News of the war.

— The Government has permitted newspapers averse to its policy to give news of the war; since, however, accounts of every kind are abundant, it would be useless to repeat them here. What perhaps constitutes greater novelty for our readers is an account that comes from the other world. Although it is not drawn from the official source of the Moniteur, it offers no less interest for that, from the standpoint of our studies. Thus we thought to question some of the glorious victims of the victory, presuming that therein we might find some instruction of use. Such subjects of observation and, above all, of current relevance, do not present themselves every day. Not knowing personally any of the participants of the last battle, we begged the assisting Spirits to send us someone. We even thought to find more freedom in a stranger than in the presence of friends or relatives dominated by emotion. Obtaining an affirmative response, we obtained the following conversations:

THE ZOUAVE OF MAGENTA.

FIRST CONVERSATION.

(Society, June 10, 1859.)

We beg Almighty God to permit the Spirit of one of the soldiers killed in the battle of Magenta to communicate with us. Answer. – What do you wish to know?

Where were you when we called you?

Answer. – I could not say.

Who warned you that we wished to converse with you?

Answer. – Someone more cunning than I.

When in the flesh did you doubt that the dead could come to speak with the living?

Answer. – Oh! Not that!

What sensation do you experience at finding yourself here?

Answer. – It gives me pleasure; from what they say, you must do great things.

To which Army Corps did you belong? (Someone says in a low voice: By his speech he must be a zouzou.) [1] Answer. – Ah! You said it well.

What was your rank?

Answer. – That of everyone.

What was your name?

Answer. – Joseph Midard.

How did you die?

Answer. – You want to know everything without paying anything?

Come, now! You have not lost your good humor. Speak first; then we shall pay. How did you die? Answer. – From a plum they fired at me.

Were you vexed at dying?

Answer. – No! word of honor! I am well off here.

At the moment of death did you at once perceive that you had died?

Answer. – No; I was so stunned that I could not believe it.

Observation. – This agrees with what we have observed in cases of violent death; not realizing their situation immediately, the Spirit does not believe itself dead. This phenomenon is explained very easily;

it is analogous to that of sleepwalkers who do not believe they are sleeping.

Indeed, for the sleepwalker, the idea of sleep is synonymous with suspension of the intellectual faculties. Now, since he thinks, he does not believe he is sleeping;

only later does he recognize the truth, upon becoming familiar with the meaning attached to that word. The same thing happens with the Spirit surprised by a sudden death, when it had not prepared itself for the separation from the body. For it death is synonymous with destruction, with annihilation.

Now, since it sees, feels, and reasons, it judges that it has not died. A certain time is necessary for it to be able to recognize its condition.

At the moment you died the battle had not yet ended. Did you follow its vicissitudes?

Answer. – Yes, for I have already told you that I did not believe myself dead; I wanted to keep on harrying the dogs on the other side.

What sensation did you experience?

Answer. – I was delighted; I felt very light.

Did you see the Spirits of your comrades upon leaving the body?

Answer. – I was not concerned with that, for I did not believe myself dead.

At that moment, what became of that multitude of Spirits who were leaving life in the din of battle? Answer. – I believe they were doing the same as I.

Once gathered in the spiritual world, what did the Spirits who had fought most fiercely think? Did they still show animosity toward one another? Answer. – Yes, for some time and according to their character.

Do you recognize yourself better now?

Answer. – Without that they would not have sent me here.

Could you tell us whether, among the Spirits of persons dead a long time, there were not some interested in the outcome of the battle? (We begged Saint Louis to assist him in his answers, so that, for our instruction, they might be as explicit as possible.) Answer. – In great quantity. It is well that you should know that these combats and their consequences are prepared a long time in advance, and that our adversaries would not have involved themselves in crimes, as in fact occurred, had they not been driven to it, in view of the future consequences, which you will not be long in learning.

There must have been those who were interested in the success of the Austrians, thus establishing two camps among them? Answer. – Evidently.

Observation. – Does it not seem that here we are seeing the gods of Homer taking sides, some for the Greeks, others for the Trojans?

Indeed, who were those gods of paganism, if not the Spirits whom the Ancients had transformed into divinities? Are we not right when we say that Spiritism is the light that will illuminate more than one mystery, the key to more than one problem?

Did they exert any influence whatever upon the combatants?

Answer. – A very considerable one.

