Copy ^ 
 
 Spirit ^tiilosioptip 
 
 in Mutonxsitsi Beltbereti to 
 W^t Scientific Seance Circle 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^. r 
 
 9^ 
 
Spirit Philosophy 
 
 Of Robert G. IngersoU and 
 Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon 
 
 Together With 
 POST-MORTEM REVERIES of JACK CARPENTER 
 
 COJMPILED FROM THE RECORD OF 
 
 The Scientific Seance Circle 
 
 PRICE 25 CENTS 
 
 BOOK ONE 
 
 Compiled and Published by 
 
 RORERTC. KROLL 
 
 If 
 4146 Shaw Ave. St. Louis, Mo. 
 
^ 
 
 V^Sol 
 
 ,\(' 
 
 COPYRIGHTED 1919 BY 
 
 ROBERT C. KROLL 
 
 bT. LOUIS, MO. 
 
 ©CI.A5L26B0 
 
 MAR 1/19(9 
 
 n/v^ \ 
 
PREFACE 
 
 As MANY PERSONS approach the subject 
 of Spirit Communication with a feeling of 
 prejudice, it is necessary to explain that 
 this booklet is not an effort to do proselyting in 
 the interest of any cult or "ism/' These Spirit 
 Discourses are presented as evidence touching 
 the survival of personal identity. Since the super- 
 natural can never be proven by living witnesses, 
 it follows that this booklet is not a study of Super- 
 naturalism but an eft'ort to contribute something 
 to the sum of human knowledge by means of 
 phenomena produced in conformity to natural 
 laws as yet little understood. 
 
 If personal identity survives physical dissolu- 
 tion, then immortality must be a fact in nature. 
 It remains only for us to establish this fact to our 
 own satisfaction. This being the case, the opin- 
 ions, religions, and prejudices of men cannot 
 take from any man his birthright to immortality 
 — hence, these factors cannot be permitted to en- 
 ter into a work of this kind. 
 IF THE INDIVIDUAL MIND survives physi- 
 cal death, only that mind can prove such sur- 
 vival — and faith has long failed to satisfy the de- 
 mand for this proof. Furthermore, if the great 
 thinkers of the past still live, they must also con- 
 tinue to think; and, if they can prove that they 
 live they should be able, by the same means, to 
 
4 PREFACE 
 
 transmit their present thoughts for the benefit of 
 mankind. It is only a question of opening up an 
 avenue through which they can manifest on the 
 physical plane according to natural law. Lead- 
 ing thinkers in all parts of the world have an- 
 nounced that it is an accomplished fact — and 
 these announcements have been made as the con- 
 clusions arrived at after years of painstaking 
 study and experience. 
 
 To provide the conditions under which such 
 natural manifestations are possible, is the one 
 purpose to which the Scientific Seance Circle is 
 devoted. This Circle is constituted of eight in- 
 vestigators who have given years of study to the 
 various aspects of psychic phenomena. This 
 Scientific Seance Circle, for the past three years, 
 has been holding regular sessions in my home un- 
 der test conditions. The medium is Mr. Otto E. 
 Laroge, a photographer by profession, and I act 
 as amanuensis for the Circle. The regular or- 
 ganization forms a psychic battery which pro- 
 vides the forces necessary for spirit manifesta- 
 tion in the seance room. The discourses are given 
 by the audible voice of the Spirit Speakers 
 (known as trumpet speaking, or direct voice) in 
 the hearing of all those present and every word 
 is written down at the time exactly as spoken. 
 A PSYCHIC ORGANIZATION, of course, 
 ^~^ requires the co-operation of interested per- 
 sons on the Spirit side to enable our unseen 
 visitors to manifest in a seance. It is not mv 
 
PREFACE ^ 
 
 present purpose to mention the immortals who 
 have interested themselves in the work of the 
 Scientific Seance Circle, Suffice it to say, they 
 include Spirit Technologists who organize the 
 unseen forces and make them available to Spirits 
 desiring to manifest. Then, the evening's pro- 
 gram is always arranged on the Spirit side (the 
 members of the Circle never know in ad- 
 vance who the Speakers will be) by one who is 
 known as the Spirit Control. Our control is Jack 
 Carpenter, who in Earth-I>ife was a comedian 
 and traveled with the leading shows of a half- 
 century ago. Our Record is replete with his wit ; 
 but, as it is not intended to make this booklet a 
 humorous one, I introduce Jack Carpenter to the 
 reader by giving his "Post-j\Iortem Reveries." 
 While no literary excellence is claimed for these 
 verses, they serve the present purpose insofar as 
 they show a diversity of thought and have the 
 merit of being something different. 
 
