stranger. The young lady helped the medium hang up an ordinary curtain across a corner of the room, behind which the medium sat down in an ordinary chair. It was dark behind the curtain, but in the room there was light enough so that everything could be seen. The medium passed into a trance. Not long afterward a powerful man's voice was heard behind the curtain, and later the voice of a child who called herself Rosa. A number of spirit forms materialized and came out into the room. At one point Rosa said: "Willie is here and wants to speak to the young lady." The young lady replied that she did not know any Willie. Rosa was certain she did know Willie, but she continued to protest that she did not. Finally Rosa said: "Willie says he knows you and you know him; it is Willie, the boy who was drowned." "What, Willie Sherman?" said the young lady. "Yes, Willie Sherman," replied Rosa, "but he is not strong enough to come out now."

A little later Rosa said, "Willie can come out now." Immediately the curtains parted and a boy's figure glided out, having Willie's features and dressed as he did in life. This figure came up to the young lady, placed its hands on her shoulders, and whispered, "Lean over." As she did so it whispered in her ear, “I am a better boy now;" and then glided back behind the curtain.

I knew the young lady who witnessed thesephenomena to be honest and clear-headed, and I could not doubt that the circumstances occurred just as reported. Was the alleged materialization a fraud? I could imagine it possible that it might have been. But how could the medium, an entire stranger to the young lady, have known anything about Willie Sherman, or have guessed that she had known "Willie, the boy who was drowned?" The medium could not have read it in the young lady's thought, as she persisted that she did not know a Willie when his name was mentioned, and did not call Willie Sherman to mind until told that Willie was the boy who was drowned. I did not see how it could be all fraud.

Nearly seventeen years before a man who did not claim to be a spirit medium, but said, "We will imagine ourselves spiritualists and do as they do,” had

written out what purported to be a communication from my father, who died in the year 1844. In this communication my father said: "I have been anxious to communicate with you. You will not investigate, and so I have had no fair chance to talk to you." And here, presented to me through many channels, was evidence that the spirit of my son was also longing to communicate with me. Could I, without injustice, both to myself and to my dearest friends in spirit life, if they really continued to exist as individualities, remain indifferent, and neglect to open the door at which they appeared to be knocking?

I felt that I could not; and yet it was three months after the incidents reported above before I did open the door by visiting a trance medium.

This lady I was personally acquainted with, and she had also known Willie during his life. I wanted tests, but I felt that anything she might tell me about Willie would not be a test, unless he should tell me through the medium some occurrence of his life that I had not known, and which I might be able to prove correct afterward. I took with me seven sealed envelopes, six addressed to deceased relatives asking questions, and one to a deceased friend. These envelopes were held by the medium during the sitting, and were taken away by me, still sealed, when I left. Although none of the questions were answered directly, the six addressed to relatives were answered perfectly at a sitting I had with another medium, in another city, three weeks later. And at the time they were answered I did not have the envelopes with me, having put them away in a secret drawer at my residence, nor did I even have the questions in mind. It was not until I opened the envelopes afterward that I realized that the manifestations at this second sitting, with another medium, had specifically answered my inquiries.

But although my questions were not answered specifically at the first sitting, the manifestations were interesting, and in some respects remarkable. The control represented Willie to be present and very happy to have an opportunity to communicate with He said he was very sorry that he had disobeyed me and thereby been drowned, but he was happy in spirit life. Grandma

me.

(his mother's mother) and grandpa (my father) he said were with him, and cared for him. He was at his home much of the time, the same as he was when in physical life, and often played with the boys who were his former companions. He had been lonesome at home because papa and mamma did not realize that he was there. He longed for them to be with him on the spirit side of life, and it seemed to him that it would be but a little while before they would be united again.

During the sitting I undertook some tests. I said: "Willie, did you try to manifest yourself to papa and mamma?” having in mind occurrences at a circle which had been tried at my residence a few nights before. The reply was that he did. I asked when and how, and instead of indicating the circle at my residence, the circumstances of the materializing seance in which he had appeared to the young lady, as reported above, were given.

