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Converted IPe 
 
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 Spiritualism. 
 
 Oh HiHdnd TnUnwik*. 
 
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 E(Uua by B. F. AUSTIN, & A. 
 
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 Mmul,.J„„JOm., l-y I: T. A. M rv, al ll,o IV,.a,tm..,„ of AK,i,.„l,„r... 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPmiTUAUSM 
 
 X.M. M.I), 
 
 HIRI HAINI:, IMIIAXA, 
 
 1 ri-fiHcly as ill ihi- iiiit^i I'liihrvoiiii- .oii- 
 .liti.v, ih, |,i,.fiKiir.-d wiiiK ..r li»- l,i,,l or 
 tin ..I III,. h,li inhlliblv imli.nl.-, ili.' ..I,., 
 im-iii 11,., ,.„.„■, i„ ii, ]|f,.^ ,„ ,1,,, ^,||„|_. , ||_ 
 ji.'k-i ..I .■,,.l,il,„„ l„.„r, „, will, irr,-v,ii. 
 
 '"'' "" "liiiii 1,1 h,' ,llTI,lusi,„i ih.ii i|„. 
 
 r,'liKi,>iiN ii.ihii,' .-^lU iTiiviiiKH „f ni;,i,ki,i,l 
 ari' ,oir,'l.il,-il will, .in nn^'on uoiUI 
 rroj.johii Fixlit'. 
 
 I rejfiirU il H-, a most Ii>Ki,'.il, „-lf.,.vi- 
 denl, mionirowrliblf pr,>posilii,n thai if 
 moilrni .SpiiiiualiMii is laKe, niuipnl Siii,-. 
 itua isni ix laN,. : ami 1|,„| if an.ienl Spir. 
 iluali.m I, f;,l„. i|„. Hiblc is fals.-.-//. |- 
 Sverittfffn. 
 
 The man «!,„ d,.|,i,., ih,. |ilK.noini-ii.-i of 
 hpiiiliialiMn lo-,lay is not enlitl,'d lo b,. 
 ,al .-d a sk,-|ilic , h.. i, simply i^noranl, 
 and 11 iv,>iild bra h,iiH.|ess lask 1,) allc-mpl 
 lo enliKhlea liiin. Bui I shall allempi lo 
 explain Iheir orijfin ,>n other Krutinds ihan 
 Ihe supiHisillon Ihal th>>y are eaused bv 
 the spiriis of the dead. In other words I 
 a< mil the allcKid ph,.nomena h,il denv Ihe 
 alleKediaiise.- Th.imsm, /. Huil„m. 'Vi,l, 
 " I.a« ot Psychie Phenomena," pane Jo6. 
 
 I am to write upon what convert- 
 ed me to Spiritualism. Why am I 
 a Spiritu.ilist? 
 
 I am not a Spiritualist because I 
 
 ,1 
 
 had any nnlural inclination toward 
 experience with Spiritualism, 
 op. 
 
 On the contrary, I was Imi 
 po.sed to Spiritualism and Spiritual- 
 ists. 
 
 I am not a Spiritualist hecniise 
 my parents and relatives were Spir- 
 itualists, for they were not. They 
 ere orthodox .Methodists. Preshy- 
 lerians, Kpiscopalians, *:c. 
 
 I am not a Spiritualist hecauso 
 .\hr:ih,mi Lincoln, Prof. .\. R. \Val. 
 lace. Prof. Cr,.oke.;, O, W. Holmes, 
 H,.race(lreely, Miyanl, l.oii^'lellow, 
 .Mice .ind Phoebe Cary, Lilian 
 Whilintr. l-:ila \"heeler Wilcox, 
 .lames Whilcoinb Riley, |ohn I'lark 
 Rid-salh, Joe .lelTerson.'Kiiwin Hooth, 
 Pn .. tlodt;son, James, Hvslop, 
 <; r, Ihe Rev. Drs. Thoma.s, 
 X .ion, Hepworth. .Vhboll, Heech- 
 er. Savajre, Canon VVilherlorce and 
 Bishop Li^rhtfoot and manv others 
 were and are Spirit alists. 
 
 I .im not a Sp' alist becau.sc 
 any body else is a . . itualist. 
 
 I am not a Spit .ualist because 
 Spiritualism i.s popular, for it is not 
 popular. It yet requires no little 
 moral courage to stand up and be 
 counted a Spiritualist. 
 
 I am not a Spiritualist because 
 much that is presented under the 
 banner of Spiritualism meets mv 
 concurrence or appro^al, for the re- 
 verse is the fact. I am utterly dis- 
 trusted, sickened humiliated, a.sham- 
 ed, mortified with much that passes 
 with the rank and file as Spiritual- 
 ism, but I have been equally dis- 
 gusted with Methodist revivals and 
 camp meetinjfs. 
 
 I am not a Spiritualist because 
 the communications I have received 
 from spirit friends were as full and 
 complete and natural and satisfac- 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 »ory as those I have received from 
 them while yet embodied. 
 
 I am not a Spiritualist because of 
 the vast amount of fraud, deception, 
 humbuggery and imposition prac- 
 tised under the cloak of Spiritualism, 
 but I am a Spiritualist in spite and 
 independent of and notwithstanding 
 this lamentable fact. 
 
 What then, has converted me to 
 Spiritualism ? Why am I a Spirit- 
 ualist? Have lever been to the 
 Spirit world? No, I have never 
 been there. I have never been in 
 the city of New York, yet the evi- 
 dences I have received of the exis- 
 tence of that metropolis are >-o great 
 and numerous that I feel that I am 
 justified in asserting that I know 
 that there is in the.se United States 
 a great city called New York. 
 
 Now, I have never been to the 
 Spirit world, but I have received 
 certain evidences that to me are 
 satisfactory and conclusive that 
 there is such a world — a world or 
 condition in which the spirits of my 
 departed friends still exist and are 
 able under certain conditions, or 
 by the observance of certain laws 
 as yet but little understood, to make 
 their continued existence manifest 
 to me. 
 
 As little as I know about Chicago 
 and New York, I know immeasur- 
 ably less about the spirit world, of 
 which I have as yet obtained but 
 the faintest glimpse, hardly worth 
 noticing. But I have had commun- 
 ications from the spirit world, as I 
 have had communications from Chi- 
 cago and New York. At any rate 
 I have had letters on slates signed 
 by the names of departed friends 
 who were utter strangers to the 
 medium through whose aura or pe- 
 culiar influence — call it magnetic, 
 electric, psychic, or what you will — 
 they came, and concerning matters 
 
 that no one knew anything about 
 save those departed friends whose 
 names were thus signed to these 
 messages, and myself. In many 
 instances the medium did not touch 
 the slates, nor were they at any 
 time out of my possession. In 
 most instances I could feel the vib- 
 rations of and hear the noise pecul- 
 iar to slate-writing while messages 
 were being written, and while the 
 medium was seated at a distance 
 from me. which fact alone would 
 preclude the possibility of their be- 
 ing written by his or her hands. 
 Where is the Keller or Hermann or 
 other celebrated magician who can 
 by trickery duplicate this phenome- 
 non ? I have witnessed the per- 
 formances of both these renowned 
 magicians many times and am amaz- 
 ed at their wonderful tricks perform- 
 ed by the aid of many assistants in- 
 visible to the audience, but they 
 have always failed to produce the 
 intelligence from and the names of 
 the spirits of the departed which 
 constitutes the essential evidence of 
 the truth of modern Spiritualism. 
 
 I am a Spiritualist, therefore, be- 
 cause neither the theories ot the 
 magicians Keller and Hermann, 
 nor those of Thomson Jay Hudson, 
 are satisfactory to me as explana- 
 tions of the phenomena I have per- 
 sonally experienced, many of which 
 I am not permitted to reduce to 
 writing. 
 
 I am a Spiritualist because all of 
 the learned, so-called scientific ex- 
 planations of the acknowledged 
 phenomena of Spiritualism upon 
 any other hypothesis than that of 
 Spiritualism have miserably failed 
 to explain, in my opinion. For ex- 
 ample, do they or any one of them 
 explain the following personal ex- 
 periences ? 
 
 In the year 1878 I was physician 
 
WilAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKmjAUSM 
 
 to the Allen County Infirmary. 
 Three of the Irish inmates died so 
 closely together as to be buried at 
 the same time. In the night after 
 their burial I assisted in the resur- 
 rection of their bodies and convey- 
 ing them ti) the dissecting room of 
 the Kort Wayne Medical College, 
 which dissecting room was then lo- 
 cated on Barr street. Guilty as I 
 was of this then misdemeanor (now 
 It is a penitentiary offence, but the 
 law grants us the bodies of all who 
 die unclaimed by friends, provided 
 ive make the proper application to 
 the authorities) 1 say, guilty as I 
 was of this violation of ths law, I 
 had almost forgotten it when a few 
 years ago, in a seance given by Mr 
 George Hail, 1 was forcibly remind- 
 ed of It by a voice in Irish accents 
 through the trumpet, calling me by 
 name, and purporting to be that of 
 Moike, who was "one of the 
 three, ' as he put it, who were res- 
 urrected, &c., giving all of the par- 
 ticulars, into which it is not neces- 
 sary here to enter. Suffice it to say 
 that It was all true. 
 
 •An intimate friend and near neigh- 
 bor of my daughter, Mrs. Chas. 
 1-ellowes, residing in Chicago, but 
 then at my house in Fort Wayne on 
 a visit, had with his family, wife 
 and two children, gone to Texas 
 about a v.. ir previously for the ben- 
 efit of his health, he being a con- 
 sumptive. In a seance given at my 
 house by Mrs. Hibbitts, of .Muncie 
 the trumpet approaching verv near 
 to .Mrs. tellowes, a voice through 
 it called her by name and announc- 
 ed Its own as that ot John L're. 
 .Vly daughter, who bad had little, if 
 any, experience in or with trumpet 
 circles, becoming somewhat excited 
 replied that so far as she knewjohn 
 Ure was not dead. The voice re- 
 sponded : " I am not dead, having 
 
 only passed out of my body at Tex- 
 as on Saturday, and my remains 
 are now on their way to Chicago 
 for burial." He entered into a 
 number ot details not necessary here 
 to mention, of some of which my 
 daughter was cognizant, of others 
 perlectly ignorant. He spoke of 
 the fact that he was glad his family 
 was amply provided for by his life 
 insurance, if it would take care of 
 it, &c. This seance was held on a 
 Monday evening. The next morn- 
 mg the postman brought a letter to 
 my daughter from her husband, an- 
 nouncing the fact that a despatch 
 had been received in Chicago con- 
 veying the news of the death ot 
 John Lre in Texas. On the follow- 
 ing morning (Wednesday) she re- 
 ceived another letter from her hus- 
 band containing the statement that 
 the body of John Ure had arrived in 
 Chicago and that he was to act as 
 one of the pall-bearers. 
 
 My wife and I, with several other 
 bcrt Wayne people, attended at 
 Cassadaga in Aug. '94, a material- 
 izing seance, .Mrs. Maude Gillette 
 being the medium. The room was 
 unusually lighted for a seance of 
 this character. Every person in it 
 could be readily recognized from 
 any part of it. I believe that I 
 could have read ordinarv newspaper . 
 print by the light it contained. Up 
 to this evening I had failed to satis- 
 ly myself of the truth of materializa- 
 tion. I had no more confidence in 
 it than I had in the storv of Moses 
 and Ehas materializing on the 
 Mount of Transfiguration. Many 
 of the forms that appeared in this 
 seance built themselves up from two 
 to four feet or more away from and 
 independent of the cabinet, in the 
 tull view of every person in the 
 room. The cabinet consisted of a 
 few curtains stretched across a solid 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 corner of the room, a chair behind 
 them on which the medium sat en- 
 tranced. The curtains did not reach 
 within three or four feet of the ceil- 
 ing. There was no room behind 
 but for the chair and its occupant. 
 In the course of a few minutes the 
 control of the medium announced to 
 me in a loud, clear voice, that a 
 lady desired to materialize for me. 
 I responded with " 1 would be very 
 glad indeed to witness the material- 
 ization." I was then directed to 
 stand in about the centre of the cir- 
 cle, which was in the shape of a 
 horse-shoe, the cabinet being situ- 
 ated at the opening. I must have 
 stood from three to five feet away 
 from and in front of the cabinet, 
 which, apparently at least, did not 
 seem to be concerned in the phe- 
 nomenon about to be produced. 1 
 was directed to watch the floor at 
 my feet. 1 did so. Presently I 
 saw a light, cloudy something 
 about as large as my fist, from 
 which I did not take my eyes until 
 it developed gradually, steadily, 
 step by step, into a human form of 
 a size as large if not taller than 
 myself, which I recognized as the 
 lady at whose transition in June I 
 was present, and called her by name, 
 taking her by her right hand at the 
 same time. She was glad that I 
 recognized her, talked lovingly of 
 her family and reminded me of oc- 
 currences that took place in her 
 room during the last few hours of 
 her mortal existence, which no one 
 present knew anything of but she 
 and myself. Finally she called to 
 her an old lady friend, who with 
 herself had formerly been promin- 
 ently connected with the First Bap- 
 tist Church in Fort Wayne, who 
 took hold of her left hand. She 
 then called up to her my wife. 
 Thus, three ot us held quite a con- 
 
 versation and had a most moment- 
 ous visit with her. In the course 
 of a few minutes, however, she an- 
 nounced to us that she was getting 
 weak and would have to go. While 
 we three were standing in front of 
 her, I having hold of her right and 
 the lady referred to having hold of 
 her left hand, this form began grad- 
 ually to sink down, the lady and 
 myself stooping slowly with it un- 
 til it vanished entirely from before 
 our eyes while we were in the stoop- 
 ing posture, and being unable to 
 feel the sensation we naturally ex- 
 pected to feel by the severance in 
 any manner of the grasp of our 
 hands. Her hands which for a 
 lime had felt so natural, perhaps 
 not as warm as our own, .seemed 
 simply to vanish from our own 
 without creating any impression or 
 sensation. 1 know of no other 
 word that will describe her disap- 
 pearance before our eyes than that 
 she " vanished " slowly away from 
 us. 
 
 These are some of the evidences 
 for the knowledge that is within me 
 of a future existence and my stock 
 is by no means exhausted. I could 
 multiply them a hundred fold or 
 more, but to no avail. .\ single 
 one, if sufticiently attested, is as 
 good as a thousand. Either those 
 that I have here related are true, or 
 I am a most colossal, diabolical liar, 
 trifling with the most sacred affec- 
 tions of the human heart. If the 
 reader decides upon the latter ver- 
 dict he credits me with a genius for 
 their creation and manufacture 
 which ) had no idea 1 possessed. 
 
 These and many similar phenom- 
 ena are what converted me to Spir- 
 itualism, and I challenge all science, 
 all theology and all philosophy to 
 explain them upon any other than 
 the Spiritual hypothesis. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 AARON K. PE.WIiV 
 
 SAGINAW, MICH. 
 
 About j; years ajio, when a mem- 
 ber and liberal supporter of the 
 Methodist church in this city, my at- 
 tention was first directed to Spirit- 
 ualism by my son, who, with his 
 cousin, had attended a seance given 
 here by a Mrs. . Their ac- 
 counts of the table movements wit- 
 nessed and the story told by them 
 that with their united strength they 
 were unable to hold a table upon 
 which the medium's hand rested, 
 also the accounts given by them of 
 communications given through the 
 table movements purporting to come 
 from friends and relatives in spirit 
 life attracted my attention, and I 
 freely expressed my opinion that 
 they were imposed upon and that, 
 had I been present, I could have 
 solved the problem of what caused 
 the table to move. 
 
 With a view, therefore, of detect- 
 
 mg the fraud or finding out the se- 
 cret of the thing I went not long af- 
 terwards to a seance given by the 
 same medium, and while seated at 
 the table raps came in answer to 
 questions proposed, purporting to be 
 made by my father. I was far from 
 satisfied and asked all to leave the 
 table but the medium and myself 
 I soon found that the communica- 
 tions came as readily and as correct- 
 ly as before. In addition, in re- 
 sponse to my request, the table 
 wou.d assume almost anv desired 
 position, tilting' to anv angle, turn- 
 ing completely over and becoming 
 entirely unmanageable so far as I 
 was concerned, as I could not coerce 
 Its movements at all. It seemed 
 alive. 
 
 I then thought that the medium 
 and her friends might be in collusion 
 and, hearing my questions, were 
 able m some secret way to direct 
 the table's movements. So I asked 
 mentally : " Father, can you under- 
 stand my thoughts ?" and i got im- 
 mediate answer, "Yes," and thus 
 mentally I asked questions and got 
 answers as correctly as before. My 
 father promised in this wav to man- 
 ifest through other mediums and 
 did so later. 
 
 I became quite interested in the 
 phenomena, and in attending class 
 meetings occassionally referred to 
 my experiences in Spiritualism, but 
 the leader and minister both request- 
 ed me not to say anything of this 
 in the class, and the minister warn- 
 ed me that the Devil was seeking 
 to ruin me. 
 
 1 desired, however, to investigate 
 the matter more thoroughly, and 
 concluded to spend some time and 
 money in so doing, and, in order 
 that 1 might be assured that no one 
 connected with mv investigations 
 could have the slightest acquaint- 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPRITUAiaSM 
 
 ance with myself and my past his- 
 tory, I took a long: journey to On- 
 set Camp, Mass., in the summer of 
 1886. From my notes taken down 
 at the time I will transcribe, with 
 slight alterations, some of my ex- 
 periences at that celebrated Camp. 
 
 There were at that time some 
 four or five places where materializ- 
 ing seances were held upon the 
 grounds. I attended seances given ,„„u,er came to m< 
 
 &Sisl°rT"'' "'° """'*'"■"" '''"'^ recognized. They came 
 
 At thffir ; r u u """'^ "■= '"""^ '" ">«■ 1 stood 
 
 Sisters f w tLl?H '?H "" f"'^ "P- ^■■^^P"' ""■" "■ 'he hands, and 
 
 Hn„!^f "'""""'' '•'= man.festa- putting my arm abcn,! mother, kiss- 
 
 o'er/erra^iSi^d's."'" ""' "' "'^ :,''o?he?."'i?vf"".^^^^."'" -" 
 
 At Mrs. ROSS, seance, Aug. .5th, eTmy^father. "^YheyV.^S'corvr/d 
 
 ley's, for it is the longest." Soon 
 after she disappeared through the 
 floor. 
 
 On Aug. a6th I attended Mrs. 
 Ross' seance, where between 30 and 
 40 spirits materialized, most of them 
 bemg recognized. Thev ranged 
 from babes to old people and came 
 one, two, three, and in some cases 
 tour at a time. My father and 
 mother came to me here and were 
 
 1886, Louisa, my first wife, and 
 Grade, my dear little grand-child, 
 came to me and I recognized them, 
 kissed them and conversed with 
 them. It seemed as though a new 
 world had opened to my vision. 
 
 On Aug. i6th I witnessed at the 
 P^fy Sisters' seance many mater 
 
 . ,. -^. — ...«..j .waL«.i- ittcLs con^-ern ng mv oast life am 
 
 wife, John K. Penney, my brother, 
 with both of whom I shook hands 
 and conversed, and my intercourse 
 was as natural, free, and in every 
 way real as any I ever had with 
 them in their earth life 
 
 with me, and those in the seance 
 declared they easily recognized the 
 likeness between my father and my- 
 self. 
 
 I may say that all the people 
 were strangers to me and I cannot 
 conceive of any way in which the 
 facts concerning my past life and 
 
 versation with these intelligences 
 could have been obtained by the me- 
 dium or her associates. 
 
 Since then my experiences in 
 Spiritual phenomena have been num- 
 erous enough and have furnished 
 
 Or, A„„ ,, J . .1 n ,.. """ >="o"gn ana nave lurn shed 
 
 On Aug. 23rd, at the Berry Sis- sufficient evidence to convert the 
 
 ters seance, a materialized spirit ol whole city of Saginaw 
 
 ^oTrn "r ''T '" ^'''^'"- ""''' ^'"^ '^ variety of mediums at dif- 
 
 he cabin?, h'^' '""f °'" " '"'"' '"""P'- '" '"y -™ home, 
 
 1 H IV ", u *. ^"■"^'' ^° '^^^ "''"' '"ediumswho were well known 
 
 and life-like that I went up to him. to me and with mediums who were 
 
 He had a beard larger and longer perfect strangers, I have received 
 
 than myown. V/hile standing near many messaifes of love andgree.Ing 
 
 him a form of a girl about 1 3 years 
 of age sprang up near us, apparent- 
 ly through the floor. She stood in 
 front of and between us, and reach- 
 ing up she stroked with either hand 
 the long beard of Dr. Crosley and 
 my own. On asking her which she 
 liked best she declared, " Dr.-Cros- 
 
 from spirit friends and have witness- 
 ed much of the surprising phenom- 
 ena of the seance. 
 
 I am satisfied there is no other re- 
 ligion that can elevate and comfort 
 man like Spiritualism, and there is 
 no explanation of Spiritualistic phe- 
 nbmena but spirit return. 
 
WHAT QONVERTED 
 
 ^ MRS. A. K. PENNEY. 
 
 / SAGINAW, MICH. 
 
 / My father wasa Mtviiodist exhort- 
 I er living about ii miles from Lan- 
 ' sing, Michigan. I had been visiting 
 and carinj; for a sick sister, and went 
 from her home one evening 2|^ 
 miles throngh the wood to visit a 
 brother, arriving about dusk. I 
 found to my horror that three neigh- 
 bors had just arrived and were to 
 have a circle. I was compelled to 
 stay or go home in the dark. I 
 took no part with them, but while 
 serving them to refrewhm.^nts, plac- 
 ed my hands on the table and found 
 that the table moved over on niy lap 
 and that the candlestick was not 
 upset. I was sure, up to this time, 
 that all table-movements, Sec, were 
 of the devil. I slept none that 
 night and left without my breakfast. 
 My sLster on seeing me said, "Caro- 
 line, what is the matter?" I told 
 
 ME TO spmrruAUSM 9 
 
 her, and she declared it was mag- 
 netism. I could not keep my mind 
 off the subject, and felt assured if it 
 was good and right it could occur 
 there at my sister's as well as at any 
 other place. So I put one of my 
 sister's boys on her table and 
 placed my hand upon it and it 
 rocked him off. People flocked 
 in to see me. .Among others a Bap- 
 tist minister came in and got the 
 names of his father's family in the 
 old country spelled out. When he 
 asked the number in his lather's 
 family, the answer he said was in- 
 correct, being one too many. Two 
 weeks later he got a letter from 
 England announcing the birth of a 
 brother. He was convinced o( the 
 truth of Spiritualism and left the 
 ministry. 
 
 The following Sunday I took my 
 place as usual in the choir of a Free 
 Baptist Church, Lansing, but my 
 girl friends would not sing with me. 
 The minister announced aaermon on 
 Spiritualism, which he remarked 
 "is getting into the church and has 
 got to be rooted out." 1 went to 
 him at the close of service and said 
 "Bro. Barker, what do you know 
 about Spiritualism?" "Novhing," 
 he replied. I said, "If you preach 
 against Spiritualism without exam- 
 i.iing it, I will put my hands on the 
 altar table and make it diince up 
 and down the aisles during service." 
 He did not preach the sermon. 
 
 Two months later he came and 
 asked me to come down to hi:> house 
 for a seance. So I went. 1 had 
 attended his mother during her last 
 illness, and she had asked me to lock 
 the door and pray with her, and I 
 had talked with her about her soul's 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 salvation by request. The minister 
 had Huestioned me as to what had 
 occurred between his mother and 
 myselt. bi,t I regarded that as sacred 
 and relused to tell. .At the seance, 
 alter sinking a hymn and prayer 
 that H-e might know whether this 
 was the work of devils or of angels, 
 we got messages through the table. 
 The mnnster was very much interest- 
 ed, wnung down answers that pur- 
 ported to come from his mother. 
 Hesavv meho.ne, and on the wav 
 asked ,f 1 would candidly ai.swer 'a 
 
 HUest.oM o( his, anu I promised to do 
 >o. ■! ij my mother ask vou to 
 pray lor herbefore she passedawav?' 
 he asked. I ,Md him she did. And 
 he then told me that she had given 
 him thi, tact as a test througn the 
 Uble-movements, and showed me 
 the statement as he had written it 
 down at the seance. 
 
 Score.s came to me-doctors, law- 
 yers, judges and members of letis- 
 Uture, and all got satisfactory c?m- 
 mumcations. 
 
 At Pine Lake Camp .Meeting about 
 .4 years ago, I was keeping a board- 
 ing house, when two strange men 
 came m and seated themselves at the 
 table tor dmner. I tried three times 
 to pour their coffee, but had to put 
 It do>vn and give them a mess re 
 first, describing a lady that stoo'd 
 very near one of them. After din- 
 ner, the gentleman took out about a 
 dozen photos and asked me if 1 
 could seec. the one I saw and I did 
 so. M.y God!" said he, "that's my 
 wife-d.ed SIX weeks ago-and I 
 h.-ve not mentioned her name to any 
 on the ground but my brother here 
 » our description of her putting flow- 
 ers on my head is what she did daily 
 mour home." On leaving, I was 
 impressed to say • 'George, take good 
 careol little Willie." ..Whafdo 
 you know about Willie?" said he. 
 
 Only what your wife tells me to 
 say to you," 1 said. Willie was 
 born when hi, wite died. He stav- 
 ed 4 days, heard A. B. French speak 
 ■nvited him to his home in Klorfda 
 Zre"''*"'''""'''' " '^P'"'"""' «»'--iety 
 
 -■Vt the same Camp while we had 
 '3 at table, a spirit came one fore- 
 noon and requested me to leave a 
 vacant cnair ,or her to occupv a, 
 
 «Wth a°" ";'" ■ ""^ ^■"■"'"unicate 
 "■tha mend „,k, was coming to 
 
 rh'.?r?- ' "'^''"^ '"» '•■hair. 
 That forenoon Mr. A. K. Pennv, ^iv 
 
 present husband, came and occupied 
 the chair next tnevacnt one. For 
 three weeks he did no, take a meal 
 without cummunicalions irom his 
 mother in spirit life ihrough thi, 
 chair. .At times the chair would 
 seem ahve and manifest jov and glad- 
 ness by its rapid and remarkable 
 movements. As we had two other 
 mediums present the conditions 
 were very good for such manifestat. 
 'ons. 1 have been clairvoyant and 
 clairaudient all my life, f ,e„ard 
 
 Spn-ituahsm as the hig:. .stand best 
 and most comforting of all religions. 
 1 witnessed a wonderful case of 
 heahng througn majiu.nship under 
 spirit control at Pine Lake Camp 
 At a certain cottage friends of a 
 sick man had gathered together ex- 
 pecting his death, as four doctors 
 h.td pronounced him incurable and 
 agreed he could not live an hour 
 Mrs. Proctor, known as the "Oil 
 Medium, under spirit control came 
 rushing into the cottage, dro-. 
 
 away all near the bed, to.-e open his- 
 shirt collar . ,d holding he" palm 
 upward tc: a moment according to 
 her custom, anointed his body wi,i 
 oil thus mysteriously collected. 
 She sent fora drug and admini'siered 
 It, and m one hour and a half the 
 man was sitting up and went home 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUALISM 
 
 HERBERT G. PAILL 
 
 TOKO.VTO, ONTARIO. 
 
 I have always, more or less, been 
 a devout believer in angel ministra- 
 tion and spirit return. Such a be- 
 lief follows as a natural consequence 
 the careful study of the Scriptures. 
 This doctrine 1 have thoroughly be- 
 lieved and taught for twenty years. 
 I have by me now a book of boyish 
 verses, v agarics of my early diys, 
 some ot them written before I was 
 twelve years of age, and amongst 
 others of a like nature is the follow. 
 ing: 
 
 " I would that I «ere d.'ad, 
 
 Vel. thoujfh I dead inij{ht be. 
 1 xull while in the spirit lived 
 .Mi>.'lit with earth's tenants be. ' 
 To me the story of Abraham en- 
 tertainijig the three angels means 
 more than a lapsed possibility. The 
 angel dream of Jacob to me has al- 
 ways been the divine teaching of 
 
 eternal communication between the 
 angel and earth realms. The ad- 
 monition of the apostle not to for- 
 get the entertaining of strangers 
 because some had entertained angels 
 unawares is not a fable. Reason 
 assures me of thepossibilitv ot spir- 
 it return. Hrophecy rests upon 
 spirit instruction. Inspiration has 
 not ceased. Spirit is still spirit and 
 l^od is still Ood. Impressional 
 preachjng did not end with Naiah 
 or the apostles. The Hible without 
 Its spiritualism is lileless and dead 
 I he spirit only givelh lile. Where 
 there is no vision the people perish 
 Ihere never has been a lime when 
 the world has been lelt without 
 some evidences of spirit communi- 
 cation. 
 
 If Mo.«es and Elias manifested 
 themselves and became visible and 
 recognizable, others under proper 
 conditions may also appear. The 
 testimony of truthlul men to-dav 
 proves the truth of this assertion, 
 and their testimony to the truth 
 inust not be disputed any more than 
 the testimony ol men of two thou- 
 sand years ago, else the whole lab- 
 ric ol human credence in the probity 
 ol righteous men is at stake. 
 
 .V.y own internal and external wit- 
 ness has always been to me a stu- 
 pendous, unanswerable argument in 
 favor of spirit return. 1 dare not 
 therefore, stultify iny honest convic- 
 tion. The psychic in my own na- 
 ture asserts itself irresistibly and 
 will not be disobeyed. 
 
 1 watched alone lor a few min- 
 utes by the bedside of my mother's 
 sister as she lay dying, my mother 
 being in the spirit world. 1 believ- 
 ed then, and believe now, that my 
 mother's spirit was present at the 
 time and witnessed the act and ar- 
 
WHAT CONVERTED RIE TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 tide of my beloved aunt's death and 
 welcomed her darling sister in the 
 spirit world. I felt her presence 
 sensibly and addressed her audibly 
 as " Mother," and waved my hand 
 in loving affection to her. 
 
 The unimpeachable testimony of 
 the Rev. T. W. Jeffery on the Sab- 
 bath afternoon of his wife's death, 
 as, in his own parlor, he essayed to 
 console those who came to comfort 
 him was genuinely in favor of spirit 
 return. '* She is not dead," said he, 
 smiling tearfully, ** for she is very 
 near to me now." From the pul- 
 pit I have heard him more than 
 once say the influtiice ofhis beloved 
 wife was with him helping him in 
 many ways and counselling him for 
 good. 
 
 The living and dying testimonies 
 of holy preachers and godly laymen 
 have influenced me in the belief of 
 spirit return and cannot be gainsaid. 
 
 The poets' raptures and the songs 
 of praise of inspired hymnologists 
 have borne their part in conviction, 
 such as "There are angels hover- 
 ing round," ^-c, and Longfellow's 
 clfi'.voyant ve/ses : 
 
 There are more ^ue<«t.<« at table than the 
 host 
 
 Invited. The illu.Tiinated ball 
 Is thronged with quiet, inuffenstve j^hosts 
 
 As silent as the pictures on the wall. 
 
 The spirit world around this world of sense 
 Floats like an atmosphere, and every- 
 where 
 Wafts throu>rh these earthly mists and va- 
 pors dense 
 A vital breath of more ethereal air. 
 
 The fact that Jesus said *' 'i here 
 is joy in the presence o( the angels 
 of God over one sinner that -epent- 
 eth," is prima facie evidence that in- 
 telligent communication exists be- 
 tween the seen and the unseen. 
 Jesus assured his hearers that Laza- 
 rus was carried by the angels' into 
 Abrahutn's bo:>am, and we know 
 
 that angels are the advanced spirits 
 of the departed of earth life. 
 
 I have witnessed various phases 
 of modern spirit manifestation of 
 wonderfully convincing character, 
 for any evidence I have received in 
 this direction corresponds identical- 
 ly with the records of Scripture, 
 and the tests I have received have 
 been under such conditions as abso- 
 lutely to preclude the possibility of 
 collusion or fraud, and in none of 
 such instances has there been any- 
 thing that would lead me to attrib- 
 ute the phenomena obsei ved to any 
 other cause than the one they pur- 
 ported to emanate from. I have 
 received ocular and oral demonstra- 
 tion repeatedly. I have heard the 
 whispering still small voice and a 
 loud sonorous v-«ice as clear and 
 distinct as the preacher's from an or- 
 dinary pulpit. The best results 
 have invariably come after reverent 
 prayer and the singing of old time 
 Methodist hymns of praise. I have 
 received equally as clear evidence in 
 the light as in the dark. 
 
 I have never heard or seen any- 
 thing to correspond in the remotest 
 degree to sleight of hand, di.ibolism 
 or the " peep and mutter " humbug 
 to which some sacrilegious ones fre- 
 quently allude. My convictions 
 have been strengthened after read- 
 ing the reverent, scholarly and crit- 
 ical scientific researches of such men 
 as Epes Sargent, Alfred Russel Wal- 
 lace, SirWm. Crookes, Dr. Peebles, 
 Rev. Moses Hull, Rev. Jos. Cook, 
 Rev. Saml. Watson, Andrew Jackson 
 Davis and others. 
 
 If the evidence of sucli men as 
 these in favor of spirit return avails 
 nothing then the truthfulness of 
 Scripture may as well be called in 
 question, and any argument in fa- 
 vor of truth collapses like a castle 
 of cards. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 '3 
 
 gun to act strmngcly and to mani- 
 fest some agitation of mannei and 
 we became naturally alarr.ied. 
 ** She's going into a Bt/' said one. 
 ** Run for the doctor," said another. 
 But the agitation soon passed and 
 si»ter L — addressed us. " Don't 
 be afraid," said she, but in a voice 
 strangely like that of sisftr Grace. 
 " V'ou are going to understand soon 
 one of the most wonderful facts of 
 the world." By this time she had 
 taken on the expression of face and 
 exhibited the manner and voice of 
 sister Grace, shoving all the symp- 
 toms of the illness from which that 
 sister hac suffered. " I am Grace 
 whom you thought you buried ir 
 the grnve-yard," continued le. 
 
 *' When I passed out of the body I 
 
 When I first became interested in floated up to the ceiling of the room. 
 Spiritualism eleven years ago I was saw the four of you weeping, saw 
 
 MRS. I. E. CAMPBELL 
 
 TORONTO, ONTARIO. 
 
 a Presbyterian, having been brought 
 up to regard the name and doctrines 
 of Spiritualism with abhorrence. 
 It came to me ; I did not seek it ; 
 evidently there has been a medium- 
 istic strain in our family for gener- 
 ations back. 
 
 My sister Grace was very ill, in 
 fact dying of consumption in Buf- 
 
 my own body lying on the bed, saw 
 all that was done about the burial, 
 went to the funeral myselt and saw 
 my own body buried. \'ou thought 
 I was out of my mind when I said 
 that Grandma was here and babv 
 also. I was not. They did come 
 for me. " 
 
 She then spoke to us of the higher 
 
 falo, "and a number of the family life, the better life, and told us w* 
 
 ■were visiting at a sister's home must all strive for it. '* Don't 
 
 where si. e was then stopping and weep for me,'* she said, "for I 
 
 where she afterwards passed away, should rather .r^^o for you, since 
 
 When dying she said : ** Here's you are still to pass through death 
 
 Grandma, and there's the baby (sis- and I have conquered it." She 
 
 ter); they've come for me." then came over to me and gave me 
 
 About a month after, when four privately some information about a 
 
 of us were sitting in the parlor of personal and dear friend. Said she: 
 
 the same home, my sister L — he- " Mr. G — , vour friend, i<i at this 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 hour in hotel in Detroit. He 
 
 is ivith u company of jolly compan- 
 ions and is just now raising a fflass 
 of liquor to his lips. Tell him for 
 mn that it will do him no f;ood. It 
 will only lead him downwith others." 
 Soon after, on meetint^ '''■■• ("'■ ' 
 asked him if he was not in ho- 
 tel, Detroit, on a certain date, and 
 he replied, "Ves." I then pro- 
 ceeded, from the description given 
 me, to describe the room, the com- 
 pany, ami when I had finished Mr. 
 G. w.ns greatly astounded and had 
 to .idmit that I received the infor- 
 mation in some occult and un,ic- 
 counlable way. 
 
 Shortly after she was controlleil 
 by the spirit of a trcntlemiin wir^. 
 said: "I am Charlie S—. \oi 
 know me very well." I said at 
 once in astonishment : " I know 
 Charlie .S— very well, indeed. He 
 is in Denver, Col., and his goods 
 are stored in our home. So vou 
 cannot be Charlie S — ." "But 1 
 am Charlie S— . I pas., d out of 
 the body in Denver. My body is 
 now on its way to Tr.onto and'mv 
 wife accompanies it. It is even 
 now passing the international line. 
 My people will meet the body at the 
 itation. To-morrow you will get 
 word concerning my death." He 
 recalled a number of facts that I 
 knew were within the knowledge of 
 Charlie S — and but few others, and 
 certainly succeeded in partially con- 
 vincing me of his identity. The 
 follov. ing day I got the letter from 
 his widow which apprised me of his 
 death and confirmed what had been 
 spoken to me by some intelligence 
 through my sister's lips. I remem- 
 ber, among other things, asking 
 Mr. S — how he found things in the 
 other life, and he replied : " I have 
 not been weighed yet and don't 
 know how jr.uch I shall be found 
 
 wanting." 
 
 During this same evening some 
 fifteen or twenty diffcreni intelli- 
 gences controlled my sister'N body 
 and spoke to us and gave us strong 
 and satisfving evidence in some 
 cases of their identity. 
 
 .My sister went into the trance 
 condition at 8 p.m. and did not 
 come out of it till after i j o'clock, 
 talking constantly for four hours. 
 When she recovered consciousness 
 we said to her : " 'I'ou h;nc been 
 entranced for hours." •■ N'uthing 
 of the kind," she declared. We all 
 testified and pointed to the hands 
 of the clock, but she thou>,'ht wc had 
 moved them for some practical ioke, 
 and could not be persuaded that her 
 organism had been used Ii voi'.-e 
 the thoughts of the spirit world. 
 
 The next day, howe\er, slie be- 
 came clairvoyant and saw a former 
 Sunday school companion, who ap- 
 peared to her in the doorway, and 
 not very long aiter, in company ol" 
 some French people, she both sang 
 and spoke in French, and one gen- 
 tleman present, recognizing the 
 songs and lullabies of his childhood, 
 cried out, " It is my mother who 
 sings to me," and burst into tears. 
 In my own home in Toronto she 
 was afterwards controlled by the 
 spirit of a German, who tried by 
 word and sign to make us under- 
 stand he wanted to send a message 
 to his son. .As none of us could 
 understand German he failed, but 
 his daughter afterwards came and 
 similarly controlled her, and as she 
 spoke both German and Knglish 
 she readily explained what her t,ither 
 failed to make clear. 
 
 Since then I have had abundant 
 reasons, through my own clairvoy- 
 ant and cliiraudient powers for be- 
 lieving in the fact of i-^irit return 
 and communication 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SHBiTUAUiM 
 
 JOHN STIHHS. 
 
 KIM;, i>NTAK10. 
 
 It ij* a Kttle over thirty yeiirs n^'o 
 that my Hltention was first drawn 
 towards Spiritualism. Fnvtous to 
 ■hat I was a Methodist. 1 left that 
 denomination and becnme a student 
 ol life and nature. .As such I natur- 
 ally became materialistic, taking 
 Is'rcat interest in the writings of .Spin- 
 oza, Fichte, Hej;el and otherGerman 
 metaphysicians. This resulted in 
 my conversion to a kind of Spiritual 
 Pantheism. Writings upon animal 
 magnetism, clairvoyance and the 
 occult sciences deeply interested me. 
 This brought me in closer relation- 
 ship to Spiritualism. 
 
 My first and most remarkable ex- 
 perience was with a deaf and dumb 
 clairvoyant. I was then about tw en- 
 ty one years of age. He pointed 
 out to me my future wife, and that 
 she would die ten years after our 
 
 15 
 
 m«rria>;e. I looked ufon this a% 
 nonsense, as I was then rnf-MKid to 
 another, and hadn't paid the »li>;he»t 
 attention to the one he referred to. 
 ^'et it turned out to be true We 
 ■ ere married and she died ten years 
 .itterwards, and upon the ainiiversary 
 of our marriage day. I was at that 
 tipne an officer of H. M. Customs, 
 .end sliiliond at Newcastle on Tyne 
 ill the n.'rth cf Kngland. 
 
 Is there a future lile? II tlure is 
 any answer to this vital and import- 
 ant question, I saw that it iinisl he 
 through Spiritualism, and to this I 
 turned. 
 
 .\ half a diuen of us, honest, and 
 e.irnest cniiuirers after truth, met 10- 
 getlier, sat three times a week reg- 
 ularly and punctually, had to ci m- 
 luence with the alphabet of Spiritual- 
 ism — table rapping. .\: -r six 
 months, we obtained higher inani- 
 lestations, such as the nuning of 
 solid bodies without contact, direct 
 spirit-writings, playing of instru- 
 ments untouched by us, spirit lights, 
 or spirit-luminosity, the trance con- 
 dition, with visions ot' spirit lite, the 
 production of fruit and llowcrs, sub- 
 stances taken from one room to the 
 other, and the development of the 
 sitters intovarious kindsof mediums. 
 When we met in those harmonious 
 circles of ours, it appeared as if the 
 room was filled with a divine or 
 spiritual afflatus. One member, a 
 Methodist, said, "I would not miss 
 one of these circles; 'tis like a little 
 heaven below." 
 
 The communications we received 
 satisfied every other member of our 
 circle, but I was still a doubting 
 Thomas. My wife developed into 
 an automatic writer and trance med- 
 ium. We frequently sat together. 
 On one occ'tsion she became en- 
 trance..' ad a vision of the 
 spirit L , She said, "Words 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 cannot dcscvibc the bt»utici of that 
 txisttncc. 1 wanted tu rf main there 
 but I waM told that I muit return for 
 a few monthif." 
 
 My wife never wan in better health 
 than at that time, yet in nix monthii 
 she had gone to return no more ex- 
 cept in ipirit, and that ihe did ncen 
 and unseen. Juit before we com- 
 mcncfd to investigate Spiritunlism, 
 we h lost a lovely and affectionate 
 boy, irs of age. One evening, 
 
 unknown to his mother, I visited to 
 weep and sorrow at his grave. 
 That night nis mother ana myself 
 helda sitting, when he communicat- 
 ed in writing through his mother 
 and «aid, "Father, weep not for me, 
 I am happy." 
 
 Splritualiiim came to me like Hn 
 oasis in the desert plains of human 
 lite. 
 
 It demonstrated the certainty of 
 the life beyond; it showed me the 
 green fields of Eden over the river, 
 that uwait the weary and worn out 
 pilgrim. It d«--troyed my material- 
 istic philosophy :ind lifted me up to 
 a ) igher plane oi thought. 
 
 WHAT IT PROVES. 
 
 It proves that our spirit friends are 
 cognizant of all our actions, that 
 spirit has rower over matter, the in- 
 dividuality ot after-life, and the re- 
 ality of things 'inseen. 
 
 It proves that our spirit friends 
 are ever with us, can read the hum- 
 an mind, know all our thoughts, re- 
 veal to us the future, and take a 
 part as it were, in the providence of 
 life and nature. They can, if we 
 will only permit them, be our spirit 
 g^uides, or guardian spirits. They 
 will \\arn us of physical dangers, 
 and help to develop our spirituality. 
 
 I have realized their presence and 
 assistance on the desolate phiins of 
 the far west. I have heard their sil- 
 <nt whisperings urging me on my 
 
 courM, and cheering me up in my 
 lonalintaa. 
 
 They have come to me unseen, 
 though not unknown, and rescued 
 me from danger. 
 
 When I lost my little mortgaged 
 Aome in the far west, in the City of 
 "Saints and Sinners, "I again heard 
 their whispering voices saying, 
 
 "A .omR fiwsilK ihvte o>r Ihr (•ulf, 
 
 Ti* not morlKKK**^ htil frvir. 
 
 No »|)ei.'ulAti\'if ihi^%'r» romloMr, 
 
 'Tin wailinK now for Ihtfo." 
 
 The question might wihk how is 
 it that the generality ol people do 
 not realize their presvnce? My an- 
 swer is that the generality of people 
 do not develop their higher spirit- 
 ual natures. 
 
 They arc selfish, thoughtless and 
 worldly. 
 
 Spiritualism affirms and proves 
 that there is no death 'tis but a birth 
 into the life divine. It also proves 
 that life is progressive, boih in this 
 world and the other. 
 
 It also teaches that there is still 
 hope for the unfortunate and illcon- 
 ditioned here, those whom the con- 
 ditions, surroundings and cirLum- 
 stances of life have prevented from 
 developing their psychic or scul 
 nature. The religious php- of 
 Spiritualism is worthy of consider- 
 ation. It is not a relifT'ous belief 
 so much PS a religion of practice — 
 of equity and justice. It is essen- 
 tially humanitarian. Spiritualism 
 to me is a grand and great truth; it 
 bridges the gulf that separates the 
 two worlds and j,*vesus demonstra- 
 tive proof of the existence of the 
 other. 
 
 So grand and gi at is thi'God of 
 ours, "Psyche," that it would be ap- 
 propriate to use the ancient Grecian 
 metaphorical sentiment, and say 
 "That her head reaches Heaven as 
 on Harth she stands." 
 
WHAT OOWVBKTH D ME TO SWUmiAUSM „ 
 
 •d th«M word. : ■■ Who.o l..lHvtth 
 »ot o„.h. Son, ,h.wr..h of God 
 .b.d.th on him." No hop, w„ 
 held out for ,h, d.,d. Th, yoZ 
 -n«i w« doomed 1 Th. mother b.! 
 cam. ,n..n,, ,„d I ,„ i„fid„ 
 
 '7'""': •■""." 'food .„„.,]; 
 
 damn. thi.younK friend of min,,.o 
 good and tru. and manly in conduct 
 I hat. that God. The devil could 
 do nowor.e.' , .oon became .n 
 athe|,t, my f„ur sro.p.l writer, be- 
 lag Hume, Paine. Volney and Vol- 
 taire. Brov.inir for a .e=.,„_ • 
 
 t.oo, I fortunately listened to avl 
 ver.al..t preacher. Univ,r«n.l 
 wa. a rebound from tak.ni.m "! 
 S"".," •■"' P««h«d it Tor i 
 -.-..„ - -„.„ .or .ne truth, in- * .hiiir iT' * ["i""'"' ''"*' »nd 
 v....Katicn,p.tien, research, prayer CnowuV" h'a, i '"1"° 1°^^ 
 and .n.p,rinff infl.jence. from invi,i. lived agin. Abou* Thl^"' J* 
 bl. intelligence.. 7'« ^ominen^t*"" itV^f* Ty 
 
 I wa. born at the ba.e of the ''""■'''! » '""i-right Quaker eiy.i 
 Green Mountain, in Vermont, and ° virt'TitJfK- "'"''"'' '""'•«' «>« 
 trained in a Calvini.ticBapti.t Sun- dium " The , South'.' T''!"*^ "«- 
 day School. The preacher (in mem- for T walked ,h.°t4','.tu'i,'1 "^J 
 orylcansee him now) was .tern, ^and., white neckurand'f,'""*^ 
 solemn-visagcd and gifted with a tT"''"".'' '"'"'»««"ally circum.pect" 
 deep, sepulchral voice, well adapted wf„/i°n !If' ""■ . ^'^odemus-like, i 
 to proclaim the terrors of Sinai t«t-w.n.* 111""'"^ '™"- ""''" Pn>- 
 His fivepoin. of theology were i 'aVe ::n^Sr;i^,^^ 
 The fall of man, total depravity, '■•"'esy. "^ " ■™'" 
 
 trinity, vicarious atonement and ^'''.^""'"'""d spirit raps were 
 eternal hell torments. Sunday was i''„7of"m,'ih''°"'''V'""'- Think- 
 a day to be hated, while God' the ioLwhe™ ete" '"•The'f'''' h'" ''''P 
 dev.l death and hell wer, all to be «en,ed to cote from eTadytfrer 
 equally feared. Later, my acedemic J*'''!'i'%l' ""rht be the toeVo,^'.'- 
 school-chum, noble, generous and ' '",^-" 'fy""". spirit,, rap^som'! 
 upright, died unconverted. '" ^""^ '^'°"' ""is lady," „d the 
 
 concus.ions were immediately heart 
 
 J. M. PEEBLES, M.D., Ph.D 
 
 BATTLE CRHK, MICH. 
 
 Briefly, a desire for the truth, in- 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUAUSM 
 
 18 
 
 •upon the wall behind her, then dis- 
 tinctly upon the ceiling overhead, 
 and then, to my horror, upon my 
 coat-collar. Heavens ! I not only 
 heard these mystic tappings upon 
 my collar ; but I felt the electric 
 shocks, and I knew that about my- 
 self there was no machinery. I 
 went to expose, but returned to pon- 
 der and pray. 
 
 In a few weeUs I called again 
 upon this lady and received several 
 remarkable tests concerning my dead 
 relatives, a-^d was told, wi:hal, that 
 I was ■' a ■'dium and had a marked 
 future ahe. of me." What ! a 
 preacher of ttj Lord Jesus Christ 
 and yet a spirit medium ! ' * Never !" 
 said I. I was sorely puzzled, and 
 the more so when Miss Rhoda Ful- 
 ler, a very intelligent member of my 
 church and a relative of ex-Presi- 
 dent Fillmore, became both a writ- 
 ing medium and a clairvoyant. I 
 was now a conscientious student at 
 the feet of these mysteries, rapping 
 concussions, visions, trances, pro- 
 phecies and clairvoyant tests, con- 
 Uituting a convincing network of 
 clinching demonstrations that I 
 could not resist. The evidences 
 were overwhelming. I was a con- 
 vert. I knew that the so-called dead 
 lived. My faith had given place to 
 knowledge, and my hope of immor- 
 tality had bloomed out into a grand 
 fruition. 
 
 Now came a trying time. Shall 
 I confess to a positive knowledge 
 of a future existence through min- 
 istering spirits and preach it, or 
 shall I smother it, hide it and keep 
 on preaching a creed — preaching 
 faith — and preaching death the king 
 of terrors, thus becoming a walking 
 lie, as some preachers are, in the 
 eyes of God and the angels ; or shall 
 I declare the whole counsel of God, 
 Lsaying with old St. Jerome, " If 
 
 the truth offends, be ye offended. ** 
 
 Resigning ny pastoral charge 
 (this was nearly fifty years ago), 
 sick in body and soul, I cut loose 
 from the sect, the creed, the church. 
 The decision was prompt. The 
 church trustees presented me in a 
 few days later with a most flatter- 
 ing series of resolutions for becom- 
 ing zeal, piety and Christian deport- 
 ment. Now I was free ! The 
 world was my parish, and never did 
 I before so fully appreciate the in- 
 spired words of Jesus, ** Ye shall 
 know the truth and the truth shall 
 make you free." It was freedom of 
 the soul. It was evolution. It was 
 making truth authority. It was 
 growth based upon unquestioned 
 evidences. It was graduating from 
 the theological doubts and fears, 
 inhering in Calvinism, up through 
 the tremulous faith of Universalism, 
 into the blessed knowledge of spirit 
 converse, of inspirational medium- 
 ship and angel ministries — minis- 
 tries that transform the shimmering 
 shadows of death's evening into the 
 golden sunbeams of an eternal morn- 
 ing of life, progress, and a peace 
 that passeth all understanding. 
 
 And now, as eighty winters have 
 whitened my hairs, and as I daily 
 turn westward toward the sunset 
 years of mortal life, I am more and 
 more conscious of the presence of 
 guardian angels, and of an eternity 
 stretching on before me— an eter- 
 nity that thrills the depths of my be- 
 ing with love and reverence towards 
 God, and I cannot refrain from say- 
 ing with Tennyson : 
 
 " I can but trust that ^ood shall fall 
 At last— far off— at last to all, 
 And every winter change to spring. 
 
 Not one life shall be destroyed 
 Or cast as rubbish to the void. 
 When God hath made the pile complete. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 ED.VIOND P. BERNIER 
 
 igo KANDOLPH ST., DETROIT, MICH. 
 
 I was born .August 2nd, 1861, in 
 L'Islet, P. Q., and was a strict 
 Catholic until iSgg. One day I 
 met a lady and she spoke about 
 Spiritualism and asked me if I would 
 come to a circle, and told me about 
 Mr. VV. E. Cole, trumpet medium. 
 I went to his circle on Tuesday 
 night, which was the first part of 
 October. 
 
 My father had passed away 1890, 
 on the I st of June. He spoke to me, 
 and later at another seance with 
 Mr. Cole I went again and spoke to 
 my uncle and my aunt and a guide, 
 whose name is Dr. Leasure. He 
 was born In 1806 and passed out in 
 
 ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 19 
 
 1844 in Berlin and told me he had 
 pursued his studies in Germany and 
 he said he was attracted to me ever 
 since I was a boy. 
 
 Now I have two bands of spirits, 
 one being an Oriental Spirit Band. 
 So I commenced to think for myself 
 and persuaded my wife and my chil- 
 dren to join the N. S. Association. 
 I often think now how narrow-mind- 
 ed I was when I belonged to the 
 church, but I would not go back to 
 the old creed again if I were to be 
 put in prison. I feel free and happy 
 and my thoughts are higher every 
 day, and I read my "Sermon" and 
 "Progressive Thinker" and get my 
 knowledge and wisdom through 
 their lines of thought. 
 
 I sit for development and my me- 
 diumship will be a high one — slate- 
 writing and drawing (independently) 
 and other phases. I have had three 
 messages alone. I feel very proud 
 of my gifts. I am waiting patiently 
 to develop soon. I am telling all 
 the people how happy I am and 
 urge them to investigate Spiritual- 
 ism. I tell them I fear not death 
 nor hell now. I am perfectly free from 
 such slavish dread. 
 
 I met the Campbell Brothers Feb. 
 31, 1901, and I had never seen 
 them or heard of them until that 
 night, so I went to their seance and 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPnUTUAUSH 
 
 received a message from my father 
 as follows : 
 
 I want to reach my son, Ed. Ber- 
 nier, and Dr. Leasure helps me, and 
 so do the guides present. I want 
 you to know, my son, that dear 
 Eddie is also with me with others, 
 who send loving greetings to you 
 all. Go on, my boy, in your search, 
 and you will be rewarded. 
 
 Father Bernier. 
 
 And Feb. 25th, rcpi, I went to a 
 private seance at 221 Park st., De- 
 troit, and received two other mes- 
 sages as follows (Campbell Bros.) : 
 
 My Dear Son — 1 want you to 
 know we are here and I want to say 
 you will yet hear of your sister 
 Philonise. Your dear ones, Leon, 
 Edmond, Eddie and Aurelia, with 
 the others, come and all send loving 
 greeting to you and the others. I 
 wrote to you through these guides, 
 impressing them so that they may 
 write what I desire. Keep on in 
 this truth, for it is a truth. 
 
 Father Bernier. 
 
 t/n nomine Patri et Filio etspiritui 
 sancto. t 
 
 My Pupil — I can no longer teach 
 an untruth because I have found the 
 eternal truth. I still see the Trinity, 
 
 but it ii Ui« Trinity of Love, Justice 
 and Truth of Spirit ; so while I do 
 not say in present teaching in the 
 name of the Father, Son and Holy 
 Ghost, I do say in Justice, Love and 
 Truth all will be made plain, so 
 seeing the beauty of such a Trinity, 
 here I come to endorse it. 
 
 Brother Chrisostome. 
 This last letter is from a Christian 
 Brother who taught me in school 
 whei I was at the college in L'Islet, 
 and he passed out six years ago 
 and he comes to me. So I hope by 
 these testimonies those who read 
 them will become investigators in 
 this truth. It is not a religion, it is 
 a science, and the highest, which 
 men cannot understand in one day 
 or a week, but will understand it by 
 investigating honestly and truthfully 
 and not by expecting fraud. If you 
 expect fraud you get fraud. Be 
 honest and true in all things you do 
 and your reward will be great. 
 Your wisdom and knowledge and 
 progression will be broad and your 
 thoughts pure by so doing. Make 
 the conditions for your spirit friends 
 to approach you, live in accordance 
 with the laws of nature, this is my 
 prayer. 
 
VHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUAUSM 
 
 J. K. CRANSTON 
 
 GALT, ONTARIO. 
 
 I was born near Gait, Aug. 14, 
 1856. My parents were Scotch and 
 were of the sturdy, intelligent type 
 that characterized many Scotch peo- 
 ple. 
 
 As a child I had several peculiar 
 experiences and was thought strange 
 and imaginative. I grew very sen- 
 sitive and felt the edge of crit' -m 
 so keenly that 1 often wished /- 
 self out of existence. I grew reti- 
 cent and kept my thoughts and ex- 
 periences to myself or would go to 
 the woods to ponder and commune 
 with nature. 
 
 When IS 1 left home to make my 
 way in the world, going to Port 
 Hope to learn the book and station- 
 er)- business. I joined the Presby- 
 terian church there and endeavored 
 to live a consistent life, but found 
 the good 1 would do was often left 
 undone and the evil yielded to. My 
 cry would go forth, "Oh, wretched 
 man that I am. Who shall deliver 
 me?" Returning to Gait some 
 
 years afterwards I engaged in the 
 book and stationery business. Then 
 I attended Knox church and entered 
 heartily into the work connected 
 therewith ; but still life to me was 
 very unsatisfactory, and I felt with- 
 in me a call to a higher and better 
 life. In my search after truth I 
 learned of a people now called the 
 Burnsites, who taught and claimed 
 to be able to live continuously a vic- 
 torious life. I sought them out and 
 found to my own satisfaction that 
 the truth they preached was of God 
 and became one with them. Life 
 had now new pleasures. I carried 
 the good news to Knox church 
 friends, and to my surprise got 
 snubbed for my pains and was final- 
 ly tried for heresy by the church 
 courts, and 1 with six others was 
 expelled — for what? Because we 
 believed and taught that it was pos- 
 sible for the child of God in this 
 world to live a continuously obedi- 
 ent life and for professing this as 
 our personal experience. We did 
 not claim infal'i -'lity or absolute 
 perfection, but ibat holiness and 
 progress co-existed, knowledge in- 
 creased and would do so unto all 
 eternity. We claimed that God was 
 guide absolute unto all truh. We 
 continued enjoying life as never be- 
 fore and our labors bore fruit and 
 others learned a like experience. 
 Still, ever and anon I would have 
 strange experiences ind felt strong 
 forces at work with! 1 me that mys- 
 tified me. I told friends of my feel- 
 ings and I both felt and was thought 
 odd. I could see, hear and under- 
 stand what was thought by unseen 
 intelligences. 1 did not believe in 
 spirit return and was not aware that 
 spirit friends were working with me 
 to develop my forces so as to bless 
 my life and others. 
 
 On Aug. 4, 1899, at Niagara 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 Falls, I was awakened by a hand 
 beinj^ placed on my shoulder, and 
 loolMng* up I saw a hand above my 
 bed holding the Scripture , motto, 
 " In quietness and confidence shall 
 your strength be." To ma>ce sure 
 that I was neither asleep or dream- 
 ing I got up and washed my head 
 and body with cold water ::nd then 
 lay down again, and almost at once 
 my mot.ier's (who is in the spirit 
 world) face appeared and smiled 
 upon me. She called me by name 
 and talked to me about what I was 
 passing through for about eight 
 minutes and then disappeared. At 
 a meeting that day 1 told of what I 
 had seen and heard, and of course I 
 was thought queer. Since then I 
 decided to let the occult in my na- 
 ture have full swing, as that was 
 what mother seemed to say was ne- 
 cessary for comfort and develop- 
 ment. I became clairvoyant and 
 clairaudient. I saw and described 
 distant scenes and vrhr.t was going 
 on in Canada, England, South Af- 
 rica, and took pains to have what I 
 described verified, accounts of which 
 were published in the Sermon in 
 Nov. and Dec, 1900, and in May, 
 1901. I found alsothat I had mag- 
 netic healing power, and have since 
 been using that power for the good 
 healing both oi myself and others. 
 I have on different occasions diag- 
 nosed and located diseases and pains 
 which had baffled physicians. I 
 have read and studied and attended 
 lectures and seances and have be- 
 come thorougnly convinced that our 
 ** so-called dead" still live, and can 
 and do communicate with us by 
 numerous methods, namely, by table 
 rapping, slate writing, through 
 trumpets, trance mediumship. I 
 now frequently converse with my 
 spirit friends in my own home and 
 on the street and am able to recog- 
 
 nize their voices and have seen them 
 and felt their kiss on my cheek. 
 My daughter Helen, who died when 
 three weeks old, is often with me 
 and has told me time and again 
 that she was my reminder. She of- 
 ten reminds me of things I am for* 
 getting to ao. In Toronto last De- 
 cember I tost an important order 
 for books which could not be dupli- 
 cated, and after I had looked in vain 
 for it I asked the Lord to give me 
 guidance. Almost at once I he^rd 
 Helen's voice saluting me with, 
 " Hello, papa. God sent me to tell 
 you that your list of books which 
 
 you lost is at Mr. B , Yonge st.'* 
 
 I went at once and found it there as 
 directed. I thanked God for help 
 received so promptly. 
 
 I find my own safety and the de- 
 velopment of my psychic forces, 
 character and happiness is depend- 
 ent on my absolute obedience to the 
 Guide Divine. I find also, that 
 judgment, reason and good common 
 sense are not outraged but harmon- 
 ized with. It has proved to me that 
 death hath no terror. Friends who 
 are gone still live and communicate. 
 There are natural or psychic laws 
 which, if harmonized with, make it 
 possible to both receive and trans- 
 mit messages. The -utilization of 
 these laws is i^ot necessarily confin- 
 ed to a so-calle:'. religion any more 
 than the use of electricity is to a 
 restricted class. The law is uni- 
 versal. 
 
 Let us not, however, be carried 
 away by the mere " phenomenal 
 side " of modern Spiritualism. Let 
 us seek to develop the mental, spir- 
 itual and higher possibilities of the 
 life that is bw.>towed upon us. 
 
 Living for those that love us, 
 For those that know ;;-. true. 
 
 For the God who g-ave us being, 
 For the f^ood that we can do. 
 
WHAT CX>NVHi.TED 
 
 FREEMAN WHITTIER SMITH 
 
 ROCKLAND, ME. 
 
 I was born in Hope, Maine, July 
 17, 1836. My life work has been 
 farming, teaching and insurance. 
 
 I attended my first spiritual seance 
 in the fall of 1846. In a few years 
 subsequent to that time I received a 
 very convincing message from a 
 dear cousin in spirit life under cir- 
 cumstances forbidding deception. 
 This created a profound impression 
 on my mind. I regarded it as 
 something sacred, beautiful and 
 beneficial. F.om that time to the 
 present I have been a constant in- 
 vestigator, a firm believer, and a re- 
 cipient of spir blessini'^, the 
 value of which r.d computa- 
 
 ME TO SPIRITUALISM 33 
 
 My wife's mother became a fine 
 medium in the early fifties and for 
 forty-five years continued to give 
 unmistakable spirit messages to the 
 great comfort of many hungry souls. 
 
 My daughter, Mrs. Gena Smith- 
 Fairfield-Grant, became developed 
 as an inspirational, clairvoyant, 
 clairaudient, psychometric and mus- 
 ical medium at the age of 1 2 years. 
 She has written over 400 poems, 
 some of which have been published 
 in a volume entitled " Forget-Me- 
 Nots," and are of a high order. In 
 my own home this daughter has 
 described accurately hundreds of my 
 personal friends (some of whom 
 passed to spirit life before she was 
 born) and given scores of convinc- 
 ing messages. On account of deli- 
 cate health her education is very 
 limited and yet her poems and mus- 
 ical compositions show a high de- 
 gree of talent. Eminent musicians 
 in spirit life were able to control 
 her hands to execute upon the organ 
 every variety of music in a most re- 
 markable manner. 
 
 Her first husband was Dr. H. P. 
 Fairfield, one of the very first trance 
 speakers in Mass., and was widely 
 known through the east and west. 
 
 In addition to the above home ex- 
 periences my second wife, Mrs. 
 Matilda Cushing Smith, who was 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO r /^TTUAUSM 
 
 a4 
 
 for many years a school teacher in 
 Hyde Park, Mass., was a fine in- 
 spirational writer, speaker and test 
 medium. Prior to her marriage 
 with me she was much in the home 
 of Andrew Jackson Davis (her dear 
 friend and physician) and assisted 
 M. S. Ayer in the exercises in his 
 Boston Spiritual Temple. After 
 coming to Rockland she was active- 
 ly identified with our local society 
 and with the camp at Verona Park. 
 She is now at work with the white- 
 robed angels in the upper spheres of 
 life. 
 
 I have been ofKcially connected 
 with the camp meeting at Verona 
 Park for 17 years, being its presi- 
 dent four years, and also at the 
 head of our local soci ty for sever- 
 al years. 
 
 My present wife, Mrs. Susan San- 
 fard Smith, a strong healing medi- 
 um, is clairvoyant, impressional 
 and destined to develop other im- 
 portant phases. 
 
 It can readily be seen that with 
 
 about fifty years of experience with 
 various mediums at home and 
 abroad, with the reading of the 
 Banner of Light 44 years, and other 
 spiritual literature, that it is not 
 strange that I am a confirmed Spir- 
 itualist. 
 
 One ounce of re:^* knowledge is 
 worth more than ten thousand 
 pounds of theory or belief. I be- 
 lieve this grandest of all religions 
 is destined to lead the world in all 
 needed reforms, and eventually be- 
 come well nigh universal in all civi- 
 lized countries. It is in perfect 
 harmony with reason, science and 
 nature. 
 
 I am willing and anxious to en- 
 gage more largely in the army of 
 workers in . uplifting humanity to a 
 higher place of belief, justice and 
 equal rights. 
 
 I shall be glad to ansiver calls to 
 give lectures, officiate at funerals, 
 or serve this great cause in any ca- 
 pacity in which I may be of service 
 to humanity. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 25 
 
 active stud«ntt and shall thus con- 
 tinue my conrersion to the end of 
 life. 
 
 My incentive to its first investiga- 
 tion wrb the desire, as a warm- 
 blooded partisan Christian, to con> 
 trovert its claims in favor of the 
 clergy, whom I then supposed to be 
 the only instructors in regard to the 
 future life. Theory upon theorj* 
 was then advanced to account for 
 the manifestations which claimed to 
 be and apparently were demonstra- 
 tions. Upon each of these I read 
 all I could get in the shape of hu- 
 man testimony in support of the 
 new cult's claims, with the result 
 that one after another of my old 
 orthodox views were laid low with 
 the cold logic of facts in sledge ham- 
 mer style, and I then abandbned 
 this part of my early investigations, 
 in 1858 I married a lady whose 
 mediumistic gifts, then active, ad- 
 vanced her to the position of a pro- 
 fessional medium, from whom, dur- 
 ing a period of thirty years I re- 
 ceived numberless evidences of a 
 continuous conversion in the follow- 
 ini^ phases, with the philosophy ac- 
 companying each : impressional 
 proof ; clairvoyance and clairaudi- 
 ence ; psychometry ; magnetic and 
 medical healing ; messages and sit- 
 tings ; manner and voice persona- 
 tions ; prophecy ; improvisation ; in- 
 spirational speaking ; metaphysical 
 disquisitions that are now being 
 popularized by the enemies of Spirit- 
 ualism, then in advance of these lat- 
 ter day cults ; the gift of tongues 
 and translation of ancient writings ; 
 poetic and musical mediumship. I 
 have now in manuscript copy for a 
 book of six hundred pages of verse, 
 covering every phase of spiritual 
 thought and work, with miscellan- 
 
 H. W. BOOZER 
 
 GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 
 
 1 became a Spiritualist because, 
 being religiously inclined, I found in 
 no other religion that which met 
 my needs. It seemed 'to me essen- 
 tial that a religion must be founded 
 on proven facts. 1 am religious, in 
 prayer for the good, the beautiful 
 and the true ; and my individual 
 worship is of all that elevates the 
 individual and advances humanity. 
 An important function of religion is 
 that ol a consoler. The sorrows of 
 the individual life need this sup- 
 port, and Spiritualism alone can 
 give it. 
 
 Conversion to a kruyaUedge differs 
 essentially from that to a beliefs so 
 that in my case it takes the form of 
 a growth from the first few steps in 
 investigation to the end of life. I 
 began this study 50 years ago ; 
 have since been its continuous and 
 
a6 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPpUTOAUSM 
 
 eous pieces of a remarkably beauti- 
 ful and oriffinal character. 
 
 In 1890 1 began a series of one 
 hundred and fifty regular sittings 
 with the well-known medium, Mrs. 
 Amanda L. Coffmann, which gave 
 me the additional evidence of my 
 own mediumship. While these 
 were in progress I obtained tests of 
 the identity of < friends now decar- 
 nate in many ways and without 
 number. But the result of greatest 
 moment to the sitter was the entire- 
 ly unexpected gift of musical and 
 poetic mediumship, of whose intent 
 in its inception I had no idea, as it 
 was afterwards revealed. It be- 
 gan with the intermitting inter- 
 ior sense of some familiar air, tc 
 which in time came words embody- 
 ing Spiritualism's grand and elevat 
 ing truths. This occurred while at 
 my daily physical labor, the refrain 
 or chorus, it there was one, coming 
 first. I would jot the words down 
 on any stray paper with blank sur- 
 face. In the case of musical com* 
 position the new air would repeat 
 itselt to me till it was thoroughly 
 familiar, and I would ask a musi- 
 cian to note it as I slowly gave it 
 voice. I am not a musician. While 
 passing throujjh this development 
 my mind was almost constantly ab- 
 sorbed with both the music and its 
 newly adapted words. At work, 
 riding on the cars, everj'where, I 
 was audibly or inaudihly humming 
 to myself some beautiful melody. 
 Day after day, week after week, 
 most of the time for two years this 
 continued, resulting in the publica- 
 tion of my music book. The form 
 and magnificent personality of my 
 inspirer, Adela Mozart, a kinsman 
 of the great composer, will ever be 
 remembered by the many who have 
 met him through Winan's medium- 
 ship, as described in "A Study in 
 
 Materialization. " 
 
 The object of this effort from those 
 gone before is a distinct and definite 
 one connected with the cause of 
 Spiritualism. Briefly stated, it is to 
 place music before the world as a 
 service to this truth in place ot its 
 use only as an art. As an art its 
 mission is but that which it is to all 
 other religious cults — an embellish- 
 ment and an attractive adjunct to 
 what is considered the real spiritual 
 work. As a service it is fxtrt and 
 parcel of that work. Without _here 
 detailing how this is I will only 
 mention the subjects and occasions 
 covered, in its scope : Usual public 
 service, conference, circle, lyceum, 
 congregational singing, entertain- 
 ment, sitting, anniversary, physical 
 seance, funeral, spirit birth, ethics, 
 aspiration, invocation, mediumship, 
 trumpet and independent voice, 
 slate-writing, messages, clairvoy- 
 ance, dairaudience and psychom- 
 etry. 
 
 During the fifty past years I have 
 met many mediums of differing 
 phases through whom I have num- 
 berless evidences with their ittend- 
 ant philosophy, carrying with it my 
 continuous conversion to this great 
 twentieth century revelation. 
 
 While doubt is long past banish- 
 ed and the fact of the life to be is as 
 firmly established as is any indis- 
 putable thing of one's daily lite, yet 
 the demonstration which overpow- 
 ers all others is that of one's own 
 experience, while the proofs, with 
 the profound philosophic lessons 
 which reveal to us the great mys- 
 tery of life, will ever augment the 
 conversion till it is completed by 
 the spirit being released from its 
 mortal confinement and ushered into 
 the real life in comparison with 
 which this is but an incident in the 
 individual's career. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPHUTUAUSM 37 
 
 this time Lilian Whiting's *' Another 
 May-lime." 
 