 At this writing the Record of the Scientific 
 Seance Circle contains over two hundred dis- 
 courses delivered by nearly one hundred and 
 fifty Spirit Speakers. This booklet contains but 
 two of these. They are selected because they 
 come from men who worked in entirely dift'erent 
 fields of thought. Besides, the acknowledged 
 works of ROBERT G. INGERSOLL and the 
 REV. CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON are 
 extant and comparison of these can be made with 
 their posthumous discourses. Besides a critical 
 
b PREFACE 
 
 analysis of the mental quality shown, a compari- 
 son of context, style, and other elements must 
 prove the analogy which alone can convince the 
 reader of the source of these thoughts and estab- 
 lish the identity of the Spirit Speakers herein 
 quoted. If this proof of identity can be estab- 
 lished to the satisfaction of the reader — no mat- 
 ter how much the context might jar his preju- 
 dices — the question of personal survival of iden- 
 tity after death becomes a settled fact and is 
 thus removed from the uncertain realm of faith. 
 •yHERE IS NOTHING MYSTERIOUS 
 about these discoiu'ses. The work of the 
 Scientific Seance Circle has been witnessed by 
 more than two hundred persons from various 
 walks of life whose names are of record and live 
 today to verify the statements about the manner 
 in which these discourses are received and re- 
 corded. None of the members of the Scientific 
 Seance Circle have any professional interest in 
 this kind of work — they are all animated by the 
 single purpose of gaining access to that great 
 fountain of information which lies just beyond in 
 realms unseen. It should be distinctly understood 
 that the work of the Scientific Seance Circle does 
 not constitute an apology or defense of impos- 
 ture or charlatanism. All that is asked is fair 
 consideration of the evidence presented and that 
 it be weighed without fear or prejudice. 
 
 Men who refuse to recognize a fact do not 
 change that fact. If we accept as true the things 
 
PREFACE / 
 
 that cannot be true, we expose ourselves to 
 merited criticism. Evidence that might throw a 
 gleam of light across the pathway of two eterni- 
 ties must also light our own way as we pass down 
 through the valley of time. 
 •yHE SCIENTTFIC SEANCE CIRCLE is 
 ''• opening up an avenue through which the 
 exalted immortals of all time are giving their 
 present thoughts to the people of our own time 
 here and now. It means more light for the world 
 and intellectual freedom for man. The range of 
 thought covered in our Record is almost infinite. 
 Among the subjects treated, there is wholesome 
 philosophy for persons in all walks of life; there 
 are intimate discussions of national and inter- 
 national cjuestions by noted public men ; there are 
 pages of history not to be found in any of the 
 world's great libraries; there are examples of 
 languages that ceased to be used before our pres- 
 ent civilization was born; there is light on sub- 
 jects and problems that have long bafifled scien- 
 tists and historians ; and, all of this great wealth 
 of rare material will be made available to the 
 public in other publications which are to follow 
 this booklet. Of course, the reader will want to 
 keep in touch with this work and receive the full 
 benefit of future issues. 
 
 ROBERT C. KROLL, 
 4146 Shaw Avenue, 
 Saint Louis, Mo. 
 
ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 
 
 Continues Attacks on Superstition — Amused at 
 Mental Caliber of Clergy — Found Himself 
 in Spirit Facing Eternity — Told the Facts — 
 History All but Blotted Out by the Church 
 — Present Work One of Reconstruction — Will 
 Restore World's Scientific History — A Lesson 
 from the Flowers — Pays Tribute to Child- 
 hood — Present Opinion on Life Beyond the 
 Grave — Missed Only Chance to Get a Touch 
 of Hell — Reason and Confidence a Slow 
 Growing Plant — Not All of Life to Live Nor 
 All of Death to Die — Death Does Not End 
 AJl — Victorious Peace After Death — Incredu- 
 lity of vScience and Bigotry of Ignorance — The 
 Gods Have Quit Causing Famines — Impos- 
 ture Has Always Worn a Crown — God Im- 
 proves as Man A^dvances — The Greatest 
 Baptism — Religion Supports Nobody— Dis- 
 honest Practices Condoned — Tax the 
 Churches. 
 
 (A series of Spirit Discourses delivered to the Scientific 
 
 Seance Circle at sessions held between August 2 1 , 
 
 iqi6, and February 13, iqiq) 
 
 ii/^>iOOD EVENING, kind friends, I am 
 y^j Robert G. IngersolL My whole life was 
 devoted to the single purpose of freeing 
 the people from the superstitions which the 
 church regarded as holy. Superstition is the 
 father of lies and the mother of deceit, it lives in 
 vain hope and dies in dispair." 
 
 Then we asked Col. Ingersoll whether it gave 
 
ROBERT G. INGERSOLL ^ 
 
 him any pleasure to speak to the Scientific Seance 
 Circle about his life-work. He answered us, 
 saying: 
 
 "It gives me more pleasure than iVdam and Eve 
 had in the Garden of Eden. 
 
 ''I am still amused at the small mental caliber 
 of the clergy. They cling to that easy form of 
 arithmetic which denies the simple tables every 
 child learns at school. They insist that one and 
 one and one make one. I could never figure it 
 out myself, but anyone with a theological train- 
 ing understands how perfectly simple it is to 
 work additions to get that inspired result. By 
 exposing this nonsense from the platform, the 
 priests will eventually run out of their biblical 
 inspiration and discover that 2 and 2 makes 4. 
 
