1 or the micrococcus brings on fever1 shall we say we are well1 that the mind1 as a part of ,god1 can not be sick1 and as the body is fathered by the mind it can not be8 ,we may say this1 but the inexorable logic of facts refute our opinions4 ,we might as well attempt to stay the spring of the tiger by an effort of will4 ,but there is a consideration back of this4 ,by the accumulation of an endless series of taints of body and of mind1 by false ideas and views of life1 the power of mind over the body can not be compared with what it would be in a perfect state of right living4 ,this is a consideration of greatest value1 for it shows us1 not what the past has been1 but what the future may be4 ,the limits of the power of the mind over the body are not known1 but with knowledge it ever enlarges its boundaries4 ,the class of diseases which may be regarded as essentially corporal1 as the previously mentioned contagions produced by microbes1 the effects of ptomaines1 and the mineral and vegetable poisons1 has its limits contracted by mental influences4 ,individuals in the most terrible contagions1 although in contact with the sick and dying1 physicians1 nurses or companions1 are often exempt4 ,their systems do not furnish the necessary conditions for growth of the disease germs4 ,such individuals are fearless2 and it is said that their indifference to danger is their shield of protection2 yet it is often the case that when they become exhausted by excessive care1 they fall victims4 ,this conclusion1 however1 may be safely drawn1 that there are conditions of body or mind1 or of both1 invulnerable to disease4 ,what these conditions are we may not now know1 but it is possible to know4 ,in these cases of purely physical disease1 the body reacts on the mind1 and the giving way of the will is the first indication of the approach of the malady4 ,it is folly to talk of the will overcoming a disease that has insidiously sapped its foundation4 ,this is not saying that were the wrong conditions of living righted1 and the taints of heredity eliminated1 the power of the will would not be able to maintain the body against all succeeding influences4 ,but to reach that perfect state will require many generations of rightly directed culture4 ,if grief1 anger1 or excessive joy are able to vitiate secretions1 and cause sickness and death1 a happy frame of mind1 intellectual exertion and moral excellence tend to the perfect health of these secretions4 ,health is a condition to be gained and kept by careful observance of its laws1 and these laws are of the physical as well as mental being4 ,whatever truth there is in these newly named theories of healing1 is identically the same as that claimed by the mesmerists and magnetists4 ,the process1 the cause and effect1 are the same under the name of ,christian ,science as that of mesmerism4 ,in the large class of diseases called nervous1 the soothing influence of another mind is of unmeasured benefit4 ,even the hope aroused that some mind is exciting its will to relieve1 is beneficial4 ,the strengthened will and imagination are wonderfully healing agencies4 ,while the influence of the mind over the body is admitted without contradiction so long as the former is connected with the latter1 the limitations of the physical world must be felt4 ,there is a sickness of the mind1 and of the body1 and over the latter the mind has not full control4 ,yet with a race freed from hereditary taint1 having for generations obeyed the laws of health until its conditions are fixed by heredity1 it may not be said what the power of the mind may be4 ,if the mother can stamp her unborn child with the monstrosity she fancies in her fright2 if she can impart the insane thirst for stimulants and the fiendish hate and cruelty of savages1 might she not by glorified conditions1 exalted motives1 and the over-shadowing consciousness that her mind is divine1 the creator of an immortal being1 endow the child with angelic qualities and make it a divine being8 ,the children of many generations of such mothers1 what exalted spiritual and intellectual attainment would be their inheritance6 ,nor should the mother alone be held responsible1 as has been the custom4 ,divine motherhood is linked with divine fatherhood1 the opposite element1 but of equal value4 ,the germinal impulse carries with it all that has entered into the lives of remotest parental ancestors1 and the recipient mother acts upon it1 and is reacted on1 until her entire being1 physical and spiritual1 is modified4 ,however grand the ideal excellence of the future1 it is not realized in the present1 and may not be for ages to come4 ,the present race of men are born with the sins of all the past stamped into their constitutions4 ,it is folly to teach that there is no sickness except in the mind2 idle to teach faith can cure disease1 the seeds of which were planted unnumbered generations ago1 and grown rankly from parent to child4 ,purity1 true nobility of life1 spiritual culture1 devotion to right1 and obedience to the laws of health may be accepted and the ideal attempted1 but not fully realized now4 ,meanwhile1 old methods must not be wholly discarded4 ,old remedies can not be safely cast aside4 ,the lame must have their staff and crutch until strong enough to walk alone4 ,,conclusion4--,the ,ideal may be sketched in our fond fancy1 and the attempt to realize it began by living a higher1 nobler1 purer life4 ,know we what this means8 ,it means more than simple living4 ,there is everything beyond that4 ,what this means will be best comprehended by referring to the preceding pages1 where it is taught that there is a thought-atmosphere1 from which sensitive minds receive a glorious flood of inspiration4 ,magnetism1 ,mesmerism1 ,hypnotism1 or the states of healing by ,faith or ,christian ,science are but the temporary approaches to that one condition of sensitiveness4 ,in that condition great changes may be affected in the vital forces promotive of the normal functions of the various organs1 as fear1 grief1 remorse1 etc41 may disturb their healthy action1 and induce pathological changes in them4 ,death will come to all physical forms sooner or later1 for it is as necessary to the fulfillment of our destiny as to the transformation of the caterpillar to the butterfly2 but disease and all the sufferings1 losses1 and disappointments in its train1 may be1 and will be1 eliminated1 when mortal life is so ordered that it will constantly walk in the shadow of spiritual forces4 ,then sickness will be regarded as a mark of ignorance1 if not a crime4 ,what the ,immortal ,state ,must ,be4 ,,the ,,lead ,,of ,,the ,,argument4--,in pursuing the study of the subjects presented in the preceding pages1 the student often catches a glimpse of an intelligent force existing after the death of the physical being4 ,this came through the facts presented by hypnotism1 somnambulism1 trance1 clairvoyance1 thought-transference1 dreams1 and the appearance of the deceased to near friends at a distance1 at the time of1 or soon after1 the hour of dissolution4 ,the continuance of existence beyond the grave has been made to depend on belief in certain dogmas1 or at least the condition of that life has been made thus dependent by the religious systems of the world4 ,now that science encroaches on the realm of faith1 and these dogmas are questioned1 and immortality which seemingly rests on and is supported by them1 becomes doubtful2 yet1 if it be a fact that man has a spirit1 which is immortal1 this is the most over-shadowing fact in the universe2 one of profoundest interest and most consonant with the desires of the human heart4 ,around it gather our fondest hopes and brightest dreams2 by it the seeming disparity and injustice of this life are compensated2 the tearful eye is dried2 the broken heart finds balm1 and the burdens of time and place cast aside1 and the possibilities of the aspiring spirit may be realized4 ,it is an unfailing staff in the hands of those who mourn the loved and lost1 offering the only adequate consolation in the cruel hour when we stand by the couch of death1 feeling that1 beyond1 darkness gathers thick and broods over a sea of eternal silence1 from which only echo responds to our call of the name of the departed4 ,then it is that hope lifts our hearts from despair1 and a positive assurance of the continuity of life is worth all else in the world4 ,,the ,,belief ,,in ,,immortality ,,has ,,been ,,made ,a ,,curse4--,this belief1 so full of delight and rainbowed with anticipations1 has been made1 from the dawn of man's religious nature1 the means of inflicting unspeakable tortures1 both of mind and body4 ,selfishness thrust the priest between man and the invisible world of spirit1 and made immortality the instrument wherewith it could rule with diabolical despotism over mankind4 ,even when the rain-maker shook his rattling calabash at the sky1 and beseeched the moisture-giving clouds to send down rain1 the priestly order had fast hold on the superstitious savage2 and in all the transformations of history1 surging with the coming and going of countless generations and the ebb and flow of empires1 never for a moment has this grip been loosened4 ,the power of the temporal ruler has been second to that of the class who held the keys of life beyond the grave4 ,what if the king could cast into a dungeon1 condemn to the cross or the flames8 ,that were pain for a moment1 or1 at most1 for the few years of this life2 and of what insignificance these short years1 or the most terrible tortures human ingenuity could invent1 to the infinite tortures extending through an eternal existence8 ,pharaoh might command ,egypt to-day1 but1 to-night1 his spirit would be summoned before the tribunal of the ,dead2 and those austere priestly judges would decide whether he be cast to the crocodiles of the ,nile to become extinct1 or again1 clad in his mummified body1 resurrected and purified1 a companion of the gods4 ,what a position for an ignorant man6 ,immortality is the ,promethean curse1 enabling the vultures to inflict never-ending torments4 ,the sweetest boon is oblivion1 and that is denied4 ,the sun may fade from the heavens and the stars cease to shine2 but the spirit can not escape its doom1 and will not have experienced even then the first pangs of its sufferings4 ,is it strange that men went wild with this dreadful belief8 ,ignorant men1 who feared the unseen1 intangible spirits of the air more than the accumulated tortures that human ruler might inflict1 saw in the priests who claimed the power to control this intangible world1 who held the keys of the ,great ,unseen1 the only hope of escape4 ,how well that order has seized its vantage1 and1 fanning the flames of superstition1 stifled reason and led poor ,humanity over the quaking bog-lands and reeking marshes of myth-theology6 ,this life is nothing compared with that which is to come4 ,its most innocent pleasures are sins2 for the body itself is sinful1 and by sin man came into the world4 ,pressed down beneath the weight of universal disaster1 the doctrine of ,jesus was the wail of despair4 ,take no heed of the morrow4 ,live only for to-day4 ,give all to the poor4 ,resist not the tyrant wrong4 ,this life is a vale of tears1 and the eye that weeps most shall be the brightest in glory in the life which is to come4 ,o ,jesus1 on thy cross1 what infinite misery has come from this misconception of thy teachings6 ,men1 believing that their immortal spirits were chained to sinful bodies1 rushed in herds to the mountain cave or lonely desert1 and1 by fasting and thirst1 by hair-cloth garments wearing through the flesh to the bone1 by flagellation and daily crucifixion1 sought to expiate the sins of the body1 and enter the next life purified4 ,believing in an immortal life1 they sought to force their belief on others1 and proselyte by sword and torture4 ,dogmatism grew rankly luxuriant in this hot-bed of ignorance and superstition4 ,humanity was bound to the wheel2 and ingenuity exhausted its skill in demoniacal inventions whereby severer pangs might be evoked1 that through physical suffering the spirit might gain purification4 ,poor humanity might well exclaim1 ,blessed be oblivion to this curse of ,immortality6 ,not to lead a happy and perfect life1 but to avoid the pangs of hell1 to escape the consequences of original sin1 was the object to which all energies were directed4 ,and there was obligation to propagate this belief until received by all the world4 ,out of this doctrine came centuries of persecution1 such as the heathen world never dreamed of4 ,if your relative or friend accepted what you regarded erroneous dogmas1 which would send him to eternal torment would it not be plain duty for you to use every means to persuade and convince him1 even if necessary1 by force8 ,for should you1 in last extremity1 destroy his body1 what fleeting consequence1 if you saved thereby his soul6 ,the savage1 having killed his enemy1 trembles at the thought that the spirit has escaped1 and may work untold mischief4 ,he sits down at the cannibal feast1 that1 by eating the body1 he may absorb the spirit1 and thus be doubly avenged1 by blotting out his foe1 by making his body and spirit a part of himself4 ,noble and spotless lives have grown out of ,christianity1 as out of other systems of religion1 as beautiful lilies grow out of the slime2 but they grew in defiance of its teachings1 which make this life of no value compared with the next4 ,as all religions rest on the foundation of belief in a future life1 so all the religious wars which have cursed mankind are referable to it2 all persecutions2 all the unutterable sufferings1 physical and spiritual1 which have made the centuries one long night of agony4 ,it has blotted the star of hope from the heavens1 and filled the vaulted darkness with the bitter wails of despair4 ,humanity rolling onward in a vast river1 to plunge over the crags of death into a bottomless pit of eternal agony1 and the best that ,christianity has offered1 or can offer1 is eternal psalm-singing to golden harps4 ,saving souls has been the theme of the ,christian world for nearly two thousand years1 and various have been the means employed4 ,dungeon1 rack1 the flames1 social ostracism--how shall ,i find space to catalogue the endless names of methods which curdle the blood at bare mention6 ,the cannibal1 feasting on his foe1 is engaged in the honorable effort of saving a soul1 and the priestly torturer is doing the same4 ,the ,brunos were chained amid the fagots' flame1 to save their souls and the souls of others led astray by