Tel. 304-947-7730 P.O. Box 155 Great Cacapon, WV 25422

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'IlIE AME

r . MAJOR ARCANA

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\L MANN ~xc/«&Ve.J Tel. 304-947-7730 P.O. Box 155 Great Cacapon, WV 25422

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Copyright by AME 1993

THE AME ESTA'l'E AT

RIV.ER RIDGE, If.VA.

" - who shall judge the quick and the dead."

II Timothy 4:1

LIFE AFTER DEATH?

In the late 19th century and early 20th, the new religion of Spiritualism and the spirit mediums were the rage! The movie theatres were not yet invented. The only thing going for the masses was vaudeville and religion. After the jumping antics of the Pentecostals, the next best attraction was the Spiritualists' communications with the dead and the proof of life after death. The perenial question, "If a man dies, shall he live again?" was appealing to all. So it seemed like the whole world was running to having sittings with Mediums.

Many sitters became Medium-addicts and came running for a sitting every time a new Medium came to town. For some it became a challenge testing the Medium to the limit and trying to catch the Medium doing his tricks. Some sitters became Mediums themselves! One good trick was enough to make one good Medium.

Some Mediums were mediocre while others were fabulous. One fabulous Medium was Dr. Louis Schlesinger. What he did in the seance room was heard around the world and resulted in converting many to the new religion.

He became famous for divining the names of dead persons, a feat that any good Medium could do. But in Schlesinger's hands, the Test of the Dead was a masterpiece that became the most powerful drawing card in the seance, and so it is to this day. Magicians later labeled this test The Living and Dead test or the L & D test for short.

1

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The Test of the Dead and the art of conjuring spirits comes to us from antiquity. Most Mediums could do a good L & 0 test. Some were even better than Schlesinger, but it was Doctor Schlesinger who through his dramatic and theatrical presentation of this test, brought it to the attention of the world. He became famous for it. So famous that the psychic investigators and many magicians came running to observe, learn, expose and then try to duplicate the test.

Only a very few could duplicate this test. The only well known magician that was reputed to do the Schlesinger test was John Northern Hilliard, author of Greater Magic. It is said that he could do it every time without failing, while Dr. Schlesinger failed occassionally. Another magician who played second best was David P. Abbott, author of Behind the Scenes with the Mediums. He like many other magicians could do a very good L & 0 test although only one part of the test was done which was the revelation of the dead name from among many.

Magicians did

not hesitate to

apply their own

magical

expertise to

make the Land

o test most

dramatic.

Read "A

Ghostly

Problem. II

Fi

A GHOSTLY PROBLEM. In order to clearly understand this feat, take a half

sheet of any kind of leLter paper and tear a strip froIll one side about balf an inch wide and the length of the paper, and throw it away. You will now notice that one end of the paper is smocth and the opposite end is rough. Now if you tear the remainder of the paper Ul1 lengthways into four or five strips, and fold them up to about the size of a domino, anG then mix them all up together. you can easily pick out the strip which has the smoo.h edge. Perform as follows: Borrow two hats and two handkerchiefs. Ask anyone to get you a half shee. of letter paper, and ask him to tear it into several strips lengthways. Under pretext of showing him how to tear you tear off the right hand edge yourself, and throw it away. Now hand him the sheet and request him to tear off one strip, and write the name of a live person on It, (you turn your back when he writes) and fold it up ana lay it on the table. Turn around and ask him to write the name of another live person, and fold it UP' and lay it on the table. Repeat this process until he has useo up the paper. However, watch carefully and when he gets to the strip with the smooth edge, ask him to write the name of a dead person. Ask him to mix all the folded strips on the table. You. advance, pick up the papers, and as you stell over to place them in one of the hats, pick au t the strip wit h a smooth edge, and concea I it between the thumb and forefinger at the root, droppin~ the rest of the papers in one of the hats. Cover the hat with one of the handkerchiefs. Pick up the other handkerchief. and holding it in front of the second hat show it on' both sides, and. while covering the hat, under cover of the tlandkerchief, let the palmed paper drop into the second hat. Command the spirit of the dead man to take .the paper, which has his Dame wTitten on it, from hat No. 1 and pass it unseen into hat No.2. Ask what the name was, and remove the handkerchiefs and pass the hats for examination, and the command will be seen to have been obeyed. .

