The Reason Why 
 
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THE REASON WHY ; 
 
 OR, 
 
 SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES 
 
 OF 
 
 MRS. JULIA CRAFTS SMITH, 
 
 PHYSICIAN, 
 
 ASSISTED BY HER SPIRIT GUIDES. 
 
 ■*++- 
 
 2 1881 )) , 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 1881. 
 
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 7 
 
 COPYRIGHTED BY 
 
 MRS. JULIA CRAFTS SMITH. 
 
 1881. 
 
s 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 All books, like individuals, have their place in this 
 world, and serve a purpose, for the benefit of the race ; and 
 if this little volume, written by me, at the suggestion of a 
 spirit father, cheers one despondent heart, I shall be amply 
 paid. Of the criticisms it may meet, I have no fears, as I 
 have not aspired to make this book great, but truthful. 
 Neither do I boast of its merits as a scholarly production ; 
 it is only to encourage those who have been by circumstances 
 denied an education ; — and their aspirations have met with a 
 ready response from the spirit world, through Inspiration. 
 
 I dedicate this book to J. A. and O. W. N , for 
 
 their kindness to me and mine in the past ; — "I was sick 
 
 and they visited me; an hungered, and they fed me ; in 
 
 trouble they came unto me." And after I have passed from 
 
 earth, may my life encourage them in all good works, and 
 
 teach them, that out of God's abundance, comes all there is 
 
 in the earth ; that spiritual blessings are not made up of 
 
 material things, but come as an influx out of the Spirit 
 
 world. 
 
 Julia C. Smith. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Strange as it may seem to those unacquainted with the 
 science of Spirit Communion, (although possibly believers in 
 the immortality of the s^ul,) that after many years wander- 
 ing in spirit life and spirit land, I return, and through my 
 beloved child, write an introduction to a little work dedicated 
 to my wife, M. A. Norcross, who in my young days fought 
 the battle of life with me. 
 
 Though we differed much in our theological views, in 
 consequence, it made us somewhat estranged in our spiritual 
 belief ; yet to me my earthly life bears a happy record, for the 
 firmness of her with whom I was united, kept me, who was 
 not only influenced by those in the body, but by those out of 
 it, — acting as acted upon, ignorant of the why and where- 
 fore, till I passed to the Spirit World. Then, as I met the 
 Spirit Band, who had been watching and waiting, my mind 
 unfolds to the truth, — / was a Medium! 
 
 And now, after years of anxious waiting, beholding my 
 child buffeting the storms of life, under many difficulties, and 
 by that discipline drawing nearer the spirit world, by desiring 
 the rest and peace that comes therefrom, — opening her inner 
 life to a spirit band, who have always, since her childhood, 
 been watching the progress of her mental capacities, and 
 5 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 holding such communications with her from time to time, as 
 to fit and prepare her for a work for the benefit of humanity, 
 and as I have had this work under contemplation for some 
 time, and meeting with those who have a desire to assist in 
 any good work, I hereby, with feelings of thankfulness to 
 God, assist my daughter in putting forth a few Spiritual 
 Truths. 
 
 Jesse S. Norcross. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 
 
 — ♦*- 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 It is not all of life to live, simply ; but all that is 
 given to every child of earth, must be sown, like seed, 
 to spring up among the children of men. 
 
 Thus and always, there will be those who are Phre- 
 nologically organized, to transmit, through the law 
 of inspiration, truths to benefit the human race. But 
 as long as Destiny rules the children of earth, and a 
 Planetary Law in many ways govern them, just so 
 long will it be necessary for Spirits to assist them to 
 understand why they are here, and for what purpose ; 
 and while so many truths are hidden in the hearts of 
 those God has seen fit to elect from the many, and 
 they continue to hide their " lights under a bushel," 
 just so long will Spirits come and throw their positive 
 influence upon Mediums, to bring that truth to light, 
 by acting upon every one who keeps from the world, 
 that which a loving God sends through them, to those 
 who are denied by nature inspirational knowledge ; 
 and it is time that they should have encouragement, 
 by reading the experience of others from our realm, 
 
 7 
 
8 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 that it may be a guide to them, after Mediums like 
 this, with many others, have passed to us. to receive 
 the " Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 
 Oh! the precious experiences of earth-life. Gems, 
 hidden from the gaze of the many, locked up in the 
 human soul, that should be brought out of the dark 
 cells of your lives, to open the eyes and ears of those 
 that live on the earth, to strengthen them, and teach 
 them that the great vein of sympathy that runs 
 through human life, cannot be broken by any law, 
 *that can possibly be made by man. Children of earth, 
 why struggle against the God-given light that comes 
 to you in your lonely hours, when unseen loved ones 
 are hovering near, trying to give you light in the 
 darkness which surrounds your spiritual vision. Re- 
 member, that as you spiritualize yourself by doing 
 good to others, so you attract the loved ones, who are 
 not dead but gone before. 
 
 Lingering upon, or near the earth in anxiety 
 concerning my wife and children, and especially this 
 child, whose mediumistic powers attracted me to her, 
 and gave me the power of progressing more rapidly 
 in my spirit home, by bringing those missionaries in 
 spirit life to me, whose great desire was to do good 
 to those in the earth life, — and feeling that my in- 
 fluence over my darling child would open the gate- 
 way through her mental faculties much easier than any 
 influence that was strange to her, as she might 
 
THE REASON WHY. 9 
 
 repulse them at any time : — for be assured that the 
 will of a mental medium can always prevent her 
 being controlled or entranced. 
 
 It seems but yesterday that I left Boston, and wife 
 and children, to wander after gain in a strange land. 
 My last night in Boston was passed in this child's 
 home, and the vision of her trials and cares came up 
 before me. But in the same vision I beheld her 
 triumphantly putting all her troubles behind her, and 
 moving on with a band of bright spirits bearing three 
 flags, — Spiritual Strength, Mental Activity, and In- 
 tellectual Growth. Many other scenes came up 
 before me. My sister, also, (who had appeared to me 
 years before), assuring me of her care and love, but 
 telling me that I would never return to my home 
 again ; as my home in the spirit world was most ready 
 for me. Oh ! the mental agony of that day in the 
 A.D. 1850. I did not dare to tell my wife, as she did 
 not believe in any of the so-called superstitions which 
 I entertained ; her physical health being poor, I tried 
 to believe it was a dream occasioned by my sad feel- 
 ings at leaving home and family. 
 
 I had in years gone by seen my sister many times, 
 and she had proven to me beyond a doubt, of the 
 existence of our loved ones, in a future life. But 
 owing to my wife's bigotry and orthodox views, I was 
 obliged to keep in my inner life, many things which 
 might have hastened the coming light that earth's 
 
10 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 children now enjoy. It was my sister Belle coming to 
 me, and what she said, that made me take up the 
 bodies of my brothers and sisters, sometime buried, 
 and burn them to stay the ravages of consumption in 
 my family, which was a success, no one having died 
 of that disease for forty-five years. I think now that 
 her first visit to me, and her free conversation with 
 me occurred in A.D. 1829, also in 1831 ; and again in 
 1833. But receiving opposition from those who did 
 not have the power to see what I saw, and desiring 
 peace instead of war, I sometimes rushed into any- 
 thing to keep me from seeing or thinking of the many 
 wonderful things which were open to my spiritual 
 vision. But when the Bible was brought into con- 
 sideration by those of a different belief, it was then 
 that my very soul was stirred within me, and I felt 
 that if there was more love and truth, there would be 
 less discord in earth life ; and I have not changed my 
 mind in that respect, though a sojourner in spirit life 
 thirty years. Many years before I had promised my 
 wife that if I died first, I would come and tell her if 
 my belief in Universal Salvation was true or false. 
 And if she passed away first she also was to come (if 
 permitted to return, which she did not believe), and 
 tell me if there was a Hell for unfortunate spirits. 
 But it was my destiny to open the gateway of spirit 
 communion between her spirit and mine, by passing 
 away first. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 11 
 
 Away from home and friends in a strange land, 
 where civilization had not her laws enforced, men 
 were more like vampires or demons, than men ; heed- 
 ing not the Christian precepts of " loving your neigh- 
 bor as yourself," or of "ministering unto him when 
 he is sick," as God has commanded in His record. 
 
 When will Spirituality so far overcome the evil in 
 men's natures, that they will not be forgetful of the 
 spirit within the casket of clay, and contribute to its 
 needs rather than looking only to see how much they 
 may be enriched, by what little wordly goods they 
 may die possessed of. 
 
 Believe me, I have no desire to dwell upon my 
 sufferings or mental agony in my dying moments; 
 suffice it to say, that all the gold in the mines of 
 California, if within my control, I would have freely 
 given, to have felt the hand of my beloved wife or 
 children, and to hear words of love and kindness, 
 from those who were dearer to me than life. And let 
 me say, dear reader, to all : cherish the love of rela- 
 tions and friends on earth, remembering it is only 
 love and spirituality that can be taken from this 
 material abode. And the spirit is poor indeed, when 
 entering spirit life, if poverty of spirit exist within 
 them ; and still worse if they have so lived, that no 
 loving soul sends up from earth, that longing and 
 loving telegram to bring us to them. Oh ! man and 
 woman, seek to cover the faults of your friends, and 
 
12 THE KEASON WHY. 
 
 search diligently for all the good, that it may bring 
 out of them all the good, and help to overcome all 
 that is evil .in their natures; that by-and-by when 
 they or you have passed on, the connecting link of 
 love may be the railroad on which the spirit can 
 return, and that it was well that you had lived, and 
 also well, that you passed over, according to a law 
 in nature. 
 
 But God in His goodness never gave any one a cup 
 of sorrow unmixed with joy. Oh ! no : and my 
 a*gony at being separated from my loved ones, was, 
 as soon as I had passed from my body, and become 
 emancipated from pain and suffering, well repaid by 
 meeting my darling children, brothers and sisters ; and 
 that sister who had many times stood at my side 
 while I was in the form, was there to give me wel- 
 come, and assure me that I could fulfill my promise 
 to those I had left in the flesh. 
 
 Oh! heavenly thought; out of the darkness of 
 despair and suffering, into the light of love and 
 happiness. Spiritual light. But those greetings and 
 thoughts were of short duration, as love being the 
 stronger element in my nature, I began to ask myself, 
 what my family would say, when not receiving a 
 letter or word from me ; and I only thought it, 
 when Belle, who read my inner life best, said to me, 
 " Jesse, you remember how I came to you ? Go to 
 them in the same way, and relieve their anxiety con- 
 
THE REASON WHY. 13 
 
 cerning your silence. I can assist you." And amidst 
 all the beauties of my spirit entrance, I had not 
 changed my mind, but still had a desire to return and 
 fulfill my promise. I did not find it hard to do, as 
 my longing was so great, and with my sister I jour- 
 neyed homeward. It seemed a long time ; but to my 
 astonishment I was told I had only been out of the 
 body thirteen hours, before I was striving to make 
 them understand that I was there, bereft of all that 
 belonged to my physical life, endeavoring, by every 
 faculty I could put forth, to arrest their attention. I 
 had also the carefulness to not wish to frighten those 
 I wanted to reach. I have since learned from Willie, 
 who has come to me, (but was then in the physical 
 body,) that he beheld me by his medium powers, and 
 that my wife was truly convinced I was there, by my 
 attempts to use a drum, which was mine, and that I 
 used to use, before leaving home for California, — 
 which she acknowledged by changing her views for a 
 more rational theological belief. I was then informed 
 by my brother James, that my daughter Julia was 
 destined to become an avenue for spiritual manifesta- 
 tion, through her mental faculties, and that I was 
 called home to assist in the work, as being nearer 
 and dearer to her. I might, through my death, bring 
 her nearer to light and life ; and I, with others, stood 
 beside her, letting into her life the words of inspira- 
 tion, and a new growth, for twelve years, before we 
 
14 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 could herald forth that a new worker was in the 
 vineyard, declaring God's goodness to his children. 
 But still I assure you, we are cognizant of the fact, 
 that all development comes through suffering, and 
 many years of this medium's life, physically, were 
 used up to sustain her brain. But out of the disci- 
 pline of her suffering, we knew would come a benefit, 
 not only to herself, spiritually, — but by her election 
 for her work; we, her guides, well knew we could 
 assist suffering humanity. For, my dear reader, let 
 me here say to you, that whomsoever is elected by the 
 Celestial Spheres, to serve as servants to the spirit 
 world, are elected from their infancy, and will accom- 
 plish the work assigned to them. They may suffer in 
 mind and body, but the work they are fitted for is an 
 especial work, and must be done ; we must have 
 avenues laid out, through which to communicate, (or 
 to travel ;) sacrifices must be made ; and if through 
 the peril of life, the chosen one gets disheartened, 
 there must another tie be broken, another chair be 
 vacant, or another cradle be empty, to bring the 
 medium's spirit heavenward. So you can see link 
 after link was broken, that my darling child might 
 look up, and health fail her, that she might loose her 
 hold on earthly things, and come up higher in thought 
 and feeling; and when life became irksome to her, 
 and sadness and sorrow seem to surround her, and 
 the physical was weakened with disease, and de- 
 
THE REASON WHY. 15 
 
 ception and the false-heartedness of those whom she 
 had loved best, came up before her, then, and not till 
 then, did we get her to yield to our influence, and to 
 do the work as it must be done. I think that was 
 about A.D. 1863, that we felt we had accomplished a 
 work we could praise God for ; she being then about 
 thirty-one years old. Now, let me say here, that all 
 true mediums, are chosen, because they have organ- 
 izations adapted to the use of those workers who 
 desire to accomplish a good work on your plain. 
 
 And I would here say to those readers of this, that 
 no one, either high or low, learned or unlearned, 
 should in anywise condemn, or abuse one of these 
 chosen ones, no matter whatsoever your opinion of 
 the case may be, unless you can first understand the 
 working of God's mighty law in spirit life. You 
 have not any right to judge, lest you bring upon 
 yourself a mighty judgment for your unbelief. 
 
 How can you believe in a God you have not seen, 
 if you do not render justice to his chosen ones, who 
 take up the crosses of life, and bear them patiently, 
 meeting with scoff and scorn, knowing that they are 
 sustained by the light you know nothing of. At this 
 time, my daughter's health was so frail, that we 
 desired her to recover, to begin the great work 
 before her. And I, being chosen to manifest myself 
 in such manner as to encourage her, and also to give 
 her physical health and strength, and such information 
 
16 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 cerning what was desired of her, and to get from her 
 a promise to dedicate her life to our work, which she 
 did, and has done, regardless of opposition, or lack of 
 encouragement or material aid. But as one of God's 
 laws is, " as you sow so shall ye also reap," so in due 
 time she shall reap more abundantly than she has 
 sown ; and the many of God's children she has in no 
 wise turned away, so shall it be meted out to her and 
 hers, as she has measured to others. 
 
 About the time we began to control her, and use 
 ner brain, and encourage her to stand at the post of 
 duty, she was communicating with me. One eve- 
 ning I told her her brother William should not go to 
 California, that he would never return if he did ; but 
 he, like all who hear the word and do not believe, 
 went to California ; any other country would have 
 been better. As his planetary law gave him Jupiter 
 as a metal in his composition, the coming to a coun- 
 try where metal was then a condition in the elements, 
 he, also, in accordance with the laws of accident, came 
 to spirit life. Finding a work begun, he, with all his 
 strength of youth and manhood, swung wide open 
 the door between the physical and spiritual world. 
 He, having a surplus of vitality to use, having passed 
 out of the body in full strength, and mother, sisters 
 and friends, became interested in the work we had 
 begun ; and it has ever been his end and aim to assist 
 in the duties assigned her. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 17 
 
 How little is known of the connection, or links, 
 that bind the spirit world to this ! How many false 
 theories are advanced by the theological world, and 
 the workers who advance their ideas. If they were 
 only obliged to bring proof of what they put forth, 
 there would not be so much that is not reasonable, or 
 so many false ideas advanced ; but every one would 
 be obliged to give a reason for the faith that is in 
 them ; and it would give mediums an opportunity to 
 give more explanation concerning the mediumistic 
 life, which they do not choose themselves, but who 
 are chosen by unseen ones. And instead of being 
 treated as if it was something to their discredit, their 
 friends should rejoice that they have even one who is 
 God's chosen disciple ; — for most any medium can 
 prove that spirits do return to the earth. But I deny 
 the power of any theologian, to prove by his theology, 
 that spirits ever leave the earth. 
 
 Ah! reader, remember that God's laws are un- 
 changeable ; and you or yours may be called for 
 some especial work, in due time, and there is no 
 power on earth to prevent, when it is once decided on 
 our plain. 
 
 Those dear guardian angels, who have walked side 
 by side from their earliest infancy, know best who is 
 fitted for the work. And it is their report to the 
 angelic hosts that makes the chosen ones of God. 
 Acts, x. : 34, 35. And what God has chosen, say thou 
 
18 THE KEASON WHY. 
 
 is not fit to fill the place that he has assigned them, 
 and must be filled. Read what the voice said to Peter 
 and be silent. Acts, xi. : 5 — 9. 
 
 After my son William came to us, his desire was to 
 be in rapport with his sister; and for three years, 
 long and faithful, did he traverse earth-plain by her 
 side, interesting her in all good works which he was 
 interested in while on earth. 
 
 But those guides that formed her medical band, 
 held her to her promise, to relieve the sick and suffer- 
 .ing everywhere; and also to bear testimony to the 
 truth of spirit communion, and God's universal love, 
 to the children of men, and taught her to fear not 
 the inquisition of public opinion ; for any one who 
 interests themselves in any good work, must expect 
 the lash of censure, as long as there is so much 
 ignorance and sensualism on your earth. Men, 
 until they are pure themselves, can never see purity 
 in others ; they believe what they see and hear, and 
 realize, by their perverted senses; never suspecting 
 that the diseases of the physical body, so affect the 
 mental and moral nature, that correct judgment, or 
 unbiased, is an impossibility. 
 
 When we see the greatest blessings perverted by 
 those who should be instructors for good, instead of 
 feeding the lower faculties of man, it makes me ask, 
 what of the coming future ? And who has the moral 
 courage, to weed out from the press and pulpit, those 
 
THE REASON WHY. 19 
 
 evils that are undermining and corrupting society? 
 Is it to be wondered at, that falsehood and deception, 
 scandal and sensualism, hypocrisy and deceit are 
 running riot in your midst, when your daily and 
 weekly papers are filled with rottenness and slime, 
 fed out without stint to the masses at two and three 
 cents a day ? Great heavens ! will men never under- 
 stand the great principle of life : that a lie is a lie ! 
 told for nothing or money, it makes no difference. A 
 thief is a thief ! no matter whether he steals millions 
 of money, or the reputation of his fellow man or 
 woman. It is not what he takes from his earthly 
 possessions; that all comes out of God's bounteous 
 stores ; but the eternal principle of truth is perverted. 
 
 There would be no need of so much unnecessary 
 material used to build lofty edifices, to stand out as a 
 sign of a wicked and immoral race. It is not expen- 
 sive churches that come up to spirit life, but the 
 true and sincere souls that worship within their 
 walls. Beautiful edifices, transplanted on your plain, 
 sent forth to the mighty and noble intellects of earth, 
 through receptive inspiration from our world ! 
 
 But why not make the worshippers true and earn- 
 est men and women, by giving them the truthful assur- 
 ance, that there are unseen intelligences recording 
 the spirituality of their lives ? What man or woman 
 was ever any worse, for believing in a good or lov- 
 ing God, and the ministrations of their unseen 
 
20 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 friends ? If we are honest with ourselves, and have 
 no sins to hide, we have nothing to fear. 
 
 What man was ever any better for a belief in an- 
 nihilation, or that ignored the cause that produces the 
 effects that you see around you in earth-life ? What 
 mother feels happier to know that her babe has gone 
 into some vegetable life, or to perdition for the lack 
 of baptism? 
 
 When the mighty truth of spiritualism gives com- 
 fort to a lonely heart, and assures the mother of a 
 meeting with her loved ones by-and-by, why cling 
 to theories that degrade the true principle of life. 
 All theories which represent God as an angry father, 
 or revengeful, not only degrade the believer, but the 
 God whom they worship ; and all those who desire 
 annihilation, or try to build up a belief that there is 
 no life beyond this earth of yours, must lose sight of 
 that astronomical phenomenon, which the starry world 
 proclaims nightly to earth's children's short vision. 
 
 Better believe in your transit to other and larger 
 planets, that are swinging in space, than to doubt the 
 goodness of God, or his ability to care for his chil- 
 dren, without sending them to perdition ; with no 
 chance of progressing. Man did not come here of his 
 own accord, and in consequence, is not responsible 
 for the place he shall occupy hereafter. 
 
 Why do men study so hard to believe anything but 
 the simple truth, because they are striving to " climb 
 
THE REASON WHY. 21 
 
 up some other way," than by learning one great 
 truth, simple as it is, that there is no death, all is 
 life, nothing is lost, but all is changing and going on 
 through all eternity under a law of evolution. 
 
 But I stray from my purpose in writing this. It is 
 to show why my child or any other is obliged to walk 
 in a way peculiar to a mediumistic life, amidst thorns 
 and thistles, bearing many crosses, meeting opposition 
 that must arise in such a life ; but by-and-by they will 
 learn, that where roses grow, thorns must abide, and 
 both will be found growing side by side. 
 
 But, fond mother, though there is no consolation 
 given you by others, we come to tell you that your 
 darling child will be well cared for, nourished and fed 
 by loving ones in the summer land. And if your 
 love is the true mother's love, and you miss its 
 loving smile and tiny form — by that law you hold 
 him or her, in your atmospheric surroundings, until 
 such time as it can leave you, without giving you 
 loneliness of spirit. Still, if you feel that those little 
 ones are a burden to you, they will not stay with you, 
 but will wing their way where they are not an un- 
 welcome guest. 
 
 Would you behold the real mourners in the spirit 
 life? They are those whose friends have draped them- 
 selves in black to show to an indifferent world what 
 a loss they have met with, and forgetful of the link 
 of affection, which is the only chain that can unite 
 
22 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 them on earth or in spirit life. To die and be for- 
 gotten by your friends is enough to make sad 
 any sensitive soul. Think of your loved and lost 
 ones, and the telegraph you send out from your spirit, 
 will not only benefit you, but those who have passed 
 on, to realize the quickening of the love element, in 
 their spirit home. 
 
 Oh! to mourn and miss a loved one! 
 'Tis a right that God has given; 
 And it is a chain that links us 
 To a home, that's ours, in Heaven. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 23 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 It may seem strange, at a time like the present, 
 when the human race are laboring under so many 
 changes, and strife and discord seem to rule the hour, 
 and perfect confidence seems to be a principle of the 
 past, that we should desire to bring our mite into 
 existence, to assist and encourage those who are dis- 
 heartened, and who are in the depths of doubt, and 
 fast verging into the channels of despair. There 
 never was a time, when so many souls were sending 
 up their spirits, asking the whys and wherefores 
 of life. 
 
 In the past ages, dark ignorance made them submit 
 to the higher authorities ; but to-day every one thinks 
 for themselves, and fast travel out from under the old 
 superstitions and terrible creeds that bound them. 
 The old tortures of the past are fast going out on 
 both continents, for a new era to come in, to bless the 
 children of God. And why not? Have there not 
 been blood shed enough ? Has there not been crimes 
 enough committed? Has there not been suffering 
 enough ? Have not the innocent and the poor been 
 
24 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 crushed enough to satisfy this monster, " The Estab- 
 lished Church," that would take away the liberties 
 from the ' people, and compel them to think and act 
 according to its dogmas ? 
 
 Who gave them all knowledge ? Not God, to be 
 sure ! for the diversity of opinion is necessary to 
 mental growth ; and not any of them have ever been 
 to the spirit world, to gain knowledge which they can 
 positively affirm is true. 
 
 How dare they presume that God has given them 
 any more spiritual knowledge than he has the hum- 
 blest of his creatures ? Jesus was chosen from the lowly. 
 And why ? Because false knowledge gained, would 
 have been an impediment to the inspiration of God's 
 truth. 
 
 If it was not for your liberal government of to-day, 
 your religions, based upon the atonement, would be 
 no better than in the past. Keep God out of the 
 constitution of state and nation, if you do not wish 
 the inquisition of the past. He belongs, not in the 
 constitution of nations, but in your souls. 
 
 It is those liberal minds who have revered God 
 most, and loved the children of earth best, that have 
 permeated your religious systems, until they are as 
 tolerant as we find them to-day. 
 
 So, give yourselves no credit for your liberality ; it 
 was the law of force, — not that of love, as it should 
 have been ; and believe me, you will reap your reward. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 25 
 
 In bringing this simple offering before her friends, 
 I must take np many links of her life, and try to ar- 
 range a chain of circumstances and truths, that will 
 encourage all the chosen mediums of God, that they 
 may not fall by the wayside of life, but persevere unto 
 the end; for out of the darkness of the past, comes 
 a great light for the future. 
 
 No man or woman can rise above the masses, spir- 
 itually or mentally, but must expect to be a mark to 
 be shot at continually, by those who do not, and 
 those who will not understand them. For, until the 
 bands of ignorance are broken, those laboring under 
 its galling chains, will cry fraud, as their souls are in 
 the prison of unbelief. Inspiration now, as in olden 
 times, gives a mortal being precedence in your world ; 
 and that very precedence will create enemies among 
 the ignorant and malicious. Men and women should 
 learn the lesson well taught by one who suffered per- 
 secution from his fellow men. That knaves or fools 
 were not troubled with enemies, so to meet obstacles 
 and overcome them, shows spiritual growth, as it 
 strengthens the mental and moral nature. Opposi- 
 tion is a natural growth, and walks side by side with 
 Progression. All experience teaches us, that knowl- 
 edge is the only key that can unlock for you the 
 Kingdom of Heaven ; and, as it is, nearly two thou- 
 sand years have passed, and you are still groping in 
 darkness concerning the spirit world ; for ignorance 
 
26 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 still flaunts her . banner, regardless of the fact, that 
 struggling up out of the darkness is a mighty truth. 
 The science of spirit communion, saying to the peo- 
 ple of earth, try to understand the law of your physi- 
 cal bodies, for they are the temple of the spirit, and 
 the mistakes of the past have been from a lack of in- 
 formation concerning the relation that exists between 
 the mental, spiritual and physical bodies. Reason 
 has been dethroned, to give way to selfishness and 
 hypocrisy, until your nation seems to be a nation of 
 hypocrites, who have lost faith in themselves and also 
 in their fellow men. 
 
 Why this terrible dilemma of to-day ? It is because 
 mammon, and injustice, and a lack of spirituality in 
 mortals, and want of possession where there is so 
 much profession, is filling the world with woe. And 
 if it was not for some of your silent and unobtrusive 
 workers that are always sending up to the spirit 
 world, their thanksgiving and praise, and throwing 
 their magnetic influence into your life for good, you 
 might realize a Sodom and Gomorrah as in olden 
 times. 
 