their doctrines4 ,go down into the dimly lighted tribunal hall1 where ,god's vicegerents sit in judgment4 ,before them stands one gone astray in belief4 ,there is no argument of words4 ,on the table is a little thimble with a screw at one side4 ,the heretic places his fingers therein1 and the judges turn the screws down into the tender nails4 ,the compressed lips grow white1 the veins knot on the temples1 beaded sweat gathers on the brow1 as slowly down pierces the relentless steel1 until at last1 human endurance yields1 and the trembling lips gasp1 ,dear ,christ1 ,i believe6 ,then turn back the screws1 ring the bells1 and rejoice with great joy2 for a soul is saved6 ,from that hall1 go down a flight of stone steps to another in the bowels of the earth1 where the walls are reeking with mold1 and the lamp darkens in the foul vapor4 ,tread with care on the slippery floors1 for the slime of years has gathered2 and now we have reached a great stone1 which we can turn back like a trap-door1 and reach an opening4 ,lower your lamp1 feebly burning in the fetid atmosphere4 ,there are walls of stone1 there is stone for a floor4 ,it is like a jug without an outlet1 except at the top4 ,at the bottom is something moving1 living6 ,hush6 ,it moans and has speech6 ,an iron ring wears the bleeding ankle to the bone1 to the ring is a chain1 and the other end of the chain is fastened to the floor4 ,what monstrous crime has this man committed that he should thus suffer8 ,nothing1 except he has thought for himself--is lost2 and his judges are making the desperate attempt to save his soul6 ,saving souls1 not the life here1 but that which is to come1 has been the blight and curse of mankind4 ,the doctrine of one world at a time1 and the present supreme1 is a reaction against this essentially vicious dogma4 ,neither extreme may be true2 for the truth is the golden mean1 which makes the future life a continuity of this1 carrying forward all its ideals to full realization1 and making the spiritual realm held in abeyance to as fixed and unchangeable laws as the material world4 ,by knowledge1 man has been led out of the fogs to the highlands of free thought1 and aroused from the nightmare of theology1 which for ages held him in thraldom4 ,those were the ages when ,god and ,christ were inwrought into the ,constitution of the ,state1 and the ,holy ,bible was the foundation of the law4 ,those were the ages of ,st4 ,bartholomew massacres1 of autos-da-f1 of the rack and the fagot4 ,those were the ages when the day was darkened by the smoke of burning cities1 and the fair fields gleamed white with the bones of the slain4 ,those were the ages when the whole ,christian world engaged itself in saving souls6 ,a ,jesus may suffer on the cross2 not only one1 but ten thousand may die1 admirable in self-sacrifice and examples of firm adhesion to their sense of duty2 but1 for saving souls1 their sacrifice is lost2 for they suffer for a misconception of the plan of the world4 ,man has never been lost1 and can not be lost1 and hence can not be saved by the blood of one or ten thousand sacrifices4 ,if the future life is a continuity of this1 then the perfection of religion is the making of this life perfect4 ,not by crucifixion of the body1 not by suffering or disappointment1 but by complete and harmonious culture1 can this be accomplished4 ,,the ,,new ,,method4--,to solve the problem of immortality by the methods of ,science1 to bring it up from the marshlands of conjecture to the region of absolute knowledge1 belongs to the present age and generation4 ,it is a task they can and must accomplish4 ,it has for so many ages been the fertile field of superstition1 that it seems impossible to disentangle it from its unsatisfactory wrappings4 ,the investigation must commence with the physical man as the basis of the spiritual1 as through and by means of the body he is related to the physical world4 ,he is the superlative being2 the last1 greatest and yet incomplete effort of creative energy4 ,all departments of science gather around him as a center1 and to have perfect knowledge of him is to comprehend the universe4 ,in the earliest ages2 in the very childhood of the race1 the momentous question was asked3 ,what am ,i8 ,the solution was felt to be fraught with momentous consequences not only in this life but the interminable future which was vaguely shadowed in the mind of savage man4 ,the answers given became the foundations of the great religious systems of the world4 ,the conjecture of untutored minds was received as the true system of causation1 and growing hoary with age arrogated to itself infallible authority1 and required implicit faith1 and the exercise of reason1 only1 in making palatable the requirements of that faith4 ,conceived in an age when nature was an unknown realm1 when science opened her mysteries to the understanding1 and one by one1 dogmas claiming infallibility were shown to be false1 there of necessity was antagonism and conflict4 ,i do not propose to enlarge on the theological aspect of this subject more than incidentally4 ,that treatment has grown stale1 flat and unprofitable1 for every drop of vital juice it contained has been extracted long ago4 ,the interminable sects1 wrangling over the dogmatic solution of this vital question of man's origin and destiny1 arriving at nothing determinate1 wrangling with each other and themselves1 are not incentives to beguile the earnest truth-seeker to follow their paths4 ,if metaphysical theology contained the germ of a truthful solution1 satisfaction would have resulted ages ago1 and the mind1 reposing contented with the answer1 would have employed its energies in other directions4 ,instead1 there is restlessness1 turmoil1 conflict and indecision1 and never has been an answer so broad and deep in ,catholicity of truth as to meet the demand4 ,if science fails also1 it can not retrieve its failure by assumed infallibility4 ,its teachings are ever tentative and prophecies of final triumph1 as the grandest study of mankind is man1 the crowning work of science is the solution of this vexed question4 ,,physical ,,man4--,first1 as most tangible and obvious in this investigation1 is the physical man1 the body1 the temple of the psyche4 ,the student1 even when imbued with the doctrine of materialism1 arises from the study of the physical machine with wonder and surprise akin to awe1 declaring man to be fearfully and wonderfully made4 ,it is not surprising that we die1 but that we live4 ,the rupture of a nerve fiber1 the obstruction of a valve1 the momentary cessation of breath1 the introduction of a mote at some vital point1 brings this most complex structure to eternal rest4 ,by what constant oversight1 by what persistency of reparation is it preserved from ruin6 ,this physical man is an animal1 amenable to the laws of animal growth4 ,his body is the type of which theirs are imperfect copies4 ,from two or three mineral substances his bones are crystalized1 and articulated as the bones of all vertebrate animals1 and over them the muscles are extended4 ,from the amphioxus1 too low in the scale of being to be called a fish2 a being without organs1 without a brain2 little more than an elongated sack of gelatinous substance1 through which a white line marks the position of the spinal cord and the future spinal axis2 there is a slow and steady evolution to the perfected skeleton of man4 ,his osseous structure is the type of all4 ,the fin of the fish1 the huge paddle of the whale1 the cruel paw of the tiger1 the hoof of the horse1 the wing of the bird1 and the wonderfully flexible hand of man1 so exquisite in adaptations to be taken as an unqualified evidence of design1 are all fashioned out of the same elementary bones1 after one model4 ,the change of form to meet the wants of their possessors1 results from the relative enlargement or atrophy of one or more of these elements4 ,when the fleshy envelope is stripped away1 it is astonishing how alike these apparently divergent forms really are4 ,in the whale the flesh unites the huge bones of the fingers and produces a broad1 oar-like fin2 in the tiger the nails become retractile talons2 in the bird some of the fingers are atrophied1 while others are elongated to support the feathers which are to offer resistance to the air in flight2 in the horse the bones of the fingers are consolidated1 and the united nails appear in the hoof4 ,if there exists such perfect similarity in the bony structure of man to the animal world1 the muscular system for which it furnishes support offers the same likeness4 ,trace any muscle in the human body from its origin to its termination1 mark the points where it seizes the bones1 the function it performs1 and then dissect the most obscure or disreputable member of the vertebrate kingdom1 and you will find the same muscle performing the same function4 ,the talons of the tiger are extended and flexed by muscles1 similar to those which give flexibility to the human hand1 and the same elements are traceable in the ponderous paddle of the whale4 ,more vital than the bony framework1 or the muscles to which it gives support1 is the nervous system1 seemingly not only the central source of vital power1 but the means of union and sympathetic relation of every cell and fiber of the entire body4 ,the brain has been aptly compared to a central telegraphic office1 and the nerves to the extended wires1 which hold in communication and direct relation all the organs1 and from which the functions of each are directed4 ,the nervous system is the bridge which spans the chasm between matter and spirit1 and the battle between ,materialism and ,spiritualism must be fought not only with brain1 but in the province of brain4 ,however we may regard the spiritual being as an independent entity1 when we study this subject from the physical side1 we are compelled to accept the intricate blending of the influence of the brain on the expression of that being1 during its connection therewith4 ,the issue directly stated is this3 ,does the brain yield mind as a result of organic changes in its cells and fibers1 or is mind a manifestation through and by means of the brain of something beyond and superior8 ,it is admitted by profound thinkers that the brain and its functions is an unfathomed mystery1 and that investigators must be content with what may be called secondary causes and effects4 ,phosphorus and sulphur may be essential for the activity of brain tissue1 yet it is absurd to claim that a super-abundance of these elements wrote an ,iliad1 or solved the problem of gravitation4 ,it is not phosphorus1 or carbon1 or nitrogen1 however vigorously oxidized1 which pulsates in the emotions of friendship or love2 that feels and thinks and knows2 that recollects the past1 anticipates the future1 and reaches out in infinite aspirations for perfection4 ,the actions of thought on the brain1 the effort compelling the body to serve the bidding of the spirit1 may consume this element and many others1 as the movement of an engine consumes the coal and wastes the steam2 but the coal and the steam are only the means whereby mind impresses itself on matter4 ,the physicist studies the brain as one wholly unacquainted with an engine would study that machine1 and mistaking it for a living being1 might be supposed to do4 ,he would observe its motion1 and1 weighing the coal consumed and the products of combustion1 would say that they appeared in steam1 which after propelling the piston was waste4 ,the design of the engine1 the effect of these combinations and this waste1 this observer would claim to be the guiding intelligence4 ,and he would further argue that so much coal in the grate1 so much water in the boiler and there appears an equivalent of intelligence1 and the waste may be predetermined by chemical formul4 ,until the threshold of the functional activity of the brain and the nervous system have been passed1 conclusions should be modestly expressed4 ,if it be claimed that man is a natural being1 originated and sustained by natural laws1 that he came without miracle1 then do we unite the margins of the human and animal kingdoms1 and are satisfied with placing man at the head of the animal world8 ,an interminable and unbroken series of beings extends in a gradual gradation downwards1 until the organs by which the phenomena of life are manifested are lost one by one1 the senses disappear1 until we arrive at what has been aptly termed protoplasm1 not an organized form1 but simply organizable matter1 or matter from which organic forms can be produced4 ,if1 in reviewing this chain of beings1 slowly arising by constant evolution1 we closely examine several of its consecutive links1 we shall find that while each ascending link is apparently complete1 yet it is only the germ out of which the next is evolved in superior forms4 ,each link is prophecy of future superiority4 ,the fulfillment of one age can be traced until man appears as the last term in the physical series4 ,they who teach this doctrine of evolution1 which is to life what the law of gravitation is to worlds1 also teach that united with the doctrine of conservation of force1 the hope of immortality becomes a dream4 ,what a sham they make of creation6 ,what a turmoil for no result6 ,infinite ages of progress and evolution1 during which elemental matter1 by force of inherent laws1 sought to individualize itself and incarnate its forces in living beings2 ages of struggle upwards from low to high1 from sensitive to sentient1 from sentient to intellectual1 from zophyte to man6 ,and now1 having accomplished this1 and given man exquisite susceptibility of thought1 of love1 of affection2 making him the last factor in the series1 he is doomed to perish6 ,what is gained by this travail of the ages8 ,would it not have been as well had the series stopped with the huge saurians of the primeval slime1 or the mastodon and mammoth of the pre-historic times1 as with the man4 ,as each factor in the series prophecies future forms1 so does man read in the same light1 prophecy-forms beyond4 ,they can not be in the line of greater physical perfection1 for in the days of ,greece and ,rome1 man was as perfect physically1 as is seen by their sculptures1 as to-day4 ,ages ago1 this exceeding beauty was attained4 ,it cannot be in the evolution of a being superior to man1 for as in each lower animal imperfect organs or structures1 or partially employed functions1 are improvable and perfected by succeeding forms1 in man the archetype is complete1 and no partially developed organ indicates the possibility of future change4 ,progress having