2

Dr. Schlesinger's Test of the Dead lasted the entire sitting

He told the sitter the name of the dead person and where and how

he/she had died. His sitters also were convinced that he could

tell them the names and relationship of the other names, as many

as five, that were written by the sitter! He further dazzled the

sitter by reading his/her mind and for the final coup, Schlesinger

gave the sitter a personal message from the dead person. It was

the revelation of the dead name and the message from beyond the

grave that staggered the sitter and converted many to the new

religion!

Who was this Doctor Louis Schlesinger?

Dr. Louis Schlesinger was born in Liverpool, England in April

17, 1832. At the age of 16 he came to America and became a citizen

and soon amassed a fortune as a succesful produce merchant

especializing in the sale of tea. He travelled extensively

throughout the USA and Mexico. By nature he was a good person and

donated to charities and helped out the poor and needy.

At the age of 45 he

stumbled into the fabulous billet

Medium Charles H. Foster and had a

sitting with him. Foster

dumbfounded Schlesinger and totally

convinced him of life after death

and communication with the spirit

world. Foster gave him messages

from his dead relatives!

Schlesinger became an instant

convert! He totally renounced the

religion of his family, quit his

business and plunged into the

ministry of his new religion. CHARL1':S H. FOSTER.

Beyond a doubt, Dr. Schlesinger was a charitable person full

of love for humanity. If he had been a Catholic he would have

been sainted for he apparently had no love for money and spent his

entire fortune helping out the poor and needy. He never recovered

his fortune but instead became world famous as a healer and

spiritualist, with admirers allover the world who would quickly

look after his needs. As a healer he excelled and healed many and

most especially, he helped others overcome the habits of tobacco

and morphine. His forte was the conversion of skeptics in which

ha was unsurpassed. Yet what stood out above all else was his

'Test of the Dead!'

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"My missiom on humanity

earth is to absolutely prove to the immortality of the soul!"

Louis Schlesinger.

Beyond a doubt, Dr. Schlesinger was a charitable person full of love for humanity. If he had been a Catholic he would have been sainted for he apparently had no love for money and spent his entire fortune helping out the poor and needy. He never recovered his fortune but instead became world famous as a healer and spiritualist, with admirers allover the world who would quickly look after his needs. As a healer he excelled and healed many and

4

most especially, he and morphine. His ha was unsurpassed. of the Dead!'

helped others overcome the habits of tobacco forte was the conversion of skeptics in which

Yet what stood above all else was his 'Test

Before his fortune ran out he gave sittings to all without charge, for his only interest was to spread the belief in his religion.

He married Julia also a devout Spiritualist who in 1883 started a spiritualist paper called 'The Carrier Dove' in Oakland, California. Later they moved to number One Polk Street, San Francisco, where on Sept. 20, 1893, the tenth anniversary of the Carrier Dove was celebrated. Next, the paper became a weekly and was named 'The Pacific Coast Spiritualist.' Louis would give any new subscriber a free reading. Subscription was $1 a year. The Doctor loved to give readings and travelled all over to do so.

SCHLESINGER'S SEANCE

JULIA SCHLESINGER.

What follows is an eye witness account of a sitting with Schlesinger as noted by David P. Abbott, a well experienced magician and psychic investigator, in his book Behind the Scenes with the Mediums. I have capitalized the salient points which are vital for the Medium and the success of the test. Notes in parenthesis are mine. Schlesinger worked in a two room arrangement. Their was an ante-room called the parlor where the visiting sitters sat awaiting their turn. The Inner Sanctum was a second back room where Schlesinger did his reading to a single person usually, but sometines he read for two or three persons at the same time.

THE SEANCE

Before the readings start, creedo, "My mission on earth" etc. pretended to be deaf and repeatedly to hear what the sitters said. listening to spirit voices!

Schlesinger would quote his as stated above. The Doctor

cupped his hand behind his ear He did the same thing when

"He now took a sheet of paper from a tablet, and drew five straight lines across it, spacing the sheet into six spaces about equal. Next taking my hand and looking earnestly into my face, he said: "Promise me that if I succeed you will not make light of this. Promise me, for this is too sacred to me." I did so.