Could you describe the manner in which they exerted that influence?

Answer. – In the same manner in which all the influences that Spirits produce upon men are exerted.

What do you hope to do now?

Answer. – To study more than I did during my last stage.

Will you return to attend, as a spectator, the combats that are still being waged?

Answer. – I do not yet know. I have attachments that hold me for the moment. Nevertheless, from time to time I intend to slip away to amuse myself with the subsequent skirmishes.

What kind of attachment still holds you?

Answer. – An old mother, sick and suffering, who weeps for me.

I beg you to excuse the evil thought that has just crossed my mind, concerning the attachment that holds you. Answer. – I bear you no ill will for that. I speak foolishness so that you may laugh a little. It is natural that you should not take me for much, in view of the honorable corps to which I belonged. Rest easy, I enlisted only for the sake of my poor mother. I deserve a little that they should have sent me to you.

When you found yourself among the Spirits did you hear the noise of the battle? Did you see things as clearly as in life? Answer. – At first I lost sight of it, but after some time I saw much better, because I perceived all the stratagems.

I ask whether you heard the thunder of the cannons.

Answer. – Yes.

At the moment of action, did you think of death and of what you would become, were you to be killed? Answer. – I thought of what would become of my mother.

Was it the first time you had come under the fire of a battle?

Answer. – No, no; and Africa?

Did you see the entry of the French into Milan?

Answer. – No.

Here are you the only one of those who died in Italy?

Answer. – Yes.

Do you think the war will last long?

Answer. – No. It is easy and, moreover, of little value, that prediction.

When among the Spirits you see one of your chiefs, do you still recognize him as your superior? Answer. – If he is one, yes; if not, no.

Observation. – In its simplicity and in its laconism, this answer is eminently profound and philosophical. In the spirit world moral superiority is the only one that is recognized. Whoever did not have it on Earth, whatever his position may have been, will have no superiority.

In that world the chief may be below the soldier, the master in a position inferior to that of the servant. What a lesson for our pride!

Do you think of God's justice and do you grow anxious about it?

Answer. – Who would not think of it? But, fortunately, I have not much to fear. I have redeemed, by a few actions that God considered good, the rare escapades I was able to commit in my capacity as zouzou, as you said.

Attending a combat, could you protect one of your comrades and turn aside a fatal blow from him? Answer. – No; that is not in our power; the hour of death is appointed by God. If we are to pass through it, nothing can prevent it, just as no one could be struck by it if his hour had not sounded.

Do you see General Espinasse? [see A superior officer killed at Magenta.]

Answer. – I have not yet seen him, but I hope to see him soon.

SECOND CONVERSATION.

(June 17, 1859.)

Evocation.

Answer. – Present! Steady! Forward!

Do you remember having come here eight days ago?

Answer. – Of course!

You said you had not yet seen General Espinasse; how could you recognize him, since he will not be wearing his general's uniform? Answer. – Indeed, but I know him by sight; besides, we have a great many friends always ready to give us the password. Here it is not as there, for we have no fear of bumping into anyone, and I assure you that only the scoundrels remain alone.

Under what appearance do you find yourself here?

Answer. – Zouave.

If we could see you, how would we see you?

Answer. – In turban and breeches.

Well then! Supposing you appeared to us in turban and breeches, we ask where you acquired those clothes, considering that you left yours on the battlefield. Answer. – Come now! I know nothing about it; I have a tailor who gets me some. [see Furnishings from beyond the tomb.]

Of what are the turban and the breeches you wear made? Have you any idea?

Answer. – No; this concerns the dealer in used clothing. [2]

Observation. – This question of the clothing of Spirits, and several others no less interesting that are connected with the same principle, are completely elucidated by new observations, made within the Society. We shall give an account of them in the next issue. Our brave zouave is not advanced enough to resolve it by himself. For that we required the concurrence of circumstances that presented themselves fortuitously and that set us on the right path.

Do you realize the reason why you can see us, whereas we cannot see you?

Answer. – I think your spectacles are too weak.

Is it not for that same reason that you cannot see the general in uniform?

Answer. – Yes, but he does not wear it every day.

On which days does he wear it?

Answer. – Come now! When they summon him to the palace.

Why are you here dressed as a zouave, since we cannot see you?