arrived at its limits with the body1 changes its direction1 and appears in the advancement of mind4 ,death closes the career of individuality1 and we live only in thoughts--our selfhood is absorbed in the ocean of being4 ,mankind perfects as a whole1 and the sighed-for millenium is coming bye-and-bye4 ,of what avail is it to us if future generations are wise and noble1 if we pass into nonentity8 ,of what avail to them to be wise and noble1 if life is only the fleeting hour8 ,not yet can we believe ,nature to be such a sham--such a cruel failure4 ,the spirit rebels against the supposition of its mortality4 ,the body is its habiliment4 ,shall the coat be claimed to be the entire man8 ,shall the garments ignore the wearer8 ,this is the animal side of man4 ,physically composed of the same elements1 and having passed through these innumerable changes1 he is an epitome of the universe4 ,as man was foreshadowed in remotest ages as the crowning type in the series of organic life1 so man foreshadows superior excellence4 ,springing out of his physical perfectibility1 arises a new world of spiritual wants and aspirations1 unanswered and unanswerable in mortal life4 ,,man ,a ,,dual ,,being4--,while ,theology1 ,brahminical1 ,buddhistical or ,christian1 teaches that man is an incarnate spirit1 independent of the physical body1 created by miracle1 supported by a succession of miracles1 and saved by a miracle from eternal death1 material science1 as at present taught by its leading exponents1 wholly ignores his spiritual life1 and declares him to be a physical being only4 ,it is not my purpose to reconcile these conflicting views4 ,truths never require reconciliation4 ,they never conflict2 and if the results of two different methods of investigation are at variance1 one or the other is in error1 or both1 perchance1 and the only reconciliation is the elimination of that error4 ,the egotisms of theology and the pride of science array their votaries in opposition1 while the truth remains unquestioned in the unexplored middle ground4 ,man is neither a spirit nor a body2 he is the intimate union of both4 ,in and through his physical being1 the spiritual nature is evolved from the forces of the elements and is expressed4 ,there is somewhat more enduring than the resultants of chemical unions1 action and reactions in his physical body4 ,beneath this organic construction is that which remains1 to which it is the scaffolding which assists1 while it conceals the development of the real edifice4 ,paul1 the most profound thinker of all the founders of ,christianity1 very forcibly and clearly expresses this duality when he makes the distinction between the celestial body and the terrestrial4 ,in mortal life these are united1 and death is simply their separation4 ,his disciples have grossly misunderstood and mistaught his explanation4 ,the terrestrial body cannot inherit eternal life1 which is the birthright of the celestial4 ,death is the severance of the cord which unites these bodies in the seemingly indivisible web of earth-life4 ,the terrestrial returns to the elements from which it came2 the celestial remains individualized4 ,it is unusual for writers on science at the present day to quote the ,bible in support of their theories2 but no author before ,paul's time or since has given a more complete philosophy of life1 and a key wherewith to unlock the secrets of the grave4 ,,definitions4--,the comparison of terms has led to the strangest processes of reasoning1 and the classifications in which some writers delight1 have served as a means of intellectual gymnastics1 rather than data for clear reasoning4 ,in the threefold division of body1 soul and spirit1 by using the two last terms1 at times as meaning something essentially distinct1 and at others1 as synonymous with intelligence1 and each other2 and again making soul and body the same1 a most admirable means for the jugglery of disputation is furnished1 which has not been left unused1 and by which the discussion of this subject has been befogged4 ,there is the physical body1 and the spirit to which the manifestations of mind belong4 ,the term soul has no meaning1 except as synonymous with body or spirit1 and hence is discarded in this discussion4 ,,pre-,,existence4--,it has been taught that the ego1 the immortal part1 is from ,god1 and at death returns to ,god who gave it4 ,the eternal existence in the past of spirits1 is presupposed1 and that they await the development of bodies for them to enter1 and earth-life1 therefore1 to them is a probationary state4 ,the history of this theory is of profound interest1 as it is wrought into the tissue of received theology1 and its beginning traced to the conjectures of primitive man4 ,it ignores the rule of law1 and makes the birth of every child a miracle4 ,the ancient doctrine of re-incarnation1 lately revived1 meets the same objection4 ,a spirit1 perfect in its individuality1 through a germ becomes clad in flesh4 ,it does not do this because the mortal state is preferable2 for the spirit constantly desires to escape from its thraldom4 ,it is compelled by a direct mandate of ,god to undergo this metamorphosis as a punishment1 and means of atonement4 ,according to this view1 the development of man becomes entirely different from that of animals4 ,there is no law1 order or unity of organic forms4 ,creation is an ever-enacting miracle4 ,when this scheme is referred to fixed laws in the spirit realm1 the known causes acting in the physical world are but transferred to the spiritual1 where they at once pass beyond recognition4 ,it is needless to say that with such speculations1 an explanation having any claim to scientific accuracy has nothing in common4 ,,origin ,,of ,,spirit4--,if there is an immortal spirit1 whether its duration be eternal or measured by time1 as we can not go beyond the realm of law--by which we mean the fixed order of causation--it must date its beginning with that of the body4 ,the history of the development of the germ is a correspondence of that of the spirit4 ,if the parents have immortal spirits as well as mortal bodies1 then while their physical bodies support the corporeal being1 their spiritual natures must in an equal measure support the spirit of the fetus1 and the growth of its dual nature be similar1 both receiving nourishment from the mother4 ,the two forms mature together2 one pervading and being the exact copy of the other4 ,,objections4--,as the processes of life and that lower order of intelligence known as instinct1 are manifested in animals1 identically the same as they are in man1 and by the wonderful interrelationship existing between all the members of the animal world1 from protozoa to man1 what is true of one must be true of all1 it follows that if it is necessary to evoke the aid of the spirit for the explanation of the phenomena connected with man1 it is equally necessary in the case of animals4 ,granting this1 the next step is to show the absurdity of the idea that all the infinitude of beings1 from microbes to leviathans1 have a life beyond the evening of their brief day4 ,the issue is fairly stated1 but the claim regarded as absurd is not made4 ,all may have spirits1 from the lowest to the highest1 holding the same relations to the body in which it is gestated as the spirit of man holds to his physical form4 ,that such should be the case is a necessity of the position taken by this work4 ,it is not1 however1 held1 nor is it necessary that it should be1 that the spirit of animals is immortal1 or exist after the death of the body4 ,they have not attained the requisite development1 which has been likened to an arch which requires the finish1 by putting in place of the keystone before the staging on which it rests can be removed1 leaving the arch permanent4 ,if this staging is removed before the keystone is put in place1 the entire structure falls in ruins4 ,in man1 the arch is completed4 ,yet1 as the animal merges into man through intermediate forms--and the infant knows less than the perfect animal--the line of demarkation is drawn with difficulty4 ,it is like the boundary between the hill and its valley3 both meet somewhere2 but no one can say where the valley begins and the hill ends4 ,a certain degree of development is essential1 below which spirit cannot exist independently of the physical body1 and above which this is possible4 ,any theory which of necessity advocates the immortal life of animals as well as of man1 fails by maintaining that which may readily be proved an absurdity4 ,for if the intelligent dog or elephant have existence in the future1 so may the fish1 the mollusk1 the monad1 and even the speck of protoplasm1 which loses itself in unorganic matter4 ,this was put forth as an unanswerable objection to the immortality of the human spirit1 for it was said one or the other horn of the dilemma must be taken2 for as there is no break in the chain of beings1 between man and animals1 even to the monad1 if a future life belongs to him1 equally is it an inheritance of theirs2 and if it be denied them1 so must it be lost to him4 ,in mental and spiritual attainment there is a gulf between man and the animal world1 vastly broader and more profound than is required to give him the inheritance of immortality which is also theirs4 ,in time this gulf is as wide as from the present to several millions of years previous to the glacial period4 ,prof4 ,wallace is so astonished at the difference between the brain of the most savage man and the highest animal1 that he declares the theory of evolution1 which he was first to promulgate1 while it accounts for all the forms of life1 here fails1 and that man stands alone1 the creature of another creation4 ,while he says that man ,may even have lived in the miocene or eocene period1 when not a single mammal was identical in form with any existing species1 yet he does not place the origin of man at a sufficiently remote era in those receding ons of time4 ,in the primitive human being1 thought began its conquest of the world1 and the man of to-day represents the accumulation of all experiences since his ancestors fought with cunning craft the huge megatherium1 and disputed for supremacy of the tertiary forests with palotherium1 and other monsters of that age4 ,in time1 the gulf between him and the animal world is thus widened1 and in size of brain1 which measures as a psychic metre1 the growth of the superior life1 he is equally distant4 ,it has been remarked that the brain of the savage was so much larger than the exigencies of his life demanded1 that it was comparable to giving the wing of an eagle to a hedge sparrow1 or the arm of a tiger to a mouse4 ,rightly read1 this proves the vast duration of time during the differentiation of man from the animals below him4 ,psychic growth is marked by enlargement of brain1 and as long ago as the earliest preserved geological traces of humanity are found1 that organ had attained a size and form about equal to that of the present4 ,its attainments have become so great that it is difficult at present to compare its intelligent manifestations with the instinctive desires of animals4 ,the brains of all the lower types in certain essentials of organic life are alike1 but in the great lobes which1 superimposed1 mark the degrees of psychic life1 the human being stand alone1 and is human because of the mental qualities these lobes indicate4 ,a ,,spirit ,,not ,,necessarily ,,immortal4--,it has been said by a writer whose sensitive mind had received supernatural light3 ,supposing the laws governing our spiritual natures operate similarly to those governing our physical1 we must naturally infer that the spiritual forms of all parts of life1 may be by those laws interpreted4 ,if the spirit of an animal has not intelligence to obey1 and the spirit of man wilfully disobeys1 will not the law eventually destroy such spirits8 ,the sentient notion that all ignorant and vile spirits1 without aspirations for anything that is good1 who glory in wickedness and persist in the violation of law1 will become perfected ,i regard as false1 for such must go on in a career which ends in annihilation4 ,this writer errs in the cause he assigns for the continuous individuality of spiritual beings4 ,he places it on moral grounds1 making it dependent on moral aspirations1 character and desires4 ,rather is it dependent on development as an entirety4 ,the human being1 after a certain stage of mental growth1 receives a charter to eternal life which it can not annul1 bearing with it all its infinite consequences and responsibilities4 ,in the ,arcana1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 #ahfd1 this subject is thus treated3 ,a spirit is not necessarily immortal1 but can become gradually extinguished1 like a lamp burning for an indefinite time and then going out4 ,such is the condition of the lowest races of mankind4 ,they exist after death2 but with them there is no progress1 no desire for the immortal state1 and slowly1 atom by atom1 they are absorbed into the bosom of the universal spirit-essence as the spirit of the animal is immediately after death4 ,if it be asked at what age the spirit of man retains its identity1 it may be said in reply1 that no certain date can be given1 for that varies with the development of the parents4 ,is the idiot immortal8 ,the answer depends on the circumstances1 the degree and cause of the idiocy4 ,if the idiot is destitute of a ray of intelligence2 if it is only a voiceless1 thoughtless being1 the inference is not cheering1 and the possibilities are largely in favor of its absorption into the bosom of the universal spirit-substance4 ,a sensitive gave his testimony on this subject as it came under his observation while in a trance4 ,its value depends on the credence we give to the revelations received from that state4 ,he said that while in the unconscious trance1 or clairvoyant state1 the dying animal and dying human being were both presented to him1 and he saw the same processes go forward in both4 ,the spirit of the animal floated above the dying body like a thin cloud2 and while he was expecting it to take form and identity1 it dissolved and disappeared1 just as a cloud would do in a summer sky4 ,the spirit of a human being arose like a cloud in the same manner1 took form and identity1 and became a counterpart of the body it had left4 ,this is not a speculative belief1 but demonstrative by the revelations of trance4 ,,must ,,not ,,immortality ,,reach ,,into ,,the ,,past ,,as ,,well ,,as ,,into ,,the ,,future8--,a far more potent objection is made by the ,metaphysician4 ,to him the