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(Please note that Mr. Abbott was not aware commenced that names would be written or how Test of the Dead would be attempted. If the ahead of time he can prepare a list of names, test will fail.)

before the seance many or that the

sitter knows this in which case the

He now directed me to write names in the spaces on the sheet, any names I pleased, writing but one name to each space.

(NOTE: that Abbott was not told that he could write in any space. Implying that he would no doubt write in the first space first at the top of the sheet and then the second space down to the last. This was crucial to the success of the test.) All the names were to be of living or fictitious persons except one, this one to be the name of some one I had known who was then dead. He said, "Be fair with me and I WILL SCRATCH OUT the dead person's name. (!) These were his exact words, therefor I IN NO WAY TRIED TO HIDE MY WRITING from him although he stood at a distance and did not appear to watch me."

(NOTE: Mr. Abbott is told that all the Medium is going to do is to scratch out the dead name. So! since the Medium does not know the name of the dead person, Mr. Abbott can write out the six names openly and it makes no difference if the Medium sees the written names. With this misdirection, the Medium can later do almost anything like folding and tearing the strips of paper without suspicion. In fact the Medium is preparing the sitter for a grand climax!)

(As will be seen later, the Medium did not have to know what names were being written. What he was doing was timing the pauses in the writing! and that he could do at a distance.)

"I took a pencil and begin writing the names; Being unprepared I HAD TO THINK OF THE NAMES I WISHED TO WRITE. I desired to select names of persons living at a distance, so that he could in no possible manner know them. WHILE I WAS WRITING HE TALKED INCESSANTLY, which in spite of myself DIVIDED MY ATTENTION. At the same time he kept urging me to write, and immediately after urging me, would begin talking rapidly on some spiritualistic subject. I remember saying, "YOU MUST GIVE ME TIME TO THINK." I thought I used great care, so as to write each name with great precision, and tried to betray no emotion when writing the dead person's name. I selected the name "CORA HOLT" for the dead person's name. This was the name of an aunt who had died in another state."

(NOTE: Distracting the sitter's mind as he writes works to the Medium's advantage and is one of the necessary ingredients for the success of the test. Schlesinger did it by excessive talking. One lady Medium sat in a squeeky rocking chair and rocked all during the seance. The rocking chair distracted the writer and also acted like a timing devise by which to measure the pauses in

6

the writing. Apparently this art is no longer around.)

"As soon as I had written the names he asked me to cut them apart irito slips, having one name on each slip." (NOTE: This command telling the sitter to cut the slips apart is part of the misdirection and psychology used by all wonder worker. The sitter is told to cut the names apart BUT the Medium shows the sitter how to do it and butts in cutting one or more slips himself. So that it is the Medium who does most of the cutting and folding! but later the sitter believes that he did the cutting implying that the Medium never touched the slips.)

"Now HERE I DO NOT REMEMBER whether he folded them himself or had me help, as I WAS NOT EXPECTING THEM TO BE FOLDED. However we folded each one into a billet with the writing inside." (NOTE: Mr. Abbott is telling us that due to the Medium's constant chatter and antics, he does not remember who folded the billets. He probably did not noticed that the Medium actually cut some slips apart! and folded them.)

"He now directed me to place the billets in a hat and to hold the hat under the table, take out the billets one at a time and throw them on the table. This I did while he stood with his right arm extended towards the table and about one foot above it. After I had thrown a --P ~~ ~ " few billets on the table, as I threw the next one one, I heard three loud distinct raps. He said, "There, that's the one that is dead! Open it and see if I am right, but do not let me see it. Fold it up again and place it in your pocket."

(NOTE: The Medium already knows the name of the dead person for he had folded the slip himself and placed a special extra fold to it. If by chance the name is not the correct one the effect would have taken a different course and the Medium would later reveal the dead name by mindreading! But the sitter is told to check it by opening the folded billet. If the reader agrees that the name is the correct one, he is told not to reveal it to anyone but to place the billet in his pocket. This is a stroke of genius. The Medium can now proceed and later reveal the dead name with masterful showmanship.