 Why not understand this? That the law that 
 unites the electric and magnetic forces on your earth, is 
 a harmonic law, and well studied, will bring happiness 
 to all who desire to promote the happiness of their 
 fellows. Would it not be well to understand that the 
 book of nature, united with the eternal book of 
 
THE REASON WHY. 27 
 
 intuition, solves more scientific problems, than all the 
 congresses of scientists in the world ? 
 
 Away back in the past, how boldly men advocated, 
 suffered, and died, to promulgate a truth ; and those 
 truths lived. But behold the numberless errors that 
 were sent forth by men who considered themselves 
 and their doctrines infallible, which present expe- 
 rience teaches were not only false, but worthless; 
 and earth's children, to-day, are suffering from their 
 ignorance and wicked willfulness. For instance, the 
 treatment of the sick; by administering poisons, 
 burning and bleeding, cauterizing, blistering, cup- 
 ping, salviating and torturing to make the sick well. 
 And to-day another extreme comes before you ; not 
 so much suffering attending, but equally as dan- 
 gerous, — bromides, morphine, hydrate of chloral, 
 arsenicum, iron and minerals of any kind, — ignoring 
 mother nature's ever soothing balm, the herbal crea- 
 tion, which was intended to affect and cure the dis- 
 eases of mankind. 
 
 What right has any set of men, or scientists, to 
 give poison to human beings, to destroy the physical 
 body and dwarf the brain, and leave the poison in the 
 system to be transmitted to unborn innocence, and 
 call that curing the sick ? There never was a dose 
 of poison administered to the human body, but that 
 was worse than the disease itself, your learned doctors 
 to the contrary notwithstanding. It is a libel on the 
 
28 THE KEASON WHY. 
 
 name of truth. No man living can tell you how min- 
 eral poisons are going to act on human bodies, as with 
 different temperaments and constitutions, they act dif- 
 ferently on different persons, under the law of absorp- 
 tion. Your lunatic asylums are being filled with 
 human beings, made insane by transmitted poisons, 
 and by treatment with bromides, hydrate of chloral, 
 morphine, etc., and by poisonous applications, made 
 to sensitive organs, which never should receive such 
 harsh treatment ; for the sympathy with, or between 
 the lower organs and the brain and mammal glands, 
 not only produce insanity but cancers. Don't you 
 know that all diseases come on through the nervous 
 system, and cannot be cured by sedatives ? For the 
 nervous system is the law of circulation, sensation 
 and feeling. 
 
 If men had never doctored female diseases, you 
 would not have so many insane women. And if men 
 had behaved better, there would not be so much 
 insanity amongst them from the prostration of the 
 nerve centers. 
 
 There is so much indolence among a certain class 
 of physicians, that they do not use their reason or 
 experience, but prescribe for their sick and suffering 
 patients, some worthless mineral or chemical prepara- 
 tion, not knowing whether it is adapted to their 
 physical bodies or not. Believe me, they are respon- 
 sible for the life they trifle with, and in spirit life will 
 
THE REASON WHY. 29 
 
 meet those whom they have assisted out of their 
 bodies before their time. Verily they shall reap 
 what they have sown. 
 
 Awake, intelligent men and women ! Understand 
 so well your own bodies, that you cannot be made 
 the dupe of any class of physicians, though they 
 have passed in, and also out of a medical college, and 
 write M.D. after their names. They, too, may die 
 with hydrophobia, from taking their own medicine. 
 God makes His own doctors and ministers by intui- 
 tion, and inspiration ; the one will not fail you, nor 
 rob you, nor the other fall to disgrace you; but 
 drawing their strength from a higher source, will 
 always feel the responsibility that rests upon them, 
 thanking God, that He blesses their endeavors to do 
 His work upon poor suffering humanity, their wounds 
 constantly open, their sighs ever coming up from 
 earth, and their wretched wail never ceasing. Anni- 
 hilation is better for the man or woman, who at any 
 time fill their coffers, by crushing one of those God's 
 suffering and sin-sick souls. Beware, children of 
 earth, gold will melt, silver will tarnish, but charity 
 and love endureth forever 
 
30 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 TO THOSE WHO WOULD BE MEDIUMS. 
 
 It has been said that "a word to the wise is 
 sufficient." And I would say to persons desiring to 
 become mediums, you know not what you seek ; if it 
 comes to you, and you cannot escape it, bear patiently 
 the cross that is put upon you ; but if you use well 
 your reasoning powers, you will never seek to become 
 developed as a medium ; for in your anxiety to 
 become what you were never intended to be, you 
 will find you are helping your own self to do what 
 looks so easy when performed by natural mediums. 
 Toil as you may, you can never be anything but a 
 counterfeit ; and in consequence will believe all others 
 to be the same ; to be sure all persons have some 
 mediumistic powers, but all have not an organization 
 adapted to use — and those powers better lie dormant, 
 than to be developed when there is no balance power 
 in the brain. 
 
 Look into the faces of some of the mediums who 
 have forced their powers to the surface. They are 
 
THE REASON WHY. 31 
 
 only used to be fed upon by spirit vampires, who see 
 and hear and know what is going on in the earth, by 
 using the vitality from their physical bodies, regard- 
 less whether they live or die. They are spirits of 
 low condition, who would not do better on earth, and 
 will drag you down to their level. They can degrade 
 you, but you can never lift them up ; and when you 
 think you have done so, you have brought some will- 
 power stronger to bear upon them, and they have 
 left, and given place to another. They have a better 
 chance than you to advance, if they wish, and it is a 
 wrong idea that you can lift them up out of their 
 condition, consequent upon evil deeds while in the 
 body. For when they come to your physical body, 
 they bring with them their misdeeds; and you oft- 
 times become familiar with their sins, so they do not 
 look so sinful to you ; and you feel that you have 
 elevated them — when in fact, you have sunk to their 
 level. If you doubt this, -ask any sincere man or 
 woman who has investigated this subject, and have 
 been in the habit of sitting with different kinds of 
 mediums ; they must either say, that some mediums 
 are very low, or attach the blame to their influence. 
 I have watched from my side, and find oftentimes 
 that between the person whom the medium sits for, 
 and the spirit who controls them, they are swamped, 
 and go down to the perdition of circumstances. So 
 I say, beware ! there is danger in a mediumistic life, 
 
32 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 that is eagerly sought after. No honest medium will 
 tell you that they would choose such a life for them- 
 selves, had they their choice. Ah, no ! there is 
 mental agony, fear of losing one's own individuality, 
 and the being influenced at all times, and under 
 trying circumstances, and tortured mentally by the 
 spirit of strangers, wishing to warn their friends 
 through the medium, — wishing you to go to them, 
 and do many things that are quite impossible, and so 
 depressing the medium, that at times it unfits them 
 for any thing. And the more selfish the spirit was 
 while in the body, the more they will make a useless 
 machine of you. 
 
 See the medium whose health is destroyed, whose 
 mind is diseased, whose control will abuse them, by 
 twisting them in fearful contortions, and seem to de- 
 light in so doing. Do you believe these were sent by 
 guardian angels ? No ! you are fearfully deceived. 
 Are you not told to try the spirits, and see if they are 
 not of God ? If they are, they will not make a 
 wreck of you, or say or do that which will disgrace 
 you, or pervert your mental powers with low and vile 
 influences which they bring, nor take the power of 
 speech away from innocent children, cause epilepsy, 
 or imitate engines, throw men down upon the side- 
 walk, and do all these wicked things, until they de- 
 stroy the physical body of the person, only leaving 
 them to attack some one else. These are demons, 
 
THE REASON WHY. 33 
 
 sent from your world by accident, murder, and by 
 the law, and carry with them their revengeful feel- 
 ings, and think no more of taking your body and 
 using it up, than they would think of taking your 
 pocket-book, or whatever belonged to you, if they 
 were here ; for, as a " tree falleth so it lies." I write 
 tins, because it is time you understood it ; and this 
 medium has the moral courage to send it out as a 
 warning. 
 
 You will have to build mad-houses as plenty as 
 school-houses, soon, if you do not learn that all med- 
 icines that make dormant the will-power of human 
 beings, makes them negative ; (as it is the will that 
 protects them from spirits in the body or out of the 
 body, and makes you maintain your own individu- 
 ality.) Such medicines are opening the door to let 
 in those unhappy beings on your plain, who will not 
 spare any one which will meet their wants ; and they 
 can handle those best, who do not know, or believe 
 in spiritualism, because it is called disease. 
 
 What your government should do, is to look into 
 this science, and see if there are not some persons 
 amongst you, who, having a strong will, a sympa- 
 thetic soul, and faith enough in God and His minis- 
 tering angels, to cast out these evil spirits. But as 
 long as you send out from earth, human beings 
 strangled by law, to get rid of them, which you do 
 not, but only make them vindictive, you had better 
 
34 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 have a dozen in prison than one in spirit, going 
 around, wreaking vengeance upon the innocent and 
 negative. ■ 
 
 Where are those who believe in the immortality 
 of the spirit? How dare they uphold hanging for 
 crime ? Does not their belief in immortality show to 
 them and to the world, that they, too, are committing 
 a crime? Hanging, sinners is not the best way to 
 make saints ; — taking away the life you cannot give, 
 and sending spirits out of the body with all their 
 material strength, (not having been wasted by dis- 
 ease), which they can use to wreak vengeance upon 
 the dwellers of earth. Is it any wonder you have 
 so much insanity, so many suicides and murders? 
 Beware, lest the transgression of God's laws react 
 to your sorrow. 
 
 I reiterate again, be careful about sitting in promis- 
 cuous circles. It is not only unhealthy, but danger- 
 ous, as you may attract some evil disposed person to 
 you, who will throw their disease upon you, and 
 enslave you by their influence, as many suffering 
 ones on your earth can testify to-day. There are 
 those on your earth, who are kept from the lowest 
 dens of life by the law of force in your land, so we 
 are obliged to leave them to a similar law in the 
 spirit world; and you cannot blame your superior 
 guides, for if you go into the mud, you must expect 
 to get soiled. That is a law you cannot change. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 35 
 
 There is a science about this that does not seem to 
 be understood. For instance, two mediums can have 
 slate writings, and other manifestations together, 
 when if they separate, neither can have any ; as the 
 brain of one balances the powers in the other; and 
 oftentimes, after separating, in trying to produce 
 singly, what it took two to show, resort to fraud and 
 trickery ; and that is the reason why there is so much 
 chaff to be sifted out, in order to get at the real 
 truth, or genuine manifestations. 
 
 J. S. N. 
 
36 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 To give an unpopular truth to the world, requires 
 a large amount of moral courage ; and also backbone 
 enough to stand by whatever one may think and 
 feel ; — and not always to depend upon the five 
 senses, but as many more as can be given through 
 the individuality of some of the children of earth. 
 There are those who think they know it all ; but it 
 has been my experience, as I have moved around in 
 my humble way amongst the children of men, that 
 there is no one so learned, that they cannot obtain 
 some mighty and wholesome truths, from even the 
 humblest of God's creatures ; and my life with all its 
 seeming mysteries in the past, has begun to be an 
 open book to me, wherein I can read the fated stars 
 that rule my life. Born of religious parents, who 
 ever taught me that principle was a mighty power, 
 and whose religious sentiments differed very much, 
 they did not agree in opinions or creeds ; they early 
 taught their children the necessity of overcoming 
 evil with good ; and I bless the day and hour, when 
 my father, with his love and belief in universal 
 
THE REASON WHY. 37 
 
 salvation, taught us, that if we placed our hands on 
 the burning coals, no prayer or faith could allay the 
 smart ; and impressed upon our minds the necessity 
 of living up to the " Golden Rule," which he always 
 practiced, — "Love your neighbor as yourself; " that 
 neighbor the whole world. Is it any wonder, that 
 under such instruction, we should feel that Universa- 
 lism was the true religion to bless mankind ? Be 
 that as it may ; our mother was an Orthodox in her 
 religious views, and we inherit from her, that positive 
 principle, and strong element in our natures, that 
 when we give a truth, we adhere to it with the 
 tenacity of life. She also believed she was right, and 
 all through her married life, that was the discordant ele- 
 ment which hung as a cloud about our home ; but as 
 time wore on, my mother's health gave indication of an 
 early death; and under those circumstances, father 
 exacted a promise from my mother, that if she passed 
 away first, she would return, if possible, and tell him 
 which was the true religion, the Congregationalist 
 belief, or universal salvation. In time mother recov- 
 ered her health, and the question of theology was not 
 referred to by either ; as they had agreed to disagree 
 on all religious subjects. 
 
 In the spring of the year 1850, my father left 
 Boston in the ship Nestor, bound for California ; and 
 the next fall, in November, the night before Thanks- 
 giving, mother was startled, after retiring to bed, by 
 
38 THE EEASON WHY. 
 
 raps all about her room ; and also brother Willie, who 
 was a young lad, was. awakened, and saw father 
 standing beside his bed. He told mother, in a 
 frightened way, that father was looking him in the 
 face, and how dreadful sick he looked. The next 
 day, Thanksgiving, was a sad day, indeed ; for mother 
 believed he was dead, and had returned to her, to 
 assure her of his death, and also to fulfill the promise 
 made years before that he would return if he passed 
 away first. 
 
 He not only rapped in different places about the 
 room, but a drum, on which he had often played to 
 interest his children, was handled and played upon 
 in a way and manner so like father, that we all be- 
 came convinced that it was he. 
 
 This manifestation changed the whole current of 
 my mother's life, and affected her so, spiritually, that 
 
 she sent for the Universalist minister, Rev. E. F , 
 
 of Salem, Mass., he being settled there, and got his 
 advice. He proved worthy of her confidence, for in 
 less than two years she had changed her bigotry and 
 uncharitable belief, for a faith in an Universal God, 
 who is amply able to take care of his children, and 
 gave her testimony, by being sprinkled, and joined 
 the Universalist Church in Salem. 
 
 Near, or about this time, (1851,) I became con- 
 scious of some one rapping around me whenever I 
 sat sewing or reading. I also found that an unusu- 
 
thp: reason why. 39 
 
 ally .chilly feeling accompanied these raps. I had 
 heard my father, in my young days, tell about meet- 
 ing his sister Belle, (spoken of in the first part of 
 this work,) many times after she had passed from this 
 earth, and she always seemed the same as in life, and 
 that he always met her in the early morn, or late at 
 night. I have heard him relate how he met her at 
 four o'clock, on a bright summer morning, in the barn, 
 as he went out to feed his cattle, she having been a 
 braider of straw before passing away. She met him 
 with a smile, and said, while swinging an unfinished 
 hat in her hand, " Jesse, you have a man in your em- 
 ploy by the name of Runlet. Do you know any 
 thing about his friends? He will die very soon. 
 You had better attend to it at once." 
 
 We were then living at Sebasticook, Maine. At 
 that time it was no easy task to travel many miles, 
 as it was long before railroads in that part of the 
 country, and stages were few and far between. My 
 father questioned Mr. Runlet on the following day, 
 concerning his friends, and found out where they 
 lived. In two weeks Mr. Runlet died with typhus 
 fever. But for the warning given my father by his 
 spirit "sister, he would not have known where to 
 notify his friends, or who they were. I write this to 
 show that my mediumistic powers come by inher- 
 itance, as well as through a peculiar organization ; and 
 also to assure the reader, that mediums are not made, 
 
40 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 but born. That is, that it is a gift, and grows with 
 their growth, and cannot be acquired. . That is the 
 reason why there are so many counterfeits. But 
 remember, there could never be a counterfeit, if there 
 was not a genuine to copy from. I am obliged to 
 refer often to my father, in this work, as I am not 
 writing to please the fancy of my reader, but to 
 establish a truth ; and in so doing, I am in hopes to 
 encourage my friends and readers — not to hide their 
 gifts, under a bushel, but show them to the world, as 
 God never gave any truly good gifts, unless intended 
 for the benefit of humanity ; and like the " Talents," 
 spoken of by Him of old, will be called for in 
 due time. 
 
 While I am relating some of my father's expe- 
 riences, as told me by himself, I will also place here 
 what may have been seen before by some, as I pub- 
 lished it in the public press some years ago. 
 
 Some of my father's work, which he was advised to 
 do under this same influence, was about forty-five 
 years ago. His family were all passing away, member 
 after member, with the old-fashioned consumption. 
 Every two years there would be a vacant chair, until 
 eight members of the family had gone to their long 
 home, when Belle, (a sister) appeared to him, and 
 told him to take up the one that died first, which was 
 a sister, and burn her. It would put a stop to the 
 ravages of the disease. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 41 
 
 After many weeks of mental agony, and talking 
 with my mother, and the earnest solicitations of his 
 brother, who was then suffering from the dreadful 
 disease, he had them taken up, and strange as it may 
 seem, the one who died first, and had been dead six- 
 teen years, — was found, upon opening the coffin, 
 that the clothing and the body had all turned to a 
 dark dust, but the lungs and heart were much larger 
 than in a healthy human being. And there was evi- 
 dence, that a strange and unknown law, had been at 
 work, for on putting a lancet into the heart, the blood 
 gushed forth as from a fresh wound. 
 
 Oh ! you wise philosophers, why not learn that God 
 speaks through His angels, to the children of men, 
 and may convey this knowledge through the weak 
 ones of earth to confound the wise. Surgeons and 
 scientists would do well to become acquainted with 
 this law, and not perform surgical operations, except 
 in cases of necessity, without consulting the planetary 
 law that rules every particle of life, and the life-prin- 
 ciple in every thing. Experience and observation 
 have taught me that no surgical operation should be 
 performed on the increase of the moon. Cancers will 
 grow, tonsils will come again, limbs will not heal, and 
 there will be a return of the disease, if you trifle with 
 it on the increase of the moon. 
 
 As man cannot govern the tides and the moon does, 
 bow in reverence, all ye sages and saints, who hold 
 
42 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 scalpel and knife, and you will save many that now 
 pass over in defiance of law. Man should never be 
 forgetful" of the law that controls him, or the God 
 that rules him. It is that same law, that my father 
 tried to understand, and obeyed in the burning of the 
 bodies of those that had already passed away, that 
 left our family free from consumption, from that time 
 to the present, forty-five years. 
 
 As I am relating these peculiar incidents, I will 
 here speak of something which happened to myself, 
 when about seven years old ; I was playing with my 
 sister, and we wanted to fix a box by cutting off the 
 cover. I ran and got a new hatchet that father had 
 hidden from my brother, for fear he would get it and 
 cut himself, not thinking we girls might use it. My 
 sister took the hatchet and went to cut the cover, I 
 holding it ; she not only cut the box cover but took 
 two of my fingers off also. I mention this to show 
 that there is even in a child of seven years, intuitions 
 that should be remembered. After the hand had 
 been dressed by my father and mother, and the 
 fingers placed in a box, they were buried. I can well 
 remember, that they felt as if some one was squeezing 
 my hand and fingers, and when the pain became 
 unbearable, I begged my mother to give me my 
 fingers, saying some one was hurting them. And 
 after some coaxing, my father went and got them, 
 and brought them to me ; when lo, and behold, they 
 
THE REASON WHY. 43 
 
 were wrapped in a piece of flannel — which was 
 rolled tightly around them. After separating them, 
 and placing them in two different pieces, and laying 
 something between them, they were put in a box and 
 buried. The pain ceased, and I well remember the 
 wonder it caused in my family ; but I believe the same 
 guides that assist me now, watched over me then. 
 
 Since that time, in my profession as a physician, I 
 have seen men who have had their limbs amputated, 
 who, on the full of the moon, would suffer extremely 
 with pain, in the limb that had been removed years 
 before ; and I believe it is connected with the spiritual 
 part of the human being, teaching us that there is a 
 spiritual body, so in sympathy with the physical, that 
 only death can break the tie. I was at one time 
 obliged to visit a patient every month, and give him 
 medicine to act upon the nerves of the brain and 
 place a plaster on the spinal column, to relieve the 
 distress in a limb which had been amputated seven 
 years before. 
 
 Nothing a mystery is, but ignorance of the law. 
 So we, like doubting Thomas, believed not, until he 
 saw the very hands pierced by the nails, the wound 
 thrust in the side, did he believe that Christ had risen, 
 or He had " even " died. 
 
 Some ten years ago, while crossing the East Boston 
 Ferry, a lady on the boat spoke to me, and asked me 
 if I was Mrs. C , the lady physician. I said, yes. 
 
44 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 She said: "I am a stranger, but was told by my 
 spirit mother to come and see you. I ' knew you as 
 soon as I saw you. My mother has been with me 
 three weeks, and advises me to return to my grand- 
 mother in New York state, that I may have proper 
 care, in my last sickness ; as I have been very much 
 neglected by my husband. My spirit mother tells me 
 to tell you concerning my sad life, as I do not expect 
 to live long." I gave her my sympathy ; she returned 
 to her early home. I corresponded with her some 
 months, when she passed away. The day she died, 
 she received a letter from me, had the nurse read it to 
 her and dictated an answer. The next morning, at 
 four o'clock, I heard my name called ; arose, and 
 went into the entry. A cold draft of air came upon 
 me, and a voice said, " I died yesterday at five o'clock, 
 P. M. I send your letters and some other things in 
 a package." In a few days I received a letter from 
 the nurse, stating the hour of her death ; also received 
 the package in four weeks, containing my letters. 
 The daughter of this lady is living, and can verify 
 what I write. 
 
 Coming from Salem one day in the steam cars, we 
 were very much crowded for room. A strange lady 
 sat in the seat with me, and a gentleman and lady in 
 front of us. I was reading a paper, when some one 
 put their arms about my neck. It seemed so real, I 
 mentally asked, "Who is this?" The person said, 
 
THE REASON WHY. 45 
 
 k * I am that gentleman's mother who sits in front of 
 you." I said, " I cannot speak to him. You must 
 call his attention to me, by touching him on the left 
 side of his head." Soon he put up his hand and 
 rubbed the left side of his head. I then said touch 
 him on the right side. He put his hand up same as 
 before, on the other side. I then told her to touch 
 him on the sensorium. He lifted his hat, rubbed his 
 head, and looked round at me. I paid particular 
 attention to my paper, although I wanted to laugh. 
 I asked what she wished to say to him. " Tell him 
 not to sign tjiat contract, to-day," she replied. When 
 we arrived in Boston, I walked out of the Maine 
 depot, and before I reached Hanover Street, the gentle- 
 man came up to me, lifting his hat, said, "will you 
 please to excuse me, madam. Did you touch me in 
 the car?" I said, u no, but I know who did. A lady 
 who said she died three years ago, and is your mother. 
 And says, " Edward, don't sign that contract, to-day." 
 He was astonished, and I left him standing on the 
 street pale and breathless. I moved on. I do not 
 know who he was. 
 
46 THE EEASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 From my seventh year, I became conscious of some- 
 thing seeming to have a care over me, some undefined 
 presence, which I could feel, and yet could not 
 express myself about it. At school it seemed easy to 
 learn my lessons ; if I wished to be at the head of my 
 class, there seemed always something making me feel 
 that if I tried, I would succeed. And in every way, 
 even my most simple wish, seemed at times to be 
 granted in my inner life. No disappointments seemed 
 to wreck me, or affect me, because of that something, 
 with its soothing influence, which always acted as a 
 comforter. As time wore on, at about my sixteenth 
 year, I began to feel as if my brain was so active, 
 that it was almost impossible for me to contain my- 
 self, — so many queer sayings would come into my 
 mind ; and many times I have risen from my bed, 
 when all were sleeping, to write prose and poetry, to 
 relieve my aching head. Page after page would I 
 write, and then commit to the flames next morning, 
 saying I was nervous. Oh ! how many aches and 
 pains and mental agonies, are excused, or passed by, 
 
THE* REASON WHY. 47 
 
 or accounted for, by that one incomprehensible word, 
 nervousness. Would that it might be left out of the 
 English language, and we put in some word more 
 expressive of sympathy; for how many hearts are 
 broken, how many brains gone mad, while nervous- 
 ness, the only known expression serves to cover the 
 ignorance of the law of inspiration or aspiration, and 
 call it disease, that acts upon the bump of ideality. 
 
 Great heavens ! do we not need the gateway of 
 spirituality opened, to send down upon us poor 
 mortals more sympathy and harmony? Is it not 
 time that the Christ-principle was taught, and not 
 only taught, but practiced, in this the nineteenth 
 century? And that fathers and mothers should 
 better understand the children they have been the 
 means of bringing into the world, — and brothers and 
 sisters try to see each other's inner life. 
 
 Look for the divinity that is within, instead of the 
 faults from without. Instead of as to-day, part of a 
 family living in extravagance and luxury, and other 
 members of the same family, doing equally as much 
 good in life, are struggling for a mere pittance, barely 
 enough to keep soul and body together. Does any 
 one believe God ordered all this ? Ah ! no, but the 
 ruling of the planets, may be the cause of the inno- 
 cent suffering for the guilty, and that may have some- 
 thing to do with the destines of the human race. 
 
 If so, where is the blame, for there is one great 
 
48 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 truth we all can understand, that we are placed here 
 simply to grow, physically, morally, mentally, intel- 
 lectually, and spiritually; and they who having the 
 stronger spirituality, will in no wise be uncharitable 
 to any of God's children, but what they do not under- 
 stand, will leave for a time, when we shall all know 
 what life and its sufferings mean. 
 
 It seems that the masses do not understand, that 
 what we should most desire is growth, to fit ourselves 
 to enjoy life, here and hereafter. It is not necessary 
 to tell God what we need. He knows that already. 
 But to return thanks is just, and gives us a renewal 
 of spiritual inspirations, and makes us remember our 
 weaknesses as human beings. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 49 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 At nineteen years of age, I came to Boston to begin 
 life, with new hopes and lofty ideas, as many a young 
 girl leaves her home and friends, with a partner she 
 has chosen from all others, to walk the pathway of 
 life with. Ignorant and innocent, having been sur- 
 rounded by religious influence at home, is it strange, 
 that even to-day, while I write, a shudder passes over 
 me, as I think of all the sorrows and disappointments 
 that met me in my new home. All the pleasant 
 imaginations of love and home, with its harmonies, 
 took flight, and I found myself wrecked on the shoals 
 of disappointment, where every young girl will find 
 herself, if she does not wed principle and purity, for 
 nature is always true to herself; and innocence can no 
 more join hands with vice, than water can mix with 
 oil. No matter how much deception is used, or how 
 well selfishness may succeed, for a while, nature will 
 rebel in due time ; and though it may be many long 
 weary years, that a patient husband or wife bear the 
 cross, burdened at every step, yet there will come a 
 time, when justice and truth will have their sway, and 
 
50 THE SEASON WHY. 
 
 the selfish and deceitful will have it meted out to 
 them, as they have measured it to others. 
 