preceding arguments that the spirit can not have existed prior to birth1 and has a common1 a cotemporary origin with the physical body1 is fatal to its existence after death4 ,he says3 ,whatever has a beginning must have an end2 therefore1 when it is asserted that the spirit of man is immortal1 it follows that it must have always pre-existed2 had an endless past4 ,this is a startling objection and held to be unanswerable1 except by the hypothesis of pre-existence and re-incarnation1 which maintain that the spirit is an indestructible entity1 constantly rehabilitating itself in forms of flesh2 but this hypothesis is only a supposition made in the childhood of the race to meet a doubt and objection4 ,in an age of accurate thought it seems an anachronism4 ,if we accept the doctrine of evolution--and1 as the immediate explanation of the phenomena of living beings1 it is the only1 and a complete explanation--then we must also receive as true the corollary that instinct and intelligence are evolved out of the transformations of living beings1 and that individualized spirit1 if there be such an entity1 must be the last link in the vast organic series from which it has sprung into being4 ,in other words1 with an indeterminable future it has had a determinable past4 ,if the spirit has existed for infinite time before its incarnation in this life1 it has had infinite opportunity for progress1 and1 logically1 should have attained perfection4 ,not only should1 but must have become perfect4 ,it is readily observed that the fact of its imperfection necessitates a beginning1 and the degree of its imperfection shows the nearness or remoteness of its starting point4 ,if it be held that this apparent imperfection is the resultant of the spirit's connection with matter1 it must be remembered that the theory of pre-existence has for its object to account for the evils of this life1 and perfected spiritual beings1 such as all must be after an infinite past1 would have no need of incarnation to attain purity or excellence already theirs2 and should they enter physical bodies1 as spirits1 according to this doctrine1 they would not be contaminated or degraded by their contact with earth and earth-life1 but would glorify it4 ,with the physical form given to offspring by their parents is also given spiritual entity which lives after the decay of that body1 an independent being1 the center of multitudinous forces4 ,is this visionary8 ,lately an eminent physician has claimed that under proper conditions physical life might be indefinitely prolonged1 and man be able to live in the body forever4 ,all that is essential is the preservation of the equilibrium between the forces of renovation and decay4 ,if this could be maintained1 life would be prolonged1 perhaps to the end of time1 and an immortal oak or lion be as possible as an immortal man2 but with the gross forms of matter this can not be maintained4 ,the forces of growth and renovation are in excess until the full tide of maturity is reached1 and then decay is in excess4 ,there is not enough material furnished to replace the waste of the body1 and it wears out1 when death must follow4 ,it is then that a new entity becomes recognizable4 ,the material has become spiritual4 ,such an immortality at best would be not only undesirable1 but unendurable amidst the changing scenes and vicissitudes of material life4 ,only within the refined spiritual realm can we expect to find the perfection we seek4 ,it is a new province1 subject to new conditions and new laws4 ,there is seemingly an impassable gulf between matter and spirit1 yet we shall find it possible to throw an arch across4 ,nature loves such blank spaces2 she loves the black bars in the spectrum as well as the light4 ,between the tadpole and the frog there is a chasm which1 unless the change had been observed1 would be deemed impossible4 ,between the caterpillar and the butterfly2 the worm eating rough herbage and the gaudy winged creature floating like a wind-blown leaf from flower to flower1 the contrast is even greater4 ,how shall we pass the abyss between matter and spirit8 ,more correctly1 how shall we look beyond the dead physical body to the individualized spirit1 and account to the satisfaction of science for the maintenance of immortal individuality from the wreck of organization brought to its most perfected state8 ,while the animal has a similar organization1 in its way1 and compared to its environment as perfect1 why is it that the claim is made that the individuality of the animal is lost at death while that of man is preserved8 ,these are all vital questions1 and rest on the logical affirmation that whatever has a beginning must have an end4 ,if man has a spirit1 the objector affirms that animals1 too1 must have one4 ,there is no sharp break in the series1 and hence no stopping point from the highest to the lowest1 and1 consequently1 the primitive amoeba1 and protoplasmic cell must have an immortal spirit4 ,this1 by reductio ad absurdum1 destroys the affirmation of the immortality of the highest as well as the lowest4 ,we may regard the physical body as the scaffolding1 and when it fails1 the incomplete arch of intelligence built thereon falls with it2 but this arch becomes more and more perfect1 until in man it is perfected2 and when the physical platform by which it has been constructed falls at death1 the arch remains4 ,this is an illustration of the idea1 and not produced as evidence4 ,for this evidence we must consider the more abstruse doctrines of force and its relation to matter4 ,if we go back to the beginning1 to the primal chaos1 we find visible matter and invisible force4 ,we may take one step further and find force only1 regarding matter as the form of its manifestation4 ,this1 however1 is not an essential admission in this discussion4 ,this force is the first revealment of an intelligent1 ever active1 persistent energy1 which pulsates through the universe4 ,what lies back of it2 from whence it springs1 we may not know4 ,it is unknown1 though perhaps1 not unknowable4 ,as we can only recognize ,force as ,motion1 and motion only in connection with physical matter1 our investigation must begin with the emergence of that ,force as the moving energy of the cosmic world-vapor4 ,in this expression with the primal elements1 unconditioned1 its tendency is to move in direct lines4 ,this is illustrated in crystallization which may be called the first manifestation of life--the dynamic force of life4 ,this force1 which as seen in the formation and revolution of worlds1 is vorticle2 in the vegetable kingdom it becomes spiral1 and more and more circular as it ascends through the animal kingdom to its higher forms1 and in man becomes completely so4 ,this statement will be better understood by the accompanying diagram4 ,illustration3 ,diagram of the ,individualization of ,force4 ,the straight line a1 represents primary force as manifested in the world-cloud1 or nebulous vapor of the beginning4 ,it was this force that directed every atom to the common center of the cosmic mass4 ,if its history be traced1 it will be found that the motion of the atom starting on a straight line for the center is deflected by the resistance of the crowding atoms1 and approaches the center by a parabolic curve4 ,in other words1 the cosmic cloud would form a vortex like a whirlpool1 and the rotatory motion developed would1 before the accumulation of any great mass at the center1 prevent further aggregation2 and the rotating belts would1 after condensation into worlds1 continue to revolve in spiral circles which1 because of the masses not being homogenous1 would correct their variations by spiral orbits which often reaching a minimum distance from the center1 retrace themselves by the worlds traveling a spiral orbit that becomes constantly larger1 until a maximum of distance had been gained4 ,this explanation of planetary motions has really no connection with the present discussion1 except as it illustrates the parallel between the circle gained by individualized masses1 and the circle gained by individualized spirit4 ,the line of force directly acting1 is the dynamic energy of matter4 ,it passes into the world of life in an ascending spiral1 that at each ascension1 instead of completing itself1 rises to a higher degree4 ,the spirals at b represent the life of plants2 and those at i animal life1 now termed vital energy or vital force4 ,there is incompleteness1 and the force ever ascends to a higher form4 ,at d the spiral becomes a circle4 ,the evoluting or individualizing energy returns within its orbit1 and instead of extending to higher forms1 seeks the perfection of the human being4 ,if1 now1 the inflowing forces represented by the dotted line c1 be cut off1 the individualization of the product of that force is complete4 ,it stands alone4 ,the orbit of the forces of its rotation is fixed by the indestructible4 ,as in the planetary orbit1 caused by an oscillation between extremes1 there will be variations1 but a constant return to the point of departure4 ,the cosmic energy of force having ascended through this pathway becomes individualized1 as at d1 and death severing the bond at c1 the spirit as the centerstance of force becomes as at e1 entirely detached from the stream of living beings4 ,the force that apparently had a beginning1 at least such to our consciousness1 has by the cumulative processes of life embodied all that is valuable1 and is enabled to exist alone2 returning forever within itself1 maintaining a perfect equilibrium between the sentient intellectual and moral natures it has acquired4 ,it is the focus of these4 ,there is no end to the individualized force in this direction2 in other words1 spirit is immortal4 ,it follows that vegetable and animal types along the spiral represent incompleteness to such an extent as to forbid existence after detachment from the impelling current4 ,this can only be attained by development carried to a certain degree1 below which the force must disappear with the organization which manifests it4 ,,death4--,death is the separation of the spirit and the physical body2 and as the former carries with it all that enters into the individuality1 the self-hood1 there can be no change in that individuality4 ,in the processes of evolution1 death is as natural as birth--one is entrance into the earthly life2 one departure from it to a higher sphere of activity4 ,ever is it as of old3 ,the angel of the sepulchre is the angel of the resurrection4 ,,after ,,death4--,the student calmly surveying the pathway of evolution1 seeing constantly in one age the prophecy of ages that follow2 reminded by every form of life1 of a striving to realize an ideal1 and in man1 finally1 as the highest work of creative energy1 finds that ideal type of physical beauty1 and adaptation to the demands of mind1 realizes that short of this last crowning work the plan is incomplete1 and a failure4 ,the line of advance to man is direct and continuous4 ,he is the perfect fruitage of the ,tree of ,life4 ,having reached the perfection of his physical form1 progress changes in direction to the perfection of his intellectual and moral being4 ,in this direction it is never completed during the brief years of mortal life2 but transposed to an existence after death1 the infinitude of years is equal to the infinite possible advancement2 for as no one can fathom the centuries of the future1 no one can fix the boundary lines circumscribing mental attainment4 ,after death the celestial being holds fast to all that marked its individuality in earth-life--its loves1 affections1 desires1 culture1 attainments1 its fears--to begin there where it leaves off here1 with new environments and happier methods4 ,it will find belief the rags of the beggar1 concealing the one bright reality1 that immortal life is an inheritance1 governed by laws as fixed as those of the physical world4 ,beyond this1 in earth life we can but darkly understand4 ,we have words to convey ideas of things well known to us--of lights seen1 sounds heard1 of tastes1 odors and sensations2 but mortal senses have not experienced1 can not experience1 the sensations of this higher life1 and so there are no words to convey the sensations or thoughts awakened4 ,true1 there is a correspondence1 such as ,swedenborg attempted to express1 but failed because of the limitations of language4 ,he was1 like every one who attempts this task1 with ideas formed in the idiom of one language1 attempting to express them in a foreign tongue1 which has no suitable words4 ,there are barbarous languages1 with vocabularies of scarcely one thousand words1 yet capable of expressing fully the thoughts of those who use them4 ,it would be impossible to translate the complex thoughts of civilized man into such forms of speech1 much less the impressions and thoughts of the celestial life4 ,if a butterfly1 endowed with language to express the beauties of the broad summer landscape1 the soft winds1 the melting clouds1 the fragrance and nectar of flowers1 should return to the old bitter herbage1 where its hairy1 uncouth relatives were feeding on acrid leaves1 and spreading its brilliant wings to catch the sunlight1 should attempt to relate the wonders of the life that was its own1 how little would they understand1 how sadly would they misconstrue his meaning4 ,for them there has been no experience of wafting winds2 no sensation of flying2 nor of sweet nectar food1 or perfume and brilliant color1 and of these no words held in common could convey any meaning4 ,for the full knowledge of that higher life we must wait4 ,and it is well3 for to know earth-life in its completeness is enough1 and more1 for its short years4 ,as this life is the vestibule to the next1 so a true knowledge of it is of priceless value to advancement there1 and its culture1 its moral growth1 its spiritual excellence1 are treasures laid up in heaven1 and this is all that the freed spirit can carry with it in its transition4 ,personal ,experience--,intelligence from the ,sphere of ,light4 ,it is difficult to prevent the discussion of ,psychic questions from assuming more or less a religious aspect4 ,the reason for this is that all systems of religion are based on ,spiritual existence1 and from views of that life1 true or false1 draw their vital sustenance4 ,the moment it dawns upon the mind of an investigator1 that in the facts and laws which come under his observation there are expressed forces unknown to the physicist2 that beyond1 dimly seen1 there is an intimation of intelligent1 yet impalpable beings1 he is conscious of his own high