VarietiesA case of identity
One of our correspondents, from
Maine-et-Loire, sends us the following fact, that happened before his eyes, as proof of identity:
“Mr. X… had been seriously ill for some time in C…, in Touraine, and his death was expected at any time. On April 23rd, for a few days we had, in our group, a lady medium to whom we owe very interesting communications. One of the assistants, who knew Mr. X…, thought of asking a familiar Spirit of our group, a lighthearted but not bad Spirit, if that gentleman was dead. - Yes; was the answer. But, is it really true, because you sometimes speak carelessly? The Spirit answered positively again. The next day, Mr. A. C…, who until then had not believed much, and that also knew Mr. X… wanted to try to evoke him himself if he was indeed dead. The Spirit immediately came to his call and said:
- Please do not forget me; pray for me.
- How long have you been dead, asked Mr. A. C.
- One day
- When will you be buried?
- Tonight, at four o'clock
- Are you in pain?
- All that a soul can suffer
- Do you hold a grudge against me?
- Yes
- Why?
- I've always been too hard on you.
Relationships between these two gentlemen had always been cold, though perfectly polite. The Spirit was asked to sign and gave the three initials of his first names and his last name. The same day, Mr. A. C. received a letter announcing the death of Mr. X ... In the evening, after dinner, knocks were heard. Mr. A. C. took the pen and wrote the dictation given by the Spirit:
I was ambitious, every man undoubtedly is,
But never a king, a pontiff or a chief or a citizen,
Hasn’t designed a project as big as mine.
The knockings were loud, accentuated, almost imperious, as if coming from a Spirit initiated long ago in the communications of the invisible world with men. Mr. X ... had occupied high administrative functions; perhaps, in the leisure of retirement, and influenced by the memory of his former occupations, his Spirit had worked out some great project. A letter, received two days ago, confirms all of the above details.”
Observation: Undoubtedly, there is nothing extraordinary about this fact that is not often encountered; but these intimate facts are not always the least instructive and the least convincing; they make more impression in the circles in which they take place, than would strange phenomena that one would regard as exceptional. The invisible world is revealed there in conditions of simplicity, bringing it closer to us, and better convincing about the continuity of its relationships with the visible world; in short, the living and the dead are more in family there, and better recognize themselves. Events of this kind, by their multiplicity and the ease of obtaining, have contributed more to the propagation of Spiritism than the manifestations that have the appearances of the marvelous. A non-believer will be much more struck by a simple proof of identity, given spontaneously, in private, by some relative, friend or acquaintance, than by wonders that hardly touch him, and in which he does not believe.
