July 1892 - The Emma Hardinge Britten Archive

170 Extracts from the Second Volume of" Ghost/and."
of the movement, I am inclined to believe that in the first
few years of the great spiritual outpouring there was far
more real devotion to the cause than at present; also, that
frauds and tricksters were at that time too much afraid of
the unknown power they might encounter to venture
upon such dangerous ground. Allowing also, for some
share of " hysteria, self-deception, or thought transference,"
there were, as I insist, and all the early investigators of
the movement will bear out my assertion, most wonderful
evidences in every direction of the agency, presence, and
power of the spirits who had once lived on earth. When
in the course of conversation some member of the circles
would talk of" departed spirits," loud rappings or table
movements would call for the alphabet, and spell out
remarks to the effect that the spirits were 1ZOt departed,
hut lived there in a world within the material world, and
were as much alive, active, and busy as ever they had
been. Some of the spirit communicants were as gay and
full of" quips and cranks" as if they were a part of the
mortal company. Some would rally those present on
thelr "sad grave faces," whilst others would insist upon
prayers for the opening of the circles, and the performance
of spiritual songs or hymns. Every phase of what poor
humanity was, I saw thus represented, and with it all,
invariably were given tests of identity that could have
only proceeded from those the world calls "dead." Very
often tidings from afar and prophecies of future events
were rendered, together with intelligence unknown to, and
undreamed of by those present, in short, numberless
evidences that an intelligent power beyond and above
that which was in mortal form, was then working the
mysterious telegraph between the seen and unseen
umverses. I must state also that we were not satisfied
to pursue our investigations in one place alone. For
thousands of miles over the long lines of iron road that