destiny1 and the necessity of conforming mortal life to it4 ,the inquiry of the student becomes the seed-bed for the propagation of religious thought4 ,herein this domain is unlike all others1 for the outcome of research within its limits1 is the last fruitage of ,ethical ,systems4 ,imperfect understanding1 as that of the savage1 blindly feeling without comprehending1 yields the rank growth of superstition2 while scientific and philosophic investigation yield the most refined morality4 ,the preceding pages show the important part the sensitive holds in the manifestations and study of psychic phenomena4 ,the true position of the psychic individual is not appreciated1 even by those who have given the subject much attention4 ,while in the preceding discussions ,i have spoken in the impersonal mode1 ,i wish to add my testimony from years of experience1 as a sensitive4 ,i do this because it forms a somewhat necessary preface to the narrative which follows4 ,the mass of mankind understand the delicacy of the conditions which go to make up the sensitive subject2 of the acuteness with which the nervous system is strung2 its keen susceptibility to pain and pleasure1 about as well as the illiterate boor comprehends the chemical tension of the plate in the camera or the subtile ways of electricity4 ,to be a sensitive is to have at times the light of heaven in the heart1 and at others the darkness of despair4 ,a thousand influences are always acting1 and the brain of the sensitive receives them all1 trembles to their vibrations1 and finds resistance to them an effort most exhaustive of vitality4 ,in this state of tension1 disagreeable objects1 opposing words1 or antagonisms which ordinarily would pass unfelt and unnoticed1 strike with rude hand1 and give excruciating torture4 ,the presence of an object or person may be sufficient to antagonize or destroy all ethereal influences4 ,i know of nothing that may be compared with the acute depression of the mind after such experiences1 which corresponds to the preceding exaltation4 ,while the sensitive is receiving a flood of inspiration he breaths an atmosphere of delight1 and lives in an ideal world4 ,earth and its cares sink out of memory1 and the mind is ennobled and purified4 ,when the inspiration departs1 the rosy light fades out of the spiritual vision1 and the mortal eyes open to the cold1 gray rays of earth-life4 ,how drear and sordidly selfish1 poor and unprofitable existence seems to him then4 ,after the flood of inspiration comes its ebb2 the valley of despond1 after the heights of ,alpine splendor4 ,melancholy and depression of spiritual energy may produce physical disturbance1 which runs its swift course to death4 ,recognizing these facts1 the position of the sensitive can not be regarded as desirable1 unless the laws of the sensitive state are well known1 and the subject learns to protect himself against injurious and painful conditions2 even if he does this unexpectedly1 conditions will arise and confront him1 for those who are his nearest and dearest friends know nothing about the acuteness of his feelings1 and may unconsciously produce the very effects they seek to avoid4 ,the sensitive becomes painfully conscious of a double life1 for the psychic is so different from the common state1 that the mind receives impressions as from two distinct conditions of existence4 ,one is physical1 held in common with the brutes1 with physical enjoyments and desires for eating1 drinking1 and the passions2 the other is the psychical1 which lives above and beyond the cares of life1 and dwells in an ideal realm of purity4 ,one is the night and the other the day4 ,in order to dwell on earth these two lives must be united4 ,the physical body has its imperative needs1 which must be satisfied1 as the just condition of spiritual growth4 ,there is less imperative demand for spiritual sustenance4 ,so soon as the body has been supplied1 mental lethargy supervenes1 and desires to tyrannize2 physical life overlaps and conceals the spiritual1 and men live the life of beasts4 ,at other times the spiritual gains such complete ascendency that this world is forgotten in a blaze of ideality4 ,an equilibrium between these states is the most desirable1 but difficult to maintain4 ,sensitiveness is a faculty common to mankind and capable of cultivation4 ,now that we have just entered the vestibule of the temple of ,psychic ,science1 and are beginning to learn its principles we may hope for brilliant results4 ,nor will the duties of this life be neglected because of the approach to another4 ,to the belief that mortal life is all that can be attended to here1 and that the earth is wanted here1 and not in the clouds1 the celestial sense would reply3 ,we too want the earth here1 and not in the clouds1 but we want the clouds also4 ,we want the clouds to distill the soft dew1 and bear on their broad shoulders the life-giving rain for the grass and grain1 to slake the thirst of the herds and flocks2 we want the clouds to spread their protecting mantle over the fields against the scorching sun of summer2 and we want them to bring the crystal snows to protect the fields in winter4 ,we want the clouds to beautify the sky1 and reflect in loveliness the rays of the rising and setting sun4 ,half the beauty of the world would be gone without the clouds1 which lift the soul on wings of aspiration4 ,we rejoice that there are clouds1 and while the earth is good enough for the mortal man1 in the clouds there is a grander reality4 ,if it were otherwise1 if the human heart were given its intense longings1 its exquisite sensibility1 its delicate cords responsive to every touch of feeling only to be torn and lacerated at the grave of the loved1 we would scorn the pitiable earth1 despise the sham called life1 hate the force called love1 and believe that there is neither benevolence1 wisdom1 nor intelligence in the ,universe4 ,it is the clouds that give value to the earth2 without them it would only be a parched and thirsty desert4 ,there are clouds1 and by them the spirit is exalted to the contemplation of infinite realities4 ,without the ever-present consciousness of eternal being1 religion would be impossible1 and there could be no ideal of excellence superior to the gratifications of the hour4 ,but man feels the aspirations for a superior life1 a soaring out of and above the physical senses2 he feels the promptings of duty1 of right1 of justice and truth1 outwrought from his innermost being4 ,the pleasures of the time are cast away2 selfishness yields to unselfishness2 and the spirit1 amid pain1 apparent loss1 and the scorn of its fellows1 proves its kinship to the immutable and ideal4 ,such is the true spiritual life3 ,the outgrowth of spiritual science1 which makes morality a birthright1 and its expression in character a consequence of obedience to the laws of its being4 ,spiritual life is universal and infinite4 ,it is the answer to our hopes1 desires and abiding faith4 ,whence come they8 ,they are the mutual expression of our inner natures4 ,as the flower expands1 its petals bending to the rays of the sun1 so we turn to the spiritual sun1 and only in the warmth of its invigorating rays expand into completeness4 ,as the foulest slime of the sewer1 when exposed to the light1 casts down all stains1 and sparkles in the crystal waves1 so humanity in the light of spiritual truth is purified and freed from stains4 ,hope1 faith1 desire1 the poetry of the present1 are the prophecy of the future6 ,their voice proclaims the esoteric wisdom which is wiser than all books2 for are not all books children of the mind8 ,has any thing ever been written that no one knew8 ,as the mind is the receiver1 so is it the radiator4 ,it cannot receive what it has not the ability to throw out4 ,it understands because it is the sum of all the elements and forces of the universe4 ,it is akin to the titanic energies which hold the revolving suns and worlds in the hollow of their hands1 and can read the ritual of the flashing stars4 ,infinity it has never exhausted1 it can never exhaust itself4 ,books are imperfect stutterings of its eternal consciousness4 ,it is as superior to them as the master to his sketch1 the sculptor to his clay1 the builder to the engine that feebly embodies in brass and steel his ideas1 which alone are perfect4 ,we are immortal1 and hope and desire tell us the wondrous tale of an unending future4 ,we cannot cast aside its awful responsibilities1 escape its duties1 or be deprived of its grand possibilities4 ,the very name1 ,immortality1 carries with it the ideas of endless progress1 justice1 liberty1 love1 purity1 holiness1 power and beauty4 ,those who have followed the line of thought in these pages will have no difficulty in admitting the possibility1 at least on special occasions1 of spirit communication4 ,they1 in fact1 will recognize it as a necessity4 ,if those who have passed through death's portals should return1 they might find even the most sensitive unable to transmit their thoughts1 except in a most rudimentary manner4 ,the following narrative is an attempt of a celestial being to convey by words a conception of its glorious life4 ,while1 in part1 the sketch must be taken allegorically1 mainly it is a true picture4 ,the communication came from our mother1 ,jane ,a4 ,rood1 and the remarkable facts connected with her death are correctly stated4 ,i more minutely describe the entrance into that state wherein the message was received1 because it illustrates the preceding discussions1 and the communication emphasizes and makes plain many points which have remained unapproachable4 ,the first stages were like sinking into peaceful slumber1 and ,i felt the scenes of earth melt out of consciousness1 while a strange exhilaration1 peaceful and delightful1 came over me4 ,there were changing flashes of color1 rivaling the rainbow1 coming and going in receding circles1 and then a misty brightness1 out of which slowly came1 as though the cloudiness were material in the hands of an artist1 a form which ,i recognized as our mother's4 ,a score or more of years had passed since the fateful hour when we were gathered around her couch1 too distressed to weep1 and awed by the presence of the silent messenger4 ,wasted by serious sickness1 she was at last free from pain1 and a smile of joy came over her pale face when she knew it was soon to be over4 ,we thought her dead1 for her eyes closed and her breath ceased1 when she repeated with a voice sweet as music3 ,bright spirits await to welcome me home1 ,to that blissful region where you1 too1 may come2 ,weep not1 for our parting is only to sight1 ,our spirits may still the more closely unite4 ,perform well each day the task which to you ,is allotted1 and murmur not if you must do ,what now seemeth hardship1 for soon you will prove ',tis labor of kindness1 an action of love4 ,then her eyes closed again1 and her features changed into a glad smile4 ,there was now no mistaking the signs1 and we went to our appointed tasks1 feeling that it would be sacrilege to weep in the presence of such a triumph over death4 ,we felt that we had been permitted to catch a glimpse of an unseen reality4 ,as travelers in mountain regions are delighted after the valley is wrapped in twilight by glimpses of the crest of some tall mountain catching the rays of the sun1 and reflecting its glory1 so to us it seemed that the departing spirit had caught a glimpse of the light of its new life1 and reflected a smile on the face of the body it was leaving4 ,how beautiful she was with the graces of youth1 and the complete and perfected charms of maturity4 ,no wrinkles were on her brow1 no marks of care1 anxiety or pain2 she was ideal in excellence4 ,what has happened to you1 mother8 ,how are you the same and yet not the same8 ,the response3 ,i have returned to my youth1 and have brought my experience with me4 ,i scarcely realize how many years have passed4 ,twenty-five1 do you say8 ,it seems to me not as many days2 and yet1 let me recount4 ,there has been a flood of events1 and my recollection of the last time you saw me has grown dim4 ,we count not time by years1 but by accomplishments2 by what we do and gain in thought4 ,i am pained by the memory of the olden time4 ,you say it was twenty-five years or more ago6 ,as ,i come again in contact with earth1 my sickness and sufferings are recalled4 ,how weary and worn ,i became6 ,how ,i longed for the end6 ,the love you all bore me and my love for you was the only cord which bound me to life1 and as ,i approached the end ,i forgot even that4 ,how much ,i suffered that day ,i cannot tell1 but at last ,i was at peace4 ,the terrible struggle between flesh and spirit was done1 and the latter rested4 ,i thought ,i would sleep1 and yet it was not sleep4 ,it was a repose of all living functions1 and yet my mind was in full activity4 ,for a time ,i heard all that was said by those who were in the room2 but soon ,i became so absorbed in the thoughts which flowed on my mind that ,i lost consciousness of everything else4 ,oh6 it was such a delicious sense of comfort and of rest6 ,i was so very weary2 ,i had been so tortured by pain that to be free was indescribable happiness4 ,i had heard them say ,i was dying1 and ,i expected the dread moment with foreboding4 ,it surely must soon come1 yet ,i thought ,i had not reached it4 ,the darkness began to lighten1 and ,i thought the morn was breaking4 ,an intense thrill of delight filled my being1 and the light grew stronger4 ,i continued to rest1 and a new strength came to me4 ,i am getting well again1 ,i thought1 and1 perhaps1 when the morning comes ,i shall surprise my friends and children by at once arising from my couch4 ,the light streamed in with a soft and a refreshing warmth4 ,there were no walls to prevent its passage4 ,i was floating in a cloud of light1 borne gently and softly as a weary child on its mother's breast4 ,then out of the light1 as though it had formed into shape and substance1 ,i saw three friends1 long since dead1 and my own blessed mother4 ,to meet them did not appear strange to me1 yet ,i knew they were not of earth4 ,when they came around me1 taking my hands in theirs1 and caressing my forehead1 ,i was surprised at their beauty1 and the sweetness of their expression4 ,they read my thoughts1 and answered3 ,yes1 truly we are of the dead2 and you will find that dying means to live4 ,i thought ,i was dying2 they told me so1 ,i said1 laughing at the absurdity4 ,but ,i have become well1 never so well since a child4 ,it is a joy to breathe and feel the fresh life come coursing through my veins4 ,but