 Then; and not until then, when disappointment had 
 nearly wrecked my life, and I had been pronounced a 
 consumptive by the wise but mistaken physicians, I 
 felt how near, and yet how far, were those unseen 
 ones, who cheered me in my loneliness, and held me 
 up when I would have fallen, guided and directed me 
 by their intuitive instruction, yet I had not received 
 any open demonstration from them ; still, in my soul, 
 when sorrow reached my spirit, I would feel their 
 warm breath on my face, and their loving sympathy 
 in my soul, and hear the whispered words, be brave. 
 Oh ! how in my disappointed life, when I felt it was 
 more than I could bear, have I thrown my arms out 
 into space, trying to catch, or feel a touch of those, 
 who though unseen, lived and loved me still. The 
 religious element in my nature, would rise up in my 
 daily life, and on bending knees, would I plead to 
 God to spare my unborn child the consequent effects 
 of an inharmonious marriage, though entered into in 
 ignorance and 'girlish innocence. And I believe my 
 prayers were taken up by the angelic hosts, and 
 carried to my Master, who answered my prayers, 
 willingly; and the daughter, who blesses my life 
 to-day with her heavenly gifts, is an assurance of 
 God's love and tenderness to his children. Oh ! 
 woman, you who read this little book, may it bring to 
 
THE REASON WHY. 51 
 
 your soul a balm, to know that there is one woman 
 amidst the millions who dared to suffer and be strong, 
 and wait God's own time, to be emancipated from 
 deceptive surroundings. Let it give you strength to 
 bear the ills of life, but work in some good cause, and 
 help those weaker than yourself. It is the only balm 
 for a disappointed life, to fulfill one's duties, and help 
 others that we may be happy ourselves. And, 
 mothers, looking back thirty years, it seems but 
 yesterday, when placed in my arms was my first 
 child ; no one but a mother, whose love is centered 
 on her child, by disappointment, can realize my joy 
 at beholding the tiny form of my darling child, with 
 its innocent face, teaching me that there was some- 
 thing in life worth living for. To watch and care for 
 my helpless little one, revived in my inner being, the 
 true elements of the true woman, — love for inno- 
 cence and helplessness. We may have everything in 
 life that money can bring, but the loving word mother, 
 may well repay us for many of life's disappointments, 
 and also bring out of a lonely heart, feelings of 
 responsibility and care, that makes up the true and 
 noble woman. I was not conscious of any person 
 around me, until some time afterwards, when my 
 second child was thirteen months old, when I was 
 aroused, while quietly sleeping, one night, to hear the 
 words, " make lots of night dresses, for baby's going 
 to be long sick, and you will need them ; then he 
 comes to summer land." 
 
52 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 Somewhat dejected in spirit, feeling that something 
 was going to happen, I went busily to work and made 
 the night Presses, as was commanded me to do. This 
 was the first of July, he was taken sick soon after, 
 and passed away October eighth. The day before he 
 was taken sick, my little daughter was learning her 
 Catechism for Sunday School, and laying her head in 
 my lap, while Georgie was sitting up in his cradle, 
 she said, " Mother, where is God ? I don't see Him." 
 Georgie looked up, and with a sweet smile said, 
 raising his little hands, "God is up there." I was 
 startled, as he had never spoken a word, but pa and 
 mamma ; and in my surprise, said, " Georgie, did you 
 speak ? " when he reiterated the same sentence to me 
 again, with so much solemnity, that it fairly chilled 
 me, and when my husband returned at night, he 
 found me very much depressed in mind, and as is 
 usual in such cases, called it nervousness, and told me 
 to go out for a walk, as being with the children so 
 much, affected me. I went, and when I returned, 
 found my darling sick ; and after nine week's sickness 
 he passed to the summer land. I sincerly believe 
 that children grow up spiritually beside their earthly 
 mother, learning earth's laws, in connection with 
 spirit ; and my reason for this is, that for many years, 
 at times I was conscious of the name of mother 
 being whispered in my ear. At times I was very 
 lonely and sad, and sometimes would weep, missing 
 
THE REASON WHY. 
 
 53 
 
 him, and also another I had lost since he passed 
 away. — when I beheld him, standing before me one 
 evening, and he seemed like a child four or five years 
 old. He said, " don't cry, mamma, for me ; we are 
 always near you. See," and he held up his little 
 dress, when lo ! and behold, it was wet and clung 
 about him ; and he said, " mamma, your tears make 
 my dress wet. I can't sleep good, if you cry." I was 
 astonished, and said, "is it possible, darling, that 
 mother's troubles affect you so ? " and he passed from 
 my sight. But I learned a lesson from that, to do 
 my duty by every one while they live, and when they 
 have passed on, leave them in the hands of a Higher 
 power. But I feel that the law of attraction between 
 the spirit of mother and child, must be as strong, 
 spiritually, as physically, — laws which have been 
 proven to hold good in the transmission of disease 
 from both parents to their children. 
 
 Three years after Georgie's death, we buried another 
 little boy, with disease of the brain ; and as I looked 
 on his waxen features, I began to ask myself the 
 question, why this disease of the brain should affect 
 my children, both in the same way, and at about the 
 same age ; and if there was not some law which I had 
 transgressed unknowingly. As I was of a studious 
 turn of mind, and believed in physiology and phrenol- 
 ogy, I at once set about trying to solve the problem 
 concerning the death of those loved ones. And I feel 
 
54 THE EEASON WHY. 
 
 to-day, that 1 can safely attribute it to a weak 
 physical body, and a too strong mental action of the 
 mother; and that while my children were blessed 
 with strong spirituality and mental power, there was 
 not physical strength, inherited from their mother, to 
 sustain them in physical life, and then we are taught 
 that God takes our children away. Be that true or 
 false, I learned a lesson in the death of my little ones, 
 that satisfied me that they partoook of the weak 
 physical nature of the mother; for the two children 
 who resemble their father, are living; while those 
 resembling their mother have been denied their just 
 rights of living their allotted time on the earth, by the 
 injustice and disappointment meted out to their 
 mother. 
 
 I give this here, that mothers may help me solve 
 this momentous question, why so many children pass 
 away in infancy, and are denied their just rights of a 
 life on the physical plain. I can safely say it is due 
 to prenatal conditions, and inharmonious surround- 
 ings, and ignorant physicians, which cheat these little 
 innocents out of a true life, and oblige them, in spirit, 
 to walk side by side with their mother, and through 
 her life, to be made acquainted with physical law. 
 If not so, no individuality could come to them ; and 
 so, mothers, when you think it is better for your 
 darling to pass away in infancy, first think what 
 they were placed here for, and you will not be 
 
THE REASON WHY. 55 
 
 hypocrite enough to believe that it is as well for 
 them. 
 
 But, mothers, look beyond the tomb, 
 And see thy little ones, 
 Protected by the Friend, who says, 
 Oh! suffer such to come. 
 
56 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " STAR-MAY." 
 
 As years wore on, I still seemed to be watched by 
 unseen beings, and whispering voices seemed to 
 attend me, when, v being suddenly awakened from 
 my sleep one night, I was told to get up ; and I 
 beheld a dark face bending over me, with long black 
 hair falling about the shoulders, and a piece of red 
 cloth folded about the person. I arose, when a voice 
 said, " remove the woolen carpet from the floor. Pack 
 away your feather beds, and all unnecessary clothing ; 
 get an open stove and a tin tea-kettle, for you will 
 need them. Brave is going to have the small pox. 
 Boil tar in the water to purify the air, and say noth- 
 ing." I was astounded, and who would not have 
 been ? for in 1855 we were not used to the small pox, 
 as we are at the present, and it seemed a very loath- 
 some disease. It was Wednesday night. The face 
 glided by me with a sweet smile, as if it only meant 
 me kindness. The next morning I did as directed, 
 replaced the woolen carpet with a straw matting, pro- 
 
THE ItEASON WHY. 57 
 
 cured a stove and kettle, and the tar ; and when my 
 husband returned at night, he complained of a bad 
 head-ache, and insisted upon having a sweat, which 
 was given him. At twelve o'clock that night, my 
 name was called again, when I beheld the same face 
 saying, "get up, your husband will be broken out 
 with small pox before morning. " I arose, and lifting 
 the wet cloth I had placed on his forehead, found 
 him all broken out. Sending for a physician in the 
 morning, he pronounced it small pox at once. My 
 husband, for three weeks, was very sick, when my lit- 
 tle daughter was taken with the same dread disease, 
 and lay very sick. 
 
 The day it turned with him he was suffering very 
 much ; and I, worn out with care and watching, being 
 forsaken by every one, they were so frightened of it, 
 and the physician only stepped into the door, never 
 into his room, and I had not seen the face of any one 
 since they were taken sick, — only the doctor for a 
 moment. Disheartened and discouraged, I felt a 
 fearful head-ache coming on me, and the chill they 
 both complained of when taken, and knowing we all 
 must suffer if I should be taken down with it, and 
 knowing how unfeeling my neighbors had shown 
 themselves in their fright, (for they even complained 
 because I opened my windows at night to air the 
 house,) I expected no help from that source ; and we 
 all know how little avail human sympathy, when they 
 
58 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 think there is danger to themselves. My husband ir? 
 sisted upon having something to make him sleep ; he 
 did not care what it done to him, his sufferings were 
 so great. 
 
 As I passed down the stairs to get something for 
 him, the little brown face smilingly said, "be quick, 
 squaw, empty the laudinum into a cup, fill the bottle 
 with black tea. Give Brave some ; he will sleep." I 
 hurried to do so, feeling God had sent some one to 
 me in my helplessness and loneliness ; and feeling so 
 sick myself, that after I had administered the tea, I 
 came down stairs, fell on my knees, and with my soul 
 full of thankfulness, uttered these words : — " God, 
 help me!" A hand was laid upon my head, and I 
 heard the words : — " Fear not, my child" I arose 
 from my knees, so happy, that a sweet melod}^ filled 
 my soul, and I burst forth, and sang as in my happiest 
 days, when my father played the bass viol, and taught 
 his children to rise and fall the notes. 
 
 Oh! you faithless ones, that do not believe in 
 answer to prayer. When you feel your own weak- 
 ness, and have no confidence in human aid, and your 
 spirit needs to be strengthened, believe me, there is 
 a fountain which will never fail us, and when you 
 once drink from that fountain, you can never thirst. 
 For that fountain is Inspiration, and Intuition, and 
 spirits of loved ones, are always watching and wait- 
 ing, to carry our wants and wishes up higher, and 
 
THE .REASON WHY. 59 
 
 bring the balm of Gilead. to our weary and waiting 
 
 souls. 
 
 Strange as it may seem, the tea given to my husband 
 
 for lauclinum, had the desired effect to promote sleep, 
 
 and feeling that he was laboring under a narcotic, so 
 
 affected him, that he slept all night, and the next 
 
 morning was decidedly better, and in due time both 
 
 recovered their usual health. 
 
60 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 From 1850 to 1860, my health seemed to fail 
 slowly but surely ; and at last I became so reduced, 
 that after consulting many physicians, it was decided 
 that I was in consumption ; and there are now living, 
 (1881) physicians who decided that my left lung was 
 entirely gone. I weighed only eighty pounds, and for 
 three years had not been able to lie on either side. 
 
 Life seemed almost a burden, — I constantly trying 
 to be busy, to keep my mind from destroying me, 
 with constant thinking, knowing I could not live 
 long with my left lung gone, and the right one in a 
 diseased condition. I continued to decline, and after 
 a time began spitting blood. My attendant physician 
 said I must soon pass away. 
 
 I, feeling no doubt like many young persons under 
 such circumstances, as if I was being dealt unjustly 
 with, became rebellious in my feelings, asking myself 
 why was I placed in such circumstances. It was 
 nothing I had done myself,, and if it was because of 
 my innocence and ignorance, why had not God 
 
THE REASON WHY. Gl 
 
 taught the children of earth, the why and wherefore 
 of life? 
 
 I had not the least fear of death, but I wanted to 
 know why God did not give us the information we 
 sought, and make us realize what was expected of us. 
 I was not hypocrite enough to say I was thankful to 
 be brought into life, without any volition of my own, 
 have my early hopes blasted by circumstances, and 
 then bow like a whipped cur, and say I believe it 
 right ! 
 
 Not so. If God, is a God of love and wisdom, He 
 will accept no such hypocritical worship. And if *He 
 desired to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, He 
 could not receive worship from a child, who could say 
 with the lips that it was right, and rebel in their 
 innermost soul. I have yet to see the man or woman, 
 (and I have stood beside many death-beds), that have 
 not lived their allotted time, and are aged, but ask 
 the same question, — why are we put here to suffer so 
 much, and told so little. Only, that it is God's will, 
 and we must submit without a murmur. The very 
 men and women that preach such doctrine, should be 
 obliged to bring proof, and prove it in public, or be 
 placed with false teachers. 
 
 What right has any one, man or woman, to put 
 forth to the world, theological views, as facts, which 
 cannot be proven only through a record three thou- 
 sand three hundred years old, lost for four hundred 
 
62 THE REASON" WHY. 
 
 years, brought to light by the Mohammedans, ac- 
 knowledged by Christians, to be written by men 
 inspired of God, to do the work, just as some are 
 (inspired) to-day, which that same class of theolo- 
 gians reject as being inspired by demons, — and that 
 record only one side of the question, giving only the 
 history of the Jews? We of the class called Gentiles, 
 afterwards Christians, could come and tell you con- 
 cerning the Holy Nazerene, — as told us by the 
 Magi of Persia, or the Egyptian priest, whom Jesus 
 learned his lessons of wisdom with; and know- 
 ing that He was sent to set an example for the 
 nations to follow, revered Him as the Messiah, whom 
 God had sent not to bear all the terrible wrong doing 
 'of a wicked people, but to teach them to love one 
 another, and not allow selfishness and avariciousness 
 to destroy the God-like principle, love, that is inherent 
 in them. Not that we are saved by His death, but by 
 His life and example, — and I believe, had I loved 
 God less, and feared Him more, I should not be here 
 writing these words to-day. But I believed Him to 
 be a God of love and wisdom, and felt in my weak- 
 ness that He who placed me here, would answer me, 
 if I asked Him, in spirit and in truth. And I asked 
 in sincerity, that if I must pass away so young, (only 
 twenty-nine years old), I might have given me the 
 reason. Yes, even more, I demanded it, as my right 
 as a child of God, who had no fear of a loving Father, 
 
THE REASON WHY. 03 
 
 only love for Him. We are taught He is more loving 
 than an earthly parent. Prove it, ye faithless ones, 
 and not talk what you do not believe. 
 
 God heard my request, and through His ministering 
 angels answered my prayer of demand ; and I would 
 not exchange the knowledge for all the gold on our 
 earthly plain, for that will pass away, but that know- 
 ledge will be the key which unlocks all the mysteries 
 of human life. 
 
 I retired as usual one night, when I felt a chilly 
 feeling pervade the atmosphere of my room, and look- 
 ing up, beheld what appeared to be a smoking sub- 
 stance, arising from the floor to the ceiling. I 
 watched it, and as a numbness crept over me, I said, 
 " why, perhaps this is a feeling of death." But as I 
 watched, the face of my father came out of it, and 
 he said, " you have made a demand upon spirit life, 
 my child, and God has sent me to answer it ; but you 
 are aware, that if we restore you to health, you must 
 give us something in return." I said, " I have 
 nothing to give, father." He said, "I am not all 
 who have suffered in answer to your demand. The 
 world you live in, is a world of demand, and the spirit 
 world, is a world of supply to your souls; but t there 
 must be an exchange of life, if we answer your 
 petition." He said, "there are fifty or more who 
 compose a band ; what will you give them to live, and 
 work out a life of usefulness ? " I answered, " I have 
 
64 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 nothing." He said, "will you dedicate yourself to 
 the human race, and be guided as a physician and 
 worker in every good cause, whatsoever jovl are told 
 to do for the good of the children of earth ? " I said, 
 u Iwili" — but said he, "that will not do. Repeat 
 after me these words : ' I, Julia A. Norcross, dedicate 
 myself to any good work, which shall be given me to 
 do, by my angel guides, while life lasts. I will not 
 fail in that work, so help me God, and. my Angelic 
 Band;" 
 
 Then he said, " I shall never come again this way, 
 but you will always be told what to do, and how. 
 You will also be protected by your guides. Go fear- 
 lessly along, turn not to the right, or to the left. 
 Whatever obstruction comes in the way, to interfere 
 in any good work, will be removed. Be charitable, 
 kind and loving to all, and forget not your promise, 
 and you shall be blessed ; you will suffer much, but 
 that will be nothing. The world will not understand 
 a truth, unless there are martyrs to every good cause. 
 Cross your hands upon your chest, and also cross 
 your feet at ten o'clock every forenoon, and four 
 every afternoon. You will then feel the Hand heal- 
 ing you, and teaching you to care for yourself. You 
 will see written that which will cure you, and when 
 you have cured yourself, you will extend the hand of 
 healing to others, and by doing so you will strengthen 
 yourself. You will always feel the Hidden Hand on 
 
THE REASON WHY. 05 
 
 your shoulder, and will know we are some of us near. 
 Talk to us as if you saw us ; we will advise you, as 
 you will never be where we cannot come to you." 
 And amidst all the ups and downs of life, I have 
 been guided and guarded, by that Hidden Hand, — 
 and eluded, if need be. It always accompanies me, 
 wherever I go ; and at times, when visiting my 
 patients late at night, when it would come into my 
 mind how late it was, and I out alone, I would feel 
 the Hand upon my shoulder, as much as to say, never 
 alone. And while life lasts, and I remain a sojourner 
 on earth plain, I shall be, as I always have been, true 
 to the band that guides me, feeling assured that God 
 knew it was best, for the thorns to wound my feet, 
 and disappointment blast my young life ; that out of 
 the ashes of the past, might be resurrected a hand to 
 heal, a psychological power to assist, and a sympa- 
 thetic feeling to encourage the sick and suffering. 
 And if humble me, has been chosen, I can do no more 
 than submit to a power Higher than myself, and wait 
 the coming of the glorious morn of spirit life. To 
 understand why it has been so with me, and why we 
 who are chosen should suffer scoff and scorn, and by 
 those who are linked to us by the tenderest ties that 
 can possibly unite human beings, and even the sacred- 
 ness of consanguinious relationship, is not exempt 
 from acting its part in withholding from us sympathy 
 and encouragement, — but when angel hosts attend 
 
66 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 our footsteps, and faith inspires our soui, we can 
 bide our time, and wait the coming light, for life is 
 short, and eternity is long ; and perhaps we shall all 
 understand one another better. If my cross has been 
 hard to bear, I know many times I have made it 
 lighter, by helping others to bear their sufferings and 
 cares ; and then when I have sighed, in the hours of 
 trouble, and felt that only a thin veil had been drawn 
 between me, and those I loved, in spirit, and I was 
 tired and weary of the turmoil of life, I would beg 
 of them to open the gateway and give me a glimpse 
 of the higher life. I have been answered, "be brave; 
 all things are for the best." 
 
 Why murmur, when you cannot change 
 
 Conditions, over which you have no control ; 
 Arise, let circumstances flee, 
 
 But do not bind thy eternal soul ; 
 For if the life that makes you mourn, 
 
 Or sadness follows in the way, 
 Look thou to higher realms above, — 
 
 You'll see the clouds all roll away. 
 
 So, weary sister, live and hope, 
 
 That by-and-by, duties, well done, 
 Will come and bring their recompense, 
 
 And you'll be blessed for every one. 
 Bear now the cross, the end is near ; 
 
 Thy trials cannot weigh thee down ; 
 For we have watched thee in the past, 
 
 And thou shalt wear life's peaceful crown. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 67 
 
 Keep up thy spirits, let nothing crush 
 
 Thy mental powers, nor make them change, 
 For all but life, must go to dust, 
 
 And by God's laws must be arranged; 
 Seek those that give thee mental strength, 
 
 So that thy lamp may brightly burn ; 
 And if thou needst love's eloquence, 
 
 God gives to them, that rightly earn. 
 
 Do that which makes thee safe and strong, 
 
 And gird thyself with fearless might ; 
 And love no one, if they would wean 
 
 Thy loving soul from what is right. 
 If they who come and ask thy love, 
 
 And cannot pay the precious dower, 
 You might as well be left alone, 
 
 As give thyself into their power. 
 
 If thou art tired, weary and weak, 
 
 Not to such fountains shouldst thou drink ; 
 
 For when thy strength exhausted be, 
 
 Their weight would only make thee sink. 
 
 
\ 
 
 68 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 My health improved rapidly, and I found myself a 
 new being, physically ; and as I improved in health, 
 my mental seemed to be acted upon in a very singular 
 manner, and I gave attention to it. There would be 
 a strange feeling come on the right side of my brain, 
 which I learned was the positive side; and infor- 
 mation would be conveyed to me, on the left, which 
 is the negative side ; and whatever they wished me to 
 do, has been given me in that way. And when I feel 
 the Hidden Hand upon the right side, 1 know it is to 
 give me instruction. And when I feel a touch on the 
 left shoulder, it is some one wanting information. 
 When on the sensorium, it incites the spiritual and 
 intellectual. But I have no desire to impress upon 
 my readers that this is an easy way to get an educa- 
 tion. Let me assure you, that no great blessing ever 
 comes to earth's children without sorrow and suffer- 
 ing attending every step. No proclamation of eman- 
 cipation ever came to the children of men, only 
 through sorrow and bloodshed, and hours of agony 
 and despair. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 69 
 
 The Hidden Hand was my solace and comforter, 
 and my spirit was made glad by the restoration of my 
 physical body to health, giving me more physical 
 force and stamina, to withstand the opposition and 
 ridicule which the ignorant and malicious will al- 
 ways bring forth against any thing which they do not 
 understand, and are too indolent and worldly to wish 
 too. ■ Bear in mind that they, too, shall have their re- 
 ward ; for whatsoever they have " meted to others, 
 shall be meted to them again." 
 
 This year, 1861, there came to my home another 
 son, and for two years my time was taken up with 
 my domestic affairs ; but still my guides watched 
 me carefully and were constantly about me, and often 
 surprised me by some peculiar act to assure me of 
 their power and protection, — one instance of which 
 I will here relate. I asked my husband, one Satur- 
 day evening, to bring me a half-dozen glass goblets ; 
 and to annoy me, and also to ridicule my temperance 
 principles, he brought me in six common bar-tumb- 
 lers. I was vexed, but said nothing. On setting my 
 table Sunday evening for Monday morning breakfast, 
 I placed three of those tumblers on each end of the 
 table, and went into my sitting room. Presently I 
 heard a noise, as if some one striking on glass with a 
 piece of metal ; I went into the dining-room, and found 
 one of the tumblers cut off about an inch from the 
 bottom, and a knife laying beside it. Suffice it to 
 
70 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 say, that before Monday night, all the half-dozen were 
 destroyed in the same manner. 
 
 An Indian girl (spirit,) calling herself " Star-May," 
 said " she had done it to let Brave know that she 
 knew what was right and what was wrong." 
 
 At this time the spirits gave Mr. C. a prophetic 
 warning : saying if he was not kind to his wife and 
 children, there would be a time when she would stand 
 upon a public rostrum, and he in the audience, when 
 the Atlantic ocean might as well roll between. And 
 to-day, after all these years have past, I can see how 
 well it has all been fulfilled; and if coming events 
 cast their shadows before, does it not imply that our 
 acts have to do with our destiny ? 
 
THE REASON WHY. 71 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 In 1863 my mediumistic work began in earnest. In 
 
 January I was at Mr. D. S 's, and while sitting 
 
 around a table with some friends, was conscious of 
 being controlled or influenced in a mysterious way ; 
 was told I had offered an invocation, which proof I 
 had by finding my face and eyes much swollen the 
 following morning, winch disappeared towards eve- 
 ning, and the next evening another invocation, with 
 the same results. This lasted about twelve days, with 
 no conversation through me upon any subject. 
 
 Then came what purported to be the spirit of Dr. 
 Kittridge, and made himself known through me, tell- 
 ing me what I must do, was to examine diseases, and 
 use the hand of healing. For six months I examined 
 all diseases free of charge ; and in that year examined 
 over six hundred persons, and wrote prescriptions, 
 and gave such advice as their cases called for ; after 
 which my spirit guides suggested that I put up my 
 own medicine, as my magnetism would impregnate it, 
 and it would have better effect upon the system. 
 About this time I was called to Mr. G. L d, who 
 
72 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 had been sick a number of years, with what was 
 called by the physicians, neuralgia of the stomach. 
 He had even been to California, to try the effects of 
 climate, yet to no purpose. When I was called, he 
 was suffering from an acute attack, was attended by 
 two physicians, who had blistered and salivated him, 
 all to no purpose ; then tried rolling him on a mat- 
 tress. His wife, (Mrs. S. A. L d), having heard 
 
 of the power recently bestowed on me, determined to 
 try this wonderful gift of healing. Although a 
 stranger and a skeptic, she sent for me about eight 
 o'clock, P. M. As soon as I entered the room, I be- 
 came influenced at once, and bade him arise from the 
 mattress and go to bed. His wife said it was impos- 
 sible, he could not move ; when I reached out my 
 hand, and raised him at once, and led him to his room, 
 his wife putting him in bed. Seating myself at the 
 bed-side, I took his hand in mine, placing the other 
 on his forehead, remained under influence till Hve 
 o'clock the next morning, he sleeping, and waking 
 entirely free from, pain ; my guides deciding that it 
 was gall stones passing through the gall duct,- and 
 inflammation of the liver. It caused me more trouble 
 to cure the effects of the calomel which the other 
 physicians had given him, than to cure the effects of 
 the disease ; although having been subject to like at- 
 tacks for fifteen years, he never had a return of it af- 
 terwards. 
 
THE REASON WHY. To 
 
 After several years of health and happiness, Mr. 
 
 L d met with an accident on the Metropolitan 
 
 Railroad, which disabled him for life, and finally 
 caused his death. In a suit for damages against the 
 railroad, I was called as a witness in his behalf, be- 
 fore a bench of judges, opposed by three of our most 
 eminent and able lawyers, one of whom has since 
 filled the governor's chair in this State: and could 
 they behold their littleness in comparison with those 
 whose hand turned the scale in favor of the poor and 
 unfortunate man who laid helpless for two years on 
 a bed of suffering, and a rich corporation, trying to 
 shirk the responsibility, and fighting against justice 
 and mere}', for a few paltry dollars, which will hang 
 like a mill-stone about their necks, after they have 
 left this earth to render an account, and have their 
 case decided according to the laws of the spirit world, 
 where justice, mercy and truth abound. 
 
 Not one question was asked me while on the stand, 
 in favor of that poor man, but an answer was whis- 
 pered to me, in my ear, from outside of myself, by 
 the angel hosts, showing me how interested the spirit 
 influences were, concerning the troubles and afflic- 
 tions of earth's children, and also teaching me that 
 it is not the influential, but the upright, that God 
 sends His messengers to attend; and if those men 
 were aware that their thoughts and purposes were 
 pre-arranged by an unseen power, th'ey would not have 
 
74 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 tried so hard to rob a poor injured man, by twisting 
 the law, for oftentimes there is more law than justice. 
 But I beheld the working of that unseen power, and 
 it was only through the influence that was thrown 
 over the judges, by a power not recognized by them- 
 selves, that they did at last give justice. 
 
