The Washington herald., 1907-03-03

The Rev. Or. Isaac K. Funk has had
a communication, he says. from the spirit
Of DR.. Richard Hodgson. who, ia his life
time, was secretary Of the Society o.
Psychical Research. and it conveys the
Information that death is not an agony.
but a positive delight.
DIT Funk description OF receiving the
cheerful Intelligence is embodied IN
work entitled "The Psychic Riddle" just
issued. He made Il clear TO New York
World reporter that he had not written
the book Until q paiEstaking investiga-
ton had been conducted, and he was sat
isfed that the glad tidings Of the delight
Of dying really came from the spirit of
Or. HodgsoH.
Compelled to use the physical organ
ism Of a stout woman medium. sirs
Piper, OF Boston. the Hodgsoa spirit was
a little wabbly in expressing his ideas.
but this very hesitation was one of the
convincing points 10 the mind OF DIT
Funk OF the geHuineness OF the message.
Messages Were written.
Mrs. Piper Is not 20 be COMPOUNDED with
Mrs. May Pepper the Brooklyn medium.
WHO reads the contents Of sealed letters
without turning hair. and who sees
military looking" wraiths and sweet
faced old LADY spirits. and sp9oks with
long, gray boards fitting up and down
the aisles ia the church where she holds
her seances. The Boston Mrs. Piper was
selected by the spirit Of Or. Hodgson be-
cause she made a Speciality Of writing the
messages from the spirit world instead
Of delivering them by word Of mouth, aud
those who have studied psychic pine
nomena say this is an excellent check
against fraud A Simon-pure spirit can
fool some OF the people some Of the time
when he uses the vocal organs Of
medium, but he cannot fool all tho peo-
pie all of the time when he uses the
mediums hand 10 write communications
with q fountain pen.
In his seances with Mrs. Piper DIT Funk
took the precdutiOH 10 have "a steuograph-
er present. 50 that whatever was spoken
could be placed i'm juxtaposiJiOn with
what was written and the spirit con
victed Of mendacity, If the evidence war
ranted. Prof. HyslOp, formerly Of Co
lumbia College, who left that institution,
after he became Interested in spIriJUalism
and psychic research. was in the magic
circle when a message which was adj
dressed to him was received Following
is DR.. Funk verbatim record Of the first
chat with the spirit OF Or. Hodgsou. Il
is reproduced precisely as it appears in
The Psychic Riddle
The Talk as Recorded.
"Hodgson-I am delighted 10 greet you
here.
"Hyslop-WeH. can hardly say that
am glad to greet you in this way You
remember we used to laugh about my
going FIRST. (F-Hyslop was long threat
ened with tuberculosis. and his life was
almost despaired OF
"H.-Indeed I do but I got ahead OF
you and 7 am delighted 10 be the first
one to come. It is all so much better
than I anticipated. God help you TO
understand and help me in helping the
work Cword not clear or certain.}
Excitement In the writing hand Of
the mediUm)
HI am 50 overcome with delight
can hardly say what ] wish. I hope
you will give up the ghost (Sot read 1T
time'. (F. Reference probably 10 HyslOp'
.Ilness).
Ghost-stick to it. Hyslop. I see you
so clearly l shall not stop 10 talk rub
bish, so let us at facts difficulty read
ing)-talk rubbish, let Us get down 10
facts
I have met your good father and
wife. whom / knew we'll"
This evidently was only paving the
way for the more important information
as to the death experience of the spirit.
Ii was in this essage-delivered at the
second seance-that the delights OF death
were spoken Of. Dr. Funks amanuensis
transcribed it after it had been written in
a sprawly hand by Mrs Piper:
Delight of Death.
II. Il Is delightful 70 so through the
cool CcooT not read at frsU ethereal at
mosphere. cooi-cooI. COOL-into this
life and shake read as takeJ off the
shake eff the Ta k e-SEake OF mortal
body. Hyslop speak
The next message was in a measure ex-
planatory. and accounted for the incoher-
encies in the previous communications. It
was as follows:
II. IN leaving the body the shock TO
the spirit knocks everything out Of ones
thoughts for a while. but If he has any
desire at all TO prove his identity he can
In time collect enough to-collect-enough
evidence TO prove convincing his identity
-eonvincingly-cOuv
DR.. Funk said last night that neither he
nor Prof Hyslop had the slightest doubt
that they had been in communication with
the spirit of DR.. Observation-Disclosures he
would not have written the book recount
Ing his marvellous experience.