( Later the sitter will say. "He told me the name of the dead person while the written dead name was in my pocket!" This is the Bert Reese effect that always amazes the sitter.)

"I opened the billet. I did not know what the name would be, as I had mixed them under the table. Yet I had the feeling that it was corect. I opened it, and sure enough, the name was "Cora Holt." I refolded it, placing it in my pocket. I MUST CONFESS THAT I FELT A MOMENTARY CREEPY FEELING PASS OVER ME, as my

7 . , .......•

emotions were wrought up to such a pitch by the intence manner in which I had watched all the details of the experiment. I informed him that he was right but DID NOT TELL HIM THE NAME."

(NOTE: The billets were mixed and the hat placed under the table for the dramatics to add a bit of mystery to the presentation and also to keep the billets out of sight so that the sitter can not notice that one billet is folded different from the rest. The Medium had folded the dead name billet a bit different from the others, but this fact is never noticed by the lay sitter. To him or her the billets are simply folded. Emphasis is also placed on the fact that THE MEDIUM NEVER SAW THE WRITTEN NAME! (?) But the Medium did see the name, unnoticed, when he was folding the papers!)

"He now took my hand in his and leading me to the parlor, had me state to the company what had just occurred. Now placing his hand on my head, he said: "I will endeavor to give you the name." Closing his eyes, his body trembled or shuddered with a kind of paroxysm, and apparently with a great effort he pronounced the name "Cora Holt." THIS EFFORT SEEMED TO GREATLY EXHAUST HIM, AND COMING OUT OF HIS TEMPORARY TRANCE HE BEGGED US TO EXCUSE HIM, SAYING THAT THERE WERE OPPOSING SPIRITS PRESENT AND HE COULD DO NO MORE THAT NIGHT; THAT HE HAD DONE ALL FOR US THAT LAY WITHIN HIS POWER. HE NOW TOOK HIS LEAVE."

(NOTE: The good doctor had given a sitting to Mr. Abbott's father that same day where he tried to tell the names of aunts and uncles and places of death but the test was questionable, so now he performed a sure fire and most dramatic test telling only the name of the dead person so it was time to bring the seances to a succesful end.

But what a masterful presentation this was. First the Medium divines which of the folded billets contains the dead name. The sitter is then told to place the folded billet out of sight in his coat pocket where no eyes can see it. Here, the sitter assumes that there is no way by which the Medium could know the dead name, Yet the Medium already knows the name!

For the grand coup, the Medium performs the devastating effect of reading the sitter's mind! And then faints away in total exhaustion.

The Medium never did scratch out the dead name as he had promised, or reveal the names of relatives. Yet the dynamic climax occluded all else.

THE RECAP

1. Medium divides the tablet sheet of paper into six spaces.

8

But no mentioned is made that the paper would later be cut into strips and folded into billets or that the sitter can choose what spaces to use or in what order.

2. Sitter is told to think of the name of a dear relative now dead and to fix that name in his mind. But no mention is yet made of the names of freinds and relatives to fill in the other spaces. (When this instruction is given the sitter immediately thinks of the dead person, so that now he has that name fixed in his head.)

3. Sitter is now given the sheet of paper and told to fill in the spaces with the names of living relatives and friends, one name to each space, and to include the name of the dead person amongst them. "If you are fair with me I will scratch out the dead name." The Medium knew in what space the dead name was written because there was no pause before writting it. Since the sitter already knew the name, he simply wrote it down without hesitation, while the sitter had to stop and think before writing down the other names of living relatives, etc. This time pause is sometimes quite long and most noticeable.

Due to the distraction created by the medium, the test never fails, providing the sitter has never seen the test before or knows that names of relatives will be used.

4. The sitter is now told for the first time that the names must be separated into strips and folded. By way of demonstrating, the Medium tears off the bottom strip and notices the name of the dead person by looking at the correct line where there was no pause in the writing and continuous tearing strips of paper giving the sitter a couple of strips to tear and fold. But the Medium has folded the name of the dead person and bent down one corner of the billet for identification later!.