 Thf Mity'i liiir tiuiniiiiK** ^li'wn (Vir nu- «nil 
 
 Hiril, biiu^fh ,1 I blossom, with Ihcir hinls 
 
 of spriiiK, 
 And ihuu>fhirtil twilixhl with its lin^i'rintf. 
 Its o[)Hlfsi-ciit Vitght on sf.i idiJ liiml, 
 
 And in thi* luminiHis air I (ci'\ the thrill o( 
 lif.-, 
 IVnaJinff woihI and vali* ■ind hill. 
 WhHl liu-ks ihf Miiv-tinu- Y 
 Rosf Hiishi'd buds unfold j 
 
 A thousand frnK''ani'fs firi* on thi' air 
 The lejfend of new hooeH aKai" i-* ti'ld ; 
 And NWt'fl rejoicinjfs that thi- world is fuir ; 
 And I~l turn rrum all this radiant bloom 
 
 with blinded oyct* 
 That only scf through tears a sculptured 
 
 crof»!t — 
 Blue eys forevercloHcd— and all the lonely 
 hours of all the years. 
 
 CHARLES E. DANE 
 
 LOWELL, MASS. 
 
 I have been a believer in the phil- 
 osophy of Spiritualism for a number 
 of years and a trance medium, or an 
 instrument in the hands of the spirit 
 world for the purpose of spreading 
 the glad tidings of spirit return. 
 My guides have given, through my 
 instrumentality, many messages to 
 those with whom I have come in 
 contact. I also have given many 
 readings by mail to people all over 
 the United Statei I formerly had 
 many doubts in my mind, but the 
 incident which I am about to relate 
 was the farewell to every doubt that 
 I ever entertained. It was eleven 
 years ago that I laid away in the 
 dark, cold {^rave my d;irling child ; 
 at that time I did not expect to see 
 her until I, too, had crossed the 
 silent river. I could appreciate at 
 
 A few years ago I was on a vaca- 
 tion in a certain city, and wishing 
 to take a short trip down the river. 
 1 was just about to buy my ticket 
 when I felt a little child's hand plac- 
 ed in mine. Looking down at my 
 side I saw no one standing near me, 
 but I distinctly heard tlTese words^ 
 ** Don't go, papa." That dear voice 
 of my darling child was all-sufficient 
 for me. I gave up the trip. With- 
 in a few hours I heard that the boat 
 I had intended to go upon had 
 been condemned as unseaworthy. 
 She has been a strong and mighty 
 power to me in many a temptation. 
 I well remember at one time 1 was 
 strongly tempted to smoke, but 
 every time I have taken a cigar in 
 my hand with the intention of smok- 
 ing two little arms have been clasp- 
 • ed around my neck, and I have heard 
 that loving, tender voice whispering 
 in my ear, "I don't want you to 
 
▼HAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 a8 
 
 .".ok, p,p.." , ,i.,„,d ,„h„ „„ ^.^^ 
 
 her , „,„her do I w..h to ,r..v. h.r on .nd .ncour.g«J m, ,<, ,iv. .uch 
 
 when she comei from a happy Spirit 
 Home to blesi and give me »o many 
 happy hours. I am willing to sacri- 
 fice many of than things which I 
 think would give me pleasure if by 
 ilacrificing them I can make my dar- 
 ling child happy. Hundreds of times 
 
 life that this world may be the 
 better for my having lived in it. 
 Spiritually she has helped me to 
 pierce the clouds that sometimes 
 surround ire and see the glorious 
 sunshine just beyond. My heart is 
 filled with joy and thankfulness to 
 
 have I «,..n VhL, H.. r -- -— ..uea wiin joy ana thankfulness to 
 have I seen that dear form standmg ,hat Father of Light and Love for 
 
 before me wh«»n r kau. k..« j:.. * *-wvc lur 
 
 before me when I have been dis 
 coura^ed and knew not which way 
 to turn, and I have heard that loving 
 voice advise me what to do. I have 
 not been able at all times to under- 
 stand why she has advised me as 
 she has, but always when I have fol- 
 lowed her adv'-e I have found that 
 it was for my own welfare. Many 
 
 times hai-. I f-i. .k 1- ■ .. '" """» ' ■"" ««am, that the 
 
 times have I felt those chngmghttle spirituality of her pure youn^ life 
 
 arms around mv n*f.lr r\k l U ham k.^.. ...J : f_ .. . V 
 
 having sent her as a little white 
 rosebud into my life, but as she was 
 not allowed to blossom in an earthly 
 garden where I would have been so 
 happy to watch over the tender lit- 
 tle flower, I can not but rejoice when 
 I know she is blossoming in the 
 eternal gardens in the spirit world, 
 watched over by loving angels. Of 
 one thing I am certain, that the 
 
 arms around my neck. Oh ! how 
 many times since my darling left 
 me have I hungered for the pres- 
 ence of her physical form, but, my 
 dear readers, you who believe in 
 spirit return can understand the joy 
 which continually fills my heart when 
 1 see the form and hear the voice of 
 my darling child. Physically and 
 mentally she has proven herself a 
 power of strength to me since she 
 left this life, but above everything 
 else she has proven herself a tender 
 and faithful little shepherd, who has 
 led me by " the still waters and 
 green pastures." She has taught 
 me how to love my neighbors as my- 
 
 has been and is a great factor in my 
 life, and as I catch the fragrance of 
 her life which is wafted to me from 
 her spirit home and I see the little 
 form tripping toward me I thank 
 God that I have a jewel in heaven, 
 and my one prayer is that I may so 
 live that when my life journey here 
 is ended I may be allowed to* claim 
 my own. . 
 
 " I cannot and I will not say 
 
 That she is dead — she's just away ; 
 
 With a cheery smile and a wave of her hand. 
 
 She has wandered into an unknown land. 
 
 And left us dreaminj; how very fair 
 
 It needs must be since she lingers there. 
 
 And you, oh you, who the wildest vearn 
 
 For the old-time step and the glad return 
 
 Think of her faring on, as dear 
 In the love of There as here ; 
 Think of her still the same, I say — 
 She is not dead, she is just away." 
 
WHAT OONVBtTED ME TO SWUTUALISH 
 
 MRS. SARAH A. WEBBER 
 
 GUELPH, ONT. 
 
 My experiences in Spiritualism be- 
 gan in the year i8go, when I was 
 47 years of age while lying sick with 
 typhoid fever in the Guelph General 
 Hospital. During that time, I was 
 visited by a lady, now in spirit life, 
 who opened up to me the truth of 
 spirit return. What she then told 
 me seemed a very strange belief and 
 hard to accept at the time. From 
 a child I was deeply intuitive and im- 
 pressional, and would at times pre- 
 dict what would happen, and won- 
 der why my friends would not be- 
 lieve it. 
 
 What Ihad heard wouldconstantly 
 recur to my sitive mind until in 
 1883 my husband and myself "pull- 
 ed for the shore" of Lake Brady 
 Camp. While there we attended 
 several of Mr-^. "ffie Moss' seances 
 
 J9 
 
 for materialintion, having the most 
 i:<disputablc evidence of spirit return 
 and as the years roll by. the exper- 
 ience gained there has had a lasting 
 effect. We went to other seances 
 and enjoyed the lectures, but doubt 
 remained in some instances. One 
 who greatly impressed me was 
 Moses Hull, that Prince of Bible 
 Lecturers, although 1 had not the 
 knowledge or strength of mind at 
 that lime to digest what I heard, a.« 
 I was still in the orthod.ix church. 
 I would like CO mention an old lady 
 whom we met there called Auntie 
 Camp, who enjoyed these lectures. 
 I asked her, "What m.ide you a 
 Spiritualist?" She turned to me 
 with lines of over eighty vears writ- 
 ten on her face, and her eyes spark- 
 ling. "It was the Bible ' she said. 
 One thing impressed me above all 
 else :these people are happy and sure 
 about their reward, instead of hop- 
 ing that they will be saved. I am 
 thankful for the experience gained at 
 Lake Brady. At the time as stated 
 above I was still in the church, but 
 I saw so many errors then" that I 
 was very far from being comfortable 
 and was constantly criticising what 
 I heard there. Orthodoxy was go- 
 ing fast and Spiritualism had not 
 taken root then. I suffered more 
 than tongue can tell for about four 
 years, until the light broke in. 
 
 In the year 1894 we visited that 
 beautiful Camp, Cassadaga, where 
 we again met at Mrs. Moss' seance, 
 and a dear young girl, whom I knew 
 before she passed out of the body, 
 
.lo 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 •pp«iir«d and >pok« to me ofh«r 
 mother. She said «he had accom- 
 panied me to the camp. Before I 
 had time to write and tell her moth. 
 «r, nhe i-ame through that grand and 
 Kood medinm, Mr«. Hendernon of 
 Toronto, and told her mother, who 
 was present, that ihe had material- 
 ized to a de.-ir friend from Ouelph at 
 Camp. This to me was a great 
 test from the spirit world. 
 
 In the year i8gH I again visited 
 Camp and had a sitting with the 
 Bangs sisters. I received an in- 
 dependent spirit writing given in a 
 sealed envelope between slates, 
 which was more than marvelloun to 
 me, and I cherish it much. My last 
 •itting at that time was with J. 
 Clegg Wright, and I then had a most 
 wonderful revelation which opened 
 up my lil'i'. 
 
 .And last but not least, my first sit- 
 ting with Spirit Artist Campbell was 
 the climax which entirely broke down 
 all prejudice and incredulity that 
 still lingered in my mind, and estab- 
 lished indisputably the eternal truth 
 of Spiritualism. It is impossible to 
 imagine that I could have received 
 more than I did at this sitting, but 
 my spirit friends are doing a work 
 for me, knowing that I have a work 
 to do. 
 
 My dear mother comes to me 
 through an old playmate of mine 
 and gives me such words of comfort 
 and encouragement as are bevond 
 all doubt. The medium here refer- 
 red to has not yet given out his 
 powers in this direction. His rea- 
 sons are manifold, but the time will 
 come, we hope, when everyone can 
 
 worahip under his own vine and Rg 
 tree, none daring to make him afraid. 
 The year lyoo found me at beau- 
 tilul Lily Dale Camp again, when 
 among other experiences I had a 
 •Itting with J. t. VVhite, when eight 
 of my personal and dear spirit friends 
 came and wrote. One was a dear 
 brother wlioonly three weeks before 
 had left the mortal for the bright 
 summer land, and with whom I had 
 talked in vain of this beautiful truth. 
 He has told me since passing over 
 that he thought I was a fanjtic, but 
 now he knows I was teaching a 
 grand truth, and in finishing the 
 writmg said. "Go on, dear sister 
 Sarah, it is all right," and in speak- 
 mg of his family, who belong to the 
 Plymouth Brethren, he wrote, " My 
 dear ones will not believe this, but 
 no matter. They will in time." 
 
 I could not tell why I was not 
 convulsed with grief at the depar- 
 ture from this life of my dear bro- 
 ther, but can only say thus far that 
 the beautiful philosophy of Spi''>. 
 ualism was the comforter, so t...,i 
 sorrow was out of the question when 
 I knew he was with the dear ones 
 gone before. 
 
 I wish to thank my spirit friends 
 m these and many other sittings for 
 bringing this beautiful philosophy to 
 my troubled mind. It has proved a 
 comfort and solace to me in my 
 quiet hours, while it is in a measure 
 unknown, and as Miss .Maggie 
 Gaule said in giving me a public 
 test, " You are where you dare not 
 say you are a Spiritualist, neverthe- 
 less I am spreading the truth wher- 
 ever I can and often suffer there- 
 from. I am waiting for this honest 
 truth to reach this city of churches." 
 I wish to say in closing, in those 
 beautiful words of Miss Abbie Jud- 
 son, '■ It is my Light, my Life, my 
 All. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPHUTUAUSM ^t 
 
 in Ihc MptrituttI than in th« earth 
 realm. My friendti in JipirtI lire comt 
 tomtMiiiill hi)ur»v>rthcda,vandni^rht. 
 I meet them in my hnujie as I pasi 
 from one room to another, up and 
 down he Mtairii, hear their voices 
 and oli^n Hense their preseni'e when 
 I do not sec or hear them. I'rc- 
 qutintly when unaware of their pres- 
 ence they join in conversation by an- 
 swcrin^f some remark I have made. 
 When one's life is so constantly 
 in touch with spirit realms, it seems 
 difficult to select any particular ex- 
 perience for recital. I will, however, 
 at Dr. Austin's request, mention a 
 few of my experiences which will 
 serve as fair samples of the rest. 
 
 About 1850, my husband, who has 
 always been in deepest sympathy 
 and kindest co-operation with my 
 spiritual development and medium- 
 ship, was in London, Kng. One 
 evening I .va.-> sitting* on our veran- 
 dah in presence of Mr. Boswick, his 
 business partner, when I saw an im- 
 mense g^lass-covered building and 
 crowds of people thronjrin(j: the av- 
 enues. I mentioned this to Mr. K. 
 and he asked me if I recognized any- 
 one. Almost instantly, upon look- 
 ing* down the aisle I recognized my 
 husband, and he was walking up 
 the aisle with a lady on his arm. 
 We took note of day and hour and 
 allowing for the difference in time, 
 found my vision was absolutely 
 correct. I also saw him at the da 
 and hour his ship arrived in port. 
 This was also verified. 
 
 About 21 years ago my eldest 
 
 MRS. JOHN HKNDKRSOX 
 
 TKANtE MEDIl'M, TORONTO. 
 
 I was born April 16th, 1824, 
 and am, therefore, in my 78th year. 
 Since childhood I have been more 
 or less Clairvoyant, clairaudtent and 
 deeply impressional. I have liwd 
 in Toronto since I was<eight years 
 old. and ha\ e had the great joy of 
 giving my services as Trance Med- 
 ium to our own house circle of 
 friends and enquirers — generally 
 several times per week — for over 
 40 years. During that time hun- 
 -dreds of teachers, clergymen, pro- 
 fessional and business men, have 
 visited our home and professed to 
 find instruction, encouragement, in- 
 spiration, in the messages that came 
 through my lips, from unseen friends. 
 A large number have thus become 
 firm believers in spirit return. Lat- 
 terly my life has been lived seeming- 
 ly in two realms, and rather more 
 
3' 
 
 ^^AT OONVERTBD ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 'I ( 
 
 daughter lived in Port Arthur, Ont. 
 I had visited her, but afterwards she 
 had moved to a new house. One 
 bitter, winter night I had a desire to 
 v.s« her, and did so in spirit as I 
 have frequently done in "soul flieht" 
 as .tis called I had a sensation of 
 travelling, and at last arrived at her 
 dwelling— all the surroundings beine 
 entirely new to me. I remembef 
 he sensation of extreme cold which 
 I felt, and how I suffered from it. 
 1 did not enter the dwelling, but 
 seemed to stand outside the window 
 
 ,1 .'"5 '"\ ' ^^"^ •>" --"ding by 
 the table-her husband lying on the 
 sofa. Basil, the boy, was playing 
 <v.th his dog in the corner, ^h! 
 made the dog stand up, and placed 
 h.s cap upon his head. Everything 
 was so real and life-like, we took I 
 "°'V 'r^ &<=- and on corres- 
 ponding with our daughter found we 
 were able to verify all the chief fea- 
 tures of the vision. 
 
 On another occasion when my 
 husband was on the sea, coming in 
 with my wraps on I lay down on the 
 bed and was soon lost to all around 
 me. .The doctor was called in next 
 morning and I was restored to con- 
 sciousness. Meanwhile I had fol- 
 lowed my husband and was with 
 him on the ship, and distinctly saw 
 him by my side as we walked the 
 oeck. So real was it all to me I 
 f.Tf",'™"''"''- ' wared to my. 
 
 chilH V*?*"".,"' ""' '^'•S" 'han a 
 child by his side. 
 
 At another time when my son 
 Tom was in England, I distinctly 
 heard him call me "Mother," three 
 times, and I realized he was very ill 
 at the time specified, and still un- 
 well, and, as a consequence, Tom 
 came home while my husband re- 
 mained in his place. 
 While walking down street in this 
 
 c;ty one day, I felt an instinctive de- 
 sire to go over to James St.-a 
 
 While walking down James St.. I 
 
 phee about me. It was full of the 
 smell of woods and flowers. Sud- 
 ™1/k """"t-ing grey passed over 
 my shoulder and with it such a thrill 
 of emotion and deep impression 
 
 death On entering the store 
 shortly afterwards, my husband and 
 his partner both asked me what ail- 
 ed me, as I looked so ill. I said "I 
 have met with death." It was 12 
 
 clock, and at that hour, mv hus- 
 band s brother, as we afterwards 
 learned by letter, died in the west 
 
 in my teens I was engaged to a 
 
 1 should marry another. He was 
 leaving for England and required a 
 certain paper. I told him to go to a 
 certain store and a young man, John 
 Henderson, would give him the pap- 
 er, and 1 remarked casuallv, • I .h,!! 
 be married to him before you get 
 
 but slightly acquainted with Mr. 
 Henderson, but had on another oc- 
 casion pointed him out to mv uncle 
 through the window of the store we 
 were passing, with the remark— "I 
 shall marry that young man some 
 
 I have witnessed under circum- 
 stances precluding the possibility of 
 fraud on the part of the medium, 
 the phenomena of materializationand 
 held delightful intercourse with my 
 friends and loved ones. To me 
 spirit intercourse is as real as the 
 communion we hold with friends in 
 the body. 
 
 I have also had many deep im- 
 pressions, seemingly unaccountable 
 at the time, which have proved pro- 
 phetic. ^ 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPRITUAUSM 
 
 ALONZO THOMPSON 
 
 KULLERTON, NEBRASKA. 
 
 ,,'' '^f ""'he ,5th ofjanuary, •,2, 
 at the burial of my mother, that the 
 question of .mmortality first forcibly 
 attracted my attention. I was at 
 that t,me an unbeliever in a future 
 
 and had seen no proof that min 
 
 ved beyond the grave. At this 
 
 t.me, however I resolved to prove, 
 
 ■f possible, the hereafter life and 
 
 froLT^'J,"""" ""^ '"vestijfations 
 from that day to this, nor have I in- 
 
 ZVl''"™"- Every sense of 
 m.ne has been thoroughly satisfied. 
 1 now know the hereafter life is a 
 certamty and one of greater compass 
 than our present mortal lite It 
 was nearly twenty years, however, 
 alter begmnmg the investigation 
 before I wasfully satisfied, and since 
 then experiences unnumbered and 
 soul-sat.sfying have only confirmed 
 my knowledge of the life immortal 
 I am now sure I did not derive the 
 benefit I should have received from 
 my earlier investigations because I 
 
 3i 
 was not sufficiently developed to ao- 
 precjate the spiritual character ^f 
 what came to me, and because in 
 those days I was investigatine a 
 truth along the line of fraud by fry! 
 ">g: to prove mediumship fraudulent, 
 h.s proved to me a poor way of 
 developing spirituality. According. 
 'i I floundered about in a sea of 
 doubt and perplexity, often wonder- 
 ing why red men of the forest should 
 come to me in place ofmv own 
 Ir.endswhom I desired. After much 
 examination along this line myself 
 and my hrst wife were almost per- 
 suaded to give over the search after 
 evidence, but the old question, " If 
 a man die shall he live again'" 
 would not down. About this time 
 we removed from JeflTerson City to 
 St. Louis, where better opportuni- 
 les were afforded us in iii^estiga- 
 t.on Two friends. Major John S 
 Mellon and a Mr. Levey, toik deep 
 mterest in us and brought a trance 
 medium to our home, a Mr. Dunn 
 who travelled around the world with 
 Dr. Peebles. At a seance in mv 
 parlor we blindfolded Mr. Dunn 
 padding the sockets of his eves 
 Articles of value were placed on' the 
 floor-watches, rings, bric-a-brac. 
 
 mS'T^"..^" '*""' *>■" thoroughly 
 blinded Mr. Dunn could see as dis- 
 tinctly as we could, for he could 
 seize any article before we reached 
 .t and dance among the scattered 
 articles without touching one This 
 almost satisfied me of the truth of 
 clairvoyance and was a stunning 
 blow to my materialism. 
 
 Another noted medium came to 
 St. L0U1.S in the early seventies, 
 Mrs. Mollis, and I attended one of 
 her dark circles. My mother came 
 to me and touched me with her im- 
 provised finger tips on the forehead 
 on my knees, and whi.spered to me 
 something which at first I did not 
 
,14 
 
 VHAT CONVHRTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 understand, b.„ ,„, „,^,„^,^^. . 
 uh.ch ^oon came back to 'me- 
 l-onnie! .onnie! c:an't vou rec- 
 ogn.^eme.- Her voice was famH- 
 ■ar and carried me back fortv vears 
 Th.s was a revelation as the 'medil 
 urn was unknown to me. 
 
 w.th the same medium, there beinir 
 
 «hp sat partly „, the lijfht of a fair 
 'yl.Srlited room and partly enshroud. 
 f in curta.ns, we saw pictures 
 formed above the head of "^he n e 
 d^um.n succession, each remaining 
 for nearly a moment and vanishing. 
 ^ be replaced by another. Thefe 
 werehve of them-all very heauti! 
 ful, apparently a ft. bv / ft. 6 1 
 Some were portraits, some of which 
 i r'™ern.zed. My mother, mv 
 
 dearirr""''-'"''?^ ^insonhaler 
 clearly recog-n.zed. I„ the picture 
 portra.ts I could see a winkfng of 
 I o^tTe 'he passage ofas'Jnile 
 
 w^d^h X vrrt?r-, ' "''"■ 
 
 with ho • ,'^^'^>, -satisfactory seance 
 m , VI ", '•""''°"- «"<"' after I 
 met .Maud Lord (now Blake), a noted 
 
 n,ater,a,.i„g dium and'.;ttend:d 
 one of her circles in Boston. She 
 occupied the centre of the circle 
 her hands b,i„^,^^lj „„^, ^, '^^ 
 
 T«ker ,'>,'"'""•, ■^'■■- Nathaniel 
 lucker, lately passed to higher life 
 «nie to me through her medium: 
 
 Soon after I attended Onset Camn 
 
 -aMeccaofSpiritualism-andtad 
 ^ome very remarkable seances with 
 
 h ,~:~' 'h^" located on the 
 
 shore of the bay. Two thing." tl a' 
 deelpy in.pressed me in these si-,, "s 
 were the hearing of bells ringi " 
 apparently some forty feet or i^of 
 aboxe the tent where we w-ere sit- 
 ..ngaiHl.he painting ofapi'c, 4 
 on a b,t of pasteboard picked up in 
 'he room and held on my head-mv 
 
 ».lc sitting three or four feet aw.v 
 meanwhile and watching ,he paint^- 
 ■"*.' develop. I have fhis p[t"r, 
 l."d away at home among mv sp r' 
 
 ■uOn'^rr- '-'4en.lern 
 luT *ho «ent one morning to 
 ■siitliis medium, carrving a ^heU 
 he hiuJ picked up on tl« shore. 1 
 » as hinged „i,d closed and washed 
 
 out by the action ofthe water. He 
 promised the medium S50 and to 
 pay for her breakfast if^he would 
 t,et mm a communication on the in. 
 -deofthe.sl,ellclo,sedexactlvasit 
 but^, I l"'"'"'-'^''' him nothing 
 but gave him a sitting and at thf 
 
 close. It was found that the mes.sage 
 had been written. He was greatly 
 
 elated, for in.sidew.-,s this nJsage • 
 „,:;77'"^''sm is a great truth. Vou 
 will do well to investigate it It 
 
 and accompanying it was a fine 
 hkeness of the philosopher. It was 
 for his gentleman that the chime o 
 bells was rung in the air above the 
 tent, for It was a chime known to 
 hm. in his native land, Persia 
 
 \\l^:)o at Onset I also attended 
 .a seance of .Mrs. Ross. While the 
 medium was in the cabinet there ap! 
 peared at one time at least 10 or Ta 
 spirits, ranging from 1 ft. 6 in. to 
 6 ft. in height. .As I viewed this 
 company, from the spirit world i? 
 seemed, o me like Pemecos, repeat, 
 ed. Ihe medium mentioned who 
 frat"r''p" 'V"»«sewas p'es! 
 ent at Mrs. Ross; .seance, and while 
 the company of spiritual visitors 
 «as present threw herself on the 
 floor on her knees and looking up 
 said. recognize vou. Mother 
 
 Superior," and also declared she 
 recognized several others of the hea. 
 venly v.sitor.s. While' outstanding 
 before u» this companv of angel viV 
 tors .sang a very beautiful little 
 -ong, short, sweet and inimitable. 
 
^"ATCONVHRrHnMHTO.P,.,.,,..,... ^^ 
 
 received • "'"""^"- ^hen I 
 
 •'^-nceandda,>voya„cc,ho,h of 
 
 -Po«.b,efo.ahu,„a„ti„;:V 
 ' T""""- D-ng the period of 
 ">y churaudient and clairvovant ex 
 
 T""" '---tended a,.: ; 
 
 ^'"--Lv by.he.spinesof,,,, J," 
 
 P-n.andson,eln„nedia,e,;ie':: 
 »h" save me mdubitable proof of 
 l';"'7'--^--—"edmei„eveJ 
 «.i,,a„d predicted that in a very 
 
 hmt,n,e I „,,t,ld be developed"' 
 '"a strong and convincing f„a,". 
 ■aliz.ng- medium. When J h. 
 
 ;H-H,.h,v.ati.„edtha7/cour:: 
 
 -■dlhatthey could see and talk to 
 
 "«' entered into a »,a,e of spintull 
 
 -acyandwantedtomajp; 
 
 P-l.™. K,n of .uch a ..upeLous 
 
 act but they begged me to uait as 
 
 ";-.n,e for .such pubh-citvh.:;,: 
 
 o-, my mother ending one of 
 
 •""'""""'"--•"^ 'his sage advice: 
 
 M.vchdd, you will be tried; see 
 
 vlh ■■'" ""' f™"" -anting. 
 
 Wehave opened the doors of vour 
 
 -ul and through it and vour. seises 
 
 P^«cd the fact of immortah- V to 
 
 „'•'"""■'''"'"»"'• --■^- 
 anccd .sp.nts „il! continue to un- 
 
 f^dyourmediumshipau, ,„ ; 
 
 °" ^".'^ '" ""n,ani,y such proof's 
 
 "fcontmuous life, both from, ph. 
 
 MRS. .M. I^VH.Li.A.Ms 
 ''E"' VOHK iirv. 
 
 H-hen I first became interested in 
 the subject of Spiritualism 1 was a 
 member of the ,W.stantKpis.;al 
 Church, and like th, , '.rifv rf i, 
 communicants I ur, ■ "^ " 
 
 «pted its teachings , „ ^-J"" 
 ;^.-.hien,v^i^,he:';rt^ 
 »ay, but when 1 was guided inti 
 
 ^oon found .rreconcilable differences 
 he.ween the two, for while the for 
 mer rests solely on tradition the lat. 
 ■er was demonstrated to me in 1 
 
 cordance with natural law and w^ 
 a clearness and fullness which I 
 
 •-->■■' 'hn,k, largely a.scribe to mv 
 own medial poivers. • 
 
 Mymediumshipwasgraduailvde- 
 eloped, and to the process ob^er. 
 edhy mygu.des do 1 .attribute its 
 constant growth, aud above all i 
 marvellous variety and scope 
 
36 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 sical and mental standpoint, that 
 they must be dull aud bigoted in- 
 deed who will refuse to accept them." 
 Soon after I was visited by the no- 
 ble teachers and guides who still 
 serve both worlds through my in- 
 strumentality, and the most sincere 
 wish of my heart is that those mor- 
 tals who listen to their good advice, 
 their wise, strong counsel and their 
 expressions of love for all that is in 
 the universe worthy of love would 
 profit by what they hear and convert 
 their words into deeds, for it is not 
 every day and in every place that 
 people on the earth plane can listen 
 to the voices of the angels. 
 
 For more than twent> years I 
 have bren a public medium in New 
 York, and during that time I have 
 made thousands of converts to Spir- 
 itualism, many of whom are still 
 faithful attendants at my seances, 
 among the number being men and 
 women eminent in law, literature, 
 srience, finance, theology and art, 
 all of whom bless the day they first 
 found the truth of spirit return. 
 
 Since my inception into Spiritual- 
 ism I have been closely identified 
 with it as editor, inspirational teach- 
 er, clairvoyant and clairaudient as 
 well as materializing medium. I at 
 one time opened a Children's Lyceum 
 in my home where young people 
 were instructed in the fundamental 
 truths of spiritual philosophy, and 
 in addition I founded at consider- 
 able expense the only free circulat- 
 ing library of spiritual literature in 
 New York, and in every way, by 
 every means in my power, I endea- 
 vored to do the work delegated by 
 my spirit guides. 
 
 As can be seen I did not come be- 
 fore the public an uuRedged medi- 
 um ; it was only after years of pro- 
 bation I was permitted to mi ke the 
 attempt. However, durini; this 
 time I frequently sat with a circle of 
 select friends, among them being 
 the late Henry J. Newton, president 
 of the First Society of Spiritualists 
 of New York ; Alfred Welt. on, pres- 
 ident of the Second Society ; Prof. 
 Henry Kiddle, Judge Nelson Cross 
 and other sincere in\ cstigators. As 
 far as my experience goes I can 
 safely assert that no matter how 
 gifted a medium naturally is it re- 
 quires the time and labor of spirits 
 to develop his or her powers. There 
 are no miracles in nature ; every- 
 thing occurs in accordance with law. 
 That law may be unknown to us 
 while thoroughly understood by 
 spirits who are face to face with it, 
 so the wisest thing to do is to obey 
 them in all ways to the best of your 
 ability. As before intimated, I 
 longed to go before the world and 
 proclaim the divine truth with which 
 I had been blessed, but my guides 
 were inexorable. I must await their 
 permission, so that when I did ap- 
 pear before the public I could — or 
 rather they could give through my 
 organism unquestionable proofs of 
 the soul's immortality. 
 
 At these sittings I was in the 
 habit of giving messages and tests 
 innumerable ; describing the spirits 
 present and repeating their speeches 
 and comments with the utmost ease. 
 While doing this raps would be 
 heard ; articles of furniture would 
 be moved around the room in full 
 view of my guests ; a chai. would 
 frequently move across the room to 
 the point where I sat, and on reach- 
 ing my side would press down on 
 me with a greal deal of force. As 
 my mediumshio developed and the 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 manifestations became more pro- 
 nounced I realized how wise tlie 
 admonition to wait was, but finally 
 after several test seances given in 
 the presence of Mr. Newton and 
 the (gentlemen already mentioned I 
 yielded to their solicitations and 
 consented to appear in public. For 
 a time spirits who appeared to their 
 friends had but little power over the 
 vocal ortfans ; they merely gave 
 their names and were identified bv 
 their appearance and the communi- 
 cations received from them by the 
 cabinet ffuides who had no such 
 difficulty in controlling; the voice. 
 Slowly but surely the manifesta- 
 tions increased in power and intel- 
 lectuality until they arrived at their 
 present state of almost perfection, 
 when the spirits of men, women 
 and children who manifest to their 
 friends can not only give their names 
 for purposes of identification, but 
 wise counsel on terrestrial as well 
 as ceLstial afTairs. 
 
 In the early period of my public 
 mediumship I was accustomed to 
 give messages and tests to the 
 friends present before entering the 
 cabinet, but as the materialized 
 spirits grew accustomed to taking 
 on the form and became proficient 
 in conversation I finally ceased do- 
 ing so except on rare occasions. 
 My guides, however, willingly an- 
 swer all questions pertaining to the 
 science, philosophy and religion of 
 Spiritualism, and this they Ho in a 
 manner that has elicited the admira- 
 tion oi savants, philosophers and 
 v-et humbler investigators. 
 
 These I d similar admonitions 
 are bein,. .jnstantly given to the 
 ladies and gentlemen who assemble 
 in my seance parlors bv such spirits 
 as Preston T, Holland, Ralph Waldo 
 Emerson, William Ellcry C'hanning, 
 Frani. Cushman, Abraham Lincoln, 
 
 i7 
 
 Henry Ward Beecher, my over- 
 shadowing mother, Priscilla, Mar- 
 garet Fuller, Phiebe and Alice 
 Carey and others eminent in every 
 walk in life. Remember these spirits 
 appear before their friends in a good 
 light, .speak in their natural voices, 
 which are readily recognized and 
 under conditions which preclude all 
 possibility of even an attempt at de- 
 ception. I have in mv pos5e.ssion 
 thousands of letters from peoplj all 
 over the world testifving to these 
 facts, and were 1 t ^ publish a tenth 
 ot them it would make a good sized 
 volume in itself. 
 
 Before closing a recital of some 
 of my experiences when not in the 
 trance state may prove interesting. 
 Frequently I sit with a lew select 
 friends either in my parlor or theirs, 
 and when the conditions are har- 
 monious the results are simply won- 
 derlul. Let us suppose such a 
 gathering at my home or at the 
 home of a friend, when in a distant 
 point of the room a small globe of 
 light suddenly appears. Imagine 
 the rapt attention v/ith which it is 
 followed ; and as it approaches over 
 the heads of the sitters how every 
 eye is fixed upon it, and then as it 
 gradually floats down upon the ta- 
 ble how we all gaze in wonder when 
 we behold it is a human eye— but 
 beautifully luminous beyond any- 
 thing of the earth. " It is wonder- 
 ful ! wonderful !" is sighed, rather 
 than cried, as it rolls off the table 
 and seems lost to the view. It is 
 not lost, however, for soon a child- 
 ish form appears and in a lisping 
 voice cries, "It was I, Lady Mother ! 
 'Bright Eyes,' who made that man- 
 ifestation to please you and vour 
 f|;''^nJs-'' " ^'es, that was ' Bright 
 Eyes,' " comes the deep and sonor- 
 ous voice of Fran* Cushman, who 
 bids all to keep still as more mani- 
 
38 
 
 ^HAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 are to CnlLn.. . 1 .. 
 
 festatjons are to lollow ,■ and thev 
 
 to the del.K-bt ol all present. Ma! 
 
 enal.zed in full form/'Brish Eves" 
 talks and lan^hswitkchiS'gYe:, 
 takeshandkerchiefs out of the hf nd^ 
 of some Inends, describes and gives 
 
 he names of spirits present, anifn 
 various wajs assists Mr. Holland 
 
 eiennga memorable and pleasanf 
 one tor myself and friends '^ 
 trequently before Ihs ■• - 
 
 na%tt"Vr ''"■'" P--'bu 
 ma little wh.le it suddenly returned 
 and came so close to mv faceVhT, , 
 was becked into exd;:im-nV« 
 
 draths::^?..\^:,::;"'?«V' 
 
 band.rd;aTh™'"^-°fherhus. 
 
 P^e:tci™:ti^&'--r 
 
 IS a widow !■• I asked .'. , 'I'S^^'^J' 
 
 f'oMr.Kingsleris'dead»""PTre' 
 answer came- " Sk« ■ . "^ 
 
 Mr. Kings "/is dead r'V„:;fs°"- 
 ■n the mornine I sen = '"^ 
 
 -ascertain if^JbalTh'^eaTdTur; 
 
 "dXd"'^m;"^rulJ::^i"r? 
 
 "".v spirit informant wis ri^l,, 
 
 "■irht I ,,ot the message ■ "' '"' 
 1 here seem, to be no subiect so 
 ';•;■■ '"'-""'"'^'i as that ols^'ir" 
 to time and again bv thinkers J„^ 
 -.entistsallo^er tlieJ^rd'The 
 y ''"i "omen loudest in den unci 
 ation of its possibilitv are hi 
 -ostignorant'ofit.ani when it " 
 considered that almost all pe" ^^^ 
 have enough mediumship to asce" 
 «Ts.and '"'" '" '"''' °"" 1-m" 
 what has ''""'^'''=' their attitude to 
 iLion t "°.''"'='8:°"i»m to any re- 
 
 mourning for their loss, ("n't i? 
 
 ^rTnr"'r?'°P'' should figh?,'his 
 grand revelation by God to man? 
 
 'he forms are more perfect and 
 
 spiHtT """ '"^ "Wbitions of 
 spirit power more satisfactory i„ 
 every way. For myself, ins ead n 
 b^ing weakened by opposition l' 
 have grown strong in the figh° and 
 
 this plane o( existence before I join 
 those friends and companions of the 
 higher life who have s'osuccessfj^' 
 wi,h •""'">' >^^'-« co-operated 
 
 God' ""■ ": '"' "'•'^^'rrmaLn of 
 Gods mighty and eternal truth-l 
 ;-Has.ing life, continuous prog- 
 
^^I^^^ONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 W. H. EVANS 
 
 TORONTO. 
 
 'fa belief in spirit communication 
 con.t,tute, one a Spiritualist then I 
 a-n w.ll.ng ,o be so classified, but I 
 was no, educated a Spiritualist. 
 
 The Engl,sh Church catechism was 
 so thoroughly instilled into my mind 
 •'"'■"'"'•^''^'SS? I was confirm. 
 «i by the B.shop of London, Eng 
 
 For some years after that I thought 
 
 ' did beheve mall the articles of The 
 
 Chr,s„an faith until I began to think 
 tor myself. 
 
 ■ Spiritualism attracted my at.en- 
 on some thirty years ago, at the 
 t-me when the Davenport Brothers 
 w"e astonishing the world. Hav- 
 ."g witnessed their manifestations 
 through different mediums and lis- 
 
 tened to some of the most inspiring 
 d.scourse. ,hrou,l, trance speaker! 
 1 became mterested in ,he writings 
 
 M 
 
 "' .Andrew Jackson D.nis. whose 
 books ™ the spiritual philosophy 
 "ore indeed a revelation. The in- 
 vcst.gations of Prof. Alfred Russell 
 Wallace and Sir William Crookes 
 ;'.'"' '""" '••■"''in^' 'scientists a, that 
 l.me were giving the puMic the re- 
 :"'" "f "^«"- --esearches, and prom- 
 '"-tme„ of all classes eminent in 
 other spheres of learning were also 
 busy. Authors such as the late \Vm 
 How.tt and S.t. Hall, editor of the 
 Art Journal, all testified to .he actu- 
 
 ahty of the phenomena as being the 
 work of excarnated spirits. Read- 
 '"g such testimony led me to the 
 conclusion that there must be some 
 truth underlying those facts, and 
 
 I'ke Mr. Howitt, I determined to find 
 out wuhout a professional medium 
 the truth for myself, so with a fe^ 
 others, about a dozen equally inter- 
 ."ted in the enquiry, and among 
 hese was the daughter and son-in- 
 law of the most prominent minister 
 of the town in which I was then hv- 
 •"S. a circle was organized and 
 we met regularly on stated evenings 
 for several weeks at my home and 
 conformed as tar as possible to the 
 rules laid down for such gatherings. 
 The arcle was broken up temporar. 
 'ly by the marriage of two member, 
 or It. 
 
 Acting upon the suggestion we 
 ■sat around a small parlor table that 
 wa^ .n the room, resting our hands 
 hghtly on the top, when almost im- 
 
 med.ately it showed signs of anima. 
 t.on by moving about in a restless 
 manner. A message was spelled 
 
4" ^HAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUAUSM 
 
 out by the table a, follows : "Meet 
 often. Admit no one. Be firm. 
 Do right and I will be with you.— 
 ^~- " The full name was ^iven 
 which proved to be that of a diceas- 
 ed srster of Mrs. B. 
 
 Now, what does that prove.' there 
 being no professional mediums pres- 
 ent, yet here was an intelliirent 
 communication, a direct answer per- 
 tment to the subject we had been 
 d.scussing, evidently produced by 
 an unseen mtellisence, whose name 
 was gnen by which it could be 
 .dent.hed, and who was seemingly 
 quae lannhar with what we had 
 been talking about. 
 
 In carrying out these instructions 
 ■t was decided to meet twice a week 
 at my home again, when circum- 
 stances again occurred which neces- 
 sitated the breaking up of the circle, 
 and abandonment of the enquiry 
 However during these meetings we 
 had ample evidence of there being 
 some outside intelligence other than 
 
 TlhiTi, ''""f"^ ""^ """^^ -"'"'^ 
 ofM u .'■'■^1"™"^ *he sister 
 of Mrs. B. and other personal friends 
 communicated, occasionally we were 
 favored by a name famoGs in his- 
 tory with a biief communication, 
 and again by those whom none of 
 us knew or ever heard of, who man- 
 h, , M P!:""« by controlling 
 the table. One evening a spirk 
 ^"■ng his name and as residing at 
 Hamilton, Ont., when in the flesh, 
 mamfested. In answer to enquiries 
 as to when he passed away dates 
 ZZl S^'""'/'"'? as none of us could 
 remember having known him I 
 wrote to the city clerk at Hamilton 
 to find out ifany such name had 
 been registered, and received a re- 
 
 l\ l'„r^""r"?'-' """■■•"ins the truth- 
 lulness of the spirit message. 
 
 VVe could not command what we 
 
 desired, but simply had to take 
 wnat came. Sometimes we could 
 not prevent the table from moving, 
 could not hold it quiet ,■ it has been 
 aid down on the floor and held there 
 that our united strength for a time 
 
 hib.ting other eccentricities that 
 would seem to preclude the possible 
 theory that it was our subjective 
 minds or unconscious muscular ac- 
 tion causing these manifestations. 
 
 ; J'ly Hudson, in his admirable 
 work, "TheUwofPsvchic l>he! 
 nomena. accounts for niuch that is 
 attributed to spirit ageiicv by the 
 powers of subjective mind', but his 
 iheory docs not cover the whole of 
 the facts o. Spiritualism, and though 
 It was intended to disprove them it 
 has had the opposite efl-cct, conlirm- 
 ing them, for the same subjective 
 mind that acts independently of the 
 body while encased in it could surely 
 have no difficulty in manifesting its 
 power when released .rom the flesh 
 When the opportunity was offered 
 
 1 have witnessed much of the 
 phenomena alleged to be spiritual 
 manifestations, from the simple ran 
 to the crowning act of malerializa- 
 tion, through the mediumship ot 
 both public and private mediums, 
 and in the latter cases, which is 
 always the most satisfactory under 
 conditions which precluded the pos- 
 sibility of fraud, deception, or simi- 
 lation in any way whatever. 
 
 By these experiences I am able to 
 corroborate as true, such .scientific 
 investigations as Sir Wm. Crookes 
 ha.s given ir, his '•Researches " when 
 he demonstrated in a strictly scien- 
 tific manner that which James and 
 John testified to on the Mount of 
 Transfiguration was a possible fact 
 supported by the testimony of hun- 
 dreds of living reliable iitnes.ses 
 who h. .e teen similar phenomena. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 RK\-. JAMKS C. Bl'DI.ON'G 
 
 ASHA«-,\V, R. ,. 
 
 ' was born of poor but respect- 
 able parents in Phoenix, R.I., in 
 June, 1866, and educated in the 
 public schools, grau atine from 
 Howard Normal College with first- 
 class honors in ,888. I was, as a 
 boy, exceptionally fond of quiet 
 preferring to read and meditate 
 rather than enjoy the usual boyish 
 sports. I seemed naturally inclined 
 toward religion and early manifest, 
 ed a desire to enter the ministry. I 
 found an outlet for my religious in- 
 stincts and impulses in writing for 
 religious papers. Like Rev. Moses 
 Hull, 1 was for a time identified 
 with the .Adventists and preached in 
 their pulpit... For a period I was 
 pastor of the Christian Church in 
 Three Oaks, .Mich., and afterwards 
 engaged in evangelistic work in 
 
 ME TO SPIRITUALISM 4, 
 
 Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and 
 Ohio. Still, though suceessful in 
 my work and well supported, I felt 
 there was something lacking in my 
 religion, and moved by an impulse 
 within r began an earnest study of 
 the Hible from cover to cover, going 
 over the various versions, making 
 copious notes and comparisons 
 The various stages of mv progress 
 " '* "nnecessary to detail, but I 
 may say that my conclusion of the 
 "hole investigation was that the 
 Bible was permeated with Spiritual- 
 ■sm-that Jesus and his apostles 
 were undoubtedly mediums -and 
 that the so-called miracles were 
 performed by mediumistic power 
 I then began a critical investigation 
 01 the claims and teachings of Spir- 
 itualism, reading such exponent., of 
 Its doctrines as the Banner of Light 
 Progressive Thinker, and The Ser- 
 mon, also liberal magazines like 
 Mind, and the writings of A J 
 Davis, Dr. Peebles, Hudson Tuttle' 
 Carlyle Petersilea, J. R. Francis' 
 James Rhodes Buchanan and others 
 and became convinced that Spirit- 
 ualism is the only true religion, the 
 only one based on demonstrated 
 facts, the only one that will satisfv 
 fully the mind and heart of human- 
 ity. As soon as this light came to 
 me, like Saul I was not disobedient 
 to the heavenly vision. .Mv friends 
 ot former times have become my 
 persecutors, but this inspires no 
 malice or hatred in mv breast 
 against them— as I realize their be- 
 nighted condition. 
 
- ^"^-^ CONVERTED ME TO SP«m;ALBM 
 
 ' mny say, then, in r..., ■^OM 
 
 ' -""y say, then, ,„ ^^ 
 hequ«.,o„, ..Wha.Co„verudMe 
 
 til ''■ '"" ■■"'""'' "'"'"'>" 
 «n, converted n,e. My natural 
 Jeio.,o„al nature led me to a ,y». 
 
 !"" f Phil^ophy in whkh I find 
 food for ,piHt„„,h„„^„„f 
 
 'h""™'"'. 'may say in passing, i„ 
 >.er years, the «.orlc» of ,„,,eL„ 
 
 Humbotdt. Huxley. Spencer, Dar- 
 "'" a... ..thers, and thouKh I found 
 n..em„uch food for the intellec 
 ;"«' nature, there was little ornoth. 
 
 2 "' satisfy the spiritual nature of 
 man. 1„ ^y j^ .^ , ^^ 
 
 Materialism all the way to /kT 
 ■»m and found there much that i\ 
 bngh. and beautiful, but not a sati! 
 O^.nspor.,„„. As 1 have stated I 
 became more and more sensible of 
 
 Adven. doctrme, as the spiritual 
 nature was seeking to unfold within 
 2 and] was often compelled to 
 »h"ddera, thethoughtofsomany 
 m,l,ons-,„cluding our loved friend, 
 -a'eepmg: in the cold, unresponsive 
 8-ve. Attimes, sensed, too, the 
 presence of my loved ones passed 
 
 2. -^^ "'her times I seemed to hear 
 •"'.r sweet voices_„r , ^,.„ ;, ,,„. 
 
 P~„l^^.,eharle„^„el 
 "ead. We are with vou. We 
 
 watch over you. \V-],„'. 
 
 tk. .. "elo\e vou more 
 
 .••Hnwed,d in the earth life." A. 
 
 ,77; ^""■'"'enin,- in the „i,,ht, I 
 
 "ould hear mu.,n.„ of earth, the 
 very melodies o, heaven 
 
 Now, in reading the Bibles of all 
 ei.g.ons 1 fi„d them full of these 
 ^P.ntual experiences. All agree in 
 
 ^Xra'?/"" "' •"' '"«-' 
 th . . '''^"' »" "" pacing 
 through the vestibule into the many! 
 n.ans,oned home of our Father 
 
 •can now say :•. Whereas I was 
 bhnd, now 1 se» i * c. . 
 
 . w I see. 1 i„o.^, Spiritual. 
 
 ism IS true. Talk to ~ 
 d,..h .L """ '° me no more of 
 death, the grave and hell. .Man 
 can never die. We make our ow^ 
 h.ave„orhell. Spiritualism is log. 
 
 is". he" ";•"'"*"■"'= ^P'"'-'- 
 " ■» the religion of comfort for 
 
 mourners. Oh, Death, where i. 
 
 hy «ing? Oh. Grave, where is 
 thy victory .= Away with the crape 
 and th. cypress. Death is best 
 
 ';;"'?;'''/y'he lily and carna- 
 
 K°"„'"'"'""'"'"""s universe is 
 i"e, there is no devil." 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 DR. MAX MIKHLENBRLCH 
 
 OAKLAND, CAL. 
 
 Why am I a Spiritualist? I shall 
 have to beg,n with early childhood 
 to g,ve an answer which the reader 
 can fully comphrehend 
 
 I am the fifteenth child ofastrict 
 Lutheran family, born in Labonetz, 
 
 GermL;:''"'' '"""• ""'''"•"• ■" 
 
 I amir' '',"''''* "' y" orthodox. 
 
 I am the only one who was case upon 
 the sea of .nvest.g-ation, and landed 
 through my experiences, deep and 
 mystjfymg, in the haven of know- 
 
 t;I '''"'"'^''"' my parents time after 
 
 who h^H i""'"""^ ''"f""" P"»°"^ 
 who had long passed out, and utter- 
 y .mposs,ble for me to have known 
 them, and also sceneries which were 
 connected with them in early life 
 Hather, w,ih a puzzled look, gaz- 
 
 er, shaking h.s head, he said. "Dear 
 "■olhcr, I „n, sorry this child was 
 brought mto the world, as I am af- 
 
 4.1 
 
 raid he l.a» weakening 01 ih.. brain." 
 .M.v rarcnt»«eru not lo blame. 
 Spiritualism was ainiosi unknown 
 in .ermany. Often mv parents 
 «ould hnd mo in lonelv places, un- 
 der trees and amongst nature, the 
 ocean being ,., „,i|,, i„ ,„„, ^„. 
 
 onr dwelling and the mountains lust 
 behind. 
 
 Then they would ask, ".Son whv 
 an thou here:-" and I would descrlb'e 
 to tliem what I had seen and heard. 
 
 Hather and I were walking one 
 Jay. and away ahead of us I saw a 
 (uneral procession coming towards 
 "»■ II was a most ostentatious 
 proce».sion, but the pecular part of 
 It was that all the horses were per- 
 lectly white, uniforms of all des- 
 cnptions, and the coffin most beau- 
 tilully decorated. 
 
 I called my father's attention toil. 
 He smiled and said, ".Mv son you 
 are dreaming. There is not a horse 
 ;n sight, let alone a funeral process- 
 ion as you describe, ' but he could 
 not pacify me, as they were coming 
 directly towards us. 
 
 I pulled my father's coat being af- 
 raid they would run over him; he 
 would not come, and in despair I 
 ran home and told my mother, who 
 with great anxiety for her husband, 
 followed me. 
 
 We saw my father approaching, 
 shaking his head, but a short time 
 alter that a notification was received 
 that the Emperor of Germany had 
 ■'.""!.''*''''■ ' '••""Id not under- 
 stand the.se things until I met mv 
 present wife, who is a physical med- 
 
 At the time of our engagement, 
 and even up to about six months 
 alter our marriage, I was not aware 
 her mediumistic faculties. .Mrs 
 Muehlcnhruch did not desire me to 
 know It, as 1 had often expressed 
 myself very bitterly against .Mediums 
 
44 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 and Spiriiuali.t., ytt | could not bc 
 count for what I received mv«lf, 
 until one evening a di»cu»»ion came 
 up between Mrs, Muehlenbruch and 
 her Msler, who was residing with us 
 at the time, and mvself. 
 
 I used to say. "Anyone behevinir 
 in Spiritualism is insane, and ouirht 
 to he lockoJ up for safety." 
 
 After havinjf made this rcmarl< 
 one day, I noticed there came a pe ■- 
 uliarchanire in Mrs. Muchlenbruch's 
 If.?-',, ■'''"•' '""''■""''••d me and said, 
 . \y .11 you hcliev,! if the phenomena 
 IS demon, I rated to you'' ' ( .said "It 
 you can demonstrate it, I shall'not 
 deny the facts." 
 
 Mrs. .Muehlenbruch said, "Let us 
 «llatthistahle,"andhythew.-ivwe 
 had a larK:e heavy oak dining-room 
 table, which I lound later was onlv 
 a toy in the hands of unseen forces 
 He sat down, I with mv keen in- 
 tuition and eagle eyes, watched care- 
 lully lor all movements of Mrs 
 Muehlenbruch and her sister. Not 
 that I distrusted them, but I wanted 
 the whole truth. 
 
 We had hardly sat down to table 
 with our handsupon the samewhen it 
 Began to quiver, and with great as- 
 tonishment was moved back and 
 lor'h like a little toy. 
 
 i lortly raps came upon the table, 
 but much to my discontent thev 
 came to the tips of my finders and 
 under my hands. 
 
 Mrs. .Vluehlenbruch and h»r sister 
 said that I looked rather white 
 whereas my natural color is reddish 
 I was instructed to ask questions. 
 I had seen a good deal of life, and 
 twice have had the pleasure of look- 
 ing into the barrels of a pistol and 
 never flinched, three times I have 
 been in .accident close to death, in 
 fact my whole life has beena remark- 
 able one, yet being requested to ask 
 questions, maje me, for the lirst 
 
 time, tremble all over. 
 
 However I summed up courage 
 and asked question., which were 
 answered, to my great surprise, 
 with great rapidity, earnestness and 
 correctness. 
 
 I was requested by the spirits 
 through raps on the table to go to 
 a certain lady by the name ol .Mrs 
 Stanely, of old lacoma, a, at that 
 time Mrs. .Muehlenhruch, sister and 
 m.ysell were living in \ew Tacoma, 
 vVashington. 
 
 After this information was impar. 
 ted to me, the table rose right up to 
 rom the Door, and came down a 
 leiv limes with great rapiditv, as to 
 indicate great ioy by those who per- 
 formed It, thai ;hey hadgained their 
 point and .it once the table was quiet 
 .Next day I went to see the lady 
 as I was instructed to do. She in- 
 vited me lo come in. However, I 
 responded not. She saw mv hesita- 
 tion and .said : " Vou were sent here 
 by the spirits, who instructed you 
 through raps on the table last night 
 at your home ; therefore, come in— 
 nothing will hurt you." 
 
 I submitted, went into a nice sit- 
 ting-room, and 1 found her to he a 
 motherly and true woman. 
 
 My surprise was lo come as yet. 
 She related things in my past life 
 which even Mrs. Muehlenbruch had 
 no knowledge oi. She described 
 my folks and also Mrs. .Muehlen- 
 lenbruch s people pi -fectiv, in fact 
 she gave me a wonderful reading. 
 
 In conclusion she .said: "Vou 
 think that I am grand, hut you will 
 be one hundred times greater than 
 I am. 
 
 All this has come to pass, as mv 
 cap.icily of psvchic work at Ihi's 
 present day shows. This ladv was 
 only known in her viciiiiiv. whereas 
 my name and pouers have been 
 published world-wide. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 MRS. \VM. I.IDDICOAT 
 
 STfRCIS, PA. 
 
 In childhood I w.is clairvovant 
 and often in f'rijfht climbed from my 
 trundle bed into the bed with my 
 parents, who thou(;ht me delirious 
 when I related what I saw. As I 
 ';revv ,.lder thing's prophetic were 
 ""■' 'i t.ic In my dreams. I saw no 
 more clairvoyantly until thirteen 
 years ago the present June. One 
 afternoon I saw my spirit dau^rhter, 
 May. Oh ! so beautiful ! but stiil it 
 was she, only more fully developed 
 than when she passed, at lo, to 
 spirit life, while as I saw her that 
 afternoon she looked to be 25. I 
 saw only the head and face near an 
 opening ofthe window curtain where 
 the light shone brightly upon her. 
 I afterwards described the vision to 
 Judge Adams, of California. He 
 said it was an etherialization. 
 
 4.'! 
 
 Induced by the testimony of 
 Iriends I went lo l.ily Dale ,md g„t 
 a satislaclory communication and 
 lest I'rom my mollier Irom lul^'ar 
 Ktnerson. 
 
 U'. A. .ManslJcid came to Water- 
 ford. Pa., the same fa.i I took my 
 own privately-miirked slates and oh. 
 lained a seance with him. lie went 
 out of the room when I wrote my 
 questions. On returning he scaled 
 liimscll at the opposite side of the 
 l.ible and told me h, place the ques. 
 lions ,m the table and point at them 
 "ith a pencil, 1 having previously 
 rolled Ihem int.> round pellets. He 
 never touched those pellets and I 
 had been ver> careful not to ,iiy 
 what relation the names 1 had writ'- 
 len bore h- nusclf merely asking 
 them if possible to communicate 
 with me. As I took up one of the 
 pellets, he said: " Kdgar. Why, 
 that is Kmerson's name ; and it is 
 your brother's : he passed out with 
 -some throat trouble ves, scarlet 
 fever would produce just that sensa- 
 tion." .My brother passed to spirit 
 hie in Conn, in iMji, of scarlet fever 
 at the age of three vears, and he 
 was unknown in Waterford. P,i., 
 where I received that test. When 
 1 took up another pellet! the medium 
 remarked : ■• That is a verv hand- 
 some young man whose n.ime vou 
 hold in your hand : he passed out 
 suddenly; he was shot." Ceorge 
 I.iddicoat, my husband's brother, 
 was shot in Nevada nianv vears be- 
 fore. No one knew of him' in Wat- 
 erford. I could not understand how 
 my writing his name could have in- 
 formed W. A. Mansfield how he 
 looked and how he died, he being 
 a perfect stranger to me and mv 
 spirit friends. 
 
46 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED Mfi TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 He told me to place a bit of pen- 
 cil between m_v slates and tie them 
 together, which I did with a strong 
 cord, resting the slates on niv right 
 shoulder, holding them there with 
 both hands, the medium taking hold 
 with his thumb and fingers, I close- 
 ly watching him to see that he did 
 not do the writing. Soon I heard 
 the sound as of pencil writing on 
 the slates. L'pon untying my slates 
 I saw my daughter May's own 
 handwriting, she who had been gone 
 seventeen years from our home. 
 Pen fails to express the jov I felt. 
 
 I went to Lily Dale camp last 
 year to test spirit portraits, expect- 
 ing to have to sit several hours to 
 obtain them, but the medium said 
 1 could obtain them in from fifteen 
 to thirty minutes by holding them 
 in the window light. If I could get 
 them at all. We sat at a table. 
 Miss Bangs placing her hands on 
 some slates and I placed mine on 
 the same .slates, when the sound of 
 telegraphy came and she said : 
 "There are two ot your spirit 
 daughters here and are both going 
 to give you their portraits." In 
 presence of seven witnesses 1 picked 
 out t\.o frames with clean canvas 
 on them the next morning, having 
 previously examined the room. 
 Having been told the night before I 
 could have both of my spirit daugh- 
 ters' portraits as they were before 
 they passed on or as thev are now, 
 I preferred them as they are now. 
 I took the canvasses, held them in 
 my hands while some of our partv 
 placed a little lable in front of a 
 window. The Bangs Sisters, one 
 at each end of the lable, look the 
 canvas frames from my hands and 
 rested them on the table, I sitting 
 i.i front i>f the window ai the table, 
 the other seven of our party stand- 
 ing back of me. Tjie background 
 
 gradually formed first, leaving .i va- 
 cant place for the portrait. While 
 the portrait was coming the thought 
 struck me, how shall I know them 
 apart ? and 1 said aloud : " If this 
 is Lilian I want a lily on her, and if 
 It is May 1 want a bunch of English 
 daisies on her." The lilv was on 
 her lelt breast before l' finished 
 speaking. The sisters said: "If 
 you had thought that it w. iild have 
 come just the same." Lilian opened 
 and shut her eyes several times I e- 
 fore they stayed open. 1 received 
 May's portrait three davs later and 
 the daisies are on her breast. It is 
 the same as I saw her in mv room 
 thirteen years ago. 
 
 A lady friend timed the first por- 
 trait. It was fifteen minutes com- 
 ing oil the canvas. We could see 
 it plainly, the canvas being in the 
 strong light of the window. The 
 second one was sixteen minutes 
 forming. Every one of the parties 
 present expressed themselves satis- 
 fied there was no chance for fraud, 
 and the portraits resemble the pic- 
 tures I had of them, taken at from 
 four to six years of age, so that 
 strangers are able to tell which is 
 Lilian and which is May. There 
 never had been a picture of these 
 --hildren where the Bangs Sisters 
 could have seen them previous to 
 my getting the portraits. While 
 this is no more wonderful than the 
 slate writing I had with Mansfield 
 and have had with P. I,, o. \^ 
 Keeler, and wonderful tests from 
 other mediums, it is a fact that I 
 understand the Bible after investi- 
 gating Spirit phenomena as I never 
 understood it before, and I can only 
 hope my poorly written chapter may 
 be a help to some benighted person 
 such as I was before I had light 
 from the spirit side of light. It has 
 one merit— and that is, it is true. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 MRS. GEORGE OLI\ER 
 
 I was brought up a Presbyterian 
 in Xev. Jersey and afterwards join- 
 ed the same body in Toronto. I 
 never believed in infant baptism, 
 declaring my children should decide 
 the question of baptism for them- 
 selves. My husband's preference 
 being in favor of the Baptist church 
 I joined this church, though 1 was 
 never a firm believer in all ihe dog- 
 mas of the old theology, especially 
 the vicarious atonement. The first 
 thing that interested me in regard 
 to Spiritualism was on the occasion 
 of my visit to my father's house in 
 '93 in New Vcrk. On the evening 
 of my arrival they brought out an 
 Ouija board, being Spiritualists, 
 and my niece operated the board. 
 The first to communicate was a litile 
 daughter of mine, about ; years old. 
 
 47 
 
 who had passed away abcut s.x 
 weeks previous. The message «as 
 to me and things were said to me 
 which I knew were not within Ihe 
 knowledge of anyone present but 
 myself. One message read: ".Mam- 
 ma, you can do this too." I was 
 sorrowing, breaking my heart over 
 nil loss, and the child seemed happy. 
 This seemed strange to me, and yet 
 her words and manner showed her 
 happiness. I sensed her condition 
 clearly. She was happy and I was 
 unhappy, and I naturally asked my- 
 self. Why ? I was very tired that 
 night, and after speaking for a time 
 this message was spelled out : 
 " Mamma, you are lired. Go to 
 bed. Good night." 
 
 Next day I visited a medium in 
 New Vork who said : " Three little 
 girls stand by your side, one just 
 recently gone out." This .served to 
 increase my interest in spirit com- 
 munication and on my return to To- 
 ronto I purchased the only available 
 Ouija board I could find and kept 
 it in my house a year. The direc- 
 tions required two pairs of hands 
 upon the board and I, in my ignor- 
 ance, did not know that a single pair 
 of hands might operate the board. 
 
 .^bout a year had now elapsed 
 since my purchase of the board and 
 the impression became so strong 
 that I ought to try the board that I 
 went one Sunday afternoon to mv 
 room, locked the door and unwrap- 
 ped the board. Placing my hands 
 upon it I found it moved rapidly and 
 
48 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 g^ave me messag^e after message for 
 2}^ hours. These messages were 
 clear and definite, giving- names, 
 dates, &c., of people I knew and of 
 some who passed away in my youth 
 and whose names I had not thought 
 of for years. Of these intelligences 
 I would ask : *' Tell me some one 
 else who is present that I used to 
 know," and message after message 
 came which I knew or afterwards 
 verified as correct. This was in '94. 
 Though satisfied of the correctness 
 of the messages I still thought it 
 might be sinful — especially on Sun- 
 day. Some of those who communi- 
 cated were friends of Mr. Oliver, 
 and as 1 told him of my new exper- 
 iences he became interested also. 
 So the following Tuesday evening I 
 got out the board and Bessie, my 
 daughter, still controlled it. Mr. 
 Oliver glanced occasionally at the 
 board while I was operating it and 
 finally dropped his evening paper 
 and became thoroughly interested 
 with myself in the wonderful little 
 instrument, so that for a few weeks 
 the evening paper was entirely neg- 
 lected and we pursued our investi- 
 gations into the morning hours. 
 One evening, or rather morning, 
 about three weeks later, after Mr. 
 Oliver had retired and I still sat 
 with the board, the power being so 
 strong I could not leave it, I finally 
 got up, and just then I h .ard my 
 little Bessie laugh. This was my 
 first clairaudient experience. " I 
 hear Bessie t:iughing," I'said to my 
 husband. He thought \ was surely 
 
 losing my senses. I then felt I 
 wanted assistance, instruction and 
 guidance in exploring this unknown 
 world. I had no one to go to^ 
 was groping in the dark. I did not 
 know what clairvoyance or clair- 
 audience was and had to get all my 
 information from the board. I car- 
 ried out the directions given through 
 the board as best I could. I was 
 told that if I would sit for a certain 
 length of time I should get clairaud- 
 ience. So I began regular sittings 
 for development and not more than 
 six months afterwards I got clair- 
 audience but was not entranced. 
 
 As the new views grew upon us 
 we lost faith gradually in the old 
 theology, though still retaining our 
 connection with the church. Soon 
 after I heard Mrs. Prior, and this 
 was my first and a most pleasant in- 
 troduction to the spii-itual philoso- 
 phy. 
 
 A peculiarity of my first clairaudi- 
 ent experience wherein I heard 
 speaking was the fact that the voice 
 came apparently from my own stom- 
 ach and was only heard by me when 
 exhaling my breath. It was a man's 
 voice, deep and clear, and the mes- 
 sage was, *' I have come at last." 
 
 Mr. Oliver was soon after elected 
 chairman of the new society in To- 
 ronto, and this attracted church at- 
 tention to us in connection with 
 Spiritualism, and the church author- 
 ities wishing to call us to account 
 for our conduct we sent them a joint 
 letter asserting our views and in- 
 tentions and practically withdraw- 
 ing from the church. Since then 
 we have found an increasing sense 
 of freedom and joy in the beautiful 
 and consoling religion of Spirit- 
 ualism. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 HOX. THOMAS \. LOCKL 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
 THOMAS N. LOCKE 
 
 About 1859 or '60 I became inter- 
 ested in the subject of Spiritualism. 
 At that lime a writing medium named 
 MansHeid visited Philadelphia and 
 located at the corner of Seventh and 
 Arch Sts. I called at his office but 
 did not ^ee him in person, but had 
 an inteniew with his manasjer, who 
 was an entire stranger to me. I 
 made an appointment with him for 
 four other gentlemen and myself. 
 When the time arrived we were all 
 on hand promptly. I was the first 
 to be introduced to the medium. 1 
 had written on a little slip of paper 
 the name of a sister wlio had passed 
 to spi'il life about twoye.irs before, 
 iieforo levins,' in I placed the >,!i.i |., 
 
 MRS. JULIA R. LOCKE 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, P.\. 
 
 my mouth, moistened it and rolled 
 it up in a little ball about half the 
 size of an ordinary marble. 1 sat 
 down with it in my hand. The 
 medium seemed in a dazed condi- 
 tion, placed his hand on mine, and 
 then sad : " I see a young lady with 
 you. She says she is your sinfer" 
 Rachel." His hand then began tct 
 tremble and at once grasped a pen- 
 cil and commenced to write. The 
 message was a very lengthy one. 
 Now, she had passed to spirit life 
 about eight days after giving birth 
 to a little boy. She .selected the 
 name of Lindorf for him. In the 
 mess.ige she said to me : "He kind 
 enough to give my love to my boy 
 l.indorf." and ga\e me many inter- 
 ostiiii,- u:id remarkable incidents that 
 
^S^HAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 5° 
 
 had taken place during^ our child- 
 hood, some of which I had almost 
 forgotten until they were referred to 
 in the message. Now, the evening 
 was disagreeable, being damp and 
 cold. It was the latter part ot 
 April, and when I left home my 
 wife had said to me that i had better 
 remain at home. I told her I would 
 not be absent very long. I was 
 careful not to tell her where I was 
 going. The medium, after writing 
 some time, seemed exhausted, and 
 sat for a little while quietly, and 
 then spasmodically took hold of the 
 penc 1 .nd wrote : ** Thomas, I want 
 you .: know it is I, and I will give 
 you some proof of it." The pencil 
 then wrote : '• Elizabeth is at home 
 in the kitchen darning stockings 
 and the children are all in bed," and 
 then named them, commencing with 
 the oldest, lola, Emily, Estella and 
 Alma, the youngest. Now, you see 
 it would have been hard to guess 
 these names, as they were not com- 
 mon names. But what seemed to 
 me strange and improbable was that 
 my wife should be in the kitchen, 
 as she always spent her evenings in 
 the sitting room when at home. 
 When I arrived at home I asked my 
 wife how she had spent her time 
 during my absence. She said the 
 fire had gone out in the sitting room 
 and she had gone into the kitchen 
 and spent the time in mending the 
 children's stockings. 
 
 In tlic spring of 1862, during the 
 civil war, two of my brothers, .\. H. 
 Locke and Henry C. Locke, enlist- 
 ed in the Union Army — the oldest 
 under Gen. John \V. Geary, the 
 28th Penn. Volunteers, and the 
 younger brolhei' in the 23rd New 
 Jersey. My brother A. H. often 
 
 wrote me and frequently sent enclos- 
 ed in his letters a message to a lady 
 by the name of Pearce, whose hus- 
 band was in his company, request- 
 ing me to call on Mrs. Pearce and 
 deliver the same. I soon learned 
 that the lady could not read or 
 write and my services were often 
 needed in corresponding with her 
 husband. She lived with her aunt, 
 a Mrs. Sharpleigh, who was a Spir- 
 itualist and whose husband was in 
 the same regiment. I soon discov- 
 ered that Mrs. Pearce was quite 
 mediumistic and proposed to a few 
 of my friends to hold a developing^ 
 circle at their home. After some 
 delay six or seven of my friends met 
 one evening each week. Mrs. Pearce 
 became entranced and would give 
 us information of those of our loved 
 ones both in the body and out of it. 
 She would describe accurately the 
 location of the army and, if there 
 had been an engag^ement, give par- 
 ticulars concerning it. She would 
 vividly describe just what our friends 
 were doing. We always found her 
 descriptions correct upon corres- 
 ponding with those she had seen 
 and heard clairvoyantly and clair- 
 audiently. 
 
 At the Battle of the Wilderness 
 my youngest brother lost his life, 
 and that evening, while the battle 
 was still raging, she described him 
 and the wound that was the cause 
 of his death. In a few days a letter 
 reached me from my oldest brother 
 confirming what had been given by 
 the control. 
 
 While entranced spirits would 
 often control her hand and send 
 messages to their loved ones. These 
 messages came so often that we ar- 
 ranged to select one of our number 
 to deliver them to different parts of 
 the city. On one orcnsion a spirit 
 purporting to be an Irishman con- 
 
 L 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 trolled the medium and gave his 
 name and said he had been in spirit 
 life but a short time— that he had 
 passed away suddenly and left his 
 lamily m distressed circumstances. 
 He gave us directions where to find 
 them and told us that there was one 
 man that owed him about $1600. 
 
 ll'JfL J''*',''\'«=P' no books and 
 that the family had no record to en- 
 able them to collect the debt. After 
 some difficulty the medium wrote ■ 
 Oo to the house and tell them they 
 will Pnd some due bills and papers 
 ■n the corner of an old bureau 
 drawer ,„ the second storv, front 
 room. I called on them and found 
 them in great distress. I found 
 that what the spirit had said was 
 true in every particular. He had 
 Kept horses and carts and made his 
 living by digging cellars and doing 
 work for contractors. After a good 
 deal of persuasion and after I had 
 almost given up trying to make 
 them understand me, they told me 
 they had looked all over the house 
 and m the bureau and that there 
 were no papers such as I referred to 
 m the house. However, they did 
 go upstairs and looked again in the 
 bureau, and in a secret drawer thev 
 found the papers just as the spirit 
 had described through the medium. 
 I made due inquiry and learned that 
 after some litigation thev secured 
 the money. The family ifterwards 
 acknowledged to me how greatly 
 they needed this money and how in- 
 debted they were to us for our as- 
 sistance. 
 
