The education of a Spirit.

One of our subscribers, whose wife is an excellent writing medium, cannot, in spite of this, communicate with his relatives and friends, because an evil Spirit imposes itself upon her and intercepts, so to speak, all the communications, which causes him keen vexation. Let us note that there is simple obsession, and not subjugation, since the medium is in no way deceived by this Spirit, which, moreover, is frankly evil and does not seek to hide its game. Having asked our opinion in this regard, we told him that he would not rid himself of it either by anger or by threats, but by patience; that it was necessary to dominate it by moral ascendancy and to seek to make it better through good counsel; that it is a charge of soul entrusted to him, and whose difficulty will be meritorious to him. In accordance with our advice, husband and wife undertook the education of this Spirit, and we must say that they conduct themselves admirably; if they do not succeed, they will have nothing to reproach themselves for. We extract some passages from these instructions, which we give as a model of the genre, and because the nature of this Spirit is therein delineated in a characteristic manner. 1st For you to be evil like this, must you be suffering?

Answer. – Yes, I suffer; and it is this that makes me evil.

2nd Do you never feel remorse for the evil you do or seek to do?

Answer. – No; I never have remorse, and I enjoy the evil I do, for I cannot see others happy without suffering.

3rd Do you not admit, then, that one may be happy with the happiness of others, instead of finding happiness in their misfortune? Have you never made such reflections? Answer. – I have never made them, and I think you are right; but I cannot... I cannot do good; I am...

Observation. – These ellipses replace the scribbles made by the Spirit when it will not or cannot write a word.

4th But, in short, will you not listen to me and try the advice I might give you?

Answer. – I do not know, because all that you say to me makes me suffer even more, and I do not have the courage to do good. 5th Very well! Will you at least promise to try?

Answer. – Oh! No; I cannot, because I would not keep the promise and for that I would be punished. It is still necessary that you beseech God to change my heart. 6th Then let us pray together. Ask with me that God make you better.

Answer. – I insist that I cannot; I am very evil and it pleases me to do evil.

7th But, do you really want to do it to me? I do not consider as true evil your mystifications which, certainly, up to now have been more useful than harmful to us, since they have served for our instruction. Thus, as you see, you are wasting your time. Answer. – Yes, I do as much as I can and, if I do not do more, it is because I cannot.

8th Who prevents you from doing this, then?

Answer. – Your good guardian angel and your Maria; without them you would see what I am capable of.

Observation. – Maria is the name of a young woman whom they evoke in vain and who cannot manifest herself because of this Spirit. Yet, by the Spirit's own answer one sees that she, although she cannot communicate materially, nonetheless does not cease to be there, just as the guardian angel, watching over them. This fact raises a serious problem, that of knowing how an evil Spirit can prevent the communications of a good one. It only prevents the material communications, but cannot oppose itself to the spiritual ones. The evil Spirit is not more powerful than the good one; it is the medium who is not strong enough to overcome the obstinacy of the evil one, and who must strive to overcome it by the ascendancy of good, improving himself more and more. God permits these trials in our interest.

9th But what would you do to me, then?

Answer. – I would do a thousand things to you, one more disagreeable than another; I would do to you...

10th Let us see, poor Spirit, do you never have a generous impulse? Do you never have a single desire to do some good, even were it a vague desire? Answer. – Yes, a vague desire to do evil; I cannot have another. It is necessary that you pray to God, so that I may be touched, for, otherwise, I will certainly remain evil. 11th Then you believe in God?

Answer. – It is necessary that I believe in him, for he makes me suffer.