why do you smile8 ,i asked4 ,they replied3 ,do you not know that your new life means death8 ,how much you have to learn1 dear sister4 ,yes1 ,i have everything to learn2 my life has been full of cares4 ,they have been for others1 was replied4 ,and such are treasures in heaven4 ,for us to learn is not labor4 ,if we bring ourselves into the proper condition of receptivity1 knowledge flows into our minds4 ,there is no effort1 no wearisome study4 ,we may know all that the highest intelligence knows if we are in the right condition4 ,i must bring myself at once into that condition1 ,i replied1 for there is need4 ,be not in haste1 our sister1 said they gently2 there is time1 and you must have repose4 ,the pain you have endured reflects on your spirit1 and you have not yet recovered4 ,i infer from your words that ,i have met the change ,i so feared1 ,i said again1 smiling at the absurdity of the idea4 ,when did ,i pass the limits of earth life1 and why do ,i lose sight of my friends8 ,you need have no more dread1 replied my darling mother4 ,you do not see them because we are far away from them4 ,it would not be well for you to remain and witness their sorrow4 ,we have taken you away1 that you may first recover and grow strong4 ,as ,i felt the swift motion1 which ,i had not before observed1 for it had been to me the gentle rock of sustaining arms1 ,i asked3 ,am ,i to be taken away so far ,i can not return8 ,fear not1 child1 she replied in her old way1 fear not1 for whatever we justly demand is granted to us4 ,the craving of the heart is not left unanswered4 ,presently it will all be made plain to you4 ,we were drawn onward as by the tide of a great river1 and ,i saw countless others coming and going1 as though on swift errands4 ,then we paused on an eminence1 overlooking a sea of amethyst on our right1 and a vast plain on our left4 ,the sky was softest purple1 and the light fell with indescribable mellowness over all--there was happiness in the air1 and those we greeted were radiant4 ,no words can describe what ,i saw1 or my rapidly changing emotions4 ,there is nothing on earth with which to compare the landscape4 ,the softest earthly colors are opaque in comparison1 and the clearest sky a murky cloud4 ,overcome1 ,i wept for joy1 and my companions wept with me4 ,oh6 exclaimed one1 how sweet to know that this is the reality2 no more doubts1 nor forebodings2 no more fears1 nor distress2 a life that of itself is the highest pleasure1 and yields us heaven4 ,i started at the word1 for it recalled a tide of beliefs3 ,heaven6 ,when are we to go there8 ,where is it and what must we do to go there8 ,be not impatient1 dear sister2 we are in heaven already4 ,where happiness is1 there is heaven4 ,heaven is activity4 ,it is the deed of kindness1 the pure loving thought that makes heavens4 ,what is its first principle8 ,i queried1 for ,i am weak and undeserving4 ,doing for others is the full measure of its law4 ,this is the angel code from which every trace of selfishness has been weeded out4 ,to do for others brings gain4 ,the pure and noble angels bending from their spheres of light1 labor for others in self-forgetfulness4 ,when man so far forgets his selfishness as to sacrifice himself for others1 he exalts himself in angel-life4 ,to work for self is no better nor worse than the brute world1 from worm to elephant1 and is devoid of immortal gain4 ,how delighted ,i was at these words4 ,the dross of the world was rapidly disappearing4 ,the sphere of my earthly labor1 which to me seemed so narrow1 widened4 ,i had been sympathetic with those who suffered1 and to those weaker than myself ,i had given a helping hand4 ,little things of no account at the time1 so humble and narrow had been my life1 now had a new meaning4 ,my companions smiled as they read my thoughts1 and one responded3 ,dear sister1 your weakness was your strength4 ,it will be no effort for you to do as you have always done4 ,they who can be unselfish under the coarse influences of earthly life1 how grand must be their career under the purer conditions which here prevail4 ,as we conversed there came one from another group1 tall1 beautiful and radiant with light1 and with his companion more exquisitely beautiful than himself4 ,they invited us1 and we went to their abode4 ,how beautiful you are1 ,i exclaimed involuntarily to her4 ,i am glad2 she replied1 for to be truly beautiful means that the thoughts are right and true1 for they mold the features and through them gain expression2 but it requires time1 a great length of time4 ,how long have you been here8 ,i ventured to ask4 ,many hundred years4 ,i scarcely know how long4 ,and you grow not old here8 ,we grow not old4 ,the spirit knows not age4 ,it is not limited by duration4 ,it is an eternal now1 concentrating the past and awaiting the future4 ,i had not seen myself since the change4 ,i put my hand to my face2 it was smooth and unwrinkled4 ,a happy ripple of laughter came from my companions4 ,he who had come for us said3 ,dear sister1 you left those with your body4 ,the pure spirit has not the wrinkles of care or of age4 ,i looked at him as he spoke and my attention was called to his robe4 ,i had not thought of this subject before4 ,i had been so eagerly watching the faces of my companions1 ,i had not thought of their garments1 or of my own4 ,what a change6 ,what was this raiment8 ,i can not describe it4 ,it was a drapery as of a cloud1 and its color depended on the spiritual condition of the wearer4 ,i was glad that mine was azure1 for that was the color of my companion's1 and thus ,i knew ,i was like them4 ,what was it8 ,a cloud or woven light8 ,it fell around me soft and warm1 and with a luxurious coolness contrasting with the burning of the fever ,i had so recently escaped4 ,how different from the roughness of the old garments was this fleecy robe1 glinting and reflecting the light4 ,as we conversed1 there came a spirit1 who paused in front of us1 dark and sullen4 ,his raiment was sombre and grim1 like his thoughts4 ,can you tell me where heaven is8 he grumbled1 ,i paid a preacher to gain it for me1 and now having lost all else1 ,i want that4 ,poor brother1 replied the elder1 you search for what you can never find outside of yourself4 ,you are a deceiver6 he muttered as he fled away4 ,the elder brother gazed after him sadly1 and turning said3 ,on earth he was a miser1 and who can count the years before his regeneration8 ,he sought wealth1 trusting to others his religious and moral culture4 ,the recording angel has written against his name not one charity1 not one unselfish deed4 ,he now must wander in self-torment1 seeking and finding not4 ,was he of consequence on earth8 ,i asked1 for he was proud and haughty in his degradation4 ,thousands trembled at his beck1 for he had made them dependents and slaves4 ,he had vast riches1 houses and lands1 mortgages and deeds4 ,he was wise in getting wealth2 but here mortgages and deeds are unknown1 and he becomes the least in the kingdom2 morally idiotic1 mentally dwarfed1 and a pitiable object of our compassion4 ,how long before he will gain the light8 ,ah6 who but ,god can tell6 sighed my instructor4 ,who can tell8 ,centuries may go by4 ,he must first learn to ask2 first learn humility and his mistakes4 ,then some kind angels will attempt his education4 ,they will lead him out of his mental selfishness1 and he will begin as a child in the old life4 ,his task will be difficult because he can not enter the sphere of receptivity1 as we are able to do1 and thus absorb knowledge from others4 ,his nature must first change1 and complete regeneration be accomplished4 ,the coming of this pitiable one brought a wave of sadness over us1 but it passed1 and the sun was more gladsome after breaking from the clouds4 ,i had rested in delightful sleep2 ,i do not know how often1 and the old life was like a dream4 ,it was not possible ,i had been sick1 for ,i was so strong1 so gladsome in my strength1 and activity was a delight4 ,my mind broadened4 ,contact with my companions gave me enlarged ideas4 ,to think was to learn2 to wish was to know4 ,i was able to look beyond the effect to the cause4 ,i could read the law in the result4 ,every day brought grander views1 and my mental horizon expanded4 ,even in this larger growth ,i found rest4 ,the faculties1 dwarfed and starved in the old time1 called for activity4 ,the weariness of the body ,i was leaving behind me4 ,how lovingly my companions would surround me with conditions of repose4 ,how they gave me fullness of life1 and drew to me those who would reveal the knowledge it was my desire to learn6 ,then suddenly one evening ,i felt an earthward impulse4 ,what power drew me thitherward8 ,is our sister disturbed8 asked my gentle companion4 ,oh6 so disturbed6 ,i have been selfish in my new joy1 and how could ,i have been so forgetful2 so unnatural8 ,my husband and babe2 my son and daughter weeping2 and ,i have not thought of them6 ,i wept1 and my companion folded her arm around me and gently said3 ,you have been under our control1 and are not responsible4 ,to have been subject to the griefs of those you left1 would have been painful and useless4 ,you are now able to bear a full knowledge1 you feel that of your family and friends4 ,i will go with you1 and you will find what ,i tell you is true1 and you will bless us for our thoughtfulness4 ,we were poised1 as it were1 over a promontory beyond which the earth hung in space1 as the full moon in a summer sky4 ,beyond were the stars4 ,i was aghast at the journey1 and fearful of the abyss which seemed deep as infinitude4 ,while ,i trembled it was passed4 ,i was in my old home4 ,a great flood of human memories came over me4 ,how ,i loved the dear familiar walls1 the chairs1 the glowing fire and1 more than all1 the family group4 ,my husband sitting with his head bowed in his hand1 my daughter performing the tasks that had been mine2 my little boy and girl at play2 the babe asleep4 ,there were tears in my eyes as ,i turned to my companion for strength to bear3 ,did ,i not leave my body8 ,was there not a funeral8 ,why is it so quiet if ,i have not truly passed the ordeal8 ,listen1 said my companion1 supporting me4 ,listen4 ,it was in ,october when you passed away4 ,the bright foliage of the trees1 then burning in scarlet and gold1 had been blown away by the blasts of winter1 and the snow covered the earth with its icy shroud4 ,all you think of has been done4 ,it is finished4 ,were you to go to the churchyard you would find a mound by the side of relatives gone before4 ,it was so unreal and absurd that ,i was bewildered1 and laughed at my misunderstanding1 and wept the next moment when ,i saw my family4 ,i went to my husband and placed my hand on his head and called him by name4 ,i called with all my strength to learn that my lips gave no sound to his ear1 and that my touch was imperceptible4 ,then ,i turned to my daughter and threw my arms despairingly around her4 ,she was singing a song we had sung together1 and continued not heeding my embrace4 ,oh6 how keen my grief when ,i found ,i was not known in my own old home4 ,i1 who had come from such a distance1 my heart beating with love1 found no response6 ,my daughter finished her song1 and her eyes filled with tears4 ,i read her thoughts for they were of me4 ,mother6 ,mother6 she was saying1 and ,i responded4 ,it was the call ,i had heard beyond the bars of heaven6 ,i could not bear it1 and my companion said as she again placed her arm around me3 ,come1 my sister1 you can do no good here4 ,there is your child sleeping in its crib4 ,it is cared for as by yourself4 ,kiss it1 and we will go4 ,be assured whenever you are wanted here you will feel the desire4 ,i kissed my child4 ,let me stay1 ,i pleaded2 ,i want to sit in my old place1 in that vacant chair4 ,then ,i will go4 ,as you will2 and ,i will endeavor to impress your daughter with some ray of sunshine4 ,she bent over my daughter1 and by means ,i did not understand1 her mind responded to the spirit's thoughts3 ,your mother is with you1 and retains the same affection for you she had in earth-life4 ,with the influx of that thought a smile lit up her face1 and turning to the organ1 she sang1 ,annie ,laurie1 a song we had often sung together4 ,how thankful ,i was that one ray of sunlight gladdened her heart1 and the memory of me was yet dear4 ,i was grateful to the kind spirit who had assisted me1 and then she said we must go1 for the trial was too great for my strength4 ,you must calm yourself1 said my companion1 for this sorrow is without the least benefit4 ,believe it is for the best1 and though the hour is dark1 it will bring a perfect day4 ,i can not prevent myself thinking of my children and my husband4 ,my love for them is stronger than ever1 and ,i could not have been persuaded to have left them for a day4 ,can ,i not1 oh1 good angel1 remain with them8 ,the fairest scene of your home is desolate compared to the earth6 ,with tenderest compassion she said3 ,you are now in the earth-sphere and take on its conditions4 ,you are seeing through earthly eyes1 and affected by earthly ways4 ,when we once leave this scene you will be no longer distressed4 ,willingly would ,i leave you4 ,i have no right to force you away4 ,i influence you as ,i think for your highest good4 ,here you are unrecognized1 and are constantly troubled because you can not make yourself known1 and by a reflection of the sorrow of your family4 ,whenever you can be of use to them you will receive the knowledge and can return4 ,now we had better go4 ,she placed her arm around me1 and whether the earth sank away from us1 or we flow from the earth1 ,i was unable to tell4 ,i have since learned how to traverse space by the force of will2 but then ,i was ignorant of the method1 and dependent on others4 ,now1 when ,i desire to visit a place1 or be with certain friends1 the desire creates an attraction1 which in spirit is the equivalent of magnetic attraction in the physical world4 ,when we again reached our spirit home our companions gathered around us1 and ,i was soothed by the kind words of my mother4 ,i felt condemned for my loss of interest in the earth-life which had so recently absorbed my mind1 but it became like a dim dream1 and ceased to trouble me4 ,what if ,i should forget it entirely8 ,i was appalled at the idea1 and cried at the pang it gave4 ,do not fear1 you will not forget1 but after a time your affections will strengthen4 ,our sister has much to learn1 and needlessly distresses herself4 ,the years passed1 and ,i became accustomed to my new life1 when a message came for me4 ,the palpitating waves repeated1 ,mother6 