De L'Ester—This is the seventh day since we have had the pleasure of greeting you. We are a little early but, as we have in store a joyful surprise for you, you will not chide us for our haste. Why, how sad you are. Ah, I understand. It is four years to-day since your son, Bernard, passed to our side of life. We have informed you that, aside from other motives, the stimulus of a strong desire to be all that your mother love wishes him to be has impelled him to strive for rapid progress, and that his urgent entreaties to allow him to accompany you on these journeys had won our consent. Yes, he soon will be with us; but now close your eyes and be passive. That is well, and—here is your surprise.
Gentola—Oh, my boy, my boy, my own dear boy! Is it indeed my boy, Bernard?
Bernard—Dear mother. Dear, darling mother. Yes, it is I. Do not I look as I used to look? Do you see me clearly? Am I indeed so greatly changed? Why, mother, on entering the Spirit World every one changes in appearance. And you think I look younger than when I was on Earth and more spiritualized? I am glad if you see that for, mother, dear, as you well know, during my mortal existence I was not a spiritually minded man. I, foolishly, and against your loving entreaties, lived on a very material plane, and when I passed to the spirit side I went to the
[Pg 285]
 place or condition I was fitted for—the home I had earned. Do not cry, mother, please do not cry, for that bitter, but necessary, experience is a lesson of the past. Yes, mother, from soon after I passed to the Spirit side until now, I often have been with you and have so regretted that, while I could see and talk with you, you could not see me. On that morning when I kissed you good-bye how little either of us thought that we would in the mortal body, see each other no more. Mother, you know I was such a strong man and death seemed so far off that I did not think it possible that it could, for many, many years, come to me. When I found myself in the Spirit World, grief and dismay so filled my soul that I cried and prayed that I might return to mortal existence, if only for a little while so that, as far as possible, I might undo some thoughtless acts which, for the first time, I saw in their true light. To add to my despair your grief over my unlooked for death was so agonizing, that it was feared that you might pass from your physical body which, accidentally, had been more seriously injured than you or any one realized. During the first three days of my new existence I, with others of your dearest ones, watched for the change that might come to you. Mother dear, the aid you received from the Spirit Side was what kept you here to do the work you now are engaged in. On the fourth day the crisis was passed and you know what followed. Yes, because of your devitalized state, we were deterred from further communion with you.
For myself, under the loving care and instruction of dear friends, I soon came to understand that the change called death was a rebirth into a higher life and that, through earnest endeavor, I might progress out of conditions that held me where I was. I learned that on entering the Spirit World, one finds themselves the result of all the
[Pg 286]
 successes and failures of all their past, including their last embodiment. For such successes as I found to my credit, I was thankful. For my failures, through loving service for mortals and Spirits, I have been, and am striving to pay my indebtedness. I also have learned that earned progress is a righteous law and that only through its fulfillment can any one grow in grace and such knowledge of truth as may further their Spiritual unfoldment.
From time to time you have entreated me to inform you as to my condition on the Spirit Side and always, for a reason, I have evaded a reply, but now that I have risen far above the shadows of the Earth sphere, I am rejoiced to be able to quiet your anxious thoughts and fears. No, dear mother, I do not now desire to return to Earth life. Since I have risen above the shadows I am very happy and exultant in my freedom from physical conditions. Then, mother dear, you know that it will not be very long before you and other dear ones will come to the glorious Spirit World, and until then we will be waiting and watching for you and them.
But, dear friends, we are forgetting that we are delaying the journey to Ento.
De L'Ester—Dear lad, no apology is required. Yours and your mother's joy but adds to our pleasure. Yes, you shall journey by her side, and such assistance as you may need gladly will be offered.
Gentola̤, we will not immediately pass to Ento. That you may be better prepared to compare certain of Ento's with some of Earth's divisions, we will direct our course across the Atlantic Ocean to England, of which, with her immediate possessions we will take a hasty survey. Also we will glance at France, Italy, Germany, Russia and Siberia, and, if we may find it expedient, we may pass over that dimensionless point termed the North Pole, where
[Pg 287]
 reigns perpetual winter and unbroken silence, save when crashing avalanches of ice and snow break the somber stillness, or when ethereal disturbances occasion tempestuous storms to rush and roar across the frozen, desolate wastes of the extreme north.