 Sometimes in our seances the 
 spirit forces would carrv the medium 
 all over the room in a chair elevated 
 18 inches or 2 feet from the floor, 
 this circle was kept up for about 2 
 years, and during the last vear a 
 spirit calling himself "Jack "Vuld 
 come and give as some beautiful se- 
 
 lections on the violin. The stranir- 
 est part of the matter was there was 
 no violin in the house and none of 
 our number who could play had 
 there been one there. 
 
 In 1839 1 was interested in an- 
 other circle composed of some ,0 or 
 lV,J"rT u"' """S"^ "'""" »■« 'he 
 Kennedy, his brother William, and 
 
 he higher life. Some of them are 
 itill living, probably, but I have for- 
 gotten their names. The medium 
 was a Mrs. Bonsall. She was a 
 very hne sensitive, one of the best 
 I have ever met with. On one oc 
 casion a spirit controlled her and 
 said he was an Irishman and that 
 he had passed to spirit life in a fit of 
 delirium tremens. He was bolster- 
 ous, profane, and seriously affected 
 he medium. We told him he must 
 treat the instrument better or leave 
 He implored us to give him a drinli 
 of whiskey. We informed him tiat 
 we could not give the medium whis- 
 key as It might injure her. There 
 was another reason also. The cir 
 cle was composed largely of people 
 who were opposed to the use of in- 
 toxicants in any form. The spirit 
 old us we need not give his medium 
 the whiskey. He said : "Get son!e 
 in a glass. Put it under the table 
 cover the glass with p.iper and hold 
 ■t in your hands with the glass top 
 flat against the table, and I will ab- 
 sorb It. • We discussed the matter 
 for some time and finally agreed to 
 do It as a test. I went out and pro" 
 cured some and complied with his 
 request. I held the glass, and in 
 ess time than it takes me to write 
 this (he whiskey was gone. This 
 spirit often controlled the medium 
 afterwards and eventually became 
 one ot the most interesting spirits 
 that visited the circle. "^ 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 MRS. JUUA R. LpCKE 
 
 My testimony will be a brief one 
 and I trust appropriate and valuable. 
 One of the earliest and most con- 
 vincing proofs of spirit return came 
 to me through one of our home 
 mediums, Mrs. Sadie Faust, '.vho 
 has been a medium for the spirit in- 
 telligences for many years. When 
 she gives a reading she is deeply en- 
 tranced, and of course entirely un- 
 conscious of the words and ideas 
 expressed through her organism, or 
 at least is unable to recall any of 
 these afterwards. At the time I 
 had this particularsittingthe medium 
 was only slightly acquainted with 
 me. 
 
 The first spirit to come and an- 
 nounce himself to me through her 
 was my brother. She said : *' Here 
 is a young man, dressed in grey sol- 
 dier clothes, who says he is your 
 brother John, and he brings several 
 others with him. One is a lady who 
 says her name is Anna. She is your 
 mother. And there is still another 
 Anna who is your sister." All of 
 which was perfectly correct. She 
 also gave me names and messages 
 from several others whom I at once 
 recognized. 
 
 I will now give, however, the 
 most singular and comincing part 
 oi the sitting. Mrs. Faust then 
 went on to say : " Here is a lady 
 
 that gives me the name Iilizabeth, 
 and she wishes to be recognized by 
 you. Can you recognize her?" 
 After thinking for sometime I said: 
 " I am very sorry, but I have no 
 friend or acquaintance of that name 
 in spirit life." The spirit then said 
 through Mrs. Faust : '* I passed 
 away from a tumor in my face." I 
 then said: "Good Spirit. I am sorry, 
 but I never knew anyone who died 
 from tumor in the face." " Well," 
 continued the spirit, "you knew my 
 husband." I still was unable to 
 recognize her. She then said : 
 " Vou will know all about me in a 
 few months, for i am going to be a 
 sister to you." Well, the time went 
 by and I found that I was slightly 
 acquainted with the gentleman the 
 spirit had referred to. When I 
 came to know him better I learned 
 that his wife was in spirit life. I 
 asked him the name of his wife and 
 he answered " Elizabeth." I then 
 asked him from what disease his 
 wife passed away, and he said, "A 
 tumor in her face." 
 
 \ow, to conclude my brief story, 
 I will say that I have been married 
 for twelve years to Klizaheth's hus- 
 band, and tliat whene\ef I have a 
 private silting with a medium she 
 almost invariably comes and always 
 announces herself to me as " Sister 
 Klizabeth," This may serve to il- 
 lustrate the old saying tliat "Match- 
 es arc sometimes made in heaven." 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 N. H. BKIG'GS 
 
 BATTLE CREEK, MJCIJ. 
 
 Over forty years ago, when a lad 
 I lived upon a larm with niv slcp- 
 father, one Calvin P. White. On 
 one occasion my slep-father, return- 
 ing home from Grand Rapids with 
 some nei^'iibors, was taken suddenly 
 ill with a violent pain in his left 
 knee. So alarming were the symp- 
 toms, intense was the pain, and in- 
 flamed ,i„d swollen was the knee 
 that the friends accompanving mv 
 .■itep-fatber, becoming apprehensive, 
 removed the load from his convey- 
 ance to those of their own and he 
 drove rapidly home. Upon his ar- 
 rival home he was assisted from his 
 sleigh, carried into the house and 
 placed in bed, where he remained 
 for several weeks. Physicians were 
 immediately summoned, who did all 
 their knowledge ot medical skill dic- 
 tated for his comfort and recovery 
 ^ et my step-father grew gradually, 
 but surely worse. His knee became 
 swollen to gigantic proportions, and 
 the pain so excruciating as to be al- 
 most unbearable. To be brief, liis 
 
 53 
 
 condition became so serious that a 
 council of physicians was- held, and 
 It was decided that the only means 
 of saving his life was the amputa- 
 tion of his limb abo.e the affected 
 knee. He objected sircnuouslv to 
 the amputalion, and feelingly assur. 
 ed all who were present that he 
 much preferred death to going the 
 remainder of his life a cripple. He 
 hegged of his family and his neigh- 
 bors to protect him from the opera- 
 tion. So earnest and pathetic were 
 his pleadings that the scalpel and 
 oiher surgical instruments were re- 
 turned to their ca.ses, the ■■cutting- 
 postponed for a time and the disap- 
 pointed yet learned (?1 surgeons took 
 their departure. 
 
 At the time of this occurrence, 
 and for several years prior thereto, 
 my Slep-father was, and had been a 
 firm believer in the philosophy of 
 "Modern Spiritualism." .At' the 
 time of which I write there was liv- 
 ing in the city of Battle Creek a 
 >_°.""e man by the name of Charles 
 bhsha Dunn. He was familiarly 
 known as " Lishe Dunn." Said 
 Dunn was reputed to be a medium, 
 or instrument through whose organ- 
 ism the spirits of the so-called dead 
 had returned and made themselves 
 manifest, known and recognized. 
 1 ht day fixed for the council of phy- 
 sicians as above stated my step- 
 father instructed my brother to go 
 to Battle Creek and bring home 
 with him the said "Lishe Dunn." 
 He did as directed. Now, .Mr. 
 Dunn had never been an inmate of 
 our house. Upon his arrival he 
 was invited into the house and pur- 
 posely was not introduced to a per- 
 son therein. He was asked to ex- 
 plain, if possible, the ailment with 
 which my step-father was suflFering 
 and to state the prospects of his re- 
 covery. The said Dunn thereupon, 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 54 
 
 much to my constei nation and 
 amuemcnt, bcf^an writhing, twist- 
 ing and contorting. After a brief 
 period the contortions ceased, and 
 said nunn announced himself as 
 " Powhattan," the spirit of a deceas- 
 ed Indian chief. While in that con- 
 dition, and still claiming to be 
 " Powhattan," the said Dunn, with 
 eyes closed, left the bedroom where 
 my step-father was lying, passed 
 out of said bed-room through the 
 sitting room to the door Ic.Jing to 
 the chamber stairs. He opened the 
 door, went upstairs, passed down a 
 hall and went into a chamber bed- 
 room and there picked up and 
 brought down stairs a galvanic bat- 
 tery which had been used by one of 
 the physicians in attendance upon 
 my step-father. During all this time 
 said Dunn's eyes were closed and 
 he was constantly talking in the In- 
 dian dialect. I very distinctly re- 
 member how how he amused me by 
 calling the galvanic battery " Sha- 
 mokeman's home-made lightning." 
 Mr. Dunn had no possible know- 
 ledge ot the existence or where- 
 abouts of the galvanic battery. 
 
 After regaling those present for a 
 time with a dissertation in the lan- 
 guage of the " Red Man " he said, 
 '' Indian go; white man come." 
 The transformation was indeed sud- 
 den. Said Dunn immediately be- 
 came the personification of manly, 
 cultured dignity. Instead of ex- 
 pressing himself in the almost in- 
 comprehensible and unintelligible 
 Indian jargon, his every sentence 
 was couched in the pure and correct 
 diction of the scholar. From the 
 many interesting sayings made by 
 him at this time I will quote but the 
 following. He said : " My name is 
 Doctor Willis. In earth life I prac- 
 ticed the profession of medicine in 
 the City of New York.- Like the 
 
 surgeons of to-day, I was too fond 
 of using the scalpel. Many ampu- 
 tations were needlessly made by me. 
 Now, in the case of the gentleman 
 who is lying ill before us, there is 
 no reason for amputation, no neces- 
 sity for his losing his leg. His af- 
 fected knee is sappurating, and on 
 the — day it will discharge and the 
 patient will speedily, fully and en- 
 tirely recover, and no permanent ill 
 effects will follow." L'pon the said 
 day so selected by him his prediction 
 or assertion was fulfilled. 
 
 Now, as evidence that the state- 
 ments there made by the controls of 
 that then uncultured, unlettered and 
 ignorant boy from the streets were 
 correct, and -that the positive asser- 
 tions made by the wise, trained, 
 skillful and erudite physicians were 
 wrong, I take great pleasure in stat- 
 ing that my step-father is still in 
 earth life, and although at the ad- 
 vanced age of 83 years, thanks to 
 the invisible intelligences, he rejoices 
 in the possession and use of both his 
 natural legs. And the particular 
 leg th it occasioned the writing of 
 this article has never given him 
 pain, trouble or inconvenience since 
 the time I was first induced to in- 
 vestigate the beautiful philosophy 
 that has given me so much pleasure 
 and satisfaction, Modern Spiritual- 
 ism. 
 
 ***** 
 
 In closing, I unhesitatingly assert 
 that in centuries to come, when ora- 
 tors shall glance back through the 
 historic years of theworld's existence 
 to find themes to discuss that will 
 interest their hearers as to what has 
 been the greatest boon to humanity 
 since the advent of civilization, they 
 will search in vain to find one great- 
 er, purer, nobler and more uplifting 
 than that of immortality demonstrat- 
 ed by Spiritualism. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SFTRITUALISM 
 
 KEV. MOSES HLLL 
 
 BLTFALO, N.V. 
 
 If extremes do not meet I came a 
 long way when I became a Spirit- 
 ualist : it extremes meet I was prob- 
 ably much nearer to Spiritualism 
 than many who supposed themselves 
 dwelling the next door to it. I 
 came from the rankest Materialism 
 into Spiritualism. I was a self- 
 righteous-know-it-all-Materialist of 
 the Seventh Day Adventist type. I 
 believed, and based my belief, as 1 
 supposed upon the Bible and science, 
 that death ended all. Of course I 
 had the additional belief that by- 
 and-bye there would be a physical 
 resurrection ; that a new life would 
 be given to man, and that if he was 
 good and complied with all the con- 
 ditions that life would be made eter- 
 nal. 
 
 Notwithstanding this belief I now 
 
 think that I was always a medium. 
 I used, trom my earliest childhood, 
 to hear voices and get other unex- 
 plainable things. The one mani- 
 festation which gave me a decided 
 impulse toward Spiritualism I will 
 relate. 
 
 In June, 1862, I held a debate 
 with Rev. Joseph Jones, a .Method- 
 ist minister, on the immortality of 
 the soul. He had described the 
 righteous as being in the highest 
 heaven engaged in the work of 
 psalm singing. In my reply I quot- 
 ed the scripture about the dead 
 knowing not anything. I told the 
 audience about Rachel weeping for 
 her children and refusing to be com- 
 forted for them, not because they 
 were praising God, nor yet because 
 they were in hell, but because they 
 were not. I then asked the ques- 
 tion : " How can that which is not, 
 or is out of existence, praise the 
 Lord?" I stopped a moment to 
 see the effect of my question on my 
 opponent and on the audience, when 
 I heard a voice answer as distinctly 
 as if it had been the voice of a mor- 
 tal : " How can that which is not, 
 or is out of existence, be raised from 
 the dead ?" 
 
 This question struck me so forc- 
 ibly that I could not for the moment 
 think of anything else. I could not 
 think but that everybody else heard 
 that voice as well as myself. I sup- 
 posed that my opponent, when his 
 time came to speak, would tell me 
 that I was answered by an audible 
 
S« WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 voice from heaven ; and I wai ready 
 to confess that I heard the voice, 
 and that I was not prepared to ana- 
 wer the question. 
 
 When I learr i that neither my 
 opponent nr anybody else heard 
 the voice then I began to think that 
 somehow an especial message had 
 been sent me from some other world. 
 The debate closed and the people 
 Kuve me the victory, but somehow 
 the remembrance of that voice and 
 the message it contained still trou- 
 bled me. It was a Banquo's ghost 
 —it would not "down" at my bid- 
 ding. In spite of all I could do the 
 question kept asking itself, more 
 particularly when I was attending 
 to my secret devotions. I could not 
 pray without being interrupted with 
 the question, " Had you not better 
 try now to answer that question ?" 
 At last I attempted to answer the 
 question according to my theory. I 
 believed there was nothing of man 
 
 but flesh and blood and breath 
 
 nothing which survived the death of 
 the body. Mind was not an entity 
 and could by no possibility have an 
 identity. If there was no identity 
 how could there be a resurrection ? 
 I knew there could be no identity in 
 the mind, for that did not exist, and 
 I knew there could be no idr ityin 
 the flesh, for that had changt_ .;very 
 day since the child was born until 
 he went into the grave ; and even 
 after he went into the grave the 
 changes continue. 
 
 If there could be -no identity how 
 
 could there be a resurrection — where 
 was the connecting link between the 
 ante-mortum and the post-mortum 
 man ? The old thoughts of the for- 
 mer man were only the results of 
 the actions of the former brain. The 
 old brain ground out thoughts as a 
 result of its action. In the resur- 
 rection the brain will be newly-made ; 
 the new brain will grind out new 
 thoughts as a result of the new or. 
 ganization. These new thoughts 
 being the result of the new organi. 
 zation can not antedate the organi- 
 zation which produced them ; there- 
 fore the man of the resurrection 
 state can by no possibility connect 
 himself with a past existence. There 
 may be a new Moses Hull made out 
 of the old material, but it tan no 
 more be this identical man nor re- 
 member the acts of this life than it 
 can remember going to Noah's .Ark 
 to be saved from the flood. 
 
 Thus i very soon decided t' if 
 Adventism was right it was » .-.ig; 
 that is, if all there is of man dies, if 
 the unconscious flesh organized and 
 kept alive the conscious intellect, 
 then there could be no resurrection 
 from the dead. I have not the space, 
 no is this the place to give the 
 months of debate that went on in 
 my mind on this question. 1 at 
 least concluded that if there was no 
 conscious entity connected with man 
 then death ended all. 
 
 During the time ot this conflict I 
 had a debate with Mr. W. F. Jamie- 
 son, a noted young Spiritualist lee- 
 
VHAT CONVERTED 
 
 tur«r. Thi. debate eo far lettled 
 me that I never jot back to a full 
 l»lief in materiali.tic Adventi.m. 
 Mr. Jamieson's arguments were not 
 stronger than those I had heard 
 many times before, but my own ar- 
 guments, as I presented them, re- 
 plied to themselves. I saw as I had 
 never before seen the weakness of 
 my own arguments. 
 
 I argued as they all do that mind 
 was a function of the brain, and 
 hence an entity ; that there could be 
 no mind only as it grew out ol a 
 physical organism. Then when I 
 attempted to account for the spirit- 
 ual phenomena I did it on the hy- 
 pothesis that they were caused by 
 the spirits of devils. I had hardly 
 finished this argument when I seem- 
 ed to hear a voice say : "If spirits 
 cannot think for want of a physical 
 bram how can spirits of devils think 
 without physical brains ?" 
 
 This question was enough. I 
 could not answer it. I made my 
 argument the best I could, but that 
 question haunted me until another 
 equally as hard a question came to 
 the front for an answer. 
 
 When this discussion ended I be- 
 gan to look in earnest for phenom- 
 ena. Mr. Jamieson debated in an 
 entranced condition. At its close 
 we went to the home of a Spiritual- 
 ist to await the midnight train. 
 There Mr. Jamieson was entranced 
 by several different spirits. No two 
 of them were alike— no one of them 
 had any rese-nblance to another 
 
 57 
 
 ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 either in the manner or the matter 
 of his discourse. One of these in- 
 fluences was a philosopher, who de- 
 livered a fine dissertation on philo- 
 sophical questions, and gave us the 
 privilege of asking philosophical 
 questions. These q teslions he ans- 
 wered as if he had spent centuries 
 in the philo.sophical schools. 
 
 Another, an old .Adventist minis- 
 ter, delivered an eloquent discourse 
 on the " spirits of devils working 
 miracles," and fell on his knees and 
 prayed for me with all the unction 
 of a saint. He saw that I was ,is 
 good as lost to the cause he loved. 
 Another, a negro slave, was brought 
 there by the guides conducting the 
 seance to express his joy at his new 
 found freedom. A sailor who had 
 been lost at sea came and gave 
 some of his experiences in trying to 
 find himself, and get acquainted 
 with his new surroundings on the 
 other side of life. 
 
 When I spoke about the "diver- 
 sity of gifts •■ .Mr. Jamieson said he 
 had, under similar influences, mani- 
 fested as many as eighty different 
 individualities. 
 
 By this time I was ready to pro- 
 claim my strong inclination to think 
 there must be at least a shading of 
 truth in Spiritualism, and was in- 
 vited to attend seances in some of 
 the best families in the city where I 
 lived. At the first seance I attend- 
 ed, alter a few commonplace mani- 
 festations, a friend of mine, who ac- 
 companied me to this seance, got 
 
58 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPlgJTUAUSM 
 
 such teiti AS put it beyond his power 
 to doubt that hi* daughter Kva had 
 come to him. Aliio my mother and 
 wife came to me in such a manner 
 a> to render doubt of their presence 
 absolutely out of the question. 
 
 My mother told me of many of 
 my childish foibles and tricks ; of 
 how differently she had to manage 
 me from her methods with other 
 children. She told me of the prayer 
 I offered at her bedside, at her re- 
 quest, when she was dying. She 
 gave me an outline of my life from 
 that moment until the then present. 
 She even told me of dreams she had 
 given me— drean;i which kept me 
 from making' r listakcs. She gave 
 me nnny oi lur things which made 
 me knc-v she was my mother and 
 that siiL loved me still. 
 
 My wife told me the substance of 
 conversations we had when we were 
 locked in our private chamber ; of 
 the air castles we were building for 
 the future, even down to the very- 
 day that she was attacked with the 
 fatal malady which carried her out 
 of the world. In short, I became 
 convinced that it was she. Certain 
 promises made by her on that night 
 were thirty years in being fulfilled, 
 and then were fulfilled to the utmost 
 minutijv. 
 
 After this I began to feel what 
 the friends said were symptoms of 
 mediumship; and soon got so that I 
 was controlled by an unseen power, 
 
 an intelligence which knew thinga 
 which I did not know, but which 
 was not always truthful. Indetd 
 after a little while it was nearly al- 
 ways untruthful. Not only so but 
 it was vulgar and profane. I wrote 
 automatically, almost in my mother's 
 handwriting, but I knew it was not 
 my mother thou . her name was of- 
 ten signed to it. I knew nothing of 
 mf^'i'im>!ip and how to take care of 
 i'.. Those with whom I sat appar- 
 ently knew as little as I did about 
 the matter. I sat entirely too much. 
 One or two nights I went to my 
 home and sat alone all night. The 
 result was that I became either ob- 
 sessed or unbalanced. A strange 
 power came to me which came near 
 overthrowing both my Spiritualism 
 and my future usefulness. As soon 
 as I cut loose from promiscuous sit- 
 tings and became temperate in my 
 Spiritualism this affliction, as I called 
 it, left me. Not so my mediumship ; 
 for while the power has never seem- 
 ed so strong and so determined to 
 drive everything before it since that 
 day, I have ever felt and known 
 that an invisible, intelligent power 
 was with me. This intelligence has 
 so guided and protected me that I 
 every day feel the force and truth of 
 that scripture which says : " He 
 shall give His angels charge over 
 thee, and they shall I ear thee up in 
 all thy ways. lest at any time thou 
 dash thy feet against a stone." 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPBUTUAUSM 
 
 REV. A. J. WEAVER 
 
 OLD ORCHARD, Ml. 
 
 In 1892 I went to Boston, Mass 
 «n absolute stranper, to find out if 
 possible whether my "dead" wife 
 *a, still alive or not. I went first 
 to Mrs. Martin's materializin,, 
 seances. The lights were lowered 
 but not extinifuished. Soon the 
 cabinet door opened and human 
 forms, robed in white, came out 
 greeted various parties present, and 
 *ent back. This went on for a full 
 half hour and I came to the conclu- 
 «'on that the whole thing was a 
 '"■■ce. I p„i«) ,hj yj„,^ ^^^^^^ 
 
 me. I resolved to expose the whole 
 «hmg m a Boston paper. As I 
 could not get o«t I settled quietly 
 back m my chair with my eyes on 
 the floor. Suddenly my attention 
 was drawn to what appeared to be 
 a bit of whit* muslin lying ^s if by 
 
 50 
 
 accident on the ins.ep of, „, „, 
 •hoes. I wondered what it wa. 
 and Where it cam. from. I thought 
 " might be my handkerchief an „„ 
 hand went instantly into my po. -r 
 Suddenly i, began to shake and en- 
 large and rise a, if alive. It did not 
 occur to me even then that it had 
 any connection with a spirit or with 
 the seance. It kep, on trembling 
 and growing till my feet were en- 
 t.rely buried beneath a pile of what 
 seemed to be delicate lace. Soon I 
 felt within it again.st my knees .some- 
 thing more solid than the fabric 
 As this something grew in size I en. 
 closed it in my arms. I, <,uiv,„d 
 ■n every part. Soon there was an 
 armful of lace piled up in my lap a, 
 .t descended in fold after fold trom 
 this form. I examined this lace. 
 It felt like a mixture of silk and 
 wool and glistened like a snow crvs- 
 tal in sunlight. Suddenly „|, mo- 
 
 tion ceased, the drapery opened and 
 
 a woman's form stood erect befori, 
 
 me. She reached out her hand, 
 
 took mine and I aro«.. f . 
 
 . ' arose. Leaning 
 
 her head close to mi.ie she said • 
 ." ' f "■ y"' "if'. Helen. I came 
 in this way, right in your lap be- 
 cause I knew had I come out of the 
 cabinet you would not believe it is 
 I- This body is not my body. It 
 was made for me by spirit chemists. 
 It was a great effort for me to come 
 
 in this way, but I was determined to 
 come so you would know me, even 
 If I had to 'go right through the 
 medium.'" Much more was ..id 
 
 -1* 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRTTUAUSM 
 
 60 
 
 She remained perhaps three or four 
 minutes. Holding' her right hand 
 in mine with my left arm around 
 her I went with her across the room 
 to the door of the cabinet. There 
 sat the medium apparently dead. 
 Almost instantly the form melted 
 out of my arms and nothing re- 
 mained. 
 
 I went back to my chair a changed 
 man. My good opinion of my su- 
 periority went down a hundred de- 
 grees in as many seconds. I con- 
 cluded to postpone writing my ex- 
 pose of Spiritualism for the present 
 and I said to myself, " Possibly I 
 am the fool after all." 
 
 During my investigations I at- 
 tended seven or eight seances for 
 materialization, in ever}- one of 
 which my wife came to me in ma- 
 terial form, but she never came from 
 the cabinet. During the last hour 
 of each seance the door of the cab- 
 inet was as a rule wide open with 
 the medium in plain sight, apparent- 
 ly lifeless, sitting facing the circle. 
 The spirits would materialize, two 
 and three at a time, on the floor or 
 on a chair. On a sofa directly be- 
 hind my chair I watched two spirits 
 while they grew up from what ap- 
 peared to be a patch of light resting 
 on the sofa seat into full form. 
 When they stepped down upon the 
 floor I laid my hand upon ihe head 
 of one and said : **You have no hair 
 — only a thick coat of fuzz." She 
 at on:e raised both hands to her 
 head, opening and closing her An- 
 
 gers, when before my eyes hair be- 
 gan to come, and in less than two 
 minutes it hung down to her waist. 
 
 The main guide purported to be a 
 young Indian woman. Sometimes* 
 near the close of a seance, she would 
 visit with us for fifteen or twenty 
 minutes in a materialized form after 
 other spirits had finished coming. 
 On one occasion as we stood around 
 her talking with her one of our 
 number said to her : *' Your dress is 
 dark — can't you change it to white ?" 
 " 1 will try," she replied. Immed- 
 iately white spots began to appear 
 and soon the dress was white. 
 Yards and yards of lace were pro- 
 duced, a small piece of which being 
 carried to a factory, the superin- 
 tendent said he never saw such 
 goods before and he knew of no 
 machinery which could make simi- 
 lar. 
 
 My next experience was with Dr. 
 Stansbury, 80 Wes. Concord St.> 
 where I went for slate writing. We 
 were alone in a well lighted parlor. 
 I held flrmly in both my hands two 
 new, well-washed slates, bound to- 
 gether by a strong rubber band. 
 Dr. S. then came across the room 
 and standing before me, touched the 
 upper corners of the slates with each 
 forefinger, without my letting go 
 my hold, when, suddenly, scratch- 
 ing as with a pencil was distinctly 
 heard within the slates. In a few 
 moments it ceased when I opened 
 the slates and a fresh red rose, with 
 the paint still moist, appeared on 
 one of the surfaces and the margin 
 was covered with writing purporting 
 to come from my wile, with her 
 name signed io her own hand- 
 writing. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SHRJTUALISM 
 
 HON. ANDREW C. DUNN 
 
 UIXXEBAGO cri MIN.V. 
 
 In the springs of '95, while visitin. 
 some friends i„ San Diego, Cal. I 
 attended a lecture delivered by a 
 man who claimed lo speak under 
 the inspiration of some departed 
 mortal on •• Is the Bible a Lying 
 Humbug?" and was much impress- 
 ed with the matter and the manner 
 of the speaker. He claimed that 
 the Bible was no humbug, but con- 
 tamed much that emanated from the 
 spirit side of life, while some of the 
 • ' Thus-saith-the-Lord " passages 
 were inserted to justify the opinions 
 of the writer.s. A few days after 
 on persuasion, I was induced to go. 
 to him for a slate-writing, so-called 
 having little knowledge of what 
 that implied and no faith in the gen- 
 uineness of spirit communication. 
 
 I wrote questions to deceased 
 friends and securely scaled them in 
 
 an envelope and the medium, tak- 
 ing the envelope, burned it to ashes 
 ■n my presence without opening it. 
 'then cleaned some slates and kept 
 them m my possession or sight, and 
 the medium and 1 each held them 
 
 {■ns.ghtjand I could distinctly hear 
 what appeared to be writing on the 
 slates. A few minutes after, on di- 
 rection i f the medium, I opened the 
 -elates and found I had messages 
 from all to whom I had addressed 
 questions, among them this one 
 Irom my father : 
 
 ".V.y dear son Andrew: I am 
 happy and so glad to meet vou here 
 Where I can communicate 'to vou 
 l.ask you to believe the mes,;age 
 given to you through this medium, 
 lor I have Ijeen the control. 
 Lovinglv, 
 
 Father .\athaniel Dunn. 
 Gano will soon come. 
 Mother Charlotte will soon com- 
 municate. 
 
 Father is happy. Love to .Vlary. '■ 
 I have copied the above from the 
 original on the slate now before me. 
 
 Soon after I found myself in 
 Stockton, where I met an eminent 
 physician. Dr. Forman, and learned 
 trom him that a Mr. and Mrs. Karl, 
 genuine mediums, were then in the 
 city, and on calling on them learned 
 that owing to Mrs. Earl's health 
 she was refusing all sittings that 
 day. Indeed, while I was there she 
 turned a^.■ay several. I started to 
 leave the house when .Mrs. l-arle 
 stopped me and said, sick as she 
 was, she was impelled by her guides 
 to give me a sitting. 
 
6a 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 After ep'ering' into the trance, 
 she sitting in front of me and hold- 
 ings both my hands, called me by 
 name and gave my mother's name. 
 Indeed, the intelligence controlling 
 her claimed to be my mother, who 
 departed this life when I was 4 years 
 of age, and told me of circumstances 
 that could not have been known to 
 Mrs. Earle, who did not even know 
 my name. 
 
 I returned to Minnesota with an 
 intense desire to investigate fully 
 the claims of Spiritualism. Accord- 
 ingly, in Aug., '95, I attended a 
 camp of Spiritualists at Clinton 
 Park, Iowa, in company with a 
 friend who was likewi<ie an investi- 
 gator and had no knowledge of my 
 family history. 
 
 I arranged a sitting first with 
 Mrs. De Wolf, of Chicago, on Fri- 
 day, 16th Aug., the day of my ar- 
 rival. It was in a small and poorly 
 furnished tent, at 1.30 p.m. — the 
 sun streaming upon us in a blaze of 
 light. I wrote, by request, the 
 names of persons deceased from 
 whom I desired communication on 
 slips of paper which I afterwards 
 crumpled up so that no mortal could 
 read them and kept them in sight 
 before me on the small pine table — 
 which I had carefully examined be- 
 fore. The medium then entered the 
 trance condition and would take up 
 a pellet and tell to whom it was ad- 
 dressed, and holding the slate under 
 the table a moment would bring it 
 out with messages from my friends. 
 i was mystified extremely. 
 
 After a short time the medium 
 said : "There is a spirit here who 
 says he is your brother." ** All 
 right," I answered, *' I have more 
 than one brother in spirit life." 
 "This is he who shot himself in 
 Denver, and he puts his hand to his 
 head to show me where." Needless 
 to say I was astonished, as I had 
 not written him or expected a com- 
 munication from him. 
 
 I asked his name and she gave it, 
 "Gano," pronouncing the a long 
 like some of the family, but totally 
 diflTerent from my own pronunciation. 
 She then directed me to clean a 
 small three-leaved book slate, which 
 I did very carefully, and to put it on 
 the floor and put my foot on it. I 
 then requested that if my mother 
 could write me anything it should 
 be poetical. I soon experienced a 
 burning sensation in my foot, and 
 after the lapse of a few minutes took 
 up the slates to find every page filled 
 with messages from mother and 
 Gano. The slate is before me now 
 and I will transcribe : 
 
 *' A mother never forgets her dear 
 ones, but holds them close to her 
 heart always. Some of them 1 have 
 gathered into my home in spirit, 
 and others I wait tor close beside 
 the door. I know the goodness of 
 God now better as I unfold. 
 
 Mother." 
 
 The above in red crayon. What 
 follows was in ordinary slate pencil. 
 
 " Dear .Andrew : I am sorry that 
 I done what I did, but it is past. 
 It has left a shadow on those that 
 are left. How sorry I am. I was 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 d did nnt Ifnn... ...L.^ ■ 
 
 dZ^ ^ t'i"°' ''"°* "-hat I was 
 ve^„ ''hall outgrow the shadow 
 yet, for Mother, pure and good, 
 who watched over our pathway from 
 
 for me here. Do not fear to die 
 It .s wakmg to freedom. Don't 
 think me unhappy here. I was only 
 h'f/Th'"''- ' '"""to come so 
 but n„, '^ *.?' ^" »f™'d of me, 
 and ot?""-, ■ ''"'«■• "'»o i' with u 
 th "*'"/'■'"''»■ Comfort those 
 who are left and forgive Gano 
 
 63 
 
 The other page contained a poetic 
 verse in gold leaf, a most beautiful 
 thmg. It reads as follows : 
 
 " "°*' Pl'-»»ant li, 10 think 
 
 1 hal each familiar face 
 «ow gazM on u9 as of old 
 
 l-rora il» mysterious place, 
 W jth love .hat neither death nor change 
 Halh power to sever or estrange. 
 
 .Mother. 
 On the same afterno. I had a 
 sitting with .Miss May Bangs, and 
 under strictest test conditions, the 
 slates being in sight all the time I 
 received numerous messages from 
 father, mother and brother. In 
 answer to my questions about Spir 
 ■tualism and Orthodoxy I received 
 the following messages signed bv 
 my father : ■' 
 
 "My Dear Son Andrew: Let 
 these lines prove to you my presence 
 here to-day. I have solved ^h" 
 mysterious problem of death-the 
 problem of life will require eternity 
 Ves, contmue with your investiga- 
 tion of lh,s. It should not conflict 
 with the orthodox religion, if rXy 
 understood. There is* bu^ one reli- 
 
 Snon, and this is the true religion- 
 I..fe Everlasting. I have seen all 
 our loved ones over here. Vour 
 mother has advanced to the high 
 
 :s^"verX:iihZr;:,r-'- 
 
 Father N. Duiw." 
 And again he wrote : 
 
 life'e'J.L^T^"" '■ Spirit return and 
 "le everlasting is true, \ever l,f 
 
 Zd a"„d 1 '""'" ""-"e . 
 fhTs ,h. ^ °"°"' """•• 's not 
 this the great truth, is not future 
 
 ^"S^^^^JT-rSd^^l; 
 
 S"^^-"ar:^:"'\;^'S 
 
 ou?'of'1tTn°to"''"''''''P'"'--" 
 out 01 It into a new world. lesu« 
 
 t^'r^life'.'r ''"V™--«-n"„"d 
 ine lite. H,s spirit was capable of 
 arising. It had within it the powe' 
 
 body™'"ge°:' V"' --""rme 
 ooay. He was the symbol in nr,. 
 sentingthis beautiful thought This 
 pternal and universal law^of nature 
 ■"eludes all men in this spirkrelur 
 
 i'^rihe'^ir''''^"""'"''-^ 
 
 isneo the old resurrection of the 
 body. It can never overthrow the 
 spiritual resurrection. Paul fullv 
 understood the subject. He ,p"„"^, 
 of the spiritual body. Believe me 
 my son, this is the truth. ' 
 
 Father \. Dunn. 
 At a camp-meeting, Minneapolis, 
 '" July, 96, a medium, Mrs. L. \ 
 Roberts, was impressed to ask me 
 t° sit at a table with her. After 
 thoroughly cleaning and drying a 
 a slate it was placed on the floor 
 
 leaning against my leg as we sat in 
 broad dayligh.-the sun streaming 
 ■n at the door. After the medium 
 was controlled I requested that if 
 my mother was present she would 
 g-'ve me a stanza or two of poetrv. 
 When the sitting closed I f„u„d 
 these lines on the slate : 
 
64 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 " O, Thou whose I'jv»* is chan^eles.s 
 
 Uoth now and t'i't>rmor^, 
 Sourcv of all conscious bein)(. 
 
 Thy goodness } adore. 
 Earlh, I would evor praise thue 
 
 For all ihy lovi; tan >jivo ; 
 Rut more than nil, O Kalher, 
 
 I thank tht-e that 1 live. 
 
 Charlotte Temjileton Dunn. " 
 
 I witnessed under very satisfac- 
 tory conditions the phenomena of 
 materialization atClinton Parle Camp 
 Meeting mentioned above, the med- 
 ium being a Mr. Charles VVinans, o> 
 Edinburg, Ind., having the oppor- 
 tunity during the day and at the 
 seance of thorough inspection of the 
 rooms and cabinet. Here, under 
 test conditions I saw issue from the 
 cabinet a form in male clothing and 
 with a Master Mason's apron and 
 regalia, and standing in the centre 
 o( the room give the signs pertinent 
 to that degree, which were recog- 
 nized by masons present. The form 
 was identified as Col. Smith, my 
 father-in-law. My mother also ap- 
 peared to me here and made herself 
 known and afterwards came to me 
 several times and »vas recognized. 
 She led me into the cabinet and con- 
 vinced me by the sense of touch that 
 the medium was there, entranced 
 and sewn fast as the committee had 
 left him, and as we found him at the 
 close of the seance with the flour 
 unspilled which had been placed as 
 a test in his hands. 
 
 The above is the briefest outline 
 of a few oi' my investigations from 
 which, and from a multitude of sim- 
 ilar ones, I conclude : 
 
 1. I have obtained evidence satis- 
 factory to myself- tbat life is contin- 
 uous and progressive. 
 
 2. I have evidence that satisfies 
 me that our friends, after the change 
 called death takes place, are ever 
 near us in their spirit forms, im- 
 pressing us by liieir presence, mak- 
 ing themselves felt by us, perhaps, 
 in most cases, unconsciously to our- 
 selves. 
 
 3. It is possible for our spirit 
 friends, when the conditions are 
 right, to actunily enter into tangible 
 communication with us here in the 
 mortal form and to give us ample 
 evidence of their existence in anoth- 
 er bodily condition than that in 
 which we live. 
 
 4. There is no supernaturalism — 
 nothing above natural law. What 
 we understand, or rather what we 
 have been accustomed to, we es- 
 teem natural and reasonable. What 
 we canr ot as yet explain scientifi- 
 cally we regard as miraculous. 
 
 5. I am satisfied that after death, 
 as before, our condition is what we 
 will to make it. We are free agents 
 and can progress after death as well 
 as before. 
 
 Finally, this knowledge that has 
 been given to me has made me hap- 
 pier than I ever v. as in my life be- 
 fore. I am rejoicing in a wide ex- 
 pression of thought which gives me 
 a happiness and pleasure which I 
 never experienced in my long life 
 and work in the churches. 
 
TOT OONVTOTCD ME To SHRmui ^ 
 
 
 
 JOH\ LAWRENCE 
 
 tOLLI.VCMoOD, ONTARIO 
 
 «me a Spiritualist r-On^wa,^,'- 
 «nse app, ed to tK'"""' '^'""""'" 
 
 A Mrs. R. «,if, „f 
 lawyer nf r^ir * prominent 
 
 -he appeared to be ' flCtr""" 
 '"«p,andl,avingassiI';'ed''Lt: 
 
 brasiinV?h^'''"''''^»-P"»'dme 
 
 ^s^:rf"'^rH^So;i;^- 
 
 swered " \n i •J"'' ^he an- 
 
 husyta„.i„„otr•fa.!;:r.■''^■.U°n° 
 
 tleman ;„ y,"' oV' =•" '"''>'^"- 
 round fa« •■ "S^^- "■">' a 
 
 Swat£-tiJ----- 
 
 husband who survives her And as 
 he vvas desirous of knowing fu I par 
 ticulars I subsequently i'av<. h„ 
 copyof.heno.e\,ha^|"arnauh: 
 
 of Mrs"R"s"'f";r"""'""'P«''" 
 v.-.i, ""her was correct 
 
 Neither myself „or Mrs. L L''' 
 
 Wjil'e'fo'""'"^ "^^- «■•» fa'he 
 ^S^o^^ll'hj^'t^at"! 
 
 ,^heha''d„o^S./,S,«Jhat 
 
 Mnrtt;:SR-.'^-f"r 
 
 ■on for some time, I suspected Mrs 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 66 
 
 artistic musical intelligence manipu- 
 lating the keys with a dexterity and 
 variety of touch the most marvellous 
 and beautiful imaginable. Some 
 eight or ten selections of different 
 kinds of music were played in the 
 course of about half an hour ; some- 
 times the keys were touched very 
 slowly, but every touch seemed an 
 inspiration. At other times the 
 hands flew with the rapidity of a 
 weaver's shuttle, as Mrs, L. herself 
 expressed it, and said that the left 
 hand which is prone to stumble over 
 an occasional note never made a 
 miss. She appeared to have been 
 in a semi-conscious state and did 
 not altogether enjoy being drilled 
 through such a classical exercise, 
 and wished that I would come into 
 the room as she felt that the least 
 disturbance would break the spell, 
 which she could not throw off her- 
 self until otherwise released. 
 
 An instance of telepathy attracted 
 my attention early on Thanksgiving 
 morning three years ago, when Mrs. 
 L. received the thoughts of Miss S., 
 school teacher, Collingwood, and 
 daughter of the late P. S. Inspector 
 for Algoma District. The distance 
 that this wireless telegraphy travel- 
 led was about three miles. As 
 above stated, the morning was 
 Thanksgiving, and being a holiday 
 and Miss S. being an artist was 
 anxious to paint a certain picture, 
 but my wife had the copy she re- 
 quired. Mrs. L. felt the impress of 
 Miss S.'s thoughts distinctly, for 
 she said to me that " Miss S. wants 
 that copy that I have. She wants 
 to paint to-day as it is a holiday. 
 She would like so much to have it. 
 I know she wants it. I can feel it." 
 I said, " Supposing Miss S. should 
 say that she didn't want that copy 
 to-day?" "That wouldn't make 
 -ny difference, for I know- she does 
 
 want it and could wager $100 that 
 she does." Mrs. L. saw Miss S. on 
 the following day and she said she 
 would like to have had the copy to 
 point on Thanksgiving, I also saw 
 Miss S. in reference to this incident, 
 and she admitted the facts as herein 
 stated in regard to time, etc. 
 
 In conclusion, I may refer briefly 
 to that second reason which was a 
 factor in my conversion to the "New 
 Theology," and will state that after 
 seriously and conscientiously con- 
 sidering the doctrines and dogmas 
 of the Old Theology I find that they 
 are founded largely on Paganistic 
 legend, allegory, folk lore and the 
 most glaring irrationalisms of the 
 childhood of the world, when rea- 
 son, man's greatest endowment, 
 which constitutes him a man, was 
 apparently thrown to the wind. If 
 a modern scientist with his keen, 
 rational intellect and analytical 
 methods were to adopt such an 
 erratic haphazard system in science 
 as men do in theology, his tabors for 
 the benefit of humanity would be- 
 come useless. Imagine, if you can, 
 the Supreme rational intelligence of 
 the universe, who directs the untold 
 planetary systems in their course 
 according to fixed law and har- 
 mony, and who created man in His 
 image mentally, as Sir Humphrey 
 Davey expressed it : — 
 
 " .1 spark created by his wurd. 
 
 The innaorfat mind uj ttiiDi. his image 
 
 bears, 
 A spirit lingertMg, midst the forms 0/ 
 
 death. 
 Oppressed, but not suh<liied, hy mortal 
 
 cares " .' 
 
 expecting man to accept legend as 
 literal history, fable as fact, or self- 
 evident contradictions with the 
 puerile apology, "that we are not 
 supposed to understand all things, 
 there is enough given us that we 
 can understand." 
 
^^^!Z^!:^^^rosPmrwAum 
 
 67 
 
 E- W. WALLIS 
 
 A.SS,s„NTED,TOROK..u«HT,"LOV. 
 I.ONDON SPIRITUAL ALUANCE. 
 
 I became interested at ,6 in the 
 -bject of Spiritualism through heir 
 2 r;"''^' '"^ -"--nfry pL 
 neer Medium of Great Britain, je 
 ■vera. ranee address and reading 
 «.. LUratur. .hat he furnish d 
 After several years investigations 
 and many interestino^ »,„. • 
 indicative of ,he „n "P"'^"'^^' 
 „n^ .u operations upon 
 
 and throueh mv «. ,. "^ 
 
 ,. *f "'> persona ty of a 
 
 man my own, yet far = i 
 
 ^ • ^ct lor a lone' wh I*» 
 
 ^-e:cr::'::r'r''"-^ 
 '"^^-::::>-:^~- 
 
 spirits were realiv actin., 
 -0".^n,yins.r^ur:f,;-- 
 
 "-orth relating in some detail A„ 
 rhTvr^' ■>--"" -\vrtt? 
 n By Mr. Carson, of Melbourne 
 .\"»>ral,a, then on a visit ,0 Lo„ 
 2-. and published in the. S>i:;: 
 
 .r;r:^»Prr"'"'^^-"'- 
 
 "^Hed rLtly'rer^ard":'?' '"'- 
 'he following ■-.K™*"'" ' ^xote 
 "•n>e 1 fei, uLasv a T"" ""''' 
 
 unfamiliar ••inr/n^e-'-aSr 
 ' was made to rub my leg as if ' 
 
 Sr''tn„r'^S'"^V^'"'" 
 
 ::.;^^t^-^i'"^ ^^a^? 
 
 'ndian spirTt!^uid, J'"* ^^ "^r 
 described'^thl^s'frl if T °"'y 
 .•emptedtocontr':e?o''spe:tH^'- 
 
 =-:^i:;:i!s{5Tr^ 
 
 MV^^lr-iSi 
 the two strane-er« »„ ■ . e^t of 
 
 wasasonof\lt:,:,;X-^'''" 
 Mr. Carson stated in the Spiritual. 
 
 wemeeteverydTwasno';""""-^ 
 written as to ^enaWe "3 .0 be" "'" 
 fat it was; but on th^ '!,r,f 
 August tollowine, when -^'cj- 
 
 burgh,,receiv.d^;,:t';:rf:L^'!;:; 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 68 
 
 eldest son, dated Melbourne, loth 
 July, in which he, mentioning the 
 death of a number of colonists, said, 
 *' Mr. Burt, brother-in-law to Mr. 
 R., was killed off horseback during 
 the month.'* I at once looked up 
 the 'communication,' and had no 
 difficulty in making the signature 
 out. The accident was mentioned 
 in the Melbourne papers of Satur- 
 day, July 1st, as having occurred 
 on the previous Saturday.June 24th. 
 To the above I may add that we 
 were total strangers to the medium 
 and the persons we sat with ; that 
 neither the son with me nor myself 
 had ever heard of such a person as 
 Mr. Burt, yet no doubt he was 
 known to my son in Melbourne ; 
 that unless a telegram had been 
 sent from Australia of the death, no 
 one in the room could have been 
 aware of it, the sitting being held 
 about a month after the death ; that 
 we had no conversation with those 
 we sat with to lead them to know 
 or infer who we were or where we 
 came from." 
 
 I could not detect any loophole in 
 this case for " thought-transfer- 
 ence" or "unconscious cerebra- 
 tion " — I felt then, and still feel, 
 that no theory will adequately cover 
 the ground of the facts but the Spir- 
 itualistic explanation. 
 
 Visiting a town some distance 
 from London, I found myself the 
 guest of a young man about my 
 own age, but a widower. We slept 
 together, and he told me of his re- 
 cent loss, and also said how anx- 
 ious he was to get a test from his 
 wife, as she had promised to return 
 to him if possible. Knowing from 
 past experience that anxiety defeats 
 its own end, I said, "You need not 
 expect it from me ; I am not a test 
 medium." I felt that he was great- 
 ly disappointed. The next night I 
 
 got into bed first, while he knelt by 
 the bedside to say his prayers. 
 While doing so, I thought, " 1 
 wonder if I cannot pray, too, to 
 some purpose," and mentally asked, 
 "If there is any spirit-friend here 
 who can give me anything to give 
 to this man, will he kindly do so 
 now ?" I immediately felt a shock 
 as of a galvanic battery thrill me 
 through from head to feet ; it 
 brought tears to my eyes. My at- 
 tention was attracted to a corner of 
 the room where I saw distinctly a 
 silvery light in the shape of a small 
 cross up near the ceiling. As 1 
 watched it this light slowlydescend- 
 ed until it settled upon th« forehead 
 of my friend. When he arose from 
 his knees it disappeared and I in- 
 formed him of what I had wit- 
 nessed. He was very deeply affect- 
 ed and clapped his hands to his 
 head ; tears streamed down his 
 cheeks, and he exclaimed in broken 
 utterances: "My God, my God; 
 come at last, come at last ! " When 
 he recovered sufficiently to explain 
 his agitation, he said : 
 
 " Before my wife died I asked 
 her, if she found Spiritualism to be 
 true, and she could do so without 
 injury to herself, to come back to 
 me that I might have the assurance, 
 to comfort me, that she still lived. 
 She replied that she would do so, 
 if permitted. 1 said that I should 
 like some sign that I might know 
 her by. I bent over her, kissed her, 
 and made the sign of the cross upon 
 her forehead, and said : * let that be 
 the sign.' I have sat with several 
 mediums, but although I hav. been 
 atisfied that my wife was present 
 I never, until to-night, received the 
 ' sign ' for which I waited and 
 longed with deep anxiety. Can you 
 wonder that I am glad and greatly 
 moved ! " 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPlRrn.A, ,^ 
 
 69 
 
 MRS. MARJAN CARPENTER 
 
 DETROIT, MICH. 
 
 At the age of twelve I wa« «.r;„i, 
 
 o-n„,„the;,w:s?„du"edro'rt"„^ 
 her circles, at that fim« 1, • 
 nchin^ of Spi't'a,?::^ a'^Th^f 
 
 chair. From that hour I became 
 c mraud.ent and heard a voice Lv 
 '.What would you rather^.' " ^i 
 d.d no. understand what was meant. 
 
 but replied, " Hi, i, ,rue that spi- 
 
 an r::.^-i^t^--.^^ 
 ^■:^t:::z^ ir^ 
 b..an^os?„7«,;;:~M 
 
 had „e heard. f„ .he 'mean 
 
 -:^r.d^a.^:T:;;;^;;^,Xa,! 
 
 JV^aatSr-V-'l^-^i 
 
 he stepped into the room .he condi! 
 
 a°.he;lll"'"'''P'"'""'".vhour., 
 F"-Pri -- .H^swee. 
 
 re^so^n of m, conversion 7;'U! 
 
 ?P-ng .he gifts of clairvoyancel^d 
 .nsp^a..onal speaking in 'he period 
 of four years ; also some phys cal 
 demonstrations, as for insta'L/e Tn 
 wW^h "',P'*'""S ™ 'he banjo 
 
 f:rte"''J,e'Tf''th?'''^°"^-'l 
 (Seechaprrdtvot''edfo^'Mrs%^"''„^f 
 Oet™.,m Sherman's ..S^e.^^°^ 
 
 We moved to De.roit in ,802 
 
 ^oXTraift'-h^d"""-'"" 
 
 raid'-^v ^'"="'"^^<'' -pint's) 
 We will I ". ""'' "" ■""■ ^"k 
 
 „:» f" ^^ " »"C«Ssful if you 
 
 rTs o~ .7 """^ ""■«'■■""-. and lit" 
 restore to you your financial loss 
 
 One of my first experiences in 
 D«ro..wasmarvellous'tome One 
 
70 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 morning a ({cntleman called, whom I were peraistent, saying they saw 
 afterwards learned was James Bea- there would be a way opened to get 
 ton, and asked for a reading (he at the timber out. , ,. . . 
 that time knov.ing nothing of Spi- Shortly after the land had been 
 ritualism). After some preliminary secured, Mr. C.'» father was pass- 
 remarks, I heard the name of ing through that section and found 
 " .Mexander " spoken and told him men surveying for a railroad, 
 of it. He seemed startled and said. Within a short time the railroad 
 " Where is he ? " I replied, "Vour was completed, thus unabling us to 
 mother tells me this." He became to dispose of the timber at a great 
 deeply interested, and during the advantage, and proving the pro- 
 
 sitting found that the relative i he 
 had lost trace of for thirty years, 
 were in Melbourne, Australia. He 
 then wrote to the post master, and 
 received a reply stating that a man 
 
 phecy given us. Mr. Carpenter and 
 I having promised the spirit world 
 that if they would help us to make 
 good our financial loss we would 
 devote ourselves to their work, we 
 
 received a reply statmg inai a man acvoic uurseivc* iw *i»;i. ..w. ™, .-- 
 of that name had lived there, but have done and jre continuing to do 
 had just moved away, he could not so. The middle of last October all 
 tell where. the timber was sold, giving us what 
 
 The gentleman had another sit- we had lost with good interest, 
 ting and the little guide (Snowdrop) At one time I was dressmg to 
 told him that the mother said that take the train from Indiana to De- 
 he (Alexander) was in a certain part trolt, Mich., when a voice said, 
 of New Zealand. He wrote to the " Don't take that train." I did 
 post master, found that he was not, and word was received shortly 
 there, and thus inside of a year, afterward that there had been an 
 established communication with his accident and several people killed, 
 whole family. This fact brought I know now that all my life I have 
 him into Spiritualism. (This is un- been a medium, but was taught to 
 explainable to me by Hudson's believe that the manifestations ;ame 
 "Subjective Mind" theory, as neither direct from God. Now I know that 
 Mr. Beaton nor myself knew any- a dear angel band has always 
 thing about them until the spirit guided and guarded me. and 
 gave the message.) 
 
 The following experience the au- 
 thor desires me to relate, as being a 
 realization of a prophecy given by 
 the spirits and fulfilled after a sea- 
 son of darkened conditions : 
 
 In the year l8g6 the little guide, 
 Snowdrop, told Mr. Carpenter to 
 purchase all the land he could that 
 had timber on it, in a certain sec- 
 tion in Northern Michigan. Mr. C. 
 objected, there being no way at that 
 time of getting the timber out to 
 market as the railroads had been 
 taken out after the first, season of 
 lumbering; but they (the spirits) 
 
 through their instrumentality I have 
 been the means of bringing sunshine 
 into many a darkened home. 
 
 " As other men have creeds, si> I have mine; 
 I keep the holy faith in God, in man. 
 And in the Angels ministrant between, 
 
 " / hold a faith more dear to me 
 Than earth's rich mines, oi fames prond 
 treasure — 
 
 A faith that plucks from death its sling ; 
 Communes with angels ri'erv day. 
 Sees Gael, the good in everything. 
 Where TRLTH ETERXAI. holds her 
 
 "'"-'■ —POWELL, 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 FRANK ROSSMAN 
 
 ■I 
 posilion the mes.aKe »a» obtained, 
 »» I distinctly heard the writing' go- 
 in(f on. My question, had been so 
 framed as to give a stranjrer no in- 
 formation if, by chance, he sliould 
 read them, being of a general char. 
 acter. One i|uestion was simpiv 
 addressed "To iVIy Mother," vet 
 the answer was signed with I'ler 
 
 his left hand only-t'h'e'kev.'T '" """" "' ''""• ' "'"" '""' •»" """^ 
 on .he opposite side „f ^h^- '^ """""f" """^ ""'" """""crs of 
 
 n^ent-dii^::::^::,:::^^:; i,.^-"^' '--" *- "- -" 
 
 u „_^ ^' *::'"' «"'nded seances d.um and where no monetary mo 
 
 B»V iirv, JIUH. 
 
 My lirst introduction to the phc 
 nomena of Spiritualism was in ,,7 
 when I met at Pontiac the famous 
 ■""lium, Henry Slade. I then 
 htard and saw an accordeon held 
 
 ... ,, • —-"-™ seances 
 
 wrth Henry Allen, the "Allen Boy," 
 as he was called, and saw much 
 physical phenomena and became so 
 interested therein I determined on a 
 
 live could have prompted to decep- 
 tion or fraud. I have witnessed un- 
 der these conditions many slate- 
 writings, and the production of 
 
 full investigation of h.7 . »r'"nss, and the production of 
 
 modern SpClm .rr . "T """""■"""rendering 
 
 I u^^ slates, and after a few moments vi» 
 
 an was'l:::" ":'"'"'^''"'"^"^"' '^'■""P"" '"-""- fouTrsag 
 
 nehher „ • '" ^"' "''" '" "^ -"""J' handwritings. 
 
 ::-:::■ :ru:xx of^s ::::;"--'- ---- 
 
 could serve in making up a messag Tuded ,0 " """""'"' "'■ 
 
7« 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUAUSM 
 
 b« inserted from the ouliide. Ac- piece of property in Bay City well 
 companying the meaiage wa« the known to myielf and others in the 
 following diagram relating to a circle. 
 
 fiM 
 
 
 t'K 
 
 U'^~^iJJi.-„.^ 
 
 C^^^T^^ /<*.v^*^*^.-^^L^ ^-*-«— U-i*fc*. A-^ J^v~tf^ t,i~ Uil 6.< i^ 
 
 /l^ 
 
 
 
 
 Sugar Factory. Had the person re- 
 ceiving the advice followed it and 
 purchased the property he would 
 have cleared over $20,000 on the 
 transaction. 
 
 It will be noted that the message 
 came from a brother counselling the 
 purchase of a property at that time 
 discarded and apparently valueless 
 — and that the advice to purchase 
 the same was repeated some weeks 
 afterward — and that within six 
 months after the last message was 
 received the old mill property was 
 purchased as a site for the Beet 
 
 Note by Editor : I have seen the 
 slates referred to and the above is a 
 true copy of the message. — B. F. 
 .\lstin. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 D. R. HIQBEE. M.D. 
 
 WEST BKA.N'CH, MliH. 
 
 I will endeavor to furnish some 
 positive demonstration of the con- 
 linuify of life, of spirit return and 
 Identity. My father was a large, 
 stronff man, the head of a large 
 family, and lived most of his life in 
 Deleware Co. , N. V. When calling 
 on a neighbor he had a method of 
 knocking at a door peculiarly his 
 own. He rapped the door very 
 heavily with his large knuckles, and 
 whether his feet were clean or un- 
 clean, wet or dry, would shuffle and 
 scrape and rub his boots in such a 
 way as to attract attention. )lis 
 knock was so loud as to be positive- 
 ly alarming to some persons f 
 timid nerves. 
 
 About 1850 he was very sick with 
 typhoid fever. I was in western 
 New \ork, hundreds of miles away, 
 
 7.? 
 engaged in uiedical practice. I re- 
 ceived word that lather was dying 
 and wanted to > • r ne, but I could 
 not go. In a I. . .1 y, word came 
 that he was better and would prob- 
 ably recover. ,\ few dav, later, 
 while I ^v.•l^ away from home, my 
 wife ,11, J lour children were silting 
 in the parlor about ,j p.m. when a 
 very h..ivy shurtlini,' of lect on the 
 frmit duorsleps was heard and three 
 i.r, he.ny raps on the door. .M\ 
 «cre slioclieJ at tl.o l\. cf of the 
 blows o,,;, „ k„ 1,,,, ,,„.,„.. The 
 •lo.- nus .,t .,„ce opcnod. but no 
 one v,a»i,, .,.;ht. AH went out and 
 around ihc h„u>c, iookeJ up and 
 down the street, but there was no 
 mortal in sight. 
 
 My brother, who was leaching 
 district school ihree miles away, 
 came down immediately m'tet school 
 and said they had hail ,1 scire at 
 the school house. .All in the school 
 house heard some one walking on 
 the door platform and scniping his 
 feet, and immediate)' aller, three 
 verj- loud raps. My brother, from 
 the rear of the school room, shouted : 
 " Come in, but do not knock the 
 door down." 
 
 Now, father had a relapse and 
 died suddenly when no one of us ex- 
 pected it. All my family and my 
 brother knew my father's method of 
 knocking and of scraping his feet, 
 and all— when they learned that no 
 one in the form was at the door and 
 that father had passed out— at once 
 concluded that the rapping and 
 
74 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 shuHling^ was to be explained only 
 by my father's presence. 
 
 When the school house door did 
 not open in response to my brother's 
 " Come in," he opened wide the 
 door and lound nobody there. Sev- 
 eral young men volunteered to go 
 out and tmd the intruder, and hunt- 
 ed an hour. They searched through 
 an adjoining nursery, went to sever- 
 al neighbors, but found no one. 
 Both my wife at home and my bro- 
 ther in school noted the hour : it 
 was 3 p.m., the very hour and day 
 my father died. 
 
 Another circumstance I omitted 
 to give in its proper place was that 
 just previous to the alarm which my 
 wife and children received a slight 
 snow of about half an inch had fall- 
 en. My father wore No. 1 1 shoes, 
 )'et HO trace of footprints could be 
 found on doorstep^ yard or ivalk. 
 This was particuhir/y noted at the 
 time. These events occurred Oct. 
 7th, 1852. 
 
 Father never belonged to any 
 church. I was a member of the 
 Dutch Reformed Church. We of- 
 ten talked on religious topics and 
 we had a mutual agreement that 
 whoever passed on first should man- 
 ifest to the other if possible. This 
 was, therefore, a fulfilment oi fath- 
 er's pledge made years before. 
 Prior to his death he was bald and 
 had Hut a narrow zone of white hair 
 from ear to ear. He had a wen on 
 his head at death as large as an egg 
 iust one side of the median line. 
 Soon after his death I visited a 
 clairvoyimt, who described father as 
 standing near me with the tumor on 
 his head. itc. .We got no letter 
 announcing his death until after he 
 was hi ried. 
 
 I have had enough of spirit mes- 
 
 sages and manifestations myself to 
 fill a volume of looc pages. Talk 
 of Spiritualism declining ! It was 
 never so strong as to-day. It is 
 sinking more deeply daily into the 
 heart and life of families and na- 
 tions. Rich soil like my Michigan 
 garden produces rampant growth of 
 weeds without a sharp hoe and 
 thorough cultivation. So fakes and 
 frauds in spiritual gardens multiply 
 unless cheap books, pamphlets and 
 magazines like those of the .Austin 
 Pub. Co., of Toronto, are dissemin- 
 ated among the people. 
 
 In our own home cottage we have 
 had, through mediijmshtp, large 
 earthen and glass dishes taken from 
 closed sideboards and removed to 
 distant parts of the house — large 
 pictures In frames moved from one 
 room to another — spools of thread 
 carried from our home to St. Louis 
 and New Orleans and identified by 
 friends there and brought back and 
 dropped near the n^edium — clock 
 alarms rung all ti: ' .- f the day and 
 night — alarm clocks rung at our re- 
 quest at particular hours, awaking 
 the entire family — a clock not run- 
 ning for over a year started the very 
 day after a medium's arrival and 
 kept running and regulated by a 
 dear old lady, a Quakeress spirit, 
 formerly of Kansas City — &c., &c. 
 
 Many cultured and highly Intelli- 
 gent spirits, on returning, tell us 
 that the dogmiis of man's fall, vi- 
 carious atonement, resurrection, 
 endless suffering as taught by ortho- 
 doxy, are utterly false. Evolution, 
 Endless Progress, Truth, Love and 
 Justice are nature's pillars on which 
 all may securely rest. All may 
 know the truths of Spiritualism. 
 Form family circles. Be honest, 
 just, loving, persistent, prayerful 
 and the Gods will come and sup 
 with you. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 MATTIE E. HULL. 
 
 BIFFALO, x.v. 
 
 My work in the field of Spiritual- 
 'sm, dates to my childhood. Me- 
 d.umship was manifested through 
 "ly organism before my people had 
 heard the terms, -Spiritualism," 
 'Medium " or "Circle." 
 When this power came to me I 
 was treated for illness, and as my 
 father was at that time engaged in 
 a drug-store, his acquaintance 
 among the country physicians was 
 qu.te extended, and he spared no 
 means, as far as medical treatment 
 was concerned, to relieve me of he 
 " spells ■■ that caused mc to act so 
 strangely. One phvsician declared 
 'he "spells" were caused bv a 
 " rush .,f Wood to the brain" and I 
 was bled and blistered to relieve 
 "-e, but all of this was of no .nvail. 
 At last through the thoughtfulness 
 
 of a young physician and a clairvoy- 
 ant, my parents were urged to allo'w 
 "]e to go to his house and sit "with 
 his w.fe and another member of his 
 'amdy around the table." Full con- 
 "^nt was given, and ,he second 
 evenmg of this experience, I was 
 emranced - made wholly uncon- 
 »c.ous, and talked fcr some time. 
 The doctor had not told my parents 
 he was a medium, any further than 
 he could make a diagnosis of a pa- 
 t.ent clairvoyantly. From that time 
 on. I devoted much of my time to 
 wntmg and speaking under this 
 strange influence, but I had no con- 
 ception or understanding as to the 
 origin of the power. 
 
 About three years and a half after 
 I made the acquaintance of the good 
 doctor and his family, (my parents 
 had in the meantime moved from 
 N. H. to Mass.) I was invited bv a 
 Unitarian minister to deliver a dis- 
 course in his church one Sunday 
 evening. Accordingly the arrange- 
 ments were made, and in company 
 with my parents and many friends 
 from our own town, we went to the 
 church ten miles distant from our 
 home. It was a strange experi- 
 ence, one never to be forgotten It 
 was a large church in the town of 
 Athol. Mass., audit was full; two 
 stenographers were present, but 
 when I went to the pulpit I had no 
 idea their purpose was to report mv 
 discourse. 
 
 The minister kindly went into the 
 pulpit with me, in which had been 
 
7ft WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 ^..aced a box for me to stand upon, 'h" P«P" ''»'' '"" T^t l^^l^L 
 
 ^ 1. ij It was as new and strange to me as 
 
 and assured me that no harm should jj^^ygj, j ^^^^ reading from a vol- 
 
 come to me. The choir was sing- „„,£ f^j. ^\^^ first time. I had not 
 
 ing when I went into the trance, read very long, until it seemed to 
 
 and was singing when I came out me there was a voice pronouncing 
 
 _f .,_. . t _...,j __* i:,^ I every word as I read it. I was 
 
 of the trance. I could not realize 
 had said one word. Turning to the 
 minister 1 said : " I thought I was 
 going to speak ;" he replied, "Why 
 little girt, you have talked one full 
 hour." I rode home in a dazed con- 
 dition and an inquiring mind. 1 
 
 overcome and hastened to my mo- 
 ther. "Mother," I said, "did I 
 truly say all of this ? it seems as 
 tiiough some one was saying it to 
 me now. " My mother took the pa- 
 per and read ; soon she exclaimed, 
 "Yes, my child, you said it all; 
 surely some good angel must be 
 
 asked my father what I could have with you ; you could not do this of 
 said that »eemingly affected the peo- 
 ple so, for they met me as 1 went 
 from the church and said so many 
 nice things to me. My father re- 
 plied, " I cannot tell you now, but 
 I think you will know sometime." 
 1 wondered what he could mean. 
 
 The following Wednesday, my 
 father brought a roll of manuscript 
 from tfie office and gave it to my 
 mother. .As it was the dinn^* hour, 
 nothing was said about it at that 
 
 yourself." My molhtr read the 
 long discourse to me ; tears ran 
 down her cheeks an., mine. After 
 she had concluded the reading she 
 said ; "' O. how long it took us to 
 understand that the loving friends 
 we thought were dead can come 
 back. Be a g«>od girl and trust the 
 angels." 
 
 Thi'* was my mother'n itfiU my 
 cemversion to Spiritualism — yes and 
 that ot my father also. After the 
 reading ^f the discourse, 1 weni to 
 my lOom. 1 had never been taught 
 to pray as had the children of ortho- 
 
 time. During the afternoon, my dox people, but alone in that little 
 
 mother handed me the papers and 
 said: "There is your sermon." 
 As soon as I took the MSS. in my 
 hand, I felt a peculiar influence, and 
 thinking I would be influenced to 
 write, went at once to my room. 
 As soon as I entered the little room 
 where I usually went to do my writ- 
 
 room, child as I was, 1 fervently 
 prayed as well as I knew how, that 
 I might know more and more of the 
 teachings such as had been given 
 through my own lips. I then and 
 there made a covenant with my 
 spirit friends that 1 would try to 
 understand them, to be guided by 
 them and to trust them. .And so 
 for these many years 1 have walked 
 
 *ng, I thought, I will not write until bv the light the angels brought to 
 
 after 1 have read this paper. I was 
 
 astonished upon examination, to find 
 
 forty or fifty pages of closely written 
 
 lines on foolscap paper. . 1 read, 
 
 but I could not realize one word on 
 
 me. I have felt their influence 
 almost continuously, and proven on 
 many occasions that they bear me 
 up in my ways, lest at any time I 
 dash my foot against a stone. I 
 love and I trust my spirit friends. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 A. KATZEXBERG 
 
 lilRT HAVNf, IXD, 
 
 I was born in Germany on the 
 eleienth day of March, 1855, being 
 of Jewish parentage and brought up 
 under strict orthodox teachings un- 
 til I was 15 years of age, when 1 
 emigrated to this, the best country 
 on earth. Here I was a foremost 
 worlter in the Jewish Synagogue 
 and always held responsible offices. 
 In 1894 my wife passed to higher 
 life and up to this time I Icnew 
 nothing of Spirit return. But short- 
 ly after a friend lisited mv place of 
 business and asked me to go to a 
 seance and investigate. I accepted 
 his kind inviitation out of curiosity 
 and to my great surprise I could not 
 only hear and recognize voices of 
 people whom I had known well in 
 the flesh, but could hear difl'erent 
 mstruments floating in mid air giv- 
 ing the finest music. 
 
 77 
 I visited the same place the fol- 
 lowing evening and received a mes- 
 sage from a friend in whose com- 
 pany 1 had been until a few hours 
 betore his tran.viri.,,,, he having 
 been killed in a railroad accident. 
 ■At one time when visiting a clair- 
 ".vant, she told me to watch a man 
 who had been working lor me for 
 .Vj years, by the name »r William, 
 and in whom I ahvays had the ut- 
 most confidence. This preyed on 
 my mind so that I again visited the 
 clairvoyant and asked her to give 
 me the details about this William. 
 She then went on to describe how 
 lie would steal wagon loads ot 
 goods from my warehouse and ex- 
 plained how he had accomplices to 
 assist him, giving me names and 
 description of the parties, also tell- 
 ing me how I could easily catch 
 them. I followed the advice of the 
 clairvoyant and caught the thieves 
 and had one of them (William) ar- 
 rested and he confessed to having 
 stolen goods from me in this way 
 for years and at the same time im- 
 plicating the accomplices. 
 
 One evening in company with my 
 sister in a materializing seance 
 given by Mrs. Archer and held at 
 the residence of Amos Miller at 
 Canton, O., my dear wife in spirit 
 appeared and walked out to my sis- 
 ter who was near the cabinet and 
 called her by her German name, 
 which we knew no one else could 
 have known in that citv. She also 
 called ."-or me and shook hands and 
 kissed me and we had quite a con- 
 
78 
 
 VHAT CONVERTED IWE TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 1 i 
 
 versation in the short time we were 
 permitted to talk together, and 
 when her time came to i(o, she did 
 not walk away, hut de-materialized 
 right before me. 
 
 Last year I had the pleasure of 
 visiting Lily Dale. I had many 
 times heard of the Bangs Sisters 
 and their spirit pictures, and my 
 daughter Beatrice in spirit had often 
 told me she would secure her pic- 
 ture for me, if I would go to them 
 for a sitting:. 
 
 When I arrived on the groonds, 
 
 I visited their rooms and asked to 
 have a picture of my daughter in 
 spirit. After writing a message to 
 my daughter, and placing it. to- 
 gether with blank paper in an enve- 
 lope, which I sealed. I received a 
 
 reply which was indeed most won- acquaintance with P, 
 
 derful. 
 
 The Bangs Sisters had never seen 
 
 or known me before this time. 
 
 ! asked to have a friend witness 
 
 the painting with me. He was also 
 
 an Israelite and knew nothing of 
 
 spirit return nor did he care to 
 
 know, but whLMi we saw the beauti- 
 ful picture come gradually on the 
 
 canvas, then disappear onlv to re- 
 turn more perfe'.t, lie as well as my- 
 self was dumbfounded, but at the 
 
 completion of the picture which 
 
 took 17 minutes by my own watch, 
 
 it seemed as though it was not in 
 
 the centre of the canvas and like a 
 
 flash of lightning we could see the 
 
 picture move to its proper place. I 
 
 will say my friend 'vho witnessed 
 
 the painting of this picture is now a 
 
 Spiritualist. 
 
 Some time ago I h^d occasion to 
 
 visit one of our local mediums, Mr. 
 
 Parker, and white we were talking 
 
 about testK, 1 thought of a test I 
 
 would ask him to see if a man called 
 dead, could return before his body 
 was buried. 
 
