Spiritism or Spiritualism in Metz.

— In our last issue we announced this publication merely from memory, intending to return to the subject. [see Spiritist Society of Metz.] We read it attentively and can only congratulate the Society of Spiritists of Metz on its results. It counts among its members a great number of enlightened men who, we hope, will know how to keep it on guard against the snares of the evil Spirits, who will not fail to attempt to turn it aside from the good path on which it has placed itself.

This publication is not periodical; the Society of Metz intends to produce others like it from time to time, at indeterminate dates, and to insert in them the best communications it has obtained. This method has the advantage of not requiring the assumption of any commitment toward subscribers, who must be served in spite of everything, and because the expenses are always proportional.

All the communications contained in this first booklet bear an eminently serious stamp and an irreproachable morality. We noted nothing that was not what one might call orthodox, from the standpoint of Science and in accordance with the teaching of The Spirits' Book. If the Spiritist gentlemen of Metz will allow us a piece of advice, we would urge them to continue keeping, in their subsequent publications, the prudent reserve that we noted in this one; let them be convinced that untimely publications may be more harmful than useful to the propagation of Spiritism. We count on the wisdom and the sagacity of those who direct them, not to yield to the enthusiasm of adepts more zealous than sensible; let them remember well this maxim: There is no use in rushing; everything has its hour. The two following communications, drawn from this first issue, may give an idea of the spirit in which they are made.

THE UNIVERSAL FLUID.

(September 29, 1860.)

The universal fluid binds together all the worlds; and, according to the movements impressed upon it by the will of the Creator, it gives rise to all the phenomena of Creation. It is life itself, binding together the different forms of matter of our globe; it is it that, through properties subordinate to laws, regulates the different things so mysterious to you, the physical and moral affinities; it is it that makes you see the past, the present, and the future, especially when the matter that obstructs your soul is annulled or weakened by some cause whatsoever; then this double sight (although less developed than after death) sees, feels, and touches everything, in that fluidic medium which is its element and the exact reflection of what has been, is, and will be; because only the coarser parts of this fluid are subject to perceptible modifications of composition. Henry, former magnetizer.

EFFECTS OF PRAYER.

(October 15, 1860.)

Prayer is a sublime aspiration, to which God has granted a power so magical that the Spirits claim it for themselves constantly. Gentle dew, it is a refreshment for the poor exile on Earth and a fruitful provision (sic) for the soul under trial. Prayer acts directly upon the Spirit to whom it is directed; it does not transform thorns into roses, but it modifies its life of sufferings; it has no power over the immutable will of God, but it imprints that impulse of will which raises one's courage, by giving the strength to struggle against the trials and to overcome them. By this means the path that leads to God is shortened and, as a marvelous effect, nothing can be compared to prayer. He who blasphemes against prayer is nothing but an inferior Spirit, so earthly and backward that he does not even understand that he must cling to that plank of salvation in order to save himself.

To pray: a word descended from heaven, it is the drop of dew in the chalice of a flower, it is the support of the reed during the storm, it is the plank of the poor shipwrecked man during the tempest, it is the shelter of the beggar and the orphan, it is the cradle for the child to sleep. Divine emanation, prayer binds us to God through language, making Him take an interest in us; to pray to Him is to love Him; to implore Him on behalf of a brother is an act of love most meritorious. Coming from the heart, prayer contains the key to the treasures of grace; it is the steward that dispenses benefits in the name of infinite mercy. The soul, lifted toward God by one of those sublime impulses of prayer, detached from its coarse envelope, presents itself full of confidence before Him, sure of obtaining what it asks with humility. Pray, oh! pray! make a reservoir of your holy aspirations, which will be poured out on the day of justice. Prepare the granary of abundance, so precious during scarcity; hide the treasure of your prayers until the day chosen by God to distribute the rich deposit. Accumulate for yourselves and for your brothers that which will diminish your anguish and will make you cross more rapidly the space that separates you from God. Reflect upon your miserable nature, count your disappointments, your perils, sound the abyss so deep into which the passions can drag you, look around you at those who fall, and you will feel the imperious need to have recourse to prayer. Prayer is the anchor of salvation that will prevent the destruction of your ship, so tossed by the disorders of the world. Your Familiar Spirit.

[1] Booklet in-8; price 1 fr. In Paris: Didier & Co., Quai des Augustins, 35; Ledoyen, Palais-Royal, galerie d'Orléans, 31. In Metz: Verronair, rue des Jardins, 14; Warrion, rue du Palais, 8.