The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1859

The mediumistic faculty is diverse. It presents infinite nuances in mechanisms and effects. Anyone who is capable of receiving or trans- mitting the communications of the spirits is thus a medium, whatever the employed means or the degree of development of the faculty, from the simple occult influence to the most remarkable phenomena. However, in the common use, the word has a more restrictive meaning and it is gener- ally applied to persons endowed by a very important mediumistic power, both to produce physical effects and to transmit the thoughts of the spir- its, through writing or the spoken word.

Although the faculty is not an exclusive privilege, it is certain that it finds refractory minds, at least regarding the meaning given to that faculty. It is also certain that it is not exempt of hurdles to those endowed by such faculty: it can be altered and even be lost, and frequently be a source of grave disillusions. About this point, we judge useful to call the attention of all those who deal with the spiritist communications, be it directly or through third parties. We say through third parties because it is important to those that are served by mediums to be able to appreciate the worth and trust that their communications deserve.

In order to notice this state of affairs and understand what we are go- ing to say, it is necessary to refer to the fundamental principle that there are all degrees of benevolence as well as wickedness, of knowledge and ignorance among the spirits; that they pullulate around us and when we think that we are alone, we are incessantly surrounded and nudged by beings, some with indifference, like strangers, others that observe us with more or less benevolent intentions, according to their nature.

The proverb “each sheep seeks its flock” has its application among the spirits as well as with us, and possibly even more with them, since they are not under the influence of social prejudices. If such precepts, however, sometimes confuses individuals of very diverse tastes and culture, such a confusion is only material and transient. The similarity or the divergence of thoughts will always be the cause of attractions or repulses.

Our soul, which in the end is nothing more than an incarnate spirit, is still a spirit. Although momentarily dressed by a material envelope its rela- tionships with the incorporeal world, although not as easy as when in such a state of freedom, are not absolutely broken because of that. Thought is the bond between the spirits and us, and through our thoughts we at- tract those who sympathize with our ideas and inclinations. Let us then represent the mass of spirits that surround us like the crowds that we find in this world. Everywhere we intend to go we find people attracted by the same tastes and desires. In the meetings of serious objectives we find serious persons; in those of frivolous objectives, we find frivolous persons. Spirits attracted by the prevailing thought are found everywhere. If we observe the moral state of humanity, in general, we will understand without difficulty that in such an occult crowd the elevated spirits should not constitute the majority. This is one of the consequences of the state of inferiority of our planet.

The spirits that surround us are not passive. They form an essentially uneasy population which incessantly thinks and acts, influencing us irre- spectively; exciting and discouraging us; pushing us to the good or to the evil, a fact which does not subtract our free-will more than the good or bad advices that we receive from our fellow human beings. However, when the imperfect spirits incite someone to do something bad, they know very well who they are talking to and they will not waste their time when they realize that they are not welcome. They excite us according to our own inclinations or according to the germs that they see in us, as to our disposition to listen to them. That is why a person who is firm in the principles of good doesn’t give them the opportunity.

Those considerations naturally lead us to the problem of the medi- ums. As with all beings, they are submitted to the occult influence of the good or bad spirits; they attract or repel them according to the sympathies of their own souls, and the bad spirits take advantage of all faults, as from a missing protection, in order to impose themselves, irrespective of the medium, meddling with every act of the medium’s private life. Moreover, once such spirits find in the medium the means of intelligibly expressing their thoughts and attesting their presence, they also meddle with the communications, provoking them, because they expect to have a greater influence by doing so, then becoming the masters of the medium. They act as if they were at home, sending away the other spirits who could create any difficulty to them and, according to the need, they adopt the names and even use the language of those, with the objective of deceiving.

However, they cannot represent such a role for long. In contact with a more experienced and forewarned observer, such spirits are soon un- masked. If the medium allows to be dominated by such an influence the good spirits stay away from him or absolutely do not attend when evoked or even come with certain antipathy, since they see that the spirit who has identified with the medium and that, so to speak, has settled in, can alter their instructions. If we have to choose an interpreter, a secretary, any mandatory, it is obvious that we would choose not only a capable one, but one who is even worthy of our affection; that we would not entrust a deli- cate mission, as well as our interests, to someone that is insane or that is an a habitué of a suspicious society. The same happens to the spirits. The superior spirits will not choose a medium familiarized with frivolous spir- its to transmit serious instructions, unless there is the need for that or that there aren’t other mediums available at the time of the communication; or even when they want to teach the medium a lesson, which sometimes does happen; but in such cases they only accidentally use the medium, abandoning him when convenient, leaving him to his own sympathies in case he insists on keeping them. The perfect medium then would be the one who would not grant any access to the bad spirits out of negligence. However, such a condition is very difficult to fulfill, if absolute perfection is not an attribute of the human being it is always possible to assess them by their actions, and the spirits, more than anything, take their efforts, their will power and perseverance into account.

Thus, the perfect medium would not have but perfect communica- tions, in terms of truthfulness and morality. Since perfection is impossible, the best medium would be the one who would give the best communica- tions. It is by their works that they can be judged. The constantly good and elevated communications, in which not a trace of inferiority could be detected, would undoubtedly be a proof of the moral superiority of the medium, because they would attest happy sympathies. Due to the simple fact that the medium is not perfect, frivolous, impostor, and liar spirits may meddle with their communications, altering their purity and leading the medium to stumble as well as those who seek their help. This is the highest hurdle to Spiritism whose seriousness we don’t disguise. Can it be avoided? We say out loud and clear: yes, we can avoid it. The means is not hard, only requiring good judgment.

The good intentions and the morality of the medium are not always sufficient to prevent the prying of frivolous, lying and pseudo-wise spirits into the communications. Besides the spirit of the medium own faults, the medium can also provide entry to those spirits through other causes from which the most important is the weakness of character and an exces- sive confidence in the invariable superiority of the communicating spirits. Such blind confidence resides in a cause that we will explain below.

If we don’t want to become victims of those frivolous spirits it is nec- essary to assess them. In order to do this, we have an infallible criterion: common sense and reason. We know that the qualities of the language characterizing the really good and superior individuals among us are the same as with the spirits. We must assess them based on their language. It would never be too much to repeat what characterizes the language of the elevated spirits: it is permanently dignified, noble, without swag- ger or contradiction, exempt from trivialities and marked by an accent of unaltered benevolence. The good spirits advise; they don’t command; they don’t impose; they remain silent about things that they ignore.

The frivolous spirits show the same level of confidence about things that they know and things that they ignore; they respond to everything without any concern for the truth. In a supposedly serious message, we have seen them placing Cesar in the same period as Alexander, with an untouched audacity; others affirmed that it is not Earth that turns around the Sun. In short, every gross or simply inconvenient expression; every indication of pride and presumption; every maxim contrary to the sound moral; every scientific heresy is to the spirits an incontestable sign of their evil nature, of ignorance or at least frivolity, similarly to what happens with human beings. Hence it is necessary to weigh-in at everything they say, pushing it through the winnow of logic and common sense. This is a recommendation incessantly made by the good spirits. They say: “God has purposelessly given you reason. Use it so that you know what you are doing.”

