The record-union., 1894-02-22
JOHN HOGAR4H'S VISION.
Was 1t a Nightmare or Something
Supernatural.
a Stockton Man Who Had a Theory
About the Hereafter, and What
Happened to Him.

John Hogarth was not of religious or
dreamy temperament, but he had often
wondered what death really was and
what sensation the act of dying produced.
He had read good deal upon the subject
of a hereafter for the soul, but be did not
believe in the good old Bible theory OF
the direct migration of the soul from
the body to perpetual "peace and happl-
ness'' or fire and birthstone" as the
case might deserve. Instead he had
theory of his own, quite modern IN lIs
makeup and quite consistent Wheh
looked at through the glasses of thought
to which he had become used. Yet his
theory was. in truth, as dim and unreal
as the shadow on the earth OF bird Hy-
ing high in air. Yet his theory, ike the
shadow, argued well for there being
something more substantial III the back
ground; yet again, as in my comparison,
the foundation of the theory, like the
bird, was far beyond his reach and the
definite perception of his understanding.
John Hogarth was prominent pusl-
ness man of Stockton. He had married,
at the age Of 80, a rather strong-mlnded
woman, and their union had been frult-
less. They were moderately happy, put
their tastes differed on SO many material
points that they found 1t Impossible TO
enjoy the same things together, ana so
had come to think each one for him or
herself with a mild after-thought consld-
GRAFTON OF the others lncllnatlons, Wnlcn
each considered somewhat peculiar
Under this admirable arrangement tney
contrived to live at peace with themselves
and the world i'll general, and really were
quite contented, ii not happy.
On the evening of August II, 1888, John
Hogarth retired early to bed, after having
refused to accompany his wife to meet
ing of a local materialistic society. lie
did not share III any way the views OF TIE
''materialist," and in this respect differed
from his wife, who did.
John had not felt exactly well that after
noon, and this, with an unusual rush OF
office work, had completely wearled him.
He went, then, into a deep sleep almost
Immediately after retiring.
How long he slept he never could ade-
quately determine, but he must have
been unconscious for some time for when
he awoke-as he did with a suddenness
that was startling-the room was
shrouded in darkness and Mary was
sleeping soundly by his side, as he could
tell by her regular breathing.
L
and waited for the clock to strike the
hour, but no sound broke the stiffness
and he gradually became sleepy again.
Mary's breathing began to grow fainter,
his mind grew listless and his body lax.
a dim thought OF his wife, his friends
and the world in general came partly to
him and then retreated, like some airy
form that knocks at door but fears to
enter. Then his consciousness, his mind
and something else that seemed as i'm
portant, but was undetinable, appeared to
be slipping slowly but surely away from
him.
Perhaps he was dying! The thought
bore absurdity on its very face. yet it
1t also brought grain of fear into Johns
heart, and be attempted to rise or turn
over, but to his surprise he found him
self unable to do either, for his limbs
seemed TO be totally useless. They might
have been deadened branches and his
body a log for all the life or power TO
move that there was in them. Then the
old sinking feeling returned with re-
newed vigor. but it was presently fol-
lowed by the opposite sensatiOn-that of
rising For a half-instant this latter con-
tinued, during which all of his old
thoughts faded away and were replaced
with entirely new ones. At the end of
that half-secOnd he felt as if he had some
how left himself, but in reality his soul or
spirit had merely disengaged itself from
its clayey shell, and now was free,
while as he inStinctively knew, his body
lay there on the bed with calm, peace
ful expression on its face, but quite life
less. His spirit lowered over its former
abode for one brief instant. The sense of
feeling, as bad thought, accompanied the
soul when it left the body, so it was not
wonderful that J ohm should be conscious
of the fact when he began to grow larger
IN physical proportion. At the same
time his mind began TO enlarge and he
seemed to become possessed OF great
deal more knowledge than he ever had
before 1t was exactly as If a dozen or
more lives had been suddenly fused into
his, with all the truths that only lifetimes
of experience can teach.
For an instant he felt dazed. Then a
muttering sound reached him that finally
resolved itself from an incomprehensible
mass of vibrations to articulate speech:
1T as lUelt'' said q UOice, zone more
life th0u shalt ice, q, SPIRIT, and then
thou shalt d1oeU Ia peace acith me. Thou
qceU k7loaest acbdt / haze oft before said
qt7eto thee-that thy ILL or good conduct
shall IeRgtbeR or shorten tby term Of e.c-
ctasioR from this, nly Dominion Of Last
ing Light. Noac haste thee, for thy life
dtOdltS ~
AS the last words fell from the invisible
Being, an electric current passed through
Johns spirit, and the next moment he
was traverslng an airy pathway, guided
by some strange intuition. In a short
time he paused, and seemed to be stand
ing at the door OF bedchamber. AS he
passed in cry reached him-the wall Of
a new born babe. On the couch near at
hand lay the mother, and in the arms of
some one kneeling by the bedside was
the tiny infant. something in the ap-
pearance of the nurse seemed familiar to
John, and as the former rose he saw why
this was so.
Strange TO say, the nurse was the very
picture of his wife, Mary
While he stood there in the bedcham-
Der a strange transformation took place
in him. For one thing, he grew physi-
cally smaller; and for another, all the
knowledge that he had become the pos
SCISSOR of since leaving the clay of John
Hogarth faded away entirely and he even
forgot that he had ever belonged TO such
body In fact, he felt just as he had
often thought the spirit of little babe
might feel. But just at this stage of the
proceedings came the sound OF the voice
again, and il urged:
"HdSte! Haste ! or thou aOiit be too
later'
John moved forward hastily but even
as he did so the babes cries ceased and
the nurse kissed it gently and laid it