PREFACE

Give us details—details and accurate delineations of life in the Spirit World!—is the constant appeal of thoughtful minds. Death is approaching. Whither—oh, whither! Shall I know my friends beyond the tomb? Will they know me? What is their present condition, and what their occupations? Too long, perhaps, have we listened to generalities and vague Imaginations touching that so-called shadowy realm of existence whither we are hastening.

When a traveller starts out for some distant country, it is not enough for him to know that he must cross some stormy ocean, but he asks, "What is the distance to those foreign countries? What is the character of the climate? What modes of living distinguish the inhabitants, and what preparation will I need to make for comfort and success in that far-away country?" If this be true of the earthly traveller, how much more important are inquiries and a right understanding relative to the journey across the River of Death; the conditions and modes of life in the World of Spirits? These are pressing questions! And as travellers return to tell us of the countries they have visited, so spirits return from different spheres and golden zones, describing their homes and their employments.

In this volume the Spirits, differing as they may, are allowed to speak for themselves. Though sometimes condensing and modifying their language, I have carefully preserved the essential ideas embodied in their messages. And in the last chapter I have given a resume of their teachings without the mention of the names of the controlling intelligences.

I send this volume forth with my prayers and best wishes, hoping it may answer the soul questions of many earnest inquirers, and inspire to an active faith in the glorious realities of our Heavenly Home, and to earnest labours for the upbuilding of the Spiritual Kingdom on earth.

J. M. P.