The herald., 1896-06-21
WORKERS IN THE VINEYARD

The above is the title of a beautifully
200 pages, by Mrs. Julia Schlesinger OF
San Francisco, embodying re-
view of the progress OF spirit
uallsm, biographical sketches, lec-
lures, essays, poems. etc.. accompan-
| led by portraits of many of the leading
workers in the cause. Mrs. Schlesinger's
experience of ten years as editor OF tnat
handsome and able monthly magazine
| The Carrier Dove, had eminentiy ntteo
| her for this her latest work.
| She says in her preface The Value
| of the lessons to be learned from the ex-
periences Of other lives cannot be over
| estimated. They serve as beacon lights
| along stormy rock bound shore, warn
| ing others of the dangerous reefs ana
shoals. and pointing the way to sate a.,
| harbor during tne lass
twelve years of experience as editor,
| have been preparing for this work and
| vast amount OF material-Sufnc1ent Ior
| several volumes-has been collected. IL
my humble efforts in this line meet with
| approval and there Is demand for an
| other volume 1t will be Forthcoming.
| Through all these years of struggle and
| trials consequent upon rearing a famlly
| and incessant toll with hands and brain,
| l have ever been conscious OF the loving
guardianship Of angel friends. They
| have comforted me in seasons or sor-
| row, encouraged and strengthened me
when almost doubling and despairing.
| rejoiced in my success and sympathized
with me when failure seemed written
on everything. They have even taught
me the highest and purest principles as
| the rules Of daily life and conduct. They
have ever stimulated noble impulses
| and the highest aims and impaired les
| sons of charity, patience. forbearance
| and Justice. When the hasty word or
| criticism and censure has been uttered
aAhA ho
| remorse and repentance. They nave
| been daily inspiration to a life OF gen.
| erous Deeds kindly words and tender
| compassion for all humanity. To them
my dear angel benefactors In spirit
life, and the dear angels still in mortal
| form, who have given me strength In
days of dark despair. faith In the ulti-
mate good and spiritual and material
| to do that which was given me to do
am I indebted for whatever merit my
| labors deserve"
Mrs. Schlesinger's many friends, who
have known her for years as faithful,
untiring woman in all the varied rela-
tions of domestic and public life, know
| that the foregoing words come directly
| from her heart; and knowing this re-
| alize that her religion has done all for
| her that any form or spirit of religious
| faith can do for anybody. no matter
what may be their theological views.
If belief in life hereafter is the vital
| izing essence of all the best systems Of
religion, then 1t is certain that Spiritual
! ism embodies the intrinsic principle OF
religion. All forms of spiritual faith
are sustained by demonstrated existence
| either past or present.
| heard one of the best Of men, and one
of California's ablest pulpit teachers,
say In a Pasadena pulpit not long since
that belief in after life rests entirely on
| intuition and consciousness and that we
cannot prove the fact OF future exist
| ence."
This assertion was, to say the least,
dogmatic.
The preacher had no moral right to
speak for anybody but himself.
One of our most popular dictionaries
defines proof as follows:
ITO confirm, to establish by expert
ment, testimony or argument; to make
appear certain; to convince to demon
strate, to manifest, to verify, to show,
to convince"
That all Of this has been done to the
entire satisfaction of hundreds of thous-
| andS, or perhaps millions of men and
women concerning the claims Of spirit
ualism Is a matter of fact
That intuition Is higher quality OF
soul or mind than that which depends
altogether on physical sight and feel
ing, is not to be denied. But we have nc
right to refuse to the doubling Thomases
the test" of the nail and spear marks
And this species of proOf-palpable, Is
just as necessary to certain minds now
as 1t was two thousand years ago. When
we go back to primitive Christianity we
find 1t resting upon and inspired by evil
dence of the most positive and startling
character. We are not justified in the
assumption that the evidence is all in
and then informing those who canno,
believe without present proof that they
must believe or be damned"
| IiSp In tS nd to1,
is a reafflrmation and amplification anC
application of all that was best and i'm.
perishable in the true Christian idea
The church itself is reaping the reward
in warmth, in breaking away from
sectarian fetters, in liberalty and II
unknown before the advent of moderr
spiritualism.
Denomnational teachers do not real
ize this, but impartial and intuitive OBJ
servers who have studied recent relig
ious evolutions in the light of spiritua
philosophy see it, and the great hear
of humanity feels it, and sooner or late
the credit will rest where it naturall,
belongs. I have been long convinced
: that thoughtful Spiritualists, no matte
from what extremes of agnosticism o
5 unbelief they may at first start, are ire
) sistibly inclined to accept Christ, not il
the orthodox, but In the vital and endur
: ing sense; because, led by currents o
logic that carry them that way as surel.
as great rivers carry their tribute
from mountains and canyons to tn
2 broad and open sea. On the other hand
men who, like Rev. Dr. Buckley an
5 other materialistic Christians, who figh
1 against the quality of intuition as mani
\ fest in the course of womans emanci
patton and who professedly accept O
= spiritual phenomena as witnessed in an
G around Jerusalem in connection wit
Christ and his immediate friends an
= followers, and yet resolutely deny, o
= try to explain away on the hypothesi
of fraud or self-delusion all moder
and equally well proven cases as dis
played in manifestations accessible
G any person who will honestly investi
= gate the subject. are following lines {
: logic which just as inevitably carr
II them away from the heart and atmos
: phere Of Christ and all warm, vitalizin
: spiritual truths.
Such men may, through reverence fC
the high character of Christ and earl
o theological bias and training still dra
. the type and form of religion after then
: as trapped bear may it's clog and chail
: but their instincts and footsteps ten
h | none the less toward the cold cherries
u caves and dens of agnosticism and pra(
! tical atheism. JAMES G. CLARK.
Pasadena.
Works Like Charm
During the past three years whenevt