Answer. – Naturally because I am still a zouave, nearly eight years now, and also because among the Spirits we keep the form for a long time. But that is only among ourselves; you understand that when we go to a completely strange world, such as the Moon or Jupiter, we do not take much trouble to make our toilette.

You speak of the Moon and of Jupiter; have you visited them since dying?

Answer. – No; you do not understand me. Since death we have already traveled the Universe considerably. Have they not explained to us a great many of the problems of our Earth? Do we not know God and the other beings much better than a fortnight ago? With death the Spirit undergoes a metamorphosis that you cannot understand.

Have you seen again the body you left on the battlefield?

Answer. – Yes; it is not at all beautiful.

What impression did such a sight leave you with?

Answer. – Sadness.

Have you knowledge of your previous existence?

Answer. – Yes; but it was not glorious enough for me to be able to take pride in it.

Tell us only the kind of life you led.

Answer. – A simple merchant of wild furs.

We thank you for having returned a second time.

Answer. – Until soon. This amuses me and instructs me; provided I am well tolerated here, I shall return willingly.

A SUPERIOR OFFICER KILLED AT MAGENTA.

(Society, June 10, 1859.)

Evocation.

Answer. – Here I am.

Could you tell us how you responded so promptly to our call?

Answer. – I was forewarned of your wish.

By whom were you forewarned?

Answer. – By an emissary of Louis. [3]

Did you have knowledge of the existence of our Society?

Answer. – You know it.

Observation. – The officer in question had indeed assisted the Society in obtaining its registration to operate. [3]

From what point of view did you consider our Society when you contributed to its formation?

Answer. – I was not yet entirely decided, but I leaned strongly toward believing; had it not been for the events that supervened, I should certainly have gone to instruct myself in your circle.

There are quite notable persons who share the Spiritist ideas, but who do not confess it publicly. Would it be desirable for influential people to unfurl that banner openly? Answer. – Patience; God wills it and, this time, the expression is true.

From which influential class of society do you think the example should come first?

Answer. – In the beginning, from a few; then, from all.

From the point of view of study, could you tell us whether your ideas are more lucid than those of the zouave who was here a short while ago, although both of you died at more or less the same time? Answer. – Much more. What he told you, evidencing a certain elevation of thought, was whispered to him, because he is good but very ignorant and somewhat flighty.

Are you still interested in the success of our armies?

Answer. – Much more than ever, for today I know their object.

Have the kindness to define your thought; the object was always openly confessed and, above all in your position, you must have known it? Answer. – The end that God has proposed to Himself, do you know it?

Observation. – No one will fail to perceive the gravity and the depth of this answer. Thus, when alive, he knew the object of men;

as a Spirit, he sees what is providential in events.

What do you think of war in general?

Answer. – I desire that you progress rapidly, so that it may become as impossible as it is useless. Such is my opinion.

Do you believe that the day will come when it will be impossible and useless?

Answer. – Yes, I have no doubt of it, and I can say that that moment is not so far off as you think, although I cannot give you hope that you will see it.

Did you recognize yourself immediately at the moment of death?

Answer. – Almost immediately, thanks to the vague notions I possessed of Spiritism.

Can you say anything regarding M…, who also died in the last battle?

Answer. – He still finds himself entangled in matter; he feels much difficulty in extricating himself; his thoughts had not turned in this direction. Observation. – The knowledge of Spiritism aids the release of the soul after death; thus, one conceives that it shortens the period of disturbance that accompanies the separation; the Spirit knew beforehand the world in which it now finds itself.

Did you witness the entry of our troops into Milan?

Answer. – Yes, and with joy. I was delighted by the ovation with which our arms were received, at first out of patriotism; then, by the future that awaits them.

As a Spirit, can you exert any influence whatever upon the strategic dispositions?

Answer. – Do you believe that this has not been done from the beginning, and do you have difficulty in guessing by whom?

How was it possible that the Austrians abandoned so quickly a stronghold like Pavia?

Answer. – Fear.

So they are demoralized?

Answer. – Completely. Furthermore, if we act upon our own in one sense, you must think that upon them acts an influence of another nature. Observation. – Here the intervention of the Spirits in events is unequivocal. They prepare the ways for the realization of the designs of Providence. The ancients would have said it was the work of the gods; we say it is the work of the Spirits, by order of God.

Can you give your opinion of General Giulay, as a soldier, setting aside any nationalist sentiment? Answer. – Poor, poor general!

Would you return willingly if we asked you?

