Your

you! I will come if I can. I live in a nice world; plenty of nice children. I go to school. WILLIE. Later in the evening the curtains parted and Willie's face appeared, as he had frequently “popped" it out between the curtains at his home during life, when he wanted to surprise some one. No notice had been given us that he was to materialize at that particular time, and the sudden appearance of his face in a manner so entirely characteristic of him startled me. I jumped to my feet and cried, "Willie, Willie boy!" and Mrs. Sherman started forward. In our excitement we forgot that movements in the presence of materialized forms should be quiet, as sudden disturbance of the atmosphere is liable to cause them to dissolve; and before Mrs. Sherman could reach the curtain the face fell away and disappeared. Only a few of those in the room had ever seen Willie in life, but the face was so distinct while it remained in view that all recognized its characteristics, especially that the hair was combed 'pompadour," as Willie had always worn it in life, when it was long enough to comb at all. The circumstances were such that I knew it would have been quite impossible for the medium to have made up the face, and I could not doubt that it was just what it appeared to be-Willie's face materialized.

At one time, earlier in the evening, when the curtains moved and I was hoping to see Willie, I went forward and reached my hand into the cabinet. It was grasped at once by a man's hand, the same I had taken at my own residence the previous evening. Soon afterward my father's face and form appeared and I again took the hand, and held it until it melted away in my grasp, the face and body disappearing at the same time.

Many other figures appeared during this sitting. At one time the form of a little old lady came out and remained for some time. The face was recognized by a gentleman present as that of his mother, and he went forward and took her hand. I watched this figure carefully, and distinctly saw it melt away until the head and face rested on the floor, and dissolved there. A man who appeared to be sixty years of age came out twice, the last time stepping well out into the room and motioning to a man who stood some feet back of me, by whom he was recognized. All this time the lamp in the back part of the room gave out so much light that I read the slate writings which were handed out by it.

At another time during the sitting Mr. B., the cabinet control, stepped out into the room with a pitcher of water, which a gentleman took and placed on the mantel. I subsequently took the pitcher in my hands, and found it to be nearly full of water, the

weight being several pounds. Other interesting occurrences at this sitting are reported in the thirty-second chapter.

A few weeks later I had another sitting with this medium in the city of Detroit. We sat for two hours and a half, until midnight, without any results. Then the medium took lunch and went back into the room which was used for a cabinet. The curtains had hardly closed behind him when the figure of a man came out at one side and was recognized by a lady present. Within a minute afterward Mr. B., the control, parted the curtains and stood before us. In this case the medium could scarcely have changed his coat between the time I saw him pass into the cabinet and the time a figure appeared not resembling him in the least.

Many personal friends in whose honesty and sound judgment I have perfect confidence, have reported to me their experiences with this medium.

At the residence of one of my friends the medium stepped behind curtains which had been hung across the corner of the parlor to form a cabinet, and before the lady of the house could reach the lamp to turn it down, a man fully a head taller than he stepped out, whom she instantly recognized as her father. He came up and put his arm around her, in a manner so characteristic of his demonstrations of affection when in physical life that it could not be mistaken. Several other friends of those present materialized, and all passed around the circle shaking hands.

Three other friends have reported to me that they have seen this medium sitting in a trance in the cabinet, on different occasions, when mateřialized forms were out in the room. One gentleman sat with him one evening until midnight, without results. The medium then took lunch and went back into the cabinet. Very soon afterward Mr. B., the control, parted the curtains, walked around a stove in the room, and going back to the door of the room where the medium was sitting drew aside the curtains, saying to the gentleman:

"You see me here, do you not? Now look into the cabinet and you will see my medium;" which he did. The gentleman then entered into conversation with the control, saying:

"Mr. B., I often hear you say in the cabinet, 'Don't be afraid.' Why do you say that?"

Mr. B. replied: "I say it to encourage other spirits whom we are trying to clothe with material form. To those on the spirit side of life who have never materialized it is like the change you call death—passing from one form of existence into another, and they are afraid to undertake it."

"What condition are you in now, Mr. B.?" was asked.
Reply: "I am a material being, just as you are.