Yes, we are aware that at this time some daring and ambitious men are determined to reach the North Pole, and their heroic enterprise deserves a richer reward than they will obtain. No, I do not mean to say that no one in the physical body will ever reach the North Pole, for, in time, it will be accomplished. Spirits, scientifically trained, are engaged in impressing Earth minds who steadily are progressing in a knowledge of electrical forces and appliances, while other scientific minds whose attention is directed towards solving the problem of aërial navigation are becoming more and more nearly en rapport with spirits who are aiding them, and at no very distant time Air Transports will traverse Earth's aërial passageways with the same ease and security that Air Transports pass over Ento's North and South Polar regions.
Now we must be off. George, that is well arranged though, really, Bernard will require but slight assistance. Gentola̤, below us is New York city and harbor. We have come this way that you may form an idea of the number of vessels passing between the eastern seaboard and Europe. Truly, Liberty does enlighten the world, and license, which so often masquerades in the garments of the famed goddess, plunges nations into crime and barbarism. Yonder symbolic statue accentuates the fact, that at least one aspiring mind comprehends the divine idea of freedom.
What an immense number and variety of vessels are moving in all directions, and what an immense number and variety of vessels rest on the bed of this vast ocean; while over them and the pallid hosts who are entombed beneath its
[Pg 288]
 waters, white crested billows moan a perpetual requiem. Its bed is indeed a vast cemetery on which, side by side, lie noble and ignoble, rich and poor, friend and foe, for death, the reaper, makes no distinction. The tares are garnered with the wheat.
We are approaching England, the marvellous. England the heroic, the masterful, but never the magnanimous. The lion well typifies her people who are courageous, aggressive, persistent and, where her interests are involved, politic in an extreme degree. Ever with unclosed eyes, with but half sheathed claws, the lion waits and watches, waits and watches. So wait, so watch, thou guardian of Europe's, aye, of the World's peace, and seldom may thy vigilance be disturbed.
You have expressed a desire to see the Thames River. Below us is the noisome stream, and this is the great city of London. Observe it closely so that you may compare it with a certain city you will see on Ento. A city not so extensive or so populous, but far more beautiful.
Yonder, toward the east, is St. Paul's with its great dome and crucifix crowned spire; and that is Bow Church and facing us is old St. Paul's, with its spire reaching some hundreds of feet into the rather smoky atmosphere. Yes, it is a somber but also an impressive structure. That rather squat looking building is the Bank of England. No, it is not an imposing edifice. Yes, that is the famously infamous Tower, where so many unfortunates have found time to consider the vanity of ambition, the insecurity of royal or of popular favor, and of other unstable quantities. No, this really fine Shaft does not compare favorably with those you have seen in Camarissa̤. You wish to see Buckingham Palace? Then look at the structure facing us. And you are disappointed? Yet it is quite a grand structure. Ah, I see, you are comparing
[Pg 289]
 its architecture with that you have seen on Ento. I confess I anticipated hearing expressions of disappointment, so am not surprised. Yes, I promise you that, after the inauguration of our mission if you may so desire, we will bring you here and, at your leisure, you may observe whatever may interest you.
George, we now will hastily pass over England's rural-districts, then we will move northward. Yes, the landscape views are indeed fine. Nature, in her tranquil moods, ever is charming.
Beneath us is bonnie Scotland, with her many lakes and heathery heights. Yonder is Loch Lomond and is not it a lovely sheet of water? But, to my mind, not more so than others of Scotland's many lakes. No, we cannot now devote time to seeing cities; it is the geography of the countries we are passing over that we wish you to observe.
George, we will devote a few moments to an observation of the Isle of Man. Gentola̤, on our side there are Spirits who remember a time when the ocean was many fathoms deep above its slowly rising surface. That is the island, and it appears a rather precarious abiding place. Some time I may tell you of its origin, which differs from the accepted scientific view.
