New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-05-03
yur UyDySC0YERED COryTRY

If we refer to Superintendent Riddles new work
Oh Spritualism, from which we have been making
copious extracts, it is not for the purpose # rdi-
culing either the authOr his manner or bis matter.
The region Of human belief in future life Is hal
lowed ground, and no one who wears cap and bells
should trespass upon it. While modern Spiritual
ism as commonly sampled in public halls and re-
tailed in medium shops and back garrets, Is
nothing but legerdemain diluted with oredulity,
there are believers who are not tricksters. They
may be- wholly wrong. but so long a. they believe
that they are wholly right they are entitled to
certain measure Of respect. 1t would be easy TO
raise a laugh over Mr.. Riddles ShakespeaTeana. his
Byronc frenzy and the adventures and literary
recreations of the long procession of
spirits and shades that fled before his
bewidered eyes. But why should we mock him
He is not the first mortal who has called aloud unto
the Future and flnced that be could hear mystic
voices coming to him from the Undiscovered Conn
try. Many an earnest soul has fixed It's gaze too in
tently upon what is dark and uniath0maDle, and
has seemed TO catch gmpSes Of the dreamy yistas OF
the SUNNI Land and to people those golden tropics
with SHINING shapes. Let spare the jest. l.
will serve better purpose il we set forth The terri
BILE void which is at the bottom.of this book.
The superintendent of our city schools proscsse3
10 have been in constant communication duuHg
a period Of nine months with hundreds
nay, thousands of departed spirits. through
the instrumentality OF his daugh or and
his son be has received messages not only from
relatives friends and municipal politicians, but
from the master souls Of the past-pOcts. plIioso'
piers, conquer0rs, refOrmers apostles, prophets
even from the author of the Pentateuch. His
ear has been ike a sea-shcn on the shore
and waves Of spiritual intelligence have
gf
time 10 attune it TO Immortality. But what il tie
message that has been left with HIM! WHAT is 1t
that Moses and Paul, Peter and Pins *, Calvin
and Luther, Swedenborg and Theodore Parker,
Franklin and Newton. Bonaparte and Washington,
and all the transccndant company OF supernat-
ural visitors, have to say 10 mankind They
know how scant is the measure Of human knowledge
in this shadowy land. They know how the men
and women Of this world OF ours yeam to learn the
things that are TO come. Ii hey come back 10 earth
from the aim distances of their immortal heights,
surely il will be to human faith and TO utter
calming words Of peace and hope.
Alacki it is not so! What they say not worth
listening to. Once upon time lucky Greek was
invited to q banquet OF the gods on Olympus. He
heard the harnonies Of the muses. he felt the
sense OF near dviueucss; but whom he rc-
turned TO Garth and his ncighhou asked
what heaven was ike, he could only say
that ambrosa was better eating than black
bean-porr;dge, and that The napkin on Gauymcd}S
arm was rather the worse for wear. lie had been
among The gods, but he had remained a leg-arly
little mortal. In like manner these witnesses bear
the image of tho earthly rather than " tne image
OF the heavenly" They have not put On immortality
Indeed there is percepuble decadeuce IIou Their
mortality. Moses is 10 longer sublime, but pucfiie
Paul writes like a schOolOOy and not a5 one H.
spired; Shakespeare has got down to doggrei;
Byron and Poe hayo scrubbed away their wits; Ma
poleon has forgotten how 20 dictate p bulletin;
Franklin IS 10 longer sensible; Newton has soften
ing Of the brain. If We can judge from these
literary recrcations, the future life is on lower
level than the present, far intellectual ioTco
IS concerned. These heavenly messengers tell MS Sd
little and that little badly, that the suspicion Is
aroused that there can be no spiritual growth in
immortality. How narrowing Is this thought!
If the life 10 come is 90 be one Of steriity and de-
generacy, why should weary mortal want 10 1.-Two
againl Spiritualists invariably overlook this fact
They fail to SEQ that total anuihlatOn would be
greater cJnsolatiOn than Immortality they pic
ture 1t.
But there is something better than these uncer-
tain voices. In these Spring days those who have
buried their dead can go TO the graves and pray
beside them. The birds will be twitterng in tho
grass; the ferns Will DO creaking IN the breeze;
but the wild volets VIII look up with
boneful eyes TO reveal the secret Of their own lie
and To tell of the uucndng freshness of Immortality
And as tho mourners turn away, they can repeat 81
Paul's words: Behold. l show you y mystery
We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed
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