 It was a day or two after P. P. 
 .Armour, the great packer of Chi- 
 cago, had passed out. 1 was well 
 acquainted with him aiui .n one 
 time was agent for tiis products tor 
 ()'. years at Canton, Ohio. I wrote 
 his name on a slip of paper which 
 was placed in a sealed envelope and 
 asked him if he remembered me and 
 liow. When the medium took hold 
 ot the envelope, he said, '•! smell 
 pork and hogs." He also gave a 
 good description of his mortal form. 
 Then he read a message from the 
 c.-vstal, which he used for the con- 
 centration of thought, telling some 
 oi our business relations, with an 
 account of our first acquaintance 
 about 15 or 16 years ago. I would 
 say Mr. Parker never knew of my 
 D. .\rniour» 
 who has also come to me at differ- 
 ent times since. 
 
 Miss Maggie Gaul the platform 
 test medium, told me two weeks 
 ago at Lily Dale that I had a poc- 
 ket-b.ok in my possession which 
 did tKit belong to me, that 1 had not 
 stolen it, but had found it on other 
 i,'round besides the one we were on, 
 and described the pocket-book and 
 all its contents to the smallest arti- 
 cle: among other things the amount 
 of money and the kind of money, 
 Aso a rent receipt, and gave me the 
 name of ttie .-wner as Miss Kather- 
 ine Dweyer, Bradford. Pa., and that 
 she is a Roman Catholic. I wrote 
 to the lady above mentioiicd and re- 
 ceived a reply identifying the poc- 
 ket-boolc by giving a saii>tactory 
 description of the same and its con- 
 tents. 1 have a letter received this 
 morning from Mls>. Dweyer thank- 
 ing me for the return of the pocket- 
 book. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED HE TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 DR. VV. w HICKS 
 
 TORONTO, CAV. 
 
 [""""■'■■■*•■""■ '■■'"«/■//,.■„,„/■„.. 
 
 J r/""" ""•''■ ■''''■ ■!'"■'" '■■'»-*- 
 
 '■■M A,„ ,„r« „ ,„,>/, ,,w,- „/„w, ,„,/ 
 
 '""""■'•" llinnghiml (l,r -..-..rld. , 
 
 "Th« tralimony of J,sus j, ih, -iril ,.• 
 Pn'PkKy. \,;,. T,sl„„„„i. 
 
 There are Spirilualists ,„,>! Spirit- 
 ual,st.s. Heliel- in spirit .ommuMi.M, 
 and.l,e,„„s„„uspracti..„rit, ,00, 
 doe, not ......ssarily impiv wisdom, 
 
 love, devotion to l„,manitv, and 
 correct l,v,.s. We a>jree that; rich,, 
 ly viewed, ,1 should do so. 
 
 In 'he exercise of .spiritLial gilts _ 
 med.utnship, _,„„ „^,. „,-,^„ ,,^^ 
 
 great contradictions, and, alas' 
 lack of corre.spond4nc character and 
 4roodness. 
 
 It ii.is always been so. 
 There were lying prophets in the 
 olden times, and many who were 
 tfiited and honored as .seers and di- 
 viners fell victims to evil influences, 
 and Mier havmg been the medium 
 01 enlightenment to others, them- 
 selves riecame castawa. s. 
 
 The popular cry against .Spiritual- 
 ism. Because now and then a be- 
 liever or medium falls, or becomes 
 entangled in evil practices and sur- 
 roundings : the loud denunciation 
 ot mediums, because occasionally 
 •ne ,s detected in the perpetration 
 01 fraud lor notoriety or g,-,i„, ought 
 ""I., in a jus, mind, ,0 militate 
 again.st the truth, nor should it be 
 accepted as the legitimate fruit of 
 Spiritualism. If churches were 
 judged by such unfair methods, how 
 long would Christianity be able to 
 present its claims. = 
 
 • « , 
 
 .After Pen,ecost the power of the 
 apostles of Jesus grea,ly augmented, 
 and their followers and dependants 
 muhiplied, recruited as thev were 
 from the afflicted and pooP who 
 were healed and blessed with aston. 
 ishmg rapidity. 
 
 In the record .Acts v., ,> ,f, 
 
 't appears that, by the hands of tW 
 apostles were many signs and won- 
 derswr Might among the pe,-T.le 
 and Sfhevers were the mor^ iJJed 
 to the Lord, multitudes. Nith men 
 ..-ui women : in.somuch that thev 
 even carried out the sick into thi 
 streets, and laid them on beJs and 
 courfies, that, as Peter came b, , at 
 the least his shadow might over- 
 shadow some of them. And there 
 f "/•"« together the multitude 
 
 r>>m the cities round about lerusa- 
 l«n, bnnging sick folk and them 
 ttat were vexed with unclean spirits- 
 and they were healed ever^ one. ' 
 Ht>w were they hea^d .- 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 80 
 
 By touch, by word, by look, by 
 the ' power of sympathy — spirit- 
 power— in the persons of the apos- 
 tles and mediums. Their very sha- 
 dow as they passed had a virtue in 
 it, for as it fell in noiseless grace 
 upon the prostrate and helpless vic- 
 tims of disease, health and vigor 
 began to assert themselves. 
 * * * 
 
 The worlis of mercy, such as 
 casting out evil spirits, cleans! i;;; 
 leper.s, opening blind eyes, and heal- 
 ing all manner of diseases, by word, 
 touch or look, wrought by the apos- 
 tles, —not to speak of the light of 
 hope shed into dark souls, — caused 
 a great commotion, one day, almost 
 a riot indeed, so that even the lives 
 of the divine healers were in immi- 
 nent danger, in the midst of their 
 gracious work ; the public streets 
 being the hospitals in which the im- 
 potent and sick multitudes lay, 
 waiting tc be healed. 
 
 The High Priest and the Saddu- 
 ceean population, filled with rage 
 and jealousy, had the healing medi- 
 ums arrested and cast into prison. 
 But prison walls are not sufficient 
 barriers to hold in or keep out this 
 power of spirits. 
 
 What was the result ? 
 ' ' An angel of the Lord by night 
 opened the prison doors, and brought 
 them out and said. Go ye, and stand 
 and speak in the temple to the peo- 
 ple all the words of this Life." 
 
 This was a bold movement on the 
 part ot the angel ; but, if you will 
 consult the records in .\cts v., you 
 will see that he knew his mission 
 and his mediums, and accomplished 
 the good work of vindicating the 
 power that Jesus claimed for him- 
 self, and which his disciples, after 
 him, possessed and exercised, by 
 spirit control. 
 
 Well, let us not be deterred from 
 the right word nor the right work 
 because of detraction or persecution, 
 — but all the more persevere, re- 
 joicing as our early prototypes did, 
 that we are counted worthy to suf- 
 fer for so good a cause. — Love will 
 conquer. I do not know why I 
 have interjected this chapter, unless 
 it may chance to fall under the eye 
 of some one who is being hounded 
 down for truth's sake, and is just 
 now in need of interference on the 
 part of some good angel. 
 
 When Jesus was in his great pas- 
 sion in the retreat of Gethscmane, 
 forsaken by nearly all who had rea- 
 son to cling to him to the last ; 
 hunted by his persecutors and sub- 
 sequent murderers ; as he swooned 
 upon the pitying earth, no man be- 
 ing near to sustain or comfort him, 
 an angel dropped beside him and 
 ministered to him. Blessed angel ; 
 timely angel ; opportune angel ; 
 thanks to thee! 
 
 So will it always be with the 
 world's Christ, with the vicarious 
 teachers and workers of, and for, 
 humanity. 
 
 The burdens will grow unseemly 
 heavy ; the darkness will intensify, 
 the fires of persecution will grow 
 hotter and hotter, the human help- 
 ers and sympathizers will fall away 
 or be overcome with sleep, — and 
 you must drink the bitter cup alone. 
 Not quite, not utterly. Not at all. 
 .Angels are picketing all the way 
 your weary feet must tread. 
 
 Every cloud hides them. In the 
 light of every star they shed the 
 radiance of their presence upon you. 
 Along invisible lines they come to 
 you. In the supreme moment they 
 will bear you up in their hands, and 
 bring you through. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRTTUALISM 
 
 MAKKHAM. 
 
 JliK.s^v tliv, N. J. 
 
 Akaz, Jelunah. God. .Ma„i,„u. 
 Ihese are names ^iven lo ,l,at part 
 of Spirit P„„.er, which is entirely 
 heyond the comprehension of the 
 human mind. Men talk as if thev 
 knew what they are. hut no scholar, 
 of all our hi^-hest schools, has ever 
 graven any better definition, than has 
 Ihe poor harharian whom we are 
 cr.>«dn,g off from. the earth. We 
 talk learnedly of n,.,>rnelic forces, 
 of electricity, of fjalvanic batteries 
 of chemical action, but who can tell 
 how a blade of jjrass ^r.^ws, or a 
 floiver blos.soms and .sends forth its 
 mysterious odors? True we aro 
 """ hejrinniug; ,o use some of these 
 xp'rit powers, but with tear and 
 trembling-. We feel that such pow- 
 ers exist ,- we can safelv sav ,hat 
 we believe in God. There are tinws 
 
 when we fe^l this my.sterious power 
 "raw.ns, attracting and impressing 
 "»w,th.hegreatfac, that it is bv 
 " , '" ">'" P"*" that *e exist'; 
 and there are certain tendencies in 
 us that seem to lead us, as for in- 
 stance our desire for pleasure, bap- 
 P'nesr,joy,blis.s. T„ acquire , he.se 
 ^«ms to be the chief object and de- 
 -re of II Spiritual power appears 
 'o he the fountain of all happincs. 
 
 animal nas^iu^iw n-, . 
 
 ['.tsMoiis, the source ot 
 
 ""»ery. ,Ma„ „„j,h, ,„ ^„^,^^, ,_^^^^ 
 o recognise the impressions that 
 
 ''r f ''"•""^' ""«■-■■■• - ».'ivi»K him. 
 The latest developn.ents of science 
 "'"' P''ilo«'phy seem to indicate 
 lh.it we can come so far into com- 
 'nunication with this, through spirits 
 who have lived on earth, and now 
 hve in Ihe spirit world, as to enable 
 us to know how ,o acquire the con. 
 d'Mons we most desire. In the in- 
 vesligation ol this subicct are in- 
 v-'lved the most important questions 
 .mtnected with human life. Hut 
 ■hese questions are not new. Stu- 
 nendous and comprehensive as thev 
 are. they have agitated the human 
 ■"".d through all time, through 
 the dim light of Chaldean, l-gvptian 
 anJ Babylonian ^through.he'depth 
 of Buddhistic mysticism, of .Atlantis 
 ot the .Mahatmas of India, (irwk 
 and Roman mythologies. |n all 
 
 •he eulminations of the great waves 
 "' ''""""' development, the pro- 
 'ou.idest minds have ..|a,med the 
 
 power to communicate with the dis 
 embodied spirits of men who ha« 
 gone belore. lUn the great m^:: 
 
8a WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 of mankind ha, been >o absorbed, found afterwards to be true, a> told 
 in the struKKb fir the greatest mag- by the spirits. And not only th.s. 
 nilicence of material environment, but we do hereby positively assert 
 that thev have treated such things that through her med.umsh.p we 
 with contempt, and kings, lords and have seen produced the matenahzed 
 masters who feared that their pow- forms of friends and acquaintances 
 ers might be endangered, have per- whom she had never seen or known, 
 secuted and suppressed all such in- In addition to all this 1 must say 
 
 hat I have become familuir with the 
 vesti(jations. "" r i. \f wi 
 
 This collection of witnesses '.-ems most important f»cl that Mrs. Wil- 
 to me therefore to be one ., the liams h«s a cabinet ol ministers and 
 most important movement, .f this councillors in the spi, I world who 
 age- it is in perfect harmony with are not excelled in wisdom, intelli- 
 the work that has engaged my ear- gence or integrity by .hose of any 
 nest efforts for the last few years, potentate or government on earth, 
 and I gladly add my testimony in This being the case, wc regard her 
 this case by giving this short ex- seances as among the most potent 
 tract from a work that I hope to see agencies for the elevation ol man- 
 published throughout the world, kind. 
 
 There is so much to say, and so 
 many conditions to be explained, 
 that it is difficult to know where to 
 leave out. The facts that I herewith 
 relate were those witnessed at the 
 seances of Mrs. M. E. Williams, in 
 New Vork. They are only a very 
 small fraction of what I saw there, 
 and 1 must say that of all demon- 
 strations that 1 have met with, Mrs. 
 Williams's are most satisfactory, 
 and thousands agree with me in de- 
 claring that through her medium- 
 ship we have received statements of 
 facts and circumstances from our 
 friends and acquaintances in the 
 spirit world, of which she nor any- 
 one else knew an\ thing, except our- 
 selves and the spirit friend commun- 
 icating. We have also received 
 through her, knowledge of facts un- 
 known to ourselves at the time but 
 
 Statement or Km rs and 
 
 Experiences. 
 Being an entire stranger I was 
 introduced by Henry |. Newton. 
 The usual conditions of seances be- 
 ing so generally known, I do not 
 refer to them. After a singing of 
 " Nearer My God to I'hee," by 
 about half of the audience of some 
 25 persons, a voice of a child was 
 heard to say, "Good evening," and 
 addressing several of those present 
 as if acquainted with them, then a 
 rich male voice also said the same ; 
 then there appeared a while form In 
 front of the cabinet, not !<idf the 
 size of the medium, and any candid 
 observer would know l.oni its ap- 
 pearance and motions that it was no 
 mortal body; it nuncl nross the 
 room and disso/nil. .Several simi- 
 
' WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 l«r forms w.ce announced, ^„„. 
 
 «".; .hen ,he voice Which wa/^d 
 o be F„„,cu.,h™n., announced 
 
 "fe of Mr. .Vewlon', friend, Mr 
 
 M.rkhan,.wer.pre.«n.wi,hi:^;„ 
 
 con,m„„, Then there appeared 
 
 he form o. an old man called Hoi- 
 
 »nd.who«„idton,e...Weare"i:d 
 ° »« >™ here. , wi|, 3,^ f J 
 
 fnend.si„c„„,mu„icMi„^^i,h;°; 
 you »^.a,. .see .h.. ■• %He„'I: 
 
 """ ^J''«PPe»red, i, did not move 
 away but ,.„„„,,,/. After this "he 
 vo.eor,Hechi.d, ..„H,h,E.ve:.. 
 ' ''■ "*™ '» » flower that .Mrs 
 Markham has kissed and sends .^ 
 
 that Bnjfhttyes' sends to him ■•: 
 
 ■n my hand by some agency Lisi- 
 ble to me. (This was a favorite 
 flower ottny Wife. I Alter this the 
 
 M-mt of a man present who said he 
 "■" '" sympathy with Mr. Mark 
 
 ham, and giving the name Sir Chris- 
 'opher Wren. Here I should Z 
 P'a.n that in compliance with a 
 ■-eHues, of Spiritualist friends I had 
 -■hm„K.d preliminary sketches for 
 
 •• temple fo,. the Spiritualists of NW 
 ^ ork, and that ( had in mind an 
 
 ^eao,s,Paurs Cathedral of ;: 
 t-hr,s,opher's design, but had not 
 bought „, this a, ,hi, ,i„,^ ^_^ 
 th,s announcH-ment was made. 
 
 \t the next seance, April .,-„, ... 
 'I'e same place there were ore'^.t 
 -'me.„o,her,s. .Alter severaT:::,','.' 
 
 ME TO SPmiTUAUSM 83 
 
 if«Ution, addressed to others, the 
 »p.n. voice which I at once re og 
 "'"""'"•atofMr.Cushman, an- 
 nouncedth. presence of the s^ir", 
 "'^"'"'''"''"''■"^-•"^•"■"'-id 
 
 ria^ehfrT'''''''""'^^'"*' '''-'- 
 """■' *"' '""" «o that he can rec 
 
 attempt to materialise, she has .some 
 d^cul.y,.„j,He fears she „i„„:^ 
 be able ,„ speak to him." Then 
 'h«re appeared the spirit form of 
 whatwassaid,obeanA.,ec IVin 
 ■e-sswhohadlived on earth many 
 
 '" ", '•^'" Kauze flowing robe pro- 
 
 wth a crown or wreath of these 
 around her head. .And she am" 
 forward near the audience and 
 passed w,th a flowing, ,„,„;„"'' 
 
 mot,on along, and as she passed bf 
 she ouched my forehead with her 
 
 a::";;::"". -'-"^"^'-'.v cold 
 
 and spoke ,n a human voi.v ,he 
 w-ds ..God bless you." ,;'„ 
 hev„,ceofMr.Cushmansaid,''" 
 feel that Mr. Markham wish s to 
 
 see me, though he has not said si 
 and for his satisfaction I will show 
 h.m my materialized form." Then 
 .mmediately there appeared stand" 
 .n8beforemetheformofam,ddle- 
 asedman,about6f,,i„ heigh,, of 
 fine t roportions, in the usual dr;," 
 w..h low-cut vest. He spoke inv! 
 
 ■ng me ,0 come to him, he standing 
 about 8 feet from where I sat T 
 arose and went to l.i,« . 1 
 ho>d„fmyhand:"nd"s;;,'V-^ 
 -OS. natural and ge'l-Uem^nht 
 
84 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 manner, and »aid, " I «m glad to 
 Meyou." Then he placed hii hand 
 on my head and .poke a few earn- 
 e.l sentences. referrinR to my ad- 
 vanced age, closing with, " I »« 
 shining on your venerable head the 
 dawning light of a spiritual day. 
 Then a female form appeared stand- 
 ing hv his side, and he said, "This 
 i, mv sister." Then she spoke, 
 saving, •• I come to ass.st Mrs. 
 Markhim to materialize. Then 
 both disappeared. They did not 
 move awav, they vanished. Then 
 alter several other manifestations 
 not addressed to me, the voice of 
 the child •• Bright Eyes" cncdout, 
 •• I.adv Markham is coming ; don t 
 be afr..id, Mr. Markham." then 
 there appeared a shadowy lorm, and 
 when 1 came near it 1 at once recog- 
 nized the head of my wife. Not as 
 1 expected to see her in health but 
 very pale, with her abundant grey 
 hair hanging in heavy dishevelled 
 curls beside her face, and with a 
 blanket about her shoulders, as 1 
 had seen her in her last illness. She 
 reached out her hands and took 
 hold of both of mine. I said, ■' Is 
 il you?" Then she spoke "i her 
 naiural voice, ■• Yes, m" d...tr ! my 
 dear ! Ihauk Hod ! thank God ! 
 Then she disappeareil, dissolved. 
 ( This is ■a.'lml riiim-r/fil mr /,' Sfiiri/- 
 ualism.) Neither the medium nor 
 anvone else present had ever seen 
 her in this condition, iind I did not 
 expect to see her in this form. I 
 returned to my seat and ..-ked my 
 friend Newton if he saw and heard 
 
 her H. said he did. I believe the 
 evidence of my senses. There wa. 
 no deception, no hypnotism. 1 
 know that no such phenomena can 
 be produced by any artificial means. 
 The next case that occurred to me 
 at Mrs. Williams's was the an- 
 nouncement of the presence of the 
 spirits of my mother, wife and a 
 sister who had lately died at Chi- 
 ton N. v., leaving among her pa- 
 pers a note given her for money 
 loaned to her niece in Missouri, 
 which she had told a cousin she in- 
 tended to give in her will to this 
 niec'e, Hattie Shaw, hut which it 
 seemed she had not referred to m 
 her will, and 1 had promised this 
 cousin that I would write to llall.e, 
 cxpl ining, but in the contusion ol 
 business I had forgotten to write. 
 Now, all of this was enliicly un- 
 known to anyone within hundreds 
 of miles, vet here came the spirit of 
 mv sistcr'and said she was anxious 
 I ;houkl write to Hattie. 1 wrote 
 to Haltie. The business was done 
 •iccording to the directions given by 
 mv sister's spirit through the meu - 
 nmship of Mrs. Williams, and has 
 been entirelv satisfactory. 
 
 Iflhis is not satisfactory, 1 am 
 preparing a volume of facts and cir- 
 cumstances intended to illustrate 
 the nature and character of SrmlT 
 POWKK, not onlv here but hereafter 
 _-,iot onlv in the material lite with 
 wliich we'are so intimate, but in the 
 vastiv finer, higher spiritual life 
 towards which we are all progress- 
 in.- It will he entitled, " Spirit 
 Power," and probably be published 
 by The .\ustin Publishing Co., Ud., 
 cif Toronto, Can. 
 
WHAT CXJNVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 I H.I 
 
 VKlm K SlIKI'HI-.Kl) 
 
 lOIUVMO, 0\(, 
 
 Kviiluliiiri of tluiuj;h,. ,,i.,| t\p.,,.. 
 sioii ol soul liirifs, k.i\i'il -lu- lo 
 aaepl ilie iriilhs of Ihc Spiriliial 
 Philosophy. 
 
 I" caily lili- I WIS carclMllv luir- 
 iii-il Ml liu- .Molhoi: .1 /Kiili. UhcM 
 .IS i' cvoii years okl oiii l.miilv 
 nuncd .o (ieno.i, .\.^'. 
 
 In thcyiM, IS;, I :e|, |„„„^. ^,„j 
 «ciu lo I'osivilk., low,,, anj lo.ind 
 hospitahle ipiailLTs uiil, a Spi,,uia|. 
 i-l laniily Hill, „|,„„, I „,.,^ .|^._ 
 
 *.Jli.lJllICtl. 
 
 While there .-i ,\lr.s. .\l.,rse, lran..e 
 meihuni, came lo I'osuHIc .u llie 
 imitation ol my hosl, Mr. II. H. 
 ■J'ailoi, V ho also .MiUMaii >J l-,er ai 
 his home. She delivered th.ee able 
 discourses under eiitraneenienl, the 
 .siihjeels heiiij,-ehoseii bv the audi- 
 enees on three eonseeative evenii.jjs. 
 
 .\iler Ihe l.isl meeliiij;, whieh was 
 on .Sunday evenini;. .Aujj. ^-rd. two 
 geiuleiiien iK eonip.inied hv their 
 "ives called .11 .Mr. Tavlor's'and re- 
 _Hue.sled a silling- «ith .Mr.s. .Morse 
 They were total strantjers lo all ol 
 
 11.1 and after inlroducint; Iheinselves 
 •Mr!.. .Morse consenled and it ..irele 
 was tormed, our host and hostess 
 »ilh inyseir beinjf invited to take 
 part. .Many spirit mes»a(;es «eie 
 Kiyeii, many ilescriplions ol spirit 
 liieiids and loved ones prescnl, all 
 ol which were reconni..ed wiih one 
 exception, and il is ol this to uhicli 
 my narrative relates, and which leli 
 such a stron(f impression upon mv 
 mind. 
 
 Mrs .Morse turned to our elderlv 
 visitor and .said : •' .Mr. Il.in, ., 
 >tiiiiij,M.uh stnnds beside voiiwiih 
 lier I, .Old - your .should'er," and 
 llieii lollov d a t;eneral descripiion 
 ol the youiiK lady si/e, compara- 
 tive a^c, slyle ,.r dress and other 
 particul.irs pertaininj; to her, .She 
 said: ■■Shcisiiol your daui;hlcr 
 but she IS a very Jose reiall.Mi to 
 .von, and she has but recenllv en- 
 tered spirit lile." Mr. and 'Mrs. 
 Ilan compared notes but loiiUI not 
 rneo^'iii/e the visitor. 
 
 Mrs. Morse reiterated thedescrip. 
 lion wilh more accrracv il possible 
 and said, " 'Ihouj'h \ ou mav m t 
 recopiize her she stands theri and 
 IS .1 very close relation but not vour 
 daunhler. and ha.s verv recenllv en- 
 tered spin, life. The'ladv wa.s not 
 reCki^'nixed. 
 
 ■Mrs. .Morse left I'osUille nest 
 day, and on Tnesdav mornin.- .Mrs 
 "^"■1 called on .Mr. Tavlor and in- 
 ' ''med him that Mr. Hart had just 
 received a letter from his brother in 
 Illinois staling- that his dau^.■hter, 
 ^Ir. Harfs niece, had passed into 
 -run life on the ijlh iiisl., just 
 eleven days prior lo the eveninir 
 when .Mrs. .Morse so t,-raphicallv de. 
 s. rihed her, and which descripiion 
 was most accuiale, but said Mrs. 
 Hart, "We never thought of her 
 lor we did not know she was dead.'' 
 I will relate one more experience 
 
""•Wa*" HHOlUtlON IBT OMIT 
 
 (ANSI onl ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 
 
 1^ 
 
 12.0 
 
 = La 
 
 ^ APPLIED IIVMBE In, 
 
 '051 Eos) Main S)rt«, 
 RochMter, Ntw York N 
 (716) «82 -a300-Phont 
 (716) 288-5989-^0. 
 
86 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 which occurred in Lincoln, Nebras- 
 ka, during the summer of 1880. 
 
 Bv a series of circumstances, I 
 was'brought to the bedside of Mr. 
 Fairbanlis. a member of the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity, being engaged by 
 Judge Palmer on behalf of that fra- 
 ternitv to rub the patient with tow- 
 els, etc., in order to assist the cir- 
 culation, my recommendation being 
 that 1 had "some magnetism" 
 about me. 
 
 Mv instructions were : " Go to 
 the house in the morning, and if he 
 is not dead, stay till he dies, which 
 will probably be at 12 o'clock, as he 
 always gets a change at that time." 
 I took my place at the bedside and 
 ministered unto him with my hands, 
 giving light massage treatments. 
 That evening the patient showed 
 marked improvement. I stayed by 
 request over night, and our patient 
 rested well. 1 visited him and 
 treated him daily, leaving him bet- 
 ter than I found him each day. On 
 Wednesday morning, on reaching 
 the house, I found Mrs. Fairbanks 
 crying. 1 said : " Do not cry, Mrs. 
 Fairbanks ; I believe Mr. Fairbanks 
 will get well." 
 
 She turned upon me quite indig- 
 nantlv: "There is no use, Mr. 
 Shepherd, for you to indulge any 
 more hope. The doctors have just 
 held a consultation, and they say he 
 must die ; they have given him the 
 last medicine which could affect him, 
 and that has ceased to act. They 
 say that no power on earth can save 
 bim." 
 
 Much depressed, with a heart full 
 of sorrow and sympathy, I took my 
 place at his bedside. Every indica- 
 tion of an early dissolution was ap- 
 parent. Truly my impressions were 
 at fault, for death was even now 
 knocking at the door. 
 
 " Man's extremity is God's op- 
 
 portunity," and so I found it. 
 
 I was sitting by the bed, occa- 
 sionally dropping an ice pellet into 
 his mouth to moisten his lips. 1 
 was alone with the sufferer— yet not 
 alone, for a voice distinct to me 
 spoke in my ear, " Vou can help 
 this man if you try ; are you wil- 
 ling?" I responded, "I am." "It 
 may cause you trouble or persecu- 
 tion. Are you still willing?" "1 
 am." "Then do as we tell you, 
 and it will be well with him. Com- 
 mence at his head and pass your 
 hand rapidly to his feet several 
 times ; then commence at his 
 head and pass your hand slowly 
 over his body untH it reaches the 
 seat of the disease, when it will cut 
 through and through the disease, 
 and he will get better." 
 
 1 did as directed, making rapid 
 passes at first, then slowly passed 
 my hand over him till near the 
 stomach, when my hand was stayed, 
 and the force of the magnetic cur- 
 rent which concentrated at that 
 point exceeded anything in my ex- 
 perience. Mr. Fairbanks slopped 
 breathing, his hands fell limp upon 
 the bed. I thought he was dying 
 and my nerve weakened. Being 
 only a novice in this work, I was in 
 despair. I made passes over him 
 and rubbed his hands and feet, and 
 after a few moments he gave one 
 long, gasping, shuddering sigh and 
 then commenced breathing softly as 
 an infant. 
 
 When the doctor called in the af- 
 ternoon he said : " Mrs. Fairbanks! 
 1 am astonished. There is every in- 
 dication that he will get well." 
 He soon recovered his health. 
 I am still an humble instrument in 
 their hands, seeking to do good, 
 and to spread the light, to scatter 
 the truths of this soul-inspiring gos- 
 pel of the Spiritual life. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUALISM 
 
 MRS. GLAins COOLEY. 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL. 
 
 My early life was full of siglus 
 and sounds from the spirit side of 
 life whifh frighiened and often an- 
 noyed me and which I failed to un- 
 derstand, beiiiy brought up as I was 
 a Methodist, though from choice I 
 afterwards attended the Presbyter- 
 ian Church. ,\t „ij.his I remember 
 seeinjf every evening a dozen or 
 more people, as 1 thought them to 
 be, come into my room by the door 
 and go out by the window. Fre- 
 quently I saw things at a distance 
 and had visions of things in the fu- 
 ture. I saw people before Ihev cante 
 to my house— heard their footsteps 
 and their words in advance of their 
 coming. On .ne occasion I remem- 
 ber on going to a neighbors I saw 
 t wo men carrying a cooling board up 
 
 87 
 
 a stairway of a house we were pass- 
 ing. "Did you see them.»- I asked 
 my companion but she had not seen 
 them, -he nex. day I witnessed 
 the same sight for a death had tak- 
 en place in this house and the cool- 
 ing board was carried up for the 
 body. At another time at a friend's 
 house, or rather suite of rooms (or 
 they lived in an apartment house I 
 sprang up and said to my husband, 
 "Come, let us go out of this: dont 
 you see the flames? the kitchen von- 
 der is burning and all the house will 
 be consumed but this corner." 
 About a year after I was passing 
 the same building and I felt a strong 
 impulse to rush upstairs and pull 
 people out of their beds as I felt the 
 house was to burn very soon. That 
 evening between twelve and one 
 oclock we heard the fire bells. 
 That s the building" I exclaimed 
 and ,t was so. I then seemed to 
 leave my body and in spirit went to 
 the scene of the fire and approached 
 so close I could feel the heat. The 
 buddmg was burned completely 
 down except the corner alluded to 
 and the fire originated in the kitchen 
 as I iiad seen it a year before. 
 
 As I was far from admitting the 
 spiritual origin of these things I 
 explained them to mv husbtnd, 
 who was a spiritualist, on quite 
 another theory. I often heard 
 sounds at midnight that could not 
 be accounted for at that hour but 
 had a natural origin and explana- 
 ion m the daytime. For example, 
 1 would hear a German laborer who 
 was etnptying his flower pots in an 
 adjoining conservatory all day and 
 striking each one in turn, doing the 
 same work apparently at midnight 
 
i 
 
 88 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 when I learned he was at home and outjjrown his orthodoxy, my Iris)* 
 
 in bed. guide and the Baptist clcrg^yman jjot 
 
 Raps began to be heard about my into an argument that lasted till 2. a. 
 
 house and especially at night olten m. Next day it was renewed and in 
 
 on my b:dstead. My husband ex- the midst ol it 1 was seen to raise 
 
 plained ihem as spirit raps produced my hands towards the sky and heard 
 
 through my medi'umship. I did not to exclaim, "Cooni on! Coom on!! 
 
 admit it. At last we sought another Sureyure all welcome!" On being 
 
 house— but here I got not only raps interrogated the Irish guide said: 
 
 but voices and my troubles increas- "he played a bit of a joke on the 
 
 ed. As early as lour oclock in the Church people. Sure ihe'r-oming 
 
 afternoon spirit toims would begin here and ye'M all see them soon." 
 
 to come into my room and 1, being He then explained that a Church 
 
 frightened, used to keep my house Sunday School Picnic mn knowing 
 
 abla/e with light through the even- the exact location of their camping 
 
 ing hours as I found this lessened ground he had impressed the Cap- 
 
 their power of manifestation. 
 Amongst others who came was 
 an Indian whose appearance as he 
 looked through the window into my 
 room thoroughly frightened me. 
 He had an Indian's body, (a fox's 
 head), and a fox skin over his arm 
 and in hand he held a bloody toma- 
 hawk. I cried out in alarm to my 
 husband. Next day he came and 
 entranced me and explained to my 
 husband that he meant no harm but 
 good — and he was trying thfe day 
 before to give me his name "Red 
 Fox" in symbols, the blood rep- 
 resenting red and the head and skin 
 of the fox representing that animal. 
 He said he could and would cure nie 
 (I had been a life-long invalid—sick 
 fourteen months at a time) and if I 
 would only receive their help they 
 would make me strong. 
 
 tain to land them at at our grounds 
 — and soon after they came. Then 
 I, still, under his control, was hurr- 
 ied away to meet them .uid at once 
 began giving them spirit messages. 
 It made great excitement, led to 
 much discussion, conveitcd some of 
 them directly to Spiritualism. There 
 was, however, the pleasantest feel- 
 ing all round, as the church people 
 attended our morning Conference 
 and testimony meeting and took 
 part in friendly debate with us in 
 the afternoon. 
 
 I was much mortified on coming 
 ojt of my trance and tried to get 
 home but each attempt to go was 
 frastrated for ten da\ s. 
 
 The story nf my opposition to 
 spirit control and the spirit's persist- 
 ent e'Torts until I yielded would be 
 too loog in detail but at length in 
 
 Some time after I was persuaded the very city (Portland, Oregon 
 
 to attend a Spiritualist Camp Meet- 
 ing as friends were there whom I 
 desired to see and I thought I could 
 attend or stay from services at 
 pleasure. The second day 1 was en- 
 tranced bv an Irishman who 
 
 where 1 was born and married 1 was 
 developed as a mediimi and made 
 my first public engagement as a 
 trance speaker, in which blessed work 
 I have now been engaj;ed ten years. 
 I have had since childhood many 
 
 been one of my guides and helpers remarkable experiences in Soul 
 
 ever since. Another medium on the Flight an account of which I hope 
 
 ground under control of the spirit of to give the world some day in a 
 
 a Baptist clergyman who had not separate volume. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 MRS. MAV F-. AVRICS. 
 
 SUWXAH, .MTtmcAX. 
 
 I was born May ,5th. ,85,5, :,( 
 Ballston Spa, Saraloga Co., N.V., 
 and brousht up under Methodist 
 parentage, and until iHHi adhered 
 strictly to that church. My hus- 
 band's people were Spiritualists for 
 years, althouj,-h I did not consider 
 the subject for my.self and never as- 
 sociated « ith .Spiritualists. OnSat- 
 "rJay, Feb. .oth, ,88., I had n,v 
 first sitting with Ella Sprafrue, a 
 hiK-hly esteemed lady and medium 
 ''vmg at Uintrsburjr, Michigan 
 My husband had urged me to see 
 the medium, wlto did not even know 
 who we were or where we li,ed at 
 the time we called upon her. 
 
 He, 
 
 With a sitting two hours in length 
 many tests were given us, and the 
 positive evidence of ,he return of 
 our departed friends in a wa^• that 
 satisfied us fully. , will ,elate one 
 of these tests. 
 
 My husband's grandfather came 
 from spirit life through the medium 
 ands.-tid, "\Ves,myb„y,''_,,„i,k. 
 ".tme of my husband (Weslev), 
 " whe.1 you go home, you tell l.vdia 
 for me," (Wesley's mother) '•■to 
 stop caring for the chickens and 
 ducks so much or she will have a 
 shock of paralysis. She won't die, 
 at least right away from the shock, 
 but will be a great care tor the rest 
 of you." The following Thur.sdav 
 niffht she was found in an uncon- 
 scious condition, the whole left half 
 of her body being paralvzej. She 
 h'ved ov e years alter and was 
 
 a great invalid and sufferer, never 
 regaining her former health. 
 
 ■After that sitting I becan.e some- 
 what interested in Spiritualism. 
 The next January, FMu. Sprague 
 passed away, and the following .May 
 came to me through the I'lancheltc', 
 through which instrument 1 got 
 wonderful tests for many different 
 people. After ten days the commu- 
 nicating intelligences told me not to 
 use Planchette any longer. I wa.s. 
 to use a pencil and 1 could get com- 
 
90 VHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 municalions from the spirit realms held public meetings in my home, 
 
 much better in that way. Since every Sunday eve until we were 
 
 that time I have ever been able to strong enough as a society to se- 
 
 get automatic writing— tests and cure a place for meetings, which we 
 
 poetry. I have made many sorrow- afterwards did and have ever since 
 
 ing hearts glad, and many people sustained a hall and society in that 
 
 have become interested in Spiritual- place. As soon as the State Asso- 
 
 ism through my writings. I have elation was organized we took out 
 
 also a strong power to develop in a State Charter, 
 
 others the automatic writing. At the third annual Convention of 
 
 My ftther, a Meihodist minister, the Michigan State Spiritualists' 
 
 was one of the first to become con- Association I was elected the Secre- 
 
 vinced of spirit return, and died a tary, and filled that office for sev- 
 
 Spiritualist. I at once found I had eral years, being annually re-elected, 
 
 a work to do, and could not be an I have earnestly worked for the 
 
 idler. The world I felt ought to cause since my first understanding 
 
 know these glorious truths. Living of the truth, and shall proudly wear 
 
 «t that time in Laingsing 1 became the badge of Spiritualism as a wotk- 
 
 acquainted with Spiritualists, where er, until I am called • the higher 
 
 we founded a Spiritual Society, and unfoldments awaiting me in spirit 
 where I earnestly worked for. four- realms, 
 teen vears. During six months I 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPnUTUAUSM 
 
 MRS. KATE liECKiiR 
 
 SAGINAW, W.S., MICH. 
 
 I was born the 28th of March 
 1862, and am therefore 39 years of 
 age. From my early childhood I 
 have ever been deeply impressional 
 and very sensitive, and have conse- 
 quently had more intense sufferings 
 as well as more exquisite enjoy. 
 ment than falls to uerage humanity. 
 I will relate two incidents that were 
 thoroughly convincing to mvself of 
 the nearness and sympathetic aid of 
 spirit friends. Indeed, had I passed 
 through no other similar experi- 
 •ences they were amply sufficient to 
 ■convince me that 
 
 " Tie s/,Mt „„r/rf „^„„rf rt,i „,^ 
 
 SfllSt' 
 Floats like an atmosphere," 
 
 and that unseen forces Were sur- 
 rounding me and upholding me in 
 the great crises of my life. I have 
 
 undergone in my short life no less 
 than five severe surgical operations. 
 In the second one in a hospital un- 
 der the care of the Roman Catholic 
 church, where kind sis.ers minis- 
 tered to my comfort, I was carried 
 to the operating table and the oper- 
 ation partially performed, but the 
 surgeons pronounced me so near 
 death that it was considered useless 
 to continue the operation. I was 
 therefore carried from the table to 
 die as all supposed. I remained for 
 a time under the influence of the 
 drug but M last came to conscious- 
 ness again, and I saw around me 
 nurses, surgeons, sisters. 1 heard 
 th.ir conversation, and while unable 
 to speak or show signs of life, un- 
 derstood all that was passing around 
 me. Among other things I heard 
 them say; "She is dead." But 
 strange to say, I felt no fear. On 
 the contrary, I telt I was supported 
 by some invisible power which up. 
 held me and calmed all my fears. I 
 heard a whisper from some invisible 
 presence and distinguished these 
 words: "Have no fear. Vou will 
 not die. But the operation must be 
 completed. You will know when to 
 have it performed." 
 
 Contrary to all the expectations 
 and calculations of the surgical 
 stalf, I did not die but rallied, and 
 in the course of a few weeks began 
 to feel so much stronger that my 
 probable recovery was apparent to 
 all. The operation, however, I had 
 been assured was necessary, and 
 with my returning strength came 
 
WHAT COIWERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 92 
 
 the thought of havinj; it completed 
 until it deepened into :i settled con- 
 viction that the time had come. So 
 I was carried ajjain into the operat- 
 injj room and the surjjical work was 
 completed. I renu-mher well that 
 in suhmittinjj again to this ordeal I 
 had not the ^li^fhtesi fear. I was 
 upheld by a firm taith in the mes- 
 sage whispered in my ear from 
 spirit sources that I would survive 
 the ordeal and had frequently men- 
 tioned this belief to my nurses and 
 surgeons durini,' the interval. 
 
 After the operation I did not seem 
 to rally and again I was given up to 
 die. When at last I recovered con- 
 sciousness! found tiie priest was 
 preparing me for death, the sisters 
 we«-f praying for me, candles were 
 burning around my cot for the dead 
 and surgeons standing around were 
 seeking to find some signs of life in 
 my body. My first conscious mo- 
 ments brought me no fear. I had 
 an inner calm, a sweet serene confi- 
 dence and ! felt surprised that they 
 thought I had to die. Just then I 
 saw a light from the spirit world 
 which illuminated the room in which 
 I was lying and the beauties of 
 
 which no tongue or pen could de~ 
 scribe. Again a voice spoke to me 
 out <iti the unseen, and the words 
 were: " ^'ou will recover— you will 
 not die." .And again contrary to 
 all human expcctiiiion, contrary to 
 the judgment of skilled surgeons, I 
 rallied, and so remarkable was my 
 recovery considered that it was pro- 
 nounced a "miracle" and published 
 as such. Physicians came from 
 other states and visited me at the 
 hospital to learn the facts oi' my 
 case and hear the story o\ my re- 
 covery from my own lips. It is still 
 talked about and discussed* in medi- 
 cal circles and considered very r*;- 
 niarkahle and mysterious. 
 
 I am confident that I should never 
 have survived the untold agonies I 
 endured and rallied as I did from 
 th'^se operations but for the help 
 given mc by spirit friends. 
 
 Oh, that multitudes might seek 
 and find the way to get help from 
 those who have passed on before 
 and to experience the comfort and 
 strength and iiclp tha^ conic to one 
 who knows Spiritualism to be a 
 glorious truth! 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 JOSIiPH HARKKK 
 
 Kl.W.lHIllVE, OXT. 
 
 In the summer of ,H<,2 I'rolf.sspr 
 Gustin a Magnetic Healer from In- 
 gersoll pard a visit to Kincardine in 
 t e County of Bruce. Ont.. and 
 p.actiscd his healing art here for 
 about three months with su. cess 
 Almost immediately altei his arrival 
 1 made free to call upon the Profess- 
 or ot h.s consulting room up stairs 
 at Queen s Hotel. I went out of 
 cur.osity tose. what kind of a look- 
 ing bemg a .Magnetic Healer was. 
 He treated me with so much respect 
 that I could not help liking him and 
 promised to repeat mv ,isit il he 
 would not regard me as an intruder 
 Before leaving the room I noticed 
 several books on the table two of 
 "-....n attracted my attention bv 
 their t.tles. The .,ne wi.s a larg'e 
 book entitled ".Vature's Divi le Rev 
 elatlons" by .Andrew Jackson Uavis 
 the other -The World's Sixteen 
 Crucfied Saviors.- hv Kersev 
 (.raves, I got permission to carr'v 
 the last named book home with me 
 to read at leisure. This book start- 
 
 9.? 
 ed me thinking on a new plane of 
 thought, so that I was ready to read 
 the l.rst named book, hut before 
 takmi; i| away from the Professor's 
 room 1 ventured to remark that there 
 might he some opposition from mv 
 "lie m the nature of a strong p.o- 
 test against my introducing such a 
 book into the home circle. .Mr 
 I'Ustin replied that he had a book 
 at home that would suit .Mrs. (ius- 
 1 in. the name of the book being 
 "liie llock .Struck Four" and the 
 ••uilhorwasa Dr. Samuel Watson, 
 an ex-President of a .Methodist Kpis- 
 copal College south. In the course 
 ol two or three davs Ihe book came 
 ••ind alter the reading of ,he same, 
 opposition to Spiritualistic Liter- 
 alure entirely ceased, and mv wife 
 and I were both quite willing to 
 enter the seance room when Ihe op. 
 portumty came. Cin the (.th day of 
 ■August iS.,5, we were invited to 
 Illyth to meet Miss Maggie Pollock 
 at her parents' residence near HIvth, 
 a comlortable farm house which we 
 reached shortly alter 7 a. m. on the 
 ■uth of .August. We partook ol 
 breakfast with the Pollock familv 
 alter which we retired to Iheir sit- 
 ting room and became sealed as dir- 
 ected. .Miss Pollock inquired if I 
 would oblige her with son.e article 
 which had been handled Ireely by 
 me. Seeing a spectacle case sliow'- 
 ing Itself in Ihe outside pocket of 
 my coat she said that would do and 
 same was placed in her hands with 
 the spectacles inclosed therein. In 
 11 few moments this medium passed 
 into the tiance condition and ijuick- 
 ly began to describe the appearance 
 01 a spirit which ihe medium declar- 
 ed stood near to my right shoulder. 
 It was, the medium declared, the 
 spirit of a man of medium height 
 and seemed to have passed from the 
 mortal not long before, and he gave 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 94 
 
 to her an indication that it was a 
 stomach trouble, inflammation, which 
 was the direct cause uf his passing 
 to the spirit world. 
 
 "And now," said the medium, "I 
 see somethinf; very strange. He 
 holds in one hand a pair of specta- 
 cles and points thes.-tmeat you, Mr. 
 Barker. Perhaps you will under- 
 stand tl>e meaning^ of it." I said, 
 " Ves, it is George Wilkinson, who 
 comes with this test to assure me 
 beyond a doubt of the reality of 
 spirit communion. I noticed that 
 the moment mention was made by 
 me of the name George Wilkinson, 
 the medium acted as though she re- 
 ceived fi sudden shock from an elec- 
 tric battery, I will now state why 
 this pointing a pair of spectacles at 
 me was rega.ded as a satisfactory 
 test. Some ten months previous to 
 this seance with Miss Maggie Pol- 
 lock, I had occasion to go to Meri- 
 den, in the State of Connecticut, to 
 see my sister, Mr». Mary Wilkin- 
 son, who had about five weeks be- 
 fore my \isit followed the mortal 
 remains of her husband, the before- 
 named George Wilkinson, to the 
 Meriden cemetery, and on the day 
 before my appointed time for leav- 
 ing for my Kincardine home, my 
 said sister brought to me a. pair of 
 spectacles in a case, and calling me 
 
 byname, aid, **Will you try on 
 these speciacles and sec if they suit 
 your eyes as well as those you are 
 wearing ?" I did us requested and 
 informed my sister that the specta- 
 cles suited me well. She replied, 
 *M am glad of that," and be^^gcd of 
 me to accept the same and wear 
 them instead ol my own, and added 
 these words; "They will serve to 
 remind you often oi* dear George, 
 and I am sure he woiild rather you 
 would have those spectacles than 
 any other person." I may state 
 that this test fully satishod me of 
 the reality of spirit return and made 
 a convert of me. I might add that 
 before leaving Miss Pollock '.ve had 
 several seances, and Mrs. Barker a» 
 well as myself recei.ed some dozens 
 of tevts, which were to us highly 
 satisfactory, coming as t hey did 
 from parents, brothers, sisters and 
 acquaintances who had passed over 
 to spirit life. I could easily write 
 of tests enough to make a good 
 sized book, but that is not required. 
 It is a matter of great regret to me 
 that 1 did not commence to do my 
 own thinking and investigating 50 
 years ago when I first heard of 
 modern Spintualism, instead of put- 
 ting it off until nearly 70 years of 
 age. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO STOrrUALISM .„ 
 
 
 THE VISION OK MARV 
 
 BV FLORA McDOSAr.D 
 
 Fo, r«„„^ o„r fall, Ih,, Imgmlif 
 '" •"•"■-> «/l,n„. nH,IJill 
 Oxr /iv,: ,., v> ««/,„,, ,,„y t, ,/„, 
 
 I was still in my early t«n». My 
 »<^hool days had passed pleasantly 
 ""•h imle care. 1 had taught 
 Khool for a couple of year, and dis- 
 '■ked .t very much, and now I began 
 to realize that I must earn my own 
 I'vmg, and teaching was the only 
 vocation for which I was prepared; 
 '<> keep on in th» routine c. a 
 school-teacher's life was little more 
 
 enl.cmg tome than solitary confine- 
 ">ent might have been. I decided 
 to strike out in the world, and find 
 something else to do. Much csier 
 sa.d than done. After striking out 
 and endeavoring to find somei;.o» 
 to do I may have wished myself 
 back m -. little log school house, 
 
 but to com. to the night when I saw 
 through diflterent glasses. 
 
 1 I'ad undertaken a business at 
 which I was a comp'ete novice, and 
 naturally made a failure of it. I 
 had very little money .,„d a bad cold 
 
 Tc.TV °" ""^ "'"''■ "-"» 
 shortly after supper and I was seri- 
 ously contemplating the advisabilitv 
 of endmg an earthly career that 
 seemed so terribly discour -in^ I 
 37":'°""-^^'°- and.,., based 
 somethmg to relieve my cough, and 
 
 then to my room and went to bed 
 
 hough it was not ye, seven .Vcl«k 
 1 wa. ina.i„i„gp„„i,i„, „„ ,he 
 oed. The room was hardiv dark 
 Hope andambitionseemed complete- 
 Mead, a J ;,.„^ ,h, depth, of a 
 discouraged soul I asked the Why of 
 It all. To what end Were we so un- 
 happy here ? 
 
 'lookedup, being attracted' by a 
 
 wall"' f"""""":'.^ "" '•" "P'-'" 
 wall for on this side of the room 
 
 here was no window or door. The 
 ''S ' began to take form, and pres! 
 
 '""^ '•";-- bright as, and much 
 resembled the round light thrown o„ 
 a white sheet for stereoptican views 
 
 had been dead a few yeas). Pre", 
 ently .Mary appeared in the centre of 
 'he Ught. Her long, blonde hair 
 was like scintillating threads of J. 
 ridiscentgold. Her ,ace was beau- 
 'fully happy, her eyes radiant, her 
 form enveloped ;n a gauzy drapery 
 that was exquis.tely graceful. I 
 
 was no, a, all nervous, and as I stil, 
 'ooked she stepped down from the 
 wall, glided, rather than walked 
 passed the foot of my bed, and came 
 up nearer the head of i, and stood 
 beside me. I did not peak, and 
 el. as though she were so e,h,,real 
 I might have put my hand through 
 her form. The light remained on 
 he wall . ,d she pointed to it. J 
 looked, and a series of pictures 
 passed along, all significant of scenes 
 '" °"' •"""« lif^. and lastly I myself 
 appeared-but so despondent so 
 discouraged, so crestfallen JLt" 
 
9f> 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 I i 
 
 hardly believed it wan myself I wan the still water when another weries 
 looking; ft. Ab I ga/ed the (act he- of piciure!i wun profiented lu mc. I 
 
 i;an lu bri|;hlen, the itinkiiiK attitude 
 jfave way to one of upright confi- 
 dence. I saw ahcoU of m<. work 
 and endeavor— but success. I felt 
 >lron({ and well as I looked, and the 
 world, instead of being the hated 
 habitation of a crushed life, became 
 a vast field wherein to endeavor and 
 accomplish — to learn — and finally to 
 know, and as the picture faded I 
 
 shall not describe them in dclail, 
 but will say they were proplufic of 
 the future, and out of the half diiaten 
 pictures shown tnc four have already 
 materialized tn my life. .And what 
 did this do for me i' It convinced 
 mc that Mar\ was still li\int;', and, 
 under certain conditions, was able 
 to make herself \ isibte. It aUo 
 proved to me that happeninjfs can 
 
 tur 'cd to Mary. She smiled, and be prophesied years before. It also 
 
 instead of returning to the wall to 
 disappear, faded where she stood. 
 A ti'.iiet peace I had not known for 
 many days toqk possession of me, 
 but I got up, dressed, and went to 
 tell of my experience. 
 
 The next day I thought of liltle 
 else beside my experience and wish- 
 ing to be alone that I might get an- 
 other glimpse of encoufagement and 
 assurance. About five o'cUtck I 
 
 banished fear as to wirit might hap- 
 pen to me during this lie or the life 
 Mary was now li\in\'. It ga"; me 
 cot^fidence that all was well and the 
 apparent e\ ils were only burnish- 
 ings to bring- out the good. 
 
 This personal experience made me 
 interested in Psychics and Psychic 
 Phenomena, the study o( which has 
 not only proved most entertaining 
 and instructive, but also taught me 
 
 wandered to a large creek that ran j^, master physical conditions in my- 
 through a woods. There was a ^^^f .^„j ethers, and instead of being 
 fallen tree which spanned the river, beaten by the material world I have 
 and about in the middle of the been enabled to use it for n^y fur- 
 stream the branches formed a very jber psychic development as well as 
 comfortable seat. I sat down to re- physical welfare, 
 fleet. I had now perfect confidence 
 in the future, and that life, after all, 
 
 • S,r,n.- / /;»/(/ wr .'nnn/s , 
 U'/ni/t'r t/u- riin/x <•/ life 
 
 proved worth living; but I still won- /;,//// i^uUhs im- /:/> /» hen 
 dered. What could I do? Where Ami l-n-t- shall hn it,' nn- 
 
 or how to begin? 1 was looking in 
 
 .V utiles 
 >i to im\" 
 
^"^^^"^'^^ME'TosPn.muM^, 
 
 HVAVM.IV, ii.i.. 
 
 -nd .i,„n,„d,cn, r"w.r», „„,, 'lud 
 7" ^1^ --and full n,nnsi,, 
 
 ••"■J e;„.sK.,>„v, M,.-,do,vrl,,,,,j 
 
 :; •"""'^ '■■ ^PiH.ualis,., n^^ 
 
 urns „r searufs. 
 
 Tbo (IrM c.pcrience I l,,,j ,|r„ 
 »'-.ednK.„„,„.roadn,i„vos,': 
 had called a, n„- house ,„ vMt , 
 
 """ '7"-'""*'' h- profession, I su.- 
 «-'ed ,ha, he den.ons.ra.e L 
 PO-ers, as , „-as very ,„„.,, ,„,, 
 «'e1,n.hesuhjec,. Heverv^-. 
 '.nS-yc„„.en.ed.o,.ve™ea.m;:^ 
 »"" -4ueMed n,e to wriee half ^ 
 dozen names or ~ 
 
 paper, he remaininR. n„,side of the 
 
 Th,.se I ?• ' rroparalion 
 
 - '- ^";- Calling hl„, in, he 
 
 o,., r" ^•'"'"""•^.'.o.a.h 
 
 ^•' l>^rape,sh,„n,:,,, ,„„,., 
 
 :, , ""■'" "!'• "■^" I »o„ld h„d 
 
 ,r """"•"""•'• candsud... 
 
 -;-^no,„i,.d<esi„,h.,;;er!r 
 
 H-i.ydrr^on:i:;':,;;p;::";t-:, 
 
 'I "he amid .ret his or l, 
 
 Mie describfd a ("em-.i . ..■""<■■ 
 
 '^---.hen,:,:"^!^^;;;:;' -i! 
 
 lelhnfr me that she h,d 1 . ' •', 
 ""-• ail ,>,v life. •,■" ,' '''^ '?"" «"!> 
 
 ;:- .Hat . htr 'ir\,:s'"r,a'd'^ 
 
 ^••■'K-. % c'a?,ei-u;:n''h ^d "'" 
 
 i;":"h';''r''>''""'-he"r.c 
 
 and..h:tr;on^d"IS",^/,^^'in. 
 
 again. " Vo •■ i "sea to come 
 
 ^o. I said, .., ^ii, 
 
 ^ii'ilj 
 
 ft 
 
98 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 wait." In about an hour Mrs. Gil- ine unless produced outside the 
 lette came down, and without giv- medium's home. I arranged with 
 ing her my name, arranged to have Mrs. Tripp, a materializing medium 
 a sitting at once for independent of Chicago, to come to Evanston 
 slate writing. I had my sitting in and give a searce to a circle of fif- 
 Mrs. Gillette's well-lighted seance teen. This seance was held at the 
 room, at which six slates were writ- house of Dr. Frank H. Edwards, 
 ten full of messages from as many 1562 Maple Avenue. I brought 
 spirit friends, one message being Mrs. Tripp out and put up her cab- 
 signed '• Starlight," the name of inet for her in Dr. Edwards' dining 
 my guide as given me by Miss room, and we certainly had one of 
 Bangs. In the message she stated the most wonderful seances for ma- 
 that she would materialize for me terializaticn 1 ever attended. Mrs. 
 soon and show me her facj, which Tripp was thoroughly examined by 
 she did at t e next materializing Mrs. Edwards and another lady be- 
 seancc at Mrs. Gillette's. 1 have fore entering the cabinet, who an- 
 since procured her picture at the nounceri to the circle that the medi- 
 
 Bangs Sisters'. It was done 
 
 broad daylight, and Mrs. J. R. 
 
 Francis, the wife of the editor of 
 
 the Pni^essive Thinker, was with 
 
 me at the time. The picture simply . . 
 
 developed out on the canvas before tire circle. Miss Emma Tripp (Mrs. 
 
 um had absolutely nothing about 
 her person that could in any way be 
 used in fraudulent manifestations of 
 any kind. At one time four full 
 forms were plainly visible to the en- 
 
 us in the light. I consider it one of 
 the most wonderful and most satis- 
 factory manifestations I ever wit- 
 nessed. Some time after this I had 
 another si, '.ing at Mrs. Gillette's. 
 She gave me a .lew tablet of writing 
 paper, telling me to ^o into the cab- 
 
 Tripp's sister) and one of her cab- 
 inet controls came out and material- 
 ized a large quantity of lace. Car- 
 rie .Adams, another of Mrs. Tripp's 
 controls, materialized at the same 
 time, making quite an address to 
 the circle. This seance was the 
 
 .net alone, to place the tablet under means of removing the last shadow 
 
 my vest and see what I could get, of doubt from the minds of the skep- 
 
 Mrs. Gillette remaining outside the tical. 
 
 cabinet. I did as requested, and There was a time when it was 
 
 at this sitting I got about sixteen considered a badge of mental weak- 
 
 page.s of fine writing from four spirit ness for one to acknowledge a belief 
 
 friends, one message being four or in these phenomena, but that time 
 
 five pages from mv guide, giving has gone by and to-day anyone who 
 
 me her full history, her place of doubts them, their genuineness and 
 
 birth, how long she lived in the the fact of spirit return and com- 
 
 body, &c. I have since verified it 
 all. 
 
 I will mention as briefly as possi- 
 ble just one test seance for material 
 
 munion, is simply ignorant. 
 
 I would like to state in closing 
 that as far as I have been able to 
 discover. Spiritualists, of all people, 
 
 izalion given in Evanston a year are anythinf but fanciful dreamers 
 
 ago last June. This seance was or theorists. They seek absolute 
 
 given for the special purpose of con- truth and desire this beautiful gos- 
 
 vincing a few skeptics who would pel of truth, hope and optimism to 
 
 not believe the manifestations genu- rapidly spread to the multitudes. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKrrUAtlSM 
 
 S- C. FENNER 
 
 PHaAnELPHIA, PA. 
 
 My wife, Caroline Rejfina Fenner 
 passed to hiijher life May .and, ■nj, 
 followed seventeen days later by our 
 mfant son, Freddie. She passed 
 out in travail at Camden, NJ 
 where we were then living. She 
 was a good, true, noble, loving wife 
 and mother. Two days after the in- 
 terment I discovered that about the 
 fmeofher death I had met with a 
 considerable financial loss in our 
 home. On relating this loss to a 
 dear personal friend who called upon 
 me, to my astonishment he advised 
 me to consult a spiritual medium. 
 «erng a practical business man 
 strongly positive in my nature. I at 
 first rejected the idea with scorn • 
 but knowing my friend's honesty 
 and .ntegrity, and after hearing him 
 
 99 
 
 relate his remarkable personal ex- 
 per,ences with a colored woman, a 
 
 "!";■""•. '°'='"^'"ind, or .,5 years, 
 I < etermmed to call upon her, and 
 d.dso. Onenter.ng the room she 
 asked me to be seated, saving at 
 the same time, "There is a lady 
 w.t you." ,i„f„™,j,„,^^^J 
 m.staken : there was none with me. 
 She sa,d,..l. see her plainly." But 
 Isa.d ...Areyou not tot.illy blind, 
 and ,f so, how can you see any 
 °"y r''*" her with my spirit- 
 ual eyes, 'said she, and gave me an 
 accurate description of my deceased 
 w.te. Th,s caused me to think ser- 
 ■ously ; but more was in store for 
 me She gave me the name of my 
 wife, my own name, that of my 
 father and mother and sister, and 
 complete details of the loss I had 
 sustained and full descriptions of the 
 
 members of rtiy family in the mortal 
 and m spirit. ,„„,d„„,y 
 
 that my fnend had preceded me and 
 ."formed her of these details-but 
 then I had purposely led my friend 
 to beheve I would pay no attention 
 to h,s advice. But this could not 
 
 be the true explanation, for she next 
 gave me an answer to a question 
 
 hat had ansen that very morning at 
 the breakfast table, and said, ■■ ft is 
 your mother, Hester Ann, that so 
 adVKses." This shocked me and I 
 became so chilled that for months 
 afterward I would feel these spas- 
 modic chills whenever the sitting 
 was referred to. 
 
 1 began attending spiritual meet- 
 mgs, andat the close of one after- 
 
 ■VI 
 
,oo WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRTTUALISM 
 
 noon service heard a number con- be paralyzed with fright, for there 
 versing about a materializing seance stood a perfect counterpart of mj 
 to be held that evening by the Rev. dear departed w.fe. - Are you or 
 Mrs H. V. Ross, a medium of On- me ?" 1 asked. " \ es, was the re- 
 set Mass. I determined to go, hut ply. " Sam, do you not recognize 
 on reaching the place found every me, my dear? 1 answered that 
 available seat occupied, about fifty 
 people present, and M rs. Ross declar- 
 ed I could not stay. But on learning 
 
 that I came from outside the city 
 
 and was satisfied with a seat on the 
 
 floor, 1 was allowed to stay. After 
 
 she looked like one near and dear to 
 me and asked her name. " I am 
 your wife, Carrie Kenner," and, 
 holding out her arms, the form of a 
 baby materialized in them as she 
 said, " Here is our little Freddie." 
 
 floor, 1 was allowea lo siay. ^i^^- — — > 
 
 the u^al opening the forms began By her side appeared my mother and 
 
 to appearand the people present sister. ^ 
 
 r!^;:y::r — ";r3 soo: after . l^.. Mr. r^s. 
 
 old age-but as nothing recogniz- developing class and soon got c air- 
 able appeared to me and I could voyance, clairaudience and slate- 
 Lt understand the phenomena, I writing, and am now a trance speak- 
 colld only conclude that the people er, ballot test medium and tranc 
 were being imposed upon by trick- medium. For the past four yea I 
 ery and fraud. I determined, there- have been associated with Mr,, 
 fore to seize the first form, that Ross, to «ihom all credit for my de- 
 cam'e mv way and expose the trick- velopment is due, and have man- 
 en -l.Me knowing what was in re- aged over ,400 of her materializing 
 Ive or me-and fervently prayed seances. She has giv-en satisHtctory 
 Tmllht have strength to accomplish test seances before the Psychic Re- 
 L^go d ^pose a'nd stop thisls- search Society of Philadelphia, and 
 TcLLn of evervthing that should in a seance held in Washington, D. 
 be cred ,0 man. I was a perfect C permitted herself to "e suspend- 
 strangerto every one in the room, ed in mid air in a cabinet con- 
 Mr Leon Boeckel was then busi- structed by a body o --n.^"; "- 
 Tess manager for Mrs. Ross and he vestigators, with Professor Robert 
 ca led my attention to a spirit form Hare Powell as director. At this 
 av^aUingme at the entrance to th = test seance 76 materialized spirit 
 crbTnlt My opportunity had ar- forms appeared, and mos of them 
 Wed ad I hastened to the spot to were recognized beyond all doubt. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 I have been asked to write a chap- 
 ter on, "What converted me to 
 Spiritualism," and have replied I 
 never was converted to Spirituah'sm. 
 I was born a Spiritualist. I write 
 therefore rather on thetheme, "What 
 holdt me to Spiritualism." 
 
 When 1 was five years of age I 
 was frightened by my own clairaud- 
 iance and clairvoyance and when 1 
 told my good little mother she rep- 
 lied that such things were of the 
 devil and that he was trying to lead 
 me out of the path of right, and that 
 I must not think of this 
 matter at all. But mother was a 
 good Presbyterian and the good 
 little woman had to lie out of the 
 whole cloth, all for the good of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 So ; , o not blame her for it, for 
 she is now in spirit life, and if ever 
 there was an angel mother, she is 
 one over there. Since I have grown 
 to manhood I have found out that 
 my mother was a medium and that 
 
 church people called her insane, all 
 because she could comn.une with 
 the h.gher life. I have also learned 
 that whenever she visited her friiuds 
 in the city of New Vork she invaria- 
 bly went to the best mediums there. 
 I will give a few personal exper- 
 iences of what I have heard and 
 seen. 
 
 ' s.it in a materializing seance 
 w.th .Mrs. —of Rochester, \, v., she 
 and I acting as mediums, when 
 there appeared three shadowy forms. 
 -Mrs.— being the better medium 
 enquired, "Who is Henry?" I 
 said, "He is the brother of mv moth- 
 er and the only Henry I have in spirit 
 life." "Who isJo.seph:-'"she asked 
 and I replied, ".My father." "Well," 
 saidshe, "your uncle Henryandyour 
 father have brought your mother's 
 spirit here resting in their arms. 
 She IS asleep." "Did I not tell you 
 all this last summer that mv moth- 
 er was yet in earth life?" I asked. 
 "Well she is not in earth life now," 
 she said "but here in the arms of 
 your father and her brother." I 
 then told her that mv mother had 
 passed out that forenoon about ten 
 hours previously. By this time I 
 too, could readily distinguish forms' 
 I had held her little hands in mine 
 just before leaving Buffalo for Roch- 
 ester and she had desired me to stay 
 longer with her as she said she was 
 going away soon, but goiernament 
 business had compelled me to leave 
 her. So I threw her into a hypnotic 
 sleep and she passed out peacefully 
 without returning to consciousness 
 
 !| 
 
 ■i. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPHUTUALISM 
 
 At one time I sat for a slate writ- 
 ing with Pierre E. S. Keeler, when 
 I heard a voice .ut of the air say : 
 "Dennis, why dont you get up and 
 lecture and not sit around doing 
 nothing?" So I told Keeler that 1 
 knew what was on the slates and 
 when we opened them, there it was 
 exactly as I had heard it. At the 
 same sitting I heard the voice of 
 Geo. Christy, Mr. Keeler's guide, 
 and I asked him to give me a guide 
 so that I could get slate writing and 
 he answered ■ I will give you a guide 
 over the left," and when the slates 
 were opened I found precisely this 
 message which I had heard clair- 
 auciently. 
 
 At one time at Lily Dale in pass- 
 ing the house of Rathmell, the tele- 
 graphic medium, he called me in 
 for a seance. As soon as seated I 
 saw the spirit form of my father and 
 heard him say, "Make your valve 
 seats ellipiical". "Well, Well" I 
 said, "you mean the openings," and 
 he said "yes" and vanished. 1 was 
 at work on a patent steam engine 
 and had trouble with the openings 
 and ''is advice would remove the 
 difficii.iy. Without acquainting 
 Rathmell with what I had seen and 
 heard, I asked him to try his instru- 
 ment and got through it precisely 
 the same message. Then I saw the 
 spirit form of my cousin Julia with 
 whom I had been reared, and she 
 said, "Cousin Jo, 1 love you yet." 
 Through the instument I got the 
 same message a moment later. 
 
 In Mrs. Moss's materializing 
 seances I have been called to the 
 cabinet and have seen and held the 
 form of my first wife who also stood 
 under my outstreached :irm just as 
 she used to do in earth life— for I 
 was six feet two and she was only 
 four feet six inches tall— and she 
 has told me who she was and this 
 was satisfactory proof to me of spirit 
 return. 
 
 In my own house a spirit doctor, 
 formerly a dear earth friend, has 
 appeared and at my request has 
 gone to distant parts of the earth 
 and found out how our friends were 
 and he has returned and brought 
 me such messages about the persons 
 seen, the houses and rooms visited, 
 that I could accurately describe them 
 to others as they were at the time 
 and place, and this has i;lven me 
 additional proof of my communion 
 with the spirit world. In my bed 
 in my own room I have heard rep- 
 eatedly and recognized my mother's 
 familiar voice. I have had sittings 
 two seasons with the Bang sisters 
 and regard them as the best all- 
 around mediums I have ever met in 
 spiritualistic phenomena. 
 
 My experiences have reached 
 over 70 years and I could easily fill 
 a volume with them, »hough I have 
 been an active business man all my 
 life. Naturally sceptical and mater- 
 ialistic, 1 have been' compelled to 
 recognize the fact that man's spirit- 
 ual nature is immortal and endures 
 forever. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 D. STEARNS WHITE, M D. Ph.C 
 
 CHICAC.O, ILL. 
 
 In 1888 my wife died to whom I 
 had been married twenty five years 
 and tlien this belief "death ends all," 
 which was my creed at that time 
 seemed especially horrible. I put 
 her in the grave and made up my 
 mind to spend Si 0.000 on her tomb 
 as there was all there was of her. 
 I went to Vermont where I was 
 born and visited Plymouth to see 
 some G. .\. R. friends and found a 
 Sp ritualist Convention in full blast. 
 I u.is much surprised to find there 
 many of the deacons and laity of 
 the clergy when I was a boy and 
 lived in the state. .\ friend wished 
 me to go with him and get a sitting 
 with that veteran medium, Lucius 
 Colburn. The first intellegence 
 communicating said he was my 
 grandfather and his name was Dan- 
 iel, and my name was Daniel and 
 
 '°3 
 
 he gave me five dollars for my name. 
 Th,s was euher good guessing or 
 he was my grandfather, for it was 
 true, but th,s man was an entire 
 
 nothing of the facts as ihev occured 
 so long ago Then he gave me the 
 name Dr. Wmslow of Fort .Arkan- 
 sas, VV,s. He said "Til" had spent 
 all the seven thousand dollars left 
 ler. rhis was the name he used 
 o call h.s wife and the statment 
 
 h ■' vn- ,.^°" '"'' "''■•' """> know 
 th,s If Dr Wmslow who had passed 
 over was not there and told him. 
 
 1 hen my wife controlled him and 
 said she was so glad to let 
 me know she still lived. She 
 said she stood beside me at the 
 coffin at the funeral when I was cry- 
 ;ng so, and touched me and tried to 
 let me know she was not in the 
 coffin but she could not make me 
 know It At this I cried, and she 
 sari^ Now dont cry, or leel badly, 
 you have done everything just right 
 only you did not hold onto mv hand 
 long enough when I was d'ying." 
 1 his was a good statement of the 
 facts. I did hold her hand until I 
 thought her unconscious, while she 
 was dying. 
 