The bad spirits fear examination. They say: “Accept our words and do not judge them.” If they were consciously telling the truth they would show no fear of light.

The habit of scrutinizing the simplest messages from the spirits, of assessing their worth – from the point of view of the content and not the grammatical form, to which they give little importance – does naturally keep away the spirits of ill intent, who would not uselessly come to waste their time, since we reject everything that is bad or that may have a suspi- cious origin. However, when we blindly accept everything that they say, when, say, we kneel before their pretense wisdom; they do what human beings would do: abuse us.

If the medium is his own master and not dominated by a senseless en- thusiasm, he will then be able to do what we advise. It frequently happens, however, that the spirit subjugates the medium to the point of fascination, leading the medium to consider the most ridiculous things.

Then the mediums become even more overconfident, getting all wrapped up by their good intentions and feelings. The medium thinks that this is enough to keep the bad spirits away. Unfortunately, that is not enough, since those bad spirits enjoy trapping such mediums, taking advantage of their weakness and credulity. What to do then? Have ev- erything brought to a third and uninterested person. This will allow the third person to assess and judge, without prejudice, areas where the third person may well see a speck of sawdust where the medium could not see a plank.

The Spiritist Science demands a great experience only acquired through a long, assiduous and persevering study, and through numerous observa- tions, as with every other Science, philosophical or not. That Science en- compasses not only the study of the phenomena, per se, but also and above all, the habits, if we can say so, of the occult world, from the lowest to the highest degree of the scale. It would be presumptuous to judge oneself suf- ficiently enlightened and graduated as a master after a few tests. This would not be the pretension of a serious person, since whoever lay investigative eyes on these strange mysteries sees, unfolding before their eyes, such a vast horizon that long years would not be enough to cover them all. There are some, however, who wish to do so in a few days only!

From all moral dispositions, pride is the one that mostly facilitates entry to the imperfect spirits. The more arrogant the medium, the more it constitutes a danger. It is pride that gives the medium a blind belief in the superiority of the spirits who are attached to him, by bragging about certain names imposed on him. Whenever a spirit says: I am “Joe Doe” those mediums bow and don’t admit any doubt, as their self esteem would suffer if an inferior or low level spirit would be found under that mask. The spirit detects all these things and takes advantage of the weak side of the medium; flatters his supposed protégé; talks about illustrious origins which trap the medium even further; promises a brilliant future, honor and fortune, of which the spirit seems to be the distributor; and if neces- sary, shows a hypocritical tenderness towards the medium.

How to resist such a generosity? In one word, the spirit fools the medi- um, as vulgarly said; the spirit’s happiness is to make someone dependent. We have questioned several of those spirits regarding the reasons for their obsession. One of them responded as below.

“I want to have a person who submit to my whims. That is my plea- sure.” When we told him that we would do our best to uncover his tricks thus removing the veil from the eyes of the oppressed, he said: “I will fight you and you will not prevail because I will do so many things that he will not believe you.” This is in effect one of the tactics of these malicious spirits: they inspire mistrust and separation from the persons that can unmask them, giving good advice. This can never happen with the good spirits. Every spirit that stimulates disagreement, that excites animosity and that entertains resentment reveals their inferior nature, as a conse- quence. It would be necessary to be blind in order not to understand this and to believe that a good spirit could lead anyone to disharmony.

Pride frequently develops in a medium as their mediumistic faculty improves. The mediumistic faculty makes them feel important. They are sought thus they feel indispensable. Hence, many times, the boasting and pretentious tone, or an air of sufficiency and disdain, incompatible with the influence of a good spirit. The one that falls into such a mistake is lost because God has given such a faculty for the good and not for the satisfaction of their vanity or to transform that faculty in a ladder to their ambition. They forget that such power, which makes them proud, can be subtracted and that it has frequently been given as a trial only, as it also happens to some people’s wealth. Once that faculty is abused the good spirits move away, step by step, until they become a toy in the hands of the frivolous spirits, who shake those mediums with their illusions, feeling happy for having won over those who considered themselves strong. That is how we have seen the annihilation and loss of the most precious facul- ties that without such a behavior would have become the most powerful and useful supporters of the cause.

This applies to all kinds of mediums, be of physical or intelligent manifestations. Unfortunately pride and arrogance is one of the defects which make us less inclined to acknowledge in ourselves and even less so by pointing it out on others, since they would not believe. Try to tell a medium that he is being led like a child. He will turn his back on you, saying that he knows how to behave and that you cannot see things clearly. You can tell a man that he is a drunk, scornful, lazy, awkward and silly and he will laugh and agree; tell him that he is arrogant and he will be upset. That is the evident proof that you are telling the truth. In such cases the advices are so more difficult the more the medium avoids those who can give them. He flees from a feared proximity. The spirits, once feeling that the advices are blows against their power, push the medium to the opposite side, in order to feed his illusions. Thus, many deceptions will come, making the self- esteem of the medium suffer. Fortunate are those who do not have to endure even more serious things.

If we have significantly over emphasized in regard to this theme it is because experience has demonstrated to us, on many occasions, that this is one of the large stumbling stones with respect to the purity and sincer- ity of the communications from the medium. Hence, it is almost useless to speak about the other imperfections of the mediums, such as selfish- ness, envy, jealousy, ambition, greed, stiffness of heart, ingratitude, sen- suality, etc. Everyone understands that these are additional doors open to the imperfect spirits, or at least, causes of weakness. In order to repel those spirits it is not good enough to ask them to leave; it is not even good enough to wish or even less to conjure them. It is necessary to close the doors and the ears to them; demonstrate that we are stronger than they are – and we are incontestably, through the love of good, through charity, kindness, simplicity, modesty and disinterest, qualities that at- tract the benevolence of the good spirits. It is their support that gives us strength. If they sometimes allow us to face evil, it is a trial to our faith and character.

May the mediums not fear those conditions so much, which we have just mentioned. We must acknowledge that those conditions are logical thus it would be a mistake to feel discouraged. In any case they give us a means of recognizing our own imperfections. We have already said in another article that it is not necessary to be a medium to be under the influence of the bad spirits, who act in the shadow. The enemy shows up and betrays himself through the mediumistic faculty. We become aware of whom we are dealing with and how to combat them. That is how a bad communication may become a useful lesson, if we know how to take advantage of that.