The conclusion follows spiritualistic showmanship message from the dead!

with a good doze of dramatics and plus in most cases the delivery of a

David Abbott had a second sitting with Dr. Schlesinger and the good doctor failed totally. Dr. Schlesinger committed the cardinal sin of repeating the same effect to the same sitter. This time Abbott came ready. He memorized the five names of relatives and the dead person so that there was no hesitation or pauses when the writting was done.

It appears that Dr. Schlesinger did the above test always using the same method to get any and all information as needed. To tell the sitter the city where the dead relative died and the desease that caused his death, Schlesinger would proceed in the same manner except that this time the test was even easier for the Medium. ---- The sitter was given another piece of paper with six spaces and told to remember the city and desease that caused the demise of the dead person. After the sitter fixes this

9

,

information in his head he is now asked to invent ficticious names of cities and deseases and to enter these in the spaces on the the paper and to include among these the true city and desease. -

There was a long pause while the sitter invented a city and a desease for each space on the paper. But! a very short pause before writing in the true city and desease.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS

To tell the sitter the relationship of the other names to the sitter, became the easist test of all. After the sitter is given the sheet of paper with six spaces AND BEFORE HE STARTS TO WRITE, the Medium states, "Write down any names that come to your mind. Do you have brothers or sisters living? write his or her name down. This is written on the top line of the paper. The Medium would next say, "Aunts and Uncles that are alive. I am sure you have some. Write down his or her name. Amongst all these names be sure to write down the name of the dead person.

The Medium now knows that the first name written is the name of a brother or sister and the next name is that of an aunt or uncle. That is all the Medium needs. By revealing these two names the Medium is given credit for knowing all the names and their relationship.

BUT the revealing of the relationships of any other name was actually anticlimatic. The sitter was already overwhelmed with the uncanny divination of the dead name plus an eerie message from beyond the grave. Anything else would be a let down, BUT! There are dramatic ways and means of utilizing this information. Charles Foster, the billet King, did a baffling bit of business as follows: After the reading and as the sitter was exiting the inner sanctum, Foster would say, "Give my regards to your brother George!" The sitter would silently leave the room asking himself, "How did he know I have a brother named George?"

FACE DOWN

It often happens that the sitter will turn the paper face down to hide the names written, or the Medium may do that to imply that he does not see the names, BUT next the names are cut into strips. The bottom name is cut first by bending about one inch of the paper downwards on the edge of the table and then cutting it apart with a sharp knife. This slip is then given to the sitter to fold. The Medium does not see this name nor needs to. And he may do the same with the next name. But all the vital names that the Medium wishes to see and remember are cut in the following manner:

The face down paper is held at the edge of the table and the next strip to be cut is bent downwards AND THEN IS BENT UPWARDS ALL THE WAY SO THAT THE NAME COMES INTO VIEWl Immediately the Medium bends the strip down again and cuts it apart with the knife

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and hands it to the sitter to fold. is busy folding the previous strip Medium knows the name of the dead relatives.

This is done while the sitter of paper. In this fashion the person and two or more of the

EFFECT: On the table is a basket full of unmarked folded billets, about 20. Sitter is asked to take any billet, open it and write the name of a dead relative, then close it exactly as it was before and place it amongst the other unmarked billets, and mix them so that the dead name billet is undetectable from the rest.

Sitter is next asked to assume that each billet is a grave and to try his hand at finding the dead name billet via vibrations or what have you. The Medium stands behind the sitter to assist him with vibs. Every billet picked by the sitter turns out to be an empty grave. The sitter is given several chances but cannot find the right billet.

Next the Medium tries his hand and discards several folded billets frantically using both hands and finally alights on one. "I am getting vibrations from this billet (which you hold in the left hand)." "NO!" you say. "The vibs are coming from this other billet (the one in your right hand.) This billet is given to the sitter to open and see if it contains the dead name and is cautioned not to reveal the dead name. If the billet is the

1 1

correct one, sitter is told to refold the billet and place it in his pocket or to sit on it or stick it in his shoe.

The Medium next shows some of the blank billets and may even do another test and finally reveal, via telepathy the name of the dead relative and then delivers a message from the spirit world.

THE METHOD: A billet switch no less. The Temple Switch is recommended as it is the easiest and most undetectable switch. (see Acidus) Or the reader may use his favorite switch.