 I saw a spirit recording the thoughts, as they came 
 from each man's brain, and giving him due credit for 
 only that which came from his own inner life ; and 
 then using the manipulations of a magnetic power to 
 change his mind. But of that he gained no reward. 
 Oh! how little in comparison with those workers, 
 was the talk and mean insinuations thrown out by 
 those lawyers, to prove the witnesses' statements 
 false. Judges and lawyers should remember, that 
 there is a higher law than that made by man ; and as 
 they are only men, they should, if they accept such 
 responsible situations from the people, conduct them- 
 selves in such a manner, that the unseen police, who 
 never receives bribes, nor sleep at their post, may 
 send in their report to head-quarters in their favor ; — 
 for believe me, every act of yours is seed sown, and 
 in due time you will reap the harvest, nolens volens. 
 
 A little circumstance connected with this case, may 
 be interesting to our readers, as all I shall write in 
 this book is true, and can be vouched for, by those in 
 my own vicinity. 
 
 Mr. L having been sick a long time, many 
 
THE REASON WHY. 75 
 
 called upon him, because his case was a sad one ; one 
 of whom was lawyer B . He said his sympathy- 
 was so great, that it gave him pain to see him suffer 
 
 so, and asked Mr. L what he could do for him. 
 
 In repl}' he said, I have many bills out, (Mr. L 
 
 having been in the grocery business previous to his 
 injury), and am in need of money; asked him if he 
 
 would collect some of them. Lawyer B said he 
 
 would, on a very small commission. Mr. L gave 
 
 him some bills for collection, of which he collected 
 fourteen dollars, and kept the money. And after Mr. 
 
 L died, sued the widow for four hundred dollars, 
 
 as fees, for services in assisting her husband in his 
 business. 
 
 Is it any wonder that people who see a church with 
 such a wolf within its folds, should say that ill-gotten 
 money is paid in to retain a place, and that church 
 must get some of the dirt that such a man carries 
 into it. Brothers and sisters, overcome evil with 
 good, is God's law, and not to let evil overcome good, 
 and make everything evil. Too many of God's 
 children are judged by what they wear, and churches 
 are not exempt from its fearful influence in this 
 direction. 
 
76 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Continuing my practice, and attending to my fam- 
 ily, gave me very little time for social intercourse 
 with any society, and I saw, as all physicians do, so 
 much of suffering, both physical and mental ; for it is 
 not only the body that a true physician is obliged to 
 prescribe for, but many of the ills that belong to the 
 . mental ; and sometimes all the troubles of a family 
 are deposited with the family physician ; and if he or 
 she is false to their trust, they are no physician, in the 
 true sense of the word. 
 
 At this time I was called to a Mr. N., who had not 
 seen a well day for ten years. His last physician had 
 tried all kinds of experiments upon him, and then told 
 him he would never be any better. He had a very 
 singular dream. In it he saw a lady that held a bot- 
 tle towards him, and on it these words : — ■ " Behold 1 
 come to bring relief! " He being a man of strong 
 will-power, and not to be laughed out of what to him 
 seemed so real in his dream, he sent for many lady 
 physicians, but to no purpose ; he would say that is 
 not the one. At last some one was in his house tell- 
 
THE REASON WHY. 77 
 
 ing that there was a lady on Brooks Street, East 
 Boston, who had just begun to practice, and I was 
 sent for. As soon as he saw me, he said, this is the 
 one I saw in my dream. I shall be cured. He was 
 very much reduced, thin and weak, but of a will that 
 was wonderful. He engaged me at once, stipulating 
 a sum I should receive every Saturday evening, and 
 also agreeing that he would do whatever my guides 
 saw fit for him. And I will here state that I never 
 had a patient that showed more fortitude in suffering, 
 or more faith in the influence which he could not see, 
 but so easily feel. Oftentimes I would sit by the bed, 
 and his wife a little distance from me, when I would 
 feel the power taken from my brain, and conveyed to 
 his, and in a few minutes he would be sleeping 
 soundly. We would leave the room, and he would 
 sleep till morning. This was all the opiate he received 
 during my three month's treatment of him; the 
 guides telling him he was so weak, they could magne- 
 tize him through me, as it was conducive to his 
 cure, — he had taken so much poisonous medicine 
 before. 
 
 While I attended him, all his medicines were pre- 
 pared by myself, and his wife, from instructions 
 through me, by my spirit guides. And in three 
 months from the time I was first called to him, he 
 was a well man, and for fourteen years enjoyed good 
 health, and gave to the world the truths he had 
 
78 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 learned, while lying upon a bed of suffering, — that 
 there were spirit guides, interested in earthly scenes, 
 and that they could manifest themselves through 
 human organizations. 
 
 Who can tell why such changes take place in the 
 circumstances that surround human beings ? At the 
 
 time I attended Mr. N , his minister, for he 
 
 belonged to the Methodist church, used to come quite 
 often to see him, and became very much interested in 
 his case, and gleaned all the information he could 
 concerning his cure; and many times, on a Sunday 
 morning, when reading to, or praying with my patient, 
 would this man stand outside in the hall, waiting to 
 . be admitted. He seemed surprised, that we who held 
 spiritual views should offer prayer. Why, the word 
 Spiritualism itself, implies intercourse with the de- 
 parted, and a positive belief in a future existence ; 
 and prayer is the sincere desire of the heart, flowing 
 out towards the great source of all purity and life, 
 God, or an outflow of the divinity within us. And 
 no person, understanding spiritual truth, could fail to 
 see that to own our being influenced or controlled by 
 those in spirit life, who had lived and suffered, whose 
 love and sympathy were with us, who had been pray- 
 ing spirits, or those who had devotion large in their 
 own physical organization, but would offer prayer to 
 the Giver of all good. 
 
 I attended in the family at times for fourteen years, 
 
THE REASON WHY. 79 
 
 when, on returning from a journey, I was told that 
 he, Mr. N., was very sick, and had sent for me, hav- 
 ing been sick three weeks. I hastened to his bed- 
 side, and never shall I forget the agonizing face that 
 looked up into mine. After I had made an examina- 
 tion, he asked, tk What do you think ails me ? " I 
 said, " typhoid, gastric fever." " Well," said he, " I 
 shall then die ; and I think my doctor had better be 
 in the country, digging potatoes, than to be here prac- 
 ticing medicine. He never got a living at preaching, 
 and so took up doctoring. I waited for you, and this 
 is the result. He has been treating me for simple di- 
 arrhoea, and I have felt that I was very sick." In a 
 few days he passed away. 
 
 Strange to say, that was the same man, that four- 
 teen years before was a preacher. God did not elect 
 him for the work. So he is to-day doing worse, 
 trifling with the bodies of human beings, without the 
 least adaption for the work, not knowing that surely 
 he will reap his reward. 
 
80 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Those who do not understand spirit influence, may 
 be glad to learn how a new influence approaches a 
 medium. 
 
 1st. By throwing upon the physical body of the 
 medium, the symptoms of the disease they had before 
 they passed away. 2d. By touch or influence on 
 the left or negative side. 3d. By a blending of the 
 mental, or spiritual, through the law of attraction. 
 Such medium cannot be controlled for physical 
 manifestations, or materializations. For the mystery 
 of mediumship, is the mystery of human life itself, 
 and depends almost wholly upon inherited temper- 
 aments, peculiar organization, original gifts, and care- 
 ful culture. It is not really necessary one should 
 be entranced to receive communications from the 
 spirit world, or to get impressions, or even give 
 tests. Often, conscious-mediums are the most reli- 
 able. Sometimes, when persons enter my office, they 
 bring with them their spirit friends, and these spirit 
 friends come up to me, and blend so easily with me, 
 that for the time being, I seem to be the person them- 
 
THE REASON WHY. 81 
 
 selves, and can go on and tell precisely what they 
 wish to say, and know and feel, that the spirit stands 
 at my side ; and I feel the influence upon my face, 
 and for the time, we are one, blending our spirits; and 
 yet I am conscious, all of the time, and conversing 
 with persons in the room, at the same time. But it 
 would be impossible for me to do this of my own will, 
 or by appointment, or for money, let the amount be 
 ever so great. In these communications I have never 
 known one word to be false ; but when communica- 
 tions are given by guides, they are sometimes mis- 
 taken in what they relate, showing that they do not 
 see clearly, and I have proven it in more instances 
 than one. 
 
 In January, 1874, I entered Music Hall, Boston, to 
 hear Gerald Massay lecture, and when seated, a strange 
 lady came and seated herself beside me. My eyes 
 closed without volition of my own, and I seemed to 
 be another person. A spirit said to me, help me to 
 reach my mother. I turned to the lady, and told her 
 a brother of hers, was standing beside me, — that he 
 wanted to write to his mother. Neither of us had 
 paper or pencil. I was obliged to send out for them. 
 When they came, I wrote all the particulars con- 
 cerning his mysterious death ; and the reasons for it, 
 which had ever been a mystery to them, — the sister 
 sobbing all the while, — and the spirit keeping my 
 eyes closed all the time, that I might not see what 
 
82 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 was written. Also gave her information concerning 
 some work she was doing at her home. She was an 
 entire stranger to me, I never having seen her before, 
 neither have I since. Strange as it may seem, I was 
 seemingly conscious all the while, and yet heard 
 nothing of the lecture. 
 
 The lady was never in Boston before, and left 
 that evening ; next morning I received the following 
 note : — 
 
 Boston, Jan., 11th, 1874. 
 My Dear Mrs. Crafts: 
 
 As I have so very brief a time to stay, (we go at 
 8.30), I can say but a few words ; but I do desire to 
 thank you from my heart, for the comfort you have 
 given me. May God bless you in your work. If you 
 should again be influenced by the spirit who came 
 to-day, I wish you would write me. Do not hesitate 
 to tell me just what he says — let it be what it may. 
 I think I shall see you again in this life, but if not, 
 farewell, and God bless you. 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 E. L. K . 
 
THE REASON WHY. 83 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Cheered and comforted by outside influence, is the 
 experience of every true medium, through the blend- 
 ing of the outside spirit, with our inner life ; yet there 
 may be doubting ones, as there always will be, but if 
 they desire to solve this great problem, let them just 
 examine themselves ; as many will say to me, " why 
 do I not have these things come to me ? " But on 
 acquaintance with them, I cease to wonder. The lack 
 of spirituality, avariciousness, want of sincerity, sel- 
 fishness, jealousy, uncharitableness, and a whole cata- 
 logue of minor evils, which they can see in others, 
 are simply the reflection of what exists in them- 
 selves. Who, but themselves, know the sacrifices 
 that poor mediums make, in fighting this battle 
 for the emancipation of thought? I have always 
 been busy with my own affairs, endeavoring to solve 
 the reason why there was so much difference in the 
 same family, although the same father and mother; 
 and why there was so much love between some of the 
 members of the same family, and so little between 
 others. And I have come to this conclusion, that 
 
84 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 there is some truth, and a great deal of philosphy, in 
 a planetary law, that in some way rules the events of 
 life, which, in due time, will be given to the world, in 
 a way easier to be understood than now ; and it may 
 explain why there is such a tendency for members of 
 the same family to take up different opinions and 
 professions, and go through life under certain circum- 
 stances, in spite of all opposition or censure to the 
 contrary, and live out their. own natural life. God 
 speed the time when this opposition may cease, as 
 persons are oftentimes on the verge of the grave, 
 before justice is rendered them. As patients enter 
 my office, I glance at them, and place them at once, 
 under the planetary law, which I think they belong ; 
 and will say I have been astonished at the results, 
 the similiarity of action and expression ; and am con- 
 vinced that if I had the time to spare, could make it 
 one of the most pleasing of the natural sciences, that 
 could be learned to an intelligent people ; and I even 
 now would not be associated in business, with man or 
 woman, who had Mars governing the upper, and 
 Saturn the lower part of the face, as experience has 
 taught me very sad lessons in that direction. I am 
 not writing to prove astrology, or fatalism, but believe 
 there is something in the science ; and the only way 
 we can overcome the consequences of the planetary 
 condition, is by the law of cultivation concerning 
 every thing that pertains to life ; and in so doing, we 
 
THE REASON WHY. 85 
 
 become receptive to the influences of the higher in- 
 telligences. I have asked the question many times of 
 astrologists, and their answers would tend to make 
 one a materialist, which I never could be ; and I will 
 answer my reader in my own way : — 
 
 In my young days I was fond of reading. In my 
 more mature years, was an observer and thinker, and 
 being blessed with an organization, or disposition, to 
 naturally aspire to spiritual things. God has an- 
 swered the aspirations of my soul, by giving me in- 
 spiration to act from. I cannot conceive how any 
 man or woman, believing in God, and the immortality 
 of the soul, can doubt spirit influences. For do we 
 not all exercise more or less influence over one anoth- 
 er ? The positive will ever hold the negative in sub- 
 jection. And do we not know that it is not the body, 
 but the spirit and will, that exercises the power over 
 those with whom we come in contact ? And is there 
 any thing strange, miraculous or irreligious, in the 
 belief, that when we lay aside the human body, that 
 the active, thinking spirit, with its own individuality, 
 can be cognizant of those they have left in the body ? 
 And would it not be the most natural thing in the 
 world for them to manifest to us, if they so desire ? 
 Does it look strange, to a sensible, thinking man or 
 woman, that my father, dying away from home and 
 his loved ones, should wish to make himself known ? 
 and would it not be the best way to come to his own 
 
86 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 child, (which I know he did,) and when he had 
 learned that he could stand beside her, and through 
 her sensitive nature, get an answer from her spirit to 
 his, would it not be likely that such information 
 would be improved upon ? And when there are 
 others that have gone into spirit life, is it any thing 
 strange that they should wish to employ the same 
 means to reach their friends? If any of us should 
 visit another country, and there find a gold mine, 
 enough for all our friends, and if love toward them 
 filled our souls, should we not be likely to try and 
 inform them, so that they might reap the benefit ? I 
 feel and believe that our departed friends, going to 
 the spirit world, where they find the law of correspon- 
 dence, and the law of compensation, to be a reality, 
 would wish to make it known ; would it not be natu- 
 ral for them to come to us, and tell us each in their 
 own way, when they know that Heaven has only been 
 a speculative question among us, as it has always 
 been, too unreal a Heaven, and too miserable a Hell? 
 I have talked with persons, who would work hard to 
 disprove and believe, or accept, any hypothesis, how- 
 ever absurd, rather than accept the true, simple truth, 
 of spirit communion. And if the New Testament 
 does not teach spiritual communication, what does it 
 teach ? Oh ! how much I have to thank God for, 
 that no opposition, or censure, or inducement, could 
 make me renounce my faith in the belief of spirit 
 
THE REASON WHY. 87 
 
 communion, and power of assistance, if we live up to 
 the higher principles. 
 
 It is a source of the greatest pleasure to me, to 
 know that my father, brothers, children and friends, 
 do come and hold social converse with me, each in 
 their own way ; and nothing in life would I accept in 
 exchange for this knowledge and privilege. Never in 
 my life did I feel to be doing God's work more, than 
 when a niece of mine came to me, and threw her in- 
 fluence upon me with such feelings of grief and sad- 
 ness concerning her parents, saying her father was 
 sick, and what would her mother do, if he should be 
 taken from her ? I-said, " what can I do ? " she said, 
 " write to them or go ; I can follow your vitality in 
 the letter, and can see mother and father, while they 
 read it, and I cannot without." I wrote to them, and 
 in a few days she came to me, and threw upon me a 
 similar grief; and though semi-conscious myself, could 
 not prevent her talking and crying through me, and 
 I gained some very queer information concerning that 
 letter. After a time I determined to go myself. I 
 took plenty of time, going over the house, saying 
 nothing to any one, knowing that the dear child was 
 using my eyes to see father, mother, brothers and 
 sisters, and viewing the new home, (a new house they 
 had recently moved into.) When I retired for the 
 night, myself and husband talked by raps, until two 
 o'clock in the morning, with the unseen ones. And 
 
88 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 my niece said, " you will tell grandmother that I can 
 see her rooms also, and that Willie and I, with lots of 
 others, have seen both the new homes. But they are 
 not like our's ; ours are so different." I asked, "in 
 what way different ? " She said, " I'm not permitted 
 to tell all about it." "Are you satisfied?" I 
 asked. ' " Oh ! yes," was the reply ; " and sometime I 
 will tell you something, when you are where I can." 
 Some months after, it had entirely gone from my 
 mind, my husband and I stepped into a spiritual 
 seance, where they were all strangers. The medium 
 was a gentleman y he looked around to me and said, 
 " there is some one here, that calls you, Julia, and 
 said you were kind to send the box." I said, "thank 
 you, for letting me know." "Never mind, you've done 
 your duty, and God will bless you." He then said, 
 " there is a young girl who says her name is Rosa, and 
 she was named for her aunt Rosinia." I thanked 
 her. There is no science so interesting to me as the 
 spiritual, which teaches man and woman the responsi- 
 bility resting upon them in regard to their duties in 
 life, and towards others. Spiritualism may have 
 attached to it many things that are objectionable, and 
 need to be weeded out of its ranks. No sincere 
 spiritualist but will admit that. But to say that all 
 mediums are frauds, or dishonest, because they cannot 
 explain the faith that is in them, or the wonder- 
 ful things that come to them, is too much. (St 
 
THE REASON WHY. 89 
 
 John, iii.: 8.) Can we expect it, when there has been 
 so many mistakes made by great and good men, in 
 every age ? What theologian can give you any positive 
 proof that his faith is a correct one? Can he demon- 
 strate it beyond a doubt ? If not then why condemn 
 another for differing from him in opinion ? Theolo- 
 gians have been the cause of the lack of harmony 
 which exists in the religious world to-day, by reason 
 of the selfishness of mankind, perverting the God- 
 like principle love, which is, or should be the basis of 
 all Christianity. Where is the man who dares to 
 express his whole soul concerning the spirit world, if 
 he belongs to any particular school of theology? So 
 it is left to those who are untrammeled in their 
 opinions, to open up this advanced science, and face 
 the opposition, as education, in one line of thought or 
 direction, tends to bigotry, and not advancement. 
 
 A person of religious sentiment, once said to me, 
 there is one failure with you mediums, — you are too 
 willing to give thanks to your spiritual guides, and 
 forget God, the giver. That I never do ; but if I pray 
 to God, I would return thanks to those spirit guides, 
 who are so tangible to me, whom I know to be my 
 father and friends. (1, John, 4 — 20.) 
 
 I cannot believe that God who is everywhere and in 
 everything, and perfect in his attributes, would come 
 in contact with imperfect beings, and show a separate 
 individuality from our own. For sometime, when we 
 
90 THE REASON WHY, 
 
 are influenced, the name of the controlling spirit is 
 given at once. At one time I had a lady in my 
 house, who was a medium, and we could sit together 
 and hold a slate, and have it rilled with writing, by 
 unseen hands. Hundreds of messages were given 
 that way, with names signed to them. On one 
 occasion; feeling a cuff and sleeve pass over my 
 hand, I said to the medium, " are you writing on that 
 slate ? " She said, " no ; you see I have a loose 
 sleeve on." But I insisted we should hold the slate 
 again, — when I asked my brother to write his name, 
 right side up to me. When we took the slate from 
 under the table, there was my father's name, " Jesse 
 S. Nor cross," in a bold hand, right side up to me, and 
 of course up side down to her. The question is, what 
 science could do this except the spiritual, or an intel- 
 ligent, thinking, acting individuality, whom I shall 
 always return thanks to. I believe in God as the 
 universal father, and the Christ as my elder brother. 
 And why should I not believe so ? for true spiritu- 
 alism, teaches love to God and our fellow beings; 
 and that there is life beyond the grave, and also that 
 God's laws cannot be broken with impunity. 
 
 When I see so many good people suffer, and little 
 innocent children suffer for the sins of their parents, 
 which does not seem either generous or just ; and I 
 feel my father's spirit is so near, of him I know, and 
 God seems a great way off. Then I ask the ques- 
 
THE REASON WHY. 91 
 
 tion, does God care for the things of earth ; or having 
 created and laid down certain laws, allows people to 
 go through life blindfolded or in ignorance, and suffer 
 the consequences of their ignorance, in the penalties 
 of transgression? Sin is the transgression of God's 
 law; and its effects extend to the third and fourth 
 generation. Then why teach forgiveness of sin? 
 If I forgive my child, for wrong doing, I would not 
 cause some terrible calamity to befall them, and extend 
 it through future generations. Theologians are to 
 blame for presenting God to the people, in such 4 a 
 manner, instead of teaching men the responsibility 
 that rests upon themselves for wrong doing ; not that 
 it is God that punishes, but we, through ignorance, do 
 not live in harmony with his laws. Teach the world 
 there is no forgiveness of sin, that will evade the just 
 penalty of wrong doing ; and you will rid your world 
 of one serpent that has undermined society. And 
 God speed the time, when the serpent, that, coiled at 
 the feet of Mother Eve, will be trodden out of 
 existence, by the heel of the women of the nineteenth 
 century. 
 
92 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 DESTINY. 
 
 Is there an unseen destiny, 
 
 That shapes the way of life, 
 And when we would be strong and true, 
 
 We find discord and strife ? 
 And will there ever be a time, 
 
 We shall know the when and why, — 
 And will the veil be lifted, 
 
 If we only work and try ? 
 
 If so, I would learn patience, 
 
 And certain self control ; 
 For I would ever wish to do, 
 
 What was best for my own soul. 
 For I know there is a darkness, 
 
 That is darker than the night ; 
 It's when the young and innocent, 
 
 Have felt the world's sad blight. 
 
 It's when we have lost faith in friends, 
 
 And feel that hope's all gone, 
 And know of human weaknesses, 
 
 And feel earth's temptations strong; 
 And know that all past life has been, 
 
 By circumstances ruled ; 
 Yet, it has been to you and me, 
 
 The hardest of life's school. 
 
 And is there still a recompense, 
 
 For those who suffer, and are strong? 
 
 Or, must we go to spirit life, 
 A blight from other's wrongs ; 
 
THE REASON WHY. 93 
 
 I cannot feel that God, so good, 
 
 Ordained the ways of man, 
 Would make a law that's so unjust, 
 
 That we cannot understand. 
 
 Oh, no ! I would rather walk by faith, 
 
 If in blindness it need be. 
 Than to believe in such injustice, 
 
 Or doubt God's immensity ; 
 And so I live, in hope and trust, 
 
 Though slow progression be, 
 Knowing that God, as with his own, 
 
 That we must reap as we have sown. 
 
 So I will trust him to the end, 
 
 And blow hope into life ; 
 And will not doubt God's goodness, 
 
 Though I see discord and strife, 
 Though storms may beat about me, 
 
 And life's ship sway to and fro, 
 I will anchor my hopes in Heaven, 
 
 Where ever I wish to go. 
 
 And I will trust in God that ruleth, 
 
 The universe far and wide ; 
 I'll cast all doubt out of my mind, 
 
 God shall be my strength and guide ; 
 For as I look back in the past, 
 
 When my young feet would have strayed, 
 I have heard the loving voices, 
 
 My child, be not afraid. 
 
 The cross it may be heavy, 
 
 But bear it without a frown ; 
 Although you may get weary, 
 
 Its recompense a crown. 
 

 94 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 Oh ! how I love the silence, 
 
 When the still, small voices, seem 
 To me like light in darkness, 
 
 From which my spirit gleams 
 It's strength and consolation, 
 
 When my body weary be, 
 And I am tired of earthly turmoils, 
 
 And their sad miseries. 
 
 But out of all this darkness, 
 
 Comes a Light that's bright and true ; 
 And I hear the loving voices again, 
 
 Dear mother, we come to you. 
 And then there comes a holy calm, 
 
 O'er my spirit it is thrown ; 
 And I hear the loving voices, again, 
 
 You will reap as you have sown. 
 
 Oh ! my sisters, if life's reaping 
 
 Is the very seeds we've sown, 
 If we all must reap in spirit, 
 
 Nothing only what's our own ; 
 Let us struggle in life's battle, 
 
 If a victory we may gain, 
 And renew ourselves in spirit, 
 
 Then our bounty we can claim. 
 
 And, brothers, you have all 
 
 This world upon your side ; 
 See you deal with us so justly, 
 
 We can look to you with pride. 
 For you know a traitor's banner, 
 
 Can be thrown out to the breeze, 
 May delight you for a moment, 
 
 But can never bring you ease. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 95 
 
 There are scenes which make us shudder, 
 
 And with horror we despise ; 
 If you wish to claim our homage, 
 
 From its darkness you must rise. 
 You are called our earth's protectors, — 
 
 So I bid you thus beware ; 
 There will be a time when justice 
 
 Will recompense, you for your care. 
 
 There is a law, called retribution, 
 
 And it's mighty and it's just, 
 And you'll find God's laws are truthful, 
 
 Obey them all we must. 
 There is whispering in the breezes, 
 
 That are floating o'er our plain, 
 See that justice, is no longer 
 
 Crushed, and nothing but a name. 
 
90 THE KEASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 DEATH OF WILLIE. 
 
 When we carefully watch the events in human life, 
 and the circumstances connected therewith, we can- 
 not fail to perceive, that there seems an unseen des- 
 tiny that attends us, and in some way shapes our 
 lives, or rather that we are destined from the cradle 
 to the grave, to do and traverse just so many winding 
 paths, and to be hemmed in by just so many circum- 
 stances. If there was one occupation that our 
 mother despised more than another, it was that of a 
 mariner, or those that followed the sea. It was 
 wholly from an ignorant prejudice concerning their 
 mode of life, and non-association with that class of 
 persons. 
 
 When my youngest brother (Willie) became about 
 seventeen years old, it seemed as if a strange destiny 
 followed him ; he could get no chance to learn a 
 trade, and everything he undertook was a failure; 
 nothing seemed open to him, and becoming acquainted 
 with some young men who went to sea, he felt that 
 
THE REASON WHY. 07 
 
 he must do something, and so was persuaded to go. 
 Mother felt very badly about it ; first, because she 
 did not like the water, and then he was her youngest 
 child. He went one voyage of a year, and returned 
 safely; and in consequence mother's fears were 
 lulled, and her opinion of that class of persons some- 
 what changed. After remaining at home a few weeks, 
 he felt that he must leave again, but she opposed it 
 with all her might, having an impression that some- 
 thing would happen to him, but to no purpose ; he 
 shipped for a voyage from Boston to San Francisco, 
 and coming home, said to mother, laughingly, I have 
 signed my death warrant, — meaning the shipping 
 articles. 
 
