“Men will ask the theory of the letters that are coming to them through you. This must be explained.
“As the Lessons have been given to me to deliver to the world through you, so the letters that are to come will be given to me by the forces from whom they come. The reason that they come through me is that I reach you more freely, when you are alone, than any other force known to you and therefore commanding your confidence....
“The Lessons came from great forces combined. They represent unity of all purposes, and were framed by the co-operation and agreement of the greatest forces of each constructive purpose, to reach the consciousness of men in general terms of your plane.
“The reason that these forces do not come to you personally is that not all of them can reach you as freely as I do. Your simile of wireless telegraphy is a good one. It does not fully explain the connection between you and me, but is as good an explanation as the progress of physical science enables you on that plane to follow. The full explanation will inevitably be possible, as physical scientists are already beginning to work toward it.
“You and I may be regarded as the receiving and sending instruments through which forces here transmit their messages. You receive from many other instruments, I send through others. But for impersonal messages you and I are most completely in accord, and thus it is that these greater forces use us as a means of communication. The first letter is ready now.”
It chanced, unfortunately, that I was called away, and when I was prepared to take the letter, later in the day, almost two hours were consumed in an attempt to write the name of its author, who was described as “a leading educator.” Eventually I was assured that “Matthew Alden” was correct, but, while the name was repeatedly written, I had a strong impression that it was not what Mary K. had intended to write. Reminding myself of previous difficulties in obtaining names, I tried to believe that the delay and fatigue incident to this effort had contributed to my doubt of its authenticity. But the doubt remained.
The long letter which followed was also received with great difficulty and many delays, and proved, when completed, to be a verbose jumble of platitudes concerning educational methods, with here and there a striking phrase. It was signed, “Matthew Al....” By this time, I was excessively tired and could obtain but one statement from Mary K. “You have not the name right.”
Later in the evening, I took up a pencil, and it wrote: “Mar ... Matthew Ald....” The name was not finished.
“Isn’t Mary K. here?”
“No. No, she will return.”