THE READ: The reader will have ample chance to open and read the billet behind the sitter's back. ~

If you are conversant with the Umbrella •• ,-' ,#)~.I' Move, (see The Bert Reese Docimasy) you can ~ use it to advantage as you can show your left hand and arm in front of the sitter while ~ your right hand does the Unbrella Move, reads ~ ~\ the dead name and refolds the billet behind the sitter's back. BUT the Umbrella Move is Fig. . J,_ / I

4 Ii' ,",-not necessary IF NEEDED YOU CAN USE BOTH HANDS \ ~ TO OPEN OUT THE BILLET AND REFOLD IT. You ~~ will have ample opportunity for this. The sitter is busy trying to find the dead name billet and does not know that you have a ~ palmed billet and gives no thought to the \) fact that you are temporarily out of sight. ,,-/

THE BILLETS: These must be of index card stock so that noise is minimized when unfolding them. Cards must be clean, unmarked and neatly folded all alike. If you use the Umbrella Move, then the billets must be folded accordingly. Use about 20 billets and place them into a box or basket.

THE ACT

"I propose a test." says you while sitting at the seance table. You show the basket full of folded billets.

"Please pick out anyone of these folded cards, open it and write on it the name of a dead person. Someone in your family or anyone. But do not tell the name to anyone. I will walk away so that I cannot see what you write. When you finish please turn the card writing-side down." Do not allow the sitter to refold the card for he may place an extra fold that is not wanted.

While you are standing with back to sitter, palm blank billet in preparation for The Temple Switch.

When the sitter turns his card writing-side down, the table and caution the sitter to watch you carefully. not turn the folded card over to read the name, you say, must touch it to get the correct vibs. You pick up the

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a dummy

approach You will

but you card and

refold it telling the sitter that the card is folded four ways and it is totally opaque to the human eye. "No one knows the name of of the dead person but you." Says you as you place the folded card to your temple and do The Temple Switch and after a bit of mental straining THROW THE DUMMY CARD INTO THE BASKET AND RIGHT AWAY TURN THE BASKET OVER AND DUMP ALL THE BILLETS ONTO THE TABLE. As you talk move the billets around to further mix them.

All the folded billets on the table are of course blank. So now instruct the sitter to pass his hand over the folded cards and try to get vibrations if possible and see if he can pick out the card with the dead name on it. You stand in full view of him and after he picks out one billet and finds it blank you say, "You dug an empty grave. Try it again but take your time."

While the sitter makes a second try, you can move around talking on whatever and then stand to his side, hide the right hand (or l~ft hand) with the dead name billet behind the sitter and open out the billet, read the name, refold it and get it ready for a second Temple switch. (If you have not mastered the Umbrella move, which is not at all necessary, use both hands to open and refold the billet. You will have ample time and opportunity to do that as you walk around the room and turn your body. The Umbrella Move is only a faster one hand way of openning the folded card.)

For the following instructions, let us assume that you are right handed and that you have the dead name billet palmed in your right hand.

You may allow the sitter to try a third time and then say, "Let me see if I can catch the vibs." Here you pick up one billet in each hand and place these to your temples, discard the two billets frantically and pick up two more. Throw some up in the air or unto the floor but eventually, while holding two billets, say "OH! OH! I am getting something." You stare at the billet on your extended left hand. "I am getting faint vibs." You look at the billet in your left hand, feel it and turn it over But at the same time you are switching billets with your right hand against the temple! Next you say, "Wait a minute! The vibs are coming from my right hand!" You throwaway the billet in your left hand with a florish and give the right-hand billet to the sitter. (or you may allow the sitter to point to either billet and then proceeding accordingly giving the sitter credit for finding the dead name billet!) "Please open this card and check the dead name BUT DO NOT SHOW OR TELL ME THE NAME."

After the sitter acknowledges that it is indeed the dead name billet, which is in itself a startling revelation, tell him to hide the folded card in his pocket or wh~rever or burn it in a fire ritual. When appropiate, you reveal the message from beyond the grave and then via telepathy you divine the name of the dead person.

