Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-04-03

onstrated the existence of states of mat
ter designated as radiant in which
none of the ordinary properties of mat
ter appear. A bar of iron, you know.
seems to us perfectly solid and homoge-
neous, and yet there is reason to believe
that the particles which compose it are
as far apart from one another in proper
ton to their size as are the planets and
other heavenly bodies in proportion to
their respective magnitude. Our bodily
senses take cognizance of no forms of
matter except those which are in a GER
tain degree of condensation. But we
reasonably infer the existence of more
rarified and tenuous states of matter.
OF some such tenuous state the spiritual
body may reasonably be inferred to con-
sist. Then its apparition to us would
become a question not of the existence
of such bodies, but of the acuteness of
our own preceptiye faculties. These
faculties, IN their normal exercise, are
too coarse and blunt; but, under that
eXaltation of their function, which ac-
companies that shifting of the threshold
of consciousness of which | have spoken,
they do become adequate to the precep-
ton of such tenuous states of matter, so
that apparitions, otherwise called ghosts,
are seen.
"This makes ghosts theoretically pos
sible and experience shows that they
are in fact sometimes seen. In truth, APP
partitions of the sort have been within my
personal experience on more than one oc-
casion. Since childhood | have found
myself possessed of an organism in which
the threshold of consciousness is capable
of that shifting which have described.
On several occasions, when the occur
renee has taken place, | have been aware
of the presence of the spiritual bodies of
deceased persons, which gave to me in
. formation not otherwise attainable and
conveyed to my mind a conviction of
their identity. But do not indulge the
hope of being able to admit any one else
into my consciousness to such degree
, that the evidence mentioned would salts
fy their own minds. The evidential val
ne of these experiences is wholly person
+ al and seldom if ever transferable, be-
+ cause unlike experiences in physical sci
Z ence psychical occurrences cannot be re-
, produced at will and are therefore not
: subject to the ordinary processes of veri-
q ficaton.
'The conditions which govern the ex
= stence of the ghost or spiritual body are
. only open to speculative discussion. \,
+ | have said, one of these conditions APP
, pears to be that the spiritual body is moi
subject to the law of gravitation. 1t is
+ unquestionably capable of changing it;
p location by its own voltion, though
n probably not exactly in accordance witt
our ideas with transfer through space
- Likewise to such a being the notion OF
. time is doubtless quite different flom
our own. This gives it a duration o.
, existence which might be compared
with our portion of endless existence ant
so represent eternity. 1t may very wei
be that the spiritual body is by n,
= means confined to this planet upol
which we live. As take it, the spirit
;, ual body is the soul of ordinary Ian
guage. The soul consists of body a
dense for the conditions of its own en-
vironment as our physical bodies are 70
thp conditions surrounding Them Whpth
> er the spiritual body ever reacquires
4 material body of flesh is altogether
speculation. Evidence is insufficient t
warrant an affirmative conclusion. !
> belief in the relncarnation of the soul
=, however. has probably been held b.
:, more than one-half of the human rae
:, during the whole period of which w
=, have historical knowledge"