Now you may salute the Emerald Isle, the birthland of your nearest ancestors, who were of Scotch blood. You have desired to see Lough Neagh, near which your father was born. Its rippling water is beneath us now. Of Ireland's lakes, mountains, holy wells and fairy lore doubtless your father has told you many strange stories, but the strangely tragic story of wrong and oppression for which Ireland furnishes a piteous theme is as yet, unwritten.
Yes, this southern portion of the island is very picturesque and broken; the same may be said of the inhabitants. No, we will not visit Wales. From Ireland we will pass
[Pg 290]
 directly to France and to Paris which, as has been aptly said, is France. Is not it a very beautiful city? During my Earth life I regarded it as being so perfect as to be changeless, but now as I gaze upon it, I see but few vestiges of nearly three hundred years ago.
Oh, Paris, Paris, thou aggregation of opulence and squalor; of much that is admirable and more that is detestable; aye, of all that is good, bad or indifferent in human nature; since first I knew thee in thy beauty, luxury and arrogance, thou hast grown superb, but while decking thyself with costliest raiment and priceless jewels, thy feet tread in the mire of debauchery. In thy hands thou bearest a crucifix yet in thy heart thou art a wanton. With one breath thou chantest Laus Deo, with the next thy lips are smirched with ribald song.
Oh beautiful, oh pitiable Paris! Through whose broad or narrow ways pass unseen angels of mercy, who continually are striving to raise the thoughts and aspirations of thy sensuous people above the insensate follies of vicious tendencies. Not yet, not yet, but in a coming time the tribulations of thy people will turn them away from the spell of thy enchantments, and with clearer eyes and purer aspirations they will seek the heights of Spiritual progress. Beloved France, land of my birth, home of my childhood, youth and manhood, I look backward through the years and I behold thee regnant in power, or tossed as a shuttlecock in the hands of thy foes. Then I behold thee dancing gaily on the brink of a precipice and, as I gaze, out of the shadows emerges the dread Reign of Terror, which stained thy garments with the best blood of thy children. Still I gaze, and out of the blackness of thy despair a strong hand, guided by indomitable will, and measureless ambition, rescues thee from the abyss into which thy mad and ignorant folly hath plunged thee, and then a new day, whose
[Pg 291]
 effulgent glory blinds the eyes of other nations, dawns for thee. Again deep shadows eclipse the effulgence of thy glory, whose beams gleam fitfully through some troublous years, and thus amid brightness and shadows the centuries have flown, and again, though in their hearts they spurn the plebeians whom they have chosen as rulers, thy children cry, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," and the fateful years go by.
Liberty and equality are the finest jewels in the crown of any nation, but alas, it is the few, and not the many, who are able to estimate them at their full value.
Now reluctantly my gaze turns toward Alsace and Lorraine, who, like two orphaned children are obliged to carry water on both shoulders, yet no one dares to lift their burthens, or to restore them to their own. With sorrowful sympathy I have watched their changeful history, and the end is not yet.
An Alsatian born am I, and though it is nearer three than two centuries since I passed to the Spirit Side, my heart clings to the land of my birth and I dream of a time that may, nay, will, arrive, when France, regenerated and with garments undefiled, shall take her rightful place amid the galaxy of Earth's greatest nations.
Southward now to Italy, the land of music, of art, of sunshine and of flowers. As we gaze upon the verdure clad slopes, the smiling valleys and upon the cities whose storied greatness reaches backward into classic times, I recall that one has written, "Oh, Italy, thou art in one the glory and the shame of Christianity, for while upon the pages of thy history are names heroic, thy garments are stained with the best blood that hath flowed in the veins of thy children. Alas! that through thy ignorant zeal thou, in a bygone time, didst torture those whom thou shouldst have worn upon thy bosom as jewels beyond price.
[Pg 292]
 Tortured them, too, in the name of the genuine Teacher of a religion of peace and good will toward all men."
Gentola̤, two members of our band, Galileo and Giordano Bruno, attest to the horrible cruelties and crimes which, in their days, were, in the name of religion, perpetrated upon helpless men and women. No, Spirits do not forget; but ere they can progress they must and do forgive.
