The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-10-16
SPIRIT WORLD IN 1896.

Visions Claimed to Be Seen by Respoysi.
BILE Persons in Different Places.
We have heard comparatively little
lately from the various societies for
psychical research, and there seems te
be a temporary lull in the activity ol
the hypnotists; but the theosophists
who are far superior in knowledge o.:
the unknown" to these people, whose
mahatmas know all that is in creation,
all that has been and pretty much
all that will be, have had some interest,
ing proceedings, and the year 1896 has,
thus far, had it's full complement OF
ghost stories. The unseen but noisy
spooks in Silverton abbey have received
many columns of careful attention in
the English newspapers, and are still
unlaid. In Seabrooke, N. H., the face
of the first wife of recently-deceased
farmer appeared suddenly upon the
tombstone erected to his memory,
much to the annoyance of his second
wife, who was doubtless looking for
ward to peaceful widowhood. In one
of the many italian settlements in the
heart of New York city the face of the
Virgin Mary, crowned with halo, ap-
pears at an upper window of partly
deserted house, and the omen thrills
even the policemen ON the beat.
These visions and visitations are all
authenticated by responsible per-
sons," as ghost stories always are.
But they are still less worthy of
credence than the long and informing
letter dictated to q medium by the
spirit of physician who was killed in
a street accident. His widow firmly
believes in the authenticity of this
document, and she ought to know,
The letter is as verbose and platitudin-
Gus as such communications generally
are, but 1t Is important because of its
direct contradiction of the most cher
ished belief of the theosophists and
their mahatmas. They cling to the
Brahma-Buddhist doctrine Of reincar-
nation. The souls of men are used
over and over again in the processes
of creation, and are housed according
to their value. When two members
of the society were recently married
by yelled mahatma, it was expressly
stated that they had known and loved
each other 5000 years before; and
little girl, who delivered an address to
the embassy starting upon an around
the-world mission of enlightenment,
remarked that while her body was
young, her soul was very old, indeed.
Now this physicians soul, the mo-
ment it realized that it had been sepa-
rated from the body, found itself in
company with the souls of the ply
sician's deceased children, his parents,
his wife's parents, their grandparents
and ancestors for many generations.
Here were these spirits, evidently with
no work on hand, unattached, loiter-
ing about on earth for no other pur-
pose, as we can see, except to disprove
the doctrine of reincarnation.
The most curious fact about the real
ghost stories-those, we mean, in
which a certain number of sentient hui
man beings are known to believe-is
that they are invariably much less
thrilling and interesting than the pure
ly imaginary tales of writer's of fiction,
just as the doings of the trance me-
diums and the occasional perform
ances of the mahatmas are not nearly
so clever and mystifying as the neat
tricks of the professional "magicians"
of the stage, who bewilder you for
your observation-disclosures Week
ly