I could not launch out into the endless speculation of "psychical research;" I had not time for that; so I decided to follow the course which had been suggested to me. I would lay aside all reserve, and greet these forms as dear departed friends, who had come from afar, and had struggled hard to reach me.
From that moment the forms, which had seemed to lack vitality, became animated with marvellous strength. They sprang forward to greet me; tender arms were clasped around me; forms that had been almost dumb during my investigations now talked freely; faces that had worn more the character of a mask than of real life now glowed with beauty. What claimed to be my niece, ever pleasant and earnest in aiding me to obtain the knowledge I was seeking, overwhelmed me with demonstrations of regard. Throwing her arms around me, and laying her head upon my shoulder, she looked up and said, "Now we can all come so near you!" Her wonderful spontaneity of character at once asserted itself, and has ever since been the delight of all who have come in contact with her.
My association with these forms is of the most simple character; it is that of children with each other: we realize the full force of the Master's words, "Except ye become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." Science may wrangle over the supposed movements of molecules and atoms, and the correlation of forces; may dissect the bird to find its song; but love alone shall set the boundaries of knowledge. The key that unlocks the glories of another life is pure affection, simple and confiding as that which prompts the child to throw its arms around its mother's neck.
To those who pride themselves upon their intellectual attainments, this may seem to be a surrender of the exercise of what they call the higher faculties. So far from this being the case, I can truly say that until I adopted this course, sincerely and without reservation, I learned nothing about these things. Instead of clouding my reason and judgment, it opened my mind to a clearer and more intelligent perception of what was passing before me. That spirit of gentleness, of loving kindness, which, more than anything else, crowns with eternal beauty the teachings of the Christ, should find its full expression in our association with these beings.
Part II.
OPINIONS AND THEORIES.
The credulous have their weak points, but the belief of unbelievers surpasses all credulity.
There is no position a man can assume so weak as that of extreme skepticism in the face of fair evidence.
Heat, light, electricity, and force are common things. We accept them as matters of everyday life; our familiarity with them prevents surprise. In our attempts to discover or learn what they are we have utterly failed. All that we have found is how they act under certain conditions. They are the elements necessary to the existence of physical life, and by cultivating their acquaintance we have made friends with them. They walk beside us, lending a helping hand in everything; still they are our masters—we know them not. For the moment we comprehend a thing we are greater than the thing we comprehend: it is behind us, not in front.
Those who are seeking to know how these spirit-forms are created will seek in vain, for there is no language by which the process can be conveyed to our understanding. When it is said that they come out of invisible space, and depart in the same way, all is said that can be in explanation of their advent among us.