Doctor Philippeau.

In an intimate family gathering, in which they were occupied with communications by tiptology, two Spirits manifested spontaneously, without any prior evocation and without anyone thinking of them: one was that of a distinguished physician, whom we shall designate under the name of Philippeau, dead a short time ago and who, in life, had made open profession of the most absolute materialism; the other was that of a woman who signed Saint Victoria. It is this conversation that we relate below. It is to be noted that the persons who obtained this manifestation knew the physician only by his reputation, but had no idea of his character, of his habits, nor of his opinions; the communication, therefore, could in no way be the reflection of their thought, and this all the less since, being obtained by tiptology, it was entirely unconscious. Questions of the physician. — Spiritism teaches me that one must hope, love, forgive; I would do all this if I knew how to proceed in order to begin.

What must one hope for? What and whom must one forgive? What must one love? Answer me.

Philippeau.

Answer. — One must hope in the mercy of God, which is infinite;

one must forgive those who have offended you; one must love one's neighbor as oneself; one must love God, so that God may love you and forgive you;

one must pray and render him thanks for all his goodnesses, for all your miseries, since misery and happiness all come to us from him, that is, all comes to us from him according to what we have deserved.

He who has expiated will later have his reward; each thing has its reason for being, and God, who is sovereignly good and just, gives to each according to his works. To love and to pray, this is the whole of life, the whole of eternity.

Saint Victoria.

The physician. — I would wish, with all my soul, to satisfy you, madam, but I much fear I cannot do so entirely; nevertheless, I shall try.

Once dead, materially speaking, I thought everything was over; thus, when my matter became inert, I was seized with astonishment at feeling myself still alive.

I saw those men carry me away and said to myself: But I am not dead! Do these imbecile physicians, then, not see that I live, breathe, walk, look at them, follow them, those people who come to my burial? What is it, then, that they are burying?… So it is not I… I listened to one and another: “That poor Philippeau, they said, made many cures; he killed some; today it is his turn; when death arrives, we lose our time.” However much I cried out: “But Philippeau does not die thus; I am not dead!”, they did not listen to me, they did not see me. Thus passed three days; I had vanished from the world, and I felt myself more alive than ever. Whether by chance, whether by Providence, my eyes fell upon a pamphlet by Allan Kardec; I read his descriptions of Spiritism, and said to myself: Could I, by chance, be a Spirit?… I read, reread, and then understood the transformation of my being; I was no longer a man, but a Spirit!… Yes; but, then, what had I to do in this new world? in this new sphere?… I wandered, I searched: I found emptiness, gloom, in short the abyss. What had I done, then, in leaving the world, to come and inhabit these shadows?… So hell is black, and it was into this hell that I fell?… Why?… Why did I labor all my life? Why did I employ my existence in caring for one and another, in saving them when my science permitted me to?… No!… no!… Why, then? Why?… search! search! Nothing; I find nothing.

Then I reread Allan Kardec; to hope, to forgive, and to love, this is the solution. Now I understand the rest; what I had not understood, what I had denied: God, the invisible and supreme Being, I must ask of him; what I had done for Science, I must do for God; to study, to accomplish my spiritual mission. I understand these things still vaguely and I see long combats in my mind, because a whole new world opens for me and I recoil terrified before what I have to traverse. And, nevertheless, you say that one must expiate; this Earth was very painful to me, for I needed more suffering than you can imagine to arrive where I arrived! Ambition was my only motive; I wanted it and I arrived. Now everything is to be redone. I did everything contrary to what I should have. I learned, I deepened Science, not for love of it, but out of ambition, to be more than others, so that they would speak of me. I treated my neighbor, not to relieve him, but to enrich myself; in a word, I was all for matter, when one should be all for the spirit. What are my works today? Riches, Science; nothing! nothing! Is everything to be redone? Shall I have the courage for this? shall I have the strength, the means, the ease?… The spiritual world in which I march is an enigma; prayer is unknown to me; what to do? who will help me? Perhaps you, who have already answered me… Beware! the task is rough, difficult, the apprentice rebellious at times… Nevertheless I shall try to yield to your good reasons and to thank you in advance for your goodnesses. Philippeau.

[1] Translator's Note: Was Kardec referring to Velpeau, the famous French surgeon, dead in 1867, and who embodies perfectly the atheist designated under the pseudonym of Philippeau?

[2] [see Saint Victoria.]