The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-20


me from taking cold. But what about
ny SUCK An, that may be useful II 1
I'VE, and besides. il j. "A beautiful alpen-
STOCK i viii keep f. And. true enough,
might be well TO take on and throw away
my spectacles, that they might break and
InJufe my eyes / reached for them, but
was unable TO do as intended
Ihus / spent several or maybe only
one precious second in egOtistical circum-
spection- After that my thoughts turned
UPON the consequences which my death
MouiQ nave for my family. must try TO
save myself fer the sake Of my wife and
chlldren, / argued. The friends that were
with me are probably famed by terror,
and must double their energies by call
M Tor help, II can good way TO spur
them, thought, would be to cry but,
am All safe but must have drink at
once. Ihen l managed 20 be present When
the news or my death reached home.
heard my wife and children cry ana Ia
ment, and ] tried 10 condOle with them.
1 even cracked jokes IN this endeavor
AGAIN l saw with my minds eye the con-
fusion that would reign in the university
On account OF my failure to begin ieetur-
ING Ihat brought back TO me all my
struggles. my carry training, my trials,
ana small triumphs My life from child
hood To manhood glided past my mental
observation like a living picture, vivid
Impressive, joyful and sOrroWful, as II had
been. Iableau followed tdbleau in quick
succession, each figure being distinct, and
incidents being perfectly and completely
pictured. When I had arrived at my pres
ent state and condition I saw magniti-
cent blue heaven opening to receive me:
All was serene happiness, while rosy ana
violet clouds marked the horizon. Into
this heaven / fioated with perfect equipose
with beautiful anticipation, while my
mundane eyes perceived my body nylng
through the air, and saw the snow field
the ground.
1T is an open question to me whether
the above described sensation of going TO
heaven Is not very strong argument for
the teachings of the Christian relglon.
The mind of man becomes clear and pure
on the threshold of eternity; II becomes
the most wonderful machinery for thought
and observation. Its retrospective facili-
ties are marvellous. Can its prognostics
After finishing all earthly affairs and
making peace with man, the Independent
soul sees the heavens open; all around is
beauty and happiness world STEPPED
in blue and roseate tints. L should say
here that l am far from being a pronounc-
ed religious man. At no period of my life
have been given TO specializing much
on the teachings Of the church, but when
about to die / experienced all those SEN
sations which are ascribed to deeply de-
on earth.
Il have heard a man say on his death
bed: 1 see the angels; ] see Christ open
ing his arms to receive me- and classed
these utterances with other delrious raw
ings / Witnessed To-day their signifl-
canoe, to my mind, IS no logger doubtful
especially as the, testimony of Sigrist
above quoted, and THAI of many others
proves that my experience was not an
exceptional one. Reconsider the following
facts: /, like the others, had about made
up my mind that | was to die, which
means that 1 was to enter upon a new
lease of spiritual life in eternity. The ra-
pidity of perception peculiar to person
in that state then placed me into my new
sphere, even before l was ripe for It,,
which is a perfectly natural psychological
process But, If there be nothing beyond
this life, as atheists assert, why the hea-
yenly phenomena? Why not blank In
stead of a paradise? When consciousness
left me a black veil fitted across my eyes.
My minds eyes were filed with heavenly
all?
ITO return to actualities, l will repeat
that during my downward journey time
seemed to stretch indefinitely, and the fac
ulties of objective observation, subjective
feeling, and thinking. worked simultan-
eously without interfering with each 9TH
err There was no confusion, no perpleXi-
ty; my calculations were logical; acted
with lightning rapidty.
Il thought to do so, too, when began to
me water or words to that effect, but j
had actually lain perfectly still, withou;
the least mental or physical performance,
for over half an hour before / gave that
sign of returning life. My friends who
had watched me from above and after
ward sat at my side for considerable
time say so. without seeing them / took
the vinegar bottle from my vest pocket,
reached for my spectacles that rested at
my side, and felt my back and limbs to
find out IL any bones were broken. The
fact that l failed to notice my frienGs,
and did not even look at them, Is explain
able only on the theory that / continued
thinking where l had left off my selfish
calculations when Inconsistencies over
came me; 1t was the instinct of self-preser-
walton. that dominated my feelings upon
regaining life. Forty minutes l had been
dead to the world and to myself and al
the termination OF this period | was the
same selfish being as before. / cried for
help, because, having no recollection OF
the comatose state in which / had been
l thought my friends at least a mile or
two away, as they were at the time
reached the foot of the mountain.
And did the heavenly thoughts reoc.
asked.
NO" said DR. Helm; Il experienced
| them only a the moment of standing on
the threshold of eternity. Then my sou,
rose gioriously to the occasion, but the
certainty of death being removed, my ma.
terial instincts and spirits triumphed .