 Oh ! how many of us in jest are so truly in earnest, 
 but the prophetic spirit within, keeps the physical, 
 ignorant of what is to befall us. But what law is 
 hidden, remains yet to be revealed to our outer 
 senses. The evening before his departure, he spent 
 at my house ; I then being interested in rapping and 
 tipping, persuaded him to sit with me at the table ; 
 when the table, which was a common card table, with 
 the leaf turned up on to the top, and an intelligence 
 purporting to be the spirit of my father manifested 
 through the table, by raps and tips, told Willie not to 
 go to California ; as he had lost his life there ; told 
 him (Willie) if he went, he would never return. 
 But Willie did not believe it, and said we were con- 
 
98 THE PwEASOX WHY. 
 
 versing with demons. He being somewhat frightened, 
 got up and went out into the hall. The table imme- 
 diately started after him ; when it came to the door, 
 the leaves closed, as it could not pass through the 
 doorwav without, it went into the hall and made as 
 if going up the stairs. Willie begged of me to stop 
 it, which I did ; and in consequence held a conversa- 
 tion with him concerning the return of spirits, telling 
 him that if he was drowned, or passed away, to come 
 to me if possible, (this was in 1861, autumn), which 
 he promised to do. He left home, and in due time 
 arrived in San Francisco. There he changed vessels, 
 and sailed for some port in Russia. The following 
 April, as I sat sewing, — a clock on the mantle, which 
 had no striking weight, nor had there been any on it 
 for ten years, struck nine times. I was surprised, and 
 did not know what to think, but did not mention it at 
 the time, as my medium powers were troubling me, 
 and some of my friends thought me very foolish. 
 But on retiring that night, there came a great noise, 
 as of persons running too and fro, the creaking of 
 ropes, and rattling of blocks, — and, as of the hasty 
 swinging of yards, as of men on board ship under 
 great excitement. Then the noise went through into 
 the next room, in which a cousin was sleeping, and I 
 saw my brother Willie, standing by my bed, wet, dripping 
 with water, and he said to me, " I was drowned last 
 night." I arose and went into the next room, as my 
 
THE REASON WHY. 99 
 
 cousin was very much frightened, she declaring that a 
 large lamp on the mantle shelf, had fallen, and broken 
 in pieces on the carpet. I looked around, and found 
 nothing disturbed The lamp was in its place, whole 
 as before. Getting into bed with her, the bed com- 
 menced to rock like a ship at sea, giving me positive 
 assurance it was him ; since which time he has ever 
 been with me, at intervals. 
 
 When I asked him why he could manifest to me as 
 he did on that occasion, he said, "he died in full 
 strength, and it was the tie that bound him to us." 
 
 Oh ! the fearful knowledge, knowing your friends 
 have passed away, and cannot prove it to others ! I 
 informed my mother that Willie was dead ; she would 
 not believe it, and begged of me not to believe such 
 foolishness. Said it was fearful to believe such su- 
 perstitions, as it would lead to or produce insanity. 
 Oh ! reader, just imagine yourself standing alone, 
 knowing you had ample evidence of the return of 
 father and brother, and yet those of your own family 
 ignoring the fact, as well as strangers, and believing 
 that you had a vivid imagination, or was laboring un- 
 der a delusion. It requires courage and combative- 
 ness, in no small degree, to combat all the arguments, 
 and all the reasons put forth, to show that such things 
 cannot be, by the wise ones in the community. 
 
 Well, all I can say is, it has been a blessed delusion 
 to me, that brother Willie has given me information, 
 
100 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 concerning affairs to happen, before they came upon 
 me, that would have crushed me, had it been other- 
 wise ; and to-day I bow in humble thankfulness to 
 God, for the intuitive perception that has blessed my 
 life. 
 
 We did not get the news of his death till Decem- 
 ber following, when all I had told was verified by the 
 captain of the ship in which he had sailed from San 
 Francisco. 
 
 Being interested in temperance as well as spiritu- 
 alism, I went one afternoon to hear a Mr. M., who 
 held a meeting at Temperance Hall, in East Boston, 
 the subject being Spiritualism. Soon after entering 
 the hall, I came to the conclusion the lecturer had 
 been drinking freely. I looked around, and seeing 
 the emblems of temperance on the walls, I said, men- 
 tally, " Willie, are you here ? " and immediately got 
 a response. I said, if you are here, and feel that the 
 lecturer is disgracing the hall, make it known to me 
 by closing his mouth. If you do, I will address the 
 audience myself. The lecturer arose, and after one 
 or two attempts to speak, gave it up, and said there 
 was some one in the hall who had an influence over 
 him. I arose, went to the rostrum, and held the au- 
 dience two hours, and there are many persons in East 
 Boston can testify to the same. 
 
 And thus my brother has ever been watchful for 
 my interest. If at any time he could not control me, 
 
TEIE REASON WHY. 101 
 
 he would go to 1113* daughter, and tell her what he de- 
 sired me to do. Some three years ago, there were 
 clouds hanging over me and mine ; and one night I 
 was awakened from my sleep, and saw him sitting at 
 a table, leaning his arm upon it; and he said, "Julia, 
 do you hear the clock strike three ? " and immedi- 
 ately the clock in the dining-room struck three. I 
 answered, " yes." He seemed to throw an influence 
 over my perceptive organs, and said, "you will re- 
 member this in the morning." 
 
 He then told me that I had another trouble to pass 
 through, and related to me what it was. I sprang up 
 in bed, and said, " I cannot bear it. You will prevent 
 it." In reply, he said, " impossible ; I cannot if I 
 would ; it is better now, than later in life. I can 
 counsel you, but cannot prevent the effect of a hidden 
 cause. So promise that you will bear it, and I will 
 help you through; none but cowards, try to escape 
 the responsibilities of life, and its duties. You have 
 a maternal duty to perform ; see that you are firm, 
 and true to your womanhood. I mil influence those 
 I can to assist you ; nothing shall be hidden from my 
 eyes, and justice shall be done you and yours." 
 
 This was in May, and the trouble did not occur till 
 the following September; when everything turned 
 out just as he told me it would. 
 
 Great Heavens ! it is not that our loved ones do not 
 come to us, but it is our own unworthy selves, that 
 
102 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 they cannot approach, because we are so material and 
 have so little of spiritual strength to give them to use. 
 
 Our noble boy, he is not dead, 
 
 I cannot have it so ; 
 He's only gone to come again, 
 
 And help us here below. 
 
 His spirit's passed to brighter realms, 
 
 And yet I feel him near, 
 Cheering me on to a nobler work, 
 
 Yet taking away every fear. 
 
 Two months ago as we retired 
 
 Our slumbers to obtain, 
 My thoughts ran wild, and off I roamed, 
 
 And then returned again ; — 
 
 Until my mind on Willie seemed 
 
 To rest, as if a thought I gleaned ; 
 From out the mysterious night, 
 
 There came at once a gleam of light. 
 
 There came a tiny, little rap, 
 
 And then were ropes a drawing back, 
 
 Then, hark; a noise so queer and strange, 
 A voice from Annie's room then came, 
 
 Saying, "Julia, come; I am afraid ; ope' the door; 
 
 The lamp has fallen on the floor ; " 
 I looked the chamber all around, 
 
 Not a mortal thing could there be found. 
 
 I then returned unto my bed, 
 
 Thinking and musing of the dead ; 
 And then a quiet seemed to reign, — 
 
 I thanked my God, and slept again. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 103 
 
 And now I firmly do believe, 
 
 And I myself, would not deceive, 
 That Willie returned to me again, 
 
 To fulfill a promise I once obtained. 
 
 It is my faith, that makes me free 
 
 To think of him who went to sea. 
 Our darling, noble, impulsive brother, 
 
 His place is vacant, can be filled by no other. 
 
 A. D. 1862. 
 
104 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 In writing the experiences of my life and its many 
 changes, and also many strange occurrences concern- 
 ing others, I expect that there will be those who will 
 doubt the truthfulness of what I write. Be that 
 as it may, it gives me no uneasiness, for I believe in 
 planting the seeds of truth, and waiting God's own 
 time to gather in the harvest. 
 
 Why, this lovely summer eve, as my pen is running 
 over the paper, I can look back forty years, and see 
 many things that were in darkness, have come to the 
 recognization of light and might ; and to-day, it is 
 hardly safe to disbelieve anything, but wait for the 
 coming light. 
 
 To-day an incident occurred in my office, which 
 brought to mind a very singular case I had once. A 
 Mrs. D , of East Boston, called to see me, pro- 
 fessionally ; and while talking, asked me if I wished 
 to know about a daughter of hers, which I miracu- 
 lously cured some seven years ago ; saying she was 
 married, and weighed about one hundred and forty 
 pounds. The girl then was (when cured) thirteen 
 
THE REASON WHY. 105 
 
 years old; she had been siek for sixteen weeks, when 
 I was sent for to see what I thought of her. She was 
 attended by Dr. C. and Dr. L., of East Boston. I 
 found the girl a perfect skeleton; not having taken 
 food for fifty-six days ; nor had she opened her eyes 
 in all that time ; and the only way the mother could 
 tell that there was life in her, was by holding a glass 
 over her month, and the dampness showing that she 
 breathed ; and my surprise was that physicans could 
 have such a case, and take &o little interest in it. 
 But poverty is often sufficient reason for wilful 
 neglect, and lack of sympathy. But the peculiar 
 case, and the singular circumstances surrounding it, 
 would naturally interest a searcher after truth, or a 
 scientist after knowledge. I am sure I learned a 
 great lesson from that case, and have since believed 
 in the efficacy of prayer, and truth in a higher life. 
 The girl seemed like a snake, crawling about the bed, 
 writhing and twisting at times, but most of the time 
 all drawn up and motionless. My sympathy for the 
 poor, worn out mother, and what seemed idiotic 
 child, brought all my best feelings into action ; and 
 knowing I had been given power, at other times to 
 relieve the sick and suffering, I felt that no disease 
 known, could make a child appear so strange. I made 
 an earnest prayer for her restoration to health, and 
 gave such remedies as I thought proper ; and to my 
 utter astonishment, the words that came to my lips, 
 
106 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 seemed foreign to myself, and a feeling of power 
 came over me. I seemed as if being lifted up ; and I 
 closed the prayer with, bidding some one begone from 
 the frail body, that lay before me. This was in the 
 morning; in the afternoon I again visited her, and 
 while there she opened her eyes, (which had been 
 closed for fifty-six days,) and asked for water, which 
 I gave her, she drinking a tumbler full. I visited 
 her again the next morning, and while there, she 
 asked for bread, which was given her; she ate it 
 slowly, but not eagerly. I then ordered her a proper 
 diet, and from that time, she improved rapidly, until 
 she regained her health, which has been good ever 
 . since, now seven years. Experience has led me to 
 believe that she was held by an influence outside of 
 herself; and by earnest prayer, and my strong will, 
 assisted by my spirit guides, she was restored to 
 health and strength. Why believe that such things 
 occurred in Bible times, and doubt what is happening 
 every day in your own midst, and will not take the 
 trouble to investigate, but pronounce false that which 
 you can prove true with very little trouble ? Mark 
 11 : 23-24 ; 5 : 40-43. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 107 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE STORY CONCERNING THE CURE OF MRS. B. G. 
 
 I have obtained permission of one of my patients 
 in Yarmouth, Mass., to relate her cure ; for she has 
 outlived all the falsehoods that could be manufactured 
 in a bigoted country town, concerning herself and 
 family, and has risen so far above the calumnies and 
 petty slanderers, whose chief business is to meddle 
 with and condemn everything they cannot under- 
 stand ; and who think more of what they wear, than 
 they do of what they are; and many of them are 
 afraid of Spiritualism, because they have sins to 
 hide, — not knowing that spirits do not come to retail 
 slander, nor rebuke sinners, but to let the light in 
 concerning our spiritual development for another 
 sphere of existence ; for all the higher influences see 
 too much of unhappiness created by human beings, 
 and see so little of that religious element that is 
 professed, but not possessed; and while they regret 
 the necessity of reproof sometimes, they well know 
 that the seed of human kindness will spring up 
 
108 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 wherever sown, and all malignant slander will return 
 unto its own. Some years ago, on one of my pro- 
 fessional visits to East Dennis, Mass., I was called to 
 see a lady in the town of Yarmouth. Upon entering 
 the house, I felt sure that there was something pecu- 
 liar concerning the case ; although finding the lady, 
 Mrs. G., in a very feeble condition, I seemed to feel 
 that I should never cure her, unless she was in my 
 own house. She was sick in many ways, but the 
 spasms she was subject to, I was sure could not come 
 from the physical condition, which I then found her 
 in. She was one of those sensitive women, who have 
 great mental strength within a weak body, and who 
 had spirituality large, and self-esteem small ; benevo- 
 lence large, and withal a kind heart, which was oft- 
 times pierced by the unkind treatment of so-called 
 friends, and not being well understood. Of a retir- 
 ing nature, of mediumistic powers, which she knew 
 nothing about, her religious views being strictly Or- 
 thodox Congregationatist. I saw at once she needed 
 strength to come to my house, and I must first build 
 her up. So I said to those who sent for me, I will 
 give her medicine two weeks, then she must come to 
 my house in Boston, where I will cure her of her ter- 
 rible fits, or spasms. I left medicine for her, and in 
 two weeks she was brought to my house in Boston, 
 just two days before her husband sailed on a voyage 
 to the East Indies. He had been at home for a num- 
 
THE REASON WHY. 101) 
 
 ber of months, waiting for a ship, he being in a busi- 
 ness that kept him from home two years at a time. It 
 was on his return from a long voyage that she was 
 taken with these violent spasms and contortions, 
 which were fearful to witness ; for instance, she 
 would become cold, and then one hand would begin 
 to move ; in a few minutes the other hand would be- 
 gin to move round and round, and she would throw 
 her head backwards and forewards ; then the lower 
 limbs drawn up till she would be doubled up into a 
 ball ; and it seemed sometimes as if every muscle in 
 her body was contracted, and her suffering seemed 
 intense ; and for ten months these spasms had con- 
 tinued ; and strange as it may seem, she had them 
 worse when her husband came into the room. Of 
 course it gave rise to gossip that he was in some way 
 the cause of producing them. Day after day, and 
 week after week they continued, and no physician 
 could explain the where or the wherefore, or the cause 
 that produced such effects. After treating her two 
 weeks, she came to my house, arriving about seven 
 in the evening. I had her put to bed, and asked her 
 if she would have any thing to eat. She said, " no." 
 I brought her a cup of tea, and sat down beside her, 
 feeling she must be very tired, riding so far, and 
 hoping she would not have one of her fits that night. 
 She was very weak, and very thin of flesh ; of a bil- 
 ious temperament, nerves weak, and other diseases, 
 
110 THE KEASON WHY. 
 
 which had been about her for years ; — she not having 
 been well for four years, keeping her bed most of 
 the time, but had these fits in addition to her other 
 diseases, for at least ten months. Every thing had 
 been surmised and imagined that could possibly be 
 thought of, in a country town ; those having sympa- 
 thy with ' her, condemning him ; and those having 
 sympathy with him, of course falsified every thing 
 concerning her ; but the day she came to my house, 
 she seemed very much exhausted for an hour or so, 
 when I perceived that one hand began to move, and 
 the struggle commenced ; the cords contracted in the 
 wrists, and such a peculiar expression on the counte- 
 nance. In a few minutes, the other hand commenced, 
 and they were both drawn up, and she seemed strug- 
 gling to free them. Then the head began to be 
 drawn down to the breast, and move first one side, 
 then the other ; the limbs contracted and were drawn 
 up, as if they were going to roll her up in a ball ; and 
 after going through these contortions for from thirty 
 minutes to an hour, she would be completely ex- 
 hausted; then relax, and go to sleep for a while, only 
 to awake and go through the same manoeuvre again. 
 When it commenced at my house, I thought it was 
 terrible to witness. What must it be to go through ? 
 While watching her, I placed my hand upon her 
 head, to see if she was cold or hot, when she jumped 
 away from me, and went against the wall, and said, 
 
THE REASON WHY. Ill 
 
 with her teeth clenched together, " No, you dorft." I 
 asked Mrs. G., "did you speak?" u No," she an- 
 swered. I went around the other side of the bed, 
 and placing my hand on her head again, when, " No 
 you dont ! " came again through the closed teeth. I 
 was amazed. Pushing the bed back against the wall, 
 I returned to the front side, determined to solve the 
 mystery ; and placing my hand firmly on her head, 
 strong enough to hold her down, to my own amaze- 
 ment, some one placed their hand on my head so pow- 
 erfully, that I was obliged to press hard against the 
 side of the bedstead, to maintain my own equilibrium ; 
 and a feeling, I never shall forget, came over me, fill- 
 ing me with such a power, and I so acutely conscious 
 of it, filling my soul with a prayer which seemed to 
 lift me out of myself ; and I listened attentively 
 to every word as it was forced through my own lips, 
 from the power that held me in such a strange way ; 
 and when the prayer was finished, I heard these words 
 forced through my own lips : — "In the name of God, 
 come out of this woman ! " which was repeated three 
 times. All struggling seemed to cease, and like one 
 dying, she fell back, perfectly exhausted, with a sort 
 of rattling in her throat, but I seemed myself, held by 
 such a strange power. As she relaxed in her strug- 
 gles, I lifted my hand from her forehead, and drew 
 the clothes up over her, but could not seem to move ; 
 when looking up, I beheld a man standing at the foot 
 
112 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 of the bed, looking at me, and it seemed natural for 
 me to say, "was that you trying to injure this 
 woman ; " when he nodded his head in answer, 
 " yes ; " when looking to see what kind of person he 
 was, I saw that he was naked to the waist, and 
 different from any person I had ever seen. ,A sort of 
 mist arose about him, and condensed in something 
 solid, like an iron bar, about one-half a yard long, 
 which went right to his forehead ; and immediately a 
 stream of blood flowed freely from the wound pro- 
 duced. Still the strange power seemed to hold me, 
 and he came forward v and knelt at my feet. As he 
 did so, I looked down, and there seemed something- 
 dark about him. I felt the same strange power on 
 my brain again, with all the weight, and my hands 
 involuntarily clasped together, and issuing from my 
 lips came another earnest prayer ; — when, behold ! 
 the dark conditions about him disappeared. He arose 
 with a pleased look on his countenance, and went out 
 through the corner of the room. The power being 
 lifted from me, I turned to my patient, who was 
 sleeping soundly, with a moist sweat on her hands and 
 face. She slept all night, and when she awoke, I did 
 not refer to the scene of the night previous, feeling 
 that to tell her would frighten her ; and no one else 
 would believe such a story, and I had better wait. 
 Giving her her breakfast and a bath, she slept most 
 of the next day. I gave her then acute medicines, 
 
THE REASON WHY. 113 
 
 for two weeks, after which botanic medicines to re- 
 store her strength and vitality. She never had one 
 of those fits afterwards, and in a few weeks returned 
 to her home a well woman, to the surprise of all her 
 friends and neighbors, and has continued so ever since, 
 with the exception of some slight indisposition, as all 
 are subject to. 
 
 Her husband arrived in New York, after an absence 
 of nearly two years, and wrote to her to meet him in 
 Boston, and they visited me whilst there. I related 
 to him the story of his wife's cure, when to my sur- 
 prise, he recognized the man from my description of 
 him, as a u Kanaka." When he was on a former voy- 
 age to the Indies, having some Kanakas on board the 
 ship at work, they revolted and undertook to take 
 possession of the ship, when he, (Captain G.,) seized 
 the first thing that came to hand, which was a mar- 
 line-spike, and threw it at one of them with all his 
 might, hitting him in the head, and killing him in- 
 stantly, which had the effect to quell the mutiny and 
 restore order. 
 
 He even went and got his mate, and brought 
 him to hear the story from my lips, and also to verify 
 what he had told me. After knowing both sides of 
 this wonderful story, I asked my guides to explain to 
 me why the innocent should suffer so much ; and was 
 told, " that the positive will to overcome is always 
 used in such cases, and whatever weapon is used, 
 
114 
 
 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 carries with it the will of the party using it ; and 
 consequently his magnetic power, and the spirit of 
 the injured man, returns with the rebound and at- 
 taches itself to the party injuring another." In this 
 case the man being killed, attached himself (the 
 spirit) to Captain G., and when he returned home, 
 his wife being in feeble health, and consequently 
 negative, and also being mediumistic, and wholly 
 ignorant of the fact, the spirit left the husband and 
 attached itself to her (the wife ;) and, as in old times, 
 it required a third and spiritual person to separate 
 the spirits. Mark, ix. : 17 — 29. 
 
 My guides told me that I was left in a conscious 
 state, that I might realize that there was a power that 
 we could call upon to assist in the removal of evil 
 influences, which sometimes comes in the form of dis- 
 ease. But we must have faith, and ask in sincerity 
 and truth. 
 
 I have had many cases similar to this ; and from 
 what I know of spirit influence, am positive beyond a 
 doubt, that the spirits of the departed do act more or 
 less upon human beings ; and it can be easily proved 
 that spirits are on, or near the earth at times. Who 
 can say that they are not here all of the time ? 
 
 Will some of the more knowing ones, who tell us 
 it is " impossible for spirits to communicate with those 
 in the body," please to inform us if they leave the 
 earth? For if the "body returns to dust," and the 
 
THE REASON WHY. 115 
 
 " spirit to God, who gave it," it would not have to go 
 far, for God is ever}- where. For if there is a place, 
 where the weary are at rest, I wish to go there, for I 
 know it would be best ; where the sinner will be 
 better, and the saints more true, where peace will 
 reign forever. My reader, don't you ? 
 
116 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 When will the time come, that will teach us to 
 write what we know and feel to be true, is neither 
 egotistical, nor wrong ; but that every human being 
 has not only the right, but it is their duty to do so ; 
 so much is hidden, that is actually true, — while so 
 much is written that is false and fictitious, because it 
 is considered as praising one's self, to give any in- 
 formation concerning their experiences, or what they 
 have done for the benefit of humanity. 
 
 It has always seemed strange to me, to see men get 
 up in a religious or temperance meeting, and tell how 
 wicked they have been, and how much crime they 
 have committed, and such kind of vulgarism p but 
 you seldom hear how much good, certain persons have 
 done. Experience has taught the world, that such 
 men who throw themselves down upon their knees, 
 and tell God what he already knows, what poor mis- 
 erable beings they are, know themselves better than 
 they are known. For my part, when a man is so 
 lost to self respect, as to get up in public and tell of 
 his degradation, I do not wish to hear it ; neither do 
 
THE REASON WHY. 117 
 
 I wish my children to, for I think the influence is 
 bad ; and it has done more to disgrace religious meet- 
 ings, of a reformatory character, than any other one 
 thing, as it keeps some of our best people from at- 
 tending such meetings. Let me ask why are such 
 things permitted ? 
 
 Who would listen for one moment to a weak 
 woman, and hear her narrate her crimes, and talk of 
 her guilt ? She would be hissed from the rostrum. 
 Why is it less despicable, told by a man ? What 
 ruined the temperance movement, was the hypocrisy 
 and deceit that was constantly behind the scenes. No 
 wonder so many of the sons and daughters of Chris- 
 tian parents are disbelievers, when they have listened 
 to those who have so little knowledge of the laws that 
 control our physical being, as to boast that God has 
 cleansed them from their sins, when every intelligent 
 person knows that sin is the transgression of law, 
 and observation teaches us that we cannot evade the 
 consequences ! I admit, that by an unseen law, God 
 has permitted certain persons, with the help of an 
 outside influence, to perform many cures, and help 
 certain physical deformities ; but the persons must be 
 naturally sympathetic and spiritual in their make up. 
 The reason why we have so many imitators or frauds, 
 is not because there is no law, but because so few 
 understand and live up to the requirements of the 
 law. 
 
118 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 On one of my professional visits to Yarmouth, 
 Mass., a few years ago, I was told there was a poor 
 man suffering with white swelling of the knee, and 
 that the physicians, three in number, said he must 
 have his leg taken off. When I heard it, my sympa- 
 thies were aroused for the sufferer ; not only was the 
 man suffering from disease, but he had not the where- 
 with to help himself, being exceedingly poor. I went 
 to see him,* and this is what transpired, 
 
 I became entranced, and made a prayer, which he 
 said thrilled him through and through ; and while 
 in that state, told him he should be well in a few 
 days, and his limb as good as the other. They who 
 controlled me, proved their power, by helping him ; 
 and showed to the world what a power could come 
 through a weak woman. I bathed the limb, and or- 
 dered a vinegar poultice applied. His sufferings were 
 intense for a few hours from the effect of the influ- 
 ence thrown upon him, when the pain began to cease, 
 the swelling to subside, and in four days the limb was 
 well as the other, and has remained so. He is eighty- 
 four years old, and last summer walked three miles to 
 camp-meeting, and back again the same day. I had 
 not seen him in all that time, four years, since I made 
 the night visit. 
 
 I believe that those who try to do their duty and 
 the will of God, (not through fear, but by faith,) by 
 
 * Gorham Taylor, Yarmouth, Mass. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 119 
 
 assisting those who cannot help themselves, and are 
 weak and suffering, are acted upon through their 
 sympathetic natures, by the spirit influences delegated 
 for that purpose. 
 
 The messengers God sends to assist us and strength- 
 en human hearts, to alleviate human suffering, do not 
 come to make money, but come because of the sym- 
 pathy that the child of earth has for humanity, and 
 they leave the money question entirely to the honesty 
 of the person and their good judgment. It is absurd 
 to hear people undertake to tell who shall judge of 
 my financial affairs, who I shall charge, and who treat 
 free? 2, Kings, Chap. 5. My guides assist me because 
 I try to be worthy of their love and confidence ; and 
 my organization is adapted to their use. I am grate- 
 ful for their assistance and help, but they never 
 undertake to manage my earthly affairs. 
 
 This accounts for the failure of many mediums; 
 they sit down, and expect the spirits will paddle them 
 into safe water. But there are spirits I would not trust 
 out of the body, any more than I would trust them 
 while in it. For the world has too long tampered with 
 sin, to expect to do away with it in any other way than 
 by the elevation and education of the people. It has 
 too long allowed might to trample upon right, because 
 right is apt to be non-resistant, forgetting that God is 
 all strength, and uses the weak things of the earth to 
 overcome the strong ; and it is evident to all thinking 
 
120 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 minds, that God makes use of earth's children and 
 their organization, to advance the natural and spirit- 
 ual sciences, as fast as the human race can bear it. 
 We all observe that no great discovery is ever made 
 by human beings, until the world has need of it, and 
 we are ready to accept it ; and we also see that there 
 are those who always oppose every advance movement, 
 and will always cry fraud, until opposition ceases to 
 be the popular side ; when they will quietly say they 
 always believed so-and-so. But thanks to a benefi- 
 cent God, opposition is the twin sister to progression, 
 and brings out the dormant faculties of our natures, 
 for I believe there are very few persons, but that can 
 give us something in regard to this question of the 
 day, — Spirtualism, or the law of communication with 
 the unseen intelligences. 
 