As a matter of fact, it would be unfair to attribute all bad communica- tions to the medium. We speak of those that are obtained by the mediums alone, without any other influence, and not about those that are produced in any other environment. Well, everyone knows that the spirits, attracted by that environment, may damage the manifestations, be it by the diver- sity of characters, or be it by the lack of reverence. It is a general rule that the best communications occur in the closeness of a concentrated and ho- mogeneous group. Several influences play a role in every communication: the medium, the environment and the person that interrogates the spirits. These influences may interact with one another, neutralize or reinforce each other. That depends on our proposed objective and on the dominat- ing thought. We have seen excellent communications in gatherings and from mediums that did not have all the necessary conditions. In this case the spirits would come for one person in particular, since that was useful. We have also seen bad communications obtained by good mediums only because the interrogator did not have serious intentions and attracted the frivolous spirits who made fun of him or her. It all requires sensibility and observation. The preponderance that all these conditions combined must have is easily understandable.

We have discussed the theory of the apparitions several times. It was recalled in our last issue given the fact that we had the report of strange phenomena. We remind our readers about those phenomena in order to better understand what follows next.

Everybody knows that among the most extraordinary manifestations produced by Mr. Home there was the appearance of perfectly tangible hands, which everyone could see and touch; which shook hands and sud- denly offered the emptiness when attempted to be caught by surprise. That is a positive fact, produced under several circumstances, attested by numerous eyewitnesses. However, abnormal and as strange as those facts may seem, the marvelous stops from the moment when it is possible to give them a logical explanation. It then enters into the category of the natural phenomena, although of an order completely different from those that take place before our eyes and with which we should not confuse them.

We can find elements of comparison with the common phenomena – like that blind person who could feel the shining light or the colors by the sound of a trumpet – but not similarities. It is precisely the attempt of comparing everything to what we already know that leads so many people to confusion: some think that these new elements can be manipulated as if they were molecules of Oxygen and Hydrogen. Well, that is a mistake. Those phenomena are submitted to conditions that escape the normal circle of our observations. Before anything else, it is necessary to know those conditions and comply with them if we wish to be successful. It is necessary, above all, not to lose sight of this essential principle, the true key of the Spiritist Science: the agent of the vulgar phenomena is a physi- cal force, material, that can be submitted to the laws of Calculus, whereas in the spiritist phenomena such agent is always an intelligence that has its own free-will and does not submit to our caprices.

Was there flesh, skin, bones and nails on those hands? Of course not: it was an appearance but in such a way that it produced the effect of reality. If the spirit has the power of turning a given part of their body visible and tangible, there is no reason why the same would not happen to other organs. Let us then suppose that the spirit extends that appear- ance to all parts of the body and we will then have the impression of seeing one of our analogous, acting like us, when in fact that is nothing more than a momentarily solidified vapor.

Such is the case of the Elf of Bayonne. The duration of that appear- ance is submitted to conditions unknown to us. No doubt it depends on the will of the spirit, who can produce or undo them at will, but within certain limits which they do not always have the freedom of surpassing. Once questioned about this and all intermittences of any manifesta- tion, the spirits have always said that they were acting following superior permission.

If with certain spirits the duration of the corporeal appearance is lim- ited, we can in principle say that it is variable and it is capable of persisting for a more or less lengthy time interval, since it can be produced all the time and at any time. A spirit whose body was completely visible and tan- gible would have the appearance of a human being to us; the spirit could talk to us and sit around us at home, as any other visitor, and we would take that spirit by one of our fellow human beings.

We start from a patent fact – the appearance of tangible hands – to arrive at a hypothesis that is the logical consequence of that. However, we would not have considered it if the story of the boy from Bayonne would not have paved the way, showing such possibility to us.

Once interrogated with that respect, a superior spirit answered that we can effectively meet beings of such a nature, unsuspectedly. He added that the fact is rare but it does happen.

Since we need a name to each and every thing in order to make our- selves understood, the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies call them agé- nères, in order to indicate that its origin is not the result of a generation.

The following fact that recently happened in Paris seems to belong to that category.

A poor woman was in the Church of Saint Roche begging for God’s help to alleviate her sufferings. Coming through the exit door at Saint Honoratus Street she finds a gentleman who approaches her, saying:

My good lady, would you like to find a job?

Ah! Good man, she answers, I beg God for that favor since I am in great need.

Then, go to X... Street, number # and look for Mrs. T... she will give you a job.

That said the man followed his way. The poor lady wasted no time to go to the referred address. The indicated lady told her:

In fact, I do have a job opening but since I have not told anybody, I don’t know how you could have come here, looking for me.

Then the poor lady, observing a portrait hanging on the wall, responded:

Madam, it was that gentleman who sent me.
That gentleman? Said the other lady, now scared. But it is impos- sible! That is the picture of my son, who died three years ago.

I don’t know how could that be but I assure you that he was the gentleman that I met when I left Church, where I had gone to beg for God’s help. He approached me and sent me over here.

From what we have just seen, it is not surprising that the spirit of that lady’s son, in order to do a good deed to that poor woman, whose prayer he had certainly heard, would have then appeared to her under a corpo- real form, indicating the address of his own mother. What has become of him after this? No doubt, what he was before: a spirit, unless he had found it convenient to appear to other people on his path.

That woman would have then met an agénères with whom she talk- ed. A question that may be asked is this: why then he did not appear to his mother?

Under such circumstances, the motives that determine the action of the spirits are completely unknown to us: they act as they will, or even, according to what they have said themselves, under a permission without which they cannot reveal their existence in a material way. As a matter of fact, it is clear that his presence might have caused his mother a great commotion. Who knows he had not appeared to her in her dreams or by any other means? Moreover, wouldn’t that be a way of revealing his existence to her? It is very likely that he had witnessed the encounter between the two ladies.

It does not seem to us that the Elf of Bayonne should be considered an agénères, at least under the circumstances in which he manifested; to the family he always showed the characteristics of a spirit, which he had never tried to dissimulate. It was his permanent state. The corporeal appear- ances that he embodied were only accidental, whereas the agénères, per se, does not reveal its nature and is nothing but a living person to our eyes. Its corporeal appearance may have a long duration, according to the need, in order to establish social relationships with one or several individuals.

We enquired the spirit of Saint Louis to kindly clarify us about several points, responding to our questions.

1. The spirit of the Elf of Bayonne could show up, corporeally, in other places and to other persons, besides its own family?
- Yes, no doubt.

2. Would that depend on its will?
- Not exactly. The power of the spirits is limited. They only do what is allowed to them.

3. What would happen if it presented itself to an unknown person?

- It would have been seem as an ordinary child. I will how- ever tell you something: sometimes there are spirits on Earth that take such an appearance and are not recognized by people.

4. Such spirits belong to the category of the superior or inferior spirits?

- They can belong to one or the other. These are rare facts that the Bible has examples.

5. Rare or not, it is enough that the phenomenon is possible so as to deserve attention. What would happen if such a being, taken by an ordinary man, received a mortal wound? Would it die?
- It would suddenly disappear, like the young man in London. 3

6. Do they have passions?
- Yes. As spirits, they have the passions of the spirits, according to their inferiority. If they take a visible body it is sometimes to enjoy the human passions. If they are elevated it is with a useful objective.

