Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union

132I do so wish you had some good medium at home where I could come to you as I can here.There are so many difficulties to overcome when we come back here. There are so many things thatwe want to tell you and we know what we want to say when we are ready to come back but when weget here everything seems to disappear and we cannot say what we want to.I must go now, I will be with you to guide you safely home Iola.(3) [Writing very bad.] Me think me go now medium very tired; me like you, like you come.Good night, goodbye. B. C. [Black Cloud].What will be the fate of this gifted young psychic, Ada Besinnet? Her health is far fromgood. She is tenderly cared for by Mrs. Murray Moore, and, so far, there is no cause for anxiety;but the phenomena which occur in her presence are of such a remarkable character that theaverage ignorant and unprepared American finds himself unable to accept them. His undevelopedmind rebels against what is, to him, a totally new proposition. Not a year ago she was treated withinsult and active hostility by a party composed of what a Yankee would call “ladies andgentlemen.”My friend Professor Hyslop has completed his long examination of Miss Ada, and hassatisfied himself of the genuineness of all that goes on; but, as he has not yet educated himself to thepoint of understanding the phenomena of materialisation, his report is not a correct representationof all her gifts. The little hands, the extraordinary whistling of Pietro, the singing of Oma Yoant(loud, clear, and appearing in the middle of the table), and the stopping, starting, and changingrecords of the graphophone, can have no significance to a man who does not admit the word“materialisation” into his category of terms. Like his predecessor, Richard Hodgson, he has verymuch to learn; and his views on physical phenomena are so well known that I do not believe anymedium of the first class whose gifts lie in that direction will sit for him. I should doubt if Mrs.Wriedt would consent to have him in her seance-room. It is a matter of unconcern to these powerfulpsychics in Toledo and Detroit whether either the American or London Societies for PsychicalResearch believe in them or not. We had many conversations on this subject, and I agreed with allof them that it was waste of energy and time to submit to the ridiculous tests of pseudo-scientistswho have not mastered the fundamental principles of psychic force.I trust that Miss Ada will continue to develop her gifts, and admit sitters who come withgood introductions, and those only. Open-minded scepticism should be no bar, but all hostilepersons should be refused; the “ sweet young-girl,” as Iola calls her, should not be subjected to thestrain of a struggle with evil or antagonistic suggestions. Curious it is that, while the great secret ofthe knowledge of immortal life is to be found around the great lakes of North America, where thenatural electrical conditions are so favourable to all forms of psychical manifestation, the peopleare, on this subject, the most ignorant, intolerant, and bigoted on the face of the civilised earth.With nine men out of ten, to mention the occult is to provoke a sneer; in this respect it is worsethere now than it was in England sixty years ago. The motive of life is the chase of the almightydollar; materialism is rampant, and, as far as I could see, there is no reason to hope for anyimprovement for very many years to come.It is most improbable that the phenomena it was my good fortune to get through MissBesinnet were so powerful as have been obtained, from time to time, by Mr. and Mrs. Z., and otherpeople around who have sat very often. A passing tourist would not fare so well as old friends; but,perhaps, enough has been said to give my readers a general idea of what they would experience ifthey went to Toledo themselves. One phenomenon I did not see—the flashes of illumination likesheet-lightning; it is rare, but was seen by Dr. Hyslop on one or two occasions.I now pass on to describe a few seances I had with Mr. and Mrs. Jonson, the mediumsalluded to in Chapter VI.Tuesday, January 10, 1911. 8.20 to 10.15 p.m. With Mr. J. B. Jonson. Sitters, Mr. and Mrs.Z. and myself. Mrs. Jonson in the seance-room attending to the musical-box and receiving thespirits as they materialised. The atmospheric conditions were good, but not of the best; fineoverhead, but thawing.