A terrible conflagration was raging in one of your large cities. Down among the business portions of the place, tenement houses, to be filled with families of human beings, had been erected. They had grown brown and unsafe with age, yet were swarming with human beings—a family of children, as well as grown persons, on every floor; and in this place a fire had broken out in the night, and had been raging for an hour before discovered. At last, relief came, but too late to save the lives of all those poor, helpless creatures. The bodies of a number of children, as well as men and women, were burned to a crisp in that holocaust of flame.
Attracted to the scene by the sufferings and necessities of human beings, hosts of invisible spirits penetrated the smoke and flame (which, though having no power to destroy disembodied beings, yet caused a darkness and gloom to surround them), and in company with dear spirits, whose work is ever for the amelioration of suffering and distress, I was privileged to approach with the hope of being of use to those who were passing out from mortal life in the midst of fiery flames.
And what a sight was there! Half-developed spirits, not realizing the grandeur of the triumph of right over wrong, were gathering around, as if to gloat over the sufferings of the stricken ones before us; gathered together by the fascinating attractions emanating from the spirit of that incendiary who had created this terrible blaze; and it seemed as if they were delighted at the calamity taking place before us. But a noble band of spirits, drawn together by the ties of sympathy, and attracted to the place by the tender pity in their souls for the suffering, approached, and with them brought such a radiant light that the evil-disposed influences speedily departed.
And then we turned our attention to the spirits struggling out from the flesh; by gentle magnetic passes we released them from the flame and smoke and bore them away to pleasant scenes and blooming places in the spirit world, where nothing can destroy.
Three little children it was our good fortune to release from a terrible sense of suffocation and fear—dear little children, whom we bore away to the Summer-Land, and placing them in a bower of blooming roses, we left them in the charge of a kind mother-spirit, whose tender love and soothing care would hush all grief and fear which might overtake them when they awoke from the deep magnetic sleep cast upon them by spirit power, in order to remove all traces of suffering and anguish.
Oh, could you witness from the spirit side of life the results of such a terrible conflagration as this, you would never rest until your streets were so laid out, your buildings so constructed, and so remote from each other, that it would be impossible for a fire to spread among them and carry such deadly mischief in its blazing folds.
And yet, in spite of the awful scene of blackening smoke and lurid flames, the presence of evil-disposed influences attracted thither by the destroying elements, the suffering, the misery and despair,—in spite of these, the sight of high and exalted intelligences, whose interior life brilliantly illuminated their features, and dispelled the darkness, abashed the evil-disposed, and stimulated the sympathizing efforts of mortals to aid the suffering, was a scene to be witnessed with joy; creating within us a sense of thankfulness, that above and beyond all sorrow, evil and pain, there is a life peopled with unselfish, holy beings, who glorify their Father by alleviating the pangs of the sorrowful and distressed. And I observed that around those kind souls in mortal, who were working with herculean efforts to save the lives and property of the tenants of these houses; around the noble firemen; the crowd who were putting forth powers and desires to be of use; around those who opened their homes for the destitute and suffering, a golden light shone, and bands of helpful, shining spirits gathered, aiding with strength and sympathy; and a light shone in the darkness of despair, a star gleamed brilliantly above the light of human sympathy,—the star of heavenly love.
The unpleasant, disagreeable, desolate places I have seen in my experience of spirit life have been few indeed compared with the many beautiful spots I have visited, and the scenes of grandeur, sublimity, or sweetness I have been privileged to look upon. I find that the natural scenery of the spirit world far transcends in beauty of forms and coloring everything of the kind which exists upon the earth; for, though the glowing sunset, the fairy-like sunrise, the exquisite blending of colors in fragrant flowers, the blooming vales, the luxuriant forests, the grand old mountains and foamy oceans belonging to earth combine to make up many a scene of indescribable beauty, yet these same forms and tints, existing as they do in the spirit world, are so refined, so delicate, yet so grand, majestic and glowing, that it is impossible for mortals upon earth to comprehend their beauty, or to experience the emotions of reverential delight and solemnity that a spirit feels while gazing upon the wonderful forms of nature, and listening to the rapturous melody of sound rising from birdlings’ throats, gurgling waters, and rustling leaves.
ADVENT OF A MORTAL INTO SPIRIT LIFE.
I will now describe to you, as well as I can, a beautiful scene I once witnessed, the memory of which runs through my spirit experience like a strain of music.