CHAPTER XV.

RE-EMBODIMENT.

De L'Ester--We find you difficult of control this morning. Like the

legendary Martha you are anxious about many things. Our journey of

to-day is less in your thoughts than are the exasperatingly high prices

of household supplies or the letter you have been reading. How do I

know? Have not I said that I can read your thoughts as you might read

an open book? No, I cannot at all times do so; it is only when, as now,

I am en rapport with your soul consciousness.

You are not resting easily. Ah, that is better. Now you are tranquil,

and now--you are free, and we are off for Ento. Yes, glorious indeed

is this sense of freedom from physical conditions, which only to a

limited degree can you either perceive or realize. It may surprise

and disappoint you to be told that in your present state you cannot

perceive Spirit Worlds. That you may perceive us, we and these Ento

Spirit friends are obliged to, in a sense, etherealize. No, not as

Cabinet Spirits etherealize, but in a more sublimated sense. At the

culmination of our Mission conditions may be such as to enable you to

behold Spirits as they really are. No, I do not promise it, but it may

occur.

No, mortal ears are not attuned to sense ethereal vibrations. Hearken

to the grandly sublime, sonorous under-tone coming from Eternity's

shoreless sea and rolling in rhythmic measure onward, onward

forevermore. Beethoven, Handel, Mozart and others of Earth's illumined

ones, in moments of inspiration caught faint notes of music celestial,

and with ardent longing strove to give them expression. Believe me that

a so termed musical genius is a musical medium, whose subconscious

mind, like an aeolian harp, vibrates in unison with the unwritten music

of the Soul of the Universe.

We are nearing the intersection of the Waterways, and our friends

perceive our approach. Lohaû, ēmenos. We greet you all and apologize if

we have kept you waiting.

Gentol[a:], you will please give me your attention. At no great

distance the branch running in a southwestward direction forms a

junction with another Waterway which is not yet completed, and which

later on we may observe. For the present we will continue our course

toward the northwest. The large town at this intersection is an

important shipping point, and yonder is quite an imposing temple, two

smaller ones and some pretty suburban Istoir[a:]s. There are some

imposing public buildings, many handsome private residences, a pretty

park, and the streets are wide and beautifully kept, and along the

margins of the street canals are borders of blooming plants. Really,

it is an attractive town, but at present we cannot give it further

attention. It is named Fûn[a:]voh Ritz[a:], which in your language

would mean Town of the Intersection. Passing in either direction are

vessels of various sizes, some of them equaling in dimension and

tonnage the huge steamships traversing the seas and oceans of our

planet, and it is not too much to say that in point of scientific

construction and beauty of finish and furnishing Earth does not

possess their equal. They are so scientifically constructed as to be

practically indestructible, and electricity is the propelling energy;

also it lights them, and when desired heats them. For a brief period

we will take passage on the vessel about to leave port. Gentol[a:],

come to the bow and observe how swiftly and almost noiselessly it

cleaves the water. At this rate of speed it will soon cross the second

intersection, and before to-morrow will be traversing the broad expanse

of Villostû Nykon (Sea of Many Islands). We now will glance through

the interior. These great saloons and luxuriously appointed sleeping

apartments are finished in rare carved woods and inlaid designs of

Ento's fruits and flowers through which peer lovely child faces of

marvellously delicate and artistic execution.

You perceive that this vessel carries many passengers, and all in

equal comfort. Unlike the vessels of our planet it carries no steerage

passengers, for on Ento such an atrocity is as unknown as are class

distinctions, which the Sacred Writings distinctly forbid. This is the

Sacred statement: "I, Andûman[a:], the Creator of all that is declare

that of one blood, one bone, one flesh, I have made all the children of

My Love, so let no man dare say, I am better than my brother," and I

can assure you that the Sacred commandment is obeyed.

On this deck are the offices, saloons, sleeping, culinary and dining

apartments. On the deck below, to which we will now descend, are the

engineer's and his assistants' apartments and departments, and also

storage for freight. For the motive energy, the mechanism is partly

here, and partly in what may be termed the hold. These vessels are

so like and so unlike the seagoing vessels of our planet that should

I attempt to describe existing differences I would consume too much

time and space, but we desire that you shall bear to the peoples of

Earth a knowledge of the fact that it is possible for vessels of the

largest size to be propelled by electric energy, and also that now on

Earth there are men inspired by Spirit Electricians who are working

to that end, and that ere long there will come into the Earth sphere

men, who, on the Spirit side, have learned the higher applications of

electric energy, and who will know how to use them. The time is not far

distant when, on our planet, steam as a motive power will have become

as obsolete as it is on Ento.

Your continued surprise, at seeing on Ento much that corresponds with,

or at least bears a resemblance to Earth forms, is so natural that we

do not marvel at it; still, if you will bear in mind a fact we already

have stated, that form is the expression of a universal principle, and

that in conformity with the degree of his evolvement, man expresses

it, you will cease to wonder that our next door neighbors, the

Entoans, shape the keels of their vessels on the same lines as Earth's

shipbuilders shape the keels of their vessels. Adaptation of means to

ends is an expression of form. Thus the savage who shapes the primitive

dugout, or his more advanced brother who constructs the more shapely

bark canoe, intuitively applies the principle of form as a means to an

end. As the Entoans of the present are the result of the Entoans of the

past, you may rest assured that their progenitors also used dugouts and

bark canoes, and only through their larger accumulated experiences do

they, in some directions, take precedence of their less mature Earth

brethren, who, in time, will outgrow their youthfulness. We now will

ascend to the upper deck, for we are approaching one of the circular

basins which are features of all Waterways. They occur at intervals

of about twenty English miles, and through the system of atmospheric

telegraphy the movements of all vessels are so perfectly controlled

that their passage in opposite directions is accomplished through the

medium of the basins, and thus collisions never occur.

Observe how swiftly, how gracefully, yonder huge vessel sweeps around

the further curve of the basin, cleaving the water like a thing of

life, and leaving in its wake great undulating billows of snowy foam.

Across the basin friendly salutations come to our fellow voyagers, and

they cry back, "Lohaû, lohaû. F[a:]endos [a:]yon mûya." Ah me, it is

hail and good-bye to most things, and now it is good-bye to this fine

vessel which for a time has given us hospitality and you an object

lesson.

George, we now will ascend. Sweeping northward and southward, yet

tending eastward, we will afford you a comprehensive view of the

equatorial lands and portions of the North and South Temperate

Zones. Observe how diversified is this Equatorial region. Cities,

towns and villages dot the wide expanses which largely are devoted

to agricultural pursuits, and so productive are the lands that they

not only afford sustenance for local populations but admit of great

quantities of grains, fruits and vegetables being shipped to other less

favored localities. Truly, Ento's Irrigated Belt is the garden of the

Planet. George, we now will quickly pass northward to the headwater of

Cēhylû Ooltom[a:]h (Rushing River).

Gentol[a:], in this chain of spring-fed lakes the great river rises,

and during a considerable portion of the year its volume is greatly

enlarged through melting snows and frequent rains of this rather cold

but humid region. We will follow its course southward so that you

may observe the cities, towns and villages lining its banks, and the

various kinds of craft traversing its navigable length. You perceive

that Pfylonna, the city beneath us, is at the head of navigation, and

we with profit and pleasure might pass an hour in viewing its points of

interest, but not now, for time is flying and at any moment we may be

called to D[a:]o.

Yes, this northern region is more picturesque than are the lands of the

Temperate and Equatorial countries, which, as we proceed southward,

stretch into great level plains which sustain a dense population,

largely of agriculturists. Yonder, on the eastern bank of the river,

is a pretty, wooded height, the remnant of a mountain chain of the

long ago. Now its slight elevation is little more than a sufficient

barrier against the tumultuous floods, which during the spring pour

down between it and the stone embankments of Cēhylû Ooltom[a:]h's

western shore. Yes, Ento's Waterways, Irrigating System, Embankments

and other stupendous works excite wonder and admiration for the skill,

industry and enterprise involved, but generally, when self-preservation

is at stake, humanity rises superior to emergencies. Inidor[a:], while

we hastily survey the surrounding country, will you learn if the

Istoir[a:] may be interesting enough to engage our attention? Some

rural Istoir[a:]s possess very attractive features.

Inidora--I feel strongly impelled to gratify your curiosity and my own.

I shall be gone but a moment, and if worth while will summon you.

De L'Ester--Again we are near the northern limit of the Irrigating

and Waterways System, and to what a state of perfection it has been

brought. Those great Structures are pumping Stations, and so excellent

is the mechanism employed that the water distribution is under perfect

control. The government of Ento indulges in no half-way measures.

Whatever is done is done as well as can be accomplished.

What can so delay Inidor[a:]? He must have found the Istoir[a:]

unusually interesting. We will seek him there. Ah--see how like one

enchanted he stands gazing upon a woman kneeling before the flower

laden altar. Over her white robes falls a wealth of dark, waving hair,

which, like a silken mantle, partly conceals her large, dark, luminous

eyes and marvellously lovely face, in which yet lingers the timidity

and guilelessness of childhood. So entrancing is the young creature

that Inidor[a:] is unconscious of our presence. Now she prays to

Azēon, God of Love, to send her a lover who shall be handsome, tender

and true, and she will be faithful and loving until death shall call

them into the Silence. Prayer from a heart so pure, uttered by lips so

tremulous, so beautiful, might move either mortal or Spirit. Genessano,

speak to your brother, for truly he is lost to all save this lovely

girl.

Genessano--Inidor[a:], my brother, have you found in this beautiful

suppliant your other Self? Nay, start not; it is I, Genessano. You were

so absorbed that you did not observe our coming in search of you.