7. Can they procreate?
- God would not allow that. This is contrary to the laws established by God on Earth and those laws cannot be broken. 8. If such a being showed up to us, would we have any means of recognizing it?
- No, unless through an unexpected disappearance. It would be the same as the motion of furniture from one floor to the next, which you have previously read.

9. Which objective can lead the spirits to take such a corporeal state?

Are they acting with a good or wicked intent?
- Many times with a wicked one. The good spirits use inspiration in their favor. They act upon the soul and the heart.

You should know that inferior spirits produces the physical manifestations, and the ones we are dealing with are of that category. However, as I said, the good spirits may also take that corporeal appearance, with a useful objective. I say that as a general principle.

10. In such a state they can become visible and invisible at will? - Yes, since they can disappear whenever they wish.

11. Do they have an occult power, superior to that of human beings? - They only have the power of their category in the spirits’ scale.

12. Do they have real need for food? - No. Their body is not real.

13. Nevertheless, the young man from London, although he did not have a real body, he had breakfast with his friends and shook hands with them. What happened to the food that he ingested? - Before he shook hands, where were the tightening fingers?

Do you understand that the body disappears? Why don’t you want to understand that the matter also disappears? The body of the young man from London was not real since he was in Boulogne; it was thus an appearance. The same happened to the food that he apparently ingested.

14. If we had among us a being of that kind, would that be good or bad? - That would be bad. Besides, it is not possible to keep in touch for a long time with those beings. We cannot tell you much. These facts are excessively rare and have never a permanent character. Still more rare are the instantaneous corporeal apparitions, like those of Bayonne.

15. Can the family protector spirit take that form sometimes?

- No. Doesn’t that spirit count on innermost resources? The spirit manipulates them with more easiness than it would do under a visible form and taken by one of your similar.

16. There is a question about the Count of Saint-Germain; wouldn’t he belong to the category of the agénères?
- No. He was a skillful mystifier.

The story of the young man from London, reported in our last December issue, is a fact of bi-corporeity, or even, of double presence, that essentially differs from what we are discussing. The agénères has no living body on Earth; it is only their perispirit that takes a tangible appearance. The youngster from London was perfectly alive. While his body was asleep in Boulogne, his spirit, surrounded by the perisp- irit, went to London, where it took a visible form.

An almost analogous case happened to us. While lying calmly in bed, one of our friends saw us several times at his house, although under an appearance that was not tangible, sitting by his side and talking to him, as usual. Once he saw us wearing a robe, other times wearing a jacket. He transcribed our conversation and sent it to us the following day. It was clearly about our favorite works. Willing to carry out an experiment, he offered us a beverage. Here is our answer: “I don’t need this, for it is not my body that is here, you know that. Then, there is no need to create an illusion to us.”

A very strange fact then took place. Be it through a natural dispo- sition, be it the result of our own intellectual works, serious since our youth and we would even say, almost since our infancy, our character has been the one of extreme gravity, even at the age when one thinks of anything but pleasures.

That constant concern gives us a cold appearance, really cold. This is, at least, what we have been criticized for on several occasions. However, under this apparently glacial envelope, the spirit may feel more vividly than if it had a greater external expansion. Well, dur- ing our nightly visits to our friend, he became really surprised for seeing us completely different; we were more extroverts, more talk- ative, almost happy. Everything in us would reveal the satisfaction and calmness of feeling well. Wouldn’t that be an effect of the spirit, disengaged from matter?

Under this title, Mr. H. Lugner published in the feuilleton of the Jornal th des Débats, on November 26 , 1858 a witty and fantastic story, of Hoffmann’s style, that at first glance seems to have some analogy with our agénères and the phenomena of tangibility, which we have just discussed. The length of the story does not allow us to reproduce it completely. We will limit ourselves to its analysis, pointing out the fact that the author reported it as a fact, that he had witnessed and attached to the hero of the adventure by what is perceive to be bonds of friendship.

That hero, named Hermann, used to live in a small town in Germany. “He was”, says the narrator, a handsome 25 years old man, of strong build, full of nobility in all his movements, gracious and witty in his language. He was very educated, not pedantic; very fine and without malice; very conscious of his dignity and without the least arrogance. Hence he was perfect in everything and even more perfect still in three things: his love for philosophy; his particular inclination for waltz and his kindness of character. That kindness was neither a weakness nor a fear of others, or an exaggerated mistrust of oneself. It was a natural inclination, a super abundance of that essence of human kindness that we generally find only in the poet’s fiction. Hermann was endowed with a singular dose.

He contained and, at the same time, animated his adversaries with such goodness of heart that it raised itself to the omnipotent and above the offences. One could harm but not enrage him. One day his barber was trimming his hair when he snipped off the tip of his ear. Hermann was quick to excuse him, taking the blame, assuring him that he had moved awkwardly. That actually was not the case since I was present and clearly noticed that the incident was, in fact, the barber’ error. He gave many other proofs of the unperturbed goodness of his soul. He listened to the reading of bad poems bearing an angelical air and responded to the silliest epigrams with nice praises, when the worst spirits had used their malevo- lence against him. Such a singular kindness turned him into a celebrity. There was no woman who would not give her life to watch Hermann’s character, uninterrupted, trying to make him lose his patience, at least once in his life.”

“Add to all that capability the advantage of a complete financial inde- pendence sufficient to place him among the richest men in town. It would be difficult for you to imagine that Hermann would miss anything in his life that would leave him without complete happiness.”

“Unfortunately, however, he was not happy and constantly looked sad and depressed... This was due to a singular illness that afflicted him all his life and since long ago was provoking the curiosity of the whole little town.”

“Hermann could not stay awake for a moment after sunset. When the day neared its end, he was taken by an invincible languidness, slowly falling onto a uncontrollable lethargy that nobody could rescue him. He would go to bed with the sun and wake up at dawn. His early bird habits would have turned him into an excellent hunter if he were able to over- come his horror for blood and withstand the idea of inflicting a cruel death to innocent creatures.”

“Here are the terms with which he describes his situation, over a mo- ment of relief, with his friend of the Journal des Débats:”

“You know my dear friend the illness that I am subjected to and the invincible sleepiness that regularly oppresses me, from sunset to dawn. You know what everyone knows about it and as everybody else you heard that such a sleep is almost confused with death. Nothing closer to the truth and with such a prodigy I would not bother, I swear, if nature would be content by taking my body by an object of its fantasies. But my soul is also one of its toys. I cannot tell you without horror the bizarre and cruel fate inflicted on my soul. Each one of those nights is fulfilled by a dream and that dream is connected with the most fatal clarity to the dream of the previous night. Those dreams, God wished they were dreams, follow up and interconnect like the events of a common existence that develops under sunlight and in the company of other men. Hence, I live twice and lead two different existences. One happens here, with you and our friends; the other, far away from here, with men that I know so well as I know you, with whom I speak as I speak with you, and who call me crazy, as you do, when I refer to another existence, beyond the one I live with them.”