Although at this time a humane, wise and liberal minded man is King of Italy, there is a power under his throne that chafes and schemes to overturn it but, happily comprehensive ideas are illumining the minds of his people who stand as a bulwark between it and those who, for their own selfish, ambitious and unrighteous ends seek its destruction. Yes, all religious systems are beset with fanaticism and always fanatics are, in some sense, dangerous. Then, too, to what lengths will not ambitious self-seeking, lead mortals, even blinding them to every principle which ennobles and elevates humanity.
On your account we regret that our time is too limited to admit of sightseeing, but we will slowly pass over Rome so that you may gain a general idea of the appearance of the antiquated one who, despite her powdered and patched wrinkles, still dreams that she again will be mistress of the world's destinies; that her voice is as the voice of God and that her outreaching arms will yet embrace spiritually, if not temporally, all the nations of the Earth.
Germany next claims our attention. Below us is Berlin, where dwells the young Emperor whose highest ambition is to act as arbitrator for all Europe. Naturally aristocratic and domineering, his tendency is to override all obstacles. He cannot tolerate advice, much less coercion. He is angered easily, yet with a kindly word is pacified. He is quick to take offense, and as quickly he forgives. When he conceives that the glory of Germany or his personal honor
[Pg 293]
 are called in question in his demand for redress he is adamantine. At an hour's notice he is ready to appeal to arms, yet he is moved to pity by a cry of distress. In this scion of a stern, as well as gentle ancestry, ambition, arrogance, courage, integrity and a large admixture of the love element, serves to form a most unique character.
Yes, Berlin is an imposing city, but in it, as in all large aggregations of humanity on our planet, luxury and squalor are such near neighbors that the songs and laughter of the fortunate do not drown the moans of the wretched.
We now are crossing the border line between Germany and Russia. Over what a vast area the autocratic Czar holds sway. Does it not seem marvellous that to one man millions of people yield more or less willing obedience? Yet marvellous only when one loses sight of the fact, that in all manifestations of nature; or, if it may please you better, of God, necessarily there is a central, dominant principle. Among the millions of this great empire are many who are the Czar's equal, and others who, in the sense that makes a man worthier than his fellows, are his superiors. Yet these millions of humans are subject to him, because that in his rank is involved all the principles that the government of Russia stands for, and all governments require a figure-head, be it emperor, king or president.
The Czar is a man of fine intelligence, of an affectionate and generous nature, but he is so hedged in by pride of birth, by love of power and the precedents of usages that he possesses but a scant understanding of the needs of the diverse races who people his dominions. Yes, he, like most of Earth's rulers, walks on the verge of a precipice over which, at any moment, some ruthless hand may topple him. No nation of Earth has yet outgrown the naturally turbu
[Pg 294]
lent animal element which, in the human, ever is snapping and snarling, and it is only when humanity has evolved beyond it that an observance of the Golden Rule becomes possible. Earth's peoples not having evolved to the height of such a possibility, rulers must needs be guarded by steel and served by slaves, both rulers and slaves being held in bondage through fear of consequences. No, I do not recall that I ever have cared for the ephemeral distinctions of mortality's brief days.
We near St. Petersburg, an extensive and populous city, which, like the country, is covered with snow. Yes, the cold is very severe, and rivers and lakes are bound in icy fetters. Never mind, the time is not very far distant when you shall be free to not only visit the city, but you even may unceremoniously call on the royal family.
Now we are crossing the Ural Mountains, and in a moment we will be passing over Siberia. One is tempted to moralize over those exiled from home and country to this far northern land. Ah me! What tragedies have been enacted, what crimes committed against humanity, perpetrated, too, in the name of justice, who is not so blind that she will not some time reckon with the perpetrators.
Since starting on our journey but little more than an hour has elapsed, and—yes, we have reached the North pole of our planet. For certain mentalities there is a charm in attempting difficult undertakings, and serious obstacles but spur them on to greater enthusiasm, to higher endeavor. To ordinary mortals the awful wastes of ice and snow over which we have passed would be utterly appalling, but for some the scene would possess a sort of enchantment. So courageous explorers will continue to seek for this point, and many valuable lives will yet be lost in the attainment of a nearly futile object. Yes, ambition and curiosity are
[Pg 295]
 forceful and apparently necessary incentives of human endeavor.