Inidora--Yes, yes, I indeed have found my other Self, and cannot claim

my own. Oh, thou beauteous Spirit Amilla, for whom I have searched the

worlds of space, clothed thou art in flesh, which holds thee as the

shell holds the pearl. Blind and deaf thou art to the presence of thy

lover, thy other Self, whom thou prayest Azēon to send thee. Drawn to

thee through the law which attracts each to its own, I again have found

thee, and henceforth I shall guard and guide thee until thou art free;

then again wilt thou find thy lover tender and true, and I shall claim

thee for my very own. Amilla, dearest, loveliest one, reverently I

kiss thy perfumed hair, thy upturned brow, beneath which thy luminous

eyes shine like twin stars. I touch with mine thy parted lips, and the

fragrance of thy breath is as the fragrance of rodels, but thou knowest

not that I am near thee. Amilla, Amilla, oh, couldst thou know, that as

of old thy lover so tender, so true, stands beside thee, how quickly

wouldst thou turn toward me thy face, which is as beautiful as is the

face of an angel. But thou dost not know, thou dost not know. Alas,

thou hast so forgotten the past that I am as naught to thee. Oh, it is

pitiful, pitiful, that I cannot make thee understand. Fain would I

this moment free thee, but I must not, I dare not. Friends, bear with

me, for until I shall have brought her Soul into harmony with my own

I shall remain with my regained Amilla, whose repeated embodiments,

like my own, have held us far apart. This accomplished, I at intervals

will be with you, and when my love shall be freed, oh, joy of joys!

we together with you dear friends will for love's sake labor for the

upliftment of humanity.

De L'Ester--Even as thine own shall one day come to thee, so ere long

shall mine own come to me. Inscrutable are the Laws of the Infinite

Duality through whose seemingly devious ways apparently we are impelled

toward destined ends. As to-day I walk alone, so one brief hour ago,

walked our Inidor[a:]. A seeming chance, a sudden impulse, and lo!

for our friend the face of the universe is changed. Gentol[a:], you

comprehend that, during past embodiments, Inidor[a:] and Amilla have

known of their indissoluble relationship. That you may come to further

understand the law of re-embodiment, I briefly will relate a portion

of my life story, involving comparatively recent experiences of my

own, and of one who is my other Self, for, as you have been told, the

male and the female are the two halves of a whole, and it is a law of

nature, or if it pleases you, of God, that, somewhere or somehow, the

halves shall become as one, not as one entity or individual, but as one

in perfect Spiritual harmony.

More than a century ago, after a prolonged separation, suddenly my Soul

Mate and I came face to face, and I knew my own. I a freed spirit,

she a creature born of lust and fallen in the mire of a dissolute

existence. Vainly her Spirit Self warred against and strove to escape

from the bondage of inherited animal passions which held her fast as

with chains of steel; so, patiently, lovingly I did for her what I

could, until one drunken with wine and frenzied with jealousy, struck

her body dead at his feet. I, who waited and watched for her release,

drew her away from the scenes of her degraded mortal existence to

her own place, aiding her as other loving ones also did, to undo the

tangled threads of her sorrowful Earth life. She, who well understood

the Law of Being, quickly realized that if she would progress out

of the conditions of her previous embodiments, she again must enter

the Mortal Sphere of our or of some other planet, and with slight

hesitation, this she resolved to do.

It is well that you shall learn _that all mortal experiences_ are

necessary for the perfecting of character, which is but another term

for Spiritual growth. The tendency of the real Self, the Spirit, is

ever onward, ever upward. The tendency of the animal Soul or conscious

Self, ever is toward the material plane of Being; thus, in the

Spiritualized human, there is a constant warfare between the Positive

or Spiritual man and the Negative or Animal consciousness and no one

comes out of the battle unscathed.

You question the justice of a law which demands from humanity that

which from an elevated mortal standpoint is objectionable; but, my

friend, have not you learned that the crust of bread earned by sweat

of the brow is sweeter far than the whitest loaf to the palate of the

idler? Be assured that when again you shall find yourself on our side

of life, you will prize the crusts you have, through sad experiences,

_earned_, far more than the white loaves you might have eaten to

your hurt, and I do not question but that in time you not only will

acquiesce in the justice but in the beneficence of a law which admits

of the undoing of mistakes, and of the acquisition of much that only

can be learned through repeated mortal experiences, and of what is of

greatest moment, the Rebirth of exalted Spirits, who may be Saviors of

humanity.

You, who in your mortal state, but partly realize that Love, the

Divine Principle, impels all things into harmonious relations, into a

fulfillment of the Law of Love, may experience a sense of surprise,

that after a period equalling no more than forty of Earth's fleeting

years, my Romēne, grown strong and learned in many things, announced

her desire to at once take on mortal form, that as a Teacher she might

serve women undergoing such experiences as to her were most sorrowful

memories.

Yes, Romēne is the name of my other Self, and at her desire one of

the Spirit Bands, known as Angels of the Visitation, sought out

suitable environments for her next step on the ever ascending ladder of

progress. Why did she so quickly become re-embodied? She did so that

thus she might fulfill the Law of Love, for remember _that it is only

through loving service_ that Spirits in or out of the mortal body grow

strong, wise and purified. Although Romēne and I understood the _fact_

that for all losses there are adequate compensations, it but slightly

mitigated the sorrow of our separation. We simply submitted, as all

must, who desire to progress toward the unattainable perfection of the

Infinite Spirit, Who alone is Perfection. Desiring that I should not

interfere with, or even be cognizant of her mortal experiences, Romēne

exacted from me a promise that I should not seek for her or endeavor

to learn on what planet she might be re-embodied, and I have kept my

promise. When the moment of our parting arrived, there was one close

embrace, one lingering look into each other's eyes, then a loosening

of clinging hands, and then--and then I stood alone, for the Angels of

the Visitation had borne my Spirit Romēne away to, I know not where.

At times word comes to me of one who lives a life of self-abnegation,

of an Angel of pity, who ministers to fallen ones, inspiring them with

clearer views of their duties to others, to themselves, thus to God.

That ceaselessly she walks amid the squalid homes of the ignorant,

the wretched children of men, instilling into their dulled minds a

desire for knowledge, which is the bread and water of life. Thus she

is _earning_ her crust of bread. Thus she is _earning_ the reward for

duties fulfilled.

It is a provision of the Law of Re-embodiment that those who return to

the Mortal Plane retain little or no recollection of past experiences,

but to some peculiarly constituted persons, in moments of Spiritual

exaltation, come gleams of memories of a wondrous past existence,

which, like the lightning's flash, come and are gone. I know not if

to my Romēne these gleams of memories ever come, but I know that with

me her Spiritualized Image ever abides, and that with measureless

longing I wait and watch for her return. Never have I purposely sought

for my vanished one, but ever as I journey from world to world, with

vague expectation I scan the faces of women, hoping that in some one

of them I may find at least a resemblance to her who on some planet is

fulfilling the Law of Love, and the years go swiftly by and soon, ah,

yes, at any moment she may return to me.

This recital I purposely have given as a lesson for you who so revolt

against the Law of Re-embodiment.

Gentola--Certainly I do not desire to avoid learning any truth, however

unpalatable it may be, but to one whose latest religious education has

been thoroughly orthodox, the facts and statements of the Spiritual

Philosophy are somewhat startling. I have outgrown some of my former

beliefs, but I confess that I have not grown far enough to receive with

equanimity a belief in Re-embodiment. Yes, I am aware that the belief

did not originate in Modern Spiritualism, indeed it is only of late

years that I have heard any Spiritualist advocate it. If it is a truth,

why is it that most returning, perhaps I should say communicating

Spirits are so reticent concerning it? During the twelve years of my

Mediumship, to me it has not been more than hinted at. From your own

story I infer that Re-embodiment is a matter of choice, yet clearly in

order to progress of necessity one must yield to this law. When it may

suit your inclination I should like you to more fully explain this very

mystifying matter.

De L'Ester--To your quite reasonable remarks I cannot now reply, but

at a more opportune time I shall do so. This much I may say, that

although a willing consent to an _unavoidable necessity_ is somewhat

paradoxical, when there is a choice between a lesser and an infinitely

greater good, even at cost of ease or inclination, one is apt to choose

the greater good. As with most persons some of the experiences of your

present Embodiment have not been so agreeable as to induce in you a

desire for their possible repetition, yet I venture to predict that a

time will arrive when, through your own desire, you again will take on

mortal conditions.

Gentola--It may be as you say, but now I recoil from the thought of

again passing through the sorrowful experiences that of necessity are

a part of mortal existence. But come what may, in all sincerity I can

say, "Thy will be done."

While we have been conversing I have been watching Inidor[a:] and the

kneeling girl and it seems strange that she does not perceive his

presence, he who appears so real, so substantial. As he gently touches

her hair, she thinks the breeze is toying with it, and with her shapely

hand she smooths its rippling waves. He kisses her forehead over which

flossy curls are straying; again she fancies that the breeze is playing

with her tresses, and somewhat impatiently she tucks them under her

jewelled fillet. Now she rises to her feet, raises her hands toward

the golden Sun crowning the altar and silently, but with an expression

of intense devotion on her lovely face, bows low, murmuring, "Oirah,

oirah, oirah," and now with Inidor[a:] by her side, quietly, serenely

she passes from the Istoir[a:]. What a strange scene, but in keeping

with all these strange experiences.

De L'Ester, all my preconceived ideas relating to spirits are

vanishing. What were my preconceived ideas? I scarcely can say, but

certainly I have not conceived it possible that such a scene as the one

we have witnessed could occur. Like other mortals, in a sense, I have

regarded Spirits as superhuman, and I confess that it is something of

a shock to realize that you are as human as myself. Then again, as I

believe that you would not mislead me, I am constrained to accept your

declaration that Re-embodiment is a fact, and in my mind the question

arises, why does not the Infinite Potentiality create humans so perfect

as to preclude the necessity of their experiencing the many trials and

sorrows incident to repeated Embodiments?

De L'Ester--Why the Infinite Duality does this, or does not do that,

only the Infinite can reveal, but this we do know, that as Spirits in

or out of the mortal body through high endeavor and loving service for

others unfold their infolded attributes they _grow_ into a _clearer

realization_ that whatever really is is right, and that in the Universe

there is but one Principle which is wholly good, hence, logically,

there can be no evil, and that so termed evil is a manifestation of

unevolvement, which inevitably must yield to the divinity inherent in

all that is real.