“However, am I not here, living and talking, sitting by your side and well awake, as it seems to me, and whoever would pretend that we are dreaming, or that we are shadows, wouldn’t in all fairness go by a senseless person? Then! My dear friend, each of those moments, each action that fulfills the hours of my inevitable sleep is not less real. When I find myself entirely in that other existence it is this one here that I would be tempted to consider a dream.”

“Nevertheless, I don’t dream more here than I live there. I live al- ternatively on both sides and I could not doubt it, although my reason becomes strangely shocked for my soul successively animates two bodies thus living two lives. Ah! My dear friend, I wish God had allowed me the same instincts and the same behavior in both lives and that I was the same man that you know and appreciate here. But it is not like that and people would not dare to dispute the influence of the physical over the moral if my story were known. I don’t wish to brag about it; as a matter of fact, pride that might inspire one of my existences is strongly abated by the inseparable shame of the other. However, I can say without any vanity that I am fairly loved and respected by everyone here; people praise my manners and condition; they say that I have a noble, liberal and distinct looks. As you know, I love literature, philosophy, arts, free- dom, everything that gives life its enchantment and dignity. I help the unfortunate ones and envy nobody. You know that my kindness became proverbial as my spirit of justice and my insuperable horror of violence. All these qualities that elevate and embellish me here I expiate there by the opposite vices.”

“Nature that has blessed me so much here curses me there. It has not only outcast me into an inferior condition, in which I am obliged to remain, illiterate and without culture, but also gave to that other body of mine such rough or perverse organs; such strong or blind feelings; certain inclinations and needs obeyed by my soul rather than commanded by it, thus allowing me to be dragged by that despotic body, under the most vile orders. I am tough and coward there; while I persecute the weak I am ser- vile to the powerful; unmerciful and envious; naturally unfair and violent to the point of rage. Nonetheless, it is me and however much I hate and despise myself, I cannot help it but to recognize me.”

“Hermann stopped for a moment. His voice was trembled and his eyes wet. I smiled gently and told him: “I want to mitigate your madness, so that you can be cured. Tell me everything. For starters, where does that other existence take place, and what is your name there?”

“My name is William Parker, he said. I am a citizen of Melbourne, Australia. There is where my soul flies to, in the antipodes, after leav- ing you here. At sunset here my soul leaves the unanimated Hermann behind, then giving life to Parker on the other side, at dawn. It is when my miserable life of vagabond, of fraud, of quarrels and begging begins. I belong to a bad society in which I count among the scum. I am constantly fighting my companions and frequently hold a knife in my hand. I am always at war with the police and at times I am forced to hide. However, everything comes to an end in this world and this suffering is about to finish. I have fortunately committed a crime. I have cowardly murdered a poor creature that was associated with me. Thus, I led public opinion to indignation, already excited by my perverse attitudes. The grand jury has condemned me to the death penalty thus I wait for my execution. Some merciful and religious persons have intervened with the Governor, in my name, in order to obtain the grace or a conditional, which would give me time to convert; however, my intractable and gross nature is well known.


The request was denied and tomorrow, or better still, tonight, I will be infallibly led to the gallows.”

“Well then, I said smiling. It is so much the better for you and us. The death of that rascal is a good way out. Once Parker is thrown away into eternity Hermann will live in peace; he will be able to wake, as everybody else, and stay with us day and night. That death will cure you my dear friend, and I am thankful to the Governor of Melbourne for having re- fused to grant a pardon to that scoundrel.”

“You are mistaken, said Hermann, with a graveness of voice that made me feel sorry for him: we will die together, the two of us, because we are not but one. Despite our diversity and antipathy we have only one soul that will be wounded by the same blow; in all things we respond for each other. Do you believe that Parker would still be alive if Hermann had not felt that both are inseparable, in life and death? Would I have hesitated for a moment had I been able to cast that other existence into the fire, like the damned eye that the Scriptures talk about? I was so happy to live here that I could not decide to die there; and my indecision lasted until fate decided such a terrible question. Now, everything is over. Believe me that this is a farewell.”

“On the very next day Hermann was found dead in his bed. A few months later the newspapers in Australia brought the news of the execution of William Parker, with all the circumstances described by his double.”

This entire story is told with an unperturbed cold blood and in a seri- ous tone. There is nothing missing in the details that were omitted to give it a character of truth. In the presence of the strange phenomena that we have witnessed, a fact of such a nature could seem real, at least possible and, up to a certain degree, connected to those that we have mentioned. Wouldn’t it be perhaps analogous to the youngster who was asleep in Boulogne while, at the same time, was talking to his friends in London? And to the case of Saint Anthony of Padua, praying in Spain on the same day that he showed up in Padua to save his father, then accused of murder?

At first sight one can say that these latest facts are exact. It is not im- possible either that this Hermann would live in Australia while sleeping in Germany, and vice versa. Although our opinion is perfectly established with that respect, it is our duty to report it to our instructors from beyond the grave, in one of the sessions of the Society.

To the question: “Is it true the fact that was reported by the Jornal des Débats?

They answered: “No; it is a story specially written to entertain the readers”.

Then they were asked: If it is not true, is it possible?
They answered: “No. one soul cannot animate two bodies.”
In fact, in the story of Boulogne, although the young man was seen

simultaneously in two places, there was one body only of flesh and blood, which was in Boulogne. In London there was only the appearance or the perispirit, tangible is true, but not the actual body, the mortal body. He could not die in London and in Boulogne. According to the story, on the contrary, Hermann would in reality have two bodies, since one would have been hanged in Melbourne and the other buried in Germany. The same soul would have then simultaneously animated two existences that according to the spirits, is not possible.

The kind of phenomena of Boulogne and Saint Anthony of Padua, although very frequent, are as a matter of fact very serendipitous and acci- dental in one individual and it never has the characteristic of permanence, whereas the supposed Mr. Hermann was like that since his infancy. But the most serious reason is the difference of characters. If those individuals had one and the same soul, which could not certainly be alternatively that of a righteous man and a scoundrel. It is certain that the author founds his story on the influence of the organisms. We regret the fact that it is his philosophy, and even more so that he tries to endorse it, since that would be the same as denying one’s responsibilities for one’s actions. Similar doc- trine would be the denial of the whole moral, since it would reduce the human being to the condition of a machine.