mother6 mother6 ,it was my youngest daughter1 who had grown almost to womanhood4 ,i knew by her cry that she was in mortal pain1 and yielding to the attractions ,i was soon with her4 ,she was motionless on a couch1 surrounded by her relatives1 and her cousin held her cold hand4 ,it is all over1 they said1 in tears4 ,can it be8 ,i eagerly asked4 ,oh6 can it be that the time has already come when ,i am to have one of my children with me8 ,to have one of them who will know me1 and converse with me8 ,oh6 heavenly ,father1 ,i thank thee for this answer to my incessant prayer4 ,then ,i looked closely and saw the great transition was approaching4 ,i could not assist2 ,i could only stand by her side and receive her4 ,she seemed asleep1 which ,i fully understood from my own experience4 ,slowly the spirit left the insensible body1 and as ,i saw my spirit-daughter recovering her senses1 ,i drew near and whispered1 ,claribel4 ,she opened wide her blue eyes1 and ,i knew she saw me4 ,i threw my arms around her1 and wept for gladness4 ,darling ,claribel1 do you not know me1 your mother8 ,dearest mama1 she said with her old smile1 know you8 ,why1 you are younger1 but the same4 ,where have you been so long8 ,we thought you dead8 ,do you not know8 ,i asked1 apprehensively4 ,know8 ,what mean you8 ,yes1 ,i am what they call dead2 and were you not likewise1 you could not see me6 ,i dead8 she replied1 with a laugh which recalled her childhood1 throwing her arms gracefully over her head4 ,look you1 mama1 how far from it ,i am4 ,i have been wretchedly sick1 and in such fiery pain2 but it is over1 and ,i am perfectly well4 ,we drew to one side1 and she then turning saw the friends1 weeping1 and her body on the couch4 ,why do they weep8 she asked1 and who is that on the couch8 ,i am confused1 for it is like another self4 ,they are weeping for your loss1 and that form on the couch is yours4 ,am ,i to return to it8 ,what am ,i to do1 dear mother8 ,no1 you will need it no more4 ,your life is hereafter with me and the angels4 ,what mean you1 mother1 by saying you and ,i are dead8 ,that we are1 my child4 ,that is what people call dead4 ,i do not understand1 she replied musingly4 ,then going to her cousin's side1 who was still holding her physical hand1 she said1 ,cousin ,frank1 what are you weeping for8 ,do you not see how well ,i am8 ,he did not hear her words1 and she spoke again1 playfully patting his face4 ,then she saw that she was no longer able to be heard or felt1 and threw herself into my arms1 weeping violently4 ,i soothed her as best ,i could1 upbraiding myself with foolishly teaching her the ways of our life before she was able to receive4 ,my child1 ,i said1 how glad ,i am to have you again with me4 ,they will all come to us sooner or later4 ,now we will go to my home1 for it is not well for you to remain4 ,after a time you will be instructed in these mysteries4 ,i attempted to go1 but found that although ,i could depart alone1 ,i could not bear ,claribel with me4 ,i had not perfected myself sufficiently in the method1 and her attraction was toward that spot alone4 ,i prayed for the coming of a companion1 and soon there came one to my aid4 ,on either side we threw our arms around her1 and then our wills bore her onward with us4 ,when we reached our home1 and the loving companions came with welcome to ,claribel1 and she saw beauty and perfection everywhere1 and felt how happy her coming had made me1 tears trembled in her eyes as she said3 ,it is wonderful1 mother1 and ,i ought not to regret1 but you know earth-life was sweet to me1 and ,i had plans for the future4 ,yes1 my child1 ,i replied1 the days were too short1 and your friends were devoted1 but your plans are thwarted1 yet you must know that all is well4 ,her towering air-castles had vanished2 but soon she had far greater sources of happiness in the group of beautiful children she instructed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i said ,i would not visit earth unless called1 for the pain was greater than the pleasure4 ,even when called1 ,i refused4 ,my husband1 they said1 was about to wed again4 ,it is well1 ,i replied2 his is the rough1 earth-life1 hard to walk alone4 ,if he so desires1 ,i ought to be willing4 ,yet ,i was not willing or ,i should have gone4 ,it would have seemed strange1 indeed1 to have visited my old home1 and found another in my place4 ,it would have emphasized my death to me4 ,thinking the matter over1 ,i said3 ,no6 ,i will not go4 ,let them be happy4 ,i will not enter their sphere4 ,when1 years after1 the message came that he was soon to join me1 ,i hastened to his side4 ,when ,i reached him he had already nearly passed through the transition1 and had regained his spiritual perceptions4 ,as ,i came to him he at once knew me1 and opened wide his arms to receive me4 ,the years were blotted out4 ,we were again to each other all that we had ever been4 ,by intuition he knew that he had met the change1 and the first words he said to me were3 ,i am so glad the weary watch is over4 ,i knew heaven was not so large ,i could not find you1 but ,i did not expect so soon to meet you4 ,it was like you to come1 and ,i ought to have expected it4 ,i heard your call1 ,i replied1 and heaven is not so wide that ,i could not come4 ,now we must go1 and ,i will take you to the most beautiful place you ever saw in dreams4 ,you must not remain to witness the proceedings further4 ,he smiled at my words3 ,why1 you talk as if there was something terrible about death4 ,it has been the most pleasant passage in my life4 ,i have suffered a great deal in its approach1 but when it came it brought only joy4 ,when ,i saw you1 ,i was so pleased1 my clay-lips uttered my thoughts1 the last words they ever gave4 ,now it is done1 ,i must stay till it is over4 ,i want to see how the relatives and friends act1 and hear what they say4 ,you know it will be strange to hear one's own funeral sermon4 ,as he would not go1 ,i remained with him1 and entering again into the earth-sphere1 suffered from the contact4 ,my husband was greatly interested in the ceremonies1 and when they were over1 he said3 ,i am glad the old aching body has at last gone to its final rest4 ,the children were grieved1 and ought to know how they misunderstand4 ,perhaps ,i can tell them some time4 ,hearts do not break with grief1 else mine would have broken4 ,come1 now1 my new-found wife1 ,i will go where you wish4 ,i need not repeat the story of the journey or describe the meeting with our ,claribel4 ,her father was of so happy a disposition1 that he at once assimilated his surroundings1 and became one with his companions4 ,i have worked and struggled along1 he said1 having little time to think1 and ,i am as ignorant as a savage4 ,i desire at once to commence gaining knowledge4 ,how am ,i to proceed8 ,we all laughed at his eagerness1 and one said3 ,there is time enough2 you must first rest and recover strength4 ,rest6 ,i was never stronger1 and ,i am anxious for exertion4 ,i feel mentally starved and crave thought food4 ,you will find no difficult task4 ,to desire is to have1 and you will soon become in sympathy with the thought-atmosphere of our home4 ,then one of our number1 who was a poet1 superior to us all1 said he had had a singular and painful experience1 and we demanded to hear it4 ,,the ,,poet',s ,,story4--,i had been enthroned1 and as ,i came up the pathway leading to this eminence1 ,i met a boisterous throng of people4 ,strange faces they had1 and yet they were familiar4 ,i looked closely1 and imagine my surprise when ,i found they belonged to me4 ,they were the thoughts ,i had expressed in my earth-life4 ,some were dark1 repulsive and inexpressibly ugly1 while others were exquisitely beautiful4 ,what a horde they were1 and though some were pleasing1 the greater proportion caused my cheeks to blush with shame4 ,father6 father6 they called1 rushing toward me4 ,away6 ,i cried4 ,i know you not6 ,then we will follow you4 ,we belong to you1 and wherever you go we will go4 ,we will not desert you4 ,if this be so1 ,i cried in despair1 then ,i am burdened beyond endurance1 and immortality becomes a curse4 ,if ,i must remain with this throng of tormentors1 reminding me continually of early follies1 then extinction is preferable4 ,what shall ,i do with this miscreant crowd1 deformed and rude8 ,i can not take them home to my companions4 ,if these are embodiments of my earthly thoughts1 how they would scorn me4 ,if this is to be my retinue1 then ,i must seek a new home where ,i am unknown4 ,i must cast aside the companionship of this company4 ,my punishment is terrible4 ,i threw myself down in a paroxysm of grief and remorse4 ,an angel came by1 and pausing said3 ,would you escape from your thraldom8 ,escape6 ,i cried4 ,can ,i escape8 ,do you not see that the most repulsive of these spectres are fashioned of the thoughts which are of yourself1 recording your former vanity1 pride1 uncharity1 selfishness and forgetfulness of others8 ,see you that lovely being representing a deed of self-sacrifice8 ,oh6 that they were all like her6 ,i cried4 ,then listen4 ,you must act in such a manner that the good will eclipse these shadows1 when they will disappear4 ,saying this he vanished1 and ,i1 reflecting1 said that ,i would at once free myself from the dreadful following4 ,opportunely there came a spirit moaning past me4 ,her brother on earth was contemplating a horrible crime4 ,he had determined to take the life of his mother in order to become possessed of her estate4 ,the sister had vainly attempted to give a warning or to influence him1 and in despair at her failure she had left them to their fate4 ,i said to her3 ,come4 ,i will go with you1 and perhaps together we can prevent this crime4 ,she fervently expressed her gratitude as she conducted me to her mother's house4 ,it was midnight when we arrived1 as ,i saw in the dim lamplight by the tall clock1 and the mother was sleeping4 ,we can only watch1 said my companion1 and if he should come1 we can do nothing to save her4 ,do you not know that sometimes sleep unlocks the avenues of the spirit1 and we can approach much nearer than in waking hours8 ,when we thus come1 people say they have dreamed4 ,i bent over the mother1 her white locks fell from beneath her cap over the pillow1 and there was something in the expression of her lips and cheeks reminding me of my own4 ,i tested her sensitiveness and found that her mind responded4 ,then ,i willed these words3 ,edward intends to kill you with a knife4 ,he will come into your room1 and you must awake and charge him with the crime1 and say to him that his sister came from heaven to tell you6 ,she started as if by a blow1 and with a horrified expression1 she sprang upright4 ,who is here8 she cried4 ,who spoke to me8 ,i have had a fearful dream1 so vivid that ,i thought it reality4 ,she sank again on the pillow1 and there were light footsteps at the door1 which slowly swung open1 and the brother entered4 ,the mother waited only a moment when she arose and addressed him in the words of her dream4 ,it came so suddenly that he admitted his intentions1 and pleaded for forgiveness4 ,he had been made the victim of bad men1 and if he could escape from them he might be saved4 ,by nature he was not so bad1 but he was weak4 ,leaving them to each other1 ,i started again for our home1 my heart full of gladness1 for ,i had followed the advice of the angel1 and expected to thereby escape my companions4 ,judge of my surprise when on looking back1 ,i saw a new form1 more ugly than any of the others1 the result of this act from which ,i had expected so much4 ,as ,i gazed in despair1 the angel came again1 and with a smile said to me3 ,it was a selfish act6 ,selfish8 ,i asked4 ,aye2 you had not the good of the woman or the salvation of the son or the happiness of the daughter at heart4 ,you had only your own pleasure and gain4 ,you would thereby relieve yourself of a burden4 ,the world is ruined by such benevolence4 ,you will have a long and weary road if you travel in that direction4 ,i am a fool1 ,i said1 overwhelmed by my imbecility and want of spiritual understanding4 ,what can ,i do8 ,i implored4 ,if ,i direct you1 there will be no merit4 ,you must determine for yourself4 ,as he spoke he vanished1 and ,i sat down1 resting like a weary pilgrim1 overburdened4 ,then ,i saw a spirit coming rapidly toward me1 and on approaching she hurriedly said3 ,i am told you can influence mortals4 ,my son is captain of a steamer1 and having lost his course1 is sailing directly on a rocky coast4 ,come and save not only him1 but the hundreds of his slumbering passengers4 ,without a moment's delay1 ,i followed her1 and came to the steamer4 ,the gray of morning was flushing the sky1 and the crests of heavily rolling seas gleamed in the cold light4 ,everything was quiet on deck1 for the passengers were asleep1 and nothing was heard but the steady pulsations of the engine4 ,i looked beyond the bow1 and saw the shore some distance away4 ,it was a high promontory of black rocks1 against which the surf was violently beating1 and the ship was headed directly on the point where it was most violent4 ,whatever was to be done1 must be done quickly4 ,we went into the cabin where the captain sat with his head resting on his hands1 between sleeping and waking4 ,could ,i impress him with his danger8 ,i made the attempt and failed4 ,i repeated several times with no better success4 ,i became anxious1 as the danger increased1 for every pulsation of the engine brought the ship nearer to the rocks4 ,the sleeping passengers1 strong men1 helpless women and children1 how soon they would be called to face certain destruction4 ,what agony the now quiet decks would witness6 ,what waiting and hoping against hope there would be in hundreds of desolate homes6 ,the contemplation unnerved me1 and ,i was unfitted to exercise my skill in impressing thoughts on mortal brain4 ,i was recalled by the voice of the mother3 ,can you not save my son8 ,i confess that when the picture of agony ,i have sketched came to my mind1 in my wish to prevent the catastrophe1 all selfish considerations were forgotten1 and ,i would unhesitatingly have given my existence for the safety of the ship1 were it possible to have done so4 ,i can do nothing unless ,i have aid1 ,i replied1 and with my whole strength ,i invoked our elder brother4 ,instantly he came4 ,he understands the methods of impressing thought so perfectly that1 as you know1 he rarely fails4 ,he placed his hand on the captain's head1 and the thought he gave was3 ,ship ahoy1 breakers ahead6 ,the captain sprang to his feet1 and rubbing his