 ,u ^u""}, ''u^ J"^ '"'''•" S"*' tests in 
 the hall there and gave one hundred 
 and fifty full names in twenty five 
 minutes, of people who had lived 
 around there and had died, each tell- 
 ing how long they had been in spirit 
 life and where they died and where 
 they were horn, c. 1. Now this 
 .shows t:,at they must have given 
 Mr.Stiles this information. All of 
 this set me to thinking and the next 
 year 1 went to Clinton, Iowa, mak- 
 ing up my mind to investigate this 
 and see for myself whether any 
 part of it were true. I was 
 very careful not to register my name 
 or give my name to anyone. I was 
 
 'HI 
 
 ■li 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 104 
 
 six hundred miles from home, not 
 knowinj; ;i soul there. 1 asked lor 
 a matcrjiilizini; seance and was dir- 
 ected 10 the cottat;e of Mabel Aber 
 (now Mrs. Mabel Aber Jackson 
 8..5 No. Clark St. Chicago). 1 
 bought a ticket to her seance for 
 that evening hoping that this"new 
 hope" or new philosophy ir.ight 
 prove true and that I, living in a 
 real true world where all the efforls 
 of nature put out so grandly, would 
 have some ultimate purpose to 
 serve. The medium gave me a 
 front seat and the seance began. 
 The first person that came was a 
 little girl about eight years old who 
 said we were to have a good seance, 
 and thev all called her Nellie. ! 
 saw her' little fingers plainly on the 
 curtain and her whole form. This 
 was a great revelation to me. She 
 stepped back behind the curtain and 
 said, "Dr. White?" 1 did not at 
 once answer as there might be an- 
 other Dr. White, but as no one an- 
 swered I said, "Hello, Nellie." She 
 said "Come up to the curtain as 
 there is some one here that wants to 
 see you very badly and you will 
 want to see her just as much." I 
 stepped up to the curtain and in a 
 moment my wife stood between the 
 curtains as plainly as she ever did 
 in life and as natural as she ever 
 was. She threw both arms around 
 my neck and said "Hello, Cappie 
 White," and we both kissed, the 
 same as ever we did, she cried say- 
 ing she was so glad to let mc know- 
 she still lived. She took me into 
 the cabinet and put my hand on 
 Mrs. .Aber's head and said "You 
 think I am the medium but there is 
 the medium but I am still your wife 
 and you are my husband." She had 
 two'pinks in her hand and gave me 
 saving, "You used to say pinks were 
 the sweetest of all flowers and I 
 
 have brought these two hundred 
 miles for you." On her head she 
 had a crown with the letters".Maria" 
 on the crown. She whispered and 
 gave me many evidences ot her 
 identity by tilings that no one knew 
 but ourselves -that happened in 
 our married life. Her heart beat 
 was thirty five in a minute and a 
 mortal would faint away with so 
 small a heart beat. 1 had my arms 
 around her and she began to crumble 
 and went all to pieces and out of 
 siglit. She then bogan to form 
 from a spot of light about thi' -^ize 
 olaquarterof a dollar and lully 
 materialized again, but this time had 
 no crown on her head but had the 
 letters on her breast, "M. K."^ the 
 name I called her being Maria Eliza. 
 Next day had a private seance and 
 she came out and sat in my lap and 
 took niy handkerchief and wiped my 
 lorehead, untied my necktie and 
 tied it over again and we discussed 
 the future as we used to do. Have 
 had verv manv evidences ot her 
 identity and of 'the fact that spirits 
 can and do return, can and do co- 
 municate with their friends, are 
 helping them to help themselve« 
 and gain the experience to round 
 them out f;ir a new condition in 
 spirit life, i held two slates and a 
 card between them and in a little 
 while a oainting of my wife came 
 just lik,; :■ photograph she had 
 taken in 1876 whicli was in a an al- 
 bum which was at that time six 
 miles away. Materialization is true 
 because we cant see a thing until it 
 is first materialized from the el- 
 ements. My little daughter gave 
 me a painting through the Bang 
 sisters(cor. Wood and -Adam St. 
 Chicago) a beautifgl wo k of art. 
 I have had thousands of prools and 
 am a spiritualist from the ground 
 up. 1 dont believe it but know it. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKlTUALIbM 
 
 A. VV. SPARL!\c; 
 
 TOROXTO. 
 
 My first experiences in the spirit- 
 ual phenomena carry me back to 
 the year ,86.j, again to .Hy; and 
 "8/.V Of course at that time I 
 knew nolhinjf of Spiritualis.,,, and 
 hence looked upon the stranjre hap- 
 penings r-.s supernatural occurrences 
 It was not till the winter of the year 
 'Sy? Ihat (, Ihrouffi, curiosity, and 
 With much prejudice, was induced 
 by a friend to .iltend some of the 
 addresses and manifestations that 
 were beiny j,-ivcn in this city. My 
 first attendance was at a trumpet 
 seance at ^.j \VaU„„ ^t., this city, 
 my wife and another friend acconv 
 panying: me. We were complete 
 strangers to everyone present and 
 had never .seen, met, or heard about 
 the medium, Mrs. Etta Wreidt, of 
 Detroit, until she took her place in 
 the circle. After the services were 
 
 Tened with singing of such hymns. 
 as "Shall \VeG.atherattheRiver?" 
 "Sweet Hour of Prayer," "There 
 Are Angels Hovering Round," 
 " Nearer My (iud to Thee," «:c., I 
 «mie to the conclusion that these 
 Spiritualists were not as godless 
 and as closely leagued with the 
 Jev.l as they were represented to be. 
 The medium suggested that we sing 
 her guide's (Dr. Sharp) favorite 
 Piece, "God Save the Queen," .so 
 it appeared that in spirit life they 
 still retained their loyalty to country 
 and to Queen. This was sung, and 
 during the singing of it another 
 voice joined in, which seemed to be 
 at different times in various parts 
 of the room and above our heads, 
 ani' 111 its conclusion a strong male 
 voive bid the medium, " Gcod even- 
 ing," and spoke to each one with 
 great courtesy, stating that each 
 one's friends were there and desir- 
 ous of talking with them, also re- 
 questing that we act as ladies and 
 gentlemen and exercise the same 
 reverence as we would if we were in 
 any church. The medium being 
 seated next to me, I, as soon as the 
 circle was formed and the light 
 turned off, took hold of her dress 
 and placed my foot in front of her 
 so that if she should attempt to leave 
 her seat I would be aware of it, and 
 also if she should be a ventriloquist 
 I could detect it. I may sav that 
 as far as the medium was concern- 
 ed during the whole of the seance 1 
 had her under test conditions satis- 
 factory to me, and the results prov- 
 
Io6 
 
 WHAT CONViiRTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 «d that she was perfectly honest ed by several, amongst whom was 
 .n .. 1.1 ...mU ^'inMntif au in the DnC' 
 
 a thorough skeptic as to the phe- 
 nomena and who was also a mater- 
 ialist, and who examined the can- 
 vasses that were brought there by 
 my own son Wesley, and opened by 
 him and placed i i position in the 
 front of the window in the light and 
 saw the production of the portrait. 
 The testimony under oath of the 
 witnesses to the production e f these 
 pictures can be had by nnyone 
 doubting til* facts, the witnesses 
 being fifteen in number, the canvas- 
 ses used being the common Stein- 
 back used by all artists and obtain- 
 ed at the Art Metropole on Yonge 
 St., a reliable firm. We will be 
 pleased to have any of the readers 
 of the Sermon or of this volume call 
 and iniipect them. I have had por- 
 trait artists of this city inspect them 
 MtiH each sav it is beyond their 
 and never leaving our sight or pos- and^each sa,^^^^^ ^^^^ work, and 
 session and held above the table in the ^ ^^^ ^^^.^ ^^^^^ ^^ works of art at 
 air, was satisfactory. The envelope 
 and slates being opened by our- 
 selves and all precautions against 
 fraudulent methods being taken, I 
 am satisfied a.-, to the gei.uineness 
 of spirit communication in tiiat way. 
 .\gain I have had the grei.t plea- 
 sure of seeing my dear arisen moth- 
 er twice this summer and talked 
 face to face with her, and also have 
 in my possession now a spirit por- 
 trait of her and two of my children ; 
 also that of my wife's mother, who 
 have all entered the higher life. 
 These portraits were obtained 
 through the mediumship of the 
 
 and took no part in the manifesta 
 tions that occurred. Our children 
 and friends came i.nd gave their 
 names and identified themselves so 
 completely, tellin^' of circumstances 
 and thing's that were only known to 
 ourselves, iind bringing messages of 
 love, comlort, cheer, hope and en- 
 couragement, proving their contin- 
 uity of life and interest in us, and 
 the fact of spirit return. This seance 
 led to further investigation of the 
 phenomena, and a private sitting 
 was had with the same medium and 
 others, and the evidence obtu.ned 
 through independent writing, in 
 which blank paper was placed in a 
 sealed envelope between two com- 
 mon school slates, securely fastened, 
 and never leaving our sight or pos 
 
 from S75 to Sioo each. 
 
 In conclusion let me say that the 
 phenomena and fact of spirit return 
 are demonstrated beyond the perad- 
 venture of a doubt and proven by 
 the testimony of thousands. We as 
 Spiritualists' do not ask the investi- 
 gator to " Believe— believe or be 
 damned," but simply say " Come 
 and see," as the Samaritan woman 
 did of old. Thus they will be led 
 into fuller and diviner truth and en- 
 joy a joyous liberty and find in our 
 glorious phenomena and philosophy 
 the key that unlocks that mysterious 
 and oo-called sacred book, the Bible. 
 I trust that this simple story may 
 add to the greater spread of the 
 
 inrougi. ".= r — truth, especially among my old cir- 
 
 Bangs Sisters during their late visit cle of friends in this and other places 
 in :,ronto and were produced in and lead them to investigate and 
 (ron. 20 to 25 minutes and witness- find the truth. 
 
«^ CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 JAMES BAXTER, M.D. 
 
 CHATHAM. 
 
 Had time permitted I intended to 
 have given in this chapter a sifting 
 of the results of lo or 15 vears of 
 private sitt jjs in my own office, 
 but as it it IS impossible 'inder pres- 
 ent circumstances to do so, I will 
 give one or two instances of exper- 
 ience thaf 'led up to my conversion" 
 to Spiritualism. 
 
 In i8;o I was boarding in a house 
 in Boston and attending classes at 
 "Harvard." On the fifth of July 
 the daughter of the landladv com- 
 mitted suicide by shooting her- 
 self through the heart. Her 
 mother and I heard the report 
 and rushed together to her room 
 whei- we found her as stated. 
 About 3 or 4 weeks after the land- 
 lady received a note from a med- 
 ium up Washington St. at the 
 
 107 
 
 "Neck," saying that the spirit of 
 her daughter wished to speak to 
 her and appointing the next Sunday 
 for the meeting at her rooms. She 
 showed the note ;o me asking my 
 •"'we. I said, "Oo not go, .she is a 
 take, she knows you by sight prob- 
 ably because the occurrence has 
 become public property and she will 
 •stufT you with all m,anner of non- 
 sense, but she probably does not 
 know me and your daughter does. 
 I will go, and if there is anvthing in 
 il your daughter will speak to me." 
 1 went, and found a room with ab- 
 out fifty or sixty persons present, 
 took a seat quietly in their midst 
 and awaited developments. By 
 and by a lady of 45 accompf.nied 
 by her husband entered and took a 
 seat on the dais, became controlled 
 and gave messages to several, 
 mostly unimportant and altogether 
 trivial it seemed to me. Then she 
 arose, walked down the aisle with 
 closed eyes and, placing her hand on 
 myshouldersaid,"! wish to speak to 
 you, follow me." I did so and she 
 led me into the adjoining room, and 
 shutting the door, turned and said 
 "^■ou are from the provinces, your 
 father had so many children, you 
 have a brother in New V'ork stuQv- 
 ing medicine" and she gave nie 
 many details of the manner of her 
 death and things that had trans- 
 pired before, many of which I was 
 at the time ignorant of, and which 
 I afterwards verified. I was not at 
 this time a Spiritualist. 
 In 1880, in July, I was visiting the 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 lo8 
 
 bnither spoken of in the Ust para- 
 graph anJ was then practising in 
 M— We Jrove out into tlie count- 
 ry one day aiit! the subject of dis- 
 course beinK "immortality of the 
 soul," 1 atTirmini; and he denyint;, 
 for he was a conlirmed materialist 
 and said that when a man was dead 
 he was "well dead" as the French 
 say, and that was all there was to 
 it. In four weeks afterward he was 
 dead himself. Some months after 
 (I forget exactly how long) a medi- 
 unij — H— {a friendofminewhohad 
 baroly known my brother) came into 
 my office and we began talking 
 over our experiences in spiritual 
 matters when he suddenly became 
 controlled and placing his hand on 
 my shoulder he said "Jim, I am glad 
 to be able to meet you again." I 
 said, "Who is it?" "Your brother 
 G." I at once thought of putting 
 a testanJsaid, "If you are he whom 
 
 you say you are, you can doubtless 
 tell me the subjectof discussion that 
 day going to and coming from the 
 lake." He said, "Oh yes, but I have 
 found cause to change my mind 
 :.ince then and why? For the best 
 reaso'. in the world— I died and am 
 alive. There is ;uch a thing as life 
 after death. 1 was mistaken." 
 I will only further add that the 
 above-mentioned medium — J.H. 
 died in San Francisco and a month 
 or two after I received a Message 
 from him from Texas throughamedi- 
 um, acomplete stranger, who said, "1 
 do not know either of you but I am 
 requested h; the spirit of J. H. to 
 tell you S:c.' Now 1 do not know 
 of course whether J. H. knew him 
 or not, but I certainly did not. 
 Now, kind reader, let the brevity of 
 the time at my command be my ex- 
 cuse for the imperfections of my 
 t*.. timony. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 CiliOPdl-; DAWSON 
 
 MIVVTHKAL, giliHEl. 
 
 It was in the jear 1IS84 thiit my 
 attention was first seriously Jireclej 
 towards the subje.t ol' Spiritualism. 
 At that lime I was .r member olthe 
 Anglican Church, and a constant 
 attendant upon her ministrations. 
 The sudden and unexpected death 
 of a near and dear m mber ol' my 
 family caused me to turn my atten- 
 tion very earnestly to the question 
 of the mimortality of the soul. I'p 
 to this time I had believed the doc- 
 trine in a general way, or thought I 
 believed it; but now, I wanted to 
 imn; not merely to Mini: The 
 question now assumed an import- 
 ance it had never previously had in 
 my mind. I began to examine the 
 grounds of the Christian belief in the 
 immortality of the soul, but the 
 more I examined the weaker they 
 
 O.) 
 
 appeared to me. The more I 
 searched the Uible for proofs of the 
 doctrine, the more I foujid myself 
 in doviht as to whicii side of the 
 i|iiesiioii— positive cir negative— the 
 liibic really susla' '. I was par- 
 liiiilarly distressed on finding that 
 tlie cho en people of (iod, the Jews, 
 had 1101 hing in their sacred books 
 ol llie Old Teslanunt to show that 
 they believed, or had any reason to 
 believe, in a future lile. It was sur- 
 prising to me how (iod, in making 
 a revelation to lliese people, could 
 iKne overlooked or forgotten this 
 subject which appeared to me of 
 such supreme importance. Kailing 
 to liiid salisiactoiy proof of immor- 
 tality in the teachings of the church 
 or in the pages jf so-called Holy 
 Hrit, 1 began to consider it it 
 might not be possible to obtain it 
 trom SO' ic other source. I rea- 
 soned that if iininortalily is a fact in 
 nati.re, it should be possible to hnd 
 in the nature of man some indica- 
 tion of the fact. I turned, there- 
 fore, from revelation, so-called, and 
 took up the divine book of nature to 
 see if I could learn anything Irom 
 its pages regarding the nature and 
 destiny of man. I had already ac- 
 quired some knowledge of mesmer- 
 ism, mind reading, clairvoyance, 
 telepathy and kindred subjects, and 
 had seen enough along these lines 
 to satisfy me of the existence of a 
 subtle and mysterious influence that 
 could be exerted by one mind upon 
 another. I found, therefore no 
 difliculty in accepting the ,, 
 
I lo WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 tion that if one mind in tho body .tudy of th. Ilt.r.tur. of the .ub- 
 
 could influ.n« anothor mind «l»o jcct. The ph.nom.n.. came alter- 
 
 in the body, it wa. rea.onable to be- ward., and .erved to conhrm me in 
 
 lieve that a mind or .pirit out of the the belief-or rather to ({.« me 
 
 body could likewise influence a mind kmmlritge in place of belnj. 
 
 or «pirit .till in the body-provided In the .ummer of iHK; ' "..ted, 
 
 .uitable condition, were afforded. for the fir.t time, the On.et Hay 
 
 Havini; become thoroughly 
 arou.ed and seized with the im- 
 men.« importance of e subject, I 
 read everyihing pro i I'on that I 
 
 Camp Meeting, where I arrived a 
 perfect stranger to all the people 
 who were there as ' ell »» to the 
 place itself. When leaving home I 
 
 coulO lay my hands on. I procured wa. careful to keep my de.tmat.oo 
 
 quite a number of the best book, a profound .ecret, and during the 
 
 extant on Spiritualism, and read iourney to Oniet 1 changed my 
 
 them with avidity. The works name, and regi.tered there as Jno. 
 
 which impressed me the most were Wil.on of Toronto, by which name 
 
 those of Col. Olcott, Rev. Samuel I was known while 1 remained at 
 
 Watson, Rev. Stainton Moses (M. 
 A. Oxi ii). Prof. Sir Wm. Crookes, 
 Alfred Russel Wallace, S. C. Hall, 
 Emma Hardinge Britten, Judge Ed- 
 munds, Epes Sargent and Mo.es 
 Hull. In the works of these au- 
 thors I found proof sufficient i sat- 
 
 the Capip. A few hours after my 
 arrival at the Camp I had a sitting 
 with Mrs. Pennell, clairvoyant and 
 trance medium. Mrs. Pennell did 
 not ask me any questions— not even 
 my name or where I came from — 
 and yet I was not five minutes in 
 
 tnOrS I lOUnU JM*«>i auiii^-.v... ■ "J 
 
 isfy any reasonable truth seek.r of her presence when she. or rather 
 
 the continuitv jf life after the h^r spirit guide speaking through 
 
 change called d.ath. These writers her, addressed me by my name 
 
 and a host of o.hers have subnutted George, and told me that I was not 
 
 to the world an overwhelming mass th. only George m the family, which 
 
 of evidence in 'avor of spirit return was perfectly true. She then gave 
 
 which no rational mind can ifTord me messages from the children of 
 
 to treat with irdifl'erence. If this 
 evidence is inadequate to establish 
 the truth of spirit return it is impos- 
 sible to establish anything b\ means 
 of human testimony, i do not wish, 
 however, to be understood as saying 
 that 1 have witness -d no spiritual 
 phenoi.nena. The point I want to 
 make here, is that I was converted 
 to a belief in Spiritualism by the 
 
 mine who had passed to spirit life 
 some years previous. She described 
 these children accurately, giving 
 names, ages, color of hair, color of 
 eyes, and mentioned incident? in 
 lives that no stranger could possibly 
 know anything about unless the 
 knowledgs were procured throi gh 
 occult or spiritual sources. 
 
 In 1894 I again visited the Onset 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 Buy C»mp Meelinif, and met a npirii 
 pholO)fruphcr named lireen. I hiiJ 
 a litlinK wilh Mr. Green, and on 
 the phou.^raph which »a» priidiiced 
 there appeared around mv own 
 •everal olher fatei, none o( which I 
 rei.o({ni»ed except one which hore 
 a slronff resemblance to a cousin ol 
 mine who had crossed the (frcat 
 divide four or five years belorc. 
 But, besides these there was a pic 
 ture ol a htlle (.-irl's (ace embedded, 
 «» it were, in the lappel of my coal. 
 Il appeared as if the face were 
 underneath the lappel and shining' 
 through it. I naturally supposed 
 the face to be that of a liiilc 
 daug:hler of mine who had passed 
 away some ..me years previous as 
 the result of an accident ; but this 
 wa" p rely a surmise. I had no 
 al e proof as ihe picture was 
 
 no. (linct enough for positive re- 
 cojfn in. Three years later (Aii>;. 
 '9") ' 'tended the Camp Meeting 
 at I.ily Dale on Lake Cassadaga, 
 where I obtained the required proof 
 as 10 the Identity of the child. I 
 was accompanied on this occasion 
 by my wile and her .sister Miss C. 
 
 McG . We were all complete 
 
 strangers to Lily Dale and the 
 campers who were there at Ihe lime. 
 We knew nobody and nobody knew 
 us. The 111 St night we were there 
 
 Miss Met; and myself attended 
 
 a trumpet seance given bv Mrs. 
 Etta Wriedl. To give a full ac- 
 count ol all that occurred at that 
 wonderful .seance A-ould require a 
 whole volume. Some six or seven 
 
 ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 spirit, came and spoke to me throujf h 
 the trumpet gi\lng their own nan«» 
 and relating lad, and hicldenl* 
 which sulliced 10 prove to me that 
 llicy were really the personalities 
 Ihey represented Ihcniselves to be. 
 •\niongst the mnnber was Ihe little 
 girl already relcrrcd 1... She came, 
 and in her own childish u.ice con- 
 >er.sed wilh us for some minute., 
 givijig satisfactory answers to all 
 Ihe questions which I put to her. I 
 did not at (irst think of the photo- 
 gniph, but suddenly the thought 
 occured 10 me that an opportunity 
 had at last arrived 10 get some 
 definite information on that subject. 
 •So, r began by questioning her a , 
 follows: "Daisy," said I, " do you 
 know anything about a photograph 
 that I had taken at Onset some 
 years ago ? " " Indeed I do," said 
 she, "for I am on il." "Von on 
 it." I exclaimed, "what part . f it 
 are you on .^ " "Right on vo,i," 
 she replied. I then asked, " Where- 
 abouts on me ? " In answer to this 
 inquiry I was touched by the end of 
 .he trumpet on the left .shoulder 
 nght on the spot corresponding with 
 the position of the child's face on 
 the photograph. What better proof 
 could any reasonable person re- 
 quire ? What better proof of 
 identity could any ; nirit give ? But 
 this was not ail that I obtained 
 from that spirit child on that occa- 
 sion. Much of what she said that 
 evening is too sacred to me to be 
 inscribed on these pages. There 
 IS, however, one more incident 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 which I feel O"" 1 ""S'^ 
 before 1 close 
 
 ,„ .elate and .his d,^ were romping .^th^ 
 
 Now, Daisy, 
 
 through the house when 
 
 said 1, 
 
 1 would like you to 
 
 tell 
 
 backwards into a sm 
 
 lall tub of hot 
 
 ater and was sc 
 
 :alded 
 
 these people here how you came to 
 die when vou did. or what was the 
 
 cause of your death? t was ;•" 
 
 accident," she replied, •■^es I 
 said " 1 know it was an accident, 
 but please state what kind of an 
 accident it was." - 1 fell," was her 
 repiv to this inquiry. O yes, 
 know vou fell," said 1, " but 1 
 would like you to tell what made 
 you fall." " It «"» •■»" "'""' ' 
 fault," she replied. A 
 
 badlv 
 .'ht. 
 
 'id not 
 
 mat sue u,c" ..- followi- „ „ 
 Nobody saw her fall, but the pre- 
 sumption is that the doK put his 
 fore paws up against her breast m 
 plav, and that in steppmf back- 
 wards from him she came agamst 
 the tub ^ with the result already 
 stated. . . 
 
 Having ascertained what she 
 me.ant by Duxie I got her to repeat 
 her answer once more—" It was all 
 nuxie's (Dusky's) fault, but, she 
 added, " he did not mean to do it. 
 Is it not a remarkable circumstance 
 
 understand who or what she 
 
 , not IS It not A iciiint"" 
 
 ,eant that this spirit .chUd.wels. >^a 
 
 after her transition and ;oo miles 
 from the place where this accident 
 occurred, should be able to tell so 
 much about it, even to the name of 
 
 the dog which caused her tal (a 
 name which I had never known), at 
 the same time exonerating the dog 
 from all blame in the matter :" 
 
 \nother remarkably strong test 
 ime to my assis.auc. .., was given me at the »ame seance 
 
 • know wl..t slie is tr>^g ^-^ ^p J^^J^^^I-^l^-- 
 ■he m ans Dusky. And U ^^,^ P^ ^^ ^^^_ ,_^ 
 
 of a conversation with him 1 asked 
 him, •■Where is your w'te ">;^^- 
 To this question he replied, Uli, 
 she is all right. She is in oron o. 
 As Ronans home was in Ottawa 1 
 naturally supposed that his wile 
 would be there, and, ot course 1 
 was somewhat surprised to hear him 
 
 -an explanation at -//-rdtMeTtl"e trith'^f Jhe 
 Twelve years previous very m-^ ^^, „„ „,king inquiries 
 
 hv Duxie, Doxie, or Dixie, 1 had 
 her repeat the word several times 
 in the hope of catching her meaning 
 but without success. As 1 was on 
 the point of giving it up in dispair, 
 mv sister-in-law wh<j, as I have 
 al'readv stated, was with me at the 
 seance came to my assist,,™^ by 
 saying 
 
 to sav , n..v. - 
 
 whoisDusky?"saidI. "Why, 
 said she, " Dusky was the name of 
 the dog, but she always called him 
 Duxie ; that was as near as she 
 could pronounce it." 
 "in order that the reader may be 
 enabled to fully comprehend the 
 above statement it will be necessary 
 ?or me to give an explanation at 
 this point 
 
 'tfthe date of this seance another 
 stter.in-law of mine (a. sister o 
 
 Miss C. McG ) was visiting at 
 
 „ house for a few days and 
 brought with her a pet dog. One 
 morning the little girl, who was then 
 ^°e" vears and four months old. 
 
 Very iiiui_ii Mv/u-.'--— 
 
 statement ; but on making inquiries 
 of his frieods a few weeks alter 1 
 found that the spirit was right and 
 my doubts and suspicions «;ere 
 wrong, for she was actually in To- 
 ronto on a visit to her daughter at 
 the time the conversation took place 
 
WHAT COPIVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 GEORGE HARVEY BROOKS, 
 
 NEWPORT, KY. 
 
 I was born in Munnsville, Madi- 
 son County, N.V., Oct. 2nd, 1853. 
 Myparents were strong Univcrsalist, 
 and, strange to relate, their parents 
 were converts to this thought, hence 
 there was instilled in me from my 
 youth up, strong- liberal tendencies, 
 but no thought of the spiritual, or 
 any inclination toward the same. 
 I never heard anything of Spirit- 
 ualism or of mediumship until 
 somewhere near my twentieth year, 
 then only in the usual form common 
 to all who do not understand. I 
 was deeply devoted to the Church, 
 and in my 17th year united with mv 
 mother nith the Church of the 
 Redeemer, Chicago, III., and was 
 put in charge of a Sunday school 
 class and worked up the largest 
 class in the room, and kept the 
 
 same unbroken for over five years. 
 As far back as 1 can remember I 
 had strange mental experiences. I 
 used to see spirits and hear their 
 voices, and can never remember the 
 time when I did not in some way 
 feel my father's influence around 
 his little family, he having gone to 
 the spirit world before I was born. 
 I grew prophetic in my spiritual 
 experiences, and never attended 
 church but that back of the min- 
 ister I would .see spirits, no matter 
 what church I would attend, the 
 same experience would accompany 
 me. 1 never told any of my ex- 
 periences to anyone, I did not know 
 what they were, nor do I know as 
 I cared very much, but I always 
 felt I would never be understood if 
 I told of what I saw and heard. 
 Later in life I found my early im. 
 pressions were correct. Before I 
 joined the church, and more es- 
 pecially afterward, I had a strong 
 inclination to enter the ministry, 
 but was held back for many reasons,' 
 one of them being a severe impedi- 
 ment in my speech ; but let me say, 
 before I go further, the spiritual 
 power removed that fr ,im me shortly 
 alter I began my work. When at 
 last I made my desire known, I was 
 bitterly opposed by my family, but 
 in spite of all I insisted, and as I 
 had resolved that such should be 
 my course in life, a way was opened 
 for me. After some preparation I 
 began my work as a missionary and 
 a worker for the Munford's Maga- 
 zine, intending in time to complete 
 
 11' 
 
 if 
 
14 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 my course and become an ordained 
 minister. It was while I was pre- 
 paring myself for the work that lay 
 before me, that 1 had marked 
 spiritual experiences, which I would 
 like to relate, but cannot. They 
 were physical as well as mental. 1 
 never entered the pulpit to do my 
 work, but just as soon as 1 stepped 
 on the platform I would receive a 
 thrill and would feel ready for any 
 emergency. Up to this time there 
 had never entered into my line of 
 thought any discussion on the sub- 
 ject of Spiritualism, nor was I in 
 any way acquainted with the work- 
 ings of the spirit, had never read 
 one of its papers, nor heard a 
 discourse, or met any of its people, 
 but foolishly held a strong prejudice 
 not onlv against Spiritualism but 
 against all other forms of religion, 
 believing that Universalism was the 
 sum total of all truth. It was while 
 in this missionary work that 1 had 
 my first experiences with the spirit- 
 ual people and with mediumship. 
 Strange to relate, in every place 
 I stopped, no matter whether 
 Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, or any 
 other state, the people seemingly 
 had all become Spiritualists, and 
 that subject was always discussed. 
 It was while in Glenwood, Mo., I 
 had my first experience with a 
 medium, Mrs. Phebe Kennedy. Her 
 phase was the raps. Never since 
 have I seen or heard her equal in 
 that line. 1 then heard, saw, and 
 felt what I never did before, and 
 received communications from spirit 
 friends. It did not convert me, i \ 
 fact, I was not so greatly interested, 
 but that first seance had a marked 
 
 influence over my life, and 1 can 
 truly say I was a changed man trom 
 that moment. On my return to 
 Chicago I inve.stigated as best I 
 could, and among those who were 
 of great help to me w.-is Daniel 
 Hale, who helped me in many ways. 
 I had sittings with Mrs. Simpson, 
 ihe noted Flower Medium ; l sat in 
 one of Mary Basten's circles ; also 
 with Mrs. Weeks, and others, but- 
 could not give up my early training 
 and my connection wi'h the church. 
 It was while attending the Mitchell- 
 ville Seminary, Iowa, that I began 
 another form of investigation. At 
 the house of Dr. T. Seems, in 
 company with his family and some 
 of mv class-mate , I sat in the 
 circle' for the first time. Space 
 forbids giving details of my mental 
 and phvsical experiences, which 
 were many and varied. .■Vfter a 
 long experience, much mental an- 
 guish and persecution, 1 at last 
 gave up my church connections, 
 bade farewell to all my family and 
 associates, and took my stand for 
 the eternal truths of Spiritualism. 
 For over eighteen years 1 have 
 advocated its truths, have gone 
 from the Atlantic to the Pacific 
 proclaiming the facts of spirit com- 
 munion, I have ever tried to impress 
 truth upon the people, and to be 
 true to the mediumship wh.ch is 
 mine to enjoy. I can truly say as 
 the years come and go, and my ex- 
 perience widens and deepens, and 
 come in contact with the world, 1 
 know that Spiritualism is the otie 
 great power that will save the world 
 and lead mankind to a higher re- 
 alization of their duties one toward 
 another, giving to each a higher 
 conception of life, and the beauty of 
 true living, the joy of soul com- 
 munion, through the knowledge of 
 intercourse with the world ot spirits. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUALISM 
 
 WILLIAM JOHNSON. 
 
 ALLEGHENY CITY, PA. 
 
 In June, 'ga, I went to Anderson, 
 Ind., and found the spiritualists 
 there building a fine temple. I 
 began to wonder what kind ot a 
 religion Spiritualism was, and went 
 with my wife several times to their 
 meetings. We began sitting in our 
 home and soon got raps and table 
 movements. 1 satisfied nijself that 
 these were produced by an unseen 
 intelligence, and this will explain 
 how I did so. We were old country 
 people (English) and had neglected 
 to write home for about i6 years, 
 so we did not know whether our 
 friends were alive or dead. One 
 Sunday morning my wife heard a 
 voice tolling her to go to the 
 Temple. This she heard several 
 times, and so got herself ready and 
 -went. Almost as soon as she en- 
 
 "5 
 
 tered, the medium, .Mrs. Maggie 
 Waite, came to her and said, " Lady, 
 when you came in an old lady came 
 1' ith you, and she tells me she is 
 your mother, Sophia Fuller, that 
 she died three months ago, in 
 Minster, Kent, England, and how 
 grieved she was at not hearing from 
 her daughter Ann, for so many 
 years." So my wife wrote home 
 and found that my mother had died 
 at the time and place the medium 
 h.id mentioned. This one test 
 started us in earnest to investigate 
 Spiritualism, 1 determined to probe 
 it to the bottom. I visited several 
 med um.s and got wonderful results. 
 In a circle of Mr. King's, in Michi- 
 gan, my brother, who died 35 years 
 before in England, came to me as 
 natural as in earth life, and while 
 he was talking the form of an uncle 
 jumped up as it seemed to me out- 
 side the cabinet. My wife and I 
 both recognized them, and they 
 seemed very glad to be able to 
 manifest themselves. Their forms 
 and expression seemed familiar ana 
 natural. At the same circle a little 
 girl, whose body we buried in 
 England, c • in apparently the 
 same body \ nad put in the coffin, 
 and came also in the same way at 
 another seance. Meantime I had 
 found out from reading the literature 
 of Spiritualism that children grow 
 to maturity in the spirit world, and 
 so I asked her to show us how she 
 looked now. She came again, and 
 of all the grand sights I have ever 
 beheld she was the most beautiful. 
 
1 1 6 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 She was almost the size of her wife sitting alone. We only had to 
 
 mother, and her style of dress al- sit a few times for materialization, 
 
 most dazzled the eyes to behold. I The first time it occurred I felt a 
 
 no longer wonder at some of the queer sensation up my back and 
 
 old prophets worshipping a human side, and power was taken from me, 
 
 spirit as a God. Hers was the and a form grew, as it were, out 
 
 most beautiful form I ever saw, and cf me, from my back and side, and 
 
 her smile was heavenly. When 1 leaned over me, and spoke to me. 
 
 asked if 1 might touch her, she But it seemed to hurt and weaken 
 
 shook her head, waved her hands my shoulder. The next time power 
 
 and disappeared from view. was taken from my side a,,d thigh. 
 
 At another seance my wife's bro- and it seemed like drawing fine 
 
 ther came to us. He came out of strings from me. This time a full- 
 
 the cabinet, took our hands in his. sized form left me, and went and 
 
 and talked with us several minutes. 
 When wife asked if her mother 
 could come, he said she was still 
 very weak, having only been four 
 months in spirit life. He said, 
 however, he would try and help her, 
 and in three or four minutes up he 
 
 caught hold ot my wife, but could 
 only stay a few seconds when it 
 droppea to the floor and formed a 
 large light as big as an average 
 sunflower, and much the same 
 shape. The same light has passed 
 frequently from one to another in 
 
 anu in inrec ut iwui iii...«i»..= "f ■.- • - 
 
 came again just as if he grew from our own room in a peculiar manner 
 
 the floor, and (outside the cabinet) 
 with his arm around his mother 
 stood talking to us for half a minute, 
 when mother seemed to slip fron 
 his g.-asp, and left him standing 
 alone. He staid for, I should say, 
 five minutes and gave a good talk 
 to all pre 
 
 had to give up sitting for ma- 
 terialization as I found it weakened 
 me and rendered me unfit for work. 
 
 I sat with A. A. Finney, trumpet 
 medium, and talked with his con- 
 trol and he told me the phenomenal 
 work is only the primary class for 
 spiritualists, and it has come to 
 
 an presfiii. -r-- . . ,, 
 
 Yet 1 would sometimes doubt the teach men that to do good is all 
 
 evidences of mv senses, and wonder the religion humanity needs. My 
 
 how a spirit c'ould take power and wife is often entranced, and makes 
 
 substance iVom a medium and build a beautiful lecture .n our nome- 
 
 u„ . naUTKl body dressed in good one of her controls being a former 
 
 clothes it.. But I have proved English Church Minister, a clergy- 
 
 that this ..n be done, and seen it man of her own village, Minster, 
 
 done in n - own home, my«elf and Kent, England. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 WILL J. ERWOOD. 
 
 LA CROSS, WIS. 
 
 Born and reared in the Catholic 
 faith, my early environments were 
 not such as to encourage the inves- 
 tigation of psychic phenomena, and 
 >n fact all such phenomena were 
 looked upon with great suspicion, 
 and Its origin was always question- 
 ed. 
 
 As a child I frequently saw differ- 
 ent objects which others could not 
 see and I described them, only to 
 meet with reproof. I can distinctly 
 remember many things of this char- 
 acter that occurred during the earl- 
 ier years of my life, but all of these 
 manifestations were looked upon as 
 being either of satanic or divine or- 
 igin, as the case might have beep 
 Everything that savored of Spirit- 
 ualism, was avoided most studious- 
 ly, by myself and relatives until 
 
 ME TO SPIRITUALISM . , 7 
 
 after our home had been removed 
 from Chicago to Los Angeles, Cal. 
 There, at the age of about twenty 
 I met, for the first time, real Spirit- 
 ualistic workers. 
 
 My first experience in a spiritual- 
 ■st.c seance is just as vivid as 
 though it occurred but yesterday 
 It was not marked by any particular- 
 ly strong manifestations, in fact I 
 remember thinking, after listening 
 to the broken language of the spirit 
 controlling the medium.that never 
 as long as I lived would I be guilty 
 of making such a fool of myself as 
 that girl did. I had no sooner al- 
 lowed this thought to enter my 
 mind than the medium turned to me 
 and in the vernacular of the con- 
 trolling spirit, said, "Chief. I would 
 like to try and put you out." The 
 friends explained that he meant he 
 would like to try and control me. 
 
 This amused me very much, and 
 I fear I expressed my amusement a 
 little strongly, for it seemed to vex 
 the control, and turning once more 
 to me, he said, rather firmly, "Chief 
 inside of a year you will be a med- 
 ium and 1 shall control you " He 
 evidently knew whereof he spoke 
 
 ftflfili J^ -"Z"'^^ "'"^ "'"ally 
 fulfilled within the .pnoinled time 
 
 This was the begining of a series 
 of events that soon culminated in a 
 declaration of my belief in Spiritual- 
 ism and its phenomena. 
 
 A few of my investigations may 
 
 n^,°K T""^ '" '"""^ "'1'° havi 
 not had similar experiences. One 
 manifestation that probably d^d as 
 rnuch toward clinching my belief in 
 the life after d=alh, and the possibil- 
 • 01 the return of spirit, occurred 
 
 m 
 
 I! I 
 
 if 
 
WHArcONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUALISM 
 
 iiS 
 
 in Los Angelas about six years ago, 
 and in m comparatively sViort time 
 after my experience with the above 
 mentioned Indian control. 
 
 I was in my own room, which by 
 the way was in the second story ot 
 a house that stood alone on a hill 
 top. The door was securely fasten- 
 ed and I busied myselt with a 
 novel till the clock struck twelve, 
 midnight. Everyone else in the 
 house was asleep, and finishing my 
 book, I prepared for bed, and ex- 
 tinguishing the lamp, retired. 1 
 had scarcely drawn the comforters 
 upon me, when I distinctly saw a 
 form start across the room, approach 
 my bed, felt it strike me forcibly 
 three times and call my name twice 
 in rather an excited voice, and quite 
 audibly too. In less time than it 
 takes to tell it, I was out of that 
 bed and had a light. I examined 
 doors, window, closet and every- 
 thing in the room in search ot the 
 intruder but she had disappeared as 
 quickly as she had appeared. Ihe 
 novel I had been reading was entir- 
 ely foreign to the subject of Spmt- 
 ual ism, and taking into consider- 
 ation the fact that I never used in- 
 toxicants and was consequently en- 
 tirely sober, also that all doors were 
 securely fastened, we have s-ome- 
 thing that can hardly be accounted 
 for by the theory of delusion or 
 hallucination. . 
 
 At another time I was worried 
 about an old friend, a man of 
 sevent-four years of age. He lived 
 at Long Branch, Cal., and I in Los 
 Angeles. 1 wished to convey some 
 good news to him, but none came 
 iosendhin-.. Word came that he 
 was ill , and I longed to see him, 
 but could not get away. 
 
 One night I retired, lost conscious- 
 ness, then suddenly realized that I 
 w.ison my way to his home. 1 
 
 entered his home and saw him ly- 
 ing upon a couch in delirium. 1 
 went up to him, when he 'iddenly 
 looked up and saw me. ..eachlng 
 out his hand he exclaimed, "Bless 
 you! Bless you!" He always greet- 
 ed me that way. We grasped 
 hands for a moment and then part- 
 ed, I awakening and finding myself 
 in my own body once more. Hall- 
 ucination never could explain this, 
 as we were each conscious of that 
 phenomena. My own life has been 
 saved more that once by the voicei 
 of warning that have accompanied 
 me for the past seven years. Sleep- 
 ing or waking these angels from an- 
 other shore have come to guard and 
 give warning of impending dangers. 
 Slate writings I have received have 
 been but additional evidence toprove 
 the continuity of life and spirit re- 
 turn. One slate writing in particu- 
 lar hitd five different hand writ- 
 ings upon the slate, and names that 
 I knew nothing of. Upon taking 
 the slates home and showing them 
 to my father, he told me that the 
 unknown names were relations of his 
 who had had passed away in Eng- 
 la.id years before I was born. 
 Can mind reading be given as an 
 explanation of these phenomenal" 
 We think not. 
 
 The preponderance of evidence is 
 so great that I am forced to believe, 
 nay more than that, to know that 
 Spiritualism is not a theory but a 
 demonstrable fact. Though I have 
 no quarrel with my Catholic relatives 
 or friends, not for worlds would I 
 go back into that fold. 
 
 Once we have tasted the true 
 freedom that comes with an under- 
 standing of truth we can never be 
 satisfied with bondage either mental 
 or physical. Spiritualism appeals 
 to me as a synonvm of Freedom and 
 Truth and the truth makes us free. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 C. F. BROADHURST 
 
 ARNPRIOR, ONT. 
 
 At the age of 22 I was engaged 
 in Christian work in Hereford, Eng. 
 I left there and went to my home, 
 my father be-ug a farmer living near 
 a village called Mamble in Worces- 
 tershire. I had been at home two 
 weeks and each Sunday had attend- 
 ed the church at Clowstop, one mile 
 away. The third Sunday morning 
 when I came down I told my father 
 that 1 had to take the service at 
 Clowstop. He .isked me how 1 
 knew. I told him I had seen my- 
 self three times in the night stand- 
 ing in the pulpit preaching to the 
 people, and every time preaching 
 from the same text. He said, "Go, 
 my boy, and the Lord be with you, 
 but if you are going to preach at 
 Clowstop to-night you ought to pre- 
 pare yourself. " I asked him what 
 
 119 
 
 preparation I needed, as the one 
 who'gave me the vision would speak 
 through me. That night was stormy, 
 bui ! started off by my.self and sat 
 by the door. The chapel was well 
 filled. Each time the door opened 
 people would look around for the 
 minister, but none c- me. After 
 waiting twenty minutes I walked up 
 into the pulpit and began the ser- 
 vice. All went well until I gave 
 out the same text I had used in my 
 dream (the conversion of St. Paul). 
 That was all I remembered. I felt 
 as though 1 was floating. When I 
 came to myself I saw by my watch 
 I had been speaking three quarters 
 ofan hour, but knew nothing that 
 was said. I went home greatly 
 mystified. I have had the same ex- 
 perience many times since. 
 
 I came to Canada in '93. I had 
 heard a great deal about Spiritual- 
 ism in England, but it was suppos- 
 ed to be of the devil, so I steered 
 clear of it. 
 
 On the night of Feb. 3rd, tgoo, 
 we had retired for the night. I was 
 awake, thinking, when 1 felt a 
 strange feeling and heard a report 
 as if a revolver had been fired. I 
 looked, and standing at the foot of 
 my bed was a man in shining light. 
 The hair was dark, his eyes blue, 
 and he was standing like a statue. 
 He had purple pants, but the rest of 
 the body was nude. I did not 
 speak — I could not. He gradually 
 passed away. I told my wife what 
 1 had seen and got up, lit the lamp, 
 looked at the clock and found it was 
 
 'il 
 
 1, 
 If 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 1 20 
 
 12.30. We retired about 12. I 
 met a friend, Mr. M— , a miner, 
 who is a medium. 1 asked him to 
 cjme up in the evenintf. He took 
 up a slate and pencil. I then asked 
 who it was I saw the ni(;ht before. 
 His hand began to move and wrote 
 "Theodore Brown, West Bromich, 
 England." He then spoke through 
 the medium and said, " Mr. Broad- 
 hurst, you have seen me." I said I 
 did not remember him and had only 
 been through West Bromich once, 
 and then on my wheel. He then 
 asked, " How would you like to see 
 my astral body ?" I said I would 
 like to see one. " What did you 
 think of me last night when I came?" 
 1 asked him what he was in Eng- 
 land. He said he was a minister of 
 the Gospel. He also gave me good 
 advice respecting my health and said 
 he would come again. I asked my 
 wife if she knew him. She said she 
 was once introduced to a young lady 
 who was to be married to him, but 
 had not seen him. He came again 
 the night of the 3rd. I have not 
 seen him since, but others have, and 
 given his name in full. At a sitting 
 with Mrs. Etta Wreidt, the trumpet 
 medium, I had a long talk with 
 Theodore Brown. 
 
 My first " soul flight " was early 
 last winter, while staying in Vic- 
 toria, B.C. We retired about 9.30. 
 1 felt a great power pass over me. 
 I wondered what it meant. The 
 thought came to me : Resist not the 
 spirit. I kept passive and felt a 
 sensation of floating away. My 
 
 eyes were open to a glorious sight, 
 which 1 have longed many times to 
 behold again. Under our feet were 
 lovely flowers, on each side beat ti- 
 ful trees. I was in company with 
 one whom I knew. We were float- 
 ing over the country at a rapid rate. 
 1 could see myself. I looked the 
 same as in my body. I said to my 
 companion, " This is grand ; let's 
 keep on going." 1 was travelling 
 on the right hand side of him. At 
 last we came to some great moun- 
 tains. We seemed to be going at 
 lightning speed. 1 heard the roar 
 of rushing water, and in an instant 
 I seemed crowded, and struck the 
 great volume. I had the sensation 
 of spitting it out of my mouth. I 
 was afraid. My companion took 
 my hand and said, " Be not afraid, 
 though you passthrough deep waters 
 I will uphold you." We went on 
 over a great lake. I could see for 
 miles the sparkling water on my 
 left and the great waterfall on my 
 right, which must have been hun- 
 dreds of feet high. In front was an 
 opening between two mountains, 
 where we tarried, standing upon flat 
 rock. Behind us was the la! e. 
 Here we talked together. Every 
 word of the conversation I can re- 
 member and never could forget. 
 At last we started to go. The love- 
 ly sights passed from view. I lost 
 consciousness and could feel I was 
 gradually coming to myself. My 
 wife asked me what was the matter, 
 as she had been trying to make me 
 hear her but could not, as I was like 
 one dead. I have been away sever- 
 al times since. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 SL'SIE C. CLARK 
 
 CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 
 
 My earliest remembrance of seein)f 
 a spirit was during a severe illness 
 when, at limes, the nerves about 
 the heart contracted, causinjr pain- 
 ful spasms. I was convalescintr, so 
 that the customary nijfht watch (on 
 the earthly plane) had been omitted. 
 I was therefore quite surprised on 
 this occasion, when in comparative 
 comfort I opened my eyes and look- 
 ed about the room, to see in the 
 moonlit bay-window, my mother (as 
 I supposed! sitting in her old place 
 m the rocking chair. Just then, 
 trying to turn unaided, a recurrence 
 of the contraction suddenly induced 
 *"« approach of a violent spasm. 
 Although powsriess to call my moth- 
 er, the form I supposed hers quickly 
 arose and, gliding to the bedside, 
 leaned over me and placed one hand 
 firmly upon my heart, with an indes- 
 cribable effect, one of perfect relax- 
 ation and peace, accompanied by 
 the tingling of ne-v life and influx of 
 strength. She stood quietly, tang- 
 ibly bending above me, until, re- 
 lieved and soothed, I sank to sleep. 
 The next morning I remarked in 
 surprise to my mother : " Was it not 
 singular how quickly you helped me 
 last night .= -iou never produced 
 such an eflfect before." and was as- 
 sured that she had not been out of 
 her bed during the night. 
 
 Later visitations of this spirit in 
 the broad, honest daylight, when I 
 was a more critical observer, reveal- 
 ed the personality of an aunt who 
 died in my early childhood, and had 
 been since then a self-constituted 
 guardian of my welfare, in matters 
 both grave and trivial, often by a 
 loud adinonilory rap warning me to 
 
 III 
 put on a warmer wrap than I had 
 purposed wearing.and through deep, 
 er, more subtle suggestions showing 
 her strong, untiring interest in my 
 spiritual growth and grasp of higher 
 truth. It Is now remembered that 
 among the last words uttered by 
 this spirit before her transition, when 
 I. at the age of two years, was 
 brought into her room, was : "Take 
 good care of that child," not know- 
 ing thenthatsuch faithful task would 
 be hers. 
 
 But my entrance into Spiritualism 
 was not made through the avenue 
 of phenomena, of which more won- 
 derful illustration will be offered in 
 this volume than 1 could furnish, 
 but my devout allegiance to this 
 grand philosophy wasgainedthrough 
 the gateway of pain and prolonged 
 prostration, which the most erudite 
 medical science was powerless to re- 
 lieve. Spiritualism, with its won- 
 derful healing potencies came as the 
 angel of emancipation, revealing 
 thus the hidden laws of being and 
 their consequent proclamation of 
 freedom from all bondage, physical 
 and mental. 
 
 May we not say that the accep- 
 tance of spiritual truth comes to all 
 naturally through growth (even as 
 the world is revealed to the kitten 
 that gets its eyes open); it comes 
 from our growing ability to grasp 
 that which is true, s-ice Truth is 
 supreme and must, sooner or later, 
 possess eiery mind. Is it not, 
 then, almost amusing that we should 
 find it necessary to tell the world 
 ■ what converted us to Spiritual- 
 ism "; why, when, or how we out- 
 grew our swaddling clothes and be- 
 gan to be men ? Since when did we 
 discover that water runs down hill 
 and the morning dew exhales itself 
 toward the sun, or any other self- 
 evident fact ? How could the en- 
 
1 12 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 lightened, pro({res»ive mind do oth- 
 erwise than seek to be fed on the 
 atronK pabulum of advanced ideas? 
 How could the aspiring sp'"' f"'' '" 
 find its own, its union with all spirits 
 
 in every realm, its vital at-one-inent 
 with the Great Source of all Wisdom 
 —Omnipotent Spirit ? Thus will all 
 men eventually come to a knowledge 
 of the wealth, the beauty and truth 
 of the spiritual philosophy. 
 
 GEO WASHINGTON Bt'RNHAM 
 
 WILLIMANTIC, CONN. 
 
 I was born in Ohio in 1818. In 
 early life my parents removed to 
 Connecticut and joined the Shakers. 
 My father became elder and pro- 
 moter of the Shaker faith. 
 
 I was naturally religious as a boy 
 and became identified with, and an 
 earnest supporter of the Shaker 
 faith. My friends used every legiti- 
 mate inducement to persuade me to 
 remain a Shaker, but I outgrew it, 
 and my next step was into Univer- 
 salism. Into this I drifted by my 
 own growth and development. I 
 was then about 18 years of jge. 
 About ten years later I became some- 
 what acquainted with spiritual teach- 
 ing through the spiritual papers, 
 and becoming interested, embraced 
 what few opportunities came my 
 way for looking into spiritual phe- 
 nomena. 
 
 About this time a woman lecturer 
 came to Willimantic, and so instruc- 
 tive and consistent were ner teach- 
 ings of the spiritual philosophy that 
 all my doubts were dispelled and I 
 saw the naturalness and reasonable- 
 ness of the system of t.uth presented 
 in her teachings, and was so irri- 
 pressed with the evidence of spirit 
 return that I became an avowed 
 Spiritualist. Since that time— 45 
 years ago — I have seen no reason 
 to change my opinion of the truth 
 of spiritual teaching. Experience 
 
 has but deepened my conviction of 
 its absolute verity, and experience* 
 in connection with the phenomena 
 have changed my faith in man's im- 
 mortality, in the conscious survival 
 of the spiritual nature after the 
 change called death, into what I re- 
 gard as positive knowledge. 
 
 From my own experiences also, 
 as well as from the ' ' great cloud of 
 witnesses " to spirit return and com- 
 munion, I may assert a positive 
 knowledge of the fact of spirit re- 
 turn and communion. To ire the 
 so-called *' communion o( saints " is 
 a reality, and not a fancy. 
 
 Accordingly, I have since been 
 identified with the Spiritualistic 
 movement, and in 1865 was chosen 
 President of our State Association, 
 and again in iS6g I accepted office 
 for the purpose of organizing a camp 
 meeting at Niantic, and acted as 
 President of it in 188! under the 
 State organization. I also took a 
 prominent part in the organization 
 at Lake Pleasant Camp for some 
 years. In 1876 I was again elected 
 President of the State organization 
 and held the office for eight years 
 since. I have also been honored 
 with appointment as delegate to the 
 N.S..\. convention for two years in 
 succession. 
 
 I have always stood ready by voice 
 and pen to expound and defend the 
 sublime message of Spiritualism to 
 the world, and now at 83 find iny 
 interest unabated and my desires in- 
 creasing to see it carried to the ends 
 of the earth. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUALISM 
 
 A. R. McDonald. 
 
 Piaidm oi Ibt TaroMo SpMtwtUit 
 AMOcklloo. 
 
 TORONTO. 
 
 Prior to 1896 I did not Icnow the 
 meaninif of the word Spiritualism. 
 We lost an only son of seven years, 
 who has availed himselt of every 
 opportunity o( coming back, and 
 with loving n:essages to his mother 
 and myse", has proven conclusively 
 that there is no death, and that a 
 spirit can return and comfort tho.se 
 on the earth plane. 
 
 During one of my many trips 
 across the Rocky Monntains 1 re- 
 ceived an account of a trumpet 
 seance held in Toronto, the first 
 attended by my wife, when a spirit 
 sister, who had passed over to spirit 
 side of lile before my wife was b. rn, 
 and had grown to maturity, revealed 
 herself and proved her identity by 
 telling her name, also the names of 
 our children, and that to her was 
 entrusted the keepingof our children 
 (four in all) in spirit world. (What 
 a comforting thought !) Later, on 
 my return east I stopped in Detroit. 
 I saw an advertisement of Mr. 
 W. E, Cole, the famous medium. I 
 went to him a total stranger. I did 
 not know a single person in Detroit 
 at that time. During the seanc. 
 my name was called through the 
 trumpet. I asked who was speaking. 
 
 The spirit gave name and relation- 
 ship, also named my children who 
 were with her, and sent a messaf^ 
 to my wife, calling her t)y her 
 christian name. In Toronto my 
 first phenomena were table rapping, 
 in which I had convincing proofs of 
 life beyond the grave, a brother 
 spelling out his name and answering 
 numerous questions, giving tacts 
 known only to my wife and self. A 
 brother-in-law, a mere lad who was 
 killed by falling from a iree when 
 nutting, after telling his name, 
 .-ige, &c., and when asked the cause 
 of his death, simply spelled tlie 
 word tree My first public message 
 was given by Mrs. Kates in this 
 city. Her words were "I see the 
 date, April 7th, 1879. It is for a 
 gentleman in the audience," des- 
 cribing myself, " and the paper with 
 this date changed your whole life." 
 I was then pointed out. I failed to 
 recognize it. .She then uescribed an 
 office desk very minutely and certain 
 pigeon holes and drawer which cor- 
 responded with one I had in my 
 office then, and said that in a certain 
 drawer I would find the paper. 
 And every word was verified later. 
 This event having entirely left my 
 mind after nineteen years, was thus 
 publicly given by the medium. 
 .Mediumship developed in my own 
 home. 
 
 .My wife developed writing inspi- 
 rational poetry, which was very 
 irprising to me since she had not 
 shown the slightest trace of poetical 
 talent previously — in fact, had quitt 
 
 M 
 
1 24 WHAT OONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 her part to even 
 
 an avermon o 
 reading poetry, 
 
 I received over fifty ver»c!i of 
 poetry from my own mother, in 
 in which was described in beautiful 
 verse her own deathbed, and her 
 meetini; with my father and itiiiter 
 who were waitint; in the room to 
 welcome her spirit to the world 
 beyond. She also described the re- 
 claiminff of a son from the lower 
 spheres — in whii^-h she says, she 
 helped him to atone for his sins, 
 and enabled him to ascend to a 
 higher life. No price could buy 
 these verses if I could not replace 
 them. This inspiration only tasted 
 a short year, and then left the 
 
 my aon, Lloyd, and aforementioned 
 lad, his boy chum Robbie (when on 
 earth life) who accompanied his 
 father and mother, and sat on a 
 stool at their feet. It sounded a^ 
 though one boy had been off visiting 
 and was relating to his boy com- 
 panion what had happened, and 
 asked numerous questions about 
 other boy playmates, and spoke of 
 events that happened during his 
 lifetime. 
 
 During a visit to Lily Dale 1 had 
 spirit slate writings, and they were 
 very satisfactory, my questions being 
 answered. I selected and washed 
 three slates, which never left my 
 sight or possession, and in a few 
 minutes I had answers to four quest- 
 
 medium (my wife) except at rare ions by spirit friends, whom I called 
 intervals. upon, all in bright daylight, the sun 
 
 At a trumpet seance, held in my shining into the room at the time. 
 
 home by Mrs. Wreidt, the great 
 prima-donna, Miss Emma Abbott, 
 joined in a hymn then being sung. 
 At my request, she gave her name, 
 and also sang several selections. 
 She also said the last time sh« sang 
 
 One by Lloyd, written in boyish 
 capital letters in red crayon. When 
 in earth life he delighted to write 
 with a red or blue lead pencil, and 
 invariably made capitals. The other 
 messages were by common slate 
 
 in Toronto was at Mrs. Morrison's pencil, the slates being tied together 
 
 Opera House, before the fire. She 
 requested tpy brother-in-law, who is 
 a violinist, to play, and she would 
 sing. His violin was brought and 
 his first selection, to which Miss 
 Abbott sang, was " When the 
 Swallows Homeward Fly," fol- 
 lowed by "Ave Maria," part of 
 an opera, and then *' Home, Sweet 
 Home," which was certainly the 
 most heavenly singing ever heard 
 by mortal ears My brother-in-law, 
 who has been a leader of an 
 orchestra for years, said that he had 
 played for crazy people, drunken 
 people, but never to ghosts before. 
 Many striking and convincing phys- 
 ical phenomena occurred in the 
 same seance. A pleasing incident 
 At same seance was a talk between 
 
 alt the time, and held by the writer 
 These stales can be seen at my 
 house to-day. 
 
 Our boy, when in earth life, had 
 a common cardboard ABC card 
 suspended from a shelf in the dining 
 room, and when learning his letters 
 used to kneel on a chair and turn 
 the card around repeatedly, com- 
 paring the capitals with the common 
 letters, and the card is turned the 
 same way very often now, in fact, 
 almost daily, especialy when the 
 family are assembled around the 
 dining table, and some time ago a 
 clairvoyant happened to call and 
 observed the card moving, described 
 a spirit boy kneeling on a chair 
 cxumiiiing the card, he knowing 
 nothing of our boy or the event. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPnUTUALIMH „^ 
 
 LYMAN C. HOWE 
 
 ^KEDOXIA, N. V. 
 
 My first experiences in modern 
 Spiritualism were in 1854 at the 
 home of Gilbert William», in the 
 town of Hornersville, N.V. I wns 
 teaching a district school in the 
 " Hendersho't school house,' and 
 as was the custom then, "boarded 
 around." One evening while I was 
 at the Williams home a circle was 
 formed, consisting of six persons, 
 Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Hillahrant, the 
 three children-all pupils in mv 
 ■school-and mvsell. We were ail 
 novices and had to learn by experi- 
 ence and reason our way to conclu- 
 sions. Xothintf was then known of 
 thouKfht transference, the subcon- 
 scous ego, the subliminal self, tele- 
 pathy, the .Astral, mind reading and 
 other substitutes for truth since 
 then invented to escape the one ra- 
 tional interpretation of the new or- 
 
 •'«'• of f,ct«, .-hich had their firit 
 "inking illust, i„n «t Mvdesville 
 N-^., in 1K4S. We were after 
 truth, and nothing more. When 
 hi™ Jane, a bright girl „r about ,2 
 years of age, showed signs of unus- 
 ual character, a, we .sat a. .und the 
 taWeinan enquiring tun, >,f mind, 
 all were eager to note anv new phe- 
 nomenon that might develop. We 
 were suiriciently posted ,., realize 
 that hrst phases o( mediumship were 
 I'My to be crude and imperfect 
 and we were not looking for mira' 
 "■■I"- Kliza Jane Williams was 
 moved to act in a variciv of ways 
 quite unlike her normal self, coni 
 "picuous among which were auto- 
 matic movements of her hand and 
 organs of speech. We questioned 
 and got many striking proofs of an 
 intelligence acting upon her, and 
 apparently seeking ,0 insliuct us in 
 the meaning of this new manifest.!- 
 tlon. We soon discovcioj that ihis 
 intelligence could not oiilv bear and 
 sense our oral questions, but could 
 also read our thoughts. In the 
 Jays of Jesus this wonderful gift 
 was regarded as proof positive of 
 his divinity. But here was an un- 
 pretentious school girl doing the 
 same thing, and no one suspected 
 her of being a god, or a special 
 daughter of God, because of this re- 
 markable phenomenon. This girl 
 —or the intelligence acting upon hcr 
 —gave direct and positiie proof in 
 many ways by resj.onding to men- 
 tal que.stions almost immed.alely af 
 terthe questioner had formed the 
 
126 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 \H 
 
 wo'ds in his mind. Believing, yet 
 doubting, I watched, questioned and 
 meditated. There was no escaping 
 the eviden;e of the senses. Some- 
 thing was there which could under- 
 stand a mental question and move 
 this girl's hand, or her organs ot 
 speech, to answer it. This was 
 tested and verified over and over, 1 
 think, hundreds of times. But the 
 ouestion was always directed to the 
 spirit that controlled, and not to the 
 girl who was the medium. There 
 was no effort to fix and hold the 
 mind upon the object thought of, 
 nor did anyone touch the medium or 
 make any sign or suggestion audi- 
 ble to mortal ears. The thought or 
 request, directed silently to the 
 spirit, received immediate attention 
 and prompt answer, with an occa- 
 sional exception or failure. This is 
 common to all mediumship. Even 
 Jesus required conditions, and laitn 
 was his common ■ally; and some- 
 times faith did it all. " Thy faith 
 hath made thee whole " is his evi- 
 dence. , , 
 After a few sittings I was startled 
 and amazed by my right hand being 
 lifted from the table by an unseen 
 power, without any co rp,=ration of 
 mv own volition. Rapidly loUowed 
 m'anv startling phenomena, all indi- 
 cating the directing presence of un- 
 seen human beings, or something 
 that could see, hear, think and talk, 
 presenting the characteristics of hu- 
 man intelligence. It was not infin- 
 ite— it knew more than we did, but 
 it did not know everything. 
 
 After many experiences, in wh.ch 
 I was entirely conscious, and con- 
 stantly demanding more proof that 
 it was really excarnate human be- 
 ing- moving me, I made the ultim- 
 ate demand, " If you will make me 
 talk I will doubt no more. This 1 
 thought impossible. Almost im- 
 
 mediately my lips began to move as 
 if speaking, but there was no voice, 
 not even the faintest breath. It ap- 
 peared as if I was expected to fur- 
 nish the voice and the spirit would 
 use it to express words. But I re- 
 fused. " If 1 give you the voice I 
 shall suspect I do it all. If you are 
 to make me talk you must provide 
 the voice without any help from me. 
 This was my ultimatum. Very 
 soon a new phenomenon surprised 
 me. A strange vibration set up all 
 through my chest, rapidly increas- 
 ing in intensity, and soon accom- 
 panied by a deep, regular, but en- 
 tirely abnormal breathing, which in- 
 creased in force and volume, and 
 produced a strange, subdued gut- 
 teral sound, seemingly at the base 
 of the thorax, which steadily grew 
 in volume, and changed position, 
 until it became a voice, akin to, yet 
 verydifferentfrommyown. Changes 
 rapidly followed until my lips and 
 tongue were benumbed and out of 
 the control of my volition, but evi- 
 dently subject to a superior will. In 
 less time than I write it this artifi- 
 cial and temporal voice was used in 
 connection with my tongue and lips, 
 all moved by a power not my own, 
 and with decided emphasis spoke 
 the one word, "Triih." Almost 
 instantlyevery vestigeof this strange 
 condition was gone and I felt as 
 natural as if nothing had occurred. 
 The next evening a similar process 
 evoked, " Trulh— believe ■" Very 
 soon this was extended, arid 1 was 
 talking in perfectly measured ryth- 
 mic rhyme, and not a word or sylla- 
 ble was known to me before it was 
 uttered. Perfectly conscious, and 
 criticising every sentence, yet I had 
 no hint of a word in advance, and 
 often watched with curious wonder 
 to see what the word would be to 
 rhyme with the preceding line, but 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM . 27 
 
 not a syllable or sound did I get in 
 advance, and it never failed to make 
 the rhyme complete. 
 
 I could write a week in this line 
 without tellinsf half the incidents, 
 tests, prophecies and marked exper- 
 iences that testified to immortalitv 
 in those days of our spiritual child'- 
 hood. The facts that developed 
 spontaneously bore as definite testi- 
 mony to a future life as the more 
 marvellous phenomena that have 
 since then challenged the skepticism 
 of the schools of science and com- 
 pelled the attention and confidence 
 of many of the brightest intellects in 
 the world. 
 
 .As an illustration of the methods 
 employed to develop and at the 
 same time convince the sensitives, 
 as well as the observers, I win re- 
 w^r " *^^"' '"'^'''en's. Marshall 
 Williams, a young man about nin- 
 teen years of age, was subject to 
 the same psychic influences; but like 
 myself he was constantly doubtini; 
 the spiritual claims, and asking fur^ 
 ther proof that human spirits moved 
 his hand to write. We sat together 
 m the school house many nights 
 until 1 1 p.m. or later experiment- 
 ing. One stumbling block was 
 that while these automatic move- 
 ments to write, signal, talk, ect 
 were seemingly independent of our 
 volition, we could stop them bv the 
 exercise of the will against them. 
 The hand, lips and entire bodv 
 would perform a great varietv o'f 
 movements, exhibiting a direct- 
 ing intelligence without any con- 
 scious cooperation of our vilition, 
 or any suggestion, or anticipation 
 in our thoughts, and these manifest- 
 ations often surprised us with intell- 
 igence and special statements of 
 facts before unknown to us, and fre- 
 quently in direct opposition to our 
 previous understanding and belief 
 
 and against our prejudices, and all, 
 apparently directed by individual in- 
 telligenr s invisible to us, often man- 
 ifesting surprising power over phys- 
 ical th'i.j,'-. ;, -I by a positive resist- 
 an. ■ hi; wnult 11, : I be stopped in 
 a n imun. Here , as something to 
 stL'y. Kacts wl-.hout interpreta- 
 tior !,< nol inst.uct or profit us 
 much. Wnau er was inducing 
 these phenomena was manifestly ex- 
 traneous to the consciousness of the 
 medium and acted upon the organ- 
 ism by some means closely allied to 
 the human will. Kut it had not the 
 power to supplant the will of the 
 subject, except temporarilv and by 
 consent, and whenever the consent 
 was withdrawn, and the subject ex- 
 erted his own will, all abnormal 
 manife.stations ceased in an instant. 
 Let the medium withdraw opposi- 
 tion and again the supernormal ac- 
 tion asserted itself. This seemed to 
 show that the unseen operators 
 formed a conjunction with motor 
 centres of the organism, or the psy- 
 chic aura that permeat s the brain 
 and nervous .system, and serves as a 
 medium between conscious intelli- 
 gence and the molecular structures 
 of the body. But the soul in the 
 body is its rightful owner and is in 
 closer svmpalhy with it than any 
 outside person can be, so long as it 
 chooses to hold its place and exer- 
 cise its sovereignty. But when, for 
 any purpose, it surrenders its au- 
 thority for a season to another, the 
 volition of the outside person may 
 use the organism by the same law 
 and process, but not so perfectly as 
 the natural owner of the organism, 
 and in many instances there seems 
 to be a co-operation by mutual con- 
 sent between the excarnate soul and 
 the indwelling ego. And this ap- 
 pears to be the superior state and 
 highestmanifestationofmediumship. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 ' 1 ! 
 
 128 
 
 It was a peculiar feature in all 
 these early experiences, »">> h"^^^" 
 companied me all through hfe, that 
 in the action of spiritual influences, 
 no matter what the phase of expres- 
 sion or degree of exaltation, con- 
 sciousness has always held its hrone 
 undisturbed. Under the most pow- 
 erful influences, in which 1 seem to 
 be transformed and translated, I am 
 always conscious, usually more in- 
 tensely conscious than at any other 
 ttme I reason, question criticise 
 and thrill with pleasure when some 
 new idea suddenly rises before my 
 mental vision, while spiritual intel^ 
 ligences manipulate my brain and 
 evoke its possibilities. ,,,.,,.„„„ 
 
 At the home of Gilbert \yilliams 
 we had many seasons of ^--'""^ «; 
 perience. Mr. W. was a carpenter 
 and joiner by trade and was seldom 
 a" home except Saturday mghts and 
 
 Sundays. He took no ■"•"«''" 
 spiritual matters. »« ?«"'.''%^^" 
 pected there was something in Spir- 
 itualism, but he was not g«'nB '° 
 bother his head with It. ''Let the 
 fools find it out, and then there will 
 be time enough for me," he often 
 
 ^*'one Saturday evening, about 8 
 o'clock, he had retired. Mrs 
 Williams was anxious to ™P™« 
 every opportunity to learn. She 
 quietlv shut the door to his sleeping 
 room,' and asked me to allow the 
 spiritL to control me. At that time 
 they seemed to be always present 
 waiting for an opportunity; and 
 Xnever 1 gave my consent th^r 
 operations commenced. As it to 
 aid in the control of my ^peech, my 
 right hand and arm were constantly 
 :;^oved to keep time with he voce 
 
 and measure the sentences. After 
 some unintelligible utterances the 
 voice through my lips "egan to 
 repeat, in measured regularity, and 
 
 with forceful emphasis ; "He sees, 
 he knows, he sees, he knows, he 
 sees, he knows; "and this was all. 
 After some ten minutes of this re- 
 petition and apparently meaningless 
 expression, Mr. Wilhams called m 
 angry tones to his wife in the fo- 
 lowing ecclesiastical style, Oo » 
 
 bed.' Such d nd witchcraft as 
 
 that must not be in my house. 1 be 
 rules will be laid down in the morn- 
 ing, and there'll be no more of this 
 foolishness and deviltry around 
 here " He concluded that some- 
 thing could "see and know, and 
 Mr W. told his wife, that he was 
 awake when she shut the door, and 
 he suspected something and got up 
 and watched us through the aper- 
 tare of the imperfectly closed door, 
 and saw and heard all that trans- 
 nired. This may seem a trivial 
 afl-air to write about, but 1.1 that 
 crude simple way was demonstrated 
 the presence of an intelligence con- 
 trolling my speech 'hat saw him 
 watching and listening and reported 
 it to us-though we were too s up.d 
 to interpret it until he called out and 
 closed the seance. Years afterwards, 
 1 heard he became a thorough 
 Spiritualist, and died happy m the 
 knowledge it imparts. 
 
 The one all suflicien' explanation 
 of spiritual phenomenain those days 
 was Psvchology and Electricity. 
 Thcv were made to do >*ervice on 
 all occasions, and endowed with 
 qualities akin to omniscence and 
 omnipcMence, when spiritual phe- 
 nomena confronted the skeptical 
 critic ; and then, as now, the doubt- 
 ing scoffer . displayed the most 
 guillible credulity in the acceptance 
 of the most ludicrous absurdity 
 and impossible assumptions, when 
 ?hey were offered as substitutes and 
 explanations of spiritual phenom- 
 ena. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM . 29 
 
 "Papa, what makes me do those 
 things 1 don't want to ? " Invari- 
 ably his answer would be, " I can 
 not explain it, daughter, but you 
 surely have a God-given gift to help 
 those that are in trouble and sorrow. 
 Oo not fight it off, encourage it, for 
 it is certainly good." Seventeen 
 years ago my father passed to spirit 
 lil'e, and his passing out brought 
 many troubles into my early life. 
 All this time I knew nothing'about 
 Spiritualism, but felt my friends in 
 spirit were v.ith me. I felt their 
 presence so much. Some times I 
 could see and hear them. Finally, 
 I concluded to quietlv visit a me- 
 dium, which I did after night, not 
 wanting any of my friends to know 
 ■t, as I was very popular in my 
 church, being an ardent church 
 "• i - all my life, and 1 „ lew if 
 ' . rht me visiting a spiritual 
 
 n„ ., vengeance would be upon 
 me. The medium told me I was a 
 very strong medium, and that my 
 spirit friends were trying to reveal 
 this fact to me— to reveal my own 
 powers to myself. Environments 
 were such I could not do much in- 
 vestigation or developing for some 
 time. My spirit friends told me to 
 keep up courage, that the time 
 would come when my conditions 
 would change, and 1 would come 
 mto the the full light. And con- 
 ditions did change. Four years 
 elapsed, and I went to this same 
 medium again a number of times, 
 and the light began to dawn. 
 