If I was

not I could not walk, or talk, or perform any other physical act, as you see me do. Materialization is in effect placing the soul back into a physical body; sometimes it may be only a shell; sometimes it may be with all the organs.”

Volumes might be filled with reports of materializations, supported by evidence entirely unimpeachable.

Mrs. Lucy A. Leggett tells of a seance which she attended in Washington, where distinct forms appeared at the aperture of the curtains while the medium was still sitting outside. Afterward two ladies came out at the same time. They were recognized by General L. as his wife and daughter, and he went forward, spoke to them and kissed them. One woman was introduced as a former prima donna and sang exquisitely, the air being new to all present. A little girl also sang. This seance was held under strict test conditions, the medium, a lady from California, coming to the house alone to give it, and all the arrangements being made by Mrs. Leggett and her friends.

In materialization, as in nearly all other forms of spirit phenomena, it is demonstrated that incarnate souls may become the center and source of the phenomena, the same as decarnate souls.

At one of Mr. R.'s sittings a boy of sixteen or thereabouts parted the curtains and showed himself. Some of those in the circle exclaimed, “It looks like Fred," a boy who was supposed to be still in the flesh and asleep up stairs. Upon closer scrutiny all agreed that it was Fred. Not knowing what might have happened, members of the family hastened up stairs, and were relieved to find Fred sound asleep in bed. Mr. B., the control, afterward explained that, finding Fred asleep, they had called his soul down stairs and materialized it, as an experiment.

A somewhat similar incident occurred once at my own residence. A clairvoyant described a boy about sixteen years of age who stood beside a lady who was present. The lady said she had no friend in spirit life like the one described, but the clairvoyant had given a perfect description of her boy, who was at her home in another city. The hour was about half past ten, and I asked her where the boy was likely to be at that time. She replied that he was probably in bed and asleep. The inference was therefore warranted that his projected soul stood beside his mother, and was seen by the clairvoyant.

Materialization of decarnate souls is a demonstrated fact. The evidence is overwhelming. Frauds

may sometimes be practiced by bogus mediums, but such frauds do not prove that there are no genuine materializations, any more than the fact that wooden Indians are sometimes used as signs for tobacco shops proves that there are no genuine Indians. Neither does the fact that the materialized forms do not always closely resemble those whose spirits are supposed to be thus clothed, as they looked in physical life, or the further fact that they sometimes bear a close resemblance, to the medium, prove that fraud is committed. The soul of the medium may be projected and materialized, or the magnetism drawn from him to render the materializations possible may cause them to take on some of his physical characteristics.

Jesus Christ in materialized form was not recognized by those who knew him best in physical life, until he announced his identity by word of mouth; yet the creeds and doctrines of Christian churches are based upon the actuality of his resurrection and subsequent materializations. St. Paul went still further, and declared that if the dead rise not then Christ did not rise, and if Christ rose not then are the Christian faith and preaching vain.

CHAPTER XXXI.

FRAUDULENT SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS-THEY REQUIRE LITTLE ATTENTION-MANIFESTATIONS OF INCARNATE SOUL INFLUENCE-THEY LEAD IGNORANT PERSONS TO CHARGE FRAUD-CASES EXHIBITING SUCH PHENOMENA CITEDTHE SPIRIT OF TRUTH HAS COME.

THE questions involved in the alleged frauds practiced in the production of spirit manifestations, and in assumed hallucinations and delusions, require but little consideration. Doubtless frauds are committed in all classes of spirit phenomena; but the time has gone by when any intelligent person ventures to deny that nearly or quite all the alleged phenomena of spiritism are produced by some occult or psychic intelligence and force. This being true, the fact that some persons undertake to imitate such manifestations by physical and fraudulent means is of little importance. And it would be just as sensible to assert that because dummy telephones are used in theatrical performances there are no real telephones, as to pronounce all alleged psychic and spirit phenomena fraudulent because frauds are sometimes perpetrated. The actual frauds should be disposed of as counterfeiters and their bogus money are treated. Put them aside, and deal only in that which is genuine.