We got this letter from Gramat, Lot:

“Extraordinary noises have been heard for about two months in a house from the Coujet village, a community of Bastat, Department of Lot. In the beginning the noises were dry blows, similar to those produced by an axe on the floor, heard from all sides: under the feet, above the heads, on the doors, in the furniture. Then it was the noise of steps of a bare footman, followed by fingers playing on the window glass. The residents became scared and organized Church masses. The disturbed population would go to the village and listen; the police was informed, carrying out several investigations; the noise only got worse. Soon the doors would open; the objects would be turned upside down; the chairs thrown from the top of the stairs; the furniture transported from the floor to the attic. Everything that I tell you happens at daylight and is attested by a large number of people. The house is not an old, dark and somber shanty that gives you ghostly nightmares just by its looks. It is a shiny new construc- tion. The owners are good people, incapable of deceiving any one and those who are really scared. Nevertheless, many people think that there is nothing supernatural there, trying to explain everything that seems ex- traordinary by Physics or the ill intention attributed to the residents. Since I have seen it all and do believe in all facts, I decided to correspond with you so that you can tell me who the spirits who make such noise are, and to learn about the means of silencing them. It is a service that you would do to this good people, etc....”

Facts of such a nature are not rare. They are all more or less similar and, in general, only differ as for the intensity or its greater or smaller te- nacity. People are hardly bothered when these events are limited to a few noises, without consequence, but become a true calamity when they reach large proportions.

Our distinct correspondent asks about the kind of spirits that make such noise. There is no doubt with respect to our answer. It is a known fact that only the spirits of a very inferior order are capable of such a thing. The superior spirits, as among us the serious and grave persons, don’t en- joy themselves by creating uproars. We have evoked them many times in order to enquiry about the reason why they perturb someone else’s rest. The great majority replies that their only objective is to have fun. These are rather frivolous than bad spirits. They enjoy the fear that they provoke as much as the useless searches carried out to determine the cause of the uproar. They frequently remain close to an individual that they like to tease, and that they chase from house to house; on other occasions they get attached to a given place, without any reason, but caprice. Sometimes it is also a vengeance that they carry out, as we will have the occasion to see. In some cases their intention is more commendable: they want to call the attention and establish contact, be it to give a useful warning to the person that is targeted by them or to request something for them. We have seen them frequently asking for prayers; others request the accomplish- ment of a promise that they were unable to carry out; there are others, finally, who want to fix a bad deed that they may have practiced when incarnate, in the interest of their own peace.

Generally speaking there is no reason to be scared. Their presence may be an inconvenience but it is not dangerous. As a matter of fact, the desire to get rid of them is understandable. However, we almost always do exactly the opposite of what we should do. If they are spirits having fun, the more we take it seriously, the more they persist, like naughty kids that bother us even more the more we show impatience, and scaring the cowards. If laughed at their naughtiness they would end up tired and would leave us alone. We know someone that far from getting irritated he would excite them, challenging them to do this or that, hence after a few days they no longer showed up. That is why it is always useful to know what they want. If they request something we may rest assured that they will leave as soon as their wish is granted. The best way to learn about it is by evoking the spirit through a good psychographic medium. We will immediately see whom we are dealing with from their answers, and as a consequence we will be able to act. If it is an unfortunate spirit, charity demands that we treat it with the deserved care. If it is a jester spirit, of bad taste, we can act unceremoniously with the spirit. If it is a malevolent spirit, it is necessary to ask God to make it better. In any case, the prayer can only produce good results.

Nevertheless, the gravity of the formulas of exorcism makes them laugh and they have no respect for that. If we can enter into communica- tion with them it is necessary to be suspicious about their burlesque or frightening qualifications, which sometimes they attribute to themselves in order to make fun of our credulity.

In many cases the difficulty rests in the fact that there is no medium available. We must then try to replace the medium by ourselves or directly interrogate the spirit, according to the precepts we gave in the Practical Instructions about the Manifestations.

Although produced by inferior spirits, those phenomena are many times provoked by spirits of a more elevated order, with the objective of convincing us about the existence of the incorporeal beings and the exis- tence of a power superior to that of human beings.

The repercussion resulting from that, the fear it creates calls the atten- tion, and in the end will open the eyes of the most incredulous. The latter ones find it easier to take those phenomena to the field of imagination, a very simplistic explanation that dispenses any other. However, when the objects are disarranged or thrown at people’s heads, it would be necessary a very complacent imagination to suppose that such things do happen, when in fact they do not. If we observe any given effect, it will necessarily have a cause. If a calm and cold observation demonstrates that such effect is independent of any human intervention and independent of any mate- rial cause; if, moreover, it gives us evident indications of intelligence and free-will, which constitutes the most characteristic of signs, then we are forced to attribute them to an occult intelligence.

Who are those mysterious beings? This is what the spiritist studies teach us in the most indisputable way, through the means with which we are presented in order to communicate with them. Furthermore, these studies teach us how to separate what is real from what is false or exagger- ated in those phenomena, whose causes we do not detect. If a remarkable effect is produced – noise, motion, even an apparition – the first thought that has to come to mind is that we are facing something that has an absolutely natural cause, which is the most likely. Then it is necessary to investigate that cause with great care and do not admit the intervention of the spirits unless it is an established fact. It is the means of not eluding ourselves.

Spontaneous communication from Mr. Nélo, medium Read at the Society on January 14th, 1859

You don’t know the secret that children hide in their innocence; you don’t know what they are or what they were or what they will be- come. Nevertheless, you love them; you cherish them as if they were a part of you and in such a way that the mother’s love for her children is considered to be the greatest love that one person can devote to another. Where does this kind affection come from, this tender benevolence that even strangers feel towards a child?

Do you know the answer? No. This is what I will explain to you.

Children are the beings that God sends into new existences. God gives them the looks of total innocence so that they cannot complain of excessive severity. Even in a naturally malicious child the defects are covered by the unconsciousness of their acts. Such innocence is not a sign of real superiority with respect to what they were before; No: it is the image of what they should be; and if they are not, they will be the ones to blame.

But it was not to their benefit only that God gave them such looks. It was also – and above all – for their parents, whose love is necessary to their weakness, since such love would be substantially debilitated be- fore an impertinent and intractable character, whereas by supposing that their children are good and sweet, the parents give them all the affection, surrounding them with the most delicate attention. However, when the children no longer require such protection, the assistance given to them for fifteen or twenty years, their character is then revealed in its fullest: it remains good if they were good, but it is always patched by the nuances that were hidden in the first infancy. Know this that God’s paths are al- ways the best and that the explanation can be easy understood as long as one bears a pure heart.

In fact, imagine that the spirits of the children born from you may come from a world where completely different habits were acquired. How would you like to have such a creature around you, with passions that are completely different from yours, with inclinations, with tastes totally opposed to yours? Would you like to have them joining your ranks in a different way, different from the one that God wished, that is through the winnow of childhood?

It is here that all thoughts, all characters, all varieties of beings come to blend, engineered by that multitude of worlds where the creatures im- prove. And you yourselves, after death, will face another kind of infancy, among new brothers and sisters. In your new non-Earthly existence you ignore the habits, the customs, culture and the relationships in this world new to you. With difficulty you will handle a language that you are not used to speak, a language even more lively than your current thought. Infancy has another utility. The spirits only get into the corporeal life for their improvement, their betterment; the weakness of childhood makes them flexible, accessible to the advices of experience, from those in charge of their advancement. It is in that period that their character may be re- formed, by the repression of their bad inclinations. Such is the duty that God has conferred the parents with, a sacred mission for which they will respond.