As to Spirits, the only difference between those in and those out of

mortal bodies is the change in their environments. So termed death is

the casting off of a coarse garment for one of finer texture, and a

subsequent removal from one to another condition of existence, which in

no way changes the higher emotions.

Why does not the Infinite Potentiality create humans so perfect as

to not require added virtues? As well may we ask when, where, how,

did the first humans of the universe appear, for neither we, or

most exalted Spirits, or Angels of the highest Heavens know. The

utmost that is known is that in the evolution of the human animal

germs, of any planet, a period arrives when the evolved human animal

becomes a conscious Soul, and in him the Ego, the Spirit entity,

finds an instrument through whom it may express its God likeness or

attributes. How do we know this? Because that on various planets we

see it exemplified. Upon what basis do we declare Re-embodiment to be

a fact? Because we constantly see its demonstration. Why do not all

communicating Spirits declare this truth? May I ask why do not you

speak Greek, Hebrew or Sanscrit? You may reply, because I have not

learned those languages; besides, should I speak them but few persons

would understand them. Precisely so, and it is quite as true, that

only Spirits advanced to certain planes of Spiritual Being are learned

in the Law of Re-embodiment, and equally as true that until of late

comparatively few Occidentals have been prepared to accept a truth so

repellent not only to orthodox Christianity but to the many whose minds

reject all beyond the material plane of Being. Communicating Spirits

may be ignorant concerning Re-embodiment, or too wise to offer that

which might excite distrust or aversion. At times silence is indeed

golden.

Among the older civilizations of our planet a knowledge of this truth

and of the significance of the Karma are so incorporated with all that

concerns their existence that their every thought and act are shaped

thereby, and it is but a question of time when the western peoples will

receive and retain the impress of their forcefulness.

Yes, I am aware that by most of your thinkers the law of heredity

is thought to be accountable for the great diversity of forms,

features and mental characteristics of families, and to a degree

they are correct, but only to a degree. For instance, you are one of

ten children (not including Inez and Emma, whose growth has been on

the Spirit Side) of the same parents, subjected to nearly the same

antenatal influences and after environments, yet in physical likeness,

temperament and mentality, you were so unlike your brothers and sisters

as to be regarded as somewhat uncanny. We know that heredity only

partly covers your case.

As another illustration, we will select a not exceptional instance of

a low type of parents, whose ancestors may or may not have been below

their own level, _but certainly not above it_. To these parents are

born a number of children who may more or less closely resemble them,

but among the brood is one so entirely unlike any of the others as

to perhaps arouse suspicion as to his or her paternity. Though the

other children possess very ordinary mentality, and physically are

uncouth, the exceptional child is unusually intelligent, straight of

limb, erect of head, open eyed, handsome featured, and with a certain

grace of bearing which sets him or her quite apart, not only from the

other children, but from the parents to whom he or she ever is as

much a stranger as though of another family. Does the law of heredity

satisfactorily account for an instance of this kind? _And it is not an

isolated one._

Your scientists assert that not only through successive, but

_intermittent_ generations, mental and physical traits are

transmitted, and I admit the fact; on the other hand I assert that

it is not possible _through heredity_ or fortuitous circumstances

to, through a low type of parentage, produce a type possessing the

very best characteristics of the human. One does not gather figs

off thistles or roses from noxious weeds. Believe me, Gentol[a:],

entertaining Angels unawares is of common occurrence, and Angels are

Spirits who, through repeated embodiments, have attained to more or

less exalted states of Being.

Yes, very exalted Spirits, desiring to compass certain ends, on our

or other planets, are, so to say, reborn, and generally into lowly

conditions. If you will acquaint yourself with the mortal origin of

the Saviors of our Planet, the men and women who, during the crises of

humanity's upheavals, have come to the front as leaders or teachers,

you will learn that as a rule it has been, not the nobly born, but the

lowly born, who have been the champions, the deliverers of the people,

whom "in the fullness of time" they came to serve, perchance to save.

To return to your own case. You are aware that your parents were

very upright, very pious and intelligent persons; these and other

characteristics fitted them for parentage of more than average merit.

Your father was strong physically and mentally, and of a most generous

nature, which impelled him to assist all who came his way. At the same

time he exhibited a certain ruggedness of character, amounting to

brusqueness. Your mother, frail physically, but with high Spiritual

development which afforded her fine intuition, formed with your father

a combination through whom Spirits well advanced might return to

further fulfill the Law of their Being. Physically, you are somewhat

like your father, and also your mentality possesses a coloring of his

positive, unswerving honesty of purpose, but largely it is through your

mother's Spirituality that you possess a free entrance into the Realm

of Intuition. So much and more I yield to the law of heredity. Then

again arises the question, all having been born of the same parents

and under like conditions and environments, why are not you and your

brothers and sisters more alike? When you return to our side of life

you will be better able to reply to this question.

You desire that I shall tell you something of your embodiment preceding

your present one. You were an Oriental, your parents being Egyptians,

dwelling in Alexandria. Your father was a dealer in rich stuffs and

jewels. A man of stern character, yet withal of a rare tenderness of

nature. Your mother, a woman of great beauty and fine intelligence,

gave you birth, and almost immediately passed to the World of Spirits.

Toward the close of eleven years of Earth life you joined your mother

who had guarded and guided you until you were released. Yes, previous

to your present Embodiment you clearly understood that you were to be

the Special Instrument for the accomplishment of this Mission, and

gladly you re-entered the mortal plane that thus you might further

fulfill the Law of Love. Throughout your present Embodiment you have

shown decidedly Oriental tendencies. Your love of light, of high

temperature, of rich colors, of flowers and fruits, and your equally

strong dislike of darkness, of cold and of animal food, indicates

a sort of overlapping of the tendencies of your previous Earthly

existence.

For some time I have had it in my thoughts to answer some of the

unasked questions agitating your mind, but until now no opportunity has

presented itself. I am quite aware of the inadequacy of my replies, and

of my inability to verify such statements as I have made, nevertheless

they are as true as Truth.

Gentola--I thank you for your patient endeavor to instruct me, and I

earnestly desire that I may grow into a knowledge of all that is true.

De L'Ester--We better than yourself comprehend why you so revolt

against the idea of Re-embodiment. Your nature is very pitiful, very

sympathetic, and it is not so much your personal sorrows as your

consciousness of the fact that on our Planet ignorance, injustice,

cruelty and poverty so prevail as to render life undesirable, that

occasions you to shrink away from further mortal experiences.

Yes, it is true that the struggle for power and luxury among those best

equipped for the battle is indeed a sad spectacle, only a little less

sad than is the struggle for mere existence among the toiling millions

of Earth's children. On the surface the strife between prosperity

and poverty appears very unequal, but to those who see beyond mortal

existence, and who know that it is the sum of mortal deeds that

determines the condition of all on the Spirit Side, how pitifully small

and mean are all the ephemeral dignities and luxuries for which men and

women barter their best, their immortal interests!

We are not surprised that you now shrink from the thought of again

returning into this seething maelstrom of human passions and misery,

but remember that under all this strife and agony is the ever uplifting

lever of evolution which unfailingly brings to the surface and

perpetuates that which is worthiest. Cannot you yet conceive of the

lofty devotion of discarnated ones, who, seeing their opportunity and

their duty, hasten to the rescue of struggling humanity, sustaining

the weak, restraining the wayward and consoling the sorrowful, thus

fulfilling the Law of Love? Thus presenting to humanity higher views of

Truth.

Ever the onward marching army of humanity is calling for leaders who

shall direct their ways toward a better land, and ever the supply

is equal to the demand; for ever the Angels of the Visitation are

preparing the ways and making them straight for the advent of Saviors

who are to be the Leaders and Teachers of humanity. At present the

affairs of Earth's peoples are tending toward a most destructive

culmination. It would seem that only the Infinite One can stay the

mad strife for place, for power, for gratification of selfish greed,

which, from day to day, grows fiercer and more aggressive. Almost

certainly they are sowing a wind that will develop into a whirlwind

whose destructive fury will efface so many landmarks that survivors

will find themselves at a loss to discover their whereabouts. Those who

are at the head of Humanity's Signal Service should heed the outlook.

Will they? We think not. They and the accumulators and hoarders of

the wealth that should serve humanity's needs are so besotted with

selfishness that they are blind and deaf to the cries of suffering

millions who know not where to turn for bread, and who now dumbly

endure, but who, when the day of reckoning shall come as come it will,

will hold their oppressors to an account of their Stewardship. At no

time during the history of our Planet have the Rulers of the Nations

been less humane, less selfish, less merciful, less just than at

present. True, the Sovereigns of some of the more enlightened Nations

do not, as in times past, indulge in wholesale or ruthless butcheries

of their subjects, who have evolved too far to tamely submit to such

cruelties, but it is a Truth as true as God that a sovereign or nation

who idly, perhaps exultingly, looks on while another nation is being

butchered for the crime of self-defense, are aiders and abettors of

murderous crime. At this moment fear of consequences alone stays the

hands of the leading Sovereigns of Europe from flying at each other's

throats and sacrificing on the altars of their unrighteous ambition

hecatombs of innocent, unwilling victims. Understand, Gentol[a:], I

am not finding fault with a condition, which, in the present state of

evolution of the peoples of our Planet, cannot well be otherwise. I

simply state facts and deplore their unwelcome existence.

Not only I, but all Spirits of right mind, long unutterably for an

opportunity to say to mortals, if but this much: Learn to love one

another. Learn that the good of one is the good of all. Learn that a

cup of cold water from the hand of a friend is better far than a cup

of choicest wine from a grudging hand. Learn that loving charity and

pitiful mercy are as two radiant Angels whose brightness will lighten

your pathway to the brink of the river beyond whose further shore you

will reap the harvest whose seed you have sowed while on the mortal

side of life. Learn that gentle words spoken and kindly deeds done are

treasures laid up in the heaven of your own consciousness, and that

throughout eternity they will be as precious jewels in your crown of

endless existence. And learn, oh, learn that, above and beyond all

else, Love is the fulfilling of the Law of the Infinite.