 I was once acquainted with a man, who was, or 
 appeared to be a sincere Methodist, a great worker in 
 the church, and I believe he felt that he was honest 
 in his work. But it did not satisfy his soul ; for, 
 according to his belief, God afflicted him more than he 
 was able to bear; as one child sickened and died, 
 then another ; and finally, the last, and only one, was 
 burned to death, which made his wife sick at heart. 
 She was also very active in church affairs ; at last she 
 became in such a state of mind, that she wished to 
 retire from the world, believing that God was afflict- 
 ing her for some unknown sin. And in consequence 
 she went away amongst the Shakers. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 121 
 
 • 
 
 Oh ! what a consolation would a belief in spirit 
 communion have been to that broken-hearted mother! 
 how it would have strengthened in her God's love 
 and goodness, and taught her that her loved ones 
 were waiting for her in the summer land. It is no 
 wonder that he became reckless and doubting. It is 
 no wonder, with such a belief, that he ignored every- 
 thing pertaining to religion. He even doubted the 
 honesty of the Shakers, and determined not to go 
 there, after his wife had made her mind up to stay 
 the rest of her life. He is not the only human soul 
 that has been shipwrecked by false theology. Time 
 wore on, the wife amongst the Shakers; he went 
 recklessly about the world, left the little town of M., 
 and after a time, married again, this time an Orthodox 
 Congregationalist, and became again converted, and 
 joined the church. What hypocrisy! He did not 
 dare to act himself, — tortured by conscience, that 
 never sleeps, and trying to swallow that which has 
 been taught by another creed, equally as false, nothing 
 but simple faith to cling to, no positive evidence. In 
 this frame of mind he sought me, hearing that I had 
 said I not only believed, but had positive knowledge 
 of spirit communion. He said he was worse off than 
 before, and only asked that he might be led aright. 
 I told him to pray to God, to give him the light, not 
 through the church, but to his own spirit. I did not 
 see him again for years, and that just before he died. 
 
122 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 He sent for me, to tell me he had seen the Light, and 
 would die in a few weeks : telling me that he wanted 
 me to tell this story to every man or woman who was 
 in spiritual darkness : and I put it in this book, to 
 cheer some doubting one, to read after I am gone, to 
 meet my loved ones in the spirit home. 
 
 This is his story : — "I arose one morning about 
 four o'clock, to go out to attend to my business, and 
 finding it too early, took the cushion off a chair and 
 laid down by the stove ; and as soon as I had laid 
 down, some one took me by the arm, and said, ' come 
 with me ; ' we went out at the front door into the 
 yard ; then the spirit said to me, l we must get into 
 the wind, so as to be lifted to the air above.' Soon 
 we were lifted off our feet and could see everything 
 below. We floated in the air till we reached Boston, 
 (Salem, Mass., being his place of residence,) where 
 we visited the hospitals, and saw the physicians dis- 
 sect human bodies; after which we went to New 
 York, visiting the various hospitals ; the guide said it 
 was that I might see how much suffering there was. 
 Visited also other countries, which I was told was to 
 instruct me concerning human life. He told me to 
 remember all I saw ; and he also touched my per- 
 ceptive organs, that I might remember. He told me 
 that he, the guide, would give me a glimpse of the 
 spirit world ; as all knowledge is from that world, trans- 
 mitted through human organizations. He showed me 
 
THE REASON WHY. 123 
 
 a beautiful, open plain, laid out in paths as far as the 
 eye could see, looking like a massive grass plot, on 
 which were numerous little white tents. I turned to 
 my guide, and asked what it meant. He answered, 
 4 in my father's house are many mansions; if it were 
 not so I would have told you.' Then he led me from 
 one to another of these tents. I noticed that some 
 were occupied and some were not. I asked the 
 reason of it. He told me that some were living on 
 the earth yet. As we passed along, I noticed that 
 some of the tent doors were closed, and the names 
 were on the doors ; on one of which I read, H. P. C, 
 my own name, aged fifty-seven years. I asked the 
 reason of this, and was told that in eight weeks I 
 should occupy that tent. My guide now said, we 
 must return to earth. I begged him to let me remain, 
 but he said I must return and relate what I had seen, 
 that he would come for me again; as we came towards 
 earth, I met many persons which I knew. They 
 would salute to us and pass on. All seemed to be 
 travelling in the air, the same as we were ; some of 
 them would have a guide hold of them, but most of 
 them were travelling without. I asked what it meant, 
 and was told, those to whom the guide is connected 
 must return to earth to inhabit the physical body for 
 a while ; those without, have died and are separated 
 from the body. As we came near home, we met a 
 lady who was one of my near neighbors ; as I spoke 
 
124 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 to her, I told my guide that she lived very near me, 
 with her sister. 'Well,' said he, 'she is dead and 
 buried, since you came away.' As we came near my 
 house, we met the other sister. I told him, (the 
 guide) that was the other sister. He .said, 'she is 
 dead, but will not leave the earth till her body is 
 buried. I then came to my own house, where I found 
 my body stretched on a bed which the guide said, I 
 must enter again, for a while. As soon as I came to 
 myself, I asked my wife concerning the neighbors. 
 She evaded my question, till I told her I had seen 
 them both in the spirit world, and knew they were 
 dead. When she told me that they had both died 
 with diptheria, whilst I lay unconscious, I wanted to 
 tell my wife what I had seen, and that I believed I 
 should die in eight weeks ; but she would not listen 
 to me, and said it was all a dream, or the vagaries of a 
 disordered brain. So I sent for you, Mrs. C, as the 
 doctors say it was apoplexy which I had." He 
 recovered so as to be able to go out, went to an 
 insurance office, got his life insured for three thousand 
 dollars, for the benefit of his wife and child, and in 
 eight weeks had a second attack and died. I went to 
 his funeral in Salem, Mass. 
 
THE KEASO.N WHY. 125 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 At one time I stepped into a clairvoyant's office, to 
 inquire for some one, and found the lady engaged; 
 and while waiting in the reception room, a gentleman, 
 in advanced years, well dressed, and intelligent appear- 
 ing, came in, and after waiting awhile — asked me if 
 this lady, the one who kept the office, was a clair- 
 voyant. " I think she is," was my reply. " Well, I 
 don't believe anything at all, in clairvoyance," said 
 he. I said to him, " did you ever stop to think that it 
 never changed a fact, because you did not believe in 
 it? I will give you a test of clairvoyance, and it 
 shall not cost you anything. Standing by your side 
 is a young man, who committed suicide, and wants to 
 see his mother very much, as she is nearly broken- 
 hearted on account of it ; and you do not know why 
 he did so. His name is Charley." I then arose to go 
 out, when he said, " why ! don't leave me so. Where 
 do you live ? " I handed him my card. He in- 
 quired how soon I could go to see his family. This 
 was on Monday ; I visited them on the following 
 Thursday,and while there, personated the young man, 
 
126 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 by putting a handkerchief about my neck, in the same 
 way that his was when found. I then gave his mes- 
 sage to his father, mother and sisters. He passed 
 away three years before. I had never met any of the 
 family or ever heard of them, and they were entirely 
 ignorant of spirit communion. Was that not suffi- 
 cient evidence of the return of the spirit of the 
 departed to them? It was; and I know that if Dr. S., 
 of Reading, was asked the question, he would not 
 deny the fact. So, reader, doubt nothing, but strive 
 to understand all .things, and thank God that all 
 knowledge was not given to the great and learned ; 
 but God takes the weak to confound the strong. 
 
 Some four years ago I was in Saxonville, on busi- 
 ness connected with my profession, and while there, 
 stopping at the house of Mr. A., I had wonderful 
 manifestations, by raps, as soon as I retired at night ; 
 so much so, that I spoke to the family about it. Any 
 one in the hall could hear the raps, as I was talking 
 with them. I was intending to remain until Saturday, 
 but on Tuesday was told by my spirit friends, to go 
 home at once, as there was a letter on my office table, 
 with bad news in it. I went the same afternoon, and 
 found the letter on my table. My spirit friends, E. C. 
 and Willie, were there, and it makes me tremble, and 
 the tears will fall, when I think how I suffered in 
 reading that letter, and how kind my spirit friends 
 were in advising me what to do, — brother Willie tell- 
 
THE REASON WHY. 127 
 
 ing me just who to go to for advice and assistance, 
 they (the spirits) telling me it was their time to help 
 me, as I had helped them. E. C. was a young 
 woman, who thought her life had been shortened by 
 her surroundings, and whose mother was a dear friend 
 of mine. I shall always remember her kind sympa- 
 thy in connection with my spirit brother, and the 
 advice they gave me in my trouble, when earthly 
 friends seemed to stand aloof, fearing they might 
 intrude. Then did I realize, more than ever, the 
 power of the unseen, whose strength seemed to in- 
 crease when we need their aid. This same young 
 lady came to me once, and told me her husband's 
 mother had a cancer ; begged of me to go and see 
 her, and do all I could for her ; not that they har- 
 monized on the earth, but to give her spirit light, that 
 she (the mother) might not continue in spiritual 
 darkness ; and also that she (the spirit E. C.) might 
 see her husband and child. I have many times at her 
 request, left my office and gone into that house, that 
 she might see her child. I believe, in fact I know, 
 that the spirits use a medium's brain and eyes to see 
 and know what is taking place in the physical world. 
 The spirit of this same young woman, has many 
 times been to me in my office, and taken messages 
 from me to her mother, at the seashore, where she 
 would attract her mother's attention by raps, and then 
 communicate with her, and tell her what I had said. 
 
128 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 She has asked me to go to her father's house, when 
 they are in the city, that she might converse with 
 them. After manifesting in various ways and through 
 different mediums, and convincing her friends beyond 
 a doubt, of her existence in spirit, she seemed to have 
 accomplished her work. She then told me if I wished 
 for her, to call for her, and she would come. She 
 said, " there were those on earth she loved, but could 
 not approach, they were so wrapped up in material 
 things." I asked her if it did not make her feel sad. 
 She answered, "they have an eternity to outlive 
 it in." 
 
 I was called to visit a patient who had been at- 
 tended by Dr. I., of East Boston, when, after return- 
 ing to my office, I found that I had company. A tall 
 gentleman, a spirit with full sandy beard, light hair, 
 and blue eyes, seemed to be close to me, walking by 
 my side. I asked him what he wanted. In reply, he 
 said, " I want to see my brother Richard." I asked 
 who he (the spirit) was ; he said his name was " P. 
 Ingalls." 
 
 I immediately wrote a note to his brother, asking 
 him to call at my office at his earliest convenience. 
 When he came I said to him, a spirit brother of yours 
 has come to me, and I do not wish to be annoyed by 
 any one's friends ; and the only way to prevent it, is 
 to let him give his communication. You may laugh 
 or say what you please ; to me it is a sacred dut}^, as 
 
THE REASON WHY. 129 
 
 I feel there is a responsibility resting upon me. Then 
 he said, " let us know what it is." The spirit said to 
 him, " Richard, the redeeming trait in your character 
 is love for me ; " which seemed to affect the Doctor 
 very much. He then said, "arrange your worldly 
 affairs in a proper manner, so that there would be no 
 trouble if any one else had the settlement of them. 
 My health broke down by the transgression of natu- 
 ral laws. I am permitted to- warn you. You have 
 habits that must be overcome, or you'll come to me 
 before the snow falls in November." (This being in 
 the early spring.) 
 
 The rest of the conversation was of a private 
 nature. Suffice it to say, he was taken sick the last 
 of October, and died in November, before snow fell. 
 
 I told a number of my friends of the prediction, 
 that they might watch coming events ; and he, Dr. L, 
 told his friends, but did not give them the name 
 of the medium; and after he died there was great 
 inquiry for the lady who had predicted his death so 
 long before. 
 
130 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 MKS. H. E. A., DEVELOPED. 
 
 At the age of twenty-three years, my daughter, 
 Mrs. H. E. Allen, surprised me by having her medium- 
 istic gifts developed, I not realizing she had them ; 
 and knowing how much mediums suffer, had never 
 encouraged it in her, and she had never manifested 
 any desire or interest in it whatever. I should nat- 
 urally have opposed it, knowing the suffering and 
 opposition sure to follow, from a lack of appreciation 
 by relatives and friends. Matt., x.: 34 — 38. 
 
 When her youngest child was about a week old, 
 Mrs. W., the nurse, came to me, and called me to Mrs. 
 A.'s room to see what was the matter, as it was so 
 cold all of a sudden. It seemed as if a large wheel 
 was in motion in the room. I went, and was sur- 
 prised, as I had never seen anything like it before. 
 Mrs. Allen seemed to be sleeping, and yet it was so 
 cold you could not lay on the bed beside her. We 
 placed quilts at the windows, but it done no good. 
 The stove, with a hot fire in it, had no effect. The 
 
THE REASON WHY. 131 
 
 air seemed to be in motion, and after a time she 
 seemed to be talking to some one. Then it became 
 quiet, and the motion ceased. In a few days she 
 complained of seeing faces on the window curtain, 
 and persons moving about her. She not being well, 
 I felt very much anno}*ed, as I had never seen any 
 such manifestations before, and did not wish it. But 
 the influence would not depart, and after a few weeks 
 I had no power to control her, neither had she any 
 power to control it. But they would come and talk 
 with her, and she seemed to be in communion with an 
 intelligence different from any thing I had ever seen. 
 It continued thus till the morning of June fourth, 
 when she came down from her room partly dressed, 
 semi-conscious, and addressed me as Madame, and 
 asked if the next day would not be her birth-day; 
 and requested me to dedicate her to them, by deco- 
 rating my room with flowers, and inviting our friends to 
 witness her coming out as a Musical and Inspirational 
 Medium, telling me they had been about her for many 
 years, and were going to educate her. She being a 
 natural musician, and I not having the means, they 
 would act as her teachers, and any one who has heard 
 her play, will see they have done all, and more than 
 was promised. The names of her musical control, 
 were, Ralph, a German, Bianski, an Italian, and 
 Helena, an American lady. She has many others, 
 but these are the leading ones. At this time, a gen- 
 
132 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 tleman connected with the press was invited in to 
 see her, and wrote the following : 
 
 "Mrs. H. E. Allen, who resides in East Boston, has 
 been in process of development several months. At 
 times her inner sight was opened, and she became 
 conscious of mingling with beings of a higher order 
 than those of earth, amid scenes of dazzling beauty, 
 and then of hearing seraphic music, and the eloquence 
 of immortality, 4 in thoughts that breathe and words 
 that burn.' The stream of life, like the vision of 
 Mirza, swept before her in endless procession, with its 
 hopes and fears, to be followed by the dull monotony 
 of earth. Scenes like these were often presented to 
 her, but she did not understand their import. Of a 
 common-sense turn of mind, she asked the utility of 
 them. From childhood, she had been a believer in 
 the immortality of the soul, and the truths of the 
 sacred Scriptures. Her mother, Mrs. Julia A. Crafts, 
 possessed mediumistic power of high order ; so there 
 did not seem any need of extra evidence to convince 
 her of spiritual intercourse, and she certainly had no 
 desire to become a public medium. While turn- 
 ing these thoughts over in her mind, she heard a 
 voice say, 'wait and see. You will receive a birth- 
 day present, and the future will unfold your powers.' 
 More was said, but this embraced its substance. The 
 night preceding the anniversary of her twenty-third 
 birth-day, was the most interesting of her whole life. 
 
TILE REASON WHY. 133 
 
 Though conscious of laying in bed, she was taken 
 in spirit to a splendid mansion, and found herself the 
 center of a brilliant assembly of all ages and sexes, 
 every one of whom knew her intimately, and con- 
 gratulated her on the happy occasion. There was 
 shaking of hands, music and dancing, and all the 
 innocent delights of earth spiritualized, and the scene 
 was kept up most of the night. Towards morning 
 the compan}' separated, wishing her many returns of 
 the anniversary, and she sank into a sound sleep the 
 moment the last visitor disappeared. The next day 
 her inner sight was permanently opened, and this was 
 the gift promised her. Several young friends who 
 had passed out of the form, came to her personally, 
 and requested that those near to them should be sent 
 for, as they desired to communicate with them. In 
 several cases, the tests of the communications re- 
 ceived were beyond question . She differs from most 
 mediums in this, that she sees each spirit who writes 
 through her, and if the writing is not coherent, she 
 immediately pauses and asks the spirit what is meant, 
 so there may be no mistakes. She has the assurance 
 that in the course of a few months, the spirits will 
 be able, in her presence, to speak face to face with 
 those who are in sympathy with them. The fact that 
 she sees the spirit who writes through and by her, and 
 can communicate with it, is a gift possessed by so few, 
 that it may be considered a new phase of mediumship. 
 
134 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 All that was promised, and even more, has been 
 verified through Mrs. A." 
 
 In about a year after her first control, she became 
 very ill. Indeed her life was despaired of. She 
 would not have any physician but her mother, not 
 realizing how hard it was to be mother and physician. 
 After three weeks sickness, I determined to have a 
 lady physician to consult with me ; did not tell Mrs. 
 A. about it. When the lady came she went into Mrs. 
 A.'s room, looked at her, felt her pulse, came out into 
 the dining-room, and said to me, " your daughter will 
 not live till morning." It shocked me. I stepped 
 into her room ; as I did so, she lifted her hand, and 
 . made motion as if to write. I got paper and pencil. 
 She wrote, " send that woman from the house ; Hattie 
 is not going to die." Signed, " Willie." 
 
 Soon a control influenced her who called himself 
 "Dr. Fitz," and through her own lips, told me that 
 she would not die, " but to give her a cup of tea and 
 some wine crackers, so that he might vomit her." 
 Then he raised her upon her feet, and threw her 
 heavily upon the bed, where she lay quiet for some 
 time ; the hemorrhage ceased and she began to re- 
 cover, and soon regained her usual health. 
 
 She has had three very severe fits of sickness, and 
 every time the same influence, Dr. Fitz, has come, and 
 through her own lips, told me what to do. At one 
 time she lay unconscious for hours, with every muscle 
 
THE REASON WHY 135 
 
 rigid, — when he wrote on her hand, "Give Tincture 
 of Lobelia," which relieved her at once. At another 
 time he ordered her " put into a carriage and ride five 
 miles," which was done, and she recovered. For the 
 same disease, earth physicians would not allow them 
 to be moved in bed ; which disease is considered 
 incurable by the regular physicians. 
 
 When these spirit physicians have come to us in 
 our need, we place the fullest confidence in them ; and 
 experience has taught us that they never fail those 
 who trust them. I write this, simply with regard to 
 myself and daughter, not knowing the experience of 
 others. 
 
 Mrs. A. sailed in a steamer for Sydney, C. B., with 
 her children, and every night my brother Willie came 
 and informed me just how they got along while on 
 the water ; and when she arrived, she wrote me, that 
 " Uncle William made quite a sailor of her, making 
 her get up early, and go on deck, telling her it would 
 prevent her being sea-sick." 
 
 It is now eight years, and her guides have been very 
 faithful to her, teaching her to play the piano, and as- 
 sisting her in many ways, and as she is naturally spirit- 
 ual, she draws that kind of influence about her. But, 
 my reader, let me impress upon your mind that there 
 is much suffering attending a mediumistic life ; your 
 susceptibility to surrounding influences, and keenness 
 of perception, and sensitiveness, which is a source of 
 
136 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 great annoyance, and sometimes physical suffering ; — 
 for, like a telegraph operator, the spirits of your de- 
 parted friends or acquaintances, come to us to send 
 their messages, and we don't feel like going to their 
 friends, so will ofttimes suffer, as their friends might 
 be opposed to such a belief. 
 
 Sometimes persons will come to Mrs. A., and influ- 
 ence her, so that it will make her sick, by throwing 
 their disease upon her, which they passed away with, 
 when she will come to me, and I will reason with 
 them, and tell them how they injure her, and explain 
 to them just as if they were present in the body, 
 when they will be satisfied. Yet there are persistent 
 ones, that will not yield, but are determined to reach 
 their friends. Bear in mind, reader, that true medi- 
 ums are not mediums from choice, but it comes to 
 them, and they are obliged to accept it. Sometimes 
 a high and sensitive control offers themselves to a 
 medium ; if not accepted, will go away and make 
 room for others. 
 
 When Mrs. A. first became controlled, she would 
 take a pencil, and write page after page of hiero- 
 glyphics and symbols. We could not read it, nor find 
 any one that could, and being opposed by her hus- 
 band, he fearing it might hurt her, she gave it up, and 
 that class of influences would not stay, unless wanted, 
 while another class would be more persistent and 
 remain. 
 
THE REASON" WHY, 187 
 
 Mrs. A's influences are peculiar. When playing 
 the piano, the influence comes on the sensorium, 
 passing down through the arms and hands, touching 
 the keys lightly but firmly. Musicians say it cannot 
 be utilized, as the touch cannot be learned, but is 
 peculiar to herself. She is conscious, but does not 
 care to converse, unless some spirit tells her their 
 friends are in the room, then she will give the message 
 quite readily. 
 
138 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Then the blessed gift of seeing. One of my first 
 experiences was in church. One Sunday morning, 
 being interested in the sermon, when I noticed I 
 could not see the minister, for a mist that came up 
 before my eyes ; and a man with a surplice on, stood 
 before me, and held towards me the Bible, open, and 
 it was right side up to me, and wrong side up to him. 
 I read the chapter through. * It was the twelfth 
 chapter of first Corinthians. When I looked up in 
 his face to see what it meant^ he said, "Head, Me- 
 filed;" and dissolved with the mist. 
 
 At another time, I saw a lady sitting back to me, in 
 a mist, same as before, and her hair from her head fell 
 all about her. I was waiting and watching intently to 
 see her turn her head, that I might see who it was, 
 when a face came close to mine, and a voice said, 
 " many as the hairs of thy head, shall thy blessings be, 
 if thou wilt take up the cross and follow me.'' 
 
 At another time, I saw a child laying upon a pillow 
 as if sleeping, and I noticed how peculiarly it lay on 
 the pillow. Six weeks afterwards I was called hastily 
 
THE REASON WHY. 139 
 
 to see an infant which was only three weeks old, that 
 choked to death by the breaking of a blood vessel in 
 its head, and I staid to lay it out. After placing it 
 on a pillow, and laying it on a settee, I went to see 
 if its head was right; when to my astonishment, 
 there was the same child handed to me on a pillow, 
 in church, three weeks before it was born, 
 
 I ask the question, do others learn their lessons in 
 the same way, or have any such experiences ? I 
 explain it in this way. My guides wish to make me 
 self-reliant, and by showing me these things it made 
 me interested, and they chose the time when I was 
 most negative ; and that would naturally be, when 
 my mind would be listening to another preaching. 
 Another beautiful way our friends have of manifest- 
 ing to us, is by touch. I will be reading, when some 
 one will touch me. I always speak aloud to them, 
 and thank them, to let them know I feel their pres- 
 ence : and they will stand beside me, and talk to me, 
 and will sometimes tell me of some one that is coming 
 to see me ; and many other strange things. Sometimes 
 I know at once who it is ; at other times I cannot tell 
 who it is. It does not seem strange to me, as they 
 have come in the same way for so many years. Do 
 we not often speak of our friends in the body, and 
 have them come in very soon, showing that we feel 
 the influence of their mental telegraph ? for when we 
 think of persons or places, we go there in thought. 
 
140 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 So when the persons thought they would call on us, 
 their spirit in thought preceded their body, and we 
 caught it at once, This has been verified in three 
 cases in our office to-day. 
 
 A few weeks ago, Mrs. A. was on the street, going 
 to the city to call upon her mother, when a voice said 
 to her, " your mother will be at your house in a few 
 minutes ; " when she turned about and went home, 
 meeting her mother at the door just going in. 
 
 When Mrs. A. was first controlled, she could see 
 some one in spirit form beating time for her as she 
 played the piano ; v sometimes a lady, at others a 
 gentleman, and after a time they would exercise her 
 hands, and play very rapidly ; at other times would 
 play nothing but octaves, and bo on, till she became 
 proficient as a player; they never allow her to use 
 notes, and many pieces which she plays, she has never 
 heard ; yet they prove to be the composition of some 
 of the great masters. 
 
 At one time I went to East Dennis, Mass., which is 
 just off the line of railroad, about four miles from 
 the station. It happened that I was the only passen- 
 ger in the mail carriage from the depot. Arrived 
 about noon, and stopped at Mr. J. H.'s. The carriage 
 left me at the house, went to the post office, (a little 
 store near by) and left the mail, returned, and in 
 going to the stable in the rear of the house passed the 
 dining-room windows. We had just got seated at the 
 
THE REASON WHY. 141 
 
 table for dinner; as the carriage passed, I saw a man 
 get out and come up on the piazza, as if to come in at 
 the door ; when instead he came right up to the win- 
 dow and disappeared ; in a moment I felt a touch on 
 my head, and a voice said: "Say to those present 
 (there were ten of us at the table) that John Picket 
 dropped dead in a concert room, in Philadelphia, night 
 before last, and a notice of my death is in the mail 
 bag." I immediately told them. They were very 
 much surprised, and a lady present said, it was her 
 daughter's husband's father, but that he was well a 
 few days before. The post-master sat at the table, 
 and heard what was said, went out and brought in the 
 letter to Mrs. S. H., which verified the truth of the 
 spirit's presence and statement; it also told many 
 other things quite as strange. Mrs. H. left that after- 
 noon for Philadelphia, to attend the funeral, where 
 she remained with her daughter. Some two years 
 after Mrs. S. H. sickened and died, and was brought 
 to East Dennis for burial by her son-in-law, and after 
 the funeral, he having been told about his father com- 
 ing to me, he came to Boston to see me, and wanted 
 a sitting. I did not know him, never having seen him 
 before, and told him that I gave no sittings to any 
 one only for medical examinations, but there were 
 test mediums who made a business of it. He insisted, 
 saying he had very singular reasons for wishing it. I 
 said, drawing a little table up to me, put your hand 
 
142 THE EEASON WHY. 
 
 on this table, and we will see if I can tell you any- 
 thing, but I never go into a trance for this kind of 
 business for any one. I had no sooner laid my hands 
 on the table than I saw a coffin with the word " Rest," 
 "S. H." on the plate, a life insurance policy unsigned, 
 a lady with an infant in her arms, and a sister with 
 her. " You must be a great medium," I said, " as I 
 am in my normal condition, and see very strange 
 things." I heard a voice say, " Tell him John Picket 
 is here. He is my son." The gentleman said he had 
 come on purpose, as Mrs. S. H. had requested him to, 
 when he came on with her body, and the persons I 
 saw were all deceased members of his family. It was 
 the means of changing his religious views, and he is 
 now the leader of a spiritual society in Shreeveport, 
 La. 
 
