CHAPTER XXIII

OF THEIR AMUSEMENTS AND HOW THE
SPIRITS INSPIRE MEN ON EARTH

“THIS is a sort of club to which I belong,” H. J. L. explained.

Here I found a large number of men congregated; some were playing chess, and I sat and watched several most brilliant games played by a man whom H. J. L. stated was Lasker.

“I doubt if I shall remember these games,” I said; “they are extraordinarily brilliant, but almost beyond me—even here—and I am sure they would be quite beyond my comprehension on earth.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he replied. “ You are not intended to remember the actual games, but only the fact that we do play.”

After a time we went out and passed through the great gate.

“I am going to show you another amusement I enjoy,” H. J. L. said.

He took me along a regular street into a square which was built in the style of the early Renaissance. Passing through a door, I found we were in—what I can only designate by the name of—an architect’s office. It, however, lacked the general air of untidiness usually prevalent in such places, and I noticed that models seemed to play a more important part in the production of designs here than they do on earth. There were, however, a certain number of drawings to be seen.

“My partner is away learning a new spiritual truth, so I can’t introduce him to you; but he was a Frenchman who lived during the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth centuries. He studied, too, in Italy, so you see he knows a fair amount about Renaissance architecture. Still, he’s not quite up to date as to modern requirements, such as drainage arrangements, and that is where I come in. Of course he knows all about design and ornament, but I help with the more practical work.

“Here all the arts have reached a far higher stage of excellence than anything of which you are aware on earth.”

J. W. “But what good are these designs? Do you build houses here?”

H. J. L. “We can and sometimes do, but most often we endeavor to impress our ideas upon living men and get them to build them on the material plane. Let me tell you that all inspiration comes from this side. The works of genius are really the inspirations of the spirits acting through that man who is really mediumistic. This partly explains why so many men of genius are of an erratic temperament, and often of an unsatisfactory moral attitude. Being mediumistic they are liable to fall a victim to undesirable influences—evil spirits, in fact.”

J. W. “Do you mean, then, that no great inventions originate on the earth, or does this statement refer only to artistic inspiration?"

H. J. L. “ Art, literature, music, even mechanical inventions, are almost always inspired from this side. Slight improvements and adjustment to enable the great idea to fit the conditions of earth life are the kind of advances which men make on earth. I hesitate to say that no great idea was ever invented on the earth, but I know of none, and am sure that they are very few and far between.

“This explains in part why it is that progress is so slow in the early centuries of life on this planet and of late has proceeded at such a rate.

“Men come over to us with some knowledge and a keen interest in various subjects, and in these more advanced surroundings they discover new laws, and in the light of this new knowledge inspire those who are following in their footsteps.

"All the same, men are often very stupid. We send out a brilliant idea, and the best parts are often misunderstood by, or fail to penetrate, the denser minds of those still on earth. Again and again we see our finest ideas reduced to a miserable travesty of their real selves. As a man gets older, too, he often seems to grow more material, especially if he has become prosperous. This leads to poorer, or, at any rate, more commonplace work, for the finer ideas are no longer able to penetrate.

“Look at this idea for a church—splendid, isn’t it? Renaissance style, but far finer than anything they’ve got on earth. But my partner had not realised how important heating and lighting are—I’m correcting that. Still, I don’t suppose even a feeble imitation of it will ever be built on earth. It’s such a materialistic age that we simply cannot get our ideas through, and even when we do get a man to produce a colourable imitation of some really fine inspiration, that man seldom gets the opportunity of carrying it out, the people who pay being of course far more materialistic—in art matters—than the artists. That is why the earlier periods, for example, the Middle Ages, were so much finer—they were less materialistic, and so responded more to our inspirations.”

J. W. “Then no man on earth deserves the credit of any great idea? The credit is due to the ‘mighty dead.’ ”

H. J. L. “On the contrary, they deserve all the credit they can get, for it means that they have preserved and developed their higher and spiritual faculties, at any rate on the artistic or engineering side. This at any rate is something. Even a blackguardly, immoral man, who seems materialistic on most matters, must have developed his spiritual faculties to some extent if he is able to receive and carry out fine inspirations sent from this side.”

J. W. “But you spirits deserve the credit for the ideas themselves. Don’t you feel it a little unjust that you should get no credit for them?”