Yes, everywhere the processes of the progress of humanity appear to be

much the same, and so advanced and harmonious are some of the peoples

of some Planets of our and other Solar Systems, that compared with the

unevolved, inharmonious peoples of our Planet they are as Gods. Yet so

surely as on this height the Sun is shining, so surely will a period

arrive when Earth's peoples will be as brethren living in perfect unity.

Courage then, my friend, courage. With such ointment as you may

possess, anoint the worn and weary feet of your fellow travellers,

and though on Earth's plane they may neither understand or value your

service, be assured that on the Spirit Side their risen Selves will

turn and bless you.

I have consumed so much time that only in the briefest manner can

I reply to further questions. You desire to know if all mortals of

our Planet have been Re-embodied? Yes, repeatedly. You think it

strange that Spirits of a low plane of evolvement willingly become

reborn under such conditions as inevitably must occasion them much

wretchedness. I reply that Spirits seeking Rebirth are aware that they

cannot re-enter mortal existence on a plane higher than the one for

which their progress on the Spirit Side has fitted them, and gladly

they take up their cross that thus they may _earn_ their crown of

Spiritual progress. At another time I will inform you as to how Spirits

recognize their Spirit mates. Too long we have tarried on this pleasant

height. Now we must hasten elsewhere. George, your sister awaits your

assistance.

George--I have been taking a survey of this locality, and have learned

that the proprietor of the surrounding estate, with his family and

domestic assistants, occupies the nearby fine residence, to which is

attached this attractive Istoir[a:]. On its eastern side the height

gently slopes toward an extensive area of irrigated lands. When we

rise you will observe the pretty village occupied by those who, with

the proprietor, are engaged in their cultivation, which apparently is

very successful. De L'Ester has informed you that on Ento seldom are

laborers mere wage earners; all enterprises, of whatever nature or

magnitude, being conducted on a co-operative plan.

I also have glanced into the residence and found it a finely appointed

and luxurious rural home. I left Inidor[a:] enraptured with Amilla, who

sang a love song accompanying her voice with the soft, sweet notes of

the harplike Loit[a:]. She is the only surviving child of parents quite

past middle age, and she resembles her rather dark skinned father,

though indeed she also resembles her mother, who is fair enough to be

of the Quend race. In the Istoir[a:], back of the altar, are tablets

setting forth the family history of births and deaths. R[a:]imon

Kenoid[a:]s is the father's name. Amilla bears the name of her mother.

De L'Ester--As usual, George, you make us your debtors. Now we will

rise, and while following the course of the river we will obtain a view

of areas of the Irrigated Belt. We are journeying nearly due south,

though further on the river curves slightly toward the east, then

gradually toward the west, but the general direction is southward until

it empties into Hûyd[a:]fon Lois[a:] (Bottomless Lake), a fresh water

lake, partly within the South Temperate Zone, and which is a part of

the system. Now the river widens and the elevation grows so pronounced

as to suggest a period when its rocky peaks pierced the clouds. Yes,

ages have passed since that remote time.

Those great embankments along the western shore are for the purpose

of confining the prodigious volume of water which in the spring pours

down from the north, threatening to inundate the broad, level stretches

toward the west. You have yet to witness, and shall, if all goes well,

the spring floods of melted snow, to which are added such downpours

of rain as will astonish you. To one unused to the spectacle it might

appear as though Ento were about to have an experience similar to the

legendary Noachian deluge. As already stated engineering skill has

risen equal to all emergencies arising from the spring floods, which no

longer are regarded as disastrous, but as a special blessing.

What vast expanses of growing grains, of vegetables and fruits. Yes,

Ento's labor saving machines are of such a high degree of excellence

that they serve all the purposes of a fine system of cultivation.

Below us now the mountainous height abruptly slopes to the level

of the plain, rendering necessary the great embankment which, as

you perceive, is carried to the further side of the gap, where it

terminates at the foot of the broken mountain, which extends the length

of the river. Gam[a:]lûfan (Town of the Gap), the large town below

us, whose wharf is lined with vessels great and small, and in whose

Basin a number of large vessels await opportunity for discharging or

for taking aboard lading and passengers, is a manufacturing centre of

some importance, and its wide, beautifully paved, flower bordered and

shaded streets and numerous fine residences indicate a considerable

population of highly cultivated people. As is usual, the Temple is

the most attractive feature of the town. Its white, sculptured walls

and lofty golden dome, on which glows the many rayed emblem of Ento's

religion, stands out in bold relief against the background of the

verdure covered slope at whose foot it is built. In the large building

to the right of the temple is a fine library, and to the right of it

is the town school, to which at this moment a large number of children

are hastening; not with the noisy hilarity of youths of our Planet,

but with the gravity of their elders. It is a pathetic feature of Ento

child life which we will hope may ere long disappear.

Why do not we in this region see any Tuzamos For the same reason

that on our Planet a time will arrive when, as on Ento, railways, in

certain localities, will be impracticable. You have been informed

that, in certain regions of this planet, to a considerable depth, the

soil is friable and as porous as a sponge, rendering it too unstable

for a Tûz[a:]mo roadbed, which the spring floods undermine and render

unsafe for transportation. It is only where the soil is coherent that

Tûz[a:]mo lines are practicable. Of course, as Air Transports can go

anywhere over the Planet, for many purposes they are preferable to land

or water transportation.

Yonder is a fruit laden vessel drawing to its mooring at the wharf. We

will descend so that you and our lad may examine the crates and baskets

piled high with the luscious fruits of the various countries. Observe

how each variety of fruit is surrounded by its own peculiar aura, which

mortals term aroma. It is the vital principle or Spirit essence of the

fruit, and is the portion of which Spirits partake, and I can assure

you that an indulgence in this direction is never followed by a fit

of indigestion. You may believe my assertion that the aura of animal

foods attracts Spirits of gross appetites, and the feasters at meat

laden boards ever have guests they little dream of entertaining, and

the drinker of intoxicants hobnobs with boon companions for whom he

unwittingly pays the score.

While on this subject I shall tell you another fact. In all households

there is a certain fluidic condition originating in the emanations

of the persons composing the family, and also from the emanations of

the foods partaken of by the family, and of visitors who in a slight

measure contribute to the condition. So sublimated is this fluid that,

as a rule, only discarnated Spirits fully perceive it, yet there are

instances where it is so decided, so perceptible, that, to a degree,

visitors unconsciously are influenced by it, and according as this

fluid is Spiritualized or sensualized, will be the class of persons

attracted by it. Hereafter, upon entering different homes, observe your

sensations, and soon you will recognize the meaning of this statement.

No, animal food does not necessarily debase Spirituality; yet I would

not advise you or any one to partake of it. Comparatively few persons

are positive enough to repel unseen, uninvited guests, but only decided

positives have any assurance that they are not entertaining to their

hurt, guests whose mere proximity is a menace. But enough of this,

for I do not feel quite certain that this information is not somewhat

premature, but let it pass.

Now we will resume our journey. Yes, the generally levelled surface

of these Equatorial lands precludes much variety or picturesqueness

of scenery. We now have reached the southern confine of the Province

of Vohûak[a:], and the river curves a little toward the southwest,

rushing through this rift in the mountain, which is known as Yoid[a:]s

hû[a:] (bow shaped). Below us, in the angle formed by the mountain

and the river, is the capital city of Vohûak[a:], which is known as

Endoin[a:][a:] Tylû (City of Bridges), and aptly it might be termed

the Venice of Ento. To my mind it is a very beautiful and unique city.

Gentol[a:], what do you think of it?

Gentola--It also impresses me as being a very beautiful city. Through

nearly all of the streets are canals spanned at intervals by handsome

bridges, so ornamental, so apparently unsubstantial, that it seems

surprising that they sustain the weight of the numerous vehicles and

multitudes of people passing over them. The margins of the canals are

lined with great palmlike trees, whose leaves are in incessant motion,

and as the pretty, passenger laden and other boats glide along under

their rustling branches they seem to be whispering to each other.

And, dear me, see those lovely, lovely flowers, growing all along the

margins of the Waterways, their rich, glossy green leaves and great

snowy blooms trailing down the walls and onto the water, where they

rest like enthroned Queens of the flower world. Yes, I perceive their

aura, and how wonderful it is. Please take me nearer, so that I may see

them more clearly. Genessano, you are a flower lover, will not you tell

us something concerning these beauties?

[Illustration: RODEL. The National Flower.]

Genessano--This is the rodel, the beauteous flower whose delicate

perfume is considered far more exquisite than that of any other of

the many fragrant blooms of Ento. With fervent prayers to Andûman[a:]'s

Messengers that, through loving deeds and duties fulfilled, its life

may be made as beautiful as is the heart of the rodel, its unfolding

buds are placed in the hands of the newly created infant. Bridal and

other special ceremonies are graced by its peerless loveliness, and

its snowy blooms cover from tear dimmed eyes the pallid faces of the

beloved dead. Also it symbolizes Life and Death. In early morning its

opening chalices turn their hearts toward Andûman[a:]'s rising abode,

their sweet fragrance ascending as an Offering to Him Who is the Source

of all life. At close of day its white petals fold themselves over its

golden heart and it sleeps the sleep of death, for it blooms but a day,

ere its sweet life ends. Look into its heart and you will see a golden

representation of the shining rays surrounding Andûman[a:]'s glorious

abode, hence it is regarded as a Divine Symbol, and in a sense it is

idolized, or perhaps I should say reverenced as being possessed of

Sacred qualities. Where nature has not provided suitable conditions for

its growth it is artificially cultivated; besides, the matured buds are

shipped all over the Planet, so that no occasion need lack the office

of the Sacred flower.

Gentola--Many thanks for your interesting information. To me all

flowers are more or less beautiful; these are especially so. What

immense leaves and how oddly pretty their frilled edges are, and they

stand up in a rim all around the---- Oh, my, Bernard, look at that

droll little creature blinking at us from that large leaf. What is it,

De L'Ester?