 Then 1 visited another medium in 
 
 MRS. ALICE BAKER. 
 
 P«l«or of Uu Spiritual Propmive Sodtty 
 
 CLEVELAND, OHIO. 
 
 My father was Rev. M. Squibb, 
 a Baptist Minister. From a very 
 small child I was pronounced very 
 strange and peculiar. I had an 
 unknown power of relieving the 
 sick and cheering the disconsolate. 
 People would come to our home 
 when in serious trouble, feeling that 
 my father could give them words of 
 encouragement, which he always 
 sought to do. Often upon these 
 occasions things would come to 
 me, seemingly from some invisible 
 source, to say to people, that would 
 be just what they needed. After- 
 wards I would condemn myself for 
 rudeness in interfering in conversa- 
 tion, and I have many times said. 
 
iff^ 
 
 130 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUALISM 
 
 Cleveland. Through her I gained 
 a great deal more light, the scales 
 falling rapidly from my eyes. I 
 became a bold investigator to the 
 consternation of my many friends. 
 The medium said to me, "You must 
 try giving a few private readings ; 
 that will give you more light and 
 strength, and you will better under- 
 stand yourselt and what the angel 
 world has in store for you." 1 
 attempted a few private readings, 
 and to my great surprise and 
 pleasure, niy trial was a perfect 
 success. Then I went to a spiritual- 
 ist camp meeting and heard some 
 lectures, that did me a great deal 
 of good. I went home and be- 
 gan attending spirituilist meetings. 
 Soon after this I was taken ill, and 
 while convalescing physical p'leno- 
 mena came to us in our home for a 
 short time, in the form of raps and 
 telegraph messages. Tables and 
 dishes, &c., were moved by spirit 
 power, and, in fact, the manifesta- 
 tions began all over the home and 
 in various forms, became so strong 
 that we dare not put out the lights 
 for a number of weeks. I told my 
 mother it was spiritual manifesta- 
 tions, but she did not believe. But 
 one night the raps began to come 
 in her room— on her dressing case, 
 pillow, head of her bed, &c. She 
 soon made up her mind I was right. 
 Every night soon after I would 
 retire the clicking of a telegraph 
 machine would commence, and 
 would keep up for an hour or more. 
 It sounded like a telegraph office. 
 None of us knew anything about 
 the code, so we could not under- 
 stand it. Finally, these phenomenal 
 conditions became trying and tire- 
 some to us, and I asked my spirit 
 friends to kindly stop them, but if 
 there was anything they wanted me 
 
 to do, and could reveal it to me, 1 
 would do their bidding if it was 
 possible. Soon after this my father 
 came one night when all was quiet 
 in the house, and 1 was just about 
 going to sleep, and told me I would 
 not be disturbed in that way any 
 more, that it had been done for a 
 purpose, and that purpose was 
 gained, and 1 never have been 
 troubled since. My mediumship 
 has bten of a very quiet order ever 
 since. He told me I would be a 
 public speaker and medium, that 
 the spirit world had a work to do 
 through me, and that it was a 
 beautiful spiritual work, by whicn 
 a grea. deal ot good would be ac- 
 complished. He told me I was 
 always a medium, but had not been 
 understood, and that high spiritual 
 forces had been preparing me all 
 my life for this work, and he wanted 
 me to open the avenue as fast as I 
 could for them without further 
 delay. . . 
 
 Soon after this I was at a spirit- 
 ual meeting. After the lecture the 
 medium asked for articles to psy- 
 chometrize, I gave her my watch. 
 She told be about the same things 
 my spirit father had told me. In a 
 few days after that I went to have 
 a private reading with a medium I 
 had not visited before. He could 
 not give me a reading that day, but 
 made an appointment with me. As 
 I started out at the door he said, 
 " Lady, there is a great work before 
 you, and you will be on the rostrum 
 inside of one year." I answered, 
 " Oh, you are mistaken, it does not 
 seem possible for me to go on 
 the rostrum, for my relations and 
 friends would all forsake me ; but 
 if I should, it will take me at least 
 five years to prepare for it." The 
 medium laughed, and his prophecy 
 turned out true. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 E. G. PIERCE. 
 
 FORT WAYNE, IND. 
 
 •31 
 
 vestigated phases of more recent 
 date. In a trumpet seance, a voice 
 came to me claiming to be from the 
 spirit of an acquaintance of mine 
 
 ' was horn in Massachusetts, 2' 'ToZZT "''" """ 
 Nov. 4th, .835, and am, therefore to,d him not „ Tl' ""' 
 
 ::^t:rri— :,- ■::-"- ""• 
 
 deeper into the soil for firmer hold -n 1, '" "=. nearlj half 
 
 -.e.ochestere.citement'io;;::— -it- 
 
 My fi.t great surprise came on In" Sutdt'a'nd'he':? ""' ""^'^ 
 
 seeing a ver, near rela-ive of mine circle taL^^ J Z T.: Tf 
 
 attempt to hold a large stand by lowing Tuesday When I J 
 
 P.acing his feet around the pedestal my doubt of he tZ o h'T 
 
 a gentleman next to him proposed ,0 me on th. f , ^ " 
 
 to brace it the other way, aLlhen Thin: one "' Hri't:^- 
 
 ^hey were both in position the stand that during his "cl T hTI 
 
 moved away apparently without suffered much with his head that 
 
 oppos,t,on, and the last named the doctors had used the Xrav 
 
 gentleman disengaged himself from his head, and hat he 7 
 
 the stand, but the first was drawn bee, me blind These JT' 
 
 out of his chair and several feet similar statements : fo:, ZZ 
 
 alongthefloor-ratheranerbarras- correct on subsequent inves.taLn 
 
 s.ng pos.t.o„ truly for .- .aptist His identification was t flTe 
 
 deacon Two little girls were the proved to me beyond a dou 
 media m this circle. ■ , "'• 
 
 c- . another seance my dauiyht.r 
 
 Smce „,,, , ,^^^ ^^^^^ _^^^^^^^_^^^^ ,^^ ^^^ augh^ 
 
 a n,ore acfve part, and have in- room, not two feet from me Z 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 i3» 
 
 my wife, where the gas light was 
 strong enough to distinguish any- 
 one in the •■oom. Starting with 
 a small white spot upon the floor, 
 slowly ascending like a column of 
 mist to the proper height, the body 
 consolidated itself, and I saw every 
 feature of the face form as plainly as 
 I could wish. When she spoke she 
 told me what no one in tht room 
 knew but ourselves. She passed 
 from me to my wife, through the 
 strong gaslight, about four feet, 
 several times. I iiad her in my 
 
 arms ; she was as material as I. 
 When she said she would have to 
 go, 1 grasped her hand, determined 
 that nothing material should escape 
 me. She began to dematerialize, 
 and as 1 bent forward toward the 
 floor, still holding her hand, with a 
 smile she disappeared through the 
 floor, and my hand was empty. 
 
 With such evidence as I have had 
 I think I have obeyed the New 
 Testament injunction, and have 
 added to my faith knowledge. 
 
 * * *^ 
 ^ * Ji * 
 
 * * * 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 NATHAN E. NASH 
 
 TORONTO, ONT. 
 
 I was brought up in the Baptist 
 faith, baptized 40 years ago, and 
 joined the church. I cannot say I 
 was ever a very ardent believer in 
 the orthodox doctrines. 1 had my 
 first experiences in Spiritualism in 
 '88, and it was at a materializing 
 seance of Mrs. Allen's, in Provi- 
 dence, R.I. A number of my asso- 
 ciates had attended her seances and 
 urged me to go. I decided on go- 
 mg and did so, but it was entirely 
 unknown to all my friends. It was 
 a distance of 50 miles, and I went 
 alone— not allowing anyone to know 
 my purpose— so that every one at 
 the seance was a stranger. There 
 were about 40 present. A form ma- 
 terialized in the cabinet and said he 
 wanted to see his brother. He wn 
 asked to point him out and he did 
 so— pointing to me. I asked bim 
 to come out, and he came out. 
 " Who are you ?" I asked. <■ I am 
 Wm. H. H. Nash, your brother." 
 I was not satisfied, though the form, 
 features, &c., were wonderfully like 
 my brother. I said, " If you are 
 my brother, tell me some incident 
 of our boyhood days known only to 
 ourselves. " A fter a pause he said : 
 " Do you recollect when we were 
 boys being on the ice in Narragan- 
 sett Bay one day, when you fell 
 through and sank three times and I 
 
 ME TO SHRirUALISM 133 
 
 pulled you out?" I did recollect 
 the incident perfectly. 
 
 •At this aeance a Miss Lizzie 
 Hatch (daughter of Banker Hatch, 
 of Fitch, Hatch & Co., of New 
 Vork) came to me and promised 
 that when I was in New York at 
 some future seance she would come 
 and talk with me. A week later, in 
 New \-ork, at a materializing seance 
 at .Vliss Carrie Sawyer's, Miss Hatch 
 came to me, and, taking a seat on 
 a chair near me, said, " Well, I 
 have come as 1 agreed to down at 
 Mrs. Allen's." (I was a perfect 
 stranger to all the circle). She said 
 she would like if I would go over to 
 her father's house in Astoria and get 
 acquainted with her father, and she 
 also said that there would soon be 
 an opportunity for the necessary in- 
 troduction. Two nights later I was 
 at a materializing seance at Mrs. 
 Williams' when she came out and 
 said: "There is a party here to- 
 night who will introduce 'you to my 
 father." She then called up a Mr. 
 Sullivan and requested him to take 
 me over to her father's place, which 
 he did. On being kindly received 
 by Mr. Hatch I was shown his 
 daughter's portrait and recognized 
 It at once as the likeness of the girl 
 who had on several occasions dis- 
 tinctly manifested herself to me. I 
 then learned the object of my visit 
 there— to receive this clear evidence 
 of her identity through the picture. 
 Since then Miss Hatch has come to 
 me in a dozen or more American 
 cit.es through a variety of mediums. 
 
•34 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 On .he following Xmas I wa, in- where you were last night, for Mi,, 
 
 vited to be present in the Hatch Hatch came "">-;'-'« ^^^ ^^ 
 
 hnL as the daughter always ma- you had sent her from Mrs. W>1- 
 
 S^roIxmL eve in the old Hams' circle to report who were 
 
 :::::;r r::i:i;:::S ^^^:i:"have developed «. 
 
 "erlerLpreLtme Jth her era. phases of mediumsh.p myself- 
 
 portraU, which he did. All her ap- having a slight measure of cla.r- 
 
 pearances corresponded with each 
 other and agreed with the portrait. 
 I would readily subscribe to all this 
 under oath. She often comes now 
 to my own circles at Mrs. Hender- 
 son's, 125 Oxford St., and has come 
 to me through Mrs. Wreidt's medi- 
 umship and sung for me with the 
 " Unknown." 
 
 At a later seance with Mrs. M. E. 
 Williams, she materialized and I 
 asked her if she would go down to 
 Providence and find out whool my 
 friends were present at Mrs. Allen's 
 seance at the same hour. She 
 promised, and after a time came and 
 reported to me their names. Next 
 day, on returning to Providance, I 
 dropped into a friend's office, when 
 he at once said to me, " I know 
 
 vovance and clairaudience. I have 
 had several phases of physical phe- 
 nomena. Seven years ago I gave 
 particular attention to slate-writing, 
 and while the gift was in use devel- 
 oped a considerable degree of suc- 
 cess with it. Of late years I have 
 given more attei tion to trumpet 
 circles, and the speaking and sing- 
 ing in my circles have been on many 
 occasions remarkable. Levitation 
 of heavy objects often occurs in the 
 
 circles. ■■»..« 
 
 I have full faith m the mmistra- 
 tions of angel friends and guardians, 
 and know that on several occasions 
 my life has been saved by timely 
 warnings received and heeded from 
 the spirit realms. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUALBM 
 
 CHAS. A. BROWN 
 
 ORRINGTON, ME, 
 
 Few if any of the other writers 
 for this booli have traveled so long 
 and rough a road as I to reach the 
 freedom and joy of the Spiritual 
 Philosophy. Reared in the narrow 
 views of Adventism and taught to 
 believe in man's mortality and to 
 search the Bible and nature for ar- 
 guments against the orthodox doc- 
 trine of man's natural immortal- 
 ity, I emerged as from a dark cav- 
 ern into the light and comfort of 
 spiritual dav. 
 
 The first ray of the light of the 
 Spiritual Philosophy shone upon me 
 at my grandfather's funeral. The 
 Methodist Presiding Elder, a warm 
 friend of the old man, preached the 
 sermon. Grandfather survived his 
 partner in life but a few weeks. Hs 
 had enjo>ed a happy married life of 
 
 '35 
 
 63 years, and so lingered but a short 
 lime after his companion was taken. 
 Among other beautiful things the 
 minister said : . 
 
 "When her immortal spirit had 
 left its tenement of clay and was 
 about to wing its flight toward the 
 I atti2m^nts of heaven, she paused 
 to touch with a tender caress the 
 whitened hair of her life-long com- 
 panion, and whispered in his ear, 
 'Come, go to the beautiful land 
 with me,' and his inner spirit caught 
 the sound, and in a few days, or 
 weeks at most, he hastened to re- 
 join her on the other side, and to-day, 
 
 this hour, SHE STANDS WITH HI.M BE- 
 SIDE HIS CASKET WAITING TILL THE 
 LAST RITES ARE OVER, READV THEN 
 TO QUIT THESE EARTH-BOUND SCENES 
 
 TOGETHER." For a moment my 
 spiritual eyes were opened and I 
 saw grandmother, dressed in white 
 and smiling as of old, standing at 
 the head of the casket. 
 
 M. uncle, Chas. A. Brown, was 
 a sea captain, sailing from New 
 York in the West India trade early 
 in the '(io's, or just before the war. 
 He had left home in the spring to 
 take charge of a new vessel owned 
 in New Vork, Waving his wife at 
 our house to board with our people 
 until he should send for her to come 
 on and join him. She received one 
 letter from him saying as it was 
 sickly in Havana he had concluded 
 to sail without taking his wife, and 
 should come to Bangor from Cuba 
 with molasses and sugar, and she 
 could join him there on his return. 
 So he went out to Havana and that 
 was the last news she had from him. 
 
,36 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 Four weeks; rolled by and she was ifeth.r and then her health fail'dand 
 
 reared at the breakfast table with a among the h.lls of Mame 1 am 
 
 sHwhinkrhis berth, and heard fering w. all thought the danger 
 
 L7d,rh heraTxielrhadgw'en recovery. Heft her one morning u 
 
 rise to the troubled dream, but she attend to some duties on the farm, 
 
 kept sal'ngXhrough the day, ■' I among other things to rake up some 
 
 thTnk I ought to go • Charles." meadow hay m a glen ful^' a mile 
 
 The next nieht she hau .he same from the house. 1 had hardly taken 
 
 Team a .d s^aid her hu^and stood my rake in hand when I heard my 
 
 btr he' bed and repeated the «i'.e'» 7« -'"".^I^.VioThrkTt 
 
 -''"'• "'er bin die";^' Shi mi;httrre chiir'afrer'bTrHes 
 
 ;o7a:a!trion;e7.%ttherlent ^^'0 were cabling to each other, bu^ 
 
 5;^'^or"«r;r';r aS l;^^:: rt/vr . ^.uZ 
 
 thefirsrstefmer or'^HaVana. Ar- anxious to know what ,t mea^, 
 
 riving thee%>i<' n'cU Mo the cabm when a boy on horseback came r^- 
 
 ofZsLngcvc...l.,«afo,,mlc.'cry. ing through 'he pasture to tel m. 
 
 thi,,!, as she had seen it in hervision, that my wife was dying. I hasten- 
 
 Ind uncle was in the last stages of ed home, to find his words too true, 
 
 ship fevlr Ld passea out wiThin a for the dear woman never recovered 
 
 dav or two; but she had time to consciousness m this life, and passed 
 
 talk w th rm and arrange his busi- beyond the veil in the afternoon 
 
 ness affairs to his satisfaction and hours as the tide was gomg out. 
 
 came home with the body. Is not ' 
 
 this also a strange psychic experi- 
 ence ? 
 
 These things made a deep im- 
 pression on me at the time, and, al- 
 
 t' hid fier tit rest on Xa/iin's breast. 
 Where early viote/s bloom. 
 And llie light died oiil aflt" /f"''''" '■"' 
 And Jilted my heart with gloi^"- 
 
 but I want to say that whenever 
 
 nress on on me at tne iimc, auu, «,- •^ — - . ^ „i.-«- 
 
 fhough 1 could not fathom their I visit the spot in '"m"l" ^'''"«' 
 meaning were opening my mind to where she called me to her on the 
 ?^u?h in experiences fo come later day she died to the mortal /c«^ 
 iruin c^H hear her voiic say "Charlif! Char- 
 °\t the age of .4 I "tarried, being /--.' Charlie.'" Three distinct calls 
 at this timf engaged in evangelistic but growing more joyful year by 
 work foHhe Advent mission of Bos- year. For seven years 1 led a sin- 
 Ton My wife was a good singer gle life, drifting farther and farther 
 ind a beautiful woman, a true help- away rom materialism into the bay 
 er in Gospel work, and the future of spiritual interpretation 
 fooked prosperous and bright. Kor While lecturing "> .B^^on one 
 intt'e over a year we labored to- winter I became acquainted with a 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 lady whose people were Spiritual- 
 i»ts and who wan herself influenced 
 and controlled at limes by an Indian 
 spirit calling himsell Pawnee Chief. 
 I became so deeply interested in the 
 communiciitions she gfave that I fin- 
 ally married this medium and we 
 lived happily together for several 
 
 years. During this time I had the mon thing, as I sat in the library 
 privilege of listening to many won- reading or writing, to hear a rustle 
 
 ■37 
 
 part of this mysterious home devel- 
 opment, as it was accompanied by 
 sights and sounds too numerous to 
 mention. I was led by this Indian 
 influence on my wife to take every 
 door leading from the front hall off 
 its hinges and place heavy portieres 
 in their places, and it was a com- 
 
 derful messages and predictions, 
 and of seeing some wondrous phe- 
 nomena right in my own home. 
 These were years of good success in 
 bu.siness, and might have been more 
 so if I had put more confidence in 
 this counsellor and guide which the 
 
 ol wind and look up In .w llw nir- 
 tahis Hi Ihe dmirmiv t,it,\l ami kM 
 hiiik on either siile by snnie unseen 
 Uireney, or lo liml some I'irforile book 
 spinleil (may from ine inlo Us nook 
 in Ihe bookiase, and, strange as it 
 may seem, I could go in the dark. 
 
 angel world provided. On many or wi-h my eyes blindfolded, to the 
 
 occasions.whenmdoubtwhat course long a.-rav of shelves in that library 
 
 to pursue. Pawnee would come in and pick out at touch anv book de- 
 
 and try to direct the way. I see sired by myself or mv friends. If 
 
 now that I somelimes maile a mislake an article was lost the guide could 
 
 'n nol heeJing his go,Hl advice. If invariably find it, and if mislaid or 
 
 inere was sickness or trouble in the left behind he knew all about it, and 
 
 family connexion on either side of we got so at last we did not think 
 
 the house, this faithlul messenger of disputing Pawnee'.s word on any 
 
 "" *•- -nt at any hour of the <!ay trivial matter. 
 
 could be 
 
 or night and would tell us of tlieii 
 welfare, or describe unfavorable 
 conditions, often in Ihe same lang- 
 uage conveyed in a leller a 7veek laler, 
 and if he foretold an event you could 
 rest assured it would occur, perfect 
 in time and circumstance as he had 
 given it. More than once when I 
 had laughed at his nonsense, as I 
 called it, he would retaliate by 
 grasping my scalp lock in true In- 
 dian fashion, and at such times I 
 could hear the swish of his hunting 
 
 I was brought into close relatioi> 
 two years ago with a little band of 
 spiritual workers who call them- 
 selves the Progressive Spiritualists' 
 L nion. It is of some messages 
 given and tests received at their 
 meetings that I wish to speak next. 
 Our gatherings, or social circles, 
 were held once in two weeks at the 
 homes o( members, with a general 
 meeting at some large hall two or 
 three times a year. Our band of 
 mediums was made up of local tal- 
 
 ^."J?? 'V"."^';. """ "'■■• -^ga'". 'f ™t entirely, ch.efly the' wives' and 
 His Medie. as he always called daughters of farmers or laboring 
 
 my wife, opposed or displeased him 
 he would hold her rigid and uncon- 
 scious for hours until she yielded 
 her will to his own, and very start- 
 ling communications were sure to 
 follow such ,-> trance condition. I 
 
 men. When I attended the first 
 meeting of this little organization I 
 was an entire stranger to every one 
 present, and only two or three knew 
 even my name. I had looked for 
 some communication from my com- 
 
 am relating facts, and only a small panion who passed out years ago, 
 
ij» WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUAUSM 
 
 I had »ought to b« brought in touch forth profound »entiment« of know 
 
 with the dear departed one through ledge and wiidom not born of mor- 
 
 rcnowned mediuma in many differ- lal minds through earthly education. 
 
 «nt cities, but all in vain. No one The nchooU of spirit life are not all 
 
 up to this lime had been able to tell beyond the veil, for often the dis- 
 
 me anything of my past life. But embodied ones come back to earth 
 
 in the fall of 1899, at this circle held for enlightenment and aid in pro- 
 in a large, old fashioned kitchen, 1 
 found, like the woman at the well 
 of Samaria, some one who told me 
 all things that ever 1 did. The first 
 
 gression. While we are feeding on 
 the thoughts of angels let us realize 
 the fact that an^el hosts are feeding 
 continually upon our thoughts, and 
 messain I got was from the noble therefore we ought to be pure in 
 
 Indian spirit. Pawnee Chief. He 
 came through an entire stranger 
 and introduced himself to me in the 
 old familiar style and speech when 
 i was not thinking of him at all ; 
 and this tiiis iifler un absolute silence 
 
 thought, word and deed. Blessed 
 are the pure in heart for they shall 
 see God (or good) in everybody. 
 
 The past year has been one of 
 great progress in both philosophy 
 and phenomena. When these two 
 
 u/imr ten vears. He recalled the go hand in hand steady growth is 
 
 past in the relation of many striking made. One of the most convmcmg 
 
 instances and lold somt secrets tluit argume its in psychic research is It 
 
 could hme been kmnm to «(> one pres- have poetic inspiration seize on the 
 
 ent in lite bodv but myself. When brain of a speaker, who, after three 
 
 he went awav a Quaker friend came or more distinct subjects have been 
 
 and gave his'name, a man who had given him, will instantly weave them 
 
 befriended me over a quarter of a all into a wreath of immortal beau- 
 
 centurv before when I was a young ty by extemporaneous poetry that 
 
 evangelist travelling with the mis- comes flowing from his lips, perlect 
 
 sion tent. Then came a message of in rhyme and diction as if labored 
 
 love from my wife and assurance on for hours, and embodying grand. 
 
 that she was my guardian angel and 
 as much interested in my welfare as 
 when on the earth. I was over- 
 whelmed with evidence of spirit in- 
 telligence and the jc ■ of restored 
 communion has neve left my he'irt 
 since that day. 
 
 I want to refer to the lesson 
 taught me by this experience. It is 
 that we may look for years with our 
 minds bent in one direction and not 
 get a word to satisfy us, when from 
 an unexpected source will come the 
 true and convincing tests that com- 
 pel all doubts to vanish. 
 
 And another truth is this — that 
 God and the angel world will choose 
 their own instruments, and often 
 out of the mouths of babes will bring 
 
 deas of spiritual achievement 
 than Shakespeare ever knew in his 
 earlier compositions. The muse of 
 poetry, about which hards of all 
 ages have sung, becom^-i to the 
 poetic medium a living reality. He 
 finds an intelligence whispering to 
 his soul communication as real as 
 the conversation of a friend. .As he 
 walks the fields and views the glor- 
 ies of nature the spirit that walked 
 with Burns beside the plow nods up 
 at him in every blade of swaying 
 grass, and the angel of harmony 
 smiles from every tiger lily that 
 grows beside the wall. Thus earth 
 becomes a garden of spiritual de- 
 lights, in which the baser passions 
 find no place. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 MRS. MAGGIE WAITK 
 
 ST. LOriH, MO. 
 
 I was born in New Vork city. 
 At five years of age I went to re- 
 side in San Francisco, Cal., where 
 I made my home until seven years 
 ago. I was educated in a convent 
 until I was eighteen years of age. 
 Shortly after I left (he uMivent I 
 ■was married, t 'p , tli.ii !,me I 
 had heard little or nothing of Spir- 
 itualism, although from childhood I 
 could ste and hear what I after- 
 wards learned were spirits. 
 
 My first experience of the return 
 of the so-called dead happened when 
 I was visiting Mrs. .Ada Toy's seance, 
 where the spirit of my grandfather 
 was communicating. I felt a pair 
 of hands, very tangible, clutch me 
 around the waist and lift me quite 
 a distance from the tloor, I was 
 very frightened at the time, but 
 
 ME TO SPIRITUALISM i j.» 
 
 Mrs. Toy suid she saw the spirit of 
 my grandfather raise me up. 
 
 The first remarkable occurrence 
 of spirit power came to me through 
 the mediumship of John Slater and 
 was the means of converting me to 
 Spiritualism. He repeated to me a 
 conversation that had transpired be- 
 tween my husband and myself that 
 morning ; he called me by name 
 when he had never seen me before ; 
 he also gave the name of my spirit 
 father. This greatly aroused my 
 curiosity and I determined to inves- 
 tigate Spiritualism thoroughly. I 
 was advised to join a developing 
 class. The first time I sat in the 
 circle my hand commenced to write 
 automatically, and wrote in full the 
 name of a spirit who claimed to have 
 passed out of this lite two venr^ 
 previous. One of the gentlemen 
 recognized this and aaid it was the 
 first time he had heard from this 
 spirit since his transition. 
 
 Being very much encouraged by 
 this display of my own mediiimship 
 I determined to form seauces in my 
 own home, which I did. One ot 
 the communications that came gave 
 me faith in my own mediumship. 
 It came from the spirit of a little 
 girl who gave her name a-* Maude 
 Phillips, giving me her father's and 
 mother's address, Jay St., Sacra- 
 mento, Cal., telling me she had 
 passed out with diphtheria some 
 years previously, and that there was 
 another little girt in the home now 
 named after her. The fottowing 
 morning I wrote to the name and 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 140 
 
 address she had given to me, mak- 
 ing' enquiries if such a child had 
 been in existence and if what she 
 had given me was true. Imagine 
 my surprise in about five days after- 
 wards, receiving a letter from the 
 father of the child corroborating 
 every word that was given through 
 me. 
 
 Another remarkable evidence of 
 spirit power occurred on March i6th, 
 1893. A gentleman came to me by 
 the name of Alvin McKay, who was 
 an inmate of the Old Soldiers' Home 
 in Grand Rapids. He had been par- 
 alyzed on his left side, arms and 
 limbs for a number of years, and 
 was under the care of a prominent 
 physician at the time, who could do 
 nothing with him. Mr. McKay 
 came to me for a reading at my of- 
 fice, 54 Bostwick St. At the con- 
 clusion of his reading he began to 
 move his fingers and attracted my 
 attention to them, saying he hadn't 
 done that in years. 1 laughingly 
 replied that if I had done it once 
 maybe I could do it again, and in- 
 vited him to come the following day, 
 which he did. On that occasion 
 the entire arm moved. On the third 
 treatment, which was done in pres- 
 ence of alt the members of the so- 
 ciety I was then working for, he 
 threw away his crutches, and on 
 Thursday evening he danced the 
 Virginia reel in presence of 600 peo- 
 ple at the society's entertainment. 
 The Sunday previous he was a crip- 
 ple. Taking his stand on the plat- 
 form, with tears streaming down 
 his face, he made public his mirac- 
 
 ulous cure through spirit. He then 
 made an affidavit, which^ I hold in 
 my possession. It was signed by 
 Joseph O. Bellair, notary public. 
 
 While giving a communication 
 from the platform at the Metropoli- 
 tan Temple, San Francisco, under 
 the auspices of the Progressive So- 
 ciety, the spirit of a lady came to 
 her husband In the audience, giving 
 her name in full. With her she 
 brought the spirit of a young man, 
 who told me he was living at the 
 time, but that his body was in sleep. 
 He said he wanted his father, who 
 was In the audience, to forgive him 
 for the wrong he had done. He 
 gave his name as Frank Higgins, 
 stating that If his father would write 
 to the postmaster at Cincinnati the 
 letter would be given to him. The 
 father, who was nearly 70 years of 
 age, arose to his feet, and with tears 
 in his eyes, acknowledged the name 
 of his spirit wife. He said his son 
 had done him a serious injury years 
 ago and he did not know whether his 
 son was living or not. He said he 
 would follow out the instructions 
 given and would write. Four 
 months later my labors took me to 
 Los Angeles. I was very much 
 surprised to see the oame old gen- 
 tleman there. He arose to his feet 
 in the meeting and asked permis- 
 sion to speak. It was granted. 
 He said he wrote to the post- 
 master at Cincinnati, the letter 
 was given to his son, who had ans- 
 wered it, and he was expecting him 
 in a short time to come to live with 
 him in Los Angeles. The most re- 
 markable part, he said, was that 
 his son had no remembrance what- 
 ever of coming to me and communi- 
 cating in any way. This I consider 
 most remarkable, as both the living- 
 and the so-called dead came to> 
 get her. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED H2 TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 EMERSON J. MacROBERT 
 
 LONDON, ONT. 
 
 I was born near Bryanstnn, 
 Middlesex County, Ontario and 
 received my early education in the 
 public school there and at London 
 and Collingwood Collegiate Institu- 
 tes, and finished my education at 
 Toronto in 1880, afterwards follow- 
 ing the profession of a teacher. I 
 taught in London, and was for two 
 years Principal of Rodney Public 
 Schools in the County of Elgin, re- 
 signing my position to enter the in- 
 surance business in the City of Lon- 
 don which avocation I still follow. 
 I was married in 1881 while teach- 
 ing at Rodney and my wife passed 
 to spirit life en the 25th of June 
 1882, leaving a son thirteen days 
 old. This boy also passed to spirit 
 life on the 1 8lh of September 1S90. 
 
 141 
 
 At this time I knew nothing ab- 
 out Spiritualism, in fact had never 
 heard of it. Sometime during the 
 month of January 1892 a personal 
 friend of mine, Mr. S— , called at 
 my office one day and told me of 
 some very peculiar things which 
 took place at a meeting he attended 
 with some friends, in a hall in the 
 very building in which my office 
 was. He said friends cf his who 
 had been dead for years had spoken 
 to him. i laughed at the idea; how- 
 ever, he said it was true and he 
 would like me to accompany him to 
 one of the meetings, which I did, 
 and, much to my surprise, a voice 
 spoke to me claiming to be that of 
 my departed wife. I asked some 
 Hueslions which I was satisfied no 
 person could answer other than my 
 wife, if she were living. 1 was be- 
 wildered with the accuracy of her 
 answers. I might say that this 
 was what was known as a dark 
 seance with independent voices and 
 physical manifestations 
 
 I went home and thought it over 
 very carefully and arrived at the 
 conclusion that the medium, a Mr. 
 Church, was a mind reader and ven- 
 triloquist. I explained what took 
 place and my deduction to an intim- 
 ate friend. Dr. C— , and we conclu- 
 ded we would investigate the mat- 
 ter thoroughly and arrange another 
 meeting. Dr. C— and I were to 
 make our own conditions. There 
 were about fifteen in the room inclu- 
 ding the medium We first tied 
 the medium in his chair, then fas- 
 
,4J WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 tened the chair to the floor and put thought we had done with med^ 
 a string through a bntton hole of ium Church. We told no perso.» 
 every person present. I held one where we were going but left on 
 end of the string while my friend the afternoon train for Detroit and 
 Dr C— held the other end and the same night took passage by 
 some wonderful manifestations took boat for Cleveland, arriving there 
 place. Instruments were played the following morning and at once 
 upon and chairs thrown around the left for Lake Brady which is about 
 room. An old College mate of 35 miles south of that city, arr.vmg 
 mine came to me and said he died there about noon. We d.d not 
 suddenly. No other person pres- register or give any mformat.on t<y 
 ent ever heard of or had seen him. any person, but amu.sed ourselves 
 On making enquiry the next day I by taking in the sights, wth hun- 
 found that Dr. J- had died just as dreds of other people on the grounds, 
 he had described, giving day and We knew not one ind.vdual. 
 date When we turned on the We found during the afternootv 
 lights we found the medium still that a full-form , in-the-hght, mat- 
 
 tied and everything in the same con- 
 dition as when we shut off the gas. 
 We were now puzzled more than 
 before and we continued our inves- 
 tigations for some months, twice a 
 
 erializing seance was to be held 
 that evening by Mrs. Effie Moss. 
 We decided to go, separately. I 
 went first to the door and was in- 
 vited to come in. I took a seat at 
 
 week. The medium got the worse one side of the room with some 
 
 of liquor one day and we caught other people, and spoke to no per- 
 
 him faking. We at once accused son, nor did any person speak to 
 
 himofdoing the whole thing. A me. Shortly after Dr. C- came in 
 
 newspaper controversy started. I and took a seat on the opposite 
 
 wrote a number of very vindictive side of the room, which was m the 
 
 letters against Spiritualism which form of a square. An mvitation 
 
 were published in the daily papers was given to any person wishing to 
 
 and copied by other papers through- examine the cabinet to do so, 
 
 out the country My investigation (which was simply a curtain drawn 
 
 of Spiritualism then ceased, I, like across the dead corner. I with 
 
 many today, firmly believed I had others accepted the invitation and 
 
 been hood-winked and that Spirit- examined it very carefully, also the 
 
 ulism was a humbug. carpet which was loose upon the 
 
 In August 1893, Dr- C— and I floor, 
 started for Lake Brady, Ohio, where We went to our seats and he 
 
 Spiritualists were holding a Camp seance began by the singing of a 
 
 Meeting, to have some fun and of fr'"" ^y■""• f"Torth'. caWnet 
 course expose the mediums, as we liliie chila came out of the cabinet 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 and spoke to several present. She 
 was supposed to be a cabinet con- 
 trol called Lilly Gra", a very prettv 
 little girl, Of course we could ac- 
 count for that manifestation. The 
 medium who still sat outside, near 
 the cabinet, had smuggled this 
 little girl in, under her skirt ; how- 
 ever, the next spirit was that of a 
 'ai'Ser girl who ran across the room 
 and jumped upon the knee of my 
 
 friend. Dr. C . She called him 
 
 " Papa," and asked him why he 
 had not told her Mamma that he 
 was coming to Lake Brady. (He 
 had not told his wife where he was 
 going.) He asked the spirit her 
 name and what she died of. She 
 gave the name, and said that she 
 had died of " Diptheritic Croup." 
 Immediately my friend took his 
 handkerchief and began wiping his 
 eyes. I was dumb-founded. I did 
 not know he had a child in spirit 
 life at all, and could not understand 
 such actions on his part ; however, 
 after his little spirit daughter had 
 sent a beautiful message to her 
 mother, she returnedto the cabinet, 
 and the doctor continued to weep. 
 The medium then went into the 
 cabinet, and the next spirit that 
 appeared was that of a young lady, 
 which I could not mistake at sight. 
 The gentleman who attended the 
 curtain of the cabinet asked the 
 spirit whom she wished to see. She 
 answered " My husband, Mr. Mac- 
 Robert." Heimmediatelysaid, "This 
 spirit wants to see her husband, 
 Mr. Roberts." As that was not my 
 
 ■4J 
 name I did not answer. The 
 gentleman then turning to the spirit 
 said,"Vou will havetc go back, you 
 are not recognized. Your husband 
 is not here." She replied, "I am 
 recognized. V'ou have the name 
 wrong, it is MacRobert and he sits 
 there," pointing to me. He said, 
 "Is your name MacRobert I-" I an- 
 swered, "Yes, but you asked for 
 Mr. Robert." He said, "You knew 
 who I meant, come and see your 
 wife." I had no doubt whatever 
 as to the spirit being my wife, her 
 make up was perfect. She never 
 looked more natural. I went up t" 
 her, she took me by the hand plac- 
 ing her arm around my neck, em- 
 bracing me saying, "I am pleased 
 to meet you, dear husband." I 
 said, "You are not my wife. I do 
 not know you, I live in Chicago." 
 She quickly answered, saying, "I 
 am your wife. Your name is Emer- 
 son J. MacRobert. You live at 507 
 Queen's Ave., London, Ont. You 
 and your friend, Dr. C— came here 
 to expose the mediums. I am your 
 wife, was married to you in 1881, 
 during the time you taught school 
 at Rodney. My name was Eliza- 
 beth Kennedy Gawley. I passed 
 to spirit life on Sunday evening, 
 July 25th, 1882, my baby being only 
 thirteen days old. He is now with 
 me here. His name is Emerson 
 Burt. Would you like to see him.'" 
 I said, "Yes," and she immediately 
 withdrew,to the cabinet leaving me 
 alone with the cold chills passing 
 over me, as I was not just prepared 
 
,44 MPHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 to see my first "ghost." My wife answered saying,"! will tell you. 
 Tame from .hecab^et leading"Burf They got too small, >- 'o""'"- 
 by the hand. He was at this time off aud put them .n the th.rd draw- 
 eleven years old. They both con- er of the safe .n the offi«.(' """^ 
 versed with me, and then my wile them there on my return) but w.ll 
 asked me if I was satisfied it was you now promise to have them en- 
 she In reply 1 asked her to give me larged and once more wear them m 
 the name o? the little dog she had remembrance of me?" I answered 
 in life. She at once said, "Jet. "Yes," and have done so. 
 You brought him home in your I have talked to her hundreds of 
 coat pocket one rainy day. Mr.B-, times since then. I h-e had por- 
 the butcher in Rodney, gave him to traits of her pamted wh> e she stood 
 you. Your mother has him now at in matenal.^ed form for the same 
 her home." (This was all absolutely I have had her photographed under 
 correct.) She took my hand in similar conditions wh.le she stood 
 hers and holding it up said,"Where beside me with -^ 'P'"' »" /^f ' 
 are they?" I said, "What do you opposite side, and m many ways 
 mean? She answered, 'y two have had prools innumerable of her 
 rings 1 placed on that lU jer just identity and that of my son, and 
 beforL 1 died and which you promis- other friends who have P='-«".way 
 ed to wear in remembrance of me?" These are a few of the facts tha 
 I answered, "They are all right but I hav : made me a Spiritualist and I 
 • cannot at this moment ,ay just could recite you hundreds of others 
 where they are." She immediately equally as convincing. 
 
ITHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUyvUSM 
 
 MRS. MINNIE M. SOULE 
 
 BOSTON, MASS. 
 
 Looking back over my childhood, 
 and especially through the days of 
 my early girlhood, I can see that 
 between me and the knowledge of 
 spirit innuence there was but a step 
 and it only „eeded some strong ex! 
 periencc to waken me from a half- 
 dreammg consciousness into the 
 fullest realization. 
 
 My molher passed into the other 
 hfe when I was four years old, and 
 while I have only one or two dis- 
 tinct recollections of her while in 
 the body, she has always been -, 
 iH-.ng mother to me. Like manv 
 children, and I believe like most 
 children, I had an intuitive feeling 
 that she was near me, and when I 
 had been re.iroached or corrected 
 or troubled in any way, I would run 
 a-vay to my own room and stand 
 
 before her picture and talk to her 
 and tell her just how I felt, and 
 would always feel so conifor.ed and 
 strong after my one-sided interview 
 Of Spiritualism as a philosophy, 
 or of spirit communion as a fict I 
 knew nothing, for all mv early L- 
 socations in home, school and Social 
 lie were of a strict, religious nature. 
 At the time of my marriage I had 
 seen three mediums -one in Bangor, 
 Maine, to whom I went with friends 
 as a matter of curiosity, one in my 
 father s home, a lady Who visited my 
 home in company with an old friend 
 of the family, and who took me 
 aside and gave me a talk under the 
 influence of her guide, which fright- 
 ened me much more than it impress- 
 ed me at that time. The third was 
 
 a child, twelve or thirteen years old 
 who.se father invited me, with a dear 
 friend of mine, whose name I will 
 call Polly, and Mr. Soule to come 
 and see his little daughter The 
 '■ttle spirit controlling the child 
 wrote three letters in the dark-„ne 
 loreachofus-from our respective 
 mothers, and at this sitting I learn- 
 ed that Mr. Soule knew something 
 of the subject of Spiritualism 
 
 Soon after this I was married and 
 went to New Jersev to live. The 
 friend who had been with me to see 
 the child medium accompanied me 
 and was to make her home with 
 me, but we were hardly settled when 
 she grew ill and we became aware 
 that she was a victim of consump- 
 tion. Through the months of her 
 Illness we frequently talked of the 
 
„f WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SHRITUAUSM 
 
 little medium in Somerville and of 
 the possibility of spirit commun.on, 
 and 1 finally got a reluctant prom.se 
 from her that if it were possible for 
 her to return she would do so. !>he 
 passed away when my baby was 
 three weeks old, and a night or two 
 after her death 1 saw her mother, 
 who had gone on some years before 
 her but whom 1 knew, standing m 
 the door-way of her room, and look- 
 ing so earnestly at me that I was 
 rather troubled, and spoke to her, 
 saying, "Oh, what is the matter? 
 What have 1 done? "»"'« >°" 
 think I did all I could to save Polly. 
 
 and she smiled and walked away. 
 This occurrence troubled me so 
 much that we moved as soon as I 
 was able. Not long after Mr. Soule 
 was taken very ill, and we were 
 obliged to come to Boston. 
 
 When my baby was six months 
 old we began to have some startling 
 experiences and manifestations m 
 our home. As soon as Mr. Soule 
 left the house the clock would stop 
 and the fire would go out, nor could 
 
 1 keep the clock running or the fire 
 burning unless he were there. One 
 day he had just left the house, and 
 
 a neighbor who had been callmg 
 walked over to the stove, and l.tt- 
 ing the cover, laughingly said, 1 
 euess you will be able to keep your 
 L to-day, for it looks as if it would 
 
 keep until Mr. Soule comes home. 
 As she said this she walked out of 
 the room, and before the sound of 
 her retre.iting footsteps d.ed away 
 the kettle stopped boilmg, and 
 
 rushing to the stove, I lifted the 
 cover and found no sign of fire, but 
 everything as black as if it had been 
 out lor some time. I was much 
 frightened and called my neighbor 
 back, and whsn she looked into the 
 stov. she gasped, "Take your 
 babv and come into my house as 
 quick as you can, for this house is 
 bewitched." I needed no urgmg, 
 but took the baby and stayed with 
 my neighbor until Mr. Soule came 
 home. This was Saturday, and 
 the babv went into the other life 
 the following Wednesday, after hav- 
 ing a short sickness of twenty-four 
 
 hours. 
 
 As soon as 1 was able after our 
 babv went away Mr. Soule and 1 
 went to see the little Somer..ille 
 medium who was so good to us, 
 but who never in any way referred 
 to what was coming into my lite. 
 She did tell me, however, that my 
 friend Polly had made the manifes- 
 tations in our home, hoping that we 
 would make an effort to communi- 
 cate with her that she might help 
 us through our grief. 
 
 About this time the father of my 
 little friend gave me a planchette, 
 and I tried it on various occasions, 
 and with many people, but could get 
 nothing, and so put it away. About 
 two years later my brother was 
 married and brought his wife to live 
 with us. One day 1 came across 
 my planchette, and told my brother s 
 wife what it was used for. She 
 
 wanted to try it, and, to my »"'»«- 
 menl, she no sooner touched it than 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 it betran to write. But as she was 
 fond of playing pranks I doubted 
 the genuineness of the manifesta- 
 tion. I put my hand on it and it 
 l«ept on writing ; and that was a 
 day long to be remembered, for we 
 wrote with the little planchette until 
 two o'clock in the morning, receiv- 
 ing remarkable messages from my 
 friend Polly, and from my mother. 
 On Sunday morning following the 
 first writings with the planchette 
 we were all at the breakfast table, 
 when I passed the spoons to my sis- 
 ter-in-law. She took one and her 
 hand shook and trembled, and she 
 had no control over it. We all ex- 
 claimed in one voice, " It wants to 
 write !'• and when we put a pencil 
 in her hcnd she wrote a long letter 
 from my mother, with tests and as- 
 surances of her presence with us. 
 The writing was almost identical 
 with that of my mother's when she 
 was in earth life. I took a pencil 
 and got some writing, too ; and then 
 followed some months of experi- 
 ments with automatic writing for 
 both of us. For a year these auto- 
 matic writings were put aside be- 
 cause of serious complications and 
 trials in connection with a near and 
 dear relative to whom, and for whom 
 it was my pleasure to devote my 
 time and energy. At the end of 
 that year a much loved aunt, who 
 lived in New Hampshire, passed 
 away after most intense suflfering 
 I went to the funeral, and while the 
 body was still in the house had a 
 conversation with her husband, in 
 which he told me of her effort to 
 
 >47 
 
 ME TO SPKITUAUSM 
 
 write something after she was un- 
 able to speak. The matter trou- 
 bled him exceedingly, and leaving 
 him I went alon.- to the room where 
 her body lay, and became conscious 
 of her presence. In that hour I 
 knew that I would hear fro.n her, 
 and would at some time be able to 
 give the message she tried so hard 
 to write. I stayed ten days in New 
 Hampshire, and on the first evening 
 of my return, my cousin, a young 
 man who was living with us at the 
 time, and Mr. Soule and I decided 
 to try and see if we could get some 
 communication from the spirit. .Ac- 
 cordingly we sat down to a little 
 sewing table. The table tipped 
 about in a very lively fashion, and 
 after a few minutes the hinges were 
 loosened and I feared it would come 
 apart, so I suggested that we give 
 them a stronger and heavier table. 
 We then went into another room and 
 sat around a heavy mahogany dining 
 table, and waited patiently forresults. 
 We all became conscious of an un- 
 usual power, and soon both my 
 cousin and Mr. Soule were fast 
 asleep. We still kept hold of hands 
 and suddenly I became entranced. 
 I was perfectly conscious of all that 
 happened, but had not the slightest 
 power to control my speech or ac- 
 tion. I laughed and shouted, and 
 spoke unintelligible words, and it 
 seemed to me at that moment I was 
 more like an insane person than a 
 woman with her senses. I was so 
 shocked and frightened that as soon 
 as I could regain possession of my 
 own body I begged Mr. Soule to do 
 something to prevent a recurrence 
 of what had happened. I was sure 
 I had gone mad, and it was some 
 hours before I could be induced to 
 talk of how I felt. The idea of con- 
 trol never entered my mind, strange 
 as it may seem, for I had never seen 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 148 
 
 anyone act in any different manner 
 under influence than an ordinary 
 one, and had never associated any 
 influence with n.yself except my 
 mother and Polly and my dearest 
 friends. 
 
 The next day I decided to try the 
 sitting ajjain and see what the re- 
 sult would be, and was rewarded 
 by a much milder exhibition and a 
 more coherent communication. It 
 was at this sittint; that »c learned 
 that it was a little Indian who was 
 trying to talk throut;h me, and that 
 her name was "Sunbeam," as she 
 herself told us. Immediately after 
 the second attempt to control, Mr. 
 Soule went out and bought a Hun- 
 tier of Light and found where Spir- 
 itualist meetings were held, and we 
 started out to attend one the next 
 day, Sunday. We went to four 
 
 She " ■^ soon followed by other 
 guid,. id friends, and they became 
 as mucli a part of our home life as 
 any friends we had in earth-life. I 
 was so proud of their friendship and 
 love, and always felt such a desire 
 to h^ve them tell everybody some- 
 thing that I did not know. 
 
 I can hardly relate any single ex- 
 perience that converted me to a be- 
 lief in Spiritualism, but I have num- 
 berless ones to prove to m*.- that my 
 guides were not under the same lim- 
 itations . I ; and their l.iitliful at- 
 tendance upon me, or anyliody who 
 happened to come to thetn, their 
 loving, wise counsel, lolly, spiritual 
 desires for me, could not fail to con- 
 vince me that mediumship is an un- 
 foldment of our spiritual natures to 
 receive what our spirit desires ; and 
 as mediumship is the foundation 
 
 th^ Sttuda^: and at every one 1 got ^^^^i^^^^U^^^^^^ 
 
 a message — one from my friend 
 Polly — and, curiously enough, each 
 medium told me I 'vas a medium. 
 At one of the halls we had a long 
 talk with the chairman of the meet- 
 ing after the service, and Mr. Soule 
 explained to him what had happen- 
 ed to me and asked him if he could 
 
 erted to the knowledge that Spirit- 
 ualism is a power for good. 
 
 I am more or less lamiliar with 
 the arguments in favor of niind- 
 reading and subliminal conscious- 
 ness as an explanation for the vari- 
 ous manifestations of the spirit, and 
 I frankly admit that if in these ar- 
 
 ea 10 me HIIU rt31\CM mil - * - ' L" , I- - ,1, .,^rat\ 
 
 account for it by mediumsuip. and guments, wh.ch are so h.r th.oret^ 
 he said that undoubtedly I had been cal, I could find explanation lor all 
 controlled and needed to be unfold- my experiences I would be obliged 
 ed He told us of a Thursday af- to as! my guides to go a step tur- 
 ternoon meeting which he held, ther and demonstrate more lully and 
 where inexperienced mediums were plainly their hie, consciousness and 
 given an opportunity to take the power aside from my persona ity , 
 platform to iee what they could do, but I find no «-'';, "I''-;;''""- 
 and invited me to come to the next Theories may read well and old o 
 I did so, and when he invited gether in print, hut ui.der ll.c light 
 o the platform I went without of experience, especially in the line 
 least hesitation, and Sunbeam of psychic phenomena, they tall to 
 ■' pieces and leave us with what I am 
 pleased to call positive proof of the 
 continuity of life and love, and an 
 ever-growing interest in all things 
 that tend to uplift the soul-life of 
 humanitv. 
 
 one. 
 me to 
 
 the - 
 
 took me for the third time and told 
 me some of the things she saw. 
 From that time she worked through 
 me in public, and I never had the 
 least doubt about her being able to 
 prove the truth of her assertions. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 I-INDLEY H HENLEV. 
 
 MARSHALL, TEXAS. 
 
 In the wee sma.: years of mv life, 
 in the days of the terrible civil war 
 ■n X'irginia, things came into my 
 sad youns days that ; afterward 
 found would be counted miraculous 
 to most people. On the day I was 
 seven my poor dear and much 
 troubled mother was suddenly taken 
 from me, and even before this time 
 I really do think, intelligences who 
 did not abide in the flesh became 
 known to me-I only know that I 
 thought so then, though for many 
 years until I was a young man and 
 married, I do not remember hear- 
 ing of Spiritualism, save that it was 
 adeadly sin, and was akin to witch- 
 craft, and was allied with material- 
 ism etc. When I was eight I cer- 
 tainly thought 1 saw my mother 
 come to me in broad day light, just 
 after 1 had been severely whipped 
 by strong hands that seemed to feel 
 no sympathy or charity for my queer 
 
 '49 
 
 notions and odd way,. Later I tried 
 to disbelieve the evidences of my 
 senses, though .sight and sound 
 came clearly into evidence often as 
 Ihey do yet oi, some occasions', 
 rhen I saw and heard less frequent- 
 ly, becau,se ot objective training, 
 ""d later instilled prejudices. 
 When I was twenty I saw and heard 
 "nee again, and this I could not 
 Joubt as I had done before but I 
 could and did keep still about the 
 wonderful things that now seemed 
 to disturb my quiet and caused me 
 to fear the darkness as it had not 
 done in my tender years. I told a 
 preacher about my experiences once 
 and he told me that it was of the 
 devil and that 1 was soon going to 
 die, and go to perdition if I did not 
 repent of my many fearful sins and 
 be converted. This I tried at the 
 meetings and did my level best at 
 the mourners' bench and elsewhere, 
 yet found no condemnation and no 
 disposition to shout as others did 
 Some said I had committed the un- ' 
 pardonable sin and the like, and I 
 made up my mind to soon meet hell 
 with all its Bery fury in a lake as big 
 as Texas and as hot as cinders. 
 
 So when the happy throng on e 
 more approached me with their • 'last 
 time and opportunity"to be cleansed, 
 I remember telling them squarely 
 that I would sooner take a good 
 decent devil and be done with it than 
 to go further with the effort that 
 had proven so fruitless for the past 
 several years in so silly a way So 
 without hope of any kind to speak of 
 
,5o WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 found my h.al.hwa,f..l.ng. Iwa- ^.d "i.. „ ^^^^^^^ ^.^^ ^^^ 
 
 then, or soon after a matr.culate of "»""*"■_. , „„ „„, o«a. 
 
 .h. Vand.rb,U D.n... Co.l.g. o' ;^- '^.j;: ^rLsi.r Shirley. 
 
 Nashville. Tenn. I was moved co ''"""'';'"" J ^la, and where 
 
 the medical department Hospital ';/'°"'™,^;''^"^^' j;',"^. , ,i,.u at 
 
 and my case was diagnosed Br.ght, ^'^^^X;^;^^^^^ Will me a. 
 
 disease-diabetes. Imademymmd '''e ""^'^ '''"'J' „ ^ ,, ,, jif. 
 
 perhaps 3 months hence at most. 
 My case seemd bad to me. I was 
 very weak. I knew it must all be 
 true. One evening about 3 o'clock 
 as I sat reclining I dropped, as I 
 
 of a lot of poor land. When I ar- 
 rived at home I saw him coming 
 one day about 11 a.m. on horse 
 back with a double-barreled shot 
 gun across his saddle in front. 
 
 as I sat reclining droppea, a, . s-.. ^^11 loa led and above 
 
 often did i.to a sem..con«,ous state M^ °"" «» ,^^.„ ,„„. „,„ 
 
 of mind, in which I plainly saw 
 above me a scroll turning, and upon 
 that scroll the figures " i92> " »"» 
 then "Sept 23rd-4th" and then I 
 heard the voice of a woman about 
 
 my head and I tht" knew there 
 would be a funeral but just then I 
 heard this same sweet voice say, 
 " Don't shoot him! He wont hurt 
 you. Don't be afraid "! He was 
 
 heard '"e voice o. a woman ^""" -■ ^^ ^ ^ ^^^^ ,„p„,,, ^^n 
 40 years old, saymg,' ^ou may ex K y„„d,hirsty, but with- 
 
 pect to live on earth .0 th,s date to and v ry J,^^ ^ _^ ^^ ^^ 
 
 about midnight on Sept. .3rd, .9»J. - "« ° ,.„ „,,, ^e wanted, 
 and no longer"-Th,s came ,0 rn. ^^ «= ^f -^^ ^„^j ,„, ^e rode off 
 in .B86-Iknew mycond,t,on pro^ H s fac ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ 
 
 mised nothing of the k,ndand^dd - ^o" ^^ ^„ No sum of money 
 not believe .t. I told Dr. T. 1. lu ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ 
 
 Winkler, a son of the emmentBapt- """' ^-^ '^,^, ^.j,, ,„„, voice 
 •... dtvine. Dr. Winkler of AU who -"j^'^-^^^ ^^^_,. He seem- 
 «as in the room "' "« '.me jnd ,h„„„^hly, and 1 can- 
 
 who was in apparent good healthy ed ^^ ^.^^ 
 
 Hekindlyshookh. and^ome ead notja, ^ ^J ^^^ „^ „. 
 to be honest w.th me. He was my ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ 
 
 close friend then and was very k.nd. *'«";"«""' „^^^^ ^een able to 
 , .hen resolved to take no more <> ^ ^^ ,^::':::L_,hough . 
 
 tT "•' iifrctrr:;: :"!: 'z: oZ sought to know-b. 
 
 rZ^u'tt sr-;ge as^it may -e often been U.ld . would never 
 ,eem, in 6 months 1 was again know m earth l.fe. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 FRED P. EVANS 
 
 NKW YOKK CITV. 
 
 I was born in Liverpool, England, 
 June gth 1862, and was subject in 
 early life to stranpe psychical exper- 
 iences which indicated my medium- 
 istic nature, but concernin^f which 
 I had then no knowledge. My par- 
 ents were of Welsh nationality. 
 One of my great grandfathers being 
 no less than that great humanitar- 
 ian and reformer, Robert Owen, 
 whilst my grandmother was first 
 cousin to Lord Dinorben of Cimal 
 Hall, Denbigshire, Wales. .At the 
 age of thirteen I entered upon a 
 seafaring life. This period of my 
 life, from the age of thirteen to 
 twenty-one, was one of unusual 
 hardship and danger. My first ven- 
 ture was on the barque "Loraine," 
 which was wrecked in the English 
 Channel, and 1 barely escaped with 
 
 my life. My next venture was upon 
 the steamship "Teutonia" which 
 was unmarked by any import- 
 ant event. But my next voyage 
 on the same steamer was one of 
 continued accident and danger. A 
 fearful gale was encountered off the 
 coast 01' Spain. The vessel lost her 
 propeller— her sails were blown 
 away and for nine days the vessel 
 drifted at the mercy of the wind and 
 waves. In endeavoring to land in 
 small boats several of the crew lost 
 their lives. A harbor was finally 
 readied, repairs made, and the ship 
 set sail for Havana. Hel'ore reach- 
 ing its destination its propeller 
 again dropped out, and a great diff- 
 iculty was experienced in making 
 a harbor. All the,se accidents were 
 foreseen by me in dreams and I war- 
 ned the Captain to prepare for them. 
 But my warning was unheeded. 
 Without attempting to follow or 
 note the many important incidents 
 in my seafaring life I will only 
 touch on the most phenomenal 
 points. In a voyage from London 
 to Australia in the barque "Cynos- 
 ure," the cook, who had been acting 
 very I strangely for several days, 
 after preparing the evening meal 
 ready for .serving, jumped over- 
 board and was lost. Lots were 
 cast to supply his place and I was 
 elected. On entering the galley or 
 kitchen to serve up the food, the 
 dishes began to clatter and skip ab- 
 out in the most unaccountable man- 
 ner and 1 fled in dismay to the deck, 
 but I soon overcame my fears and 
 
r 
 
 i5« WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 hI Hffray Kveral yearn ngo on board 
 thtH barque." 
 
 Thi» voyaif' l««ted over «i({h<"n 
 months arid wns a Herie:* of accidentH 
 from first to last. 1 was warned in 
 my dreams not to ship in tiie vessel 
 i'.nain, and althou([h the Captain, 
 who had treated ine very kindly, 
 
 returned to my task. It was dur- 
 in{( tlii» voyat^e, in a fearful storm, 
 that a wave broke over the ship 
 washing; me overbiiard. I could 
 see the stern of the vessel raise high 
 on the waves until her keel was vis- 
 ible and recede away from me. A 
 few moments afterwards, by the 
 
 lurch of the vessel, or possibly by urtfed me to do so, I refused. In 
 the aid of those powers which have her next voyage the ship was wreck- 
 ever attended me, I found myself ed off Cape Horn, and all hand. 
 
 thrown on the lee rigt^in^ of the 
 mizzenmast uninjured. In fact I 
 seemed to bear a charmed life in 
 my perils by sea. The storm rag- 
 ed with great fury for many days. 
 During its progress, when the crew 
 were working on deck for dear 
 life otie dark night, to save ihe sh- 1 
 I was .sent to the forecastle i > ^ ct a 
 gasket or small rope from i pile 
 of such stulT that was kept in a 
 spare bunk. The place was quite 
 dark. Whilst groping for the rope 
 in the dark forecastle, I suddenly 
 became aware of a luminous light. 
 I looked up and saw a strange man 
 
 were lost. Space forh n- ;n; giv- 
 ing any more of my nauuc.l career. 
 Sufficient to state that whilst I was 
 Quartermaster of the S. S. "Walla 
 Walla" running from San Fran- 
 el. J to Puget Sound ports in Jan- 
 uary, 1884, I was invited by a bro- 
 ther officer, whilst in San Fran- 
 cisco to attend a spiritual meeting 
 given by Mrs. Ada Foye, the well 
 known rapping and automatic 
 writing medium. At that time I 
 had never attended a spiritual meet- 
 ing or seance — never heard 
 Spiritualism, and when my friend 
 told me that this woman gave 
 
 standing near me. He showed me messages from the so-called dead, I 
 a knife wound in his breast from hardly knew whether to treat him 
 
 seriously or not. However we at- 
 tended the meetin;;. There were 
 about four hundred persons pres- 
 ent beside ourselves. Among 
 others who received messages my 
 companion was surprised to receive 
 one from an old chum who had been 
 
 which the blood was flowing. I 
 noticed his dress and appearance 
 but I did not stop tomake his ac- 
 quaintance. 1 told my shipmates 
 what I hiul seen and the following 
 day the c; jtain sent for me and re- 
 quested me to recount my experi- 
 ience of the previous night which I drowned many years ago. 
 did. The Captain then said,"How The medium went on describing 
 strange, the description tallies ex- various departed relations and 
 actly with that of a Spaniard who friends for about an hour, and I be- 
 was stabbed and killed in a person- gan to wish she would give me some 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM . j.i 
 
 evidence, when »uddenly the name 
 in full i)f an old shipmate 
 wa» called oul by the medium who, 
 pointing to me, said, "He wants to 
 talk to you. ask him some quest- 
 ions." .\lti,r I recovered Irom my 
 •urprise I asked the followinjf ques- 
 tion, "How did you die!'" The an- 
 swers were:"l was killed hy hein^f 
 thrown axainst the capstan during 
 a storm on board the "City of Mer- 
 lin," about on<; hundred miles west 
 •outhwe.-l ol' the Scilly.s ^. March 
 1879." All of which 1 knew to be 
 correct. This test set me thinking 
 very seriously. I visited many 
 mediums trying to i(fet more light, 
 but (fol very little to satisfy me 
 excepting that all were unanimous 
 in assuring me that I would be a 
 very powerful psychic myself if i 
 would only sit for development. 
 
 This I finally concluded to do, 
 and, after sitting every evening for 
 about three months, and when ab- 
 out to abandon the effort in disgust, 
 I began to receive, in a crude man- 
 ner, the evidence of the gilts of In- 
 dependent Slate-Writing, Clairvoy- 
 ance, Clairaudience and many other 
 phases. The full account of my 
 development is given in my book 
 "Psychography. " 
 
 In Feb. iS«5 I gave my first pro- 
 fessional seance, since which time I 
 have been constantly employed. .At 
 first I gave my seances freeof cliaigc 
 but my means becoming exhausted, 
 I found it necessary to receive pay 
 for the exercise of mv gifts. Mv 
 first public seance ' for slate- 
 
 writing was given in .San Kran- 
 cisco on June iist, iNHj, un- 
 der the auspices of The .Societv 
 of Progressive Spiritualism, on 
 which ociassion thirty messages 
 were produced between closed 
 slates held in the hands of a com- 
 mitte cIk. M by the audience. 
 Thesi? messages were signed in lull 
 by the names of relatives and friends 
 of those present. The committee 
 concluded their report of this seance 
 as follows: - "The exhibition was 
 given in broad day light, before an 
 audience of over four hundred per- 
 sons and under conditions which ex- 
 cluded the chance of trickery or 
 fraud. " 
 
 I then, under the management of 
 the late Senator J. J. Owen, gave 
 public slate-writing seances in all 
 the principal halls and theatres 
 west, creating a profound interest 
 wherever I went. The news of my 
 wonderful powers spread over the 
 civilized world. The Psychological 
 Society, of which Sir Thomas .Mac- 
 llwrailh was a member, created a 
 fund to bringmeto Brisbane, Queens- 
 land for experimental work. .After 
 remaining three months the society 
 presented me with an illuminated 
 testimonal and a purse of sover- 
 eigns. PsyrAic .Votes, the official 
 organ of the society, had this to say 
 at the conclusion of my visit: — We 
 maintain, from the facts that we 
 and others have observed, that the 
 phenomenaof psychography occurr- 
 i"g here in the presence of l^red P. 
 Evans have been thoroughly prov ed. " 
 
1 54 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 I then visited all the different stated that some of the messages he 
 Colonies, in Australia appearing be- had received at his s.tfngs were en- 
 fore their societies and received mar- tirely fore.gn to h,m unfl subse- 
 ked evidences of their pleasure and quent events and enquiries proved 
 "^""^ I- „,„^, One ofthe prmcip- 
 
 satisfaction, returning to San Fran 
 Cisco in 1889. Since then I have 
 been busily engaged giving private 
 and public seances all over the 
 country, answering in the affirmative 
 Job's question, "If a man die shall 
 he live again?" and proving by in- 
 dependent demonstrations that there 
 no death. What seems so 
 
 them correct. One of the princip- 
 als of a New York school called 
 upon me yesterday and informed 
 me that last June just prior to my 
 leaving for vacation he had a seance 
 with me and requested the spirit of 
 his grandmother to draw a chart 
 locating her grave, because he wish- 
 ed to carry out the wishes of a ree- 
 
 ls no deatn. wnai seems ^^ '^ — ^ , , , 1. 
 
 merely transition from one plane of -t-y deceased relative and p^^er 
 
 life to another. 
 
 In conclusion, I will say that 1 
 have had so many evidences of dis- 
 embodied intelligences communicat- 
 ing through me, that Hudson and 
 others who attribute the phenomena 
 to unconscious cerebration, in- 
 voluntary muscular action or some 
 
 body in the family plot. His grand- 
 mother he remeVnbered, had been 
 buried in 1864. The chart of locat- 
 ion was duly given on the slates and 
 the gentleman informed me that he 
 placed no faith in the location 
 given. He had an idea himself 
 where the body might be, so he 
 
 voluntary muscular atiiou ui =>—.- I. j „:k 
 
 other six-syllable nonsensical reason wrote to the grave-digger descr b 
 
 tbein^needofakeepertoguide ^^^^^^^ ^^^ 
 
 'TrS: I'll of twelve langu- digg^er wrote him that he found n 
 
 ages produced in the presence of evidence of the body. Th«. gentle- 
 
 ^natorJ.J. Owen and others in man then sent a copy of the chart 
 
 which these gentlemen re- given by the spirit grandmother^ 
 
 marked that the production of so A few days later he was informed 
 
 many languages proved in itself the that the body had been found in the 
 
 Evidence of independent forces op- place de.scribed m the chart. I 
 
 erating, since out of four investiga- 
 tors and mediums present only three 
 different languages could be spoken 
 or understood, showing conclusively 
 that the minds of those present dur- 
 ing the seance had nothing to do 
 with the phenomena produced. 
 Again Prof. Alfred Russell Wallace, 
 F.R.G.S., after his seance with me, 
 
 could go on indefinitely giving ev- 
 idence of this kind that would make 
 the thread-worn arguments of un- 
 conscious ceberation, mind reading 
 ect., sink into insignificance, but 
 must leave space for other writers 
 who are adding their testimony in 
 this work, to the grand truths and 
 reality of spirit existence and return. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 155 
 
 Evening Telegram and looking 
 down the church notices my eye 
 rested upon a notice that W. F. 
 Meyers, lecturer, would speak on 
 Spiritualism, in Richmond Hall, on 
 the subject of " Heaven— What 
 and Where is it?'* I went and lis- 
 tened and was well pleased. 1 went 
 again and was better pleased. I 
 continued going to every lecture 
 that Mr, Meyers delivered in Toron- 
 to and must say that in over forty- 
 years' experience in Methodism, 
 Presbyterianism, A^^nosticism and 
 Materialism, I had never heard any- 
 one express my views more clearly 
 ';han did Mr. Meyers. He spoke of 
 Heaven and Hell as conditions and 
 not as place gave his reasons in a 
 clear and concise manner, until like 
 Paul, I was almost persuaded, but 
 said to myself : wait, investigate 
 further, hear more of this. I deter- 
 mined in my own mind to avail my- 
 self of every opportunity to learn 
 more of this philosophy which 
 hitherto in my experience had been 
 treated rather as the ravings of in- 
 sane minds than, as I now discover, 
 the grandest and most soul-inspiring 
 philosophy that has ever been pre- 
 sented to the human race. These 
 lectures were delivered during the 
 winter months. Next summer I 
 attended Lily Dale Camp-meeting 
 and had the exquisite pleasure of 
 listening to some of the brightest 
 minds on the American continent. 
 I bought books treating of this phil- 
 osophy, read and studied them, 
 compared their doctrines with what 
 I had been formerly taught to be- 
 
 S. GODBOLD 
 
 TORONTO, ONT. 
 
 I received my early religious train- 
 ing in the Methodist church, and 
 believed, or believed that I believed, 
 all that was taught and practiced in 
 this church up to about 30 years of 
 age. I then began to question 
 some of its doctrines. 1 immediate- 
 ly found myself in disrepute with 
 many who up to this time had 
 chosen to look upon me as a model 
 man. I obtained and read many 
 books not strictly orthodox in their 
 nature, i disputed with all who 
 would dispute with me, entering 
 into controversy with ministers and 
 laymen alike. I did all this not for 
 the sake of dispute or controversy, 
 but I was anxious to know the right. 
 This continued for about fifteen 
 years, when on picking up the 
 
156 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 lieve was necessary to man's unfold- 
 ment and future happinc^.*. I 
 finally became fully convinced of 
 the truthfulness of its philosophy 
 and cast in my lot with the Toronto 
 Spiritualist Association. Shortly 
 after this I was chosen President of 
 the Association, and served in that 
 capacity one and a half years. Up 
 to this time 1 had never seen any of 
 the phenomena connected with Spi- 
 ritualism, but I had not long^ to wait. 
 Mrs. W'reidt, the well-known trum- 
 pet medium, paid Toronto a visit, 
 and I availed myself of an invitation 
 by a friend to a seance to be held at 
 her house on a Sunday evening. 
 After the friends had assembled 
 (nearly all strang^ers to me) we seat- 
 ed ourselves in a circle. We re- 
 peated the Lord's Prayer in unison; 
 then after singings a hymn and wait- 
 ing in silence a few moments, to my 
 great amazement a voice low, sweet 
 and musical addressed me as, 
 "Brother." This purported to be 
 the spirit of my sister, who had 
 passed into spirit life about i8 years 
 previously. This voice and J con- 
 versed for some time about friends 
 she had known when in earth life. 
 She also related incidents connected 
 <vith my father and mother and 
 other members of the family, which 
 I am positive none of the friends 
 assembled could possibly have 
 known, and which had taken place 
 many years before, some of which I 
 had almost forgotten, among which 
 was a parting injunction in which 
 she told me to continue " scattering 
 seeds of kindness," knowing this 
 to have beer one of her favorite 
 songs when in earth life, I requested 
 her to sing it if she could, and im- 
 mediately, upon one of the friends 
 leading off, she joined in. I never 
 before or since heard anything to 
 ■compare with the sweetness of mel- 
 
 ody produced. The trumpet seemed 
 to float in mid air throughout the 
 singing. 
 
