The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-12-28

PERSISTED, and expressed her pleasure at
seeing him.
The article in Appleton closes with
the beautiful experience which heraIded
the death Of Eberhard Shilling, grand
fatherOf the author, Judge Shilling. Con-
cisely stated, it is as follows: He went
one day with his children into a wood.
Leaving them he passed on. Soon a
light brighter than the sun appeared
before hin. A plain extended beyond
his vision, white with the light. There
were brooks and gardens, and silyery
castles. Near him rose a glorious man
sion, and from the door came a beautiful
angel but when close by him he saw it
was his beloved departed daughter, Dora.
"Father," she said, "yonder is our eter-
naturalization you will come to US soon."
From that hour he seemed as one en-
chanted, and serene and happy, soon
passed away from earth.
There are some points OF resemblance
to this in the narrative given to me by
tie grandparents Of two little girls who
died A lady who watched with the
younger the last night of her life, said
she should always believe the child saw
angels. On the Sabbath morning fol-
lowing the funeral, the older sister went
into her grandmother room, and said :
II have been dreaming; I want you to
| tell me what it means" "What did you
/ dream, my child ?' Il thought I was
walking in a wood, and my little sister
met me and said: Come with me and
I will show you where I live now So
she led me along till we,came to a gate,
and beyond the gate was the most beau
tiful place I ever saw. There was a
great many people there, and little chill
dren, and all perfectly happy" The
grandmother told her that thinking much
about her little sister had caused her to
/ dream; but when the girl had left the
room she said to her daughter: THAT
child will die" Before the second Sab
/ bath following size was seized with the
same malady, a prevailing epidemic,
! which had been fatal to the first. From
the beginning she told her parents she
should die; she was going to be with
her sister, and live in that beautiful
place. They should not mourn for her,
but prepare to meet her there. In that
happy expectation she continued to her
last moments. She was nine years of age
the younger was six.
Nv store of incidents is not exhausted,
but let me turn in another direction.
The writer in Appleton asks "Were
these visions theetfect ola delirious mind
-Gqri Somniu rana-or were the!
realities? Is there some expansion Of
the faculties at the hour of death, that
enables the spiritual eye to discover the
celestial world and its mysteries? l.
there truth as we'll as poetry in Waller;
famous stanZa?
The souls dark eottage battered and decayel
Lets in new light through Chiuks that time haiti
male;
Stronger by weakness, wiser men become
As they draw near TO their eternal home
Leaving the old both worlds at once they view,
VINO staAd upon the threshold OF the new.
1t is essy to raise these questions..;'iit il
impossible to answer them. But it i
possible if not to answer them, to con
template them in relations Of great in
terest.
First. Incidents Of the character o
those related above constitute a nu
merous class. Let five or six person
meet casually aud converse frankly OF
such subjects, it will probably be foun'
that one or two of them at least know o
similar occurrences in the circle Of thei
own relatives or intimate friends. If bu
one in hundred years was alleged, |
would stand alone, strange story; bu
continual succession, it would seem
must have ground, or law, worthy G
attention.
r Secondly. The testimony concernin
such incidents is of the highest character
1t is given by persons of intelligence an
, piety, who have no interest in publicit
, or fraud, but speak of what they hav
known with reserve and awe. The cas-
} is worldwide from the modern spiritual
ISM" 50 called. 1t has nothing to d