De L'Ester--If you should come across one of its kind on Earth probably

you would call it a frog. Genessano may have another name for it.

Brillo? That is rather a nice name for the comical looking creature.

Ah, there it goes headforemost into the water, and now may be relating

to its comrades its narrow escape from the clutches of some strange

looking beings. Observe how substantially these canals are walled.

The masonry is about six feet thick and impenetrable by water, and

at intervals spaces are arranged for the growing of rodels and other

plants of an aquatic nature. The Entoans, universally, are flower

lovers; so, in your next Re-embodiment, you will find other inducements

than grapes to tempt you to become an Entoan. We will ascend a little

so that we may command a better view of the city. Yes, the scene is

very attractive. The canals are alive with passing boats, and overhead

are Transports coming or going.

You have observed the immense basin wherein a number of large river

vessels await their turn to load or unload their freight. Those

numerous small, heavily laden boats are the carriers to or distributors

for the large vessels which, of course, could not navigate the canals.

An admirable feature of Entoan cities is the absence of avoidable

noises, haste and confusion. Always the people work in harmony, each

respecting the rights of their neighbors, and all intent upon doing

their duty, thus honoring their calling and themselves. Back of their

harmonious relations with each other is the intelligent force of a

Spiritually evolved people, expressing itself in elevated thoughts and

aims, and in the beautiful in art, architecture, industry and thrift,

which ever are the concomitants of properly adjusted social relations

and of an intelligent sense of duty. The Entoans consider idleness so

utterly at variance with right conduct as to be disgraceful and not at

all permissible, save in cases of disability. Although they never have

heard that Satan finds mischief for idle hands to do, they have learned

that idleness is the begetter of all manner of social corruption, so,

sternly it is frowned out of Ento's code of ethics. What is known

on our planet as the social evil, which, indeed, is a condition of

undevelopment on a level with mere animalism, long, long ago, through

their ever increasing Spirituality and consequent refinement, was,

by the Entoans, outgrown. Even by persons least observant of social

niceties, strictest chastity is practiced. Yes, Ento's religion demands

chaste conduct; but, aside from that, the Entoans have evolved beyond

mere animalism. Idleness is a vestige of barbarism, and inevitably it

begets vicious tendencies and vicious abuses of natural functions;

hence it is all important that the law-makers of a people shall not

only recognize the importance of this fact, but that also they shall

in themselves furnish fine examples of honesty, industry, chastity and

temperate living, which, alas, generally they do not. Our acquaintance

with the peoples of various Planets affords us wide opportunities for

observation of their modes of thought and habits, and wherever we have

found degradation of the sacred function of procreation, we have found

a corresponding lack of Spirituality, and of all ideals constituting

the basis of true civilization, which invariably is the reflection of

the degree of Spirituality of peoples who never are truly civilized

until they recognize that the human body is a temple for the indwelling

of the holy Spirit, the God-man.

Now we must turn our attention elsewhere. It will not, I think, be

amiss to devote a short time to an investigation of yonder mercantile

establishment, so that you may compare it with those of--well, of your

city of St. Louis. You perceive that the structure is seven stories in

height, and its frontage is quite two hundred feet, its depth about

the same. Enter without hesitation. You are not yet quite accustomed

to the fact of your invisibility. Including the interiors the entire

structure is of stone and various metals, rendering it fireproof.

Those elevators, swiftly carrying patrons to the various floors, also

are entirely of metal. Yes, the lightweight metal metszû.

These plant spaces surrounding the fountains are quite attractive,

and the fountains themselves are exquisite in design and execution.

I imagine that they are intended to serve the double purposes of

ornamentation and of cooling the heated atmosphere. Observe this

one. In the centre of the basin, on an ornate pedestal, is poised

the graceful form of a lovely, smiling girl, holding in her arms and

outreaching hands a mass of blown rodels and buds, whose long, slender

stems and frilled leaves seem to float on the water. From the hearts of

the full blown flowers jets of crystal water are thrown nearly to the

lofty ceiling, thence falling in silvery spray over the upturned face

of the girl and her armful of rodel blooms. The rim of the marble basin

is a composition of rodel blooms and foliage, as perfect of execution

as is the marble form of the girl or the lifelike blooms she holds in

her arms. Here is another basin in which is a great white marble vase

filled with growing aquatic plants and grasses. Around its rim, at

intervals, are sculptured water fowls from whose bills fine jets of

water are thrown upward, falling downward into the vase and basin like

a gentle shower of rain.

There are four fountains, and the basin of the next one is shaped

like a shallow fluted shell, in which is a group of semi-human,

semi-fishlike creatures of a mythical character. Oh, yes, the Entoans,

like all other peoples, have their myths. Genessano may enlighten us as

to the meaning of these nondescript creatures, whose present occupation

is throwing a bewildering number of tiny streams of water in such a

fashion as to partly conceal their lovely faces and fishlike forms.

Genessano--It is a very ancient story, and reckoned something more than

a myth, that once in a remote time a mother and her three children

fled from one who sought to destroy her and them. Being closely

pursued, she cried to the Gods for succor, and with her children

sprang into Indolois[a:]. The Deific Ones, compassionating her and

her children, metamorphosed her and them in such a manner that easily

they eluded their pursuer, who, in his fury, still sought for them,

but the avenging Gods raised such a tempestuous storm that quickly he

and his followers were destroyed. I recall that during my childhood,

when storms swept over Indolois[a:]'s bosom and the moaning winds

sounded like wails of distress, it was a common saying, "Ah, Rinahdo,

the cruel one, pursues Noyn[a:] a Vonn[a:] and her children," and our

mother would shelter in her loving arms her two timorous boys. This

group commemorating the legend is, of course, purely fanciful, and

the smiling mother and her laughing children are very unlike what my

childish fancy used to conjure into something terrifying. This fourth

fountain also illustrates a mythical legend, but it is not so regarded

by my people.

In the centre of this beautiful flower rimmed basin is a mass of large

leaves of a heart shaped growth. Up-springing from them is a long and

strong stem, bearing two great, many petalled flowers, from whose

hearts are rising with outspread wings, two softly plumaged birds, each

one carrying in its beak a bud just bursting into bloom. Our Sacred

Writings declare that out of Himself Andûman[a:] created and caused to

come forth from the buds the infant progenitors of Ento's children.

That at His command the Gods so assiduously cared for the infants, that

with miraculous quickness they grew to maturity, and in time their

offspring peopled Ento. Since most ancient times this myth has been

perpetuated in sculpture, painting and in religious ceremonies.

De L'Ester--This story of the origin of the Ento human is no more

absurd or illogical than are legends of the same nature of peoples of

other planets, who cling to senseless superstitions because they are

yet too immature to perceive the truth.

Now, Gentol[a:], you will speak of whatever may interest you.

Gentola--Where everything is interesting it is difficult to choose,

but certainly this great structure is worthy of notice. The roof is

composed of four great domes, filled in with plates of glass, so

transparent as to not obstruct the light, which falls through shades so

adjusted as to permit the sunlight to fall only on the groups of plants

and fountains. To me the whole interior, including the displays of the

various wares, appears very admirable. As we pass from one department

to another I scarcely can realize that we are not in some similar

establishment on Earth. Here are textile goods whose coloring, weave,

designs and quality equal, if they do not surpass, any fabrics I ever

have seen. After all you have said to me relating to the universality

of substance, the homogeneity of the mind of man and of the natural

and inevitable results of certain universal laws, perhaps I should not

express surprise to find here silks, satins, velvets and other fabrics

very like those of our own Planet. Here, too, are woolens of a great

variety of weaves and colorings, but I do not see any black goods of

any kind.

Genessano--To the Entoans black suggests darkness, for which they

entertain a positive aversion, and darkness suggests death, the ever

present terror of their lives. Black, the symbol of death, is never

worn or used in any avoidable manner. You may not have observed that

in the homes of the people lights ever are shining. Light being the

symbol of life, on every home altar a light burns perpetually.

Gentola--As I have been on Ento but twice during the night I had not

noticed the custom. A dread of darkness may to some appear rather

childish, but I can sympathize with the Entoans, for I have an intense

dislike for darkness. In the absence of light, I cannot locate myself.

I feel as though I were drifting through illimitable space, and the

sensation is excessively disagreeable. De L'Ester, can you explain this

mental condition?

De L'Ester--Not now. I merely will say that you lack what phrenologists

term locality, which will account for the fact that always you are

getting lost.

Gentola--That is true. At present I am lost in admiration of the very

attractive garments worn by Ento men and women. I know that I never

again will desire to wear the close fitting, ungraceful clothing I

always have worn. See that stately woman whose inner-robe outlines her

superb form, yet is modesty itself, and the over garment, loose, but

extremely graceful of cut, has such an air of distinction that it seems

to me any change would detract from its beauty. Oh, yes, indeed, I

greatly admire the manner in which the Ento women wear their abundant

waved or curled hair. The fillet is far prettier than any millinery

creation.

Dear me, what exquisite laces. As delicate as gossamer and of such

lovely designs. I profoundly admire fine laces, and am a fair judge

of their qualities, especially handmade laces, and these in texture,

designs and workmanship are as fine and beautiful as any I ever have

seen. Here, too, is a display of embroidery, which is surpassingly

lovely. I perceive that in their production gold, silver and silk

threads in a great variety of colors are combined harmoniously

and most artistically, and here are bands in which the flowers are

simulated by minute stones closely imitating the natural blooms. Yes,

frequently I have observed robes of both men and women bordered and

trimmed with such embroidery, and--no, it does not make the men appear

effeminate, quite the contrary. I cannot attempt a detailed description

of this adjoining department, devoted to an endless array of articles

for the toilet. Should I do so, certainly my Earth friends would laugh

at such an exhibition of my vivid imagination. Quite as certainly I

would not find fault with their incredulity. I, however, will say that

I find here combs, brushes, manicure implements, perfumes, soaps and an

endless array of articles whose uses I only can guess at. Could some of

our Earth folk walk into this establishment, which they would term a

department store, they, like myself, would find themselves amazed, not

so much by the strangeness, as by the familiar appearance of a thousand

and more articles.