H. J. L. “Not the slightest. Jealousy, like other mortal sins, is left on the threshold of Hell. We work as an amusement simply for the love of our work. We seek neither fortune nor fame; the joy of producing good work is the only aim—that and the desire to help those still on earth.”

CHAPTER XXIV

ART AND ARCHITECTURE ON THE SPIRIT PLANE

“ I WILL now show you some further interests we have here. All the arts flourish here, and most of the sciences, but, of course, on a far more exalted plane. Let us take painting first.”

We stopped in front of a truly splendid building in the Renaissance style; but it would be impossible for me to describe it, it was so different from anything I have ever seen on earth.

H. J. L. “This was designed by my partner. He knew that it would be impossible to get such a brilliant idea carried out on earth, and so raised it here. It is 'built without hands.’ It is an ‘idea,’ and constructed out of his own ‘mind stuff.’ I’ll explain that a little more fully later.”

We entered, and I found that it corresponded to a picture gallery, only much better arranged than anything we have on earth.

J. W. “ If you have picture galleries, I presume you have museums?”

H. J. L. “We have them, but not so many as you would expect. You see, so far as is possible, we put ancient art objects to their original use in their original homes—Egyptian chairs in an Egyptian palace, and Egyptian jewels on their original owners or makers, for example.

"New objects of art, created over here, usually remain attached to their creator. But some spirits invent them for the purpose of being put on exhibition to delight others. For these there are museums. Similarly, ancient art objects are put in a few museums when on earth they have been destroyed, while the building to which they belonged still remains. This only affects objects entirely separate from the building itself: for example, if a fireplace and paneling were removed from their original building, even though the structure of the building and the paneling each continued to survive apart, the original form of the building would have been destroyed on earth and would come here.

"Now look at the pictures. These are ideas which were too exalted to be impressed upon any artist upon earth and are therefore here. The majority of the artists here, however, try to get their ideas impressed on earthly artists.”

I then began to look at the pictures. I perceived that not only were they far more beautiful than anything I had ever seen on earth, but they differed in many ways difficult to describe. The colours were both more brilliant and yet more harmonious—further, from them issued a kind of light. Then the pictures seemed to be more in the round, figures and features seemed to stand out, distance appeared to be really there, and atmospheric conditions were more truly rendered. There were all kinds of subjects—landscapes, portraits, dramatic pieces, etc.—but the most interesting and best works were those dealing with what, for lack of a better word, I will call the highest emotions.

Thus there was one entitled “ The Divine Love.” It depicted a marvellous spirit form, strong, yet gentle, just, yet merciful. It seemed to be watching over a multitude of human beings. Now these human beings were divisible into two main divisions—those still in the flesh, and those who had left their bodies. The difference was clear and unmistakable. Further, every single figure differed in looks. No two were alike, just as no two persons on earth are just alike.

But though these things were beautiful, the truly marvellous thing about the whole picture was the expression on the face of the great spirit, and an atmosphere of “Divine love” which it is impossible to describe.

After spending some time looking at these marvelous productions we left the gallery, and passing through a kind of park, entered another gallery.

H. J. L. “This is a sculpture gallery. Just as in architecture and painting, most artists try to get their ideas carried out on earth, but some prefer to produce them here.”

J. W. “Are those figures made of real marble, or whence do you obtain the stone? "

H. J. L. “We mould and make them out of our own ‘mind stuff’ which takes the form of marble or bronze, according as we conceive it. We may be said to build them up like a man does a clay model, but the clay is our own ‘mind stuff.’ I can give you no better word.

“Look at this group. The artist thought it would look best in silver, and so you see it is in that metal.”

We wandered through these galleries filled with the most sublime conceptions, and which, like the pictures, defy description, and ultimately passed into a park which was likewise devoted to the display of sculpture.

Here were placed monumental works into which architecture often entered. Fountains and sculptured arches, besides groups of every description, were placed among the most ideal surroundings of trees, lawns, and scenery. Water, I particularly noticed, played a large part in producing most beautiful effects.

CHAPTER XXV

MUSIC AND THE DRAMA

CHAPTER XXVI

INTRODUCTION TO W. A.

“WHERE are you taking me now? “ I inquired.

H. J. L. “To see my private study and to introduce you to A., who wishes to send a message by you to M., and, after that, to the officer who wishes to go on with his description of what he went through in Hell.”

