To the subscribers of the Spiritist Review.

Three years of existence ought to have been sufficient for the readers of this Review to come to know the thought that presides over its editing. And the best proof that such thought has their assent lies in the constant increase in the number of subscribers, considerably augmented in this latest period. But what is infinitely more precious to us are the testimonies of sympathy and satisfaction that we receive daily. Their suffrage is an encouragement for us to continue our task, bringing to our work all the improvements whose usefulness experience may show us. As in the past, we shall continue the rational study of the principles of the science from the moral and philosophical point of view, without neglecting the facts; but when we cite facts, we do not limit ourselves to a simple narration, amusing perhaps, but certainly sterile, if it is not joined to the investigation of causes and the deduction of consequences. That is why we address ourselves to serious people, who are not content merely to see, but who, above all, wish to understand and to give an account of what they see. Besides, the series of facts is soon exhausted, if we do not wish to fall into tedious repetitions, for they all revolve more or less within the same circle, and we would teach our readers nothing new were we to tell them that in such or such a house they make the tables turn more or less well. For us, the facts have another character: they are not stories, but themes of study; and the simplest in appearance can often give rise to the most interesting observations. It is the same thing that occurs in ordinary science, in which a little sprig of grass holds, for the observer, as many mysteries as a giant tree. This is why, in the facts, we consider much more the instructive side than the amusing one, and we hold to those that can teach us something, independently of their greater or lesser strangeness. Despite the considerable number of subjects we have already treated, we are far from having exhausted the series of all those that relate to Spiritism, because the further one advances in this science, the more the horizon broadens… Those that remain for us to examine will furnish material for a long time yet, not to mention the more recent news. There are many that we have deliberately postponed, in order to address them only as the state of knowledge permits a better understanding of their scope. Thus, for example, we open today greater space to the spontaneous Spiritist dissertations, because the instructions they contain, for the most part, can be much better appreciated than at a time when only the first elements of the science were known; formerly, they would have been judged solely from the literary point of view, letting a number of useful and profound thoughts pass unnoticed, because they dealt with points still unknown or poorly understood. The diversity of subjects does not exclude method, and the disorder is only apparent, for each thing has its justified place. Variety rests the mind, but logical order assists the intelligence. What we strive to avoid is making our Review an indigestible compilation. Certainly we do not pretend to produce a perfect work, but we hope, at least, that our intention will be taken into account. Note. – To the subscribers who, in 1861, do not wish to receive the Review late, we kindly request them to renew their subscription before the coming 1st of January.