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N. F. RA \'LI:-;'S ACCO{;:"T OF HIS CO:"­

VERSION TO SPIRITUALIS:l1 THROUGH

THE !lIEDIU:IISHIP O}O' DR. SCOLESI:"­

GER.

I was hostile to Spiritualism. and be­lieved its basic claims to be founded ill falsehood and deception. Of all sub· jects it interested me the least. It com' prehended all that was immoral and vile. To know that one was a spirit­ualist was enough. There was no necessity of any funher acquaintance. As I valued my soul's eternal sal­vation, I would steer dear of thp.m. It is in this way people generally reason about spIritualism. I was no exception to the rIlle. I verily thought I knew a great deal, while. in fact, my knowledge was exceedingly limited. I did not be· Iieve in ~p;rit return. and I knew my kindred would never come to me through a third persoll.

But my unbelief did not change facts, and my knowledJ{e of what Illy loved ones would or would not do was pro· ven to be mere ignorant assumption. The memorable sitting with Dr. Schles' inger was what would be termed an accident: that is, there was no design in it 011 my part. He was a stranger to

DR. LOUIS SCHLESI~GER.

me. I never saw him before. and did not know that he was either a spirit· ualist or medium. Hence, I did not go to him for a sitting. Why should I when I did not belie\'e in spirit re~urn, or that mediums were anything but fakirs and charlatans. I was accidentally or providentially in his office upon a literary errand. Then he told me frankly who he was and what he was. I was caught. But it was decidely against my principles to run. even for Satan himself. So I resolved to stand my ground and have a litile fun at the vld gentleman'S expense. But the expense was on the other siJe. l\[y false premise was inundated by a cyclonic flood from the spirit world, and all my conclusions were overwhelmed thereby. My loved ones did come to me through a thIrd person. They proved their identity heyond all question. In each case their full names were given, the diseases with which they died and the towns where they died, together with a r.haracteristic messalte from each; my son g~\'e a lengthy quotation from his own fun'!ral sermon which I preached t<::n years previous ill the city of Chicago. not a word of which was ever written or printed.

My father had been a Baptist preacher for nearly fifty years, and in addition to giving his name, he gave an epitome of my life for thirty years more minutely than I C9uld possibly have written it out.

My kindred that I mourned as dead were all communiclltinlt with me alive and happy. The power that demon· strated the conscious existence of my loved ones who had died dug the grave of my orthodox religion. The same ceremony that interred the one enthroned the other. I saw the errors of myoid theology. From the pUlpit r publicly repudiated every tenet of the religion in which I had been raised, laid down my credentials and gave up my salary. I openly avowed myself a Spiritualist, and suffered all the ostracism and reproach

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meted out to sllch as swerve from the old faith. But I do not regret it. What was loss to me I count gain for the Truth's sake. Hence I ha\'c made no sacrifice. lowe not only my present knowledge, but my life to Dr. Schlesin~er. Not only was h<: the open gateway through whom my killdred manifested them5elves, but. an intemperate smoking habit of twenty year.; was effectually broken up. Before this I should have been a mental wreck had It not I'een for him. He was made the instrur.lent of saving me from this deplorable fate. It is impossible in this brief tribute to do him justice. His mediumship is pronounced, and his tests are clear cut and convincing. The charge of fraud has .Iever stained his medium­ship, nor has he in a single inst:lIlce been exposed as seeking to impose upon a credulous uublic.

Honest skeptics will find in him an honest and most reliable medium. His tests are simply wonderful, affording proof positive that- our loved ones live beyond the grave. Any atheIstic materialist or agn05tic, who may truly desire to know the facts as to man's future, will find the truth, if honestly sought, through Dr. Schlesinger's supernormal gifts. Every effort ma~' be made to account for the phenomena upon some other hypothesis than that claimed, but at htst the most rattonal conclusion will be accepted, viz., that man lives after so· called death, and that as a conscious intelligent beicg, he ca~ return under certain condittons and com· municate with those he has left behind him in the mortal form.

I find the profoundest satisfaction in the knowlede:e 01 this lact. Spiritualism demonstrated to be true embraces with­in iu:elf all there is of truth in all the reo Iigious philosophies and sciences of earth, besides embodying the stupendous idea of eternal progression as the heritage of everyone of earth's children.