Thus, childhood is not only useful; it is necessary and indispensable, but also a natural consequence of the laws established by God, laws that govern the Universe!

OBSERVATION: We call the readers’ attention to this remarkable dissertation whose elevated philosophical reach is comprehensible. What can be more beautiful, more grandiose than this solidarity that there is among the worlds? What can be more convenient to give us an idea about God’s majesty and benevolence? Humanity grows by such thoughts, whereas it is diminished if reduced to the petty proportions of our tran- sient life and to the boundaries of our world, imperceptible among other worlds.

Dear Mr. Allan Kardec,

I congratulate myself for being in touch with you through the kind of studies to which we both devote ourselves. For more than twenty years I have been working on a book that should bear the title “Study on microorganisms”. It should focus on physiol- ogy; however, my intention was to demonstrate the limitations of Bichat’s system. This system does not acknowledge the existence of a spirit but does connect the relationship of organic life’s desire to survive. I wanted to demonstrate that there is a third mode of existence that outlives the two others, in a non-organic state. This third mode is nothing but the animic or spirit’s life, as you call it. In one word, it is the primitive microorganism that engineers the two other modes of existence: the organic and that of relation- ship. I also wanted to demonstrate that the microorganisms have a fluidic nature, that are biodynamic, attractive, indestructible, autogenic and, in a defined number, in our planet as well as in all circumscribed environments.

When the book Heaven and Earth by Jean Reynaud was pub- lished, I was forced to modify my convictions. I acknowledged that my system was too narrow, thus admitting, like him, that the globes, through the exchange of electricity mutually established among them, through several electrical currents, must necessarily favors the transmigration of the microorganisms or spirits, having the same fluidic nature.

When the turning tables were spoken about I immediately dedicated myself to that practice, obtaining results that leave me no doubt regarding the manifestations. I soon understood that it was time for the invisible world to become visible and tangible and that, since then, we were marching towards an unprecedent- ed revolution in Science and Philosophy. However, I was far from imagining that a spiritist journal could be established so fast and be maintained in France. Today, Sir, thanks to your perseverance, it is a sure fact and of enormous reach. I am far from thinking that all difficulties have been overcome. You will find many ob- stacles and endure many jokes but truth will shine after all. One will recognize the fairness of the observation of our renowned Professor Gay-Lussac who was telling us in his course, with re- spect to the imponderable and invisible bodies, that these were inexact expressions that only attested our limitation in the current state of art of our Sciences, adding that it would be more logical to call them imponderable. Thus, the same also applies to the vis- ibility and tangibility. What is not visible to one may be visible to someone else, even to the naked human eye, as the example given by the sensitive. Finally, the hearing, smelling, and tasting, which are nothing more than modifications of the tangible property, are unperceivable in humans when compared to those of the dog, eagle and other animals. Hence, there is nothing of absolute in those properties that multiply according to the organisms. There is nothing invisible, intangible, and imponderable. Everything can be seen, touched or weighed, when our organs, which are our first and most precious instruments, may have become subtler.

I ask you to add the following experience to those many oth- ers which you must have used to confirm our third mode of ex- istence, the spirit’s life: Magnetize a person who is blind by birth and in the somnambulistic state frame a series of questions about
the forms and colors. If the sensitive is lucid, he will unequivo- cally demonstrate that he has knowledge about these things that was not possible to acquire but in one or several prior existences.

I finish, Sir, by asking you to accept my very sincere con- gratulations for the kind of studies that you dedicate yourself. Since I have never been afraid of manifesting my opinion you can include this letter in your Review, if considered useful.

Yours very dedicated server, Morhéry, Doctor in Medicine Loudéac, December 20 1858

OBSERVATION: We are happy for the authorization given by Dr. Morhéry to publish the remarkable letter that we have just read, bearing his name. It demonstrates that there is in him, besides the man of Science, the sensible man, that sees something beyond our sensations and who is capable of sacrificing his own personal opinions before evidence. For him conviction is not a blind faith, but a reasoned one. It is the logical deduc- tion of the wise individual that does not pretend to know everything.

The one thousand and second night of the Arabic tales dictated by the spirit of Frédéric Soulié

THIRD AND FINAL PART

VII

Get up, said Nureddin, and follow me.
Nazara threw herself at his feet, crying, begging for clemency.
No clemency for such a fault, said the deceitful Sultan. Be prepared to die.

Nureddin felt really bad for speaking like that but looked forward to the moment when he could reveal himself.

Once Nazara realized that it was impossible to be heard, she fol- lowed him trembling. They returned to the bedroom. Nureddin then asked Nazara to dress up properly. Once she was ready and with- out any other explanation, Nureddin told her that along with Ozana (the dwarf) they would lead her to a suburb in Bagdad where she would find what she deserved. Next they covered themselves with large cloaks so that they could not be recognized and left the palace. But, oh! Horror! They had just transposed the palace doors when their looks changed before Nazara’s eyes; they were neither the Sultan nor Ozana, or the merchants, but Nureddin himself and Tanapla. They were all in shock, particularly Nazara, since they were so close to the Sultan quarters they were fast to move away in order not to be recognized. They had hardly arrived at Nureddin’s house to find it surrounded by a large number of the Sultan’s men, slaves and troops that were sent to have them arrested.

At the first sign of trouble Nureddin, Nazara and the dwarf sought refuge in the most far away room of the palace. The dwarf told them that they should not be afraid of anything. There was only one thing needed to avoid prison: to introduce the pinky finger of the left hand into their mouths and whistle three times. Nazara should do the same and they would thus become immediately invisible to the hostiles who wanted them arrested.

The uproar at the house proceeded to increase in an alarming fashion; Nazara and Nureddin then followed Tanapla’s advice: when the soldiers came into the room they found it empty. After a detailed search they left. Then the dwarf told Nureddin that they should do the opposite now and introduce the pinky finger of the right hand into their mouths and whistle three times. Once they did that they soon became what they were before.

The dwarf warned them that they were not safe in that house and that they should leave it for some time, until the Sultan’s rage had di- minished. He then offered to follow them to his underground palace, where they would feel comfortable, while the means for their fearless return to Bagdad would be arranged in the best possible conditions.

VIII

Nureddin hesitated but Nazara insisted so much that he finally agreed. The dwarf then asked them to go to the garden and eat an or- ange facing east; they would be unnoticeably transported. Since they were suspicious, Tanapla then objected that he could not understand their misgivings after everything he had done for them.

