Phenomena of apparitions
Sometime ago the Constitutionel and the Patrie transcribed the following fact from USA
newspapers:
“The little town of Leitchfield, Kentucky, counts on numerous experts of the doctrine of
magnetic spiritualism. An incredible fact that has just happened there will certainly give a
significant contribution to the growth of that new religion. The Park’s family, composed of
father, mother and three children, already at the age of reason, was strongly embedded by the
spiritualist’s beliefs. Yet, Ms. Harris, who was Mrs. Park’s sister, did not absolutely believe in
the supernatural prodigies that they incessantly cogitated. This was a real cause of grief among
all members of the family and more than once it broke the harmony between the two sisters. A
few days ago Mrs. Park was suddenly taken ill by something that the doctors declared themselves incapable of handling from the beginning. The patient was a victim of
hallucinations, permanently tormented by a terrible fever. Ms. Harris spent all nights awaken by
her side. On the fourth day of the disease, Mrs. Park sat down on the bed, asked for water and
started talking to her sister. Strange enough the fever had suddenly gone. Her pulse was regular
and she spoke with ease. Ms Harris gladly thought that her sister was out of harm’s way. After
having talked about her husband and children Mrs. Park got closer to her sister and said: Poor
sister, I will leave you. I feel death is coming closer. But at least my departure from this world
will serve to convert you. I shall die in an hour and shall be buried tomorrow. Carefully avoid
following my body to the cemetery, as my spirit, covered by its mortal remains, will show up to
you before the coffin is covered with earth. You shall then believe in spiritualism.”
“After having said those words the patient calmly lay down. However, an hour later Ms Harris
painfully verified that her sister’s heart had stopped, as she had announced. Vividly moved by
the incredible coincidence between what happened and the prophetic words of the deceased, she
decided to follow her recommendations and on the following day she stayed home alone, while
everybody else had gone to the cemetery. She locked the hatches of the mortuary chamber and
sat on an armchair near the bed from where her sister’s body had just left.”
“Only five minutes had passed – Ms. Harris said later– I saw something like a white cloud
coming out from the back of the room. The form gradually cleared up: it was a woman, kind of
veiled; she moved slowly towards where I was; I heard her steps on the floor; finally I had my
sister before my astounded eyes ...”
“Her face, far from showing the pale looks of death that so painfully impressed us, was radiant.
Her hands, whose pressure I felt well, holding mine, maintained the warmth of life. I was like
transported to a new sphere, through that marvelous apparition. Supposing that I was already in
the world of the spirits, I touched my breast, my head, to ensure my own existence. But there
was nothing painful in that ecstasy.”
“After staying for a few minutes, just like that, in front of me, smiling but in silence, my sister
seemed to have made a great effort and told me with a sweet voice:”
“It is now time for me to go. My guiding angel waits. Good-bye! I have accomplished my
promise. Believe and wait!”
The Patrie adds: “The newspaper from where we have extracted such wonderful news did not
say whether Ms Harris had converted to the spiritualist doctrine. We admit that, however, since
many people would be convinced by much less.”
We add, from our own account, that the report has nothing to cause surprise to those who have
studied the effects and causes of the spiritist phenomena. The authentic facts of such a kind are
considerably numerous and have their explanation in what we have said on several occasions.
We will have the opportunity to describe others, coming from not so far away as this one.
ALLAN KARDEC
PARISIAN SOCIETY OF SPIRITIST STUDIES
NEW REGULATION
As the Society has made some modifications to its regulation; we attach those to this issue of the
Review, in its current version. From now on the text attached to the May issue is cancelled and
those who have received it must consider it null.
