The
Ephemerides of the Siècle on April 29
th, contained the following notice:
1743 - Death of the Abbot of Saint-Pierre (Charles-Irénée Castel de), writer and philanthropist, to whose name the memory of the project of perpetual peace will remain eternally attached, the conception of which seems to become more impracticable every day. The whole life of this worthy Abbot was consumed in works and actions that had the happiness of men for goal. To give and to forgive should be, in his opinion, the basis of all morality, and he constantly put it into practice; he was also the one that created, or at least, resuscitated the word beneficence, expressing a virtue that he exercised every day. The Abbot of Saint-Pierre was born on February 18th, 1658, and the French Academy had opened its doors to him in 1695; but one day, in his Polysynodie,[1] the Abbot spoke severely about the reign of Louis XIV. Cardinal de Polignac denounced the book to the Academy, that condemned the author without consenting to hear him, and excluded him from its organization in 1718. J.J. Rousseau, who shared and developed some of the ideas of the Abbot of Saint-Pierre, said of him: “He was a rare man, the honor of his century and of his species."Abbot of Saint-Pierre was a good man and of talent, justly esteemed. In the present circumstances, the idea he had pursued during his lifetime gave his evocation a sort of actuality.
Parisian Society, May 17
th, 1867 – medium Mr. Rul
Evocation: The note that we have just read in the Ephemerides of the
Siècle, reminded us of your memory, and we read there, with interest, the fair tribute of praise rendered to the qualities that have earned you the esteem of your contemporaries, and assured you that of posterity. A man who has had such elevated ideas can only be an advanced Spirit; that is why we will gladly take advantage of your instructions, if you would kindly come to us. We will be particularly delighted to hear your current opinion about the perpetual peace, that has been the subject of your concerns.
Answer: I am pleased to come, responding to the president's call. You know that, in all epochs, Spirits come to incarnate on earth, to help the advancement of their less advanced brothers. I was one of those Spirits. I had a duty to try to persuade men, who are used to fratricidal struggles, that there would come a time when the passions that engender war would give way to appeasement and harmony. I wanted to make them feel that one day the enemy brothers would be reconciled, would give each other the kiss of peace, that there would only be room in their hearts for love and kindness, and that they would no longer think of forging weapons that sow death, devastation and ruin! If I were benevolent, it was the effect of my more advanced nature than that of my contemporaries. Today, many you practice this evangelical virtue, and if it is less noticed, it is because it is more widespread, and manners have softened.
But I come back to the question that is the subject of this communication, the perpetual peace. There is not a single Spiritist who doubts that what is called a utopia, Abbot of Saint-Pierre’s dream, will later become a reality.
It is not easy today, amid all these uproars that announce the approach of serious events, to speak of perpetual peace; but be well persuaded that this peace will come down on your Earth. You are witnessing a great spectacle, that of the renovation of your globe. But how many wars there were before! How much blood was shed! How many disasters! Sadness to those who, by their pride, by their ambition, have unleashed the storm! They will have to account for their actions to the one who judges the great and the powerful as he does to the smallest of his children!
Persevere all, brothers, who are also the apostles of the perpetual peace, for to be the disciples of Christ is to preach peace, concord. However, I tell you again, before you witness this great event, you will see new devices of destruction, and the more the means of killing each other multiply, the faster men will prepare the advent of perpetual peace.
I leave you repeating the words of Christ: "
Peace on earth to the men of good will."
The one who was,
Abbot of Saint-Pierre
[1] System of government in use in France between 1715 and 1718 (Wikipedia, T.N.)