Having gone down to the gardens and eaten the orange, as re- quested, they promptly felt elevated to a prodigious height. The cou- ple then suddenly felt a strong vibration and a cold sensation, noticing that they were now going down at a very high speed. They saw noth- ing on the way down but when they recovered their awareness of the situation they found themselves in the basement, in a magnificent palace illuminated by twenty thousand candles.

Let us now leave our two lovers in their underground palace and return to our dwarf that we had left at Nureddin’s house. We saw that the Sultan had sent his soldiers to arrest the fugitives. After having searched the farthest corners of the house, as well as the gardens, and as they did not find anything, they had to go back and report their useless search to the Sultan.

Tanapla followed them all the way, showing a funny face, and once in a while he would ask how much would the Sultan pay to whoever delivered the two fugitives. And added: “If the Sultan is willing to allow me an audience of one hour I will tell him something that will calm him down and he will be very happy for getting rid of a woman like Nazara that has a bad genie and who would cast every possible disgrace over his head, had she remained there for a few moons.”

The chief of the eunuchs promised to take the message to the Sultan and to bring his answer back.

They had hardly arrived at the palace when the chief of the slaves came to tell him that his master was waiting for him; but warned him that he would be killed if he were trying to trick him.

Our little monster sped up to meet the Sultan. In the presence of that tough and strict man he bowed three times, according to the tradition before the prince of Bagdad.

What do you have to say? Asked the Sultan. You know what is waiting for you if you don’t tell the truth! Speak! I am listening.

Great Spirit, celestial moon, triad of suns, I will not tell you but the truth. Nazara is the daughter of the Black Fairy and the Genie of the Great Serpent of Hell. Her presence in your house would bring every imaginable plague: rain of serpents, eclipse of the sun, blue moon impeding the nocturnal loves; finally, all of your wishes would be denied and your women would become old before the night had finished. I could give you a proof of what I am telling you. I know what Nazara is. If you wish I will fetch her to convince you. There is only one way to avoid such disgraces. It is giving her to Nureddin. He is not what you think either: he is the son of Manouze, the witch and the Genie Rock of Diamond. If you allow them to get married, Manouze will protect you as a sign of recognition. If you refuse... Poor prince! I am sorry for you. Try it. You decide later.

The Sultan heard Tanapla’s words very calmly but then called a troop of armed men and commanded that the little monster be arrested until any event could demonstrate what he had just said.

Tanapla responded:

I thought I was dealing with a great prince; I see, however, that I was wrong and leave up to the genies the matter of revenging their children. Having said that he then followed those who came to arrest him.

IX

Only a few hours had passed since Tanapla was taken to prison when the sun was covered by a somber cloud, as if a veil covered the Earth; then a huge noise was heard and a giant came from inside a mountain, just out- side town, stomping towards the Sultan’s palace.

I would not say that the Sultan was very calm. He was far from that. He trembled like a leaf from an orange tree. As the giant approached he ordered that all doors should be closed and that all soldiers should be in a state of readiness, in order to defend their prince. But, oh! What a surprise! Once the giant approached all doors were opened as if pushed by an invisible hand; then the giant advanced steadily towards the Sultan without a sign or a word. The Sultan got on his knees, before the giant, asking to have his life spared; he wanted to know what the giant demanded from him.

Prince! Said the giant, I don’t say much at this first encounter. I only warn you. Do as Tanapla has advised you to and we ensure that you have our protection. Otherwise you will suffer the consequences of your stubbornness.

That said, he left!
In the beginning the Sultan became awestruck but after a quarter of an hour he recovered from the scaring surprise and far from fol- lowing Tanapla’s advice, he commanded that an edict be published, promising a magnificent reward to whom gave him the direction of the fugitives. Then he ordered that guards be placed at the entrance of the palace and around town and waited patiently. However, his patience did not last long, or even better, he was not given time to test it. Just on the second day an army showed up at the entrance of the city, seemingly coming from the depths of Earth. The soldiers wore moleskin for clothes and used turtle’s carapace as their shields; their axes were made of stones.

The guards wanted to resist but the formidable aspect of that army discouraged them, and dropping their weapons, they opened the doors without saying a word, keeping their posts, and the hostile army solemnly marched towards the palace. The Sultan wanted to resist their entry into his bedroom but, with great surprise, the guards fell asleep and the doors opened by themselves. After that the army commander firmly advanced towards the Sultan and said:

I came to tell you this: Observing your stubbornness, Tanapla sent us to look for you. Instead of remaining the Sultan of a peo- ple that you cannot govern, we will send you to the moles. You will become a mole and you will be a softened Sultan. Behold what you prefer: It is either this or you do what Tanapla told you to do. You have ten minutes to think about it.

X

The Sultan would rather resist, but, for his own good, after a few mo- ments of consideration he agreed with the demands. He only wanted to impose one condition: that the fugitives would not live in his kingdom. He got the promise and immediately, without knowing how and where to, the army just disappeared before his eyes.

Now that the fate of the two lovers was perfectly guaranteed, let us return to them, observing that we have left them in the underground palace.

After a few minutes, astonished, enchanted by the aspect of the won- ders surrounding them, they wanted to visit the palace and its surround- ings. They saw amazing gardens and, a strange thing; they saw it almost as clearly as in the open sky. They approached the palace. All doors were open and there was an ongoing arrangement as if for a big party. They saw this magnificently dressed lady at the main door. Our fugitives did not promptly recognize her. However, as they approached, they recognized Manouze, the witch. A completely transformed Manouze was no longer the dirty, old and crumbling rag. She was a lady of a certain age, but nice, bearing a magnificent poise.

Nureddin, said the witch, I promised you help and assistance. Today I will accomplish that promise. You are close to the end of your sufferings and will receive the price of your tenacity. Nazara will be your wife. Besides, I give you this palace. You will live here and you will be the king of a brave and thankful people. They are worth of you as you are worthy of reigning over them.

Following those words a harmonious melody was heard. A huge crowd of men and women came from all sides, all dressed up for a party. Noble gentlemen and great ladies kneeled before him. He was offered a golden crown, covered in diamonds, while he was told that they acknowledged him as their king; that the throne belonged to him as a paternal inheritance; that for 400 years they were enchanted by the will of perverse witches and such an enchantment could only end by Nureddin’s presence. Then a long speech was given about his virtues and Nazara’s vir- tues also. Manouze then said:

You are happy and I no longer have anything to do here. If one day you feel you need me, knock on the statue that is in the mid- dle of your garden and I will attend immediately. After that she disappeared.


Nureddin and Nazara felt like keeping her longer in order to thank her for all the goodness that she showed towards them. After having talk- ed for a while they returned to their vassals. The parties and celebrations lasted for eight days. His kingdom was long and happy. They lived thou- sands of years and I can tell you that they still live. The only thing is that their country has never been found, or even better, never known.

The End

OBSERVATION: We bring to the attention of the readers the observa- tions that preceded this story, in the numbers of November 1858 and January 1859.


ALLAN KARDEC