Answer. – I am at your disposal and I promise to come, even without being called. The sympathy I felt for you has done nothing but increase. Farewell.

AN OFFICER OF THE ARMY OF ITALY.

SECOND INTERVIEW [with General Espinasse.]

(Society, July 1, 1859. — See the July issue.)

Evocation Answer. – Here I am. Speak.

You promised to come to see us again and we seize the occasion to ask you for some complementary explanations. Answer. – Willingly.

After your death did you come to witness some combats?

Answer. – Yes, the last one.

When, as a Spirit, you witness a combat and see men killing one another, do you experience any feeling of horror, in the same way that we too would experience it if we witnessed similar scenes? Answer. – Yes; even as a man I already experienced it. However, human respect repressed that feeling as unworthy of a soldier.

Are there Spirits who feel pleasure seeing those scenes of carnage?

Answer. – Few.

What feeling do the Spirits of a superior order experience at that sight?

Answer. – Great compassion; almost contempt. That which you yourselves experience when you see the animals tear one another to pieces.

Attending a combat and seeing men die, do you witness the separation between the soul and the body? Answer. – Yes.

At that moment do you see two individuals: the Spirit and the body?

Answer. – No; what then is the body?

— But the body does not for all that cease to be there; should it not be distinct from the Spirit? Answer. – A corpse, yes; but it is no longer a being.

What appearance does the Spirit then assume?

Answer. – Light.

Does the Spirit move away from the body immediately? Deign to describe as explicitly as possible how things take place and how we would see them, were we to be witnesses. Answer. – There are few truly instantaneous deaths. The Spirit, whose body has been struck by a bullet, most of the time argues with itself: “I am going to die, let us think of God and of Heaven. Farewell, Earth that I loved.” After this first feeling pain tears it from the body and only then can we distinguish the Spirit, which moves beside the corpse. This seems so natural that the sight of the dead body produces no disagreeable effect. The whole of life having been transferred to the Spirit, only this draws attention; it is with the Spirit that we converse or it is to it that we give orders. Observation. – We could compare this effect to that produced by a group of bathers; the spectator pays no attention to the clothes left on the bank.

Surprised by a violent death, generally for some time a man does not believe himself dead. How is his situation explained, and how can he have illusions, since he must feel perfectly that his body is no longer material and resistant? Answer. – He knows it; there is no illusion.

Observation. – This is not perfectly exact. We know that in certain cases the Spirits delude themselves, believing they are not dead.

A violent storm broke out at the end of the battle of Solferino. Was it by a fortuitous circumstance or by a providential design? Answer. – Every fortuitous circumstance results from the will of God.

Did that storm have an object? What would it be?

Answer. – Yes, certainly: to make the combat cease.

Was it provoked in the interest of one of the belligerent parties? Which one?

Answer. – Yes; above all for our enemies.

— Why so? Could you explain more clearly?

Answer. – You ask me why? Are you perhaps unaware that, without that storm, our artillery would not have let a single Austrian escape?

If such a storm was provoked, it must have had agents. What were those agents?

Answer. – Electricity.

That is the material agent. But will there be Spirits whose task it is to direct the elements? Answer. – No; the will of God is sufficient. He does not need assistants so elementary.

(See further on the article on storms.)

[1] Zouzou (pronounced zuzu.) is a slang term, meaning zouave. (Julio A. F.) The zouaves were Infantry soldiers from Algeria and from other Arab territories, in the service of the French Army, in the 19th and 20th centuries. The French Army still maintains units, honorifically designated, of “zouaves.” [2]

[In the original French: “le fripier”. — One who carries on the business of buying, repairing, and selling used clothing and furniture.]

[3] Translator's note: Saint Louis (Louis IX, King of France) patron of the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies. [4] Translator's note: From 1854, when he first heard of the turning tables, until his disincarnation, in 1869, Allan Kardec lived alongside the France of Napoleon III. This nephew of the great Corsican, through a Coup d'État struck in December 1851, opened the way to being proclaimed Emperor the following year. Inwardly recognizing the fragility of the regime he had founded, he adopted coercive and authoritarian measures so as to guarantee his continuance in power, among which the censorship of the press and the prohibition of gatherings in enclosed premises, besides other expedients that restricted the liberty of the French people. Thus, we understand better why the Codifier encountered some obstacles in registering the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies with the competent official bodies.