Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-12
DEATH-BED VISIONS
OF THE FUTURE LIFE
None Of the $500 Persons Or. Andrews
Saw Die Ever Had Any Glimpse
Of the Hereafter
by GEORGE NOX MCCAIN



that the world war has DETECTED human
thought into now and startling channels,
principally to the question Of life after death.
Coupled with the subject is psychic inVcS-
tigation or spirtism. Spirtism is not to be
ronfounded with spirituasm.
Not that psychic investigation is now or
that psychic phenomena were unhcard of
before. The war. however, has turned tho
deeper drift of human thought powerfully
in this direction. Millions are becoming
interested where only thousands were be-
fore.
a quarter of century ago il would have
hrcn considered Hagrantly hctcrodoX to have
doubted future life Indeed the individual
would have been considered an atheist had
Inc sincerely and honestly urged the Uucs
ton. "ls there life beyond the gravc:'
Every magazine nowadays is propoundlng
the query in some shape or form
TllE statement OF Doctor Andrews was
L very unusual ono. Indeed do not
think that he appreciated its unusual char
artcr at the time The remark was made
in the course of dcsultory conversation
years ago. We had, as mcn sometimes do,
drifcd into talk on the mutablity of life,
the cvanCsccnt character of mundane things,
and the unavoidable change called death.
1T was the sum of my experience in the
Union army as n surgeon and aftCrward as
police surgeon and private practitioner IN
Philadelphia he added in explanation.
You saw $500 human beings close their
eyes in dcath?" asked, TO make sure ! had
not misunderstood him.
"Yes"
"Nou must have been thr witness of
somo unusual scenes | suggested
'Not particularly. The one thing that
IL. i tl,,N Il, l,
relief 4 we'll earned rest. They seemed
like children tired with play who were ready
(" drop off to sleep. never heard single
word Of regret or fear from those who were
thoroughly conscious and knew that they
must go.
'Thcrc have been instances reported of
visions of the hereafter just before dissolu-
ton. Did you ever encounter anything
that justified such statCmcnts:'
"NcvCr.'
"No expression to suggest such thing?
Nothing to indicate that the mind was ocru-
pied with visions of the bcyond:' | per
sisted.
Il understand what you mean. but I've
any such experience" he replied.
'"Thcu how do you account for authcnti
Gated cases of the kind?''
"IIallucinatons. Or perhaps tho individ-
uaI was in mOmcntary dclirium, replied
Doctor Andrews in matter of fact way.
Unfortunately, | never renewed the con-
vcrsatiou with him.
DAlLROAD men. think. arc less prone
IL than any other class to talk shop. They
rarely discuss professional affairs with out
sidcrs. This was forcibly emphasized when
| met William +. MrCalcb. superintendent
of the PENNSYLVANIA Railroads. water system.
the other day. His headquarters are in
Philadelphia In the thirty five years or
more that Mr.. MrCalcb has been connected
with the Pennsylvania Railroad ! do not
once recall hearing him discuss railroad mat
= tors.
And vet he knows ralrOadng from y to
lizard. Whether it was feeling that with
an outsider it would be useless waste of
conversational opportunities. or an actual
disposition to not discuss company affairs as
n rule Of professional conduct, | have never
discovered.
Either way it was TO his credit
have recollection at distance of years
of Mctalcb a slender, active but forcctul
young chap. as rodman i'll Pennsylvania
railroad surveying party on western branch
of the big SYSTEM 1t was in the days when
greater opportunities were presented to
bright young men than exist now in crowded
professions Through all the gradationS of
tranSitman, assistant superVi isOr. supervisor.
division engineer and finally as supcrin
tcndent of the middle division | have watched
his rise. Now, still a comparatively young
man, ne is at the head of one of the most
responsible departments OF thls migh'E III
tlustriul enterprise
He comes of an old western Pennsylvania
family with heritage of Presbyterian god
illness in his parcntage on both sides.
ENC1 1IltE ages ! an al'"'u' "l'' nave ~
l. struggle along without a history OF
the fuel administration III pennsylvania.
Not that it will be an irreparablc loss, but
the archives of the historical commission, OF
which Governor Sproul is chairman, will be
! incomplete So far as | know it will be
| the only civilian war activity whose records
will be missing and its history incomplete.
DR.. A. +. Mckinley, of the commission.