Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-03-23

" of a Bride

The elegance of Katherine Miller s
suite and the oddness of her collection
of round hand mirrors fascinated me ;;
nevertheless. the peculiar decorative
scheme was far from being the really
important interest of our call that after
noon. The chat drifted naturally from
the discussion Of the circle as a symbol
to mysticism In general.
II 1t hadn't drifted, 1 suppose
somebody would have picked 1t up
and hurled 1t into the talk. I'd Ike
to know whore to find a group of
women whose conversation does not
hinge on spiritism. II usually begins
with the recital of remarkable reve-
IatiOns made by the spirit of SOL.
der. Not infreQuently the poor rest
less ghosts have reported TO their
sorrOwing relatives the full story of
- their death in action, and 1t is said
that one wandering soul described
to his mother the place where his
Unburicd body was hidden and I'M
pIored her to have his bones inferred
with those of his company who fell
in the same charge!
Friends of soldiers who were killed
in the war say that the dead communi-
cate with the living by rapping the fur
niture, sometimes by means of wireless
instrument, frequently through the vocal
organs Of a mSdium
Chrys and Katherine discussed these
methods-to my vast establishment. l
considered them simply silly, Of course,
but was too polite to say so. Finally
they agreed that the ouija board is the
best as we'll as the most popular method
for getting in touch with the spirit
world.
"ChrystObel, where can l buy ouiia
board :" asked Katherine. i've searched
the shOps-big and little-but the craze
has taken such hold on this town that
not ouija board is to be bought
What good news" said Chrys, and I
marveled, for our Chrys might be said
II have the honor of reviving the cult
several years ago, and I supposed she
would want 1t to spread. She made her
meaning clearer in her next sentence.
'1t isn't a thing to trife with,
Katherine. Communications with
the dead ought not to be undertaken
in q light mood, you know. Unless
you go at it in the proper frame of
mind, I hardly think you will get
very satisfactory results"
There spoke the real devOtee, said 7
10 myself Chrys may fool herself but
she does so unWittingly. She is sincere.
she doesn't understand her subconscious
mind. that's all. And If she is honest,
/ suppose other deyotees are equally so.
I noticed, however, that Chrys did not
repeat to Katherine one item OF infor-
-asaation which she had long ago confided
10 me-
"Spiritism strains the average brain
because 1t is 80 unfamiliar. so contrary
to ordinary kinds of mental activity"
she had asserted. but she could hardly
make the statement to an aspirant for
initiation such as Katherine Miller was.
Better be careful, Katherine" I re-
marked. Didn't you read the other day
that Eve residents Of a town IN Califor-
MIA had lost their minds over the ouija
beard?"
"Yes. did" she replied. Another
news item says that the village council
of an eastern burg has forbidden the
merchants to sell ouija boards! Some
fad, isn't It? Why, the dealers told
NE that the factories are doubling theil
capacity and in about SIX months the
retailers may catch up with their orders
l can't wait that long for a board.
Chrystobel, haven't you an old one you
could lend me?"
perhaps I have. but please don't go
into this just for fun" pleaded Chrys.
"You know, Katherine, that everybody
isn't fitted to receive spirit MESA es,'
said l. "Why, the controls simply scocn
me, and theA pointer stalls on the board
D henever I 8me within ten feet of the
table!'
ct isn't toy" said Chrys inpatient
at was in the beginning-just child p
alphabet" I reminded her. by the way,
Chrys, what does the queer name mean? ?"
"Odd of you to miss 1t, Jane! It's
merely a combination Of words meaning
yes from two foreign languages, the
hrst from the French, the second from
the Dutch" Then she turned TO Katie
rine with:
"I've a half dozen boards. It's hard
TO part with any one Of them, for the
controls have fads, you know."-Copy>
right, 1920.
tie BE Continued.)