THE SPIRITIST REVIEW.

Question. — I have the intention of publishing a Spiritist journal: do you think I will succeed, and do you advise me to do it? The person to whom I addressed myself, Mr. Tiedeman, does not seem resolved to lend me his pecuniary support.

Answer. — You will succeed at it, with perseverance. The idea is good; it is necessary, however, to let it ripen further.

Q. — I fear that others will get ahead of me.

A. — It matters to go quickly.

Q. — I want nothing else, but I lack time. I have two employments that are necessary to me, as you know. I would wish to renounce them, in order to consecrate myself entirely to my task, without other preoccupations.

A. — For now, you must not abandon anything; there is always time for everything; bestir yourself and you will succeed.

Q. — Should I act without the support of Mr. Tiedeman?

A. — Act with or without his support; do not consume yourself on his account. You can do without him.

Q. — I intended to publish a first issue as a trial, in order to launch the journal and mark a date, and to continue later, if it be possible. What do you think?

A. — The idea is good, but a single issue will not suffice; nevertheless, it is fitting and even necessary, in order to open the way. You will need to devote much care to it, in order to lay the foundations of a good and durable success. To present it defective, it would be better to do nothing, since the first impression may decide its future. At the start, you must take care to satisfy curiosity; to unite the serious with the agreeable: the serious to attract men of Science, the agreeable to delight the common reader. This part is essential, but the other is more important, since without it the journal would lack a solid foundation. In sum, monotony must be avoided by means of variety, joining solid instruction to the interest which, for the later works, will be a powerful auxiliary. NOTE. — I hastened to draft the first issue and had it circulate on the 1st of January 1858, without having said anything to anyone whatsoever. I had not a single subscriber and no supplier of funds. I published it running, exclusively, all the risks, and I had nothing to repent of, since the result surpassed my expectation. From that date, the issues followed one another without interruption and, as the Spirit foresaw, that journal became a powerful auxiliary of mine. I recognized later that it had been a good fortune for me not to have had anyone to supply me with funds, for thus I remained more free, whereas another interested party would perhaps have wished to impose his ideas and his will upon me and to create embarrassments for me. Alone, I had to render account to no one, although, as regarded the work, the task was heavy for me.