I said: "Willie, can you read my mind, and can you do the the thing I am wishing you to?" The control replied: "He says he cannot read your mind." I then said to the control: "Can you read my thoughts?" Almost immediately the medium's hands and arms took the position of playing upon a violin, the right hand moving as though handling the bow and the left hand fingering the strings. She said after a minute: "He doesn't think he could play anything for you, but perhaps he could pick the strings a little. He is singing now." And almost immediately afterward, "But it was I" (the spirit control) "who read your mind, and told Willie."

This was indeed the perfection of mind reading. What I had in mind was that I would like to bring his violin and see if Willie could play upon it, as he did in life.

Other spirit friends manifested themselves to me at the sitting reported above, but detail of the circumstances is not essential to the demonstration of the facts of spirit existence and return set forth in the connected account of my investigations given in this and subsequent chapters.

CHAPTER XXII.

MANIFESTATIONS OF SPIRIT INDIVIDUALITIES THROUGH TRANCE MEDIUMS-PHENOMENA NOT TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR UPON ANY OTHER HYPOTHESIS-WAKED BY A SPIRIT AND A SPIRIT FORM SEEN-A CONVINCING SEQUENCE OF COM

MUNICATIONS.

THE hypothesis of the continuity of life is that man

lives after physical death, maintaining his personality and characteristics, his relationships and affections, his memory, and in the main the knowledge acquired while a physical being. Also, that although in casting off the physical body he ceases to be subject to material conditions and laws, man as a decarnate soul is still a finite being, liable to error, with imperfect perceptive powers and memory; and except that soul consciousness and attributes take the place of physical consciousness and limitations, his mental powers and characteristics are unchanged. Proof of the truth of this hypothesis must be largely in the manifestation of spirit individualities through the various channels of communication which have been opened between the spiritual and physical worlds.

In the course of my investigations into psychic and spirit phenomena I have had manifestations of the persistence of the soul's individuality after physical death so positive in the characteristics shown, and so perfect in sequence, that any reasonable explanation

upon any other hypothesis is quite impossible. Some of these manifestations I shall proceed to report in detail, omitting occurrences irrelevant or unimportant to the demonstration.

On the evening of April 5th, 1895, I called upon a trance medium, Mrs. C., in the city of Detroit. I had seen the lady but once before, and then only to ask her if a special appointment in advance would be necessary to secure a sitting. She told me it would not. I was entirely certain that the lady knew nothing of me or of my private affairs and relationships, and would be quite unable to give me false tests, even if so inclined.

The medium having passed under control of a familiar spirit, the control described a spirit who, she said, was a woman who had passed out early in life and had grown up in the spirit land. This woman said she was my sister.

A sister died at the age of four years, before I was born. The control said that my "Uncle John" was present. My best beloved uncle, a Congregational minister during his earth-life, was named John.

My "Aunt Betsey" was reported to be present.

A sister of my mother whom I always called "Aunt Elizabeth" had died some years previously. I subsequently learned from my mother that her name was Betsey Elizabeth, although her relatives usually called her by the second name. As I did not know this at the time, neither the control nor the medium could have read "Aunt Betsey" in my mind.

Next the control said a woman with a name which sounded like Lewelling was present and said she was my cousin.

My Aunt Betsey's oldest daughter bore the name of Flewel

ling at the time of her death.

A cousin named Sarah was reported present.

She was my Aunt Betsey's youngest daughter. I did not know her husband's name, and if she had reported by it should not have recognized her individuality.

The control said her medium felt a smothering sensation and was very chilly. After a little she said: "Why, some one was drowned!"

I said: "Yes, what more can you tell me about it?" The control: "I see a large body of water. It doesn't appear to be deep near the shore. There are five there. Were there five?"

I said: "I think only four."

The control said: "There seem to be five. I feel a pain in my left side, such a sharp pain! I see a body lying on the bot