In a work entitled "The Spirits' Book," compiled by Mr. Allan Kardec of France, are communications purporting to come from spirits of the most exalted station, such as St. John the Apostle," "The Spirit of Truth," "Fénélon," "St. Augustine," and others. On page 205, in reply to the question as to why, when spirits are protecting persons, such protection is not apparent, the following answer is given by a spirit:—

"If you counted on their support you would not act of yourselves, and your spirit would not progress. In order to advance, each man needs to acquire experience, and often at his own expense. He needs to exercise his powers, otherwise he would be like a child, who is not allowed to walk alone."

It is here admitted that man needs to rely upon his own powers, and would not progress did he rely upon the aid of spirits. The above extract, while professing to come from page 10 a spirit, proves the utter uselessness of seeking spirit guidance and protection, as interfering with man's freedom or action. In a work by A. Putnam, "Flashes of Light from the Spirit Land," the following question and answer occurs on pp. 109, 200.

Ques.—"A spirit comes and tells me it is my duty to take a certain step . . . influencing for good or evil myself, my family, and my future prospects. There is nothing in the message itself that seems unreasonable. Would it be right to trust the spirit and Follow its direction? To make the case clearer, suppose the spirit to say, 'you shall leave your present sphere of labour; the climate is prejudicial to your health, and by going to another place you will do a large amount of good.' Now, I am unable to say if the climate is injurious, or whether, by removing, I should do more good; but, if certain of these facts, I should, of course, at once follow the spirit's advice. What would be my duty under the circumstances?" Ans.—"From the experience I have gathered in such matters during my life as a disembodied spirit, I can give you only one answer,. and that is, it would be absolutely wrong for you to be led in any direction by any spirit or spirits, however high, at the expense of the yielding up of your own reason. If you cannot see that it would be right for you to make any such move, it would be absolutely wrong to make it."

Here, then, is a spirit, not only admitting, but affirming, the uselessness of any spirit's guidance, however high that spirit may be. In the former quotation, the uselessness of seeking spirit protection was affirmed; and to make the proof of our proposition complete, it only requires now to show that spiritism is useless as the revealer of any new truth. In a work by Hudson Tuttle, "The Arcana of Spiritualism," a standard spiritualistic volume, occurs the following:—

"The opponents of spiritualism loudly demand, 'Has it presented a single new truth? Show it; show what it has accomplished.' As it would be impossible for it to do so, no such claim is made."

As evidencing the utter folly of trusting to spirit communications and following their directions, the following are worthy of notice. Moses Hull, an editor, debater, and lecturer among the Spiritualists, in the August number of the Rostrum, for 1868 says:— page 11

"We once risked almost our all upon circles. We have waded through mud and water, travelled through rain, snow, and cold, and sat for two hours at a time for spiritual manifestations—have hardly ever failed to get manifestations, oftener coining from spirits in than out of mortal I bodies. We have, however, at circles received many good tests of spirit existence and power. We have received very fine communications on such occasions, yet if our readers could imagine the great amount of chaff we have winnowed for the few grains of important truth acquired, they would hardly bestow the amount of labour and pains, for the benefit received . . . . . . . . We believe it (circle holding) is a positive injury to spirits. .... Hence they oftener than otherwise misrepresent themselves. . . . . It is in many instances a positive injury to the medium. . . . In many instances, we notice that the sitter, by excessive communications with spirits, gives up his manhood, and is thrown off his balance. Look at our good old Bro. Marble, of 'Dungeon Rock' notoriety, digging and blasting in the granite rock for ten long years, in obedience to spirit power. Had he trusted his own judgment, instead of following the ipse dixit of disembodied wags, thousands of dollars in money and a ten years' 'chase' after an ignis fatuus, might have been saved."—"Spiritualism Condemned," p. 8.

A case, very similar in some respects to the one above, occurred to an acquaintance of my own in the Colony of Victoria, and which I obtained from his own lips :—

A mine, called the "Pygmalion," at Castlemaine, was owned by a company who had got into difficulties, and my friend was applied to for money to extricate them from this difficulty caused through failure in obtaining gold. To prevent the lease of the mine from being forfeited as an unused claim it was necessary to have at least one man constantly at work. My friend had this man driving in a certain direction in the hope of finding gold. A number of spiritists formed part of the company in the mine. As my friend did not wish to keep the mine, and had bought it merely on account of a legal difficulty and to save himself from loss, he was in negotiation with the company with a view to again handing it over to them, on the payment of his interest in it. On a certain evening, he received a letter from his manager requesting his authority to stop the man from working in the place where he then was, as he was approaching a reef of only two inches in thickness, and without a single evidence of gold being in it. My friend did not know what to do. He judged that if the company, who were negotiating for its repurchase, were aware of the information he had received, they would immediately relinquish their intention and thus involve him in considerable loss, it happened that on the evening of the receipt of this letter, a seance was being held by some members of the mining company. They asked the communnicating spirit to go down this mine and thoroughly inspect it and page 12 report. The spirit professedly having done so, reported through the medium "that eight feet beyond where that man was driving there was a large quantity of gold, which would pay them abundantly for all their trouble." They were in high glee, and sent a messenger next morning, begging my friend to stop the man from working where he was; and as this request coincided with the advice of the manager, the order was given with great readiness. The company immediately concluded the repurchase of the mine, and set the miners to work. They drove the eight feet, but no gold; they drove forty feet, still no gold, and though they continued for a long time their pursuit after gold, up to the present time they have been unable to find it. By the means of the spirits my friend had a narrow escape from heavy loss, and in telling me of the matter he very naively remarked, "I have no need to speak badly of the spirits, for they did me a very good service."