 A few weeks ago a friend of mine died very sud- 
 denly ; about ten days before her death, she called 
 upon me, and I told her I had been very anxious 
 about her, and was impressed that she must take care 
 of herself. You know you can have some of your 
 flesh taken off, for I fear apoplexy. I then said I 
 have wanted to see you, as your daughter, Mrs. E. C, 
 has influenced me concerning you, and at last I told 
 her to send you here. After chatting awhile in a 
 friendly way, I said, " Well, you and I know spirit 
 communion to be a reality ; and if you pass away, I 
 know it would be the most natural thing in the world 
 
THE REASON WHY. 143 
 
 for you to come to me, or for me to come to you." 
 And when she left that clay, my impression was so 
 strong, I should never see her again alive, that I could 
 not contain myself, but flung myself into a chair, and 
 began to cry. My husband coming in, was alarmed, 
 thinking I had heard bad news ; but when told what 
 it was said : " You are very foolish ; you cannot alter 
 anything. Why feel so miserable." I said, " Because 
 some one is telling me thus and so." But I drove it 
 from my mind. Who will tell me where those sad 
 forebodings come from, or why the shadows fell over 
 me, if there is not something to impress our spirits. 
 Shortly after she fell in the street, was taken into a 
 house, and lay in an unconscious state three days, and 
 passed over. 
 
 While we were expecting her death I became con- 
 vinced that I should know when she passed away, 
 although at a distance from her, and hearing in the 
 morning she could not live an hour, expected she had 
 passed on, but still thought I should know. At 
 twenty minutes past eight o'clock in the evening, I 
 felt some one grasp my arm, and call me by name ; 
 my husband being present, we looked at the clock 
 and made a note of it. When he went to inquire at 
 what time she died, was told she passed away at seven 
 o'clock and forty minutes, (or twenty minutes to 
 eight). This was on Monday evening; the next Fri- 
 day, about half-past five, she came and manifested by 
 
144 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 raps, and I talked with her for more than an hour ; 
 giving us further evidence of communication with 
 loved ones. It would be no satisfaction for us to 
 deceive ourselves, and some persons talk as if we did 
 not prove anything. Why, we are the most severe in 
 our investigations, and believe nothing unless given in 
 the most* reliable way. Sceptics and unbelievers have 
 no idea of the ways and means we use to prove 
 whether it is our friends or not ; we do not believe all 
 we hear or see, but " prove all things and hold fast to 
 that which is good." I have no more doubt that Mrs. 
 
 L came to me than I have that the sun rose this 
 
 morning. 
 
 Open the door, God's angel of peace ; 
 Give all the children of earth their release : 
 Give man the knowledge that selfishness and sin, 
 The bigoted priests, have striven to keep in. 
 Tell all God's children to believe, never doubt, 
 As the kingdom of God is within, not without. 
 
THE KEASON WHY. 145 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 A young man, a member of the Boston fire depart- 
 ment, was killed at a fire in the city. We were 
 neither of us, (myself or daughter,) acquainted with 
 him or his friends ; but he had heard of me as a me- 
 dium, and made light of it before his death, never 
 thinking it would be an avenue which he would avail 
 himself of after he had been emancipated from the 
 physical body ; and while his body was being carried 
 to Mt. Auburn, he came to my guides, and wished me 
 to write to his mother, as soon as she returned from 
 the funeral, as it would in a measure restore her to 
 herself, he being " afraid she would lose her mind." 
 None of my controls or guides could give his ideas. 
 Only the poet could give his feelings expression, 
 through me, he had so recently and' suddenly passed 
 away. This is what they improvised for him, on that 
 occasion, and I sent it to his mother. 
 
 " Just over there, from the din and the darkness, 
 When all the shadows have passed away, — 
 Just over there, I was met with such gladness, 
 Out from earth's tabernacle I hardly could say. 
 
146 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 Just over there, with its joy and glory, 
 When my dark vision was first cleared away, 
 Just over there, can I tell all my story, — 
 Thought I, what father and mother would say. 
 
 Oh, my dear father, when memory gathered, 
 All the past incidents came to mv view ; 
 Oh, how in anguish, I first did discover, 
 I, for a while, must be parted from you. 
 
 Then, Oh, dear mother, how memory lingered 
 Around the dear words I last heard from you ; 
 Then came the thought, that God, in His goodness, 
 Had shown me a way ; I could bid you adieu. 
 
 Just over there, with all suffering ended, 
 Thought I of bright hours, hardly pass'd away, 
 And the sweet voice, as with mine it blended, 
 With music and laughter, as happy as day. 
 
 Just over there, from sister and brother, 
 Came I to consciousness, standing alone ; 
 When the great law of attraction made pathway, 
 And by your sorrows, I was attracted to home. 
 
 Oh ! such a scene as met my returning, 
 From the sad hearts and anguish of home ; 
 And I so struggled, like a man that was drowning, 
 To say I am here ! loved ones, do not mourn. 
 
 I know the place vacant, and the form that is absent, 
 Can never be filled by another but me ; 
 But I come, tho' unseen, by your mortal vision, 
 So hear my soft whispers, I'm coming to thee.' 
 
THE REASON WHY. 147 
 
 Oh ! father, and mother, and sister, and brother, 
 And her whom I loved, when my body was free, 
 Just over there where my spirit is waiting, 
 I am watching and waiting my loved ones for thee. 
 
 Tell all my comrades, who fought the great battle 
 With me, side by side, in the duties of life, 
 If true to our souls, no matter if rattle 
 Brick walls, and rubbish, and fire in the strife. 
 
 Tell all our friends, who in sympathy mourn me, 
 All their kind thoughts arise but to bless ; 
 And after I'm stronger, if God's laws are willing, 
 I'll do all I can for their happiness. 
 
 So mother, dear mother, my thoughts still linger 
 Around thy loved image ; they always will be, 
 For God, in His wisdom, has done well by His children, 
 And by His great love I'm returning to thee. 
 
 Oh ! father, be strong ; don't bow down in sorrow, 
 But look to the realm where I'm waiting for thee ; 
 And think how much better, to fall in life's duties, 
 Than by earth's temptations, as many you see. 
 
 I heard the sweet music, and saw the commotion 
 Within our church, so much loved by thee, 
 And heard my loved pastor, in words that so kindly 
 In sympathy to you, and so loving to me. 
 
 And when all your toils and duties are ended, 
 
 And I am then joined to some spirit band, 
 
 I'll come with such music as we have in heaven, 
 
 And bear all my loved ones, to our bright summer land. 
 
148 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 One summer evening, not long since, I was tired 
 and thought I would retire early. At about eight 
 o'clock commenced to make preparations, when a 
 hand touched me, and some one said, " go at once to 
 29 Buckingham St., you are wanted." I was sur- 
 prised, as I was then living in East Boston, (132 
 Princeton St.,) and it would at least take an hour to 
 go from where I lived, provided I caught a car on 
 time. My brother, O. W. N., had a room at 29 
 Buckingham St., which he occupied when in the city; 
 a nephew kept the house. I put my things on, took 
 my medicine bag and started, and entered the house 
 just after the bell struck nine, looked into the room 
 where my niece sat sewing, and asked, "is O. W. in?" 
 " No," said she, " I've not seen him to-day." I said, 
 " I was over here, and have something to leave in his 
 room." Nothing daunted by her saying he was not 
 in, I went up to the room, and it was dark ; opened 
 the door, when some one said, " who's there ? " I 
 said, " it's I ; " and there was my brother ; he had 
 come to his room sick ; knowing my niece was a feeble 
 woman, he did not let her know ; and I assure you, he 
 was very glad to see me, and my medicine satchel. I 
 stayed and cared for him, and while there, had many 
 pats on my shoulders, as if they (the spirits) were 
 pleased because I had paid attention to them, in 
 coming to help my brother. I gave the credit to my 
 darling spirit brother, William. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 149 
 
 Every one will remember the winter of 1857-58; — 
 how much suffering there was and how many there 
 were that had to have assistance, that never before or 
 since have needed aid from the public charities. I 
 was serving on a committee to distribute money to 
 that class. One morning, while sitting in my room 
 sewing, some one (in spirit) came hurriedly to my 
 side, and whispered in my ear, go and see Mrs. H., 
 giving street and number, — saying they have shut 
 off the water from her house this morning, and she 
 has neither wood nor coal. I could not believe it, as 
 she was a widow, with two sons. I thought she 
 would feel insulted, so I told the spirit how I felt 
 about it, as she owned the house. They answered, 
 " she cannot eat the house, and they won't trust her 
 for water." So I went and told her that some one 
 had been talking to me. She seemed much surprised, 
 and burst into tears, and said one of her sons was 
 sick, and the other was out of work. I had never 
 known her husband in life, and had not seen her for 
 months. That spirit, whoever it was, must have 
 known that I was on that committee, and had money 
 to assist her. Who could have given me that infor- 
 mation, if it was not some spirit friend interested in 
 her welfare? 
 
 That very same winter I was sick with congestion 
 of the lungs, and one night I coughed so, that I was 
 obliged to take medicine every half hour. I set my 
 
150 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 lamp so that I could see the clock during the night. 
 At about twelve o'clock, I heard whispering about my 
 bed. I sat up to see what it was, when a woman, 
 tall and thin, with her hair combed straight back, 
 with a plain black dress on, hooked up in front, stood 
 before me ; I thought it a warning of my death at 
 first, but she glided past me, looking me steadily in 
 the face, and said, " save N., save N." I had a friend 
 many miles away by that name, and seemed to realize 
 at once that he was in danger, I also knew that his 
 mother died before I was born. While wondering 
 what all this could^ mean, a sleepy sensation came over 
 me, and the next I knew, I was walking the streets 
 of Cincinnati, looking up at the houses, as if reading 
 the numbers; when I came to No. — on a certain 
 street, I went into the house, and there sat N., chat- 
 ting with another person. I could hear their conver- 
 sation, and remember how smokey the atmosphere 
 seemed to be ; yet I never was in Cincinnati in my 
 life. Next morning I wrote to him, telling him I had 
 had a strange vision, and asked him what he was 
 doing that his mother could not rest, and wanted me 
 to save him from. To my astonishment, in less than 
 a week he came to Boston to see me about it, and that 
 saved his life ; as we afterwards learned that a plot 
 had been laid to take his life, and get him out of the 
 way, on account of jealousy. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 151 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Alice Dean, a lovely spirit, who came to me the 
 first year after I became controlled, (eighteen years 
 ago,) told us that she had died of disappointment, or 
 a broken heart. Though young in years, she had no 
 desire to remain on earth ; but after resting in spirit 
 life eight years, she came to me, that through me she 
 might finish, or continue her work. After prayer, by 
 Dr. Kittredge, my control, she would influence me 
 and sing. She was very lovely in disposition, and en- 
 joyed visiting my patients with me, and encouraging 
 them ; it would quiet them, and give them a great 
 deal of happiness. When she first came to me, she 
 approached me spiritually ; as I did not repulse her, 
 she felt that she could help me, and in many of the 
 long years I have passed through, amidst the cares 
 and troubles of life, she has improved her own con- 
 dition by helping me bear my burdens, and thrilling 
 my soul with song, and throwing over me her love 
 and sympathy, assuring me that she gave way physi- 
 cally, because of her allowing disappointment and de- 
 ception to prey upon her mental, and to use up all 
 
152 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 the vital forces of the body, and in consequence passed 
 from earth. How many women of to-day, sink under 
 mental burdens, preferring to die young, rather than 
 to put forth the energy to overcome the obstacles that 
 surround, and the evils that beset them, when they 
 should persevere to the end, working themselves out 
 of their condition, by feeling that the duties of life 
 are essential to their own growth, both mental, and 
 spiritual. Oh, woman, although men may call us the 
 weaker vessels, it is not always the stronger vessel 
 that out-rides the storm. 
 
 So if we do not get that encouragement, which is 
 our due, from mankind, let it teach us that God's 
 design is, that we have more intuition than man, and 
 in consequence are stronger in those finer powers; 
 and so what has been denied us in physical strength, 
 is given more abundantly in intuitional perception. 
 Be thankful it is so, as what the mother sees, thinks, 
 and reads, developes the brain of her children. And 
 I know my sisters would be more careful what is 
 around and about them, and would try to cultivate 
 more of those powers that tend to elevate the human 
 race, did they know that it is the prenatal condition 
 that blesses or curses their children. Would they 
 continue in this listless state did they realize that 
 what the mother's read, saw, or acted, or whatever 
 affects the conditions that surround the mother, is in- 
 delibly stamped upon her offspring? Genesis xxx: 
 32—43. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 158 
 
 Look around and about us to-day, and see the 
 blasted men and women, those that have been cursed 
 before they saw the light ; and if you heard them as 
 I do, you too would realize, that they are not ignorant 
 of what has befallen them ; they know too well that 
 man's dissipations, and woman's lack of firmness, is 
 filling the world with sorrow, suffering and infidelity. 
 For when we find the children of Christian parents, 
 with the mark of Cain stamped upon them, we well 
 know that nothing can be hidden from the eye of 
 nature's God; and so children of Christian parents 
 act out in their lives, conditions that were thrown 
 about them in secret ; and those fathers and mothers 
 know the why and wherefore, and go on believing 
 that God afflicts them for their good, when it is their 
 own transgression of God's law, that is stamped upon 
 their children ; " there are none so blind as those that 
 have no wish to see." 
 
 But I return thanks to thee, oh, loving spirit sister, 
 who came to my spirit, when my body was tired out, 
 and with that blending of soul sympathy, has given 
 me such encouragement, that has strengthened my 
 hand, upheld my spirit, and made my weary feet 
 walk over all the obstacles in my pathway. 
 
 Let others doubt spirit communion. They too, 
 may drink life's bitter cup, and when they do, they 
 too, will lose faith in the selfish love and false sympa- 
 thy, that comes from the human race, and like me, 
 
154 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 will hold up their hands toward the unseen realm, and 
 feel the clasp of loving hands, and truly sympathetic 
 souls, and hear the loving voices whisper, it will not 
 always last : be true, be brave, and all will be well. 
 
 Oh, my soul, what means this sadness ? 
 "Wherefore, and why art thou cast down ? 
 Let thy spirit go forth in gladness, — 
 Here's the cross, and there's the crown. 
 
 If thou art weary of life's conflicts, 
 And thy soul is nearly drowned, 
 Come what may, be always ready 
 To bear the cross, and wear a crown. 
 
 If in moments of temptation 
 Look thou up, but never down ; 
 Bow in reverence to life's duties. 
 Bear the cross, you'll wear a crown. 
 
 Here's our mediums, heaven bless them : 
 Sickness and sorrow may on them frown ; 
 They have seen their hours of sadness. 
 Bore the cross, now wear a crown. 
 
 No doubt the crosses of life, are in time, if we 
 strive to do right, all worked out for our good, and 
 the discipline we receive oftentimes strengthens us, 
 and makes us firm in resisting the many temptations 
 of life ; and we should all consider, that what may 
 look right to us, understanding all sides of our own 
 life, may look very differently to those who only see 
 us from their standpoint ; they might be charitable to 
 
THE REASON WHY. 155 
 
 us, if the}' could see us in the light we see ourselves, 
 but we should hold our own individual rights so sa- 
 cred, that their blessings, or curses, can have no effect 
 whatsoever upon us ; for the saints are so few, and 
 the sinners so many, and God so good, and man so 
 prone to evil, that we should exercise our own sov- 
 ereignty, or will, and strive for the right, regardless 
 of what the world may say or do. Only keep the 
 beacon light of God's love in our hearts, and wave 
 the flag of individual thought and true worth in our 
 lives, and by-and-by our own prosperity will teach 
 others that we believe in a law of compensation, and 
 that God's laws are so immutable, that right must tri- 
 umph, and you will at least be satisfied with yourself. 
 No belief can make one satisfied with him or herself, 
 without a consciousness of right and wrong ; and the 
 human face bears the impress of the spirit within, and 
 like the face of the clock, bears sure indication of the 
 regularity of one's life. When we hear any one say, 
 they do so and so, because they think it is right ; the 
 God within will always teach their spirit the correct 
 way. 
 
 Coming into my office one day, very tired, and 
 planning in my mind to lie down as soon as I could, 
 my girl said, " there is a woman wants to see you," 
 it rose to my lips to say, " I cannot see another pa- 
 tient to-day ; " but duty, that stern master, kept me 
 silent, and I passed into the office, and found a wo- 
 
156 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 man sitting there waiting for me. She wore a large 
 wide ruffled cap upon her head, a shawl thrown hasti- 
 ly about the shoulders, and when I said, "what is 
 wanted," she looked up and exclaimed, " are you the 
 woman that cures folks ? " I said, " I try too, some- 
 times." " Well," she said, " me old man is very bad, 
 and no one can help him ; they say he must die. But 
 I heard of the likes of ye, and come at onct." " Have 
 you had other physicians," I asked. " O, yes ; we've 
 had four," giving me the names of well known physi- 
 cians. " Well," I replied, " you certainly have had 
 enough to kill him ; four physicians from Monday 
 morning till Friday noon ; but I will go and see what 
 I can do." 1 followed her, and truly had no heart in 
 the matter, I was so tired ; and besides I had deter- 
 mined not to take foreigners in my practice ; but the 
 woman's grief-stricken face, enlisted my sympathy, 
 and as we walked along, she told me that they said he 
 must die. " But he's been a good old man to me, and 
 I want to do all I can for him," said she. 
 
 Arriving at the house, I went up a flight of stairs 
 into a square room, where were a dozen or more 
 women talking. I passed through into a bed-room, 
 and beheld a man about sixty years of age on the bed, 
 going from one side to the other in agony. I placed 
 my hand upon his forehead, and said, to the woman, 
 " what is this man's name ? " " Be sure, ma'm, it is 
 my husband, Mr. E." I said, " Mr. E., if you will be 
 
THE REASON WHY. 157 
 
 quiet a moment, I will tell you what the trouble is ; " 
 and I told him. It was congestion and inflammation 
 of the kidneys. I called for a quart of water, cup of 
 salt, jug of hot water put to his feet, and turned to 
 put some medicine in a tumbler to give him to drink, 
 when I beheld a Catholic priest in spirit, holding up 
 to me a cross, and smiling to me. I placed a goblet 
 to the sick man's lips, in which I had dissolved a pow- 
 der, then bowed to the spirit priest my thanks, and as 
 it was four o'clock P. M., turned to the wife and said, 
 "I will see him again this evening," and left. 
 
 In the evening, when I called, I never ascended 
 stairs with such forebodings, and it was only the 
 desire to see the priest again, that gave me any en- 
 couragement for my patient; but when I passed 
 through the first room, I felt that there had been a 
 change, and when I passed into the bed-room, the 
 first greeting was, "it's welcome ye be, for ye've 
 taken the heat all out of me;" and the pipe, which 
 he was smoking, went under the pillow at once. I 
 gave medicine, and orders for the night, when he 
 looked up to me and asked, " when shall I get relief 
 from this terrible suffering?" At that time, the 
 priest I had seen before, came up to me and said, 
 " say two o'clock to-night." I turned to the sick 
 man, and said, " two o'clock to-night." Then telling 
 his wife I should remain in my office to-night, as I 
 have many sick patients, and if your husband gets 
 
158 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 entire relief, come and ring my door bell, as I shall be 
 anxions about him, and went home. And at five 
 minutes past two that night, she rang my bell, and 
 said he was easy and sleeping, as nature had assumed 
 her natural conditions. 
 
 I went the next morning, and found my patient 
 waiting anxiously for his breakfast. As I came out 
 of the house, the priest approached me, and on the 
 cross which he held out to me, lay a crown, and look- 
 ing up into my face said, " no cross, no crown," and 
 passed from sight. 
 
 I have never seen those persons since, but know the 
 man is living ; and in three days from that time, he 
 was atThis business. "What brought that priest there, 
 and what he had to do with me, is a problem I leave 
 to those who call us deluded, to solve ; and who are 
 so self-conceited, that they do not think that God has 
 given His angels charge concerning us. - But let me 
 assure you, that they that seek shall find. 
 
 God's loving hand will guide our way ; 
 
 And if we ask His tender care, 
 
 He will not fail us, but will prove, 
 
 That He is strong ; the mountains He can move. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 169 
 
 CHAPTER XXIIL 
 
 man's protection to woman. 
 
 It has been said that " man's inhumanity to man," 
 is beyond comprehension. If so, who can compre- 
 hend man's injustice to woman, and the terrible con- 
 sequences that follow it? I do not expect this to 
 apply to women who sit lazily at home, and are sup- 
 ported by their lords and masters. Ah ! no, those 
 are not the women I write of, but are made up ladies 
 for the occasion, more like dolls, and quite as useless ; 
 but the true and sincere woman, who takes an interest 
 in life, and tries to understand her duties, and realizes 
 the responsibilities which rest upon her. My obser- 
 vation in life, and my experience as a woman and 
 physician, and what I have gained from others, by 
 their sad experiences, I have come to the conclusion, 
 that man's protection to woman is a libel upon the 
 name of protector. For in life woman would not 
 need to be protected, if it were not for men. For 
 when we fly from the bad man to the good to protect 
 
ItiO THE REASON WHY. 
 
 us physically, it is because we feel that they have 
 more physical strength ; and often find that to escape 
 physical suffering, women leave a bad man, and rush 
 to the protection of a good one, and find, too late, 
 that they are only kept true, by the true and virtuous 
 women they come in contact with. A young girl was 
 in my office not long ago, that had suffered every 
 thing from the abuse of a dissipated father, and bore 
 the stripes upon her person, where he had inflicted 
 blows to make her give her money to him. A so- 
 called good man came one day, and took pity on her, 
 and assisted her out of that terrible condition ; but, 
 of course, swamped her morally, for his kindness, and 
 she came to me for advice. There are more Jennie 
 C.'s than one, and many just such protectors. It is 
 said " God placed every thing in subjection to man," 
 and woman comes under the law ; and why are not 
 men held more responsible for these terrible acts ? I 
 will answer why. Men make laws to suit themselves, 
 and women have to abide by them ; but there will be 
 a time when we shall all be where God's laws are uni- 
 versal, and man will find that he will reap as he has 
 sown. 
 
 I was once obliged to go to New York on a night 
 train, in answer to a telegram to see a sick patient ; 
 and being alone, felt perfectly safe. It was a very 
 heavy snow storm ; I laid my head on my muff, and 
 went to sleep ; when I awoke, I found that two gen- 
 
THE REASON WHY. 1 01 
 
 tlemen had moved over into a seat front of me. I 
 got rested, and was road}' to chat, even with stran- 
 gers ; one of them said to me, " you seem to take 
 your journey very easy." I said, " yes, I am used to 
 travelling." They then chatted upon various sub- 
 jects. But one of them seemed very uneasy. Pie 
 had not found out all he wanted to know. They 
 asked what hotel I would stop at. I answered, " I 
 have not yet decided." 
 
 When we arrived at Hartford, one of them re- 
 marked, " are you not afraid to travel on a night train, 
 in a public car, alone ? " " O, no," I said, " there are 
 no wild beasts on the way, and all I have to protect 
 myself from, is men ; and I am amply protected from 
 them always." Immediately one of these gentlemen 
 handed me his card, — the uneasy wretch who had 
 thrown out so many insinuations. I looked at it and 
 smiled ; and when we arrived in New York, I took a 
 carriage for the home of my patient, lie still tagging 
 at my heels. As I stepped into my carriage, I said, 
 " you will give my respects to your wife, Mr. W., and 
 say to her, that her husband tried to insult her doctor 
 on the cars, and acted like any thing but a gentle- 
 man. But it is what we expect of such protectors." 
 He was non-plussed, I assure you. I had seen his 
 picture, and also his card before ; his card had been 
 sent to me many times to put on his wife's box of 
 medicine. 
 
162 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 I may say many bitter things on this subject, but 
 I assure my reader I will not deviate from the truth. 
 Much as I admire true manhood and true woman- 
 hood, just so much do I despise that class of men, 
 who, like vampires, are destroying every weak woman 
 that comes in their way, and use every means in their 
 power to get an influence over them, and they escape, 
 and leave their victim to weep. 
 
 What are our scientists about, with all their knowl- 
 edge, that they have never sent out a warning voice 
 to the masses, concerning this subtile curse, animal 
 magnetism, that so many men are using every day to 
 lead to ruin the weak women whom it is their duty to 
 protect ? 
 
 I knew a young woman, whose husband ill-treated 
 her, because she would not receive the attention of 
 an old " libertine," that he might be hired to work by 
 the year. She never forgave him, and when her chil- 
 dren had grown up, she left him, and all her neigh- 
 bors pittied the poor man with such a wife, when he 
 had drank and gambled so, that he was willing to sell 
 his own wife. What do you think of the seller and 
 buyer, both husbands and fathers, and woman's natu- 
 ral protectors? I am also acquainted with a lady, 
 who sews every night till twelve o'clock ; rises again 
 in the morning, who left her husband because he 
 spent all his earnings drinking and playing dominoes, 
 loafing in bar-rooms, or on the wharves, Sundays , 
 
THE REASON WHY. 1G3 
 
 and the society to which she belonged, scandalized 
 her so, that she was obliged to return to him to save 
 her good name. 
 
 I have had girls tell me, that when they have been 
 seeking honest employment, and apply to men of dif- 
 ferent firms, and would say, " why, we cannot work 
 for so little,*' the man would look them in the face 
 and say, " you must get some gentleman to pay your 
 room rent." What kind of protection is that ? 
 Crush woman down on wages, and force them to 
 travel the street, to keep from starving and freezing, 
 and then make a law to have them arrested by your 
 immaculate police. And if I was the only woman 
 living who dared to speak, I would tell the truth on 
 the subject ; for it is infamous, that women are 
 preyed upon in such a manner, by those who call 
 themselves protectors. If you find a woman that 
 follows man's examples, and turns vampire, is it to 
 be wondered at that the lords of creation should be 
 whipped once in a while with their own weapons ? 
 
 My advice to my sisters is, put forth all the ener- 
 gies God has given you. Be self-reliant, cultivate 
 moral courage, fear nothing, love God, and maintain 
 your own individuality. It is the best protection 
 woman can have, and you need not fear the result. 
 You will make a better wife, better mother, and com- 
 mand the respect of mankind, and the love of women. 
 That is all the world can give ; for it is the weak- 
 
164 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 minded mothers that have been kept in subjection, 
 that has filled our world with woe. 
 
 Bless God, that through the open door of inspira- 
 tion, woman can learn her rights, and exercise her 
 abilities, in spite of opposition ; a new era has com- 
 menced, and if we have fought step by step, for our 
 position, we have no one to thank for our advance- 
 ment, but God. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 165 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ANIMAL MAGNETISM. 
 
