A workman of Marseilles.

— In a Spiritist group of Marseilles, Mrs. T…, one of the mediums, spontaneously wrote the following communication:

Listen to an unfortunate one who was violently torn from the midst of his family, and who does not know where he is… In the midst of the darkness in which I find myself, I was able to follow the luminous ray of a Spirit, so I am told; but I do not believe in Spirits. I know well that it is a fable, invented by crazed and credulous heads… For my part I understand nothing anymore… I see myself double; a mutilated body lies beside me and, nevertheless, I am alive… I see my own who grieve, not to mention my companions in misfortune, who do not see as clearly as I do; thus, I took advantage of the light that led me here, to come and gather teachings from you. It seems to me that this is not the first time I have seen you. My ideas are still confused… Permit me to come again another time, when I am better accustomed to my present position… It is all the same, I go with regret; I found myself in my center… but I feel that one must obey; this Spirit seems to me good, but severe. I shall strive to win his good graces, in order to speak with you more often.

A workman of the Cours Lieutaud.

In the collapse of a bridge, which had occurred a few days before, six workmen had died. It was one of them who manifested himself.

— After this communication, the guide of the medium dictated to her the following:

Dear sister, this unhappy Spirit was led to you so that you might exercise charity. As we practice it toward the incarnate, yours must be exercised toward the disincarnate.

Although this unfortunate one is sustained by his guardian angel, the latter must remain invisible to him, until he recognizes himself well in his situation. For this, dear sister, take him under your protection, which, I recognize, is still weak; but, supported by your faith, soon this Spirit will see the dawn of a new day shine forth, and what he refused to recognize after his catastrophe will soon become for him a motive of peace and joy. Your task will not be very difficult, because he has the essential thing for understanding you: goodness of heart. Listen, dear sister, to the impulses of your heart, and you will come forth victorious from the trial that your new mission imposes on you.

Sustain one another, dear brothers and beloved sisters, and the new Jerusalem, which you are about to reach, will be opened to you with songs of triumph, because the cortege that will follow you will make you victorious. But in order to combat well the exterior obstacles, one must, above all, have conquered oneself. You must maintain a severe discipline for your heart; the least infraction must be repressed, without seeking to attenuate the fault, without which you will never be conquerors of others. Among yourselves, you must rival one another in virtues and vigilance. Courage, friends; you are not alone. You are sustained and protected by the spiritual combatants, who hope in you, and invoke upon you the blessing of the Most High.

Your Guide.

— As one sees, this fact has some analogy of situation with the preceding one. It is also a Spirit who does not recognize himself, who does not understand his situation. But it is easy to see which of the two will first come forth from uncertainty. By the language of the one, one recognizes the prideful savant, who philosophized over his incredulity, who, it seems, did not always make the best possible use of his intelligence and knowledge. The other is an uncultivated nature, but a good one, which, no doubt, lacked only good direction. In him incredulity was not a system, but a consequence of the lack of suitable instruction. The one who, in life, might have had compassion for the other, could soon have seen him in a happier position than his own. May it please God to place them in each other’s presence, for their mutual instruction; it is possible that the savant might feel happy to receive lessons from the ignorant one.