I have often thought of the beauty and glory of this sweet life, wishing that I could cause mortals to view it as I do,—to view and to emulate, to bring down something of its happy conditions to earth; for then there would be no need of prison-walls, no cause for corporeal punishment, but love and justice would reign supreme, and the millennium, long foretold by prophet and seer, dawn upon the new earth.
INTERIOR VIEW OF ZENCOLLIA.
Zencollia, “City of Light,” the sight of thy white walls, gleaming in the distance, recalls a vision of thy beautiful streets, so unlike the city streets that mortals know. No jarring noise disturbs the serenity of thy places; and yet the ceaseless murmur, the ever-present appearance of active, energetic life within thy limits, proclaim that therein is found sentient, individualized, conscious existence.
The edifices so beautifully constructed of shining stone, artistically adorned with carvings of exquisite grace and symmetry, do not crowd and elbow each other for want of space; but each building stands within its own enclosure, surrounded by garden plats and banks of emerald green. Lofty trees, whose umbrageous foliage furnishes a cooling shade, are scattered here and there, giving an aspect of natural beauty to the scene. The very streets, though paved through their centres with polished stones, are fringed on either side with grassy leaves and nodding flowers, which no careless foot seeks to trample down.
And yet, it is a city, vast and magnificent. Its massive buildings, its countless inhabitants, all mark the difference between it and the town or country. At regular spaces, great plats, enclosing flowery beds of every variety of color and perfume; tiny lakes and gushing fountains; gleaming pavilions, furnished with rustic seats and tables; small groves of shade trees, tiny grottoes and fairy glens, where birds make music through all the sunny day—are kept under constant care and cultivation for the enjoyment of all who wander therein; and it is no uncommon thing for groups of harmonious spirits to gather together in one of these gardens, and spend an hour in that communion of soul expressed in the singing of hymns, the exhortations from inspired lips, or the encouraging words given from one to another, that lift the spirit still nearer the Infinite Light that pervades in some measure all space and permeates all life.
A CONVOCATION OF WOMEN.—EQUALITY OF SEX.
I have recently attended a convocation of women, in one of these city gardens, earnest, noble, true-souled women, who met together to discuss plans and devise measures for the welfare of their sister-women upon the earth. They had gathered together to send forth their silent, penetrating, uplifting sympathy toward those who are crowded almost out of existence, either by the pitiless hand of poverty, or shunned and scorned because of the unfortunate lives circumstances have compelled them to lead.
In the realm of spirit, our societies are not confined to one sex; there is no exclusiveness; woman is not considered incompetent to discuss the questions of life with her brother. Men do not meet in club or barroom, to revel in scenes they would blush to have their sisters witness, neither do women have their sorosis, that the gentlemen cannot enter, or sewing-circle, where gossip and slander—those tender tid-bits so delicious to some tastes—are woven into the garments they fashion, with their pernicious and malicious influence.
Each convention, every organization is founded upon the polished square of Equality, and membership is freely extended to male and female alike; thus rounding out the perfect circle of harmonious life. But this convocation of which I speak, composed entirely of women—tender, helpful, loving women—who have witnessed the struggles and the sorrows of those dear children of humanity, whom mortals consider lost, but whom angels know shall yet be redeemed to honor and virtue, was called together because it had become evident to thinking minds that the so-called Progress of Humanity will remain but a sham, until society awakens to the fact that while one outcast remains outside the closed door of fraternal sympathy, while one poor sufferer is refused the helping hand or kindly word, to encourage her onward toward the highway of goodness, it is an agency of intolerance, and unworthy the name it bears.
And so, out in the bright, clear air, with the radiant sky above their heads, the flowery sod beneath their feet, where the grand old trees chanted their anthems of glory, as the breeze swept through their branches, these spirit women met, and with earnest faces and solemn words, dedicated themselves to the high mission of going one by one out into the material world to sow seeds of love and good-will in the hearts of mortals,—going forth from their beautiful spirit homes as teachers to humanity; and the one little lesson, so easy to read, so hard to remember and weave into practical life, which they seek to implant in human hearts, is this: “Judge not, but extend the friendly hand, the kindly word and smile, even more if you can, the cup of water and the meal of bread, to the poor unfortunate, whose life is bowed beneath the weight of its own mistakes, and who bears more punishment within the soul than you can dream it possible for one to endure.”