The speech below was given by us during the funeral of Mr. Nant, one of our colleagues from the Parisian Society of September 23
rd, 1865. We had it published following a request by the family and because given the circumstances reported in the preceding article, it shows where the true doctrine is.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the Spiritist Society of Paris, and all of you our brothers in belief that are present here; Only a month ago we came here to pay our last respects to one of our former colleagues, Mr. Dozon.
[1] The departure of another brother brings us back here today. Mr. Nant, member of the Society, has just delivered his mortal remains to earth, now coating the brilliant envelope of the Spirits. Have we come to say the last farewell, using the acclaimed expression? No, because we know that death is not only the entry point of the new life but just a separation of a few moments and that the emptiness that it leaves at home is just apparent. Oh, sweet and sacred belief, that incessantly shows us the loved ones by our side. If it were an illusion it should be blessed because it fills our hearts with consolation! But no, it is not an empty hope; it is a reality, daily attested by the relationships established between the dead and the living one, according to the flesh. Blessed therefore the science that shows us the tomb as the throne of freedom, teaching us to face death without fear. Oh, my brothers! Let us be sorry for those who are still blinded by the veil of disbelief. Those are the ones that suffer terrible apprehension before death. The ones that survive see it as more than a separation; it is the eternal destruction of their loved ones. For the one that sees the last our approaching, it is the abyss of emptiness, opening before their eyes, a terrible thought that legitimates anguish and desperation.
What a difference to the one that not only believe in a future life but understands it and identifies oneself with that! He no longer marches with anxiety towards the unknown, but with the confidence towards the new paths that opens before his eyes. He presents them, calmly counting the seconds that still separate him, like the traveler that approaches the end of the journey and knows that he will find rest and the warmth welcome of friends. That was the case with Mr. Nant; his life was that of a good man by excellence; his death was that of the righteous and true Spiritist. His faith in the teachings of our doctrine was sincere and enlightened; he drank immense consolations in that faith during his life; he found resignation for the sufferings that brought him to this end, and a shiny calmness at his last moments. He offered us a touching example of conscious death; he followed the progress of the separation with lucidity, without commotions, and when he felt that the last link had ruptured, he blessed those around; then he held the hands of his ten-year-old grandson and placed them onto his own eyes, shutting them. He exhaled his last breath a few seconds later and said: Ah, I see! His grandson then taken by a violent emotion fell asleep, induced by the Spirits. In his ecstasy he saw the soul of his grandfather followed by several other Spirits, rising in space, but still connected to the corporeal envelope by the fluidic cordon. Thus, as the doors of the earthly life closed before him, those of the spiritual world opened and whose splendors the foresaw. What a sublime and touching spectacle! Why his witnesses were not those that make so much fun of this science that reveals such consoling mysteries to us? They would have greeted it with respect, instead of ridicule. Let us forgive them if they throw irony and slander; they do not know it and search for it where it is not!
As from our side, let us say grace to the Lord that wanted to remove from our eyes the veil that separates us from a future life, because death is only terrible to those that foresee nothing beyond. By teaching us where we come from, where to go next and why we are on Earth, Spiritism has given us immense benefit, giving us courage, resignation and hope.
Dear Mr. Nant, we follow you in our thoughts in the world of the Spirits, where you are going to harvest the fruit of your terrestrial trials and the virtues that you exemplified. Receive our good-bye up to the moment when we shall be allowed to meet again.
You have undoubtedly seen our brother that preceded you not long ago, Mr. Dozon, that certainly follows you now. We join him in the prayer that we are going to say to God, in your favor.
(here it is said the prayer that is found in the Gospels According to Spiritism, for those that have just left Earth)
Note: At the time of the printing of this current issue of the Spiritist Review we learned that Mr. Nant, through his will, left 2,000 francs to be applied in the propagation of Spiritism.
[1] Mr. Dozon, author of Revelations from beyond the grave, 4 vol., deceased in Passy, Paris, August 1
st, 1865