Now gaze downward and as far as your vision may extend and describe the not at all pleasing view.
Gentola—How shall I describe the wonderful spectacle so terrible, yet so weirdly fascinating. Overhead the clouds are heavy and threatening, and a shadowy darkness as deep as twilight prevails, and in the partial light there is a peculiarly luminous quality as though the atmosphere might be laden with diamond dust, on which light from somewhere is falling. De L'Ester, do you know what occasions the singularly beautiful radiance?
De L'Ester—This luminosity is the effect of the magnetic aura emanating from the polar centre. No, I do not mean magnetic centre, but polar centre. Under certain conditions it produces or creates what is known as Aurora borealis. Yes, I mean that there are certain planetary activities which create magnetic storms, and when such disturbances occur our northern earth sky presents a more or less beautiful display of what, by many, are termed northern lights.
Gentola—Were I in my physical body would I perceive this luminous appearance, and is it at all times luminous?
De L'Ester—You and very many, but not all persons in the physical body would be able to perceive the magnetic aura, particularly when, as at present, it is very pronounced. You forget that I already have said that the emanation is continuous, which is the same as saying that it is at all times luminous to those who can perceive it. Please resume, for we soon must hasten to Ento.
Gentola—I cannot find words adequate to a description of this scene which is so peculiar that it overwhelms me. The loveliness of color, radiating and pulsating through the atmosphere like some living thing, is so mar
[Pg 296]
vellous that one can imagine its pulsations are the heart throbs of the planet.
As far as my vision reaches I see no land, no water, no living thing, and everywhere it looks as though great waves of a tempestuous sea had climbed toward the sky and suddenly were frozen into immobility. Amid the swirl and commotion of the elements, avalanches of ice and snow are crashing downward from the crests of snow mountains, whose peaks tower toward the clouds. To my mind it is not only a sublime but an awful scene. I should think one might go mad if obliged to long remain amid such desolation and such tremendous sights and sounds. But, De L'Ester, once you mentioned the existence of a former open Polar Sea. Will you tell me of it?
De L'Ester—As you please, madame, though but in a few words. At another time a member of the Band will speak of it at length. Our planet has experienced two Glacial periods. Previous to the first period there was at the then North Pole an unfrozen, but very limited sea. Twice through the activities of natural laws a slight tilting of our planet has occurred. During its existence, again and again the same catastrophe must repeat itself. Always accumulations of ice and snow at the North Pole preponderate over the same at the South Pole. The centre of gravity seeking an equilibrium, necessitates a changed position of the planet, which will account for the finding of tropical vestiges so very far north. Some of Earth's scientists very naturally have concluded that the glacial drift forced these vestiges to their present position, but through eminent scientists on our side of life we know that this is a mistaken idea. Were it possible for mortals to search under these tremendous accumulations of ice and snow, they would find the fauna and flora of a tropical
[Pg 297]
 region, and what would be more startling, the well preserved remains of very primitive humans and somewhat of their belongings.
During our too brief hours of camaraderie, it is not practicable to note all that comes under our observation, but be assured that much that cannot be written you, more or less vividly will remember as food for thought through coming years of your mortal existence.
Now take a last survey of the dreary expanse below us, to which you will not say good-bye, but au revoir, for, doubtless after you shall have been freed from the physical plane of being, under more favorable conditions you will revisit this scene of which you now have but a limited view. And now, mes amis, off for Ento.
Gentola̤, recently you inquired of Genessano if the Entoans composed poetry and he replied yes, but his modesty forbade his saying that previous to passing to the Spirit World he had attempted versification. We have prevailed upon him to recall some sad lines which we deem apropos to the object of our mission, and as on this ever wondrous magnetic current we speed toward Ento, he will recite them and I, to the best of my ability, will translate them into your language.
An ocean whose waves reach Eternity's shore,
Rolls silently on; not a sound is heard
Of the wrecks that go down in its depths profound,
To rest on its bed and are heard of no more.