 During my visit to Lily Dale, I 
 with a friend visited a trumpet me- 
 dium who was staying at one of the 
 cottages, one of whom I had never 
 previously heard, and am certain 
 the medium had never heard of me. 
 After being seated in her parlor 
 about five minutes, there came a 
 voice from where I believed the 
 trumpet to be, and upon enquiring 
 as to who it was, I received the an- 
 swer that it was my father's brother. 
 This voice spoke intelligently about 
 my father and his affairs, also of the 
 widow he had left on earth. After 
 this a number of others spoke, 
 am.ng them a brother who had 
 been in spirit life about 40 years, 
 and finally my sister (the one previ- 
 ously mentioned) announced herself. 
 After conversing sometime, she en- 
 quired if there were any of the other 
 friends with whom I should like to 
 converse. I answered that I should 
 certainly like to speak to my uncle 
 George. George was my mother's 
 brother, and had been of a wild, 
 rollicking disposition, would some- 
 times imbibe too freely and some- 
 times use profane language. My 
 mother, a very pious woman, had 
 on two or three occasions expressed 
 a fear that George had gone to a 
 place of woe, and it was concerning 
 this I wished to speak to him. In 
 a few moments I again heard a 
 voice at the trumpet, announcing 
 itself in tone and manner certainly 
 very, very characteristic of my un- 
 cle George, saying — ** Did you 
 want to see me ? " I answered, 
 ** Not so much for my own sake as 
 for my mother's." Judge of my 
 astonishment, when he immediately 
 answered, "Tell your mother that 
 her brother George is not in hell." 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAIJJ,M ■ 57 
 
 authors, scientists and professional 
 men. The hst of platform speakers, 
 runs mto thousands and its bibliog- 
 raphy is so extensive that one firm. 
 advertj.ses over 700 volumes in its. 
 list. 
 
 The number of converts is rapidly 
 growing- and many of these are from 
 the ranks of the thoughtful, edu- 
 cated and scientific classes. 
 
 Of course it has been opposed as 
 ail new philosophies of life (and 
 especially those that touch very 
 closely theology and the Bible) are 
 opposed, most stubbornlv, bitterly 
 and «ith every weapon known to. 
 modern argumentative warfare. 
 Ridicule has been poured upon it in 
 torrents, the Bible has been inter- 
 preted in such a way as to damn it, 
 the pulpit has denounced it, many 
 old laws on the statute books have 
 been revived against it, and again 
 and again and again it has been ex- 
 posed (?) as fraud and humbug and 
 yet It lives and grows. 
 
 A little exercise of the divine gift 
 of common sense would teach the 
 opponents of this philosophy that 
 what was exposed was fraud and 
 not Spiritualism and that a doctrine 
 that thrives in the midst of bitterest 
 opposition and grows in the fires of 
 persecution has some measure of 
 truth m Its keeping to give it vital- 
 
 'n J'^""' ^"'^^' "''■°'' passes away. 
 J he fiery flame can never consume 
 .lie bush in which an angel hiifet " 
 
 B. F. AUSTIX, B.A., D.D. 
 
 TORONTO, CAXAD.4. 
 
 (Thc^olloviHg ure Extracts Jmm Dr. Aus- 
 111 s Drfence brfirr thr Landm Mtlhodist 
 Conference on He occasion of his trial for 
 
 "'■fiYh ^""-r '"'. .. '"W - taken l„„ 
 JTle Heresy Trial." J 
 
 THE BURNING Bl«H OF MODERN 
 SPIRITUALISM. 
 
 ''Modern Spiritualism is but a 
 half century old, yet it numbers its 
 converts by millions. As a great 
 majority of those converted to its 
 philosophy are still identified with 
 some of the Christian churches, it 
 IS difficult to get any approximate 
 Idea of the number of spiritualists in 
 America. There can be no doubt 
 that they number many millions, 
 since they are found in every town 
 and city of the American Union, 
 have extensive and flourishing pub- 
 lishing houses, a large number of 
 well sustained papers, magazines, 
 and number in the list of their con-' 
 verts, .many men of national reputa- 
 tion, distinguished jurists, divines. 
 
 A PERSONAL STATEMENT. 
 
 " I had purposed when I first de- 
 termined on this defence to give in 
 detail a series of my own experi- 
 ences as a reason and justification 
 lor belief in the Phenomena and 
 Theory of Spiritualism. Several 
 reasons have led me to decide- 
 
«S8 
 
 WHAT COP4VERTED ME TO aWlTUALISM 
 
 against this course, the chief of 
 which is that a detailed account of 
 such personal experiences and a 
 statement of what I have witnessed, 
 would almost fill a small volunje 
 and would be, after all, but the tes- 
 timony of one witness, whereas the 
 testimony ot great names in litera- 
 ture, science, art and religic.t, is 
 at hand and this will better serve 
 my immediate purpose. 
 
 Some day, should the occasion 
 arise, I will give to the public a 
 series of my experiences in Psychic 
 Research, which will be ample justi- 
 fication for any views I have ex- 
 pressed either in favor of the Phe- 
 nomena or the Philosophy of Spirit- 
 ualism. I content myself therefore 
 at present with the following gen- 
 eral statement. All the phenomena 
 I have described above, I myself 
 have witnessed — except the passage 
 of matter through matter, the levi- 
 tation of the human body and the 
 production of flowers — and I have 
 witnessed all this over and over 
 again, under circumstances utterly 
 precluding the possibility of fraud. 
 In the quiet home circle, where no 
 preparation had been made and no 
 one anticipated a visit ; in the room 
 where all ingress or egress was pos- 
 itively barred and no confederate 
 could be lurking ; with the medium 
 of continental reputation and with 
 the medium unknown outside the 
 limits of her home circle ; under 
 conditions rendering the production 
 of the phenomena on the part of the 
 medium or by any one in the circle, 
 a physical impossibility ; in Toronto, 
 Rochester, Detroit, Buffalo, Chi- 
 cago, New York, under a great 
 variety of circumstances and with 
 full opportunity of investigation be- 
 fore, during and after the seances ; 
 with people to whom 1 was an utter 
 stranger and with people well 
 
 known ; under conditions of my own 
 imposing and with single desire to 
 know the truth and that only, I have 
 seen again and again these phenom- 
 ena produced, heard these voices 
 from the angel world, caught their 
 Irving words of instruction and in- 
 spiration fresh from angelic lips, 
 seen their forms materializing and 
 dematerializing like a cloud vanish- 
 ing from sight, held them by the 
 hand, and have felt their hands in 
 benediction on my head, and have 
 learned to know and trust, and love 
 those inhabitants of the spirit world 
 individually, even as I know and 
 trust and love friends in the flesh. 
 * • ♦ 
 
 What, then, is my crime and 
 what the nature of my offeii^ti ? 
 Simply this, I have dared to investi- 
 gate an unpop.:tar subject, and, so 
 investigating, have seen a truth 
 amidst the rubbish and fraud dnd 
 deception oft encompassing it. 
 That truth shines like a diamond in 
 the mine and 1 have dared to pick 
 it up and hold it out betore men 
 that they may see its beauty and re* 
 joice in its light. 
 
 « « « 
 
 I have found a truth that human- 
 ity needs, that brings unspeakable 
 joy to human hearts and homes, 
 that brightens all the life, that as- 
 suages sorrow, that dispels care, 
 that kills the materialistic spirit of 
 our age and lifts manhood unto no- 
 bler thought and life. What is my 
 duty ? 
 
 To seal my lips and keep my 
 thoughts imprisoned ! Of all men, 
 I consider the man, who has a truth 
 in his heart he fears to tell to his 
 fellows, the most contemptible, and 
 the minister who hides his honest 
 'conviction of truth is a craven cow- 
 ard. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 LYMAN E. STOWE 
 
 DETROIT, MICH. 
 
 My wife and I were once mem- 
 bers of the Christadelphian Church, 
 a branch of the Adventist, who be- 
 lieve in the resurrection, and that 
 there are angels but no spirits. 
 
 In 1894 I lost a little grandson. 
 I took the loss to heart so sadly 
 that I was ready to hail with delight 
 any evidence that he still lived and 
 might communicate with me. 
 
 I was then writing my book, 
 "What is Coming?" on Bible pro- 
 phecies. Finding in Daniel's vision 
 the beasts were symbols of nations 
 which had their parallels in history, 
 I sought for parallels in history for 
 the symbols of John's vision in Rev- 
 elations. I found everything satis- 
 factor)' until I reached the "great 
 red dragon," finally concluding this 
 had reference to a certain financial 
 system and the date it was estab- 
 lished. I searched long and ear- 
 nestly for the historical evidence of 
 it. Not finding it, I was much wor- 
 ried and 1 would not use it without 
 such historical evidence. On the 
 night of December grd, 1895, I went 
 to bed in a very unsettled state of 
 mind. As I sought every avenue 
 for relief to my distracted mind, I 
 thought of the biblical passage, 
 "Ask and ye shall receive, knock 
 and it shall be opened unto you." 
 So I prayed very earnestly that it 
 might be shown me whether there 
 
 ■59 
 
 were spirits and angels, and if so 
 what is the difference ? and also for 
 the truth concerning " the great red 
 dragon." I went to sleep still 
 breathing this earnest prayer. 
 Does God answer prayer ? 
 Here was a prayer, earnest, hon- 
 est, unselfish, seeking truth. Surely 
 'f God would ever answer a prayer 
 he would answer this one. Nor 
 would he allow me to deceive my- 
 self by dream or hypnotism, for such 
 deception would be satanic rather 
 than of God. No, God will answer 
 my prayer. Did God answer my 
 prayer ? 
 
 My sleeping room is a large one 
 aiid pretty well lighted by an elec- 
 tric street lamp. I awoke between 
 twulve and one o'clock and looked 
 out into the room. On turning 
 over on my back 1 saw a person 
 conning from the hall toward the 
 foot of my bed. My first thought 
 was of burglars, and I dropped my 
 hand to a police club which rested 
 near the head of my bed. But I 
 now noticed the person had no hat 
 on and was dressed all in white, and 
 was smiling. As the apparition re- 
 sembled my daughter^ Mrs. Krantz, 
 who lived at home with us, I next 
 thought some one is sick and Mrs. 
 Kranz has come in her night dress 
 to call her mother. As I looked 
 earnestly to determine who it was, 
 the spirit, as it proved, arose to the 
 ceiling. Coming down through the 
 ceiling was another form, in a halo 
 of light much brighter than the 
 former. I was impressed to go to 
 Encyclopedia Britannica under the 
 head of "Flags", which I afterwards 
 did and found parallels in history for 
 the information des.red concenring 
 the "red dragon." I thought my 
 wife was awake and I cried, "Oh' 
 
i6o WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 look at that! Oh! Look at that! Is 
 it not beautitul?" If this was hal- 
 lucination, it was for a purpose. 
 
 If it was the work of the devil, 
 then the devil is doing God's work 
 answering prayers. 
 
 If spirits or angels do not exist 
 and visit man, then God does not 
 answer earnest prayers and the 
 Bible is a lie. 
 
 Here was an answer to my pray- 
 er. The spirit was on a level with 
 myself and ascended. The angel 
 had to descend to communicate with 
 me. 
 
 The above experience caused me 
 to pursue my investigations and 
 two months later I attended a se- 
 ance at a friend's house, a Mr. 
 Church was the medium. Mr. 
 Church had once been an orthodox 
 divine and of course his enemies de- 
 clared him to be a sleight-of-hand 
 trickster and ventriloquist. Hav- 
 ing practised these arts in my young- 
 er days, I was well prepared to det- 
 ect any trickery. 
 
 Fate seemed directing my course. 
 I picked up my Bible and read i 
 Corinthians xii,8,9, lo. "For to one 
 is given, by the spirit the word of 
 wisdom; to another the word of 
 knowledge by the same spirit; to 
 another the gift of healing by the 
 same spirit; to another the working 
 of miracles; to another prophecy; 
 to another discerning of spirits." 
 Here was a biblical admission 
 
 Here then is an actual permisson 
 to investigate and enquire of the 
 spirits. 
 
 In a seance which I attended a 
 clear and musical voice was heard 
 above our heads, a voice which no 
 ventriloquist could imitate. 
 
 I asked the name of the spirit 
 addressing us and he said his name 
 was Dr. Lamont, that he was a 
 Frenchman, and that he was killed 
 in aduel two hundred and fifty years 
 ago. 
 
 1 now put the question authorized 
 by John, and asked, "Dr. I.amont, 
 do you believe in Christ and that 
 he came in the flesh?" 
 
 The reply came emphatic, "Yes 
 sir, I do." He. then gave us a 
 fifteen minutes address, eulogizing 
 the character of Christ, and he 
 dwelt upon that beautiful illustration 
 of godly tolerance in John viii 8 9 
 10, referring to the woman caught 
 in the act of adultery, when Christ 
 looked up from writing on the sands 
 and asked, "Woman, where are 
 those thine accusers? Hath no 
 man condemned thee?" And she 
 said, "No man, Lord." And Jesus 
 said, "Neither do I condemn thee. 
 Go and sin no more." 
 
 .\fter closing his dissertation he 
 asked, "Mr. Stowe, do you know 
 what Christ wrote in the sand ? 
 
 I replied, "I do not, as it is not 
 recorded in the Bible, hut I would 
 like to know." He then gave us 
 
 that spirits exist and God grants 
 
 gifts to discern them. Surely my „ . _ 
 
 prayers are answered and I am put Christ wrote upon the 
 
 the following saying, "This is what 
 Christ wrote upon the sands: 
 u'po'n'thr'rlg"h't''road' to truth, but I Write the errors of your fellow-man 
 read again I John iv i. " Belov- and sister-woman in the dust, where 
 ed believe not everv spirit, but trv they can be easily obliterated, where 
 the spirits whether they are of God. the slightest breeze will sweep them 
 Hereby know ye the spirit forever away, but their virtues en- 
 of God; every spirit that confesseth grave upon 
 that Jesus Christ is come in the 
 flesh is of God." 
 
 tablets of enduring 
 memory, and learn to cherish and 
 imitate them." 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 W. M. LOCKWOOD 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL. 
 
 CONTINUITY OF UFE-A COSMIC 
 TRUTH. 
 
 For untold centuries of time man 
 has questioned the possibility of 
 "life beyond the grave." As the 
 human approaches the western hor- 
 izon of earth life this question be- 
 comes an absorbing thought, and 
 in the higher ranks of civilized life 
 it attracts the attention of sage and 
 seer, c f wise men and philosophers. 
 "But unfortunately, as it seems to the 
 writer of this, these important ques- 
 tions have been, by popular consent, 
 left to the speculative imagery of 
 poets and priests, who have claimed 
 the exclusive right of determining 
 the destiny of the human race and 
 of piloting the soul of man to Nir- 
 vana—a place of extinction, to Hea- 
 ven—a place of harps and static 
 bliss, or to Hell— a locality where 
 human ferocity, aided and abetted by 
 the gods, has glutted its dominant 
 characteristics in the promotion of 
 eternal torment on its fellow man. 
 It seems incredible that such low, 
 vulgar and inhuman concepts could, 
 for so many centuries, have held the 
 beliefs of intelligent minds, and 
 more incredible that these beliefs 
 could in any way have been regard- 
 ed as ethical and religious. But 
 the human intellect evolves slowly. 
 It seems difficult to break away 
 
 ME TO SPIRITUALISM ,6, 
 
 from the hypnosis of popular opin- 
 ion. The advance of scientific re- 
 search within the last twenty-five 
 years, the recent discoveries in arch- 
 aeology, coupled with a crucial in- 
 vestigation of the mythologies upon 
 which Homer, Hesiod, Dante, Vir- 
 gil and Milton wrote, and a careful 
 inquiry into the system of astrology 
 during mythological eras, have had 
 a potent influence in dissolving the 
 illusions promoting the religious 
 hypnosis originating in a pagan age. 
 These investigations disclose that 
 in these pre-historic ages man dei- 
 fied the forces of nature and clothed 
 them with sentient attributes. He 
 also deified the sun, moon and stars 
 and made them the habitation of the 
 spirits of men of renown. Kings, 
 princes, governors who were respect- 
 ed by the people, were deified and 
 their souls translated to the stars. 
 The gods Zeus, Brama, .Adonis] 
 Apollo, Jove, Jupiter and Jehovah,' 
 each and all were once men, togeth- 
 er with a host of others, and these 
 bemg deified at death, their souls, as 
 spirits were supposed to inhabit the 
 stars, were prayed to and invoked on 
 all occasions. Thus it is that the sub- 
 lime ecstacy of Homer in describing 
 the protecting care of the gods, the 
 poetical imagery of Hesiod, the re- 
 venge of Dante's Inferno, the lust 
 and luxury of Virgil, the conflict of 
 the gods of mythology from which 
 Milton wrote his " Paradise Lost " 
 and " Regained," has been the foun- 
 fain from which the poet and priest 
 has drawn his authority as to the 
 
,6, WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 final resling place and destiny of the of .he facts he has in hi, possession 
 
 huln ace The heavens and hells relating to the great qu.st.on of 
 
 LaTh these poet. ^nin,agery have fn.urelife. The biologist whose 
 
 Ten tai n a, r'eal and precise data sphere of inv.stigafon -eludes he 
 
 Tvthe theologian and priest, upon various forms and types of pas- 
 which he has formulated the theory matic and hio-plasmafc hfe, .nclud- 
 
 of conditioned immortality. Thus 
 it is that the platitudes of a pre-his- 
 toric time have been handed down 
 from age to age because the theo- 
 logian alone has had authority to 
 speak upon matters concerning life 
 beyond the grave. No telescope of 
 a Galileo or Newton can sweep the 
 horizo 1 of these dreams of the poet. 
 No crucible of the chemist, no chem- 
 ical balance of a Uvosier, no equa- 
 tion of chemical energies by a Far- 
 raday, no X-ray by a Roentgen, no 
 wireless telegraphy by a Marconi 
 
 ing man, is set aside as having no 
 value compared with the poesy ol 
 mythology, although his gleanings 
 cover a vast field of the greatest 
 importance in the final settlement of 
 this question. The philosopher, 
 whose place it is to arrange all 
 scientific data bearing upon import- 
 ant issues, into concise and accurate 
 formulas of knowledge for the wel- 
 fare of the world at large, has been 
 anathematized and condsmned, be- 
 cause natural philosophy and the 
 precise data of cosmic processes, 
 
 eless '^^^''^'7 ZLZ.Z canno be woven into the speculaf 
 
 no meter o. ethenc f°•■«^^y "^'^ ^\" ^^^ of ancestral superstitions 
 
 William Thompson, no evidence of ive weo o.a 
 
 theevolution of man from nature's -^ P--^ f ^ great search- 
 
 !rr/ :::r:J^tz z^. ngrof^rwhose genius .«, 
 
 =::errrUna.:of ---;-- ^^ 
 the Homeric age 
 
 which too Ire 
 
 quently is mistaken for plenary in- 
 spiration, assisted by the pencil 
 sketches of a Gustave Uore in the 
 portrayal of Dante's Inferno, or 
 limned by the brush of a Raphael, 
 are still offered as a literal truth, of 
 the destiny of the soul of man. 
 
 During all of these years and cen- 
 turies of time the physicist, whose 
 labor is to trace the order and unity 
 of cosmic processes, has not >>een 
 allowed a voice in the presentation 
 
 on which a superstition rests, and 
 to demonstrate when found its in- 
 congruities and inconsistencies, is 
 wresting from theology and its 
 priests, the vagaries upon rtiich it 
 builds its superstitions of purgator- 
 ies and hells, its saint's rests and 
 its heavens, its revengeful and its 
 adulterous gods and its immacu- 
 late conceptions, and demon- 
 strates that these low and sensuous 
 concepts, these illicit pagan plati- 
 tudes, had their origin in astrolog- 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM .63 
 
 ic.1 and po.,ical fantasy in pr.hi,. .» i„ ,he philcophy of .h, co-rela- 
 
 daabeTn.r'"!"'"""' "' "" """-f"--'' events aXct 
 
 the „1 , •"'""""'^ """■" °' "'"' " """'• "f K"»» ever ZZ 
 
 BuT ""T"'-°" °' """• ""' '"' "e-'"?-.". depended o^'he 
 
 pn,.,c,st and carefully arranges other photosphere, in the atmos- 
 andcompNes these vast gleanings pher. of other suns. Not a Wos 
 ofcosm,cdata,n,o treatises, nature's som that does not owe i^s frlran« 
 
 another. Testimonies of the ..,- 
 ception of life on this planet in 
 a" of its known forms, and the 
 evolution of this life from afueous 
 to mammal and from mammal 
 
 atmosphere and the reactions of the 
 sun's rays. No form of life plas- 
 matic, or bio-plasmatic, that does 
 not owe its development and evolu- 
 tion to an invisible formative and 
 
 t^-^jrirT "''!'■- -p'-'"e;;-::;:hi:rrc:;: 
 
 ful eye the great part played in the ture. No life can exi" without ,h: 
 
 promotion of these evolutions dur- aid of the sDlri.ri f 
 
 in^thevasterasoftimeandthatthe the fa^orato ro trnltX' '""a,"; 
 
 great p„„c,ple of ;• r.. Co.re^.,,„ elements and Lbstancel "'^ J" 
 
 of Cosmic Forces," is the promoter 
 of form and the promoter of life on 
 the earth plane. Here the natural- 
 ist, the geologist, the biologist, the 
 -onomer and physicist clasp 
 
 gies in nature are invisible to the 
 eye of man in their primordial state; 
 hence science calls them "mole- 
 cular. " As all elements, substances 
 and energies ara electro and possess 
 
 . ds in agreement-tha, all cosi^^^ p h.ri^ sd ^ affi^: " TT 
 
 am. space. Mere at last we stand cesses Ac fi,... i.- • 
 
 on the solid rock of cosmic process- ce^^ .retvisi'bTe ZtT:%":: 
 
164 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIIUTUAUSM 
 
 en only «e th. ph.nom.n. of com- lalcd by pol.r .ffinity, h.nc. co.,<^ 
 bining proc......«nd.h. .x..r„.l U.ion and r.ciproc.l reaCon m- 
 
 of.xf...nc. in form, and .ype. of vUib.. .o .h. '^•'''^'.^''"'^^?^ 
 life. Th.«for.. th. real life o. a her .uper.tructur... Sc^n«.p.ak. 
 thine it.«.ul principle, it. .haping of th.« invi.ibl. attribute, under 
 ner'gy, «. cannot .!.. A. ai. .if. the .rm •• n,ode. of -..on wh.ch 
 ini..v.riou. .xpr...ion. i.ther.. impiie, m.thod of ■"="?"•" 
 .ult of diff.rentation in combination, of being acted upon, and .h,. order 
 under different circum.tance. and and relation.h.p. .c.ence d.d.r... 
 environment,, and each life attract. compri«. the formula o nature o 
 element, and energies from th. .am. proc.,..» -^f co.m,c evolut.on^ If. 
 laboratory of infinitude, a bond of then, every plane of .x„t.nc. ha. 
 natural selection and co-r.lation uni- 
 fi.. all nature in cosmic process. 
 In entertaining this view of nature 
 and her co-related forces, no element 
 or energy or force is omnipotent 
 per If, but in the order of their re- 
 spective co-relations, each element 
 i. the embodiment of omnipotence. 
 W. note this omnipotence of ele- 
 ments in the evolution of water, 
 
 its natural co-relations, as we have 
 before shown, it follows that mental 
 spheres have their co-relations no 
 less than do plasmatic spheres, or 
 those spheres out of which mental 
 states have been .volved. This b.- 
 ing a s.lf-evident fact, a natural and 
 a logical sequence to " the philoso- 
 phy of the co-relation of natural 
 ments m tne evo.uu... .. --.... force.." it follows that --" is r^ 
 Oxygen or hydrogen, existing alone lated to mmd, and couscous state, 
 or separately, has no power fo act. to con,ciou, states by th. sam. 
 They would be as dead as theolog- formula of reciprocal character a. 
 ians have claimed matter to be-as that relating one element to another 
 dead a. theology will be when the by polar reciprocity, or one star to 
 facts of the reciprocal character of another or one system to anotherm 
 nature's forc.-s are more widely stellar space. No mode of mofon 
 known. But when oxygen and can be evoked m this great labora- 
 hydrogen are combined their united tory of the infinite without causa- 
 reaction discovers omnipotent power tion, and no causation without it. 
 in the evolution of water. This co-related sequences. Hence w. 
 discovery of the omnipotence of ele- affirm that there can be no act of 
 ments and energies in processor consciousness without this act being 
 combination leads u. to postulate related to some other consciou, 
 the spiritual character of the sub- state, polar and reciprocal to it, or 
 stances and forces .mployed in cos- inscribed upon some condition of 
 mic processes. All nature is infin- matter respondent to the vibra- 
 itelv spiritual. Her formative prln- tio.is of mental forces. The truth 
 dplesand.s«nces are infinitely re- of the« data will develop in th. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 dumnn inlcllcct whtn once w« com 
 prchcnd that what w« call matter 
 " a compound of >piritual elementa, 
 ■each of which ia highly tcnaioiied 
 with polar affinity, and reciprocal to 
 all modes, of motion upon this plane 
 of cosmic unity. These cosmic 
 truths, underlie mental telepaihy,— 
 the principles of thought transfer- 
 ence, which to-day are so generally 
 acknowledged bv Psychic Research 
 Societies. Hence we deduce that 
 the relation one conscious state 
 holds to another is' a fact in nature, 
 the principles of which, have always 
 ■•xisted. Here again we must re- 
 mind the reader, that we are deal- 
 ing with thought as an invisible 
 mode of motion, and suggest that 
 this thought may be transmitted 
 through miles of space as we reckon 
 distance on the earth plane ; and 
 we have also found in our Psychic Re- 
 March that thought communication 
 depends upon a bond of mental sym- 
 pathy, i>r a plane of mental polarity 
 existing between the communicating 
 parties. .All co-relations in nature 
 depend upon principles of electro 
 induction in all of those associa- 
 tions whsre mental processes are 
 not involved; but in the co-rela- 
 tions of mental processes, it is bet- 
 ter understood under the term, 
 "mental electro induction." All 
 mental associations between the 
 human is of this character, whether 
 the parties thus associating be near 
 to each other in social converse, or 
 far removed one from the other. A 
 full recognitiou of this truth enables 
 
 ■6S 
 
 us to say that this principle of co- 
 relation unites the human to life be- 
 yond the grave, where the transfer- 
 ance of thought by the natural 
 channel of mental electro induction 
 as surely and certainly unites us to 
 a life m other spheres as thought 
 transferancc unites people residing 
 at difTerent locations here on 
 the earth plane. The vast array 
 of data upon which these pre- 
 mises of co-relation are established, 
 are found in every deqartment of 
 chemical and cosmic process; and 
 the proof that these data apply to 
 life beyond the grave is demonstrat- 
 ed in a world of psychic phenomena, 
 which, when we approach from the 
 plane of natural philosophy, is easily 
 comprehended: "jut when invest!- 
 gated from the realm of superna- 
 tural or metaphysical concepts, will 
 ever end in vagueness and uncer- 
 tainty. As cosmic pri cess is relat- 
 ed to cosmic process throughout 
 stellar space, so conscious existence 
 IS related to conscious existence 
 throughout the spheres of eternal 
 duration. The popular investigator 
 has tried to attach th'. truth to 
 some religious propagandism ; or 
 prove It by the bible or some sacred 
 cosmogony of the past. But these 
 truths of the unity of nature's pro- 
 gressions, written in every form of 
 matter, manifest in every principle 
 of nature, is older than bibles and 
 sacred cosmogonies, older than 
 man's conceptions of gods, and vi- 
 carious atonements, old ;r than man, 
 older than his plinet— hence this 
 truth of life beyond the grave, has 
 nothing to do with these supersti- 
 tions, for it is only found and dem- 
 onstrated in an investigation of the 
 spiritu.-.! elements and forces com- 
 pnsing cosmic process. Ut the 
 thinker think ! 
 
166 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIWTUAUSM 
 
 period., •»ch founding .urely »nU 
 predecessor. It ii 
 
 MRS. BESSIK BELLMAN 
 
 HOUARn, KANBAB. 
 
 A» Columbu»' «ppr«heniion con- 
 cerning the rotundity of the e»rth 
 and its furtlier habitation, wa» bas- 
 ed upon theory, strengthened and 
 substantiated by the flotsam and jet- 
 sam from its undiscovered country, 
 so was the beginning ol my exam- 
 ination of Spiritualism. Lilce him, 
 1 sailed lorth into the waters of in- 
 vestigation, and proved my theory 
 to my own satisfaction, a course 
 which I recommend to all students 
 
 of life. 
 
 I am a Spiritualist heart and soul, 
 mind and strength, because I foresee 
 it points the way to an adjustment 
 and equaliiation of all present 
 
 well upon its ,^ 
 
 now our work to establish the spirit- 
 ual age; and that the time for this is 
 here nature herself signifies. By 
 disclosing her own spiritual attribut- 
 es, vii. ether, magnetism, elec- 
 tricity, wireless telegraphy and 
 various innovations, she gives the 
 hint to man, and he finds within 
 himsell powers that transcend these; 
 that ether is the atmosphere of 
 spirit, that the magnetism of the 
 earth is not more demonstrable 
 than his own; that electricity is 
 also subject to et eric laws, and 
 that telepathy is a superior form ot 
 wireless telegraphy and thus on. 
 
 Furthermore, 1 am a Spiritualist 
 because, to fix all the gradation 
 from matter to spirit comes the 
 demonstration, the u.^rring answer 
 
 on of all pr...n. m- --Vl^ t'oT.^T^ 
 harmonies. 1 believe the word ^^„i„„ ^f Hf, everlasting we 
 Spiritualism to embody all possible j^^-.^ continually at new barricades 
 1 . .«ir:nH and that its Dro- new limitations; I 
 
 good to mankind, and that its pro 
 pagation will yield an everlasting 
 harvest of honor and happiness, 
 justice and charity to all. 
 
 1 am a Spiritualist because all 
 nature from" rock-ribbed hills" to 
 etheric distances, in the wonderful 
 transformation from combustion to 
 heat, from heat to sound, from 
 sound to color, from the blackness 
 
 arrive ^.i^mum.-^-..^ — 
 
 new limitations; but it, as students 
 and partakers of that life we are 
 informed enough, patient enough, 
 courageous enough, we shall find 
 no secret chamber where we may 
 not enter. The Infinite has not 
 given us unknowable mysteries, 
 nature is an open book which we 
 are welcome to read, when we 
 have learned the alphabet, and 
 learned to use it. 
 
 The time is not tar distant when 
 
 sound to color, irom mc "■•.w~..— i ne time is iiui .a.—.- - 
 
 of night through the radiant hues of all science, philosophy and art will 
 1 rtbow to'the brilliancy of per- recognise the spiritual world as^he 
 
 feet day, indicates that it may be 
 true, and investigation proves that 
 
 it is true. 
 
 The world in its building has 
 passed through a succession of 
 
 sequel to the present world. The 
 seers of all ages have done so, and 
 now the truth is for all the people, 
 and its knowledge makes us to ex- 
 claini"Oh Death where is thy sting ? 
 Oh, Grave, where is thy victory •• 
 
rHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 J. RANDALL SUNDERLAND 
 
 CLBVELANn, OHIO. 
 
 What converted me to Spiritual- 
 iim? is a <|uestion that I cannot 
 answer, because I was born a Spir. 
 itualist, though I did not come into 
 a full reahzation of the tact until I 
 was about seventeen years old. I 
 was clairvoyant to a certain extent 
 from my earlirst childhood, and at 
 times heard spirit voices. I will re- 
 late one instince out of many. 
 
 A favorite uncle passed away 
 when I was a small child. I saw 
 and described him several days be- 
 fore my parents received a letter ap- 
 prising them of the death ol my 
 uncle. 
 
 As I grew older these became less 
 frequent, until the time came for me 
 •o develop more fully, which did 
 not takeplace until after I had passed 
 my twenty-third year. 
 
 I "7 
 
 During iHHo I was living in Klor- 
 Ida and made a short visit down 
 into .Manatee County. I there met 
 an old friend, whi. wished me to go 
 with him Ui "see some ghosts." 
 Keing of 11 disposition tha. liked to 
 see anything unusual, I at once con- 
 sented. We went on horseback for 
 about ten miles out into the woods 
 and finally came to the ■•!;ue. It 
 was II typical Florida .-hick, con- 
 taining but one room, iviili only one 
 door and no windows. Tl< medium 
 was a native of Kloiuh,, tiumed and 
 very dark, and wiii.iilfd «i>h age. 
 That evening si o held ii so.uice, 
 though she did not use Ih:. ♦crni, 
 as she knew absoiulelv iioth ir,' of 
 the philosophy ol mudi-rn Spirj, la!- 
 ism, but she said that lie ii.iU 
 " speerets come from her.' Ihj 
 cabinet consisted of a calico curtain 
 across one corner of the ronm. 
 There was a pitch pine fire burning 
 on the hearth, affording sufficient 
 light to see all that transpired. 
 The medium's husband played on an 
 old violin for a few moments, when 
 the curtains parted and a beautiful 
 spirit form appeared, clothed in 
 flowing white drapery. I could dis- 
 tinctly see the face, beautiful with 
 a beauty not of earth. Several 
 other forms appeared in rapid suc- 
 cession, all different one from the 
 other, until finally a spirit daughter 
 of my friend appeared. He recog- 
 nized her fully. He was very much 
 overcome, in ..ict it gave him such 
 a shock that it was several days be- 
 fore he fully recovered from its ef- 
 
i68 WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 feet. The proof of spirit return 
 was overwhelmingly demonstrated 
 to me, and from that time on I be- 
 came a believer and an investigator 
 of modern Spiritualism. 
 
 In 1885 I returned to New York, 
 where I had better opportunities to 
 investigate the phenomena than I 
 had before. 
 
 The first materializing seance that 
 I attended after my return was a 
 private one, held in my parents' 
 house. The conditions were excep- 
 tionally good, the circle being se- 
 lect and harmonious. There was 
 sufficient light to see the materializ- 
 ed forms as they appeared. One of 
 the first to manifest wa-i the spirit 
 form of my wife, who had passed 
 over about three years previous to 
 that time. There could be no mis- 
 take as to her identity. She had a 
 small, petit figure that no one who 
 had ever known her in earth life 
 could mistake. Both forn; and fea- 
 tures were absolutely perfect, as 
 well as the individuality expressed, 
 and she talked with me for some 
 twenty minutes of circumstances 
 that no one except she and I knew 
 anything about. Other spirits ma- 
 terialized at this seance who were 
 fully recognized by their friends. 
 
 ME TO SPnUTUALISM 
 
 I also attended materializing se- 
 ances held by other mediums, had 
 slate writings, sat with trance me- 
 diums, and had proof on proof that 
 spirits could, and did return to their 
 friends. 
 
 That summer 1 attended a camp 
 meeting held at Neshaminy Falls, 
 Pa. After I had been there for sev- 
 eral days, while sitting in the tent 
 we occupied, I was taken sick, as I 
 thought, and had to lie down, when 
 an Indian spirit took control of my 
 body. After a severe struggle ou 
 my part other spirits then took con- 
 trol of me one after the other. 
 That day 1 also heard spirit voices 
 as plainly as 1 could hear those in 
 the mortal. From that time on 1 
 developed ral>idly, and I felt that 
 my life work was before me, work- 
 ing for the grand cause of Spiritual- 
 ism. Up to the present time the 
 spirits have developed several phr - 
 of mediumship through my organ- 
 ism, although I have never followed 
 more than one phase at a time. I 
 have traveled extensively over the 
 United States, working as a medium 
 and manager, and have met with 
 uniformly good success, as my num- 
 erous friends scattered all over the 
 country will testify. 
 
J. C. SMITH 
 
 LONDON, ONTARIO. 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED WB TO SPIRITUALISM 169 
 
 that I might know that life really 
 existed beyond the grave. 
 
 That wish was afterward to be 
 gratified to an extent much beyond 
 anything I ever dreamed of a.s pos- 
 sible. The first intimation I re- 
 ceived of the possibility of commun- 
 ication with the so-called dead, was 
 during a conversation with a friend 
 for whose integrity and common 
 sense I entertained a very high re- 
 gard. He incidentally referred to 
 some recent experiences he had with 
 a spiritual medium, through whom 
 he was convinced he held several 
 conversations with a brother lately 
 deceased. 
 
 I was deeply interested in the sub- 
 ject and, unlike many of my good 
 orthodox friends, I hoped it was 
 true. I could see no reason for re- 
 garding it as morally wrong to hold 
 converse with those so dear to us 
 when in this lile, simply because 
 they had entered a higher form of 
 existence. The messages given 
 him were very beautiful, and all in- 
 sisted upon purity of life and right- 
 eousness of conduct in order to 
 attain happiness in the world to 
 come. 
 
 I determined to investigate for 
 myself as I could not realize the 
 truth of these revelations in the 
 light of the experience of others. 
 
 I enquired for literature upon the 
 subject and was surprised to find it 
 so abundant and much of it contrib- 
 uted by writers who enjoyed a 
 world-wide reputation as scientists 
 and philosophers, I read '*The 
 
 I first became interested in the 
 subject of " Modern Spiritualism " 
 about ten years ago. I v as born 
 near the city of London, Ontario, 
 where I still reside. My life has 
 «ver been closely associated with 
 the Methodist church, of which my 
 people have been earnest adherents 
 for generations, and under the aus- 
 pices of which I began at an early 
 age to endeavor to uplift humanity 
 to a higher plane of spiritual life, 
 and taking especial delight in Sab- 
 bath-school work. I, therefore, 
 have had no materialistic theories 
 to overcome and always fully be- 
 lieved in a future life, but at the 
 same time I can remember eve.i as 
 a child longing for a glimpse, if pos- 
 sible, of the other side of the veil. 
 
\' 
 
 - 
 
 ill 
 
 170 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 Scientific Basis of Spiritualism " by 
 Sargent and the works of Sir Wm. 
 Crookes, Prof. Alfred Russell Wal- 
 lace and others, after which the ex- 
 planations by fraud and legerde- 
 main, offered so generously by pre- 
 judiced minds, appeared to me as 
 very weak and foolish. 
 
 1 obtained "Unanswerable Logic" 
 by T. Gales Foster and the ** Re- 
 ligion of Spiritualism " by Rev. 
 Samuel Watson, and after carefully 
 reading those works, any doubts 
 that may have lingered in my mind 
 as to the elevating character of the 
 teachings of the spiritual philosophy, 
 rightly understood, were entirely 
 removed, and I gladly availed my- 
 self of every opportunity for person- 
 al investigatirn of the phenomena 
 and for the study of its philosophy. 
 In so doing I fear I caused many 
 dear friends a great deal of unqalled 
 for anxiety, who doubtless believed 
 sincerely that 1 had entered the way 
 to eternal unhappiness from which 
 they would gladiv rescue me. 
 
 Since entering upon my investi- 
 gations, so absolute has been the 
 evidence received of the existence 
 all around us of a world unseen 
 peopled by those whom we have 
 been wont to speak and mourn as 
 dead and with whom under certam 
 conditions one can hold intelligent 
 communication, that I can find no 
 reasonable j^roui.ds to doubt the 
 fact. Messages without number 
 have reached me from those dear to 
 me, some by means of the " tiny 
 rap" with an innocent child as the 
 
 medium, others through independ- 
 ent writings when long personal 
 communications have been inscribed 
 between slates or upon blank paper 
 carefully sealed in envelopes, which 
 I held n my grasp, and with the 
 names of my friends in spirit life 
 subscribed thereto. Time and again 
 have these same friends taken on 
 material conditions and, for a few 
 brief moments I have telt the clasp 
 of vanished hands and heard the 
 sound of voices supposed to be still 
 in death ; smd many times hdve we 
 stood face to face while they — re- 
 splendent in their spirit robes — have 
 given me assurance of their c<ki- 
 tinued life and personal love, and ao 
 interest in the welfare of myself and 
 family. These experiences have by 
 no meanK been confined to the 
 seance tooms a( public mediuinfi, 
 but many enjoyed io our own home» 
 and under conditiaas wnere the cry 
 of "fraud" had no place - 
 
 During my inveatiguuHis I am 
 free to confess that I have not been 
 constantly looking for fraud, an at- 
 titude much too common among 
 students of the phenomena, but ra- 
 ther have I been searching for truth, 
 with my pre;i»i4ices and preconceived 
 ideas for the time laid aside. 
 
 Relying upon the careful use of 
 my ordinary faculties of sense and 
 reason in reaching my conclusions, 
 I have saved much valuable time 
 and obtained more satisfactory re- 
 sults. When in seeking a com- 
 munication by means of independent 
 writing 1 call upon a medium to 
 
WHAT CONVERTED 
 
 whom I am a perfect stranger with 
 a pair of slates purchased by myself 
 for the occasion, and i* his presence 
 obtain messages writteYi upon those 
 slates, as I carefully retain them in 
 my own hands, I can have no rea- 
 sonable doubt as to the source from 
 which they emanate, especially 
 when the messages are ot a person- 
 al and private character, often con- 
 veying information which I had to 
 have verified afterwards. 
 
 And when I sit in the parlors of a 
 private home whose members are 
 likewise seeking to know the truth, 
 and a form, which claims, and ap- 
 pears to be that of some loved one 
 who has passed from earth life, rises 
 seemingi,' out of the carpet at my 
 feet and affectionately holds con- 
 verse with me upon jfTaits of pri- 
 vate and personal interest, I can no 
 longer question the fact, strange as 
 it may seem, that the so-called dead 
 can and do return. 
 
 It has been my privilege to have 
 such experiences as these so many 
 times, and under such a variety of 
 conditions, that I am somewhat 
 perplexed to select from them one 
 or two that would interest the 
 reader. 
 
 Possibly the first seanci: I attend- 
 ed may serve the purpose. It took 
 place in the home of a friend who 
 like myself had become deeply in- 
 terested in the subject. The me- 
 dium was willing to be placed under 
 any test conditions that might be 
 required. We formed a circle of 
 about a dozen people, all of whom 
 
 ME TO SPIRITUALISM 171 
 
 were earnestly seeking to learn the 
 truth. In order to remove suspi- 
 cion from the medium he was placed, 
 at his own request, under test con- 
 ditions of the most absolute charac- 
 ter. Those having charge of that 
 work, not satisfied with tyinjf and 
 sealing the subject, also fastened 
 with nails his clothing to the floor, 
 as well as the chair upon which he 
 sat. The lights were lowered, and 
 immediately beautiful music began 
 to play upon several instruments 
 provided, in perfect time and har- 
 mony. Hands caressed us affec- 
 tionately, and whispered words of 
 love and greeting were spoken to 
 nearly all present by those we know 
 were no longer of earth. 
 
 Those claiming to be guides of 
 the medium addressed us in words 
 of wisdom upon themes of a most 
 elevating character, and many mes- 
 sages were written upon sheets of 
 paper we had prepared. To all of 
 our senses excepting that of sight 
 was pt-esented evidence of the pres- 
 ence of intelligences other than of 
 ordinary human character. We 
 raised the lights to find the medium 
 still secured just as before the man- 
 ifestations occurred. To me any 
 other explanation ol what I there 
 witnessed than that we were visited 
 by the denizens of another form of 
 existence, as they claimed to be, 
 was inexplicable. 
 
 Vet I was not satisfied, and with 
 a view to obtaining confirmatory 
 e.-idence, I spent a week at a spirit- 
 ual camp in Ohio. I reached the 
 
If 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO ^BttTUAUBi 
 
 x^2 
 
 grounds a strang^er to ait present 
 and proceeded at once to engage a 
 sitting- for indepeBdent slate writing^ 
 with a Doctor Mansfield. I b«d 
 with me a pair of states purchased 
 in my own city. I wrote name and 
 date on the frames and carefully re- 
 moved all stains. The medium 
 then requested me to tie them toge- 
 ther with my handkerchief and then 
 button them under my coat. He 
 then reached across the table at 
 which we were sitting and took my 
 hand, when 1 immediately heard 
 the sound of writing upon the states, 
 closely buttoned against my chest. 
 He then told me to unbutton my 
 coat and open and examine my 
 slates. I fonnd then within a mes- 
 sage in the haod-writing of a very 
 dear frietid. The message con- 
 tained reterences to members of my 
 own household a hundred ' miles 
 away and was signed with the 
 
 writer's own signature in full. 
 These are the simple facts which to 
 me at least contain sufficient evi- 
 dence of the existence of spiritual 
 beings whom we know as father 
 and mother, brother and sister, or, 
 perhaps, a precious son or daughter, 
 ever hovering around us, seekmg to 
 aid and comfort us whose work on 
 earth is not yet finished, and whom 
 we shall meet again in Ihat realm 
 of peace and joy where sorrows 
 come not. To the hard-headed 
 agnostic they may be of little value 
 as evidence of individual life beyond 
 the death of the body, and to my 
 orthodox friends, whc.e minds are 
 still enslaved by creeds and super- 
 stitions of the dead past, they may 
 seem even worse than useless, but 
 to me they have proven a source of 
 peace and satisfaction that I never 
 found before. 
 
 (i'il 
 
 : 4 r 
 
VHAT OOWVBRTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 VV. V. NICUM 
 
 Bl'FFALO, N. Y. 
 
 I was reared under very strict 
 orthodox teacliings but was always 
 skeptical as to many af the tenets of 
 the church, hence failed to receive 
 the comfort, consolation and spirit- 
 ual food that my creed-bound soul 
 demanded. In this unsettled condi- 
 tion I changed from one church to 
 another in search of (he peace and 
 joy " that passeth all understanding" 
 —only to find myself more dissatis- 
 fied. 
 
 By and by a dark cloud settled 
 over the zenith of my life, adding 
 more pain to my already unsettled 
 condition. This trouble came with- 
 out the least volition of my own and 
 in spite of my effort to prevent. 
 Why it was that I should be the 
 subject of such depressions I could 
 not understand, unias it was due 
 
 '73 
 
 as I thought, to lack of religious de- 
 votion and earnest faith. 
 
 1 had been taught that when 
 faith was weak the only remedy was 
 prayer, and I did pray mcessantlr 
 for more faith and religiotis devotion, 
 oi»ly again to find myself i,, ihe great 
 ocean of life like a ship without a 
 rudder or a compase. So one day 
 while at my fathers home 1 opened 
 the old family Bible and read these 
 words, " Whatsoever ye shall ask 
 in faith, believing, ye shall mre/y 
 receive." I asked father if he be- 
 lieved that whatever we asked in 
 faith we should receive, and he ans- 
 wered, "Yes; if we failed to re- 
 ceive it, it was because of our lack 
 of sufficient faith." Sol felt that 
 my faith was very limited indeed. 
 I went to my own room fully deter- 
 mined to have an understanding 
 with God Almighty, and if possible 
 to have my life path diverge in the 
 direction He might desire. ; began 
 talking to whal I thought to be God 
 as follows : " God, you have the 
 power to look into every human 
 heart and to know whether I am 
 honest and in earnest or not. You 
 know the trouble that has come 
 into my life and hi,w long and how 
 hard I have struggled to get away 
 from it all and once more repose in 
 the clear sunlight of peace' and hap- 
 pine«. I am willing and ready to 
 do whatever you would have me do. 
 I am your child and my only desire 
 is to be obediest and do your will. 
 If it is your desire that I should live 
 the life of a hermit on some lonelv 
 
 ."JfKv K'u''.'^jei«ST^-i.«JOB&.: 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 »74 
 
 island, 1 will comply willingly. 
 Whatever in your will and Mesire, 
 Oh, God, is my will and cesire." 
 While I was talking in this i^anner 
 [ felt satisfied that I was tallying- to 
 God and a feeling of relief bugan to 
 dawn upon my inner conscic«isness. 
 However, the thought came to me, 
 " How am I to know what God 
 would have me do?" At this point 
 the information came to me embrac- 
 ed in one word, "Impression" — I 
 was to be led and guided by impres- 
 sion. This assurance gave me a 
 relief and comfort unknown before. 
 I could now see just above the hor- 
 izon of my life the approaching 
 dawn of a more spiritual life, al- 
 though I did not know the way I 
 would have to travel or what I would 
 have to do, but I was perfectly will- 
 ing to wail and be led by the prom- 
 ised impressions. I will only say I 
 was impressed and led step^by step, 
 
 more fully into the realization of 
 the same. Or, in otiier words, it 
 brought me more fully into the light 
 which I had so much needed in past 
 years. 
 
 I was told that these impressions 
 which I had received were not dir- 
 ectly from God, as I had supposed, 
 but from our angel-friends who are 
 always working and striving to im- 
 prove and better human-kind by un- 
 folding or rather assisting to unfold, 
 the spirit within and thus bringing 
 us in touth with the spirit world. 
 Now that I had the scales in part 
 removed from my eyes, I could 
 commune more completely with the 
 spirit-world and be led more easily 
 and could also understand the sig- 
 nificance of the teachings of Christ: 
 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God 
 and his righteousness and all these 
 things shall be added unto you." 
 
 I could now begin to realize how 
 essential is prayer or aspiration as 
 there is no secret wish for good or 
 light that is not a prayer, and that 
 to come in rapport with higher 
 spiritual intelligences prayer is an 
 until by-and-by I found myself face essential to that end. I could now 
 
 also understand that all was good 
 which had transpired in my life as 
 it acted as a discipline that made it 
 possible for me to be brought into 
 this great truth of spirit return and 
 spirit philosophy. 
 
 Thus it was that I was guided 
 across the threshold into modern 
 Spiritualism wherein one receives 
 the healing balm for all the ills of 
 life. During the past eight years 
 I have spent in the investigation pf 
 the different phenomena, I have re- 
 
 to face with the much-abused and 
 persecuted spiritual medium who 
 explained the impressions I had re- 
 ceived at these various intervals and 
 gave me further instruction. 
 
 Up to this time Spiritualism was 
 as far from my mind as the east is 
 from the west. I had never gi\ en it 
 a moment's consideration because I 
 had bklieved it was wicked. The 
 medium I mention, gave me a sit- 
 ting that lasted from nine a.m. un- ceived test after test of spirit return 
 til two p.m. and that interview of and thus substantiated the truth of 
 five hours was devoted wholly to my own mediumship which has 
 spiritual things that seemed to be been and is the guiding star of my 
 requisite to the furthering of my life not only in a spiritual way but in 
 spiritual unfoldment, bringing me the material as well. 
 
WHAT CXDNVERTED ME TO SPKITUALIiM 
 
 MRS. EFFIE MOSS 
 
 CLEVELAND, OHIO. 
 
 I was born in the city of Exeter, 
 Devonshire, England, and from my 
 earliest recollection was clairaudient 
 and clairvoyant, and can remember 
 when I was a small jfirl being pun- 
 ished because I asserted that people 
 talked with me in the dark, and I 
 always begged my dear mother to 
 leave a light burning in my room. 
 I can remember many visions, but 
 will mention only one of them. 
 
 I came to this country in a sailing 
 ship, in the year 1867. After being 
 out at sea for about three weeks, 1 
 saw r. vision that almost drove me 
 frantic. I distinctly saw my dear 
 old mother, lying alone and uncon- 
 scious, stricken down with paraly- 
 sis, and when I arrived in New 
 V'ork about three weeks later, 1 
 
 '75 
 
 found a letter awaiting me from my 
 sister informing me that my mother 
 had had a stroke of paralysis, and 
 when found she had been lying un- 
 conscious for about two hours. 
 
 In the year i88j, my mother 
 passed away in Newport, South 
 Wales. 1 knew that she was sick 
 with cholera but in the last letter 
 that I had received from my sister, 
 she was getting better. At eleven 
 o'clock at night. May the 26th, I 
 distinctly saw and heard her telling 
 me that she had passed away, but 
 found that she could still watch 
 over her children. As quickly as it 
 was possible for me to receive a let- 
 ter, after that date, I received two 
 letters on the same day, from my 
 sister, one having a black border, 
 and the other a white envelope. On 
 opening the white one, the contents 
 informed me that our mother was 
 getting better. It gave me courage 
 to open the other one, when what 
 was my grief to find, though writ- 
 ten on the same day as the other 
 one, that my mother had passed 
 away. On comparing time and 
 date, 1 found it to correspond with 
 the time and date of my vision. 
 
 Shortly after that time, while at 
 the bedside of a sick friend, whom 
 the physicians had s.aid could not 
 possibly live through the day, 1 
 heard an independent voice (claim- 
 ing to be the mother of my friend) 
 ask me why I was crying, and told 
 me that if 1 would folkiw her direc- 
 tions, my friend would live. I 
 
176 
 
 WHAT GCmVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 I n 
 
 obeyed the directions given, and my a few manlfeHtations that occurred 
 
 friend did live for many years. 
 
 The first public seance that I at- 
 teniiedt was at the home of Mis. 
 Stoddard Gray, and her son Dewit 
 G. Hough. Several forms having 
 materialized, one appeared holding 
 an infant in her arms ; on being 
 aNked whom she wished to see, she 
 replied, "I wish to see my sister 
 Effie." I went forward, and recog- 
 nized perfectly the form and features 
 of a beloved sister, who had passed 
 to spirit life many years before hold- 
 ing the infant form that had been 
 buried in the same coflRn with her. 
 During the same seance, I was 
 given my father's name, and on ask- 
 ing him as a proof of his identity to 
 give me the name of the street we 
 lived on when he passed over, 1 re- 
 ceived the following reply : "Free- 
 ney St., Exeter, Devonshi.e,, Eng- 
 
 at that time public, especially 
 they answer a question that has 
 been asked many times, viz. : Can a 
 spirit still embodied materialize ? 
 VVe received positive proof during 
 that time of such a phenomenon. 
 Dr. W. W. Hicks, who is now 
 writing articles for The Sermon, 
 being one of several who did at that 
 time tiike on a materialized form» 
 (while his body lay at his home in 
 Florida) : : < alked with the friend& 
 present, \d on regaining con- 
 sciousri'*^.^ in his home, would re- 
 membei he work done during that 
 time, and also the names of the 
 many spirit friends he had met, 
 would also rememb<*r if there was a 
 stranger present in the seance room. 
 Our arisen brother, Judge Portes of 
 St. Louis, also materialized on sev- 
 eral occasions, while his body lay at 
 his home in St. Louis, and at times 
 remembered all that had transpired, 
 during his absence from the body, 
 as has been proven time and again 
 by their writing the incidents that 
 
 land," thus not only receiving the transpired, and sending the letter to 
 'the friends in New York the follow- 
 ing day, while some one who was 
 present at the seance would also 
 make notes of all that transpired, 
 copies of which would be sent to 
 each absent member of the circle, 
 the letters thus crossing each otier 
 on the road. The reader can read- 
 ily perceive that we received abso- 
 lute proof of the occurrences. 
 
 I have held seances from Canada 
 to the Gulf, and from Massachusetts 
 to California, enduring many hard- 
 ships, and receiving many unkind 
 criticisms, but have ever been 
 
 name of the street, but also the 
 name of the city, county and coun- 
 try. 
 
 From that time I became a spirit- 
 ualist, and within a few days I be- 
 came entranced, my body being 
 controlled by other intelligences, 
 who gave many loving messages 
 and tests to my friends. My devel- 
 opement was very rapid ; I have 
 been used for several phases of me- 
 diumship, materialization being their 
 choice of work. 
 
 During the years of 1888, 
 
 and 1891), being engaged once, and strengthened by the kindly words of 
 
 sometimes twice each week, by Mrs. cheer and approbation of the many 
 
 M. E. Wallace, of New York, in hundreds to whom my guides have 
 
 her hcrtTie ir Forty-second St., I feel been able to demonstrate the truth 
 
 that ^M wiii pardon me, in making and knowledge of the life to come. 
 
 1)1 
 
▼HAT CONVERTED ME TO SPmmjAUSM .„ 
 
 EDWARD S. GRECE 
 
 DITIIOIT, MICH. 
 
 What the investigator into the 
 myateries and phenomena of Spirit- 
 ualism is in search of, is evidence. 
 He wants to see something, hear 
 something' or feel something of the 
 departed ones, which convinces him 
 not only that life is continuous, net 
 that " All are but parts of one stu- 
 pendous whole, whose body Nature 
 is, and God the soul," but he wants 
 to realize that the same individuality 
 which he knew here survives the 
 grave, and that that individuality 
 may be recognized, appreciated and 
 " known even as we are known " in 
 this material environment. 
 
 He wants this because he loves 
 the dear ones passed away, and he 
 shudders at the thought that never 
 iiRain , an he look into the faces of 
 those he loved ; never again can he 
 behold the bri^.ht and sparkling eye, 
 see the smiling face, or hear the 
 cheering laugh of one vanished from 
 him fore, er. He wants it because 
 he wants to know that "death is 
 not a wall, but a door " opening 
 into a new and better country. To 
 the Spiritualist who has devoted, it 
 may be, years of patient inveatiga. 
 
 tion and research to the wonder, of 
 th. un«en world, the evidence. 'are 
 almost limitless in supply, hut to th. 
 .earcher who begin, the work of in- 
 quiry, the difficultie, in his path «r. 
 hard to overcome, and he finds hi. 
 every effort not only shrouded in 
 doubts, but fraud and deceit dis. 
 courage him as he proceeds. He 
 sees the table 'In, he hears the tiny 
 rap, or the voice of the entranced 
 medium speaking the words of a d«. 
 parted one ; he may behold a mater- 
 lalized form, and for a while believes 
 ■tthe onefo, whom he searches; 
 but he turn, again upon himself and 
 says : how easy of imitation, or how 
 easily I may be duped : or, it may 
 be, he has read Hudson's book and 
 has about concluded that in some 
 »ay all he has seen, heard or felt is 
 ■nsomemysterious, unexplained way 
 S'mply his inner self, his or some 
 others "subjective consciousness." 
 domg i, all. But let him continue 
 his mquiries, for truth is truth and 
 must establish itself. 
 
 The writer hopes, in the space al- 
 lotted him, to set forth some facts 
 
 and to bring to the reader some evi- 
 dences which are convincing. 
 
 If there is anyone way of identi- 
 fying any individuality better and 
 more convincing than another, it is 
 by hand writing. Especially is this 
 true where the individuality is shown 
 torth .n the composition and style of 
 the writer. I „eed say „o more 
 than th,s:_When we remember 
 that every day million, and million,, 
 
■78 WHAT OCmVERTED ME TO SPIRTTUAUSM 
 
 of dollars of bUBine»» in tr«n»»cttd resulln — thm is, ({I'od, loving 
 
 on the fKilh nnd knouledK* of the lhou|{ht«, cHlmne»» of di.ponition 
 
 fact that not one pernon in a thou- and harmonious sentiments. " If 
 
 sand can change his handwrilin|{ so we expect our dear ones to come to 
 
 as not to be recosni/ed, and that us we must put ourselves in a con- 
 
 very rarely can one's hand be imi- 
 tated by another so as to deceive, 
 we do not wonder at the effective- 
 ness of wrilinj; as an instrument for 
 
 dition to receive them." The me- 
 dium then being seated between Or. 
 W. on his left and Mrs. R. on his 
 ri^ht, both strani^ers to him, all 
 
 establishinK identity. Can spirits joined hands round the table, the 
 
 write' To this I shall let the follow- 
 Ini; answer : 
 
 In October, i8q8, William Nye 
 Means, of Williamson, Ind. , medi- 
 um, came to Detroit, and, having 
 called upon me, I suggested a se- 
 ance. He consented and the home 
 of a private family was secured. I 
 invited a few ' iends to be present, 
 all strangers to Mr. Means. The 
 room in which the seance was held 
 
 medium's left hand being securely 
 held by Or. W. and his right by 
 Mrs. K. We sat in total darkness 
 for about thirty minutes. Mr. 
 Means became entranced during 
 these sittings, and it was with diffi- 
 culty he was restored to his normal 
 state. The sheets of paper had not 
 been touched by anyone after Mr. 
 Means placed them on the table. 
 The sitting being ended, the lamp 
 
 was in a ■' flat," one story above the was relighted, the hands of the me- 
 nd, and I need say no tn.re as dium being yet securel: held, when. 
 
 grou 
 
 to describing the room than this : it 
 was simply impossible for any out- 
 side person (of a material form) to 
 enter after the company had assem- 
 bled. There were twelve in all 
 present, including .Mr. Means. .As 
 we all sat around the dining table — 
 relatives were not allowed to sit 
 next to each other— Mr. Means took 
 from his pocket a small pad of note 
 paper, taking off one at a time, 
 twelve sheets in all, and holding 
 
 instead of the pile of single sheets of 
 paper, we beheld each piece nicely 
 folded, and each one addressed to 
 some one of the sitters, and signed 
 in the name, in each case, of the 
 spirit relative or friend from whom 
 it purported to come. Now, the 
 strange thing about it is, in every 
 case the signatures were /tic similes 
 ol" the persons whose name they 
 bore in ca.tli lite. Dr. W. received 
 a inessaije from a deceased son, 
 
 each up to the lamp so it could be signed by his name m a beautiful, 
 
 plainly seen there was not a mark of flowing hand, and, strange to say, 
 
 any kind upon any one of them, he the name contained the middle ini- 
 
 placed them one upon another in a tial, which Dr. W. had vainly 
 
 pile on the table. He then stated sought for_but had not disclosed to 
 
 the conditions necessary for good anyo 
 
 The handwriting on each 
 
WAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUAUSM 
 
 puper was different from 
 otherit. 
 
 •7') 
 
 'he I received two n,,. ,«»,»: one 
 from my deceased wife, «nd one 
 
 O^" 
 
 wri_ 
 
 
 from my old and dear friend, the 
 late R. V. Treveilick, of I >etroit. 
 In order that the reader may con 
 pare these signatures for himself, I 
 have obtained photographs of the 
 message Irom my late wife, also 
 Mr. Treveilick, exact reproductions 
 of which are inserted in this article. 
 The style and diflccnce in sentiment 
 i» noticeable. Mrs. Greece was a 
 lady of education and o. spiritual 
 sentiments. Mr. Tr.vellick was an 
 orator of the outspoken, fearless 
 kind, a lecturer on labor and reform 
 questions and a friend of the gentle- 
 man whom he calls " Don M.", the 
 latter having many times bestowed 
 favors upon Mr. Treveilick. Mr 
 Treveilick, in his life here, prided 
 
 himself on his hah: oi expressing 
 himself in short sentences. Note 
 this tact in this letter. Each paper 
 shows the initials of the medium's 
 four ^uiJos, which always appear 
 on all his mes.sages. 
 
 I have also caused I,, he photo- 
 graphed the signatures ot the per- 
 sons made in this life, which are al.so 
 g.ven for the purpose of comparison. 
 I may say that the foregoing is only 
 me of several •• tests " of like char- 
 acter I have had through Mr. 
 Means. 
 
 Mr. Means „ „ot an expert at 
 writing. In fact, he is a very or- 
 dinary writer, and it would simply 
 be impossible for him, in the light, 
 to write more than one hand. How,' 
 
MKaocorv nsotuTiON mi chah 
 
 (ANSI ond ISO TEST CHAUT No. 2) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 ISi 
 
 |2£ 
 
 2.0 
 
 ^ I 1.8 
 
 ^ 
 
 APPLIED irvMGE Inc 
 
i8o WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 then, could he, with his hands se- 
 curely held, in absolute darkness, 
 imitate the hands of a dozen per- 
 
 sons, and all of them in the 
 beyond?" 
 
 Let the skeptic answer. 
 
 great 
 
 We give in the mar- 
 gin Mr. Trevellick's let- 
 ter to a friend and be- 
 low his message from 
 spirit life. We call par- 
 ticular attention to the 
 capital D in each letter. 
 
 * ClH.' 
 
 
 
 
 ««t- 
 
 /i d 
 
 
 
 ^^^.^..ui,:^ 
 
 CX^;/"'-^- 
 
 ve. 
 
What converted me to spirhualism 
 
 VICTOR WVLDES 
 
 TORONTO, ONT. 
 
 My conversion to Spiritualism? 
 If bv the name Spiritualism we are 
 to understand cODsciousness of 
 spiritual beings disincarnate, intuit- 
 ive perception of the continuity of 
 life beyond so called death and sen- 
 sitive cognizance of the operation of 
 occult forces not discerned by or- 
 dinary perception, then I can truth- 
 fully claim that I was never convert- 
 ed to a belief in Spiritualism, but that 
 from my earliest childhood I have 
 a ways been a Spiritualist and a 
 medium. 
 
 What a strange child! 
 This exclaimation echoes even 
 now in the chamber of memory as 
 pronounced by at least a hundred 
 different voices. 
 
 The attempt to drill me into the 
 semblance ot a stereotyped good 
 boy was never a great succes. One 
 time swept by a wave of uncontroll- 
 able passion at some real or fancied 
 
 i8i 
 
 slight. At another time bearing 
 chastisement and even abuse with- 
 out a murmur. 
 
 Alternately courageous and timid, 
 mirthful to a point bordering upon 
 delirium or plunged into a state of 
 melancholy without apparent cause 
 adequate foi the production of such 
 extremes. 
 
 Pronounced a dunce and a little 
 genius by turns in accordance with 
 alternate fits of supernatural dul- 
 ness and inexplicable brilliance. 
 
 One time so stupid that I could 
 scarcely realize that twice two 
 made four; at another time solving 
 abstruse mathematical problems that 
 puzzled my superiors in age. 
 
 Such was Victor Wyldes as a boy. 
 I was not understood, and no 
 wonder. 
 
 So much of my peculiar temper- 
 ment I deem it necessary to deline- 
 ate to enable my readers to solve in 
 measure the problem of my medium- 
 ship. 
 
 Fairies, sylphs, gnomes, fays and 
 hobgoblins were realities to me. 
 I loved poetry and romance. The 
 heroes of poetry, song and fiction 
 had a peculiar habit of taking bodily 
 form before my eyes. Even the 
 flowers of the field sang to me; yes 
 literally sang, for with the inhalation 
 ofs,veet odors musical vibrations 
 arose in my brain. 
 
 .As a youth I would often blunder 
 in the attempt to explain some trif- 
 ling incident, yet I was considered 
 a glib-tongued story teller when 
 in the mood. 
 
 In this connection I well remem- 
 ber receiving a severe thrashing for 
 spoiling a faniily party by revealing 
 unpleasant secrets in an impromptu 
 story told at the winter fireside. 
 
 Dear reader: Spiritualism has in- 
 terpreted the problem of my being. 
 From infancy I have been an in- 
 
l83 
 
 WHAT CX5NVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 spirational medium, clairvoyant and 
 psychometrist. 
 
 If my wise orthodox friends had 
 known the real causes of my eccen- 
 tiicities, attributed by them to wil- 
 ful perversity or incipient lunacy, 
 i feel convinced that by this time I 
 might have become a great spirit 
 medium. I frankly confess that to 
 he still my greatest ambition, in 
 order that through this God-g-iven 
 power 1 may be of service to my 
 fellow hun.j.n beings. 
 
 My greatest joy is to be instru- 
 mental .n leading the masses from 
 the darkness of dogma to the pure 
 light of spirit communion through 
 the inspirations of my beloved spir- 
 it guides. 
 
 It may be well at this place to 
 make brief reference to a period of 
 profound scepticism. 
 
 In my seventeenth year I com- 
 menced to study the metaphysics of 
 the German School, Spinoza was 
 my favorite philosopher. 
 
 By making the psendo philosoph- 
 ical blunder of confounding his 
 theory of an universal substance 
 with the idea of the universality 
 of gross matter, I fancied that God 
 and the spirit world was provably 
 non-existent. Thus the dreams 
 and visions of my childhood and 
 every . estige of theological belief 
 were gradually banished from my 
 mind. 
 
 From this condition of profound 
 unbelief I was suddenly awakened 
 in my twentieth year by the entirely 
 unexpected and unhoped-for return 
 of the spirit of a very dear friend, 
 a young medical student with whom 
 1 had made the solemn compact that 
 whoever died first should return 
 in spirit to the other, if after all there 
 should be a spirit world, and power 
 and permisson to return granted. 
 
 Reader: my friend kept his prom- 
 
 ise three years afterwards and in 
 the very room where the compact 
 was made. My friend passed away 
 ill Australia. His spirit appeared 
 to me within fifteen minutes after 
 his transition, in England. It was 
 literally himself in form, feature, 
 smile and gesture, also in voice, for, 
 vibrating on the air in the same 
 manly tone with which I was so 
 familiar, I heard these words: "Vic- 
 tor, I have kept my promise." He 
 vanished. ! fell upon my knees in 
 prayer. A deep religiousness took 
 possession of my soul. 
 
 After a brief sojourn in the un- 
 satisfying atmosphere of Orthodox 
 Christianity I drifted by predisposit- 
 ion and, I doubt not, by spirit guid- 
 ance into Modern Spiritualism. 
 The space at my disposal will not 
 permit of a detailed account of the 
 many positive proofs I received of 
 spirit return throuji i many good 
 mediums, nor of the rapid reawaken- 
 ing of the dream-vision faculty of 
 my childhood by contact with the 
 atmosphere of devout spirit com- 
 munion, nor yet *he wondrous 
 aid imparted by i.. - .leric means as 
 preparatory to the more powerful 
 control by my beloved spirit Guides. 
 
 I will therefore conclude this all 
 too brief narrative of a remarkable 
 career by affirming my unalterable 
 belief in the verities and divine ori- 
 gin o( the glorious movement I 
 have the honor to represent however 
 inadequately- 
 
 For upwards of twenty years I 
 have been an avowed Spiritualist 
 and medium, and for more than fif- 
 teen years a public lecturer and test 
 medium for the cause throughout 
 the British Islands and the Eastern 
 States of America, and during the 
 past twelve months .n' the Queen 
 City of the Canadian Dominion^ 
 Toronto. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SHRITUALISM .8., 
 
 just as stronj-ly tliret limes. Two 
 days later 1 received a letter prov- 
 ing; the truth ol the mess- ;- . The 
 (,'enlleman «as on a trip ..i Texas. 
 He died at Ijioj the day I reLcived 
 llie mtssace and I was told it in St. 
 I.ouis less than one hour after his 
 death. This and her other state- 
 ments caused me to investigate. 
 
 I have invesli/ated Spiritualism 
 nine years, not sparing either effort 
 or expen-e ; have attended over one 
 hundred materializing seances, have 
 spent very many evening's in circles 
 inve.>ti);atin)f, where were mediums 
 frilled with the powers o( clairvoy- 
 ance, clairaudience. personation, 
 slate writing, trance mediumship 
 and other gii's. I have personally 
 witnessed twenty-live different kinds 
 o\ manifestations of what I consid- 
 ered spirit phenomena and fully 
 proven as coming from spirit intelli- 
 gences. 
 
 Spiritualism should be made a 
 deep and careful study. Many 
 things will cause one to doubt and 
 distrust. .Many times appearances 
 will .seem to indicate that the me- 
 dium is fraudulent. However my 
 experience has led me to believe 
 that there is less of this than we 
 might suppose, that it is ignorance 
 of conditions, or partially developed 
 mediumship, or lack of knowledge 
 of the laws of communication be- 
 tween the two worlds. It should 
 be studied for its philosophy more 
 than for its phenomena. It is sim- 
 ply wonderful that one can get even 
 a single communication from the 
 
 VV: C. EDW.VRDS 
 
 ST. PAtL, .Ml.VN. 
 
 ' *"i 55 .vears old, residence No. 
 1325 Summit Ave., St. I'.iul, .Min- 
 nesota. 
 
