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

INTRODUCTION5When I commenced my investigations into spiritism, no desire for consolation attracted meto the study. For thirty years I had only lost one near relative, my father, and he had passed overnearly twelve years before, at a good old age. In this respect I have been unusually fortunate; butthe most powerful incentive any man can have to delve into the occult was absent in my case. Iwanted to know the truth. “If a man die, shall helive again?” – this was the problem to be solved.The first books I read on the subject were some of the reports of the Society for PhysicalResearch, and Researches into the Phenomena of Modern Spiritualism by W. Crookes, to which myattention was directed by Mr. A. P. Sinnett, the well-known author and theosophist. This work,now unfortunately out of print, has been the means of bringing hundreds of thoughtful men to aknowledge of forces exercised by invisible intelligence’s. Numbers of hard-headed thinkers in thiscountry, in Europe and in the United States who had turned wearily away from the Christianeschatology, found here something upon which to fix their faith. “Was it possible,” they argued,“for this celebrated chemist and physicist, whose powers of close analytical observation were sowell known, and who had entered into investigations with the same detachment that he hadexercised when searching for a new metal or any other of Nature’s obscure facts, to be wrong in hisestimate of the manifestations he witnesses when in the presence of D. D. Home, and the otherphysics with whom he sat? Was there not reason to suppose that, if he were not sure of his ground,he would have held his hand, and, like so many scientists before his time and since, ‘sat upon thegate’ until other men of his intellectual calibre were ready to support him in his startling views?” –for in 1874 the general public were far more unprepared for a new truth than they are now. Mr.Crookes’s report was most unpopular, and brought upon him odium which is only now beginningto disappear. One of the most comical episodes in the history of psychical research is the muchtalked of “conversion” of the hon. Secretary and one other member of the Council of the S.P.R. in1909 to a recognition of the facts of telekinesis and materialisation – when we reflect that these werescientifically proved by Crookes thirty-seven years ago.In September 1904, I sat in Portsmouth with Mrs. Crompton of Bradford; she clairvoyantlysaw a spirit form near me that answered very nearly to Iola as I remember her, and Mr. Vangodescribed her to me two or three times, giving her name. These were the first intimations Ireceived of the desire of my relative to get in touch with me.In November, 1904, through the kindness of Miss Katherine Bates, I was introduced to somewell-conducted private séances in London ably managed by Mr. Gambier Bolton, who devoted alarge portion of his time, as honorary secretary, to make them a success. The blind medium, CyrilHusk, the psychic more frequently engaged for these séances, was then at his best. The phenomenawhich took place were the materialisation of the heads and busts of discarnate entities, spiritsinging, whispers and the flight of a musical instrument round the rooms, over the heads of thesitters, all the while playing a definite tune. The rooms engaged were lofty. And afforded full scopefor the singing. In the rooms (there were two in different parts of London) there were an organand a table capable of comfortably accommodating thirteen sitters. Husk sat in the circle at thetable in every case. I soon saw and heard a number of things that could not be explained away byany system of juggling or deception of any sort. The principal control or familiar spirit of Husk isthe famous buccaneer of the time of Charles II., Sir Henry Morgan, who now calls himself “JohnKing” Often I have heard his stentorian voice and seen him materialise above the medium’s headand dematerialise through the table. The séances were held in the dark. When a spiritmaterialised it showed itself by aid in an illuminated slate, prepared and lying on the table.Sometime they spoke while in sight, but more often in the dark after they had dropped the slate;when in sight, the lips could be seen to move. Except in the case of John King, who was life-size,the faces and busts were about two-thirds of life size. The singing was remarkable; the voiceswould join with us, and also execute solos. I have heard as many as eight different male voices,from tenor to deep bass, singing at different times during one séance; and at different séances, Ihave heard twelve languages spoken in direct voice.