Oh, Ento, thy children so loved, so deplored,
Ever fade from our sight never more to return,
And in measureless anguish we cry unto Thee:
Spare, spare us our dear ones, Andûmana, dread Lord.
[Pg 298]
Around us are falling, like leaves from the trees,
Our loved ones, our friends whose forms are so dear
That we wear them as jewels enshrined in our hearts,
And yield them to Death, so Andûmana decrees.
Oh, pitiful gods! Andûmana implore.
To succor His children who lie at His feet,
And cry in their anguish and deep despair:
Give lack to our arms our loved ones once more.
De L'Ester—As I have done my best, I shall not apologize for my unmeritorious translation of Genessano's meritorious poem, which voices the ceaseless cry of Ento's sorrowful peoples.
Gentola—Genessano, my friend, so worshipful is my love for my dearest ones, that I understand the emotion impelling you to give expression to this wail of despair. When this dear boy, journeying by my side, passed into the world of spirits, only my knowledge of a continuity of conscious existence sustained me under my sudden bereavement, so I rejoice that the time draws near when the peoples of Ento may come into a knowledge of this consoling truth.
Genessano—Oh, Ento! beloved Ento! I too, rejoice that ere long the shadows which have so obscured thy spiritual radiance shall drift away from thee, even as under the golden beams of Diafon-evoiha the mists of dawn drift from off thy fair face. Hail to thee! Hail to thee Ento, thou beauteous world of the starry realms of space! With exultant heart I gaze on thee, for soon in thy spirit realms the glad words will be heralded that the day of thy rejoicing has come; that henceforth the eyes of thy downcast children shall be filled with the light of a joy divine, the joy of knowing that death of the physical body releases
[Pg 299]
 into a higher life—the immortal self. Only those who have loved, lost and sorrowed for the dear ones gone into endless silence can comprehend the joy that pervades my Being as I realize the ineffable gladness that soon will fill the hearts of the peoples of Ento.
De L'Ester—Gentola̤, you perceive how enthused we all are over, I may say, the certainty of the success of our mission, which is ours only in the sense that we are assisting others who, like ourselves, are interested in the righteous undertaking.
Yes, all greatly beneficent enterprises for the uplifting of humanity of any planet originate in the spirit realms. You are aware that on our planet all persons are not equally receptive, which is the same as saying that they are not equally sensitive. The same is true of the peoples of other planets. The law of Being is universal, but, through heredity, which is the sum of preceding existences, also through the influences of social and other conditions always, among all peoples, there are individuals apparently ahead of their time. Not through their own desire, but through conditions, to which I have alluded, the most dominant being ecclesiastical repression. As a whole, the Entoans are very positive, but among the ascetic priesthood are individuals so sensitive that, like Dano, Lēta and others, they are impelled to manifest it. These are they who apparently are ahead of their time; in reality they are the forerunners of spiritual upheavals, not of to-day, perhaps not of to-morrow, but of a time that surely will come.
Largely through their ardently affectionate nature the Entoans are growing approachable. Love and sorrow are retorts in which are consumed the dross of human passions, beliefs and prejudices. Thus, through their love and their sorrow, their souls are unfolding for the reception of spiritual influences and the perception of spirit presences.
[Pg 300]
We have so loitered that Zenesta̤ Ha̤o, who awaits us yonder at the Galarēsa̤, well may have grown impatient. Loha̤û emano, Loha̤û.
Zenesta Hao—Friends, you are late. What has so delayed you?
De L'Ester—We fear that we may have taxed your amiability and patience, but, after consideration, we decided to afford Gentola̤ a view of certain of earth's regions with which she was unacquainted, so that she might compare them with regions of a corresponding latitude and longitude of Ento. The youth who accompanies us is the son of Gentola̤, who four years ago passed into our spirit world and this is his first visit to Ento. Bernard, dear boy, this is our esteemed Ento friend, Zenesta̤ Ha̤o, once a Professor of Languages in this Galarēsa̤.
Bernard—Sir, I am happy in making your acquaintance, and deeply grateful that these dear friends have allowed me to accompany my mother to your planet.
Zenesta Hao—Inidora̤, Genessano a............