J. W. “But I have already been here a great while. Surely I ought to be getting back to my body, otherwise Carrie may wake up and find me unable to move.”

H. J. L. “It is perfectly all right. Though you appear to have been here a long time, you must realize that there is no real connection between time on earth and here. I don’t suppose you have been absent from your body for half an hour as you reckon time on earth. I will see that you are sent back in plenty of time.”

We passed beneath the great gate of the college, and, turning to the right, passed through an arch and up a flight of stairs. We entered a room, which I at once recognized as the one in which I had seen H. J. L. when Blanche also saw him. It was very similar to a room in a college. There was no fire, and a strange thought occurred to me.

“Do you have to clean out rooms and dust them here, and, if so, do you have servants to do that sort of work?”

H. J. L. “There is no dirt here, nor do we have any means of producing artificial warmth. The latter would be impossible to produce if we needed it, for heat and cold are of course spiritual, not physical, things here. It follows that there is no need for servants, since there is neither dirt to clear away nor food to prepare, neither do we sleep. All the drudgery of work has vanished with our physical bodies.

“Now let me introduce you to Mr. A.”

I saw what appeared to be a very small boy, but on his shoulders was the head of a grown-up man. It was not that it was large, as on the cartoons one sees, but that it had a moustache and the expression of a man. His face was ruddy, nose rather fleshy at the end, hair ordinary brown. The face was inclined to be broad, and the body was distinctly stout, though not to an inordinate extent.

I had never met A., but we greeted each other with much cordiality, and he said:

"I asked Mr. L. to let me see you next time you came to visit us, as I wished to send a message to M.”

I replied, “ I shall be delighted to do my best to give her any message you choose to send. But first tell me how you are getting on here.”

He answered, “ Well, I’m making progress, but it’s very slow work. You see, I never developed my spiritual side. I devoted all my attention to my physical and material well-being. Then, too, my friendships with women did not do me any real good, as you can guess.”

He then proceeded to give me certain private messages. (These I have not published.) After giving them, he left us.

When he had gone, I said to H. J. L.:

“He looks just like a child, except for his face. I suppose that is because he did so little to develop his spiritual side.”

H. J. L. “ Yes, as I have already explained to you, our spirit bodies grow like our earth bodies, and if we have not developed our spirit bodies on earth we have to do so after we arrive here.”

With some hesitation I inquired, “ Is it in my spirit body that I come here?“

“Yes.”

I continued, “Of what size is my body? Is it very small?“

H. J. L. “No, it is very fairly developed. In fact, it appears full grown, about the size of a man of twenty-one, but not matured beyond that age. That is what you ought to be, for the spirit body usually develops more slowly than the physical, and of course often it simply does not develop at all.

“Ah, here comes the officer.”

CHAPTER XXVII

HOW THE COLLEGE IS ORGANISED, AND OF OTHER LIKE INSTITUTIONS

I FOUND myself in H. J. L.’s study.

He began, “I think I’ll tell you a little more about myself. "

“Yes, I hope you will; it’s quite a long time since you did,” I replied.

“Well, it was necessary to get on with the narratives of the others, and, further, I wanted to collect and sift further experiences. It would be no use giving you almost the same experiences over and over again.

“I propose now to tell you something about this college.

“There are all manner of institutions here, and societies of almost every description. Some are devoted to develop one’s spiritual nature, others to helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Some, again, are composed of kindred spirits bent on making new discoveries in the same subjects as interested them when on earth, while a fourth group devote their attention to inspiring men with new facts they have discovered or developed here.

“Indeed, I could devote the whole of this meeting to merely mentioning the various types of societies that exist here, but instead I will give you a few details of the four types just mentioned and a fuller description of an actual society, this college, which belongs to one of these types.

"Omitting No. 1 for the moment, as the college and the secondary schools belong to it, I will take Nos. 2, 3, and 4.

“No. 2 includes various societies devoted to rescuing souls in Hell, and also others which endeavour to help men still on earth to keep on the right path.

“The bands of spirits who organise the Houses of Refuge in Hell are a good example of this type.

“No. 3 includes many societies bent on working out scientific laws and principles of art, architecture, medicine, music, and so forth.

“I belong to a society of Renaissance architects who are bent on evolving new ideas without departing too far from the underlying principles of the Renaissance architecture.