De L'Ester--Do not forget that in the universe there is but _One Mind_

which _must_ everywhere express itself harmoniously, and you will cease

to marvel at many things.

Ah, George is experimenting and Genessano looks on with curious

interest. _Mon ami_, what are you attempting?

George--I am trying to find out if any of these salespeople are

Sensitives. Ah, my gentle sir, as you look about you seeking to learn

who has spoken to you, your dreamy eyes are opening wide with surprise.

Genessano, through Gentol[a:], address him. I fancy that he does not

understand English.

Gentola--Emano, r[a:]ûdoss[a:] illûm[a:] voi hû[a:]. Voiha istan

finostû tsoin[a:].

George--He grows alarmed, but stands in an attitude of intense

attention.

Gentola--Oûna ûfan yoidas ēmano. Info oovistû.

George--Now he is thoroughly alarmed and rushes away, exclaiming,

"Zēmos, Zēmos, dēlûsa ilmo evantos." His comrades and the people stare

and question as to the cause of his alarm, and two young men have gone

after him, evidently thinking him attacked with sudden illness. Very

certainly Ento possesses many Sensitives, and when the Spirit Worlds

shall have succeeded in changing the positive conditions surrounding

them they will become amenable to Spirit Control. What did Genessano

prompt you to say to the youth? In effect you remarked, "Friend, the

weather is fine." Then you asked, "Do you hear what I say?" Then you

added, "Be not alarmed. Info oovistû." Evidently he did not heed your

advice, and certainly he does not desire further acquaintance with you,

for his cried to Zēmos, a god, to protect him. The experiment being

concluded, I shall not further interrupt you.

De L'Ester--Of course it is not practicable for you to give a detailed

description of the contents of this establishment or of the structure

itself, which is a fine example of its kind, but when the time

shall have arrived for you to compile for publication our somewhat

imperfect manuscript, under my control you will arrange it, and then

you will recall all that you have seen, heard or experienced during

your journeys to Ento, and it may be worth while to describe to some

competent architect the style, including interior arrangements, of

this and of other structures you have observed. Being within the

equatorial belt, you may imagine that artificial heat is not required;

but, in this latitude at times the temperature falls so low as to be

uncomfortably cool; hence this electrical appliance for heating.

Our clairaudient friend, wearing an abashed and nervous air, is

returning. Be at peace, gentle souled one, for at present we will not

further disturb you.

Gentol[a:], you gaze longingly at those lovely laces. I wish it might

be possible for you to bear with you to Earth such a pretty memento

of your visit to Endoin[a:][a:] Tylû. George, what is next on the

programme?

George--Gentol[a:], in this city there is a library which save for

one in Dao, equals any other of Ento, and now we will afford you and

Bernard a view of it.

Gentola--I have meant to ask you to show me a library, but always the

time at our disposal is so fully occupied.

De L'Ester--Come, then, for the hours are flying and we cannot much

longer hold you. Allow me to assist you. This large edifice contains

treasures in books and various objects of value, but I do not greatly

admire its style of architecture, still it is a grandly imposing

structure and well adapted to its purposes. Those fine statues over the

main portico are representations of certain of Ento's authors, and you

will observe that those columns supporting the portico and them are in

style nearly as purely Doric as any you may find on our Planet. They

offer another illustration of the universality of form ideals. The main

entrance, though severely plain, is very imposing. We will enter it

and view the interior. You perceive that the roof is a series of four

domes through which the interior is lighted, ventilation being secured

through a scientific mechanism which thoroughly serves its purpose.

Also you perceive that five galleries encircle the interior, and that

the walls are fitted with glass inclosed shelves, which are filled

with books, largely bound in a material similar to papier-mache, which

its manufacturers know how to render flexible, and indestructible by

insects. Others are bound in leather of a very fine quality. No, cloth

bindings are not at all used, the Entoans being of the opinion that

books worth preserving are worthy of meritorious covers.

On this table is a large open book. Examine the leaves, and you

will see that they are of an excellent quality of paper, resembling

parchment. Its texture is very close, and it is almost as thin as

tissue paper, yet it is quite opaque. As Zenest[a:] is absent, you,

Genessano, will tell us something concerning the language of this book.

Genessano--Gentol[a:], you have been informed that on Ento one language

universally is spoken. True, there are other languages and dialects

which, on occasions, are both spoken and written, but practically

Avûnass[a:] is the language of Ento. By Spirits of your and other

planetary Spirit Spheres I have been informed that they find it a

singularly elegant and easily learned language. The alphabetical

letters are not complex, and during many centuries Ento's scholars

have made a study of simplifying the language. Did you understand

Avûnass[a:] you would perceive that through terminal letters and

accentuation a limited range of words serves for a wide range of

expression. No, this book is not Avûnass[a:], but V[a:][a:]mû, the

language of a southern race, of a period preceding the establishment

of Ento's religion. You perceive that the letters or rather the

characters, are quite unlike those of the Avûnass[a:] alphabet. Our

friend, Poole, is studying Avûnass[a:], and should you so desire, he

may draw the alphabet for you. Yes, I am his Instructor and find him an

apt pupil.

Our father, who, during his mortal existence, was a learned man, owned

a volume of this rare work, and through him Inidor[a:] and I became

a little acquainted with the V[a:][a:]mû language and the contents

of this book, which treats of the sciences of eighty Ento centuries

ago. As the lesser is contained in the greater, so the accumulated

knowledge of one era contains the germs which in after times unfold

their potencies. Thus the sciences as understood in the days of Dylos

R[a:]ûmo, the author of this book, were the germs of achievements of

the past and present, which you have learned are in many directions of

a high degree of excellence.

I am told that your word paper signifies the same as our word

billos[a:], which largely is the product of a fibrous plant known as

ekētos, which blooms prettily, producing large seed pods containing a

white, silken fibre, which is utilized, not alone in the manufacture

of billos[a:] but also for the production of textile fabrics, some of

which you recently have been admiring. Does this scene impress you

agreeably?

Gentola--Certainly; this is a large and beautifully arranged library,

and what numbers of people are coming, going, or entering the adjoining

room. A reading room? Yes, I should like to look into it. Why, it is

quite crowded with men and women, all intently perusing books, papers

and publications which wear a very familiar appearance; so familiar

indeed as to nearly make me doubt the evidence of my own eyes. De

L'Ester, please ask Genessano if the Entoans possess a literature

corresponding with what we term romances.

Genessano--Indeed, yes, and it constitutes a considerable portion of

Ento's literature. One story, which was based upon actual occurrences,

Inidor[a:] and I used to read with profound emotion, and when this

mission shall have culminated, and you may find leisure and inclination

to hear it, I will relate what De L'Ester may translate into your

language, and you may name it "A Romance of Ento."

Gentola--I am sure that I shall be even more pleased to hear it than

you can be in relating it.

George--Yonder is another clairaudient Sensitive, the youth robed in

blue, who apparently is seeking for some special book.

De L'Ester--Yes, and he also is somewhat clairvoyant. Gentol[a:], he

may be able to perceive or to hear you. Stand near him and follow my

dictation.

Gentola--Voian ēlos toy[a:] ēmano?

Entoan--Efon ist[a:] voian----Ah, Andûman[a:] kētoivan froy[a:]----

De L'Ester--Come away, come away, Gentol[a:], the man is scared out

of his wits, and has fallen in a swoon. What a commotion. Employees

and visitors hasten to his assistance, expressing much concern and

surprise. What a pity that he is such a nervous and timid person. Ah,

he is reviving and looking about him in an apprehensive manner, and

every one is plying him with questions. Genessano, what is he saying?

He speaks in such an excited and rapid manner that I cannot follow him.

Genessano--He says: "I was seeking for a copy of Brohûû Lûitszen,

when I thought some one inquired as to what I searched for. I was

about to reply, 'I am searching for Brohûû Lûitszen,' when I felt

impelled to turn my gaze in the direction of the voice, and I call

the Gods to witness that I thought I saw a strange woman, unlike any

I ever have beheld. It was not that her appearance was forbidding,

but there was in her face or form or expression that which I cannot

explain or describe, and in an instant I was so overawed that I lost

consciousness. I am ashamed of my weakness for, of course, it was a

freak of my imagination." They ask him how the woman was clothed, and

he replies that she was very singularly clothed, but that really he

cannot describe her garments. He also says that he and his auditors

have heard the strange stories relating to Prince Dano and some of his

friends, and he prays the Gods that he may not find himself similarly

afflicted. Now he says, "I feel myself quite restored, and am convinced

that the seizure was due to an overtaxed brain, for lately I have been

too studious and must desist from such imprudence." Although the youth

assumes a careless air, it is very apparent that he is ill at ease,

and his fellow employees and visitors to the library express concern

over what has occurred. From their conversation it is evident that the

experiences of Dano, Lēta, Favēon and other Sensitives have gained wide

publicity, and from their peculiar nature are exciting attention and

greater unrest in the minds of Ento's sorrowful peoples. A favorable

omen, friends, a favorable omen of the swiftly coming dawn of the

new religion, and as the day draws near I scarcely can restrain my

impatience.

De L'Ester--As little can we, but the hours are swiftly flying and well

may our hopes rise high, for surely, surely the light is penetrating

the Spiritual consciousness of many of Ento's children.

Gentol[a:], we cannot attempt even a limited description of the vast

collection of books, manuscripts and many curious objects. You must

content yourself through storing up memories of many things which in

coming years you may recall with pleasure to yourself and possibly to

others.

Gentola--I wish that I might retain memories of all that I experience

during these journeys to Ento, but always when I try to recall scenes

and the appearance of peoples and places it is like attempting to

revive illy remembered dreams. Now I gaze on this great library, on

these magnificently beautiful marbles, bronzes and many lovely and

interesting objects and I know that when I shall have returned to Earth

it all will appear as "the baseless fabric of a vision."

