St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-18
The LIFTED VEIL.
FRturn of a Man Who Visited
the Celestial World.
written for the Globe. !

uldllt6 luluIGS nave llOlI III W LiiiiO
essayed to instruct the world OH the
subject of the life after death, or eX-
istence IN the world beyond. Usually
these imaginary stories are claimed to
be based ON the spiritual experiences of
the writer's, who, under the influence
of suspended animation. have passed
into the spirit world. But it invariably
happens that the subject is recalled to
life just when u expectations have
been aroused. They behold visions;
they are transported with inconceiva-
BILE rapidity through space, and expe-
rlence a certain contact with other
spirits gone before" and just as they
are about to launch us into something
OF real interest they ''come to-" the
charm is broken. the story ends. We
are all interested in the possibility of a
future existence. Bnt unfortunately
no one ever comes back to tell US any
thing of the reality. A recent story
claims to give the experience of
a physician VINO apparently died.
He relates how his spirit, departing
from the inanimate clay, was sensible
of the presence of the weeping family
gathered around his bedside; how, as
cit; passed out of the door of the house
and through the garden gate, Its at
tention was attracted to the ravages of
a recent storm. 1T" noticed the over
flowing cutters along the street, the
broken trees, and then, borne upwards,
passes into space and-the story ends
until the body, being restored to life, it
appears that the death was only a case
of suspended animation. AS a matter
of fact. ali these stories end veXatiouSly
short Of a climax. What is the reason?
Probably because the imagination runs
short of plausible material with which
to carry the story to an interesting con-
eluSion. In this connection it occurs to
me that some facts bearing on this uni
yerSally interesting subject might be of
present value. | call them facts; | do
not know them to be such. l have only
the assurance of the nan who claims to
have undergone the experience. Hal
fluctuations of a disordered and diseased
intellect l called them when he began
his revelations. But you. must judge
of this after L have given you
his story. Suffice it that the
hero of it lived i'll St. Paul
lives here now, and is a respected
professional man. When he expert
enced the stupendous translation from
life unto death, and back again to life,
who he is, what he does, how known to-
day among his fellows, are matters |
may not relate. He is a sensitive man,
and prefers not TO become me subject
Of public, and, for the most part, idle
and suspicious gossip. Tn tale was
told to ME in the privacy of his library.
Floating across the Intervening spaces
between the library and the drawing
room came at times divine h%armonies,
Soul-entrancing strains from Beethoven,
in the quiet time between the early dusk
and evening. The wife. a cultivated
musician, was seated at the piano revel-
ing in these finer narmonieS charmed
into being by her magic touch and in
spiration. IL" said the master OF
the house. this is comfort, ideal COM
fort, a happy home, a contented mind. a
paragon of wives. How divinely she
wo0s the very spirit of harmony! Ills
uEIhClis 1 ID olI tue iSdfCI L OSpIlC.IO
and speak from experience" expert
ence!" L exclaimed. "What do you
meaL?'
"Why, my dear fellow, l have had a
brief experience of heaven. Would you
like to lear the story""
OF course l would be delighted. Then
under the seal of secrecy as to his iden-
titY, locale and pursuits, my friend re-
lated his experiences as a diSembodied
spirit: Il died in a cyclone. At least l
was supposed 10 be dead. The usual
preparations were made for a funeral,
and | revived before they started me
out iii the head wagon of a funeral pro-
cession. 1t was up i'll the northern part
of the state that l was killed. | re-
member being up near the st. P, NJ.
IL NJ. freight station and the advancing
cyclone. Everything became dark. J.
was picked up by the tornado. dashed
against Il telegraph pole, and conscious
ness Of the affairs of this world left me.
= | was walking across a field of
flowers. My body was a. light as the
air. l was entirely dissolved, but that
did lot appear unnatural. The atmoS-
phere was charged with the most raviSh-
ing odors. 1t seemed to me that l had
ulh u1 y DNCIi llCIC, u ldAliCl iId i was
returning after absence. Where l had
been | knew not. 1t did not concern
me. Other figures advanced towards me.
My father and mother and brothers
and sisterS-all of whom died some
years ago. And the forms celestial
bodies l now call them) of relatives and
friends who are still living Oh earth.
There were the spiritual bodies of many
whom | had known in life in both st.
Paul and Minneapolis. Some of them
addressed me as If there had been no
parting called death. And these people
were very real. And somehow l real
lied in a moment that there had been a
change. AS | now recall the personnel
of many of these forms L remember
them in life, the. occupations they fol-
lowed and many incidents of their
lifes. l asked my father where l had
been, and he replied that for a brief
season l had been living the unreal So
called life of the terrestrial sphere. 1t
was one of Natures laws, he said, that
all created things must undergo various
transitions before perfection was at
tanned. | then recalled the fact
that | had existed somewhere for
q few minutes it was forty years of
earthly life-and asked where my wife
and babies were. why, they're here
and on earth, too my father replied.
Before being translated finally to this
existence we all lead a dual existence.
We have always existed here. AS the
earth is peopled, earthly bodies are
given to the selected ones, and they are
translated to the terrestrial globe, there
to remain a brief season until in the
regular order of nature they are re-
turned to their former existence and SO
gradually advanced to a higher state.
Many have passed on 'Or L ex.
claimed, that terrestrial existence is
what is known as life and death!'
Yes, it is what is known there as
life and death. But it's all a delusion.
The so-called life there is but a sup
posed existence. In other words,
it's a SELL Then we all laughed. ano
my wife and children then advancing
joined them, and we entered into
commonplace conversation. | have
often thought of it since. and peoples
impressions OF the future the 'fami-
lies reunited i'll heaven and the Joy Of
meeting again, when, as a matter OF