 My first real experience in Spirit- 
 ualism was in St. Louis, .Missouri. 
 I had a few hours of leisure before 
 my train left. Riding on the street 
 cars in the suburbs I saw a sign, 
 " Medium." I think I must have 
 been impressed to call and inquire. 
 The medium was a nearly blind lady 
 about 57 years old. All the sur- 
 roundings and appearances impress- 
 ed me as lionest. She told me 
 many wonderful things, said my 
 father was present, and appeared to 
 be very conversai>t with my past 
 life, told about my family and busi- 
 ness. Among other things she said 
 a gentleman connected with me in 
 business had just died. I disputed 
 this three times and it was affirmed 
 
i84 
 
 WHAT QDNVERTED ME TO SPDUTUAUSM 
 
 I i ' 
 
 spirit world, erroneouiily styled 
 "that bourn from which no travel- 
 ler returns." If we can get one 
 sinf^le communication lully and ab- 
 solutely proven, we have established 
 our case. Then what shall we say 
 when in almost every town and in 
 all the large cities there are num- 
 berless circles constantly getting evi- 
 dence and thousands and hundreds 
 of thousands of communications and 
 proofs. Think of it ! However, as 
 Thomas Paine says, *' What is re- 
 velation to me is heresy to you," so 
 all must needs investigate and many 
 times under poor conditions. Con- 
 sequently the difficulty. 
 
 Once in (getting automatic writ- 
 ing I asked the question of my spi- 
 rit friend, "What Is the greatest 
 thing to be desired in life?" It was 
 answered, ** Happiness, and one 
 will want nothing more in the life 
 beyond. " 
 
 I feel sure that Spiritualism when 
 rightly understood, is productive of 
 great happiness and of the greatest 
 of all good to mankind. It en- 
 larges the mind, broadens thought, 
 helps us to see more clearly and 
 value more highly the beauties and 
 grandeur of this world and of this 
 life. The world looks brighter, 
 better, more wonderful an,d grander 
 when seen and studied by the aid of 
 this Philosophy, and we realize 
 more fully what a grand heritage 
 life is, no matter how iowly, how 
 dark, how obscure or how vile the 
 conditions, more valuable in itself 
 than all the wealth of earth ! 
 
 Even to the person so overcome 
 and pressed down by the cares and 
 troubles of his condition that he 
 would gladly contemplate suicide, 
 Spiritualism brings such inspiring 
 views of life, such strength and 
 courage, that he is able to look up 
 
 in smiles, through his tears, and be 
 thankful, oh! so thankful! that he 
 was ever born. 
 
 1 was formerly a Presbyterian. 
 For generations our family have 
 been Presbyterians. I have been 
 engaged in a successful business 
 for myself for 35 years. 
 
 A good many people seem to have 
 the idea that all spiritualists are 
 crazy, or cranky, or not well round- 
 ed out mentally. So much of this 
 has been said that, white not wish- 
 ing to be egotistical, but as this 
 book is written to prove our case, I 
 am tempted to be egotistical enough 
 to say, for the sake of exploding 
 this falsehood, (and it is wonderful 
 how many falsehoods the world 
 says in regard to us) that I am cre- 
 dited with the distinction of owning 
 and operating more retail lumber 
 yards than any other man i n the world, 
 being interested in, and largely 
 owner of, nearly all of over one 
 hundred retail lumber yards and 
 forty retail hardware stores in coun- 
 try towns and cities in five of our 
 western states, i would prefer to 
 be modest and retiring, but Spirit- 
 ualism has been falsified so much in 
 so many ways, that I feel almost 
 goaded to the point of saying that 
 we should come out boldly and talk 
 for our side. 
 
 We advocate a cause which, 
 when understood, is surely of the 
 greatest importance and productive 
 of the greatest happiness to all man- 
 kind, and we all should hold high 
 the lamp of light of this grand 
 knowledge, in order that the whole 
 world may see its brightness and 
 that it may light the pathway of the 
 coming millions that are yet to tread 
 this earth that they may not walk in 
 darkness as so many have done 
 who have been taught false doc- 
 trines in the past. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 185 
 
 A. R. WALLACE, F.R.S. 
 
 COUPE VIEW, PARKSTONE, DORSET. 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 From a published lecture of this dlitin- 
 Cuished Scientist, entitled, ^^If a Man EMe 
 Shall He Uve Again?" we insert the fol- 
 lowing clear and strong statements i 
 
 I wilt now briefly enumerate the 
 varied phases of the phenomena of 
 Spiritualism, and will then consider 
 what is their hearing on the doctrine 
 of a future life. 
 
 The phenomena may be broadly 
 divided into two groups; physical 
 and mental. The former, however, 
 as well as the latter, almost always 
 imply the action of mind in their 
 production. In the first division we 
 have simple physical phenomena, 
 among which must be grouped an 
 immense variety of effects, such as 
 sounds of all kinds from the most 
 
 delicate tick up to blows as loud 
 and vibrating as those produced by 
 a sledge hammer, and certainly not 
 P'-oduced by human agency. Then 
 we have the alteration of the weight 
 of bodies, which has been often test- 
 ed. I have frequently seen in the 
 presence of the celebrated medium, 
 Mr. Home, a targe dining table 
 weighed in a bright light, when 
 there were no means o( deception. 
 This table changed its weight to 
 the amount of thirty or forty 
 p r.unds. 
 
 Then again, we have the phe- 
 nomena of articles of various kinds 
 being moved without human agency, 
 such as chairs, tables, and musical 
 instruments. These are the most 
 common and familiar phenomena to 
 all thos-' who have investigated the 
 subject. Still more curious is the 
 conveying of bodies to a distance : 
 flowers and fruits are the most com- 
 mon o( these, but also other bodies, 
 such as letters and various small ob- 
 jects, have been conveyed long dis- 
 tances — sometimes several miles. 
 
 Then again, we have that curious 
 phenomenon which is recorded more 
 or less throughout history, the rais- 
 ing or levitatlon of human bodies 
 into the air, and sometimes convev- 
 ing them a considerable distance. 
 This has been repeated over and 
 over again under various circum- 
 stances, and has even included liv- 
 ing persons, i will in illustration 
 of this ment" m one remarkable cir- 
 cumstance of the . ind which I ob- 
 served myself, because it happened 
 to occur when there w.is no pro es 
 
lH(i 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPKITUALISM 
 
 sing medium present. It wiis in a 
 friend's hous? in London. An artist 
 and his family held seances once a 
 week ; on one occasion the medium 
 was not present, bcin^j ill, and one 
 of the daujjhters, who had proved 
 to be a medium, was in a remarka- 
 ble manner moved about the room. 
 On this occasion we put out the 
 lijfht as usual, the younj;' lady sit- 
 ting between her brother and a 
 friend, who held her hands. The 
 darkness in this case, you will see, 
 was one of the conditions which 
 render what happened still more dif- 
 ti nilt. After a little while the two 
 persons who held her hands said, 
 "Sne is pone." On that instant a 
 light was struck, and she was found 
 lying at full length upon a broad 
 mantel some feet away, with her 
 clothes tucked around her so she 
 lay perfectly comfortable. This is 
 a thing she couKI not have done un- 
 der the circumstances in the dark. 
 
 More remarkable by far thnn 
 these, because beyond all human 
 power to produce, is the tying jf 
 knots on endless cords, the taking 
 of coins out of sealed boxes, and 
 the passage of solid rings over a 
 body far too large for them to pasa 
 over by any natural means. All 
 these things happened in the broad 
 daylight, in the presence of Zoellner 
 and two of his colleagues. He has 
 recorded them most accurately in a 
 work which many of you know. 
 On other occasions a very curious 
 thing happened, and that was the 
 apparent passage, visibly, of matter 
 through matter withont disorganiz- 
 ing or disrupJng that matter. I 
 have frequently, myself, seen in 
 good light, sticks and handkerchiefs 
 pass through a curtain, yet an ex- 
 amination of the curtain immediate- 
 ly afterward did not show any 
 change in it whatever. 
 
 This enables us to understand 
 many ot' the other phenomena which 
 are happening every day. This con- 
 cludes a rough outline of what we 
 may call the simpler of physical 
 manifestations. 
 
 Then we have physical phenom- 
 ena combined with mental phenom- 
 ena, such as direct writing and 
 drawing. This is now such a gen- 
 eral phenomenon that almost every 
 one may have the opportunity of 
 testing for themselves. It appears 
 in an infinite variety of ways. Pa- 
 pers thrown upon the floor and 
 taken up a few minutes afterwards 
 are found to be written upon ; 
 pHpers inclosed in locked drawers 
 are found written upon ; spirit writ- 
 ing comes upon the ceiling in inac- 
 cessible places. Then again is that 
 which occurs in closed slates, and 
 often in the presence and under the 
 hand of the person witnessing it. 
 Often these communications are 
 lengthy, and not infrequently con- 
 tain matters of private interest to 
 tne persons who receive them. 
 They often occur in languages which 
 the medium does not understand ; 
 sometimes they occur in lanj^uages 
 that no one present understands, 
 and which they have coniiiderable 
 difficulty in getting interpreted ; b;;t 
 generally, I think, they are inter- 
 preted, and found to be some defi- 
 nite language. .'\ friend of mine in 
 England obtained in his own family, 
 without anv other medium, writing 
 in a language they did not under- 
 stand, and which he had the great- 
 est difficulty in having inierpreted, 
 until he found a missionary from 
 the South Sea islands, to whom it 
 was familiar. It was correctly writ- 
 ten, and no one in the house knew 
 a single word of it. Then another 
 wonderful physical phenomenon is 
 the writing in colors of various. 
 
 ■ 
 
VHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 kinds which are not present tv- pro- 
 duce them. Drawings occur also 
 in equally varied forms. Some of 
 these are done in pencil, apparently, 
 or in ink ; some are done in colors ; 
 many have been done apparently in 
 water colors, and taken up in a few 
 seconds are found to he wet ; others 
 are done in oil colors. There arc 
 instances where the visitor has re- 
 ceived a painting on a card from 
 which he had first torn off a corner, 
 showing that the picture was pro- 
 duced on the same card. 
 
 Then we come to another set of 
 phenomena, which may be termed 
 musical phenomena. Musical in- 
 struments are played ; sometimes 
 locked and closed pianos are played. 
 I have seen a music-box which has 
 played and ceased playing at a per- 
 son's request. One of the most re- 
 markable phenomena, and which 
 has been seen by tens of thousands 
 of persons, was the playing upon an 
 accordeon held only in one hand, 
 the keys being touched and played 
 upon by invisible hands, producing 
 most beautiful music. 
 
 Then we have cb»mical phenom- 
 ena. These consist chiefly, first, 
 protection from the effects of fire. 
 M. D. D. Home— -recently dead, 
 and perhaps the most remarkable 
 medium that ever lived— used to 
 take out fire, a brilliant red-hot 
 mass of coals, carry them about the 
 room in his hands, and by his pecu- 
 liar power could tell certain persons 
 who were able to have them placed 
 in their hands, and would place 
 them in their hands and they would 
 never feel them. On one occasion 
 the well-known writer, Mr. S. C. 
 Hall, had placed upon his head a 
 great mass of burning coals which 
 shone through his white hair, and 
 was witnessed by a large party pre- 
 sent, and his hair was not scorched 
 
 [H- 
 
 and he felt no pain whatever. 
 
 .\nolher of the curious plien,>m- 
 ena is the production ol luminous 
 bodies, solid bodies app.ircnlU-, 
 which i-ive out :i bright phosphor- 
 escent kind of irght, These have 
 beeJi examined by I'rof. t'rookes ; 
 he has had them placed in his hands, 
 and he makes (he declaration rliat 
 ni«Jern chemistry is unable to ac- 
 count for them, and not able to pro- 
 duce anything like them. 
 
 Passing on from these we come 
 to another set of phenomena stdl 
 more marvellous, called materiali/a- 
 tion, or the production of temporal 
 spiritual forms out of surrounding 
 matter. The first produced were 
 human hands which sometimes 
 wrote visibly, could be touched and 
 were tangible ; then human faces 
 were produced ; then after a consid- 
 erable time the entire human form 
 was produced, and it has now be- 
 come very common, as it was prom- 
 ised some ten or fifteen years ago ; 
 but we all doubted whether that 
 couid be the case; nevertheless it is 
 a well known circumstance, thor- 
 oughly decided by all persons who 
 have investigated this subject. Mr. 
 Crookes examined this si-bject many 
 years ago, and has published the re- 
 sults. 
 
 The examination was critical, and 
 carefully carried on for weeks [o- 
 gether in his own house, in his own 
 laboratory, with all his own meth- 
 ods. These figures were photo- 
 graphed, weighed, and measured ; 
 he did everything that a sc'entific 
 man possibly could, and ' is de- 
 clared that absolutely and positively 
 they are real existences — spiritual 
 existences, be;ause they are only 
 temporary; they come and - -^'s 
 away again, these materialized 
 bodies are now not unfrequently 
 actually seen to form, and then seen 
 
ihH 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUAUSM 
 
 to diMMolve agfain into a miNt. and 
 finally totally disappear. We have, 
 therefore, the most absolute and 
 perfect proot that these things are 
 realitie!!. 
 
 Then we come to another set of 
 phenomena w*^ith serves an the most 
 perfect scicntiuc test of the reality 
 of these phenomena you tan possi- 
 bly have ; that is, the power ol pho- 
 togrHphln)^ these forms. If they 
 were not real they could not be pho- 
 tographed; but we have photo- 
 graphs of those seen and of those 
 that are not seen. These photo- 
 graphs have been taken not merely 
 by professional photographers, but 
 frequently taken at home in the pri- 
 vate laboratories of amateurs who 
 have studied the subject solelv to 
 arrive at the tiuth, who have r.o 
 possibility of being- deceived, and 
 who have demonstrated that these 
 photographs are realltie:,. 
 
 Still further than photographs is 
 another marvellous phenomenon 
 and that is the production of casts 
 of hands and feet and even faces of 
 these temporarily formed spiritua 
 beings. These casts were made in 
 melted parr " - ' Parafiine is melt- 
 ed in a large qu.mtity of boiling 
 water, aid the hands have to be 
 dipped ir. the melted paraflfine. and 
 then are tiken out and left floating 
 in another vessel of coU water be- 
 side it. These molds are found en- 
 tire, so that the aperture at the wrist 
 is much :imaller than the hand. 
 Certainly no human hand could 
 come out of it. Keet have been 
 produced in the same way, which 
 must have been accomplished by 
 some unseen power. In on* -^se a 
 gentleman in Washington i ned 
 in this way a cast of two clasped 
 hands complete to the wrists. That 
 is an absolutely physical impossibil- 
 ity for any human being to do A 
 
 nobleman in Paris a few years ago 
 carried out a long series of experi- 
 ments on this subject. After hands 
 and feet had been molded, casts of 
 faces and figur i were obtained, 
 male and femaL, ot Oreek type. 
 The medium was k very ordinary 
 person, as I i,now him personally. 
 These casts are to be seen in Lt i- 
 don, and are exceedingly beautiful 
 and, moreover, were recognized at 
 once by this gentlemrn and by an 
 American gentleman, with whom I 
 conversed about it. as forms they 
 had seen produced by materializa- 
 tion, and at their request the casts 
 wer* produced. 1 his concludes an 
 outline of the chief and most re- 
 markable physical phenomena. 
 
 Now we come to mental phenom- 
 ena. These mental phenomena are 
 more interesting to Spiritualists, but 
 generally the less '.nteresting and less 
 convincing to the outside public 
 who -ire skeptical. They consist, 
 fipit, of what is termed automatic — 
 that is, writing done by the hands 
 of persons again*;t their will or with- 
 ■"jt their will ; done mvoluntarily — 
 the matter that is written is unknown 
 to them. Sometimes they think it 
 very silly, and would not write any- 
 thing so foolish : at other times it 
 is clever and beyond their power to 
 produce. We have every kind of 
 writing produced in this way ; much 
 of it gives good advice ; so' etimes 
 information on matters of import- 
 ance which the person aces nut 
 know. In one case a friend of 
 mine, and ;i iry eminent physician 
 and physiologist, acquireti this pe- 
 culiar power, and made a special 
 study of it for many years. He 
 commenced it merely as a curious 
 physiological study ; it has become 
 a constant habit with him now, rird 
 is of great service to him in his busi- 
 ness, frequently warning him that 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIKmJAU:»M i«9 
 
 M a phyNician he would be called to 
 a certain patient at a certain lime, 
 which WH-. invariably correct. 
 
 Then anoiner set o! phenomena in 
 termed clairvoyance and cLiiraudi- 
 ence ; the seeing' of spirits and thv 
 hearinjf of spirits. Persons who 
 have this power are able to describe 
 what they see and describe the 
 words they hear, in such a manner 
 that ihe friends of these spiritual 
 persons are able to eaaily recof^nize 
 them. Sometimes these persons are 
 able to jfive information of what is 
 going on at a distance. 
 
 Then another of these curious 
 mental phenomena is trance speak< 
 ing. There are mediums now in all 
 parts ol t.ie world who have this 
 wonderful faculty. It I. gins gen- 
 erally almost, or quite involuntarily. 
 The person goes into a trance, and 
 then begins to speak without know- 
 ing it. Afver a t. le they gradually 
 get to know they are speaking, but 
 do not themselves voluntarily speak 
 on the subjects that *hev are dis- 
 cussing. Many of ;hese are, at 
 first, ignorant persons, utterly with- 
 out the knowleJge and nower to 
 speak on the subjects they do speak 
 on. One of these English trance 
 speakers is Mr. J. J. Morse. I saw 
 him In London many years ago, 
 when he was first developed. At 
 that time Sergeant Cox, a great lit- 
 erary man, said: "I have put to 
 him t e most difficult questions in 
 psychology, and received answers 
 always full of wisdom, in choice and 
 elegant language, yet a quarter of 
 an hour af*erw-trds lie was unable 
 to answer the simplest query, and 
 was even at a loss for language to 
 express a common-place idea. " 
 There is another mteresting little 
 test in connection with this medium, 
 which I think I was the means of 
 bringing forth myself. His spirit 
 
 guide (whom i believe is so still) 
 gave a Chinese name at the time> 
 and claif^ied to be a Chinese philoso- 
 pher ; he gave the name of Tien 
 Si»'n Ti. At that time, I believe, 
 nobody knew what this mcani. I 
 happened lo have a friend who had 
 been an interpreter to the govern- 
 ment in China, and one day I asked 
 him, without mentionin anything 
 else, what this name ..ic.uit. He 
 answered, "Why, that means hea- 
 venly spirit guide." I think that is 
 a wonderful test. 
 
 Then again we have a remarkable 
 power connected with this trance 
 speaking, which many medium^' 
 have ; the power of impersonation, 
 or it may almost be called transhg- 
 uration. The medium seems taken 
 possession of by another person, 
 and acts the character so perfectly 
 in voice and manner, and sometimes 
 evtvn in change of countenance, that 
 he or she resembles the person who 
 wishes to manifest themselves, and 
 is reco^'nized by their f. lends. This 
 rt-sembk-s, when the agency is pow- 
 e. 'irl >ind sometimes disagreeable, 
 almost exat. Iv what was called in 
 oidi \ime . nonlacal possession. 
 Soi'wtime- Jions i\ this state are 
 able to hol( Jnversation with per- 
 sons wh'i spr-k a language of which 
 
 they h, 
 We h;ive ' 
 of this ti'd 
 In the cast 
 I have inei 
 ter, a younj; 
 ary school 
 spoke and 
 many Europe, 
 some Indian, v 
 dares she h J 
 whatever in her ; 
 may mention thai 
 Beecher Hooker, a » 
 Henry Ward Beec 
 
 ht 
 
 'owledg'^' th^ ^lselves. 
 
 '<>*» pos.,,\c evidence 
 
 i'ly buobf -fined, 
 
 f '\imonds, vvhom 
 
 His own iirtugn- 
 
 4 u ho had an ordin- 
 
 ^ication, frequently 
 
 conversation in 
 
 languages, and 
 
 her father de- 
 
 '^nr Alt )ge i ' 
 
 •'' si.i:e. I 
 
 spbel' t 
 
 He ' -_• 
 
It/) 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 tbcHc rcmarkahltf pcntonuliit^ me- 
 diums. Shv Ua% the piiwcr ol ^oint; 
 iiili) a irance, and during that lime 
 her counlenanL-e and ii^urc chuii^v 
 apparently ho as to resemble those 
 who speak through her. 
 
 Then we come to another kinf^ular 
 power- we can hardly say whether 
 ph) • ical or mentHJ. It is the pow* 
 er ot healing. There are xiirioiiH 
 forms oC this power. The medium 
 i.s ahte to see and dexcribe the whole 
 internal anatomy, see the disease, 
 tell exactly where it in and what it is, 
 and prescribe the remedy. In other 
 cases the medium is able to effect a 
 cure by touches of the hand. 
 
 Now here we have a series of 
 twelve diiitinct ctanKC!i ot phenom- 
 ena,— twelve great roots of phenom- 
 ena, — each of which includes an en- 
 ormous variety of .separate pheno- 
 mena, often varying from each 
 other. These occur with mediums 
 who are of all ages and conditions, 
 educated and ignorant, young girls 
 and boys, as well as grown women 
 and men. In every one of these 
 classes the phenomena have been 
 submitted to the most critical exam- 
 inations by thousands of clever and 
 skeptical persons, for the last thirty 
 years, and every one of these classes 
 of phenomena have been as thor- 
 oughly demonstrated as any of the 
 great facts of physical science. In 
 \\ew of the numerous eminent men 
 who have investigated this matter 
 and given us their decision, we may 
 entirely throw aside the idea that 
 imposture, only in a slight measure, 
 has produced these various phe- 
 nomena. 
 
 We will now pass on to consider 
 what are the great striking char- 
 acteristics of these phenomena. 
 Looked at as a whole, what do they 
 teach ? In the first place, they seem 
 to me to have the striking char- 
 
 acteristics of natural pheni>mvna as 
 opposed to artificial phe*' Miiena ; 
 they have 'e character ol general 
 unilormity or type coupled with 
 variety ol detail. In eveiy country 
 of the world, whether in America i 
 Hurope or Australia, whether in 
 Kngland or France or Spain or 
 Russia, we find the phenomena of 
 the same general type, while tim in* 
 dividual differences amoi them 
 show that they are not -servilely 
 copied one from the nher. Whether 
 the mediums are men or women, 
 boys or girls, or even hi some lases 
 infants, wheth .'ducated or ignor- 
 ant, whether evt. i they are civilized 
 or savage, we find the same general 
 Dhenomena occurring in the very 
 same degree of perfection. 
 
 We conclude, then, that the phe- 
 nomena are natural phenon Mia ; 
 that they were produced unc' the 
 action of the general laws lich 
 determine the inter-relations ot the 
 spiritual and materia! worlds, and 
 are thus in accord with the estab- 
 lisheu order of nature. 
 
 In the next place — and this is per- 
 haps the most important character- 
 istic of these phenomena — they are 
 from beginning to end essentially 
 human. They come to us with 
 human actions, with human ideas; 
 they make use of human speech, o( 
 ot writing and drawing; they mani- 
 fest wit and logic, humorand pathos, 
 that we tan all appreciate and enjoy; 
 the communications vary in charac- 
 ter as those of human beings; some 
 rank w ith the lowest, some with the 
 very highest, but all are essentially 
 human. When the spirits speak 
 the voice is a human voice; when 
 they appear visibly, the hands and 
 faceii are absolutely human; when 
 we can touch the forms and exam- 
 ine them closely, we find them hum- 
 an in character, not those of any other 
 
VHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 lliinl ot bi-in({. Thi pluilojfrHpln 
 «r(;iil»ai> ihe pholojrmpli* .ii,r 
 felliiH i'rciiliircs; never tliii»e h, m- 
 mis iir :iin.'cK und aninwU. Whi-ii 
 h:iiids, Icit i.r fHie» are prodiucil in 
 paralliiK' mouldn, Ihey are all in 
 minulcsi dilail. rhose of men and 
 women, llu.u({li not lho»« ol the 
 medium. All of these various phen- 
 onema arc ol lhi» human character. 
 There are ■ .wo ({roups or two 
 classes, or m . hich is human and 
 the other ' .uman, hut all are 
 •like. 
 
 In the face of this overwhelmin)f 
 mass of evidence, what i4re we 
 to think ot the sense or the lottic of 
 those who tell us we are all deceived, 
 and almost all these communications 
 and all these phenomena come from 
 what they term elementary spirits, 
 or rather low spirits who have never 
 been human? Evidence for this be- 
 lief I can find none whatever that 
 IS not of the most flimsv description. 
 It miffht be illustrated bv our rec- 
 eiving a letter trom Central Africa, 
 written in good English writing, on 
 American or European paper, writ- 
 ten with a steel pen, good chemical 
 ink; and simply because it was sig- 
 ned Satan or Elemental, we should 
 jump to the conclusion that all that 
 regii n was inhabited by devils or el- 
 emental spirits. 
 
 Passing now from the g>.neral 
 view ot the essentially human char- 
 acter of spirit manifestations, we 
 find a mass of evidence of the iden- 
 titj- ot the spirits who communicate 
 with u i, ol actual men and women 
 who have lived upon the earth. 
 
 First, we have a general proof of 
 this in the fact of the special lan- 
 guages used in these coir nunica- 
 tions. In any country where Eng- 
 lish, French, German, or any other 
 language is spoken, the bulk of the 
 communications are in those lan- 
 
 I'M 
 guages respectively. Ihe luJian 
 »pin:v..,ho often a.l. IS the control, 
 ol m.-dMm«, usually speak in broken 
 i-'igiish, or some mimurcol Indian. 
 4Vrilien communicHtions come jn 
 many languages, usuallv intelligible 
 '" "'" f'Vipienl, hut sometimes, as I 
 have sard, not so. and given ,s 
 tests ol spirit power ; but alwavs 
 they are some known human lan- 
 guage- To suppose that any lower 
 class ot beings should have develo- 
 ed all tne forms of human civilized 
 speech seems grossly absurd 
 
 Coming to the special point, of 
 
 he Identity of spirits with deceased 
 
 human wings, the evide,,, vis ahun. 
 
 dam. I will mention a case or two 
 
 Illustrative of this point, taken from 
 my own person.,1 experience, or 
 rom the experience of personal 
 tnends irom whom I have had them 
 direct. 
 
 One of the most interesting dem- 
 onstrations of personal id.-ntily was 
 given to me by a gentleman in 
 Washington --.Mr. HIand. a well 
 known friend of ihe Indians. 
 He had Irequent sittings with a ladv 
 medium who was not professional, 
 not paid, but a personal friend of 
 his own. Through this ladv med- 
 ium he obtained frenuent commun- 
 ications from hi.s own mother. He 
 knew nothing of spirit photograph, 
 hut on one occasion his mother 
 through this medium, told him that 
 It he would go to a photographer in 
 Cincinnatid think in Cincinnati he 
 was then living), ihat she would try 
 and appear on the plate with him. 
 No photographer's name was men- 
 tioned-merely a photographer. 
 He asked the medium if she would 
 go with him. r ,y went out to- 
 gether, and went into the first photo- 
 graph gallery they came to, and as- 
 ked to have a sitting. They both 
 sat down together and the photog 
 
193 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 rapher took the picture of the two, As a personal case is better than 
 and when he developed the picture any second-hand, I will also give 
 said there was something wrong you one which happened to myself 
 
 about it because there were three 
 faces instead of two. They said 
 they knew it and it was all right, 
 and to Mr. Bland's astonishment 
 there was the third face, but it was 
 not the face of his mother. This is 
 very important from what follows. 
 He went home and inquired how it 
 was that the face of somebody else 
 
 in America, though not so marvel- 
 lous as those I have just stated. I 
 had a brother with whom I spent 
 seven years of my early life. He 
 died more than forty years ago. 
 This brother, before I was with him, 
 had a friend in London whose name 
 was William Martin ; my brother's 
 name was William Wallace. I did 
 
 came upon the plate. The spirit of not know his friend's name was 
 his mother then told him that this 
 was a friend who had gone with her 
 who was more experienced in this 
 than she was, and had tried the ex- 
 periment first, *- Jt if he would go a 
 second time sue would then appear 
 herself- They did so, and on the 
 second attci'pt the portrait of his 
 mother appeared. Then a friend 
 of his suggested, toavoid all possibil- 
 ity of doubt that a photographer got 
 hold ot a picture of his mother, that 
 he ask her to appear again upon the 
 plate with some slight change in 
 her dress, which would serve to 
 show it was not a trick of any kind. 
 They went the third time- On this 
 occasion there was another picture, 
 very much like the first, but with 
 this slight difference, that she wore 
 a different brooch. These three 
 
 William, because he always spoke 
 ot him as Martin ; I knew nothing 
 more. But my brother has been 
 dead forty-four years, and I may 
 say that the name of Martin has 
 never occurred to my mind at all, 
 probably during the last twenty 
 years. The other day when I was 
 in Washington, attending some se- 
 ances there, where people receive 
 messages on paper, I received, to 
 my great astonishment, a message 
 to this effect : '* I am William Mar- 
 tin ; I write for my old friend, Wil- 
 liam Wallace, to tell you that he 
 will on another occasion, when he 
 can, communicate with you." I am 
 perfectly certain that only one other 
 person in America knew my brother's 
 name, or knew the relation between 
 my brother and Martin, and that 
 
 pictures he showed to me, and I had was my brother in California. 
 " ■ '' ' ' - I am perfectly certain that no per- 
 
 son in the east could possibly have 
 known either one name or the other. 
 
 the account of them from his own 
 mouth. Assuming that he has told 
 the truth, I see hardly any possibil- 
 ity of arriving at any other conclu- 
 sion than there was a real commun- 
 ication between himself and his de- 
 ceased mother. 
 
 Therefore it seems to me this was 
 a most remarkable proof o( identity. 
 A volume could be filled of similar 
 and even far more startling facts, 
 proving the personal identity. 
 
VHAT CONVERTED 
 
 EDWARD SHIPPEN 
 
 ELLIJAY, GA. 
 
 "// is the grnndesl, holiest duty practised 
 both in heaven and earth, to lift up the 
 fallen, teach the ignorant, heal the SHj- 
 tering, and lead the blind in spirit.^' 
 
 — SPIRIT ARIOSTA BAY. 
 
 In 1873 I found an article in my 
 Scientific American by Professor 
 Crookes of England, recounting his 
 experience at a spiritual seance. I 
 wondered at its place in the scien- 
 tific paper, and did not deign to read 
 it myself, but on meeting Mrs. 
 Casey, a friend, shortly afterwards, 
 I asked her if she would like to read 
 the article. "Yes, I will be glad to 
 do so." I sent the paper to her. 
 In return for which she sent me the 
 Cincinnati Gazette, containing ac- 
 counts of a seance at the home of 
 Dr. Wolf, Mrs. Hollis being the 
 medium, written up by Don Pial 
 Plimpton, one of the editors of the 
 Gazette, a Democratic paper, and 
 by Mr. Vjctor, Librarian of the pub- 
 lic library, each giving their own 
 wonderful experiences at the seance, 
 all of which were subsequently pub- 
 lished by Dr. Wolf in a book named 
 "Startling Facts." As I had re- 
 garded the communications of Don 
 Piat given to the U. S. press dur- 
 ing the Civil War as of highest 
 mental order, I concluded, if he 
 could find anything of interest in a 
 seance, and preserve his rationality, 
 that I would risk my brain, and go 
 
 ME TO SPRTTUALISM 193 
 
 to the first seance I could hear of. 
 In a few days I received a note 
 from Mrs. Casey inviting me to a 
 seance at her home. On my way 
 there I resolved to keep my eyes 
 and ears wide open to detect any 
 possible attempted fraud or decep- 
 tion. On entering the dining room 
 I found some nine of the prominent 
 people of our town seated round 
 the dining table, along with a young 
 country girl, whom our hostess in- 
 troduced to me as " Miss Nina 
 Good, the medium." It was then 
 explained, that in answer to any 
 question asked, one rap meant 
 "No," two raps, " 1 don't know," 
 three raps, "Yes." The first per- 
 son on the left hand of the medium 
 began questioning, then the second 
 and third in regular order round 
 the table. Questions were asked 
 by the sitters in turn and answers 
 given by raps. I was puzzled to 
 account for the raps, as every one 
 of the sittors had both hands in 
 plain sight on the top of the table, 
 and the raps sounded close to the 
 questioner. After nine persons had 
 questioned, it came to my turn. 1 
 had made up my mind to ask ques- 
 tions of a spirit, of whom no mor- 
 tal present had ever heard, and so I 
 asked " Is my sister's spirit pres- 
 ent?" Immediately three raps 
 sounded, as if in the very fibre of 
 the table lid. " Will you tell me 
 what time of day you died?" A 
 single rap responded. "Will you 
 tell me what time of night you died?" 
 Three raps came quickly. " Please 
 
194 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPmiTUALISM 
 
 11 iu 
 
 rap the hour ?" Eleven mps were 
 given. I was astonished at ths 
 truth of the replies. I t'oHoued 
 suite in repeating the question, 
 "Am I a medium?" Three raps. 
 '* What kind ?" Goin}^ over the 
 alphabet a rap came to each letter 
 spelling: the word, "Healer." 1 left 
 the house wondering, satisfied that 
 there was truth in spirit communi- 
 catii n. 
 
 Several days passed, when Mrs. 
 Fair, one of the sitters at Mrs. 
 Casey's seance, invited me to her 
 home for a seance. She, her hus- 
 band Frank, a grown daughter, 
 Miss Good and myself, assembled 
 in an upstairs bedroom. A marble- 
 topped stand stood in the centre of 
 the room, upon which were placed 
 letter paper and a lead pencil. Miss 
 Good seated herself at one side, 
 and I on the opposite side, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Fair at the ends of the table. 
 The medium sat resting her elbow 
 on the table, with her head on her 
 hand, and was soon in a somnam- 
 bulistic trance and sweetly smiting 
 and bowing as she announced the 
 name of a spirit passing before her 
 clairvoyant vision, alt recognized by 
 the Fairs with various exclamations, 
 such as, *' He died before the me- 
 dium was born," "she passed on in 
 Texas," etc. Mrs. James Gibson 
 was named with a sweet smile — a 
 Philadelphia lady who entertained 
 my sister one winter in the "thir- 
 ties," and who copied in her note 
 book some sentiments from a letter 
 I had written to my sister — a lady 
 
 on whom I called for half an hour in 
 1854, the only half hour I was ever 
 in her pre.sence. The medium with 
 closed eyes picked up a lead pencil 
 and wrote, " A month ago I got 
 permission for you to become a heal- 
 ing medium and if you will have 
 faith, you will become one of the 
 wonders of the world," and handed 
 the paper to me. With her eyes 
 still closed she again picked up the 
 pencil and wrote, " We want you 
 to go immediately to [.ouisville to 
 look after your wife'^ interest in her 
 father's estate." Signed, " H. F. 
 Shippen." I remarked, " There is 
 a mistake. Here, please write the 
 name in full." With eyes still 
 closed, her hand again reached di- 
 rectly for the pencil and wrote, 
 "Henry and Franklin Shippen," 
 my two brothers who practised law 
 before they left earth life. Our se- 
 ance broke up at one o'clock Sun- 
 day morning. Reaching home I 
 could not sleep for two hours, rumi- 
 nating on the remarkable manifest- 
 ations. At nine o'clock next morn- 
 ing on opening the door into the 
 dining room I was struck with 
 amazement at the sight of my house- 
 keeper crossing the room holding 
 in her hand the other one, stream- 
 ing with blood. I approached her, 
 and placing my left hand under hers, 
 with my right hand I made two 
 passes over hers, saying as I did so, 
 "How did you hurt your hand?" 
 Instantaneously she exclaimed, 
 "Look at it, the swelling i.s going 
 down, the pain is all gone." Next 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 day at dinner while talking with 
 Mrs. Curry, my housekeeper, about 
 her painless hand, which was still 
 highly discolored, a little girl who 
 was waiting on the table said. "My 
 sister's two-year-old child has been 
 crying the last day and night with 
 ear ache, can you cure it?" "I 
 
 '95 
 
 One day I received a note from 
 Mrs. Casey asking me to go down 
 to Cairo and see a slate-writing 
 medium from .Memphis, and find 
 out through her the condition of her 
 invalid daughter, who was at the 
 .Arkansas hot springs. .According, 
 ly while waiting at the wharf boat 
 
 ^n.... bHng it to me and . 4 .^ danri^ni:™:^ 
 wni irv. In .T tfw mmntac tl,= i:» l_- ...-..__ ' 
 
 will try." In a few minutes the lit- 
 tle child was in my lap crying. I 
 held my hands over its ears for a 
 minute or two, and left for my 
 spoke factory. On reaching home 
 at six o'clock I sent the waiting girl 
 over to enquire about the child. 
 
 let my old friend Fair, who had 
 charge of the wharf boat, know the 
 object of my visit to Cairo. On 
 reaching Cairo 1 called al the home 
 of Col. Wood, then engineer-in- 
 chief, building the Cairo and Vin- 
 cennes R.R., at whose home the 
 
 Sh soon returned, w.th a delighted medium was stopping. On my i„- 
 sm,le on her face as she said. -The troducing myself and statu/ he 
 baby has Heen sound asleep ever object of my visit ,o Mrs. Woods 
 
 ar. T\ '"'""" "'"" ^"^'^"'"^ into an adjoining room 
 
 ache, tooth ache, some four cases of and introduced me to Miss Pater^ 
 rheumatism, a bad case of erysipe- ^°"' 'h^ medium. On my telling 
 las, were cured by simple laying on 1'," °[ ^^''^ Casey's note she said, 
 of my hands, to the great wonder "u ' ''"°"' ''°* y°" '^^n find 
 
 of myself as well as o^mv oa.ien,: ^^^-■:^,ZZ::Z^ 
 
 for her." The medium was sitting 
 beside a small table with a shawl 
 hanging down and around it. Tak- 
 ing an ordinary-sized school slate in 
 her right hand (the left resting on 
 the top of the table) she reached it 
 under the table and asked me to 
 hold my finger under it so she could 
 rest the end of the slate upon if 
 that I might know that she did not 
 do the writing. The slate rested 
 on my finger. •' Now ask some of 
 Mrs. C. s friends to answer." In 
 l866 I had been in company with 
 Mrs. C. s father, Gen. Rawlins, for 
 about ten minutes. I knew nothing 
 
 of myself as well as of my patients. 
 I heard of a lady upon whose thumb 
 a felon was gathering. I called 
 upon her and had her lay her thumb 
 in the palm of my hand, around 
 which I gathered my fingers. Her 
 thumb was simply swollen when I 
 left her. On calling on her next 
 day she held up her thumb to my 
 gaze, saying, " It gave me no more 
 pain after you left me, and on awak- 
 ing this morning I found that it had 
 burst open in the night and dis- 
 charged corruption." From the 
 testimony of both mortals and an- *f ""J '^" ""' ^ 
 
 gels, my magnetism has been used Gen RawHnsanL"'";!:'!^'''' u ^"' 
 to heal mortals in the distance. fZ.^^^^::;' Z^^'^" ^:i":S% 
 
196 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 finger to the floor. The medium 
 said, "This never happened to me 
 before." Carelessness, thought I. 
 Again the slate was resting on my 
 finger under the table, and when I 
 again requested Gen. R. to answer 
 his daughter's query, instantane- 
 ously the slate slammed on the floor. 
 Then the rr.edium remarked, " It 
 seems that he doesn't want to ans- 
 wer." I knew not of any other of 
 Mrs. C.'s spirit friends. I sat with 
 the medium holding the slates under 
 the table a few minutes, but getting 
 nothing I gave my place at the ta- 
 ble to other visitors. They got the 
 slate covered with communications 
 which appeared to greatly surprise 
 and delight them, and I left on the 
 returningsteamboat for Mound City, 
 a worried and disappointed man. 
 Arriving at Mound City, as I stepped 
 on to the wharf boat, my friend Fair 
 met me with the question, "Well, 
 did you get anything?" " Not a 
 thing, but I saw others gel slates 
 full." I then gave him a minute 
 description of my experience, when 
 he broke out, " Dog on me, that's 
 the best test I ever heard of." " I 
 can't see where the test comes in." 
 "Why, Gen. Rawlins couldn't write 
 his name. If anyone, on paying 
 him money, asked for a receipt he 
 would sw ir at them and drive them 
 out. He did not want it known 
 that he could not write his name." 
 
 Disappointed in not receiving any 
 communication like thestrangers had 
 received in the home of Mrs. Wood, 
 the third day afterwards I was sit- 
 ting with the medium at the table. 
 I heard writing going on the slates 
 under the table. When the slate 
 was handed to me I read, "Old man, 
 you are thinking too much on this 
 subject. If you don't throw it oflF 
 from your mind you will injure your 
 brain." Signed "James Gibson," 
 
 a cousin of my father, who was 
 chief justice of the supreme court of 
 Pennsylvania. I concluded the only 
 nay to do so was to go traveling. 
 I took the cars for Louisville, met 
 my wife there, worried over her 
 father's alleged will, leaving her but 
 half a child's share, which was con- 
 tested by her before two different 
 juries, which brought in the same 
 verdict, " Not the will of Wm. H. 
 Stokes." I waited but a day or 
 two in Louisville and continued my 
 travel to Meadville, Pa., the home 
 of m;' mother, whom I found con- 
 fined to bed, suffering from sciatic 
 rheumatism, who, after receiving a 
 treatment from my hands, got out 
 of her bed next day as bright as a 
 cricket^ receiving the congratula- 
 tions of her friends. The third day 
 she said to me, " Ed, you have been 
 living in the woods for years and 
 have had no opportunity to in- 
 vestigate Spiritualism. I want you 
 to go to New York city and see 
 some mediums. I don't want you 
 to draw on your own resources. 
 Here is fifty dollars ; take it and go." 
 From a cousin I obtained the ad- 
 dress of a Dr. Bryant, a healer in 
 New York city. On my arrival I 
 sought Dr. Bryant, but was told he 
 had left a year ago and had not 
 been heard of since. I was at sea. 
 Going on to Broadway I visited a 
 news stand and found a paper edited 
 by Victoria WoodhuU. All I knew 
 of her was a remark of Dr Casey, 
 that he had heard her give a grand 
 lecture in the State House at Spring- 
 field, III. I bought the paper, re- 
 turned to my hotel, and looked over 
 its columns to see if I could find the 
 address of any medium. I found 
 the address of A: J. Davis' book 
 store, and a few minutes afterwards 
 found me at his store asking for 
 him. A gentleman stepped forward. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 saying, " Mr. Davis is not in. My 
 name is Or. BriffKS. Can I do any- 
 thing lor you ;'■• "Well, sir, 'l 
 don't know. I have traveled a 
 great distantetosee some mediums." 
 ** What kind would you like to see?" 
 naming over difterent phases, which 
 were all Greek to me. I replied I 
 did not understand the titles, but 
 would like to see one through whom 
 my ari.sen relatives might be able to 
 communicate with me. Stepping 
 over to a card rack holding over a 
 hundred cards. Dr. Briggs selected 
 one and handed it to me. " Here 
 is the card ol .Mrs. J. Staats, a me- 
 dium whom Judge Kdmonds visits. 
 Take the Broadway cars to the 
 Brooklyn ferry, cross over and take 
 the blue car and ask the driver to 
 put you off on Washington St., and 
 you can find the number. Tell the 
 lady that Dr. Briggs asks her to 
 give the bearer ol' her card a good 
 sitting." Following directions I 
 soon pulled f!,e door bell and was 
 admitted by Biddy, who lelt me 
 standing at the foot of a stairway. 
 Some two minutes passed when a 
 lady of fine presence came down the 
 steps, apologizing for Biddy's neg- 
 lect. Preceding me into the parlor, 
 she turned round, facing me, and 
 said, " Well, sir, what can I do for 
 you ?" " Madam, I have traveled a 
 great distance to test this matter of 
 Spiritualism nd Dr. Briggs, who 
 handed me card in Davis' book 
 
 store, sent .erbal request that 
 you would give me a good sitting." 
 With that she said, " There are a 
 gi-eat many spirits here. Come 
 with me into the next room and see 
 what they have to say." Seating 
 herself at a writing desk, her hand 
 began flying over paper, writing 
 with a pencil, and then handed me 
 the paper she had written, which 
 read as follows : " My son, I greet 
 
 yoii with the spirit of love and truth. 
 I come not alone, as you are aware, 
 to Ijtt your soul into the greater 
 light, which I leel has kindled anew 
 the tires of inspiration which are al- 
 ready giving out their power. Kear 
 not ■ be hold and courageous. \'ou 
 have opened the door to the divine 
 guests, and they will come in and 
 make tlleir abode with you. 1 am 
 glad to ofTer this to you, tor I know 
 your mother reaches out to receive 
 that which is prepared for her by 
 those who watch over her constant- 
 ly, lovingly. Fear not, the way by 
 whicli you are led has been mysteri- 
 ous, and was once strange. It is 
 so no longer. You come now into 
 the beatltilul gardens of pcrrenial 
 bloom, Irom which and in which you 
 will gather flowers of truth and 
 bright immortals. Talk to me. I 
 am your father." But there was 
 nothing in the above message by 
 which I could identity my lather, 
 and I was questioning in my mind if 
 he indeed was its author, when Mrs. 
 Staats handed me another, which 
 read as follows : '* .My dear wife — I 
 come to bless you with the evidence 
 oi my love and care, ^'ou did right 
 to .send our son hereto meet thecir- 
 cle, which only requires his attrac- 
 tion to bring is where we could 
 send the echoes over to you. In- 
 deed, .so ne«, the beautiful home 
 are you that your ears are already 
 filled with the music of the spheres 
 and your heart beats in musical re- 
 sponse to our own. Deep in your 
 soul the seeds of immortality are 
 springing to ripen here, in the soil 
 of the beautiful land. Fear not pain 
 or suffering. William (our son) 
 will be there, and I will come to 
 bear you over the waters out of the 
 valley into the home eternal in the 
 heavens. With love to all in abun- 
 dance — Vour husband, Henry Ship- 
 
l<(8 
 
 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPK'TUALBM 
 
 peti." Wonderful! That a stranjfe 
 woman who did not know my name 
 should he able to write my lather"?? 
 name and say, " Vou did right to 
 send our son here," a fact only 
 known to two mortals— my mother 
 and myselt' ! The medium continu- 
 ed to write: "James Buchanan" 
 (who was a fellow Mdent with 
 father in a Lancaster law office and „ 
 
 was groomsman at father's wed- cept one, "Harbinger of health, 
 ding); " Sarah, a friend" (mother's After two years of litigation my 
 sister); " Susan, a friend of your wife succeeded in setting aside the 
 mother's" (Susan B Wallace, of alleged will of her father, and in 
 Philadelphia); " Klizabeth, your sis- 1876 we moved back to her native 
 ter"; " Edward " (the signature of city Louisville, 
 an ancestor); "John W. Geary " (a I heard of Mrs, 
 
 published on my shelves, but I do 
 not want to sell you any of them. 
 I want you to go home and rest 
 awhile and then I will be happy to 
 sell you any book I have." He 
 then lelt the store, and a lady 
 entered from whom 1 bought some 
 ten dollars worth o( books, but on 
 reaching home I found that I had 
 given them all away to Iriends ex- 
 
 classmate of mine in 1836 at Alle- 
 ghany College); " Ralph " (Clapp, 
 a Methodist minister — an intimate 
 friend). 
 
 The medium also wrote "You are 
 welcome here, may God and the an- 
 gels bless you. Mary Stokes." I 
 knew of no Mary Stokes, and 
 
 Sue who was 
 said to be a spiritualist and I called 
 upon her at her store and, after a 
 few .Tiinutes of conversation with 
 her, she left me to attend to import- 
 ant business and called one of her 
 clerks to entertain me, who, taking 
 a chair beside me began, "Do you 
 know anything of a light-bodied 
 
 my return home asked my wife who chestnut-colored dog ? There ap- 
 
 she >.as. She answered, "There pears to be such an one beside you, 
 
 were none of that name." A week whose hair is dripping wet as if he 
 
 or so afterwards 1 asked my wife, had just come out of the water? 
 
 "Could that have been your father's For some lault he was drowned in 
 
 old slave. Black Mary?" "Of the Ohio River at Mound City, 
 
 course it was, it was the expression A medium by the name of Lizzie 
 
 of the old nigger." Bailey was spending the evening at 
 
 The original papers written by my home when she suddenly re- 
 
 Mrs. Stokes were burned when my 
 son's house was destroyed by fire, 
 but I recall the substance written 
 by Mrs. S. viz., "My son have pat- 
 ience, you will soon be removed 
 from the vincinity of Cairo into en- 
 vironments more congenial to your 
 nature." The next morning after 
 the seance with Mrs.Staat, I entered 
 A. L Davis' book store. He was 
 dusting his books and I asked, "Are and never had spoken of him to my 
 vou Mr. Davis?" Nodding an af- son. 
 
 tirmalive he said, "I suppose you About the year 1874 or 75 while 
 have come to buv books." "Yes, in Chicago, 1 spent several days 
 sir." " I have every spiritual work holding private seances with med- 
 
 marked, "Why here is Da-iie! 
 Boone, and several dogs are ac- 
 companinghim." When a fourteen 
 vear son of mine said, "There is a 
 tall white hound with a black spot 
 at the root of his tail and one on 
 the top of his head sitting there be- 
 side you." A perfect description 
 of my favorite deer hound which 
 I lost before I was married. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 ium> iind with Wella Anderson who 
 yave me the portrailofwhaihe called 
 "the head of an ancient." I was dis- 
 appointed as I was hoping; he would 
 draw a portrait ot my lather, who 
 had passed on in i^H) betore Dajj- 
 uerreolypiny; was introduced into the 
 I'. S. "Who is it?" I asked "I 
 Uont know but j^o to the psycojf raph- 
 ic medium Miss or Mrs. Kate Blade 
 and you can probably lind out 
 lbroujJ[h her." I was soon in Mrs. 
 Blade's room, and without ^ivin^ 
 her my name (a rule which I always 
 followed with every medium with 
 whom 1 had a seance numberin{^ 
 over a hundred) asked for a seance. 
 Without naming the object of my 
 visit, she took a slate and placing It 
 under the leaf of a breakfast table, 
 holding it with her lingers under it, 
 with her thumb on top of the leaf, 
 I heard the sound of writing going 
 on. In a moment she handed me 
 the state on which was written, "He 
 is called Ben Haman, and is a very 
 bright spirit." I remarked, "I am 
 impressed he was aMahommedan, 
 upon which n/eit de Joie of raps on 
 the table followed. 
 
 Mrs. Bishop, Mrs. Hawley and a 
 Miss My s each gave me satisfac- 
 tory mi estations. I was ready 
 to go he e vhen I saw a notice in 
 the Philosophical Journal that the 
 celebrated materializing mediums, 
 Bastian and Taylor, just arrived 
 from Kurope. would hold a seance 
 Thursday night, which led me to 
 stop oxer a day for the seance. 
 Thursday came with a notice that 
 the seance was put off for Sunday 
 night. 1 concluded to stay for it, 
 but on Saturday afternoon I was 
 seized with a strong desire to return 
 home, and took the evening train 
 for Mound City, reaching Centralia 
 Sunday morning, and was surprised 
 that there was no train south until 
 
 late at night. I took a spiritual 
 paper out of my pocket to see if 
 there were any mediums or spiritu> 
 alists in the city. I found the name 
 of Johnson, who had been a dele- 
 gate to a convention oi spiritualists 
 at Cleveland, who lived at Centra- 
 lia. On enijuiry I found tliat he 
 lived three miles in the country. 
 Taking " Shanks mare " I soon 
 found him. .Alter dinner he hitched 
 up his horse and dro\e me back to 
 Centralia, and took me to the home 
 oi Dr. Henry Saxe, who was placed 
 in charge ot the I'. S. hospital at 
 Nashville by (ieneral Rosecrans. 
 Led into the room and introduced 
 to the Doctor, we found him with 
 his hands on a patient. Pointing 
 up to medical diploma on the wall, 
 he said it was ol little use now, 
 since he found a greater virtue in 
 his hands. (If not his exact words, 
 they are in substance *he same.) 1 
 accepted an invitation for supper. 
 After the meal 1 was leaning back 
 in my chair with a headache, and 
 the Doctor, on passing down the 
 other side of the table, spoke out 
 while looking at me, " Vou are 
 sick." "How do you know?" "I 
 sense it from here" (ten feet away). 
 Coming over to me and placing his 
 hand first on one side, then on the 
 other, he said, "Vour liver is af- 
 fected ; your spleen is out of order. 
 Why, you are sick all over." At 
 this, his wife, who was sitting on a 
 stool by the stove some ten feet 
 away, spoke up: "Doetor, you 
 don't tell the gentleman what's the 
 matter with him. He is in the in- 
 cipient stages o'( dropsy ; he is 
 troubled with an unaccountable full- 
 ness of the stomach. Nine }ears 
 ago he had a strain of his back, 
 from which he has not recovered." 
 I gave not the slightest credence 
 to anything either had said, save 
 
200 WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPmiTUALISH 
 
 
 the "unaccountable fullnesii." Mrs. 
 Saxe then dictated a prescription tor 
 me, which the doctor wrote down 
 and handed to me. "Nonsense," 
 WHS my thought, but politeness rs- 
 quired me to thank him lor it, and 
 I put what I thought a fool paper 
 in my pocket, ard in a few minutes 
 the Dr. escorted me to my train just 
 ready to start south. Reaching 
 home, I spoke to my. wife, *' ElHe, 
 do you know anything about my 
 having had a strair nine years ago?" 
 "Of course I do. Don't you re- 
 member straining your back when, 
 at the time of the overflow over our 
 town, you strained yourself lifting a 
 skifT on to the floating sidewalk?" 
 " I do not." " Don't you remem- 
 ber Dr. McCoy visiting you daily 
 for a week when you we'e confined 
 in bed?" "No," I answered. 
 " Nor of a visit paid you by Judge 
 Carter who had to walk a plank, 
 
 supported by two chairs, to reach 
 the stairway?" "No." "Don't 
 you remember sending Morgan, 
 your clerk, to Cairo for a truss 
 which you wore for weeks, and 
 V hich \s now in the store room ?" 
 " I do," was at last my answer ; and 
 what I had thought a fool paper 
 was then dispatched to a Cairo 
 druggist to be tilled, and which 
 taken gave me new life and strength, 
 and thankfulness to my spirit guides 
 for keeping me in Chicago until 
 the time tlie train would stop bt 
 Centralis, where there were media 
 through whom a necessary prescrip- 
 tion rould be and was given me for 
 recuperatingmy health and strength. 
 I have been ever since a convert 
 tn angel ministry anJ guidance and 
 a receiver of divine truili from spirits 
 who have lately passed on, as welt 
 as from those who lived i6,orx> 
 years ago. 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRIUJAUSM 
 
 HARRISON D. BARRETT 
 President of thr NSJi. 
 
 NEEDHAM, MASS. 
 
 The Story of my introduction to 
 Spirilualism can be toM in a very 
 few words. The truth of its claims 
 came to me as a soul conviction as 
 soon as my re.:son had analyzed the 
 facts that v^ere presented to me. My 
 conversior, if such it can be called, 
 wail from th? soul within, and not 
 
 through the witnessing of extraor- 
 dinary marvels in the way of phe- 
 nomena. " uring my connectioiv 
 with the Spiritualistic movement I 
 have founu many phenomena that 
 were absolutely unexplainable by 
 any ether hypothesis than that offer- 
 ed by Spiritualism. Scientific evi- 
 dence has been presented to me 
 through phenomena on occasions 
 too numerous to mention, and the 
 testimonies thus offered have been 
 builded into the foundation of the 
 Spiritualist temple in which I wor- 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 ship at* proof poitttive ol the contin- 
 uil) uf life. Ilut it wuh not through 
 atitoundin)( tnurvels that 1 received 
 my ttrst lesson in SpirituttMhm, yet 
 the evidence presented to me then 
 wus HH rettuble in itNcIf, simple and 
 'jnostentatlous though It whn, as 
 hns been any of the phenomena I 
 have .since witnessed. In my stor) , 
 therefore, I make no attempt to ad- 
 duce the scientific evidence deslreJ 
 by the skeptical world, nor to des 
 crihe extraordinary marvels that are 
 the delight of thecri-dutous. I give 
 the experiences as they occurred, 
 and merely describe my initiation 
 into the school of psychism where I 
 have labored diligently for nearly 
 twenty-two years. The one merit 
 of my story is this— it rests upon 
 the i'Olid rock of fact, and is told 
 from both the heart and the srul 
 sides of my consciousness. It is, 
 therefore, scientific as well as relig* 
 ious evidence to me, for In Spirit- 
 ualism science is religion, and true 
 religion is always scientific. 
 
 My attention was first called to 
 the subject of Spiritualism in 1871, 
 through the visit of Mrs. M. J. 
 Wentworth, an excellent medium, 
 to the home of my grandfather in 
 Canaan, Maine. While in the 
 trance state she spoke to me and 
 declared to my parents that f pos- 
 sessed psychical power that would 
 yet make themselves known, not 
 only to my own kindred, but also to 
 the people of ihe world. Her pro- 
 phecie.- then seemed to be wholly 
 beyond the range of possibility, and 
 I soon dismissed them from my mind 
 as being naught else hut pleasant 
 day dreams. Still, the impress of 
 her wt-rds was not wholly lost, for, 
 in after years, when I began my 
 work for Spiritualism, her utterances 
 were at once recalled to mind and 
 the exact fulfilment of her prophetic 
 
 words wah noted. During that 
 same year my grandfather received 
 three Spiritualistic books written by 
 his siyn, Hon. J. O, Harrctt, por- 
 tions of which were read •■'•^ud in 
 my hearing. They were .iiitled. 
 "I Oitkiiig Heyond," "The Gardens," 
 and "The Spiritual Pilgrim." The 
 iiitUiuncc ot Ihe word> I (hen heard 
 IS never left me. The phenome- 
 nal I'acis recorded in them impress- 
 ed me deeply, and i otten found my- 
 self dwelling upon thsm when alone, 
 wondering if they were true. 
 
 \'ear.s passed away and I heard 
 little oi' Spiritualism outside of an 
 occasional phenomenon inn y father's 
 home. The transition of my great 
 uncle, Harrison Barrett, for whom 1 
 was named, was the occasion of the 
 appearance of psychical phenomena 
 if a most convincing character. .At 
 his last visit to our home he had 
 promised my father that if it were 
 possible he would visit us in spirit 
 as soon as he could do so after en- 
 tering spirit life. I remember full 
 well the evening he paid us that 
 visit. The outside door seemed to 
 open and there was a rush in the 
 atmosphere as if a large number of 
 people were entering the house. 
 Preceding them was the sound of 
 the sweetest music we ever heard. 
 The several sounds swept through 
 the house, then died away in the 
 distance. Soon after a letter arriv- 
 ed from Wisconsin stating that 
 I'ncle Harrison's funeral had been 
 attended by multitudes of people, as 
 he waK prominent in business and 
 social circles, and that his funeral 
 procession was preceded by a brass 
 band of over twenty pieces, in con- 
 sonance with his oft expressed wish. 
 These facts proved td us all that 
 " I'ncle Harry," as we aflfectionato- 
 ly called him, had really visited u 
 in spirit. As he was the first one 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPtRITUALISM 
 
 ■of CHir tamily to emhrHce Spiritual- 
 iNm, Jatint( h\% coniiivtion with it 
 from iN4(>. it waw not Ntran^'e that 
 he had the power to make hinselt 
 known to those whom he loved. 
 
 NothinjT more ojctirred to attnitl 
 my attention to SpiritualiNm iititil 
 the month of March iHHtt. On the 
 twenty-tilth of that munth, one o( 
 my Miiiter.s, who, for the period of 
 eighteen months had heen a sufferer 
 from consumptinn. passed to spirit 
 life. Her sutTering's had heen inten- 
 se, and her agony was often fearlul 
 to witness. I had iii';epted the rj- 
 ligion of nty grandfather, rniver>al- 
 ism, and was loud in my advocaiv 
 of what I profesHed to believe. The 
 prolonged illness and cruel sutler- 
 ings of my young sister, as she was 
 only twelve years of age, had a ten 
 ■dency to weaken my faith in'the God 
 J had been taught to believe was too 
 .-good and loving to cause any of his 
 ■children to suffer, and I was rapidly 
 drifting towards the doctrines of In- 
 gersoll when my lister took leave of 
 -this earth. 
 
 The agony I then fell cannot be 
 'described in words. A great black 
 wall had arisen before n-<y eyes, 
 completely obscuring the light of 
 the heaven or love of which I had 
 'heard sc much. My sister wa.H an- 
 nihilated! She had gone from us 
 forever, and the world was nowas 
 if she had never been. Gone into 
 nothingne.sN, blotted out of existen- 
 ce, 'annihilated, this innocent, warm- 
 hearted, loving sister! Oh, the ag- 
 ony of that thought! It was too 
 hard to bear, yet no tears would 
 come to ease my pain, to migrate 
 my suffering. I was invited to 
 spend the night following with a 
 step-cousin at a neighbor's house, 
 as our house was too smaH to ac- 
 commodate us all. I could not 
 sleep, neither could I shed tears. I 
 
 (iirned, and tossed about, longing 
 titr daylight, and wishing lor power 
 to restore my sister to lite. How I 
 longed lor her, no words can tell. 
 As I was wondering if she existed. 
 I suddenix heard some rnps upon 
 the headboard of my bed, then on 
 the lloor, then un the walls of the 
 room. I sf rang out of bed thinking 
 '■ I '•>m, 
 ifHin 
 
 Atti 
 
 be- 
 de- 
 
 re- 
 ttfW 
 
 .id I 
 
 :daw 
 
 wif.tl 
 >enoist ^ 
 
 the rats were riuing about 
 There was nothing ther^ 
 sought my bed. nn 
 
 the raps Unider and clears 
 lore. Again I rose and i 
 lermine their cause, but • 
 tire baffled to my com-i 
 moments the} came aj;.. 
 again lelt my bed, tried Ih^ 
 casings to see If 
 March winds were causing 
 i heard. But nti, thet v«rc lixc 
 and immovable. This ii me hw 1 t 
 tired perplexed beyonJ measuer, 
 was prompted to think tK>ut Spirr 
 ualism and of the ar> /'^W vait -^. 
 When I heard the rap^ th* to"rth 
 time, I said aloud, "h it ts Oy^W 
 who is rapping, p' >e r»p thi 
 times real loud > ^n tin \tviti^ 
 board." Instantly r ne re was rr 
 pliance, loud, distinct, and ' 
 one, two, three! I heard the 
 beating heart and eager mind. I 
 mental tension was relieved, ^, 
 sister had spoken and my gner w«« 
 lessened. Tears welled up to 'ly 
 eyes and I soon was in sound slet-p. 
 Morning came, but the gnawing 
 of my heart did not return. I gazed 
 upon the placid face of my lo\cd 
 one. I knew that her soul still li\^'d 
 in .spirit spheres. Somehow I never 
 thought to doubt the message I re- 
 ceived. It came as a healing ,ialm 
 to a wounded soul, and I grasped it 
 eagerly, nade it my own, and it be- 
 came a stafl" to support me. It is 
 probable that the words of the me- 
 dium, Mrs. M. J. Wentworth, who 
 
\^ 
 
 WHAT CO^IVERTED ME TO SPIRITUALISM 
 
 ll!|li 
 
 III 
 
 304 
 
 upoke to metn 1871, and the vmt 
 of **rncle Harry" in vpirit, lome 
 yearn later, had prepared my mind 
 to accept the incititai;e 1 received. 
 He that tut tt may, I KraBpcd it, and 
 it haw been mine ever lince that 
 memorable wild nif^ht in March, 
 1H80. The funeral tterviceN were as 
 UNual, rather 110m bre and deprenMinf^, 
 but over and beyond all, 1 realized 
 that my sinter lived. Behind the 
 shadow wan the Hunshine of God's 
 eternal morninf(, and she was alive 
 in that new and i^lorious day. It 
 was my comfort, and I hugged it to 
 my heart as the most precious 
 treasure I ever knew. This txper- 
 tence was my firut step into Spirit- 
 ualism through my own mediumshtp. 
 
 Not long alter the transition of 
 my sister, I went tc t'e with Mrs. 
 Ht len Neil Howard of Skowhegan, 
 Me. , for the purpose o( attending 
 school. ^ MikH a Spiritualist, 
 
 and in her e I came in contact 
 
 with the *'- ner of Light," "Mind 
 and Matter, nd other Spiritualist 
 papers, as v II us many valuable 
 books on psychic subjects. I met a 
 few spiritualists and was soon tn- 
 vited to private circles. I also sat 
 occasionally by myself, and througii 
 these various sittings I soon develop- 
 ed clairvoyance, clairaudience and 
 impressional mediumship, which 
 were soon followed by the full trance 
 then by the semi-trance, and finally 
 by inspirational speaking. I finally 
 gave full names, dates, and accurate 
 descriptions of pa«t events and fore- 
 cast those of the future. Medium- 
 ship was an ever present marvel to 
 my mind, and I utilized it for the 
 purpose of comforting others as 
 well as for adding to my own store 
 of knowledge. 
 
 Failing: health compelled me to 
 leave school, and to journey west- 
 ward. Here too I found Spiritual- 
 
 ism to be a staff of support. In 
 Minnesota, the preciousness ol its 
 truths grew upon me apace, while 
 in the wildt of the then territory of 
 Wyoming, I came into direct con- 
 tact with Nature, met the red men 
 on their native heath, and absorbed 
 the truths of the spirit hh h bird ab- 
 sorbs the air hhe breatho. Phe- 
 nomena of various kinds were often 
 witnessed by me. Slate writing, 
 ethcrialization, transfiguration, au- 
 tomatic writing, etc., etc., were 
 frequently enjoyed by me, both 
 through my own, as well as the me- 
 diumship of othem. Evidences of 
 spirit power multiplied until they 
 became simply cumulative. The 
 one rap of March 35, 1880, settled 
 the question of spirit return and spir- 
 it communion. All of the evidences 
 produced since that date are of 
 value to me, merely as confirma- 
 tions of what was then demonstrat- 
 ed. 1 accept them as witnesses to 
 a great truth, and use them in the 
 tvork of building the religion of the 
 soul. 
 
 It is not necessary for me to de- 
 scribe any of the phenomena I have 
 seen since that time. Their name 
 is legion, but they cannot do more 
 than prrve the truth of that which 
 I already know. Spirit communion 
 is a fact ill Nature, and life is con- 
 tinuous from eternity to eternity. 
 Spirit-iallsm changed the course ot 
 my life and transformed my whole 
 nature. It took me from the study 
 of law and made me a student of 
 psychism. It led me a'vay fron> 
 the material things of the world, 
 and made me a lover of the gifts of 
 the spirit. Its commands have 
 been heeded for more than a score 
 of years, and I am not ashamed to- 
 day to wear the title *' Spiritualist. "^ 
 Spiritualism is the religion of the 
 soul, the ethics of existence. It is 
 
WHAT CONVERTED ME TO SPDUTU AUSM 
 
 th« philonophy of lift, and th« tci- 
 «nc« of th« •urnity of btini^. In 
 finti it i« tht all of life, and bting^ 
 such, it is th« foundation of all 
 thinf^M. and aUndi* for th« truthi of 
 the «oul*world. I am a Spiritunlittt 
 bacAusc Spiritualiam haa rtvcaled to 
 me the realitieit of the Soul-SeK, and 
 made known my connection with 
 the ctcrnitiei past and future. I 
 am a Spiritualist because Spiritual- 
 ism is the soul's medium of expres- 
 sion, and the divine means to the 
 noble end of eternal progpression. 
 I am a Spiritualist because Spir.tu- 
 alism is the open doorway to the 
 realm of the Universal, where God's 
 Fatherhood and Motherhood are 
 known to all, and the Brotherhood 
 of the race exemplified in daily liv- 
 in|{' by all of the children of men. 
 
 Spiritualism gives joy for sorrow, 
 pleasure for pain, life for death. It 
 makes the bitterest trials of earth 
 life endurable through the know- 
 
 ««5 
 
 led|fe it gives of the realms of the 
 soul. It is tht gleanor of wisdom, 
 tht purveyor of peace, the solvent 
 for all ills, the revelator of truth, 
 and giver of tternal sunshine. It is 
 thi* soul's noblest expression, when 
 lived aright, and means the civili2a< 
 lion of peace and love fur all the 
 earth. Its phenomena are stepping 
 Ntones to the temple of science. Itn 
 science is the gateway to the realm 
 of true philosophy. Its philosophy 
 is the explanation o( pure and unde- 
 filed religion, while its religion is 
 the all of existence. Take from me 
 all things else, earthly honors, fame, 
 wealth, prosperity, and even health; 
 yea, life itself, and 1 would still be a 
 Spiritualist, for in Spiritualism I 
 find the all of life. Blessed be that 
 glorious rr'- 'ion that takes away 
 the sting of seeming death, and 
 gives to sorrowing mortals a know- 
 ledge of the realm of the soul, in 
 the land bevond the cloud-rift ! 
 
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. 
 
 H. V. Sweringen, A.M., M.D. 
 
 Aaron K. Penney 
 
 Mrs. A. K. Penney 
 
 Herbert G. Paull 
 
 Mrs. I. K. Campbell 
 
 John Stubbs 
 
 J. M. Peebles, M.D., Ph.D. 
 
 Edmond P. Bernier 
 
 J. K. Cranston; 
 
 FreeniJin Whittier Smith 
 
 H. W. Hoozer 
 
 Chas. li. Dane 
 
 Mrs. Sarah A. Webber 
 
 Mrs. John Henderson 
 
 Alonzo Thompson 
 
 Mrs. M. E. Williams 
 
 W. H. Kvans 
 
 Rev. James C. Budlong 
 
 Dr. Max Muehlenbruch 
 
 Mrs. Wm. Liddicoat 
 
 Mrs. Geo. Oliver 
 
 Hon, Thomas N. Locke 
 
 Mrs. Julia R. Locke 
 
 Rev. Moses Hull 
 
 Rev. A. J. Weaver, M.A. 
 
 Hon. .'\ndrew C. Dunn 
 
 John Lawrence 
 
 E. W. Wallis 
 
 Mrs. Marian Carpenter 
 
 Frank Rossman 
 
 D. R. Higbee, M.D. 
 
 Mrs. Mattie E. Hull 
 
 A. Katzenberg 
 
 W. W. Hicks, LL.D. 
 
 J. C. Markham 
 
 Arthur Shepherd 
 
 Mrs- Gladys Cooley 
 
 Mrs. May F. Ayres 
 
 Mrs. Kate Becker 
 
 Joseph Barker 
 
 Flora McDonald 
 
 C. E. Quinlan 
 S. C. Fenner 
 J. W. Dennis 
 
 D. 3. White 
 
 A. W. Sparling 
 James Baxter, M.D, 
 Georg-e Dawson 
 George Harvey Brooks 
 William Johnson 
 Will J. Erwood 
 C. F. Broadhurst 
 Susie C. Clark 
 George W. Burnham 
 
 A. R. McDonald 
 Lyman C. Howe 
 Mrs. Alice Baker 
 
 E. G. Pierce 
 Nathan E. Nash 
 Chas. A. Brown 
 Mrs. Maggie Waite 
 E. J. MacRobert 
 Mrs. Minnie M. Soule 
 Lindley H. Henley 
 Fred. P. Evans 
 
 S. Godbold 
 
 B. F. Austin 
 Lyman E. Stowe 
 W, Lockwood 
 Mrs. Bessie Bellman 
 J. R. Sutherland 
 
 J. C. Smith 
 
 W. V, Nicum 
 
 Mrs. Effie Moss 
 
 Edward S. Grece 
 
 Victor Wyldes 
 
 W. C. Edwards 
 
 A. R. Wallace, F.R.S. 
 
 E^dward Shippen 
 
 Harrison D. Barrett 
 
 95 
 97 
 99 
 
 lOI 
 
 103 
 
 >05 
 107 
 109 
 "3 
 "5 
 117 
 119 
 
 131 
 122 
 
 139 
 
 »33 
 135 
 139 
 141 
 
 "45 
 149 
 
 »5i 
 »55 
 
 »57 
 »S9 
 160 
 166 
 .67 
 
 169 
 
 '73 
 '75 
 ■77 
 181 
 
 ■83 
 '85 
 '93 
 30 1