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

14circular, and between four and five feet in diameter. There were twelve people sitting at it,including Mr. and Mrs. Husk and our host and hostess; there was also an organist at the organ,screened from view by a heavy curtain. Among the guests was the materialisation medium, F.Craddock. I sat directly opposite Husk, with a lady on either side of me, both of whom are giftedwith psychic powers. On the table were two cards painted with luminous paint, and contained inaluminium frames with a handle of the same substance at the back, placed face downwards; acardboard tube, a light zither, which had two phosphorised spots on the bottom of the soundingboard. This enabled us to see it when it was elevated above the table.Husk went into trance. The room was pitch-dark; the organist played a voluntary. In ashort time lights were seen moving about over the table. I was only able to see one or two, but mypsychic neighbours saw several; and the lady on my right asserted that she could see clouds veryfaintly illuminated. Scent was detected around us. Presently, an old, feeble voice, sounding fromsomewhere above and to the right of Husk, as I faced him, offered a Latin prayer, ending by theBenedict. This, I was told, was Cardinal Newman. He went round the table blessing the sittersindividually; and after one final collective blessing, we hear no more of him. We then sang “Lead,kindly Light” to the accompaniment of the organ. Spirit voices, bass and tenor, joined in withgreat vigour from some feet above the medium’s head and on both sides of it. There were, Ithought, three of these voices, and they were of a very fine quality; the big room filled with sound.Then a control called “Uncle” made himself known by voice, going round and greeting eachmember of the circle. He spoke in a natural voice, but as if he had a small stone in his mouth.Suddenly, a loud bass voice, coming from above and to the left of Husk, called out: “Godbless you all”. This was the chief control, “John King” whose name in earth-life was HenryMorgan, the famous buccaneer of the time of Charles II. He greeted everybody in the circle byname except me; I had to be introduced. He told me later that he was three times Governor ofJamaica, and was knighted by Charles II.John King’s advent is always the prelude to the materialisation’s, but before they took place,the zither (usually known as “the fairy bells”) was intelligently played by a spirit whose name, Iafterwards learned was Ebenezer. It rose from the table and soared above the circle, performingall the time a definite tune. Its movements could be watched by the phosphorescent spots on itsunder-side. It rose to a height of many feet (I judged about ten) above the table, paused there aminute, then came down, and after two or three swirls over our heads, dashed to the floor.Apparently it went through the floor, for faint music could be heard underneath; after a shortinterval this became louder and louder, until a sudden change in the strength of the tune made usaware that was again in the room. After a few gyrations it was laid down gently on the table.Materialisation’s occupied about three-quarters of an hour. About fifteen spiritsmaterialised. Only the face and bust were visible. These showed by one of the illuminated cardsheld to the side of the face by the right hand. The women’s faces were swathed in a sort ofbandage below the nose. One sitter, who could not recognise his relative, asked for this to beremoved; the card was dropped, and presently the form reappeared without the bandage, when heidentified his visitor. This time the illuminated card was not held by the handle at the back, but bytwo small fingers which I saw clasping the side of it. The faces were about two-thirds of life size.Three came to me. They presented themselves over the middle of the table about halfway betweenthe medium and myself. One saluted three times with his illuminated card. I did not recognise itat first, but found out afterwards that it was Admiral T., and officer under whom I had servednineteen years before. The first and third appearances were the same. I could not identify them,and it was not until some months had elapsed that I discovered it was a stranger trying to influenceme to bring him into touch with a member of my family.A Hindu also appeared, either for me or my left-hand neighbour (Miss Bates). He sankdown through the table; I watched him disappear until only his head was visible; the illuminatedcard (or “slate”, as it is often called) fell over it, and he was gone.One of Handel’s solos was sung in a deep bass voice of great compass and power; the lownotes were such as I had never heard before.The last event of the materialisation’s was a series of wafts of air, lasting two or threeminutes and closely resembling the effects of a punkah, also loud scratches on the table. While