The record-union., 1892-10-07

Space By Invisible Hands-A HUI
guenot Pastor Passes Through a
Similar Experience-How 1t Feels
To Die.
The July number of the Proceedings
of the Society of Psychical Research"
contains a paper of surprising interest by
i. w. III. Myers. Its title is adopted ap-
parently with the purpose of concealing
its interest from the public, ''On Indica-
tions of Continued Terrene knowledge
on the Part of the Phantasms of the
Dead" Under this phraseology MIR.
Myers conceals some extraordinary eX-
periences of how we feel when we die,
and throws some light upon the question
as to whether we shall continue to learn
and understand all that goes on the earth
when we have quilted this mortal sphere.
AS it is appointed to all to die, and as in
the whole range of human literature
there are hardly any authentic narra-
tives as to how a man feels at the mo-
ment OF death, the evidence in this paper
of Mr.. Myers is extremely interesting.
OF the two narratives Mr.. Myers gives
us, the first is the most remarkable al
though they are both exceedingly Won
derful. The first was contributed by DIR.
Wiltse OF the st. Louis Medical and Sur
gtcdE Journal. When in full possession
of all his faculties he appeared to come to
the moment of death in the last stage of
typhuS fever. He was in complete pos
session Of his faculties, and he discussed
with his family the arguments IN favor OF
Immortality. His voice failed and his
strength weakened, and, as last effort,
he stiffened his legs and lay for four
hours as dead, the church bell being rung
for his death. A needle was thrust into
various portions of his body from the feet
to his hips without having any effect. He
was pulseless for a long time, and for
nearly half an hour he appeared abso-
lutely dead While his body was lying
in this death-lil<e trance his soul was dis
engaging itself from its earthly taber-
nacle.
THE SEPARATION OF SOUL AND BODY.
DR.. Wiltse, describing his own expert
ence, says that he woke up out of uncOn-
sclOuSneSS into state OF conscious exist
ence and discovered that the soul was in
the body, but not of it. He says: with
all the interest of physician l beheld the
wonders Of my bodily anatomy inti-
mately interviewer with which, even
tissue for tissue, was /. the living soul OF
that dead body. / learned that the eDi-
y
ultimate tissues, so to speak, of the soul.
l realized my condition and reasoned
calmly thus: l have died, as men term
death, and yet l am as much man as
ever. l am about to get out OF the body.
] watched the interesting process Of the
separation of soul and body. By some
power, apparently not my own, the Ego
was rocked to and fro, laterally, as era
die is rocked, by which process it's con-
nection with the tissues of the body was
broken UP. After little time the lateral
motion ceased, and along the soles of the
feet beginning at the toes, passing rap
idly to the heels, l felt and heard, as it
seemed, the swapping Of innumerable
small cords. When this was accom-
plished l began slowly to retreat from the
feet toward the head as a rubber shortens.
l remember reaching the hips and saying
to myself, Now there is no life below the
hIpS.' can recall no memory OF passing
through the abdomen and chest, but
recollect distinctly when my whole sell
was collected into the head, when | re-
tlected thus: / am all in the head now and
/ shall soon be free. | passed around the
brain as if / were hollow, COMPRISING it
and its membranes slightly on all sides
toward the center, and peeped out be-
tween the sutures of the skull, emerging
like flattened the edges of a bag OF mem
branes. l recollect distinctly how | ap-
peared to myself something like jelly
fish as regards color and form. As /
emerged from the head | fioated up and
down and laterally like soap bubble at
tached to the bowl of a pipe, until / at
last broke loose from the body and fell
lightly to the floor, where / slowly rose
and expanded into the full stature of a
man. l seemed to be translucent of blu
ish cast and perfectly naked. With a
painful sense Of embarrassment fled to.
ward the partially opened door to escape
the eyes of the two ladies whom | was
facing as well as others whom l knew
were about me, but upon reaching the
door l found myself clothed, and salts
fed upon that point | turned and faced
the company.
THE NEW BODY OF THE SOUL.
"As 1 turned my left elbow came in
contact with the arm of one of two gen.
tlemen who were standing in the door.
TIC my surprise his arm passed through
mine without apparent resistance, the
severed parts closing again without pain,
as air reunites. l looked quickly up at
his face to see if he gave me no sign
only stood and gazed toward the couch /
had Just left. / directed my gaze in the
direction of his and saw my own dead
body.
II saw a number of persons sitting and
standing about the body, and particularly
noticed two women apparently kneeling
by my left side, and l knew that they
L
they were my wife and sister, but l had
no conception of individuality. Wife
sister or friend were as none to me- !
did not remember any conditions of rela-
tionship; at least / dId not think of anv.
/ could distinguish sex. but nothing fur
ther. Not one lifted their eyes from my
body.
81 turned and passed out at the open
door, inclining my head and watching
where l set my feet as stepped down on
the porch.
81 crossed the porch, descended the
steps, walked down the path into the
street There / stopped and looked about
me. l never saw that street more dis
tinctly than | saw it then. took note
of the redness of the soil and OF the washes
the rain had made. l took rather pa
thetic look about me, like one who is
about to leave his home for a long time
Then | discovered that | had become
larger than / was in earth life, and con-
graduated myself thereupon. l was
somewhat smaller in the body than just
liked to be, but in the next life, thought
am to be as | desired.
my clothes. / noticed, had accommo-
dated themselves to my increased stature
and | fell TO wondering where they came
from and how they got on TO me so quick
ly and without my knowledge. l exam
ined the fabric and Judged it to be OF
some kind of Scotch material-a good
suit, thought, but not handsome; still
neat and good enough. The coat fits
loosely, too, and that is well for summer.
How well l feel 1 thought only a
few minutes ago L was horribly sick and
distressed. Then came that change
called death, which l have so much
dreaded. 1t is past now and here am
still man, alive and thinking-yes
thinking as clearly as ever. and how well
] feel"