 The vampireisni of to-day is not confined to any 
 one class, by no means ; and I shall not write con- 
 cerning what I do not know. But if there is one 
 thing more than another, that scientists should make 
 themselves acquainted with, it is Animal Magnetism ; 
 and every human being should be held responsible for 
 its use, or the abuse of it ; for in the hands of the 
 good and upright mm or woman, it is a blessing. In 
 the hands of evil-disposed, it is a curse. 1st. Because 
 it is an outgrowth from mesmerism, which has power 
 to control the will of an individual, while animal 
 magnetism controls the will and the body also ; leav- 
 ing the spirit of the individual cognizant of the acts, 
 without power to prevent them, or to exercise the 
 will; and why God, permitted such a law, is more 
 than my feeble mind can fully comprehend, unless, by 
 the same law, that the beautiful sun that gives us 
 light and life, by which we are all electrized, and 
 everything is made to come forth, by its warming in- 
 
166 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 fluence, and benevolent rays, will also destroy us, by 
 burning up our very being, and scorch up everything 
 that would sustain physical life, and also cause sick- 
 ness and disease. The waters, which quench our 
 thirst, keeps us alive, by the animal life in it; also 
 cleanses our bodies from impurities ; and our ships 
 sail on its mighty waters, and yet it will drown us, 
 and become our greatest enemy. The lire that warms 
 us, and cooks our food, while we keep it under control, 
 is our friend ; but a terrible enemy, when beyond re- 
 straint. The moon, with her silver rays, and calm 
 light, will poison our food, and destroy human life. 
 So in thinking over all our blessings, I find they can 
 all be turned to our disadvantage. Even religion, too 
 much of it, unbalances the mind, and makes some 
 persons believe, that to live a natural life, is a sin. I 
 have known two persons, one of which was afraid to 
 sin, even in thought, so made themselves wretched 
 and all about them ; and at last became an opium 
 eater, and slept most of the time, fearing they might 
 sin, in thought, if awake ; while the other, was thor- 
 oughly demoralized, fearing nothing, and caring for 
 no one ; and there was not much choice between 
 them; showing that we must keep a well-balanced 
 mind to enjoy health or happiness, or make those 
 happy around us. I was glad to learn that there was 
 a law concerning mesmerism, and persons were re- 
 sponsible for the use they made of it. But animal 
 
THE REASON WHY. 167 
 
 magnetism is used so indiscriminately, that its results 
 are not much known. Yet the world is full of its 
 sufferers. There is hardly a day passes, that we do 
 not hear of some very strange and peculiar occurrences 
 taking place, of persons being led by others, into all 
 kinds of unlikely actions which is the cause of much 
 unhappiness; and they really cannot underseand it 
 themselves ; and yet j;here is a class who understand 
 its workings, and practice it upon all they come in 
 contact with, to their harm. We declare that class 
 of persons are dangerous, and should be held respon- 
 sible. 
 
 I have known vampires, in the shape of men, to use 
 their magnetism upon innocent women. Many an in- 
 nocent girl is led to her destruction, for it is not neces- 
 sary for the person to be present, in exercising animal 
 magnetism. After it is once thrown upon them, in 
 the most trifling way, they can be led, and not realize 
 it themselves. I know a lady who was affected by a 
 friend of her husband's, who would will her to meet 
 him, when the pure wife would be frantic ; and she 
 sent for me to come and see her. She had locked the 
 door of her room, and thrown the key out of the 
 window, to prevent going out, she so utterly despised 
 the man ; and his being the friend of her husband, he 
 would not believe anything against him. The country 
 is filled with such " vampires," and some persons get 
 their power by using manipulations on their patients. 
 
168 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 Some willl give their money, and other valuables, to 
 those who exercise the power over them. I had a 
 patient once so ill, that she could not sit up all day. 
 I would leave her in bed, and go out to attend to my 
 patients, when on my return she would be missing. 
 She would go to meet a gentleman, be gone till the 
 next day, and when she returned, would sit and cry 
 for two days. He married her, but no doubt will see 
 his wickedness visited upon him before he dies ; but 
 as he was just to her at last, I have wondered if he 
 knew that he ruined her health by so doing. Many 
 strange and singular incidents occur, which produce 
 insanity from this cause, and it sometimes goes under 
 the name of Love. Pshaw! there is no love about 
 it ; and if the victim once mistrusts the person is try- 
 ing to exert an influence over them, the most fearful 
 hatred takes its place. Nature never intended coer- 
 cive measures in love affairs. Love is the blending 
 of two souls, while this power is the positive over the 
 negative. 
 
 I know a lady who was in the habit of going to 
 a store for her many purchases, and in talking to a 
 clerk, one day, had her bundle sent to her house. 
 Not long after, one Sunday evening, she felt that she 
 must go out. Upon going out, she noticed this clerk 
 nearly opposite the house. He nodded, and she passed 
 on to see a friend ; on returning, in about an hour, 
 she met him again, but thought nothing of it. In a 
 
THE REASON WHY. 109 
 
 few days she went to a strange meeting, and to her 
 astonishment, he was there. The next week she went 
 to the store, as was her wont to do, and after doing 
 her shopping, stepped into a cafe, for lunch, and to 
 wait for me ; but who should walk in but this same 
 clerk, and she began to be terrified, feeling that he 
 was trying to exert an influence over her, and spoke 
 of it to me ; and for a long time never went out 
 without company of her husband, and so broke the 
 chain that that " vampire " was weaving around her. 
 
 Husbands, be loving and kind to your wives. No 
 third person can come between you and your wife, if 
 there is true harmony, and you do not take some 
 friend to turn vampire on you and yours. I once had 
 a pet cat, and also a pet dove ; and one day I heard 
 m}' dove moaning, and noticed it flying round a tree, 
 and every time it went round, the dove would come 
 lower and lower. I wondered what was the matter, 
 when in the grass I beheld my cat, magnetizing the 
 dove, and in so doing, gained a will-power over the 
 dove, until she would have brought it within her 
 reach. I caught up a stick and struck the cat, and 
 killed my poor little dove. " The reason why " is, 
 that the cat had so thoroughly magnetized the dove, 
 that in striking the cat, the shock killed the dove. 
 
 Let this teach human beings, that magnetism is not 
 any thing that can be trifled with, neither by men or 
 women. Let no -one get an undue influence over you; 
 
170 THE HEASON WHY. 
 
 and if you find they have, exercise your own will, 
 and throw it back upon them ; and aspire to God, and 
 his ministering angels will assist you. I knew a lady 
 who came near losing her life by one of these " vam- 
 pires. " She was quite ill, but in health was a very 
 positive woman, and very much interested in all the 
 sciences. A strange gentleman called on her, on 
 business. While there, he said " he was a phrenolo- 
 gist." A lady present suggested that the sick lady 
 have her head examined. The lady not refusing, as 
 she had many very wonderful gifts, and was curious 
 to see if he could tell any thing about them. But it 
 seemed that the villain, for he proved to be such, had 
 heard that the lady was a clairvoyant, and there had 
 been a terrible murder committed, and he was anxious 
 to get the one thousand dollars that was offered as a 
 reward for the murderer; so, while examining her 
 head, he placed his will-power on her, to send her 
 after the dead body. And the lady, feeling some 
 unusual effects from him, attributed it to the weak- 
 ness, and the effect of the sick head-ache, from which 
 she had been suffering ; and it seemed he went away, 
 and left the effects upon her ; and coming in again, 
 and seeing she was alone, and knowing that she was 
 affected by his magnetism, tried to get her into his 
 power. He had got control of her will and body, but 
 could not control her spirit ; and so did not get the 
 desired information. For two weeks she could see a 
 
THE REASON WHY. 171 
 
 long, dark passage wa} r , with a woman holding a 
 light, and two men carrying a human body, though 
 the villain would not throw it off from her, as he 
 knew she could tell him if not opposed by her spirit- 
 friends. What did he care ? He did not believe in a 
 future state, so he held her. But God never forsakes 
 those who trust Him ; and she sought three other per- 
 sons to break his power over her. At last a physi- 
 cian, a good and noble man, came between her and 
 his evil magnetism, and broke it, and by so doing, 
 found a gifted woman as his wife, whose wonderful 
 powers have been a blessing to them both, while she 
 is blest with a kind and loving husband, to strengthen 
 her in good works. So does God teach that evil will 
 always be overcome with good ; as good is positive, 
 and evil negative. Evil may triumph for a time, but 
 goodness and truth shall last for ever. 
 
 So, never give up, though your feet they may totter 
 Circumstances may sometimes lead you astray ; 
 But bring up a will-power, and fight in the battle, 
 For God is all strength, He will not turn away. 
 
 And then when you win, ymr glory'll be brighter, 
 From the knowledge you've gained in the struggle with sin, 
 But don't mind the scar, it may look bad and trouble, 
 But, remember, it's only a mark on the skin. 
 
172 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 DR. WINCHESTER. 
 
 Mediums cannot always tell who influences them, 
 as there are days that many different influences may 
 come to them, touch them, and not give them any 
 idea who they are. You might be sitting in a very 
 dark room, and any number of persons come silently 
 to you, and place their hand upon your head, touch 
 your hand, smooth your hair, and even whisper loving 
 words to you, imprint a kiss upon your cheek, and 
 you not seeing them, could not take your oath who 
 they were ; but, at the same time, no one could con- 
 vince you that you had not felt their touch, as when 
 you cannot see, the sense of feeling is very acute. So 
 it is with mediums. Then there are others. When 
 they lay their hands upon you, they say, " I am Wil- 
 lie, or Nellie," or whatever their name may be ; so 
 you will know at once, and it is so pleasant to get the 
 name, but it is not essential to prove the law of com- 
 munication. 
 
 My first control was Dr. Kittridge, as a medical 
 instructor. He examined diseases through me for 
 
THE REASON WHY. 173 
 
 eight years. Then he informed me that he had taught 
 me as far as he was able, and brought to me a new 
 teacher, Dr. Winchester. I felt very bad about it, 
 feeling that I had lost a dear friend ; but soon learned 
 to like the influence of Dr. Winchester, and he has 
 been my medical guide for twelve years, for which I 
 render him many thanks. To be convinced of the 
 change, I wrote to Mrs. Webb, of New York city, a 
 lady I did not know, who has her communications 
 come on a closed slate, she only placing her hands on 
 the table ; I asked her to sit, and call my guides. I 
 then told them, (the guides,) to go there, and answer 
 my questions, and give the name of my new guide. 
 When the answer came, it was signed by Dr. Win- 
 chester. At one time I was awakened at four o'clock 
 in the morning, and asked to get up and prepare some 
 medicine for a Mr. L., at City Hall. I was surprised, 
 but Dr. Winchester said, "we cannot lose L. quite 
 yet, I will send for it at seven to-night." I did as 
 directed, but smiled when I thought of it. At seven 
 L. came and said, " What have you for me ? " I asked 
 " what he meant." " Well, I am to have some medi- 
 cine from Dr. Winchester, to help me." He then told 
 me that he was sick the night before, and was told to 
 come and get his medicine. 
 
 I must answer a question here that is often asked 
 of me : " Why do spirits take uneducated persons to 
 do their work through ? " Because those persons hav- 
 ing an education, so much of it is false, and the mind 
 
174 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 so prejudiced, that it is almost impossible to impress 
 them strong enough to drive out that which they have 
 become opinionated in, and so they rather educate a 
 person in their own way, especially in the administer- 
 ing of medicines, or in theology ; as one is to be given 
 to the body, the other feeds the mind, and both are 
 essential to a well directed life ; as the morals depend 
 very much upon the condition of mind and body. 
 When they have educated the person, in all that is 
 necessary to the promotion of health, and learned 
 them the simplicity of adapting remedies to the human 
 body, and know that they are a success, they consider 
 them well qualified in their work. Then the profess- 
 ors leave them with a psycological control, and turn 
 their attention to other students. This is why there 
 is so much difference in the success of clairvoyant 
 physicians. The reason is because their organizations 
 are not developed to be physicians. Mediums should 
 understand this ; to be successful as a physician, re- 
 quires a well-balanced brain, and to be a natural 
 chemist. The trouble with your physicians to-day is, 
 they are too dependent upon secondary knowledge, 
 and use medicines compounded by chemists who do 
 not understand anything concerning disease. No 
 poison should be given to h^pian beings. Do they 
 not take enough in the food they are obliged to eat ? 
 Surely they do ! 
 
 Theology will be obliged to step down and out. 
 So will physicians be obliged to take their own 
 
THE REASON WHY. 17.") 
 
 poisons, and if need be, die from the effect; as there 
 arc millions of spirits coming to earth, to clear the 
 poisonous lilth that is thrust upon the human race, 
 not only destroying the body, but retarding the growth 
 of the spirit. So do not be alarmed ! Spirits of the 
 celestial world are descending to your earth, like 
 snow-flakes, all individualized ; but as soon as they 
 reach your atmosphere, they unite in one great work, 
 and will in time clear the malaria of poison out of 
 your midst ; and then theology will weep, and wail, 
 and gnash its teeth, and the chain of satan will be 
 broken, which has bound you three thousand years. 
 
 It is the cause of some anxiety in the ecclesiastical 
 world, that their churches are diminishing in numbers. 
 Be that as it may, they have not wandered far, as all 
 spiritualists come out of the churches ; and if they 
 were perverted in their spiritual views, spiritualism is 
 not to blame ; but your " lost sheep " will be found, 
 my friends, in the Fold of Spiritualism, at least twelve 
 millions of them ! 
 
 God's laws are slow, but never mind, 
 
 His power is all the same ; 
 But what he grinds is exceedingly fine, 
 
 And we are not to blame. 
 If we are chosen to do his work, 
 
 We must not look behind ; 
 The wheels will move, and we be crushed, 
 
 And ground exceedingly fine. 
 
176 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 SPIRITUALISM. 
 
 Spiritualism is the true demonstration of spirit out 
 of the body, while Christianity is a faith in spiritual 
 things, without positive knowledge. The honest in- 
 vestigator will most surely find truth, and knowledge, 
 in spirit communion, if they are only patient, perse- 
 vering, truthful, and honest themselves. No one is 
 expected to find the "pearl of great price" every- 
 where they seek it, but that is no reason that it is not 
 to be found. If persons are patient for years accumu- 
 lating great fortunes, how much more patient they 
 should be in gaining such knowledge as will lift them 
 out of the theological perdition for an eternity. The 
 manifestations of spirits is a truth, that no sensible 
 man or woman should dare gainsay, in a time like the 
 present, and would only expose their ignorance of the 
 law of inspiration in trying to refute it, and show to 
 an intelligent people that they were behind the times, 
 in at least, the most essential knowledge concerning a 
 science which is moving the whole world. Men may 
 
THE REASON WHY. 177 
 
 make great fortunes b}' over-reaching one another, 
 but to understand a science that learns us to live here, 
 and to take the best possible care of jour bodies, is 
 the fortune we should most eagerly seek. "Money 
 taketh to itself wings and flieth away," but the science 
 of Spiritualism teaches us how to live here on the 
 earth, and that knowledge can be taken with us to 
 spirit life. Let others say, and believe what they 
 may, I know, beyond a doubt, that spirits do commu- 
 nicate with mortals ; that they can rap, touch, control, 
 influence, impress, psycologise, appear, materialize, 
 and write and talk to us, all under proper conditions, 
 after they have left the human body ; but that they 
 cannot do so at haphazard, I am well aware. Suppose 
 a case : I wished a beautiful mansion built, and went 
 to a contractor, and he agreed for a certain sum to 
 build said mansion, but I was not willing for him to 
 use his own conditions. He must not have an archi- 
 tect, nor a mason, carpenter, plumber, gas-fitter, 
 painter, or any of the conditions required in house- 
 building, but simply give him specifications ; people 
 would say I was an idiot, or crazy. Yet God gives 
 our mediums power and special gifts, and persons ex- 
 pect to be benefitted by them, or understand them, 
 without complying with any of the conditions neces- 
 sary, and then cry fraud, or that we are deluded. 
 There are no more frauds in the spiritualists ranks 
 than there are ignoramuses out of it (in proportion to 
 
178 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 their numbers,) that think they know all there is to 
 be known, when it would take more books than ever 
 was printed on your earth to contain all we don't 
 know. That spirits can influence persons for good or 
 evil is proved in the bible, as well as by the manifes- 
 tations of to-day, and if you aspire to be; and do good, 
 your aspirations will be answered by inspiration, to 
 elevate you and those you come in contact with, by 
 producing harmony and sympathy • but if we allow our 
 minds to become perverted, we will attract those in- 
 harmonious spirits, who enjoyed making trouble here 
 in life, and prefer the low and evil propensities of 
 their natures to still keep their spirits in bondage, and 
 near the earth, and may dwell near the earth for years, 
 feeding their natures by influencing human beings to 
 perform their dirty work for them. Teach this truth 
 to drunkards, and you will find it the best temperance 
 lecture to all inebriates, as they will all tell you the 
 same story. They cannot account for periodical drunk- 
 enness. But I say it is because they open the door 
 by the habit of drinking, that lets the spirit have an 
 influence over them, and they will run them until they 
 use up all their vitality. Intemperate persons would 
 do well to be warned by this. 
 
 The science of Spiritualism cannot be learned in a 
 few months, but it takes years of thoughtful study, 
 and no one but an honest person who can take knowl- 
 edge gained by other investigators, but will be tired 
 
THE REASON WHY. 179 
 
 in their research, unless they are fortunate enough to 
 be a medium themselves. No human being has a 
 right to say what God has permitted to exist since the 
 world began, is false, or uncalled for. Ignorance, 
 bigotry, Christianity, have caused bloodshed enough, 
 and crime, and murder runs riot in your world to not 
 now have a religion that will teach men that there is 
 no praying your sins out of sight, or of being absolved 
 from them. The sins and the persecutions which 
 have been perpetuated by the church are being now 
 answered for, and Spiritualism, the white winged 
 angel of peace, will yet spread her wings and soar 
 from all your tabernacles of worship, and from your 
 pulpits will the cry go forth, one God and Father, and 
 universal love to all His children, with the gate of 
 heaven left open that the tired and weary ones of 
 earth may know that after this sojourn here, and duties 
 done, there will be rest and peace, and no obstacles 
 put in our pathway to prevent our progress. There 
 are those who sneer at spirit rappings, and say, " Our 
 spirit friends would be in better business than rapping 
 on tables and walls." Now I see nothing disgraceful 
 in raps, or tips. Do we not get our telegrams under 
 the same law ? It is no discredit to our spirit friends, 
 but it shows how terribly ignorant our earthly friends 
 are concerning the law of communication, either in 
 this world or the other. 
 
 That tiny rap on my table has many times been 
 
180 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 more to me than every friend I had in life, because I 
 knew they were true ; and I have talked with those 
 unseen friends, and been answered by raps, in the still 
 hours of night, when it has cheered my sad heart and 
 given me strength for the next day's duties which no 
 human being could have given me. For if earthly 
 friends assist one another they never let them forget 
 the obligation they are under to them; that is what 
 destroys love and thankfulness, as the obligation 
 becomes burdensome, and the apparent blessing is 
 changed to a curse. Not so with our spirit friends, 
 their love and sympathy strengthens with our sorrow, 
 as it makes us need them more. I so thank God for 
 the tiny rap that has told me many times I was not 
 alone. 
 
 Men of means, feel it not only a duty but a privi- 
 lege to help the weak ones of earth. Deal justly by 
 those you employ, pay them what they are worth to 
 you, and never lose sight of the fact, that all in the 
 earth or on the earth belongs to God, and must be 
 shared by all His children sooner or later, and when 
 the wheel of events turns round, you nor your money, 
 cannot prevent the equalization in the turning; for if 
 you are just and honest yourself, you will throw that 
 good magnetism upon those about you, and you will 
 not be apt to find defaulters with you. But if in your 
 inner life there is scheming and over-reaching, it will 
 be felt by those in your employ and you will surely 
 
THE REASON WHY. 181 
 
 influence them to do the very thing which } t ou fear, 
 so is the law of God lashing you with a cane of your 
 own making. 
 
 I cannot do the subject of Spiritualism justice, it is 
 so grand and immeasurable, but I try in my own sim- 
 ple way to make it plain to my reader ; for after I 
 have joined the heavenly throng, I want to feel that I 
 have tried to lift the mantle of doubt and darkness 
 from some of earth's children, and encourage them to 
 come to the front and bring whatever experience they 
 have, that through the interchange of thought we may 
 become wiser and happier. I am convinced that men 
 and women cannot be happy until they fully realize 
 that their bodies are temples for the spirit, through 
 which that spirit acts, and that it is their duty to keep 
 the body carefully, and try to understand its needs, 
 that the spirit may act in accordance with the law of 
 harmony. How contented is the spirit within, when 
 it has gained the knowledge that when strife and dis- 
 cord shall cease, each one will gravitate to a home of 
 rest and peace ; and when all doubt is removed con- 
 cerning the next life, selfishness will not exist, for the 
 soul will overflow with thankfulness, and our religion 
 will come from within, instead of from without, and 
 we shall then realize that all spiritual knowledge 
 comes from God, and that we are as near Him to-day 
 as in years gone by, and we need not return to the 
 dark past, for the blessed present is ours. It has been 
 
182 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 the religion of the past to crucify the body, and in so 
 doing people have transgressed every law of life. 
 
 Spiritualism teaches that the body needs recupera- 
 tion and care, so that the spirit may learn wisdom, 
 and not be clogged by a body without any of the 
 proper faculties well developed- It does not disturb 
 me in the least to know that there are those who 
 ignore spirit communication, as I know positively that 
 I have the daily assurance, and sooner or later, they 
 too will be obliged to succumb to evidence that shall 
 be beyond question ; and I am now enjoying the first 
 fruits of the great feast prepared for the people, and 
 I thank God that He has let His mantle of love fall 
 upon me. For twenty years, in my practice, I have 
 been assisted hj spirit influence ; they have not done 
 my work, to be sure ; but they have given me infor- 
 mation, quickened my mental, and stimulated my en- 
 ergies ; and all I am, I attribute to my trying to be 
 worthy of their counsel and love, and their watchful 
 care over me. I shall never forget God and His mer* 
 cies, but shall ever remember those untiring messen- 
 gers of His love, by whom I have been sustained. 
 And my success and lucrative practice of to-day, has 
 come from hard study, and by the approval and dic- 
 tation of my spirit friends. Although sorrow has 
 been mixed in the cup which I have drank even to 
 the dregs, yet I look back through the darkness of the 
 past, and behold God's loving kindness and tender 
 
THE REASON WHY. 183 
 
 mercies have been around and about me, and I have a 
 blessed faith to lead me on, a religion based upon a 
 science everlasting as the rocks, my children in the 
 spirit world beckoning me upward ; my children on 
 the earth hold me here while they need me, my 
 mother, ever thankful that the angels thought her 
 child worthy of their choice ; brothers and sisters en- 
 joying different opinions, but in God's own time will 
 know that the gates are left ajar for all His children ; 
 a loving husband, who feels proud that he has been 
 permitted to give strength and encouragement to a 
 woman, whose moral courage has never deserted her ; 
 though the storms and tempests of life have roared 
 around her, opposition has never been able to over- 
 come ; when the light was open to her view, and the 
 many patients who have sought my advice, for their 
 bodily ailments and their spiritual strength; all of 
 these I will leave in God's loving care, knowing that 
 as he has fed me- from angels hands, inspired me by 
 angels voices, and poured over me the inspiration of 
 the Holy Spirit, so he will give them as they shall 
 stand in need. 
 
184 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 LOVE'S DISAPPOINTMENT. 
 
 It was cold, and drear and stormy, 
 
 . And, battling with ice and with snow, 
 I wandered so dazed and discouraged, 
 
 Not knowing which way I must go ; 
 But a thought in my soul, to the surface 
 
 Came bubbling up out of the night, 
 With tremulous feelings, but certain, — 
 
 Go appeal to those in the light. 
 Then I wended my steps on to Cambridge, 
 
 To another soul, strong linked to mine, 
 By a law, that one mother had given 
 
 To the world, two lives at one time, 
 I there met a sad disappointment ; 
 
 He had gone to his home far away ; 
 I returned to my home, sad and weary, 
 
 So heart-sick I hardly could pray. 
 But I left a kind word ; tho' so heavy, 
 
 My heart was near breaking, that's true, 
 I was tired of battling with trials, 
 
 And I sought to seek comfort from you ; 
 But, lo ! no interest was taken, 
 
 And a shudder comes into my soul, 
 When I think of relations so sacred 
 
 Have all been bartered for gold. 
 Was it indifference led to the disclosure, 
 
 That no interest in me or in mine ; 
 Had prosperity filled all the niches ? 
 
 Was the soul sleeping then for a time ? 
 Oh, no ! but God in His goodness 
 
 Heard a prayer that was sincere and true ; 
 I never might have any riches, 
 
 If it makes me as forgetful as you. 
 
THE REASOX WHY. 185 
 
 For sometimes when our friends have stumbled, 
 
 And our hearts are trembling with fear, 
 We look to those who are able, 
 
 And think they will give us some cheer. 
 But, lo ! while they are willing to help us, 
 
 They wish to punish the same, 
 And to reach the one that is guilty, 
 
 They stab the one not to blame. 
 But Jesus, that God-given brother, 
 
 Who nourished and watered the seed, 
 Came to tell us, Oh ! love one another, 
 
 Though our hearts and feet they may bleed. 
 So I crushed down the terrible feelings, — 
 
 Like a serpent they coiled, round and round ; 
 But at last 1 conquered ; with gladness, 
 
 They were dead, no motion or sound. 
 And I thank the giver of all goodness, 
 
 For the strength to do what He willed ; 
 That my spirit might not bear the blemish, 
 
 And I say to my soul, " Peace, be still." 
 But now with the love from another, 
 
 No dearer, but loving and kind, 
 Who came to my soul left a starving, 
 
 And kept me from losing my mind. 
 May you never feel sad or lonely, 
 
 Broken-hearted and left to repine, 
 Because your gold does not glitter ; 
 
 Mine, is the kind that never will shine. 
 March 24, 1879. 
 
186 THE REASON WHY. 
 
 LOVE'S REALITY. 
 
 Alone, amidst the storm and tempest, 
 And the sky, so dark and drear, 
 Came a voice, like some one calling, 
 Calling, " help ! oh, do come here." 
 
 •Then I listened and feared to follow, 
 Lest my feet might go astray, 
 For the darkness was so dense, 
 And I did not know the way. 
 
 To my soul there came a feeling, 
 Can I risk another's mind, — 
 To assist me in my trouble, 
 Is there any soul that's kind ? 
 
 Then I, too, sent forth a message, 
 Calling loudly, " Help ! this way." 
 A manly voice came forth in answer, 
 I am with you, come what may. 
 
 His noble presence gave me courage, 
 And my sad heart he soon did cheer ; 
 What's the use of my abundance, 
 If your call I do not hear ? 
 
 How I bless the day of darkness, 
 That was so sad and drear to me, 
 When I know by my experience, 
 Another's soul was good and free. 
 
 Roll ye on, dark, sad, and cloudy 
 Days, that never can come again ; 
 I have known, by my experience, 
 You can only bring us rain. 
 
THE REASON WHY. 187 
 
 For the love that was so hidden, 
 'Neath the busy stir of life, 
 Flashed upon me, like the lightning, 
 To subdue discord and strife. 
 
 Bless the hand that led me gently, 
 Bless the heart that ope'd to mine ; 
 Bless the word he spoke so kindly, 
 Oh ! God bless him, he is thine.