eyes in a bewildered manner1 rushed on deck4 ,who hailed us8 he demanded of the drowsy watch4 ,no one1 sir2 all is quiet4 ,we were hailed1 he said firmly1 and gaining the bridge he sought to penetrate the darkness4 ,he listened1 and his face paled1 for distinctly came the boom of the surf4 ,swift were the commands1 and the ship by a sharp curve doubled on her course1 the rocky ledge being so near that a few revolutions more and there would have been no escape4 ,a great many of the passengers came up on deck1 aroused by the unusual motion of the ship and the shouting of orders1 and when they understood the peril they had so narrowly escaped1 they embraced each other and cried for joy4 ,as ,i again sought our home1 forgetful of everything but the benefit ,i had conferred by my journey1 ,i glanced behind me1 and saw a shining light1 and afar off1 in dim outline1 the group of beings ,i so strongly desired to escape4 ,unconsciously ,i had performed an act that had placed a light between me and them4 ,rejoice with me1 dear friends1 ,i am enabled to be unselfish4 ,then the elder said3 ,our brother adds to his other good qualities1 that of humility4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the angel-life became more complete and perfect as year by year the loved ones came up from the shadows of earth1 until our family circle was almost restored4 ,after a time its old members will take their new places1 and when my earth-friends are all here1 there will be little attraction for me in the old life4 ,it is yet new and strange1 and cannot be described to mortal comprehension4 ,language itself must be spiritualized1 and words given a new meaning4 ,i have mingled tears of pity with those who have been bereft1 at the same time knowing that their loss was gain to the departed ones4 ,activity is our happiness1 and thinking right and doing our very best are the gateways to heaven4 ,earth-life is a joy only when the end is known4 ,here its infinite possibilities are realized4 ,not in a year or a century1 but in the fullness of time can all this come4 ,weep1 for it is human1 when your loved ones pass the shadowy portals1 remembering1 however1 that the spiritual sun on the other side will1 by comparison1 make your brightest day on earth a rayless night4 ,,from ,,earth ,,to ,,the ,,infinite4 ,the mists are falling on the purple sea1 ,the sun is sinking in the clouds aflame2 ,for many a day the far receding sea ,and melting sky have seemed almost the same4 ,at first we met the bitter storm and cloud1 ,with little sunshine on the darkling mere1 ,the waves were high1 the icy winds were loud2 ,the days were dark1 the nights were full of fear4 ,by every trial having gathered strength1 ,and hopeful conquered every adverse gale1 ,we now have reached a calmer sea at length1 ,and with full hearts unbend the flowing sail4 ,behind1 the sinking sun reveals no shore ,illumed with glory of his purple light2 ,the land we left has passed forever more ,beyond the reach of longing mortal sight4 ,a boundless sea on every side expands2 ,we're drifting slowly toward the glowing east2 ,in faith expecting yet more welcome lands1 ,when toiling care1 and mortal life have ceased4 ,behold1 it comes in robes of azure light6 ,as sinks the sun behind the sullen waves1 ,and on the pearly shore1 enchanting sight1 ,are all the friends we thought within the grave4 ,and now1 oh ship1 your weary pinions fold1 ,and rock to sleep upon the harbor's breast2 ,this is the home1 by faith our hearts foretold1 ,where we shall find activity and rest4 ,,index4 ,after death1 #bae ,angel life becoming perfect1 #bdd ,angels1 guardian1 #aag ,anger affecting the secretions1 #ahe ,animals have no souls1 #bje ,aspirations for a future life1 #bba ,a spirit prevents a disaster1 #bdc ,a sullen spirit1 #bbi ,atom1 the1 #aa ,atomic theory1 #ab ,beauty of the spirit1 #bbd ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 #aeh ,better ,methods1 #aid ,blind ,tom1 #aeg ,brain and ,nerves1 #aig ,buchanan1 ,dr41 #fe ,bunyan1 #afj ,charlatanism and mesmerism1 #agh ,christian science1 #ahi ,clairvoyance1 #ec artificial and normal1 #eg from dreams1 #eg examples of1 #fj ,mollie ,fancher1 #eg ,eliza ,hamilton1 #fj ,laura ,bridgman1 #fb favored by disease1 #ef independent of the senses1 #ee ,concentration1 #afb ,continuous earth-life1 #baj ,cultivation of sensitiveness1 #bbj ,curse of false belief1 #ahi ,death1 #bae appearance after1 #adb warnings of1 #abh ,garfield's1 #aca ,degradation of prayer1 #afg ,denton1 ,prof41 #fg ,dissolution of a spirit1 #bjh ,divine motherhood1 #ahf ,doing for others1 #bbg ,double presence1 #ajj ,dreams1 #hf predict death1 #aci ,prince ,leopold's1 #adj ,lincoln's1 #ach life saved by1 #gi1 #abf1 #abh correct errors1 #abg ,stanley on1 #hi of ,dr4 ,holbrook1 #ij clairvoyant1 #hc shipwreck prevented by1 #gh sensitive1 #hj prophetic1 #hh of ,mary ,hudlett1 #hj of ,stanton ,moses1 #hd ,earth-life enough here1 #bag ,ether1 physic1 #aad illustrations of1 #aaf ,evolution1 #bg-ca ,faith cure1 #ahj ,finney1 ,pres4 prayer for rain1 #afg ,first day in spirit life1 #bbe ,force1 theory of1 #bc ,forewarnings1 #agc ,gulf between matter and spirit1 #baa ,hallucinations1 #gj ,happy and perfect lives1 #aia ,hypnotism1 #ej ,ideas not words transmitted1 #fe ,idiots and immortality1 #bjh ,illness of mind1 #ahe ,illusions1 #fh subjective1 #fh suggestive1 #fi of ,prof4 ,hitchcock1 #gj ,immortality1 want of evidence to prove1 #aj ,impressions1 #gg ,increase of skepticism1 #aj ,individualization of force1 #bac ,influence1 law of1 #aaf ,influence of mind over secretions1 #ahb ,influencing mortals1 #bcb ,inspiration1 #aef ,inspiration at its height1 #bai ,is mental cure a sham1 #ahc ,leaving the aching body1 #bch ,life1 #ae moner theory of1 #af and mind1 #ag the future1 #cf without immortality a sham1 #bjj ,light in the heart1 #bah waves of1 #ba ,limits of power of mind over body1 #ahf ,limitation of languages1 #baf ,limitation of the power1 #afh ,man a dual being1 #bja ,man alone immortal1 #bjf ,material science--views of nature1 #ad ,matter1 #ac is there more than one kind of81 #ab ,medical student's prayer1 #agj ,mental cure1 #ahj ,mesmeric state1 #dg ,mesmerism1 moral effects of1 #eb ,mind and life1 #ag independent1 #aaf ,mothers' influence over unborn child1 #ahf ,murder prevented by a spirit1 #bda ,napoleon1 #afb ,narrative by a spirit1 #bbb ,nature1 #ad and the supernatural1 #aga ,necessity of knowledge1 #i ,nervous systems1 #aih ,ole ,bull1 #aef ,omens explained1 #aca ,origin of spirit1 #bjd ,our sins follow us1 #bdj ,paganini1 #aef ,pains of spirits in earth sphere1 #bcc ,persecution1 #aic ,physical senses1 #ee ,physical theories fail to solve the problem of life1 #h ,prayer1 who answers it81 #afi ,predictions1 #acj ,premonitions1 #c1 #gi1 #abb why not received by all1 #acf ,power of mind over body1 #aha ,presentiments1 #gi ,pre-existence1 #bji ,priests and jugglers1 #aff ,promethean curse1 #aij ,properties of matter1 #ac ,prophecy by dreams1 #ha1 #h ,protoplasm1 #cj1 #aii ,psychic growth1 #bjg ,psychometry1 #fg ,regeneration of a spirit1 #bcj ,reincarnation1 #bjc ,returning to earth1 #bca ,sacred shrines and holy places1 #gd ,saving souls1 #aib ,scientific method of study1 #ca ,sense--the sixth1 #dd ,senses1 limitation of1 #ba1 #b ,sensitiveness1 #cg1 #dj-a-b1 #ajd1 #afb what it is1 #cg relation to culture1 #dc during sleep1 #gf unconscious1 #aef of spiritual beings1 #db1 #afd ,sickness a mark of ignorance1 #ahg ,sight1 a race without1 #ch ,skepticism1 increase of1 #aj ,sleep1 #df ,society of ,psychical ,research1 #ii ,somnambulism1 #ej ,sound waves1 #bj ,spirit regretting her death1 #bcg ,spirit watching his funeral obsequies1 #bcg ,spirits confusion after death1 #bcf ,spirits in despair1 #bci ,spirits know not age1 #bbi ,spirits meeting mortals at death1 #bce ,spirits traveling by will power1 #bcd ,spiritual ether1 #ai existence1 #bag understanding1 #bdb ,spotless lives1 #aia ,strength in weakness1 #bbh ,struggle for existence1 #bh ,superior intelligences1 interference of1 #gi ,survival of the fittest1 #bi ,the animal in man1 #aie ,the arch complete1 #bje ,the body a staging1 #bje ,the celestial body1 #bjb ,the immortal state1 #ahh ,the sensitive's sufferings1 #bah ,the terrestrial body1 #bjb ,thought atmosphere1 #aac transference1 #gg1 #hj1 #ii1 #ajb ,trance1 #ec conditions of1 #ec ,untutored minds1 #aie ,warning voice1 #ace ,weakness of new born spirits1 #bbf ,what is back of force81 #bab ,worlds1 dead1 #bb end of1 #bc ,,in ,,preparation4 ,,career ,,of ,,religious ,,ideas ,,and ,,ethics ,,of ,,science4 ,founded on ,evolution and the ,continuity of ,man's ,existence ,beyond the ,grave4 ,part ,i4--,the ,career of ,religious ,ideas4 ,part ,,ii4--,ethics of ,science4 ,this volume unfolds the ,progress of ,religious ,ideas through ,fetishism1 ,phallic ,worship1 ,polytheism and ,monotheism to their emergence into the light of science1 divested of superstition1 and elaborates the natural system of ethics founded on knowledge of the physical and spiritual world4 ,by ,,hudson ,,tuttle4 #cjj ,,pages4 ,,price #a4be4 ,,in ,,preparation4 ,,from ,,soul ,,to ,,soul4 ,,poems ,by ,,emma ,,rood ,,tuttle4 #bej ,,pages4 ,,price #a4be4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,transcriber's ,note3 ,minor errors 7e4g4 misprinted1 missing1 or extra punctuation1 missing spaces7 have been corrected without note4 ,inconsistent hyphenation 7e4g4 life-time and lifetime7 and spelling 7e4g4 bark and barque7 have not been changed4 ,other than those noted below1 errors in the ,index have not been corrected4 ,decorative italics 7e4g4 on chapter headings7 have not been represented in the plain-text versions of this book4 ,the following corrections and changes were made3 p4 #e3 luminifereous to luminiferous 7luminiferous ether7 p4 #f3 recepient to recipient 7while the recipient7 p4 #ab3 indestructable to indestructible 7indestructible atom was arrived at7 p4 #ah3 conbustion to combustion 7the combustion of tissue in the lungs7 p4 #bj3 phycho to psycho 7distinguish it as psycho-ether7 p4 #bi3 ,froisart to ,froissart 7,froissart was not more garrulous7 p4 #cd3 ,incomprehensively to ,incomprehensibly 7,incomprehensibly great7 p4 #dc3 transferrence to transference 7thought transference or sensitiveness7 p4 #df3 oriflame oriflamme 7the oriflamme of the spiritual conception7 p4 #ec3 clairvayant to clairvoyant 7trance or clairvoyant state7 p4 #ec3 ,clazomene to ,clazomen 7,hermotimus1 of ,clazomen7 p4 #ec3 ecstacy to ecstasy 7in a fit of ecstasy7 p4 #ee3 ecstacy to ecstasy 7religious ecstasy and trance7 p4 #ee3 phycho to psycho 7the psycho-ether7 p4 #ei3 adminstered to administered 7,dr4 ,spier administered7 p4 #ei3 adminstering to administering 7after administering the test7 p4 #fb3 pyschic to psychic 7conceal the higher psychic faculties7 p4 #fd3 conscienciousness to conscientiousness 7conscientiousness1 truthfulness and hopefulness7 p4 #fg3 pschometry to psychometry 7,really psychometry7 p4 #fh3 ,abercombie to ,abercrombie 7,dr4 ,abercrombie7 p4 #fi3 ,audral to ,andral 7,m4 ,andral7 p4 #gb3 ,perthleven to ,porthleven 7,vicar of ,porthleven7 p4 #ge3 ,guinasi to ,ginnasi 7,count ,ginnasi7 p4 #gi3 ,biddleford to ,biddeford 7,the ,biddeford 7,me47 ,journal7 p4 #gi3 ,kinnebunk to ,kennebunk 7near the mouth of ,kennebunk ,river7 p4 #hc3 ,see to ,she 7,she threw an old coat7 p4 #hd3 double quotes to single quotes 7',immediate1'7 p4 #hg3 corollation to correlation 7the perfect correlation7 p4 #hh3 single quote to double quote1 and missing close quote added 7,i said1 ,i have been to a small village 444 ',no1 sir2 but his widow is4'7 p4 #ib3 fantacies to fantasies 7,laugh at the fantasies7 p4 #aaa3 occurence to occurrence 7,this strange occurrence naturally7 p4 #aab3 sufficent to sufficient 7with sufficient light7 p4 #aae3 stewn to strewn 7strewn with sand7 p4 #aaf3 undiscernable to undiscernible 7colors being undiscernible7 p4 #aaf3 corelated to correlated 7correlated harmony between minds7 p4 #aag3 ,mc,kendee to ,mc,kendree 7,bishop ,mc,kendree7 p4 #abj3 unconciously to unconsciously 7unconsciously those who by study 444 are continuously made unconsciously7 p4 #acj3 extra it removed 7assuring him that it was no news7 p4 #aca3 embarassment to embarrassment 7to overcome his embarrassment7 p4 #acc3 ,minnie to ,minie 7shot in the breast by a ,minie ball7 p4 #ace3 be to he 7he seemed to be in a jolly mood7 p4 #adf3 villian to villain 7the villain escapes7 p4 #aed3 unfortuate to unfortunate 7and this is most unfortunate7 p4 #aef3 rythmic to rhythmic 7expression of rhythmic motion7 p4 #aeg3 ecstacy to ecstasy 7the ecstasy of all true musicians 444 the meaning accepted of ecstasy7 p4 #aff3 strenghthens to strengthens 7harmonizes and strengthens7 p4 #afh3 ativism to atavism 7as ,darwin would say1 atavism7 p4 #age3 ministeral to ministerial 7the ministerial conference7 p4 #agf3 ,muller to ,mller 7,george ,mller1 its founder7 p4 #agh3 correllate to correlate 7correlate the facts of spirit7 p4 #aha3 ,hipocrates to ,hippocrates 7time of ,hippocrates7 p4 #ahb3 inocculation to inoculation 7sure consequence of inoculation7 p4 #ahc3 enobles to ennobles 7that ennobles and elevates7 p4 #ahc3 baccilli to bacilli 7millions of bacilli7 p4 #ahd3 micrococus to micrococcus 7the micrococcus brings on fever7 p4 #ahe3 insiduously to insidiously 7insidiously sapped its foundation7 p4 #ahh3 glipse to glimpse 7often catches a glimpse7 p4 #ahi3 ,pharoah to ,pharaoh 7,pharaoh might command ,egypt7 p4 #aih3 ,illiad to ,iliad 7wrote an ,iliad7 p4 #aii3 period to question mark 7of the animal world87 p4 #aii3 consectuive to consecutive 7its consecutive links7 p4 #bjj3 extra of removed 7huge saurians of the primeval slime7 p4 #bjj3 architype to archetype 7archetype is complete7 p4 #bja3 nonenity to nonentity 7pass into nonentity7 p4 #bja3 habilament to habiliment 7is its habiliment7 p4 #bjd3 interelationship to interrelationship 7the wonderful interrelationship7 p4 #bjd3 phenemena to phenomena 7phenomena connected with man7 p4 #bjf3 megotherium to megatherium 7the huge megatherium7 p4 #bab3 mainfestation to manifestation 7the first manifestation of life7 p4 #bag3 sustainance to sustenance 7draw their vital sustenance7 p4 #bai3 etherial to ethereal 7destroy all ethereal influences7 p4 #bai3 unconciously to unconsciously 7may unconsciously produce7 p4 #bcf3 missing o added in onward 7bore her onward with us47 p4 #bdg 7,index entry73 ,buchannan to ,buchanan 7,buchanan1 ,dr47 p4 #bdh 7,index entry3 ,dreams1 life saved by73 #gi-abf-abh to #gi1 #abf1 #abh ---------------------------------------- --------------------------------