"No.4 is the corollary of No. 3, as No. 2 is of No. 1; but many of the spirits who are in No. 3 do not care about inspiring mortals with their discoveries. Sometimes this is because they are simply no longer interested in the earth, but often it is because they have discovered by painful experience that either their ideas become but the merest travesty of the original when impressed upon the minds of men, or, far worse, they are taken and devoted to evil instead of to useful purposes. Thus good ideas of Art are extremely liable to suffer the former fate, while scientific or engineering ideas, being in some measure more mundane, are often properly grasped, but at the same time turned to evil uses by the perverse nature of men.

"Thus it is that a large body of spirits refuse absolutely to pass on their discoveries to men. The result is that many societies belonging to group three impose the rule that no discovery made by any member of the society while a member may be communicated either to a mortal or to any spirit who is a member of any society in group four.

“Not all societies, however, impose this rule, but leave it to the choice of the member whether or not he shall belong to a society in group four. All, however, abstain, as societies, from inspiring men. This work is left in the hands of group four.

“I may as well add that medical societies are particularly numerous in group four.”

J. W. “Do you always belong to a society if you wish to inspire? Can’t individuals do this work quite as well by themselves?”

H. J. L. “It could be done, but not as well. In practice we find that it is better to have a society, though often quite a small one.

“Now about this college. It is under the control of a ‘Master’ who has a second in command. Then, to assist them, there is a committee with a chairman.”

J. W. “Like a Freemasons’ lodge—a master, senior and junior warden.”

H. J. L. I don’t know much about Freemasons, but that’s rather the idea. The members of this college consist of three divisions, and we are promoted from the first to the second, and from the second to the third, according as we learn the great spiritual truths.

“From the third or highest division the committee are elected. The various officers are chosen by the head of the college from this committee.”

J. W. “It’s really rather like a Freemasons’ lodge with its three degrees, and so on.”

H. J. L. “Very likely. Probably the idea was inspired from this side. Still, it’s a very natural arrangement, and somewhat similar to college on earth with its first-, second-, and third-year men and its fellows.”

J. W. “Have you anything corresponding to an examination?”

H. J. L. “Not really. What happens is that our teachers, when they consider we have learnt all that is to be learnt in that degree, if so you like to call it, send us on to the next set of teachers.

“On entering this new degree we are received with a certain amount of ceremony. These divisions, you quite understand, have nothing to do with the divisions of this plane. We are still in the division of half-belief even when in the third degree in our college. That’s why I rather jumped at the word degree to avoid confusion.”

J. W. “Which degree are you in?”

H. J. L. “Still in the lowest, but I hope soon to be promoted to the next. Now it is time you returned.”

J. W. “Why, I have only been here quite a short time!”

H. J. L. “ Nevertheless, you’ve been here long enough.”

I seemed to be caught up by a whirlwind and to be swept out into space. Everything became black. I appeared to be whirling round in great circles which steadily grew less and less. Then I lost consciousness. —J. W.

CHAPTER XXVIII

A HOSPITAL ON THE SPIRIT PLANE

I FOUND myself in H. J. L.’s room.

He began, “I went to see one of our mental hospitals recently.”

J. W. “Hospitals! I thought you said there was no pain here. You said it was left on the threshold of Hell.”

H. J. L. “Nor is there any pain. Still, some spirits come here whose minds have for long been clouded, and these need treatment.

“Mental cases may be roughly divided on earth as follows:—

“ I. Idiots.
“II. Lunatics.

The latter fall into at least three divisions:—

“1. Lunacy caused by physical defects,

(a) early,
(b) late in life.

"2. Lunacy caused by evil life, or at least evil passions.
"3. Lunacy caused by religious mania and such kindred mental disturbances and lack of balance, e.g. excessive sorrow.

"With regard to idiots (No. I). The cause is some kind of physical defect, and its result is that the individual to a greater or less extent comes here ignorant and in need of teaching. The less knowledge they possess, the lower they will start. If they have no knowledge even of God and a future life, they will go to the topmost division of Hell. You remember, however, there is no real suffering there. There they will be taught in special schools, not with either the babes or the evil souls who are progressing.

"Some idiots, however, have been able to acquire some knowledge of God and a future life, and may come to us. Contrariwise, they may have sufficient intelligence to be responsible for turning their back on faith, but these are rare.

“The whole of this group, however, owe their mental difficulty to some physical, not spiritual defect, and therefore, once clear of the physical, need teaching, but not medical treatment in any form.