De L'Ester--You cannot retain memories of your Ento experiences

because your subconscious Self or Ego is too deeply submerged to be

in conscious rapport with your animal or Soul Self, which receives

negative imprints, which I promise you shall in time be developed into

memory pictures as vivid as are these realities. From the inception

of our Mission we have known that in your normal state you would not

remember your Ento experiences; hence the necessity of an automatic

record of them. Yes, I assure you that our expectation of your

efficiency in this undertaking has been more than fulfilled and we

promise you that the future shall not disappoint you. You yet are only

on the verge of surprising experiences; soon your Spirit senses will be

greatly quickened and then your work will be made plain to you. Ento is

but one of the Planets of space which, with us, you may visit, should

you so elect, but of this we will speak later on.

Friends, we yet have an hour at our disposal; how shall we best apply

it?

Genessano--I suggest that as Gentol[a:] and Bernard have seen but

little of Ento home life they shall be afforded a view of the interior

of some residence.

De L'Ester--A good suggestion, Genessano, and we will ask you to select

the residence.

Genessano--Then we will visit yonder massive and spacious dwelling

just beyond the sun-crowned column. Observe that its architecture is

not modern, neither is it of a very remote period. It may have been

erected two centuries ago of our time. Its massive stone foundation and

stone walls carried to the height of three stories show no evidences

of disintegration, and around the doors and windows the finely

executed sculpture appears as perfectly preserved as though chiselled

recently. About the handsome structure the spacious lawn is abloom

with a variety of flowering shrubs and plants and doubtless we will

find the interior of the home equally as attractive. We will enter

and ascertain. This wide, central hallway and the fine staircases are

of Ento's rose tinted woods, and the mosaic floor, rugs, tapestries,

statuary and decorative features are in every way admirable.

Gentol[a:], I have not yet experienced the pleasure of viewing the

cities and homes of your Planet, but ere long I may be afforded the

opportunity of comparing them with the cities and homes of Ento.

De L'Ester--It may add to the sum of your information, but it will

not add to your happiness to view some features of Earth's cities and

homes. Some of these friends and I have viewed the best and the worst

of them, and I assure you that the contrast between the sumptuous homes

of the rich and the squalid homes of the poor is very saddening.

On our Planet this residence with its beautiful appointments would be

considered exceptionally luxurious, on Ento such homes are the rule

not the exception. We will enter the apartment on the left, and you,

Gentol[a:], will describe it.

Gentola--We are in a very spacious room, through whose large alcoved

windows one obtains a fine view of the lawn with its great beds of

blooming plants and a lovely fountain throwing jets of sparkling water

high into the air. The room is panelled in rose colored woods which

rise to the ceiling and curve to its centre, meeting under a great

cluster of carved foliage and rodel blooms. In the hearts of the

rodels, which are of exaggerated size, are crystal bulbs, and I wish I

might understand Ento's system of electric lighting, which is so unlike

that of Earth. The floor is a mosaic of a very delicate rose tinted

field, with shaded sprays of rose colored flowers scattered over it,

and the wide border is of shades of rose colored foliage, grasses and

flowers. The effect is delicate, very unique, and I think extremely

pretty. In the centre of the apartment is a fountain, whose large basin

is of white marble, veined with palest rose. It is in the form of a

full blown rodel, and from its heart, tiny jets of water are thrown

upward, striking a peculiar arrangement of crystal cups, producing

soft musical sounds similar to the notes of a music box. All about the

apartment are handsome divans, chairs and tables, on the latter are

books, papers and other reading matter. There are swings and hammocks,

and in the further one reclines a young girl with flowing dusky hair,

olive-hued skin, lovely features, dark large, luminous eyes, full

scarlet lips, through which her teeth gleam like pearls, and a form

of perfect proportions. To me the eyes of the Entoans are their most

noticeable feature. They are so large, so luminous, but always I see in

them a sort of brooding expression as though in their depths lies some

sorrowful memory.

Surely, yonder youthful looking woman near the window is not the mother

of all those children, four of whom are swimming or playing in the

basin of the fountain; three are swinging, and the two smaller ones are

playing at her feet. Near her, reclining on a pretty wicker lounge,

a fine looking man of apparently middle age reads aloud from a book

which seems to greatly interest them, and now an aged man and woman,

whom the children hail with delight, are entering the room, and the

man and woman hasten forward, and as they lead them to seats, they

affectionately welcome them and speak to them in gentle, solicitous

tones. Now quite a youthful man and woman approach, and the two younger

children scramble to their feet, and hasten to the arms outstretched

to receive them. The man swings the older child to his shoulder, and

the woman takes up the younger one who is little more than a baby, and

turns to salute a beautiful, but sad faced young woman, who quietly and

alone enters the room where all with much tenderness of manner greet

her, and an attendant quickly robes the children playing in the basin

of the fountain, who hasten to her and fondly cluster about her. Allow

me to be silent, while Genessano shall explain the relationship of

these persons.

Genessano--From their conversation I learn that the woman who entered

alone recently has been widowed, and that she is the mother of the four

children grouped about her. Her robe is not so much a badge of mourning

as it is an indication of her widowhood. Only widows wear this peculiar

shade of hinifro (yellow). The young girl in the hammock, the widow and

the father of the other five children are the son and daughters of the

middle aged couple, and the aged pair are the father and mother of the

middle aged man, and all reside in this spacious home, of which this

living room is a feature common to Ento.

De L'Ester--Another feature is about to be added to the already

attractive scene, for here are a number of attendants bearing trays

laden with delicacies and fruits, to be served for the family luncheon.

The hour has expired, and after a hasty survey of other apartments

of the residence, we must bid adieu to it and to Endoinas. At a low

altitude we still will follow the course of the river, which from this

point flows in a southwestward direction, and soon we will arrive at

Hom-arû, (City of Palms), a city situated very near the line of the

equator. It is on the west bank of the river which forms a boundary

between the provinces of Vohûak[a:] and H[a:]mûyen, where we will meet

a Messenger from D[a:]o, who will inform us of the precise condition

of Vallo[a:]. The purport of the message will determine our movements

of the near future. George, pause for a moment that Gentol[a:] and

Bernard may again view this city of bridges. Is not it quite attractive?

Gentola--It is more than attractive, it is a view so impressively

beautiful that one is not likely to forget it. You, who have seen

the great cities of Earth, those aggregations of magnificence and

squalor, will understand how my son and I are impressed and surprised

by the beauty, thrift and cleanliness of the cities and towns of Ento.

As I gaze in all directions the scene impresses me with a sense of

unreality, much as though I were beholding the creation of a mirage.

The humid, hazy atmosphere lends a sort of indistinctness to the far

reaches of the country, where various kinds of water-craft are passing

along canals and the larger Waterways; while below us the streets and

bridges are alive with the movement of people and vehicles, and, De

L'Ester, I observe several animals running about the streets or lying

on porches; what are they?

De L'Ester--Do not you remember Fenēto, in Giant's dwelling? Well,

those animals are Fenēto's kindred, and a naturalist would inform us

that they belong to the feline family, which they do. No, on Ento there

are no animals even similar to our wolf or its kindred. Indeed, on

Ento, nearly all savage life forms have disappeared, and, in time, such

forms will disappear from our planet. It is a fact that on all planets

evolved to the Spiritualized man period, in proportion as humanity

advances, the coarser life forms recede; for it is a law of nature

that, as the Spiritual atmosphere of Planets increases in quality and

quantity, through lack of proper vital sustenance, coarser life forms

perish. Were the lion, tiger, bear and other savage animals of our

Planet left unmolested, of necessity, in time, they would cease to

exist. The activities of generation demand specific conditions, and

Ento no longer offers conditions favorable to the generation of savage

life forms. Yes, domesticity of certain animals enables them to for a

time ward off the day of their doom, but it is only delayed. Have you

observed those lofty Light Towers?

Gentola--Yes, and when at night they are ablaze, the scene must be

beautiful. Some time, like you, I may be free to go where I will. Then

I may come to Ento to view all the wonders we now have not time to even

glance at. You all are most patient with my dear son and me, and I

think that you know that we appreciate all your goodness to us.

De L'Ester--Progress, spiritually, comes only to those _who stand and

serve_. You partly comprehend our present service of love, but you do

not at all comprehend your service of a coming time, which to a greater

degree will make us your debtors, even as we now are. Now we will

continue our journey.

Bernard--Mother, dear, rest your hand on my shoulder. No, it does not

hinder me, and it is so pleasant to feel your touch.

Gentola--You dear boy, I shall be glad to do so.

Bernard--What do you imagine the folks at home would think could they

see you and me with this large Band of Spirits passing through the air?

Gentola--Dear me, I cannot imagine what they would think, but I suspect

that they would think us in danger of an awful fall. De L'Ester, at

what altitude are we?

De L'Ester--About one English mile above the surface of Ento, and we

are moving rather slowly so that you may obtain a good view of the

river and its shipping, of the irrigated country and its many towns,

villages and fine suburban estates. The town we are nearing offers a

rather pretty view. Through the arrival and departure of those great

vessels its commodious shipping basin presents quite an animated

appearance. Being a distributing centre it possesses a handsome Air

Transport Station which adds to its importance.

It is near high noon and the chime of yonder sun-crowned temple dome

is softly pealing, and men, women and children hasten to the midday

service. Were we not so pressed for time we might witness it, but we

must pass on. Gentol[a:], direct your gaze toward those low-lying,

grayish clouds, for soon, in that direction, you will behold the light

towers and golden domes of Hom-arû Tylû, where Sylvian, the messenger

from Dao, will meet us. She is a relative of the sick girl, Vallo[a:],

being an aunt on the maternal side. She and the Spirit mother of

Vallo[a:], are in constant attendance, sustaining and strengthening

her so as to as far as possible prolong her mortal existence. Why do

they desire to prolong her mortal existence? For the reason that she is

one of the principal instruments through whom is to come to Ento the

priceless knowledge of a continuity of existence. Then each added day

of her mortal experience more fully unfolds her Spirit senses, thus

better fitting her not only for our purpose but for her entrance into

Ento's Spirit World.