12th Very well! Since you believe in God, you must have confidence in his perfection and in his goodness. You must understand that he did not make his creatures to devote them to unhappiness; that if they are unhappy, it is through their own fault, and not through his; but that they always have the means to improve and, consequently, to attain happiness; that God did not make intelligent creatures without an aim and that this aim is to make them all contribute to universal harmony: charity, love of neighbor; that the creature who strays from such an aim disturbs the harmony and is itself the first to suffer the effects of that disturbance. Look around you and above you; do you not see happy Spirits? Have you no wish to be like them, since you say you suffer? God did not create them more perfect than you; like you, perhaps they suffered, but they repented and God forgave them; you can, then, do as they did. Answer. – I begin to see and to understand that God is just; I had not yet seen it; it is you who come to open my eyes. 13th Then! Do you already feel the desire to improve?

Answer. – Not yet.

14th Wait, for it will come. I await it. You told my wife that she tortured you, while she invoked you. Do you believe that we seek to torture you? Answer. – No; I see well that you do not. But it is no less true that I suffer more than ever and you are the cause of it. Observation. – Questioned as to the cause of such suffering, a superior Spirit answered: It comes from the combat to which he gives himself;

in spite of himself, he feels something that draws him toward a better path, but he resists. It is this struggle that makes him suffer. – Which will prevail in him, good or evil? Answer. – Good; but the struggle will be long and difficult. It is necessary to have much perseverance and dedication.

15th What could we do so that you suffer no more?

Answer. – It is necessary that you pray to God that he forgi...

(he crosses out these last two words) that he have pity on me.

16th Well then! Pray with us.

Answer. – I cannot.

17th You said that you need to believe in God, for he makes you suffer. But how do you know that it is God who makes you suffer? Answer. – He makes me suffer because I am evil.

18th If it is true that you judge it to be God who makes you suffer, you must know the reason, since you cannot imagine that God is unjust. Answer. – Yes, I believe in the justice of God.

19th You said that it was we who opened your eyes. True or not, the certain thing is that you cannot dissemble the truth of what we say to you. Now, whether these truths are known to you before us, or through our intermediary, the essential thing is that you know them. Today, the great affair for you is to take advantage of them. Say, then, frankly, whether the satisfaction you experience in doing evil leaves you nothing to desire. Answer. – I desire that my sufferings end; that is all. And they will never end.

20th Do you understand that it depends on you whether they end?

Answer. – I understand.

21st In your last corporeal existence did you give yourself without reserve to evil inclinations, as it seems you do now? Answer. – You must know that I am more filthy than a wild beast; I am a wretch who did everything up to...

22nd Did I and my wife do you any harm? Did you have to complain of us in another existence?

Answer. – No; I did not...

23rd Then, say why you find more pleasure in distilling your hatred against inoffensive persons like us, who wish you well, and not against evil people, who perhaps are or were your enemy? Answer. – They do not cause me envy.

Observation. – This answer is characteristic. It paints the hatred of the evil one against the men he knows to be better than himself. It is envy that blinds and often impels to acts more contrary to one's own interests.

The same occurs here on Earth, where often the greatest faults of a man, in the eyes of certain people, have their merit: Aristides is an example.

24th Were you happier on Earth than now?

Answer. – Oh! Yes. I was rich and denied myself nothing. I committed baseness of every sort and did all the evil that one can do, when one has money and wretches at one's disposal. 25th Why did you ask me the other day to leave you in peace?

Answer. – Because I did not want to answer the questions you put to me. But I am very much at ease that you evoke me and I would always want to write, because tedium kills me. Oh! You do not know what it is to be continually in the presence of faults and crimes, as I am! 26th What impression do you experience at the sight of a generous action?

Answer. – I experience spite; I would like to annihilate it.

27th During your last corporeal existence did you never do a good action, whatever the motive might be?

Answer. – I did so out of ambition and out of pride; never out of goodness. That is why it was not credited to me.

Observation. – These conversations were prolonged during a great number of sessions, and even at this moment, unfortunately without very tangible result. Evil always dominates in this Spirit, which only at rare intervals shows some glimmers of good sentiments; thus, it is a painful task for its instructors. Nevertheless, we hope that with perseverance they will succeed in taming this rebellious nature, or at least that God will take into account their efforts.