“Group II, the lunatic, includes (a) and (b). In the case of the former, it all depends what stage of spiritual development they had attained before the physical defect occurred which rendered them insane. In the case of those thus afflicted in early life, it is probable that they will have to go to the ‘elementary’ schools in the seventh division of Hell, though, of course, they may know enough to enter our realm and go to the secondary schools. In all probability, however, they will not have had time to commit many sins for which they will have to undergo penance.

“Those afflicted later will have had time alike to acquire knowledge and therefore faith, and some time to do evil for which they will have to suffer. Their spiritual development, in short, will be that which they had reached when the insanity came upon them.

“Of course many so-called lunatics, even when lunacy is due solely to a physical defect or injuries, are not completely lacking in responsibility for their deeds. Often only part of the brain is affected, and in that case they may appear normal except on one or two points. These shades of insanity are settled automatically. The spirit feels no need of remorse for offences it had no intention of committing, and for which it cannot be responsible. It, of course, regrets any evil that may have been caused by its being unable to control its body, just as a motorist would grieve if his motor ran away and hurt someone, but there would not be the sense of moral guilt which would attach to him if the accident was due to his racing.

“Of course there is no possibility of pretence here.

“This type of lunatic takes up his education at the point at which the accident occurred which deprived him of his reason. He will suffer for his misdeeds also up to that point, and after, so far as he was responsible.

“Mental treatment will not be necessary generally in these cases, merely education.

“Before passing to the next group, let me remind you that many so-called maniacs are really unfortunate beings who are obsessed by other spirits. For the crimes committed by these through the maniac’s physical organism the unfortunate man is, of course, not responsible directly. He may, however, have to suffer here for them indirectly, in so far as it was his evil life that allowed an evil spirit to take control.

“When the responsibility goes so far as invoking evil spirits to aid him in his nefarious purposes, as did the ancient wizards, the moral guilt is tremendous. This is indeed one of the worst crimes possible, for which mental derangement is but the commencement of retribution. This type of obsession naturally leads us to consider the cases 2 and 3.

"2. Lunacy caused by evil life or at least passion. This group very largely goes to Hell, but of course not all. It is these latter who chiefly need treatment in our hospitals as well as ordinary education. Spiritual pride and even commonplace conceit are potent factors for rendering people insane as well as the more obvious vices, such as drink and lust.

“These sufferers must not be confused with the cases of obsession just mentioned.

"No. 3 are often very difficult cases with which to deal. Of course the simpler forms soon right themselves. Thus sorrow soon loses its sting here, and any physical defects caused by it are left behind with the body. Very little treatment would be necessary in such a case. On the other hand, religious mania is often very difficult to eliminate. It is none the easier because such persons are often strong believers, and would ordinarily go to that realm. They have, however, to come to the hospital in our realm and there remain till cured. It would be useless for them to go to the realm of belief without acts, for they would be utterly incapable of seeing any good in any other religion until the religious mania and its attendant evils have been eradicated. Then, of course, they go to their natural realm of existence.

“Without spending any more of your time discussing these matters, I will now proceed to describe one of these hospitals.

“I was taken thither by a man who during life had been a great mental specialist.

“The building was placed amid the most beautiful surroundings, which seemed to breathe an atmosphere of peace and rest.

“I mentioned this impression to my friend the doctor, who replied:

“ ‘Quite so; quiet, soothing surroundings are the first essentials for dealing with any kind of mental disorder.’

“The gardens surrounding the hospital contained broad stretches of lawn interspersed with beautiful woods, and everywhere the soft notes of rippling or falling water were faintly audible. Ever and anon through the trees I caught the glint of water tinged with the evening glow which is ever present here. Amid these woods, walking about the lawns and boating on the lakes, I saw many of the patients.

“Passing along a handsome avenue, we at length came in sight of the hospital. It was a splendid building in the Renaissance style, with verandahs along the front, and was surrounded upon all sides by velvety lawns and flower-beds. Numerous basins with fountains playing and statues of various kinds decorated the lawns.

“A woman, seated on a low stool, was playing a harp, while reclining on couches round her were many patients of both sexes.

“We passed into the building itself, and I found that in some ways the institution was arranged on similar lines to those of the Houses of Refuge in Hell. Thus there was a secondary school attached, and most of the patients attended the school as part of their course of treatment. Further, there were concert-halls and a theater, chapels for several different religious bodies, an art gallery, and so forth.