Including the human, the stages of animal existences find

correspondences in the vegetable kingdom. First, the germination of

the sown seed, followed by growth and the unfolding of the infolded

bud into the full blown flower; then the ripening of the seed and the

harvesting. Humans who pass from mortal existence ere the culmination

of corresponding stages of growth and maturity, lack, so to say,

_ripeness_, and upon entering the Spirit World they are at such a

disadvantage that they find it necessary to again return into mortal

environments where, through association with mortals, they may acquire

growth and experience. The spirit friends of Vallo[a:], understanding

this Law, will, for as long as may be possible, hold her in her

physical body.

The low-lying clouds have drifted away, and yonder amid a sea of

verdure is Hom-arû Tylû (city of Palms), where, in a certain park,

our friend, Sylvian, will meet us. It is now beneath us, and we will

descend to the Palm fountain. Is not this a peculiar conceit?

Gentola--Very, and as pretty as it is peculiar. Instead of the usual

human, animal or fanciful composition, is this great metallic palmlike

tree. Bernard, see how from that central cluster of upright leaves the

water is thrown into the air from whence in silvery spray it falls

upon the luxuriant foliage, from which, in a copious shower, it rains

into the basin. Really, I think it almost the prettiest of the many

fountains I have seen on Ento. In form and coloring both tree and

foliage are true to nature. I wonder how the color effects are produced?

De L'Ester--Genessano says that the coloring is effected through a

process of enamelling which resists corrosion. He also says----Ah,

Sylvian approaches.

Sylvian--Efon fiestēmos, ēmanos. (I greet you kindly, friends.)

Genessano--Onos t[a:] fiestēmos[a:][a:], Sylvian. (We as kindly greet

you, Sylvian.)

De L'Ester--Gentol[a:], I shall serve as interpreter between Sylvian,

yourself and Bernard, who yet but slightly understands the Ento

language. Eman[a:] Sylvian, this is Gentol[a:], of whom you have heard,

and this is her son, Bernard, who recently passed from the mortal to

our side of life.

Sylvian--Only as a matter of courtesy need I be presented to one whose

name to me is as a household word. Gentol[a:], as I look into your eyes

my heart goes out to you in fonder greeting than my lips can utter, for

I recall cherished memories of long ago, memories which happily you

cannot now recall, but which, at times, like evanescent mist wreaths

drift athwart your mental vision. De L'Ester's warning glance deters

me else I might grow too reminiscent, which, at this time, would be

unwise. Gentol[a:], I cannot express my joy, my gratitude, that across

the vast space between Earth and Ento an incarnated spirit has been

brought to deliver to Ento's sorrowful children a Message of hope; a

Message which shall lift out of an abyss of darkness into effulgent

light a people who now with heavy hearts and downcast thoughts ever

walk in the shadow of a great fear; for ever, as they courageously

smile and strive to forget, they are conscious of the approach of the

dread horror death. Gentol[a:], see you not how my people in whom the

love element is so evolved as to dominate all other emotions, count all

things valueless when compared with the intense affection they bear

for their nearest and dearest ones? To them death is the synonym of

despair, for when their dear ones pass into the Silence only despair

and darkness of mind remain. But our hopes are high for the success

of the Mission; for at last through the ceaseless efforts of Spirits

of many Spirit Worlds the inner consciousness of the Entoans is being

so aroused that in their despair, blindly they are reaching out for

relief. More wonderful still, my kinsman, Omanos Fûnh[a:], Osy Hûn,

listens with rapt attention as his child Vallo[a:] relates her wondrous

experiences, which he no longer regards as the vagaries of a diseased

brain, but begs her to repeat again and again the story of her beatific

visions. Vallo[a:] stands upon the threshold of our Spirit Realms, and

her Inner senses are so unfolded that she sees and holds converse with

her mother, with me and with other Spirits who minister to her. To her

father and others about her she conveys messages from her mother, from

me and from other Spirits. To her father she relates incidents known

only to himself, and she whispers to him of private affairs, and he

marvels at her knowledge and eagerly questions as to the source of her

information. So rapidly are his Spiritual Senses unfolding that at any

moment they may burst into bloom; then the old, hopeless beliefs will

pass into oblivion.

Prince Dano, my young kinsman, who is Vallo[a:]'s betrothed, scarcely

quits her presence, and his heart is heavy with grief, that his beloved

one is so near the conclusion of her mortal existence; but with a

strength born of the new faith, he cheers and consoles her. Constantly

his cry is, "Courage, my Vallo[a:], my own, for thou art not going

into the dread, endless Silence, but into a gloriously beautiful world

of living, loving ones. I, who for a time must remain on Ento, will

ceaselessly proclaim the joyful tidings of continuous existence, and

the swiftly fleeting years will pass, and then I shall come to thee,

my beloved, mine own forevermore." Spiritually, he sees and hears with

phenomenal clearness, and to all about him he earnestly proclaims his

absolute faith in the declarations of the strange woman Gentol[a:], and

implicitly he relies upon your declarations and promises.

His father, Basto Andûlēs[a:], who was in despair over what he

considered the lost mind of his son, now cherishes Dano's words as

though they are the very strength of his life, and Ontellēn[a:], Dano's

gentle mother, smiles or weeps as she listens to her son's glowing

portrayal of the life that is to be. Thus, Gentol[a:], you perceive

that the seed you have sown has germinated and gives promise of a

harvest of joy inexpressible.

The hour draws very near when we no longer will be able to hold in

her physical form our precious Vallo[a:]. When that hour shall arrive

we well know that Spirit forces from many Spirit Realms will with

you dear and devoted friends unite in a supreme effort to reveal to

Omanos Fûnh[a:] and others irrefutable knowledge of the continuity of

life, and, Gentol[a:], that which more than all else will hasten the

acceptance of the new religion will be the promise and proof of escape

from ever impending annihilation, from which Priests and people shrink

with ever increasing horror. Unquestioningly the people have been

obliged to accept the ancient faith, whose exponents, the Priesthood,

have interpreted to fit their own ideas and ends; but, ceaselessly,

evolution proceeds, and despite most unfavoring conditions the peoples

of Ento now are prepared for the ushering in of a brighter day than

ever has dawned upon their consciousness; and, like many others, I

scarcely can await the culmination of this momentous event.

Yes, Ento possesses many Sensitives, but hitherto, to a greater degree

than now, the aural atmosphere has been so positive as generally to

prevent their approach by wholly freed Spirits. Being yet physically

embodied, your Spirit body is of a less sublimated character than

are those of wholly freed and advanced spirits who are visible only

to certain Priests and Priestesses of inner sanctuaries, whose lives

are most ascetic and in a sense Spiritualized. When, through the

influence of the new religion, the hopeless mental state of the people

shall yield to joyful expectation, the aural atmosphere gradually

will grow penetrable, and Sensitives whom now we cannot approach will

develop into Mediums through whom Spirits will communicate to mortals

the glorious truth that their present existence is but a momentary

experience of unending life. De L'Ester informs me that now you fully

understand the aims of those conducting and assisting in this Mission,

which, as you may know, is not an unusual one, for all revelations to

mortals are the results of Spirit activities, and all Saviors are

Missionaries Re-embodied for a fixed purpose, which, alas, is not

always accomplished.

Vallo[a:] being near the time of her release from her physical body

these friends and I have arranged for constant communication between

them and the watchers at D[a:]o. Thus, until summoned thither, they may

without further anxious thought, devote every possible moment to your

instruction concerning Ento.

With you, Bernard, who stand so silently observant, ere long I shall

make it my affair to become acquainted, and with you, Gentol[a:], I

rejoice to renew our friendship of a time when we were co-workers in

an undertaking similar to this Mission. When you return to the Spirit

side you will comprehend what now I must leave unexplained. Let these

embraces assure you and this dear boy that as of yore I am your loving

friend, Sylvian Ravvect[a:]. And now, ēmanos, Info st[a:]-tiv[a:]

Zēnos[a:][a:] oovistû. (To the care of the Angelic ones, until we again

meet.)

De L'Ester--Gentol[a:], it is arranged that constantly Sylvian shall

be informed as to our movements, and as constantly she will keep us in

touch with affairs at D[a:]o, for in a few days we will be summoned

there to share with others the responsibilities of a most momentous

occasion. In the meantime we must improve the swiftly fleeting hours.

To-day we have held you with us overlong, and now must return you to

your home, over which the shadows of twilight are falling.

Bernard--Mother, dear, do not you think Sylvian very gracious and

beautiful? Really, I felt quite abashed when she kissed and embraced me.

George--Bernard, your modesty is very commendable. Evidently Sylvian

discriminates between men and boys, as she kissed and embraced no one

but you and your mother.

Bernard--All right, my British kinsman, for as long as Sylvian may

discriminate in that manner I shall be content to remain a boy. But,

mother, you have not answered my question.

Gentola--Sylvian is indeed both gracious and beautiful. The rich olive

of her complexion is to my taste as much to be admired as are the

roses and lilies of fair skinned beauties. On first coming to Ento the

stature of the people impressed me rather unpleasantly; indeed, when I

met Inidor[a:] and Geness[a:]no I imagined them specimens of a race of

giants, and was surprised when I learned that they were of the average

height of Ento's Oriental and most other races. Sylvian's height is, I

should say, quite seven feet, but she is so symmetrically formed that

she appears a grandly beautiful woman. Our friends tell me----

De L'Ester--Gentol[a:], positively you must defer further conversation,

and I shall take it upon myself to see you safely landed on Earth.

Bernard, as your mother is quite exhausted, George and I will bear her

home, where ere now she should have arrived.

Gentola--Good-bye, dear son, good-bye until to-morrow.

De L'Ester--Yes, in interstellar space there are countless magnetic

currents, each varying from others in their ever onward inconceivable

velocity, in never varying directions. This current on which, or rather

in which, we are speeding to Earth is not one in which previously

you have journeyed, but which has speedily borne us within Earth's

atmosphere, and--again you are safe at home, where loving ones will

guard you until we meet to-morrow.

Adieu.