“My medical friend explained. ‘One of our chief objects is to divert the mind of the patients from too much concentration upon themselves. Many were very selfish or at any rate self-centered folk. Religious mania or excessive grief is likewise the cause of many of these cases being here. Wholesome, soothing amusements, which will dispel the morbid trait in their characters, are therefore of the greatest value.’

“ ‘As to direct treatment, we very largely employ suggestion, hypnotism, and magnetism. See!’

“We entered what on earth would have been called an operating theater. Here, two doctors were busy magnetizing a woman patient. She was stretched on a bed, clad in a plain grayish-white robe drawn in at the waist by a girdle, and similar to the costume they all wear here. One doctor was standing behind her with his hand gently resting on her forehead, while the other stood at her feet, but without touching her. Both men seemed to be concentrating their wills on her and gazing into her face. They made no movement or any sign that they were aware of our presence.

"I was able to perceive that from each there appeared to flow out a kind of faint light, and that this light was being focused, as it were, on her head.

“We passed into another room where a violin was being played to soothe the man who was tossing in mental distress upon the bed.

“I said to the doctor, ‘I notice that here the sexes mix much more than they do round where I dwell.’

“ ‘Not really so. There is very little companionship here between the men and the women. Both, however, are necessary to aid in the work; especially is it found that better results from magnetism are obtained when the operator is of the opposite sex to the patient.’

“We entered a third room and found a hypnotist at work. He was making passes over someone.

“As soon as he saw us he bowed and explained that this patient could not eliminate from his mind the remembrances of a terrible accident for which he was to a certain extent responsible. The remembrance of this had turned his brain on earth, and the ill effects were not yet entirely removed from his mind.

"‘I am hypnotizing him for a time, so as to compel him to forget this terrible experience, and so by degrees we shall restore peace to his troubled mind.’

“Leaving him, we passed into a comparatively small room in which was a patient lying on a couch. My medical friend said: ‘This is a strange case, and shows how strong is the power of the mind and even the remembrance of the body after death.

“ ‘This woman’s mental affliction in life took the form of a belief that she was a cripple unable to walk. There was nothing organically wrong, yet by degrees, as this hallucination grew upon her, she became crippled and misshapen even as she is now. Had the disease been a physical one she would have left it behind her at death, but it is purely a mental one, due to a morbid nature which in life seemed to take a perverted joy in gazing at the misshapen and crippled. This she did not from any motive of sorrow or wish to help the sufferers, but out of a morbid curiosity. For the rest, however, she was neither a total unbeliever nor yet evil by nature. Few cases such as this come to us here: they are, I understand, more common in Hell.’

“I (H. J. L.) inquired, ‘How do you treat her?’

"He. ‘Mainly by magnetism and mental suggestion. We are striving to prove to her that her spiritual body need not reproduce the defects of the physical one. Most spirits readily grasp that fact, but her mind has become so overclouded that she cannot as yet grasp it. However, even the most obstinate cases soon yield to treatment here. What does seem to take a long time is the education which is afterwards necessary.’

“We passed through other rooms, through long wards and into lecture-rooms where doctors were giving lectures on medical subjects.

“I (H. J. L.) inquired of my friend whether there was not an operating theater as in an earthly hospital.

"‘Oh dear, no!’ he replied. ‘We have got long past those clumsy methods here. Of course, some operations are required on earth owing to the material nature of a physical body, although there are far more operations than are really necessary. Here, however, the spirit body yields to and needs much subtler methods. The only place you find anything approaching an operating theater is in Hell.’

“I shuddered at the horror of the idea underlying those simple words.

“It would take me too long to give you any further details of this wonderful hospital, but perhaps I should say that I was surprised to find how large a part religious services played in the treatment.

“We don’t attend religious services to any large extent in this realm—that is our principal duty in the next realm,—but services formed quite a marked feature of the treatment, I perceived, and in this it approximated to the House of Refuge in Hell and to the ordinary course of life in the realm of belief without acts.

“Many of the services, I noticed, had quite an elaborate ritual, and evidently were designed expressly with the object of helping forward the mental healing of the patients who attended. A shadowy prototype on earth was that funny old service of touching and healing in the Prayer Book in the days of Queen Anne.

“Outside in the grounds we separated, and after thanking my medical friend, I returned here.”