 "]\Iy friends, the church is wrong, and honor 
 is purer than gold. Never sacrifice a fact for a 
 belief. You will wreck superstition by telling peo- 
 ple the truth, but stand up for what you know. 
 Every time you expose a lie and tell the truth, peo- 
 ple will say, 'He knows what he's talking about.' " 
 (August 21, 1916). 
 
 THE NEW BIRTH 
 < < r VEN while yet in Earth-Life, I sometimes 
 ^^ thought what a wonderful universe this is. 
 When I contemplated the depth of nature's mys- 
 teries and tried to think of that infinite sea which 
 you call endless space, I thought how unequal I 
 
10 ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 
 
 was to the task and I wished I had never existed. 
 When I passed through the change of physical 
 death, I found myself in spirit facing eternity 
 and I asked, 'must I Hke forever and ever, is this 
 the new birth ?' ^ ^ ^ ^ y[y questions were 
 soon answered and I resolved that I must live for 
 the benefit of those on Earth. * * ^ * i lived 
 by the standard I am giving you now. I told the 
 facts, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but 
 the truth. My observations on the Mistakes of 
 Moses are still the truth. ^ * * * The world 
 is full of skeptics, liars, and truth. As a matter 
 of fact, there is really no difference between the 
 things that were said by Paine, Voltaire, and my- 
 self. The difference was only in the manner that 
 each delivered the same message. (September 
 25, 1916). 
 
 THE WORLD'S SCIENTIFIC HISTORY 
 
 ^^VV/HERE are the ancient manuscripts that 
 ^^ told the history of the people when the 
 race was young ? These priceless treasures have 
 been destroyed by ignorant priests. History has 
 been all but blotted out by the church. The world 
 has nothing left but the history of ignorance 
 clothed in superstition. Our work is one of re- 
 construction. We are going to restore the truth 
 by restoring the world's scientific history." 
 (October 23, 1916). 
 
ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 11 
 
 ON BEING DISCOURAGED 
 
 <<XTEVER let discouragement stand in your 
 way. It is good to feel that way some- 
 times. 
 
 "If this old world had never felt like that, it 
 would not be round. It got discouraged about 
 being flat and began to spread and roll. So the 
 world is rolling on and on, and the more it rolls 
 the happier it gets. And the ground in its bos- 
 som smiles at the progress it makes, and nour- 
 ishes the flower that lives and smiles and gives its 
 fragrance, like a spendthrift, to the wunds that 
 blow. Yet, there is intelligence in the blade of 
 grass as in the fragrant flower. They salute the 
 life-giving sunshine with a smile in the morning 
 and recline in the shadows of the night, happy 
 and confident that the sun will shine again to- 
 morrow. They are not discouraged. Take this 
 lesson from the flower and think how bright the 
 sun will shine for you in the noonday of your 
 success." (October 30, 1916). 
 
 ^ ;J< ^ 
 
 THE GRANDEST THING IN THE WORLD 
 <<I HAVE SEEN many beautiful characters 
 mature into greatness from innocent child- 
 hood. Great men come and great men go, but, I 
 tell you, a child is the grandest thing the world 
 ever produced. I loved children as I loved noth- 
 ing else. They could never make enough noise 
 for me. 
 
12 ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 
 
 "Childhood in its simplicity is perfect inno- 
 cence, and its happy days are filled with joy. The 
 rippling laughter of rosy-cheeked children spreads 
 sunshine that rivals the light of the sun, it quick- 
 ens hearts that are crushed with grief and softens 
 to tenderness calloused lips that droop with the 
 burden of care." (November 13, 1916). 
 
 Jjj >Ji ilc 
 
 ON LIFE BEYOND THE GRAVE 
 << Y^U WANT TO KNOW my present opin- 
 ion about life beyond the grave ? Now I 
 know that immortality is a fact. I never said it 
 was not true. I often admitted that I knew noth- 
 ing about it, and I insisted that the clergy did not 
 know any more. Had I known then what I know 
 now, I would have made their hair stand up, 
 
 "I often said that when I died I wanted to be 
 cremated so I could get a touch of hell. I had no 
 feeling then, however, and I missed my only 
 chance. I will come back some other time and 
 tell you more about cremation. Your preachers 
 have one foot in hell all the time." (February 
 
 19, 1917). 
 
 jj« }{i jjj 
 
 JUSTICE THE KEYNOTE OF THE 
 UNIVERSE 
 
 <<TUwSTICE is the keynote of the universe, all 
 
 J else is out of tune. 
 
 ''Reason and confidence is a slow-growing 
 plant which must be fertilized at the root. It 
 
ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 13 
 
 must be given attention and thought in youth, as 
 we grow, so it can blossom and bloom in maturity 
 and revel in the sunlight of life's Summer morn'. 
 
 ''Well, it is a greater compliment to be trusted 
 than it is to be loved. 
 
 "Those who live their first lives well shall live 
 again. It is not all of life to live nor all of death 
 to die. Birth and death are just as true in science 
 as anywhere else under the sun. Death is the 
 new birth of immortality.'' (March 5, 1917). 
 ^ ^ ¥ 
 
 HAS NO PERSONAL GOD 
 <<T WILL SEE the evolution of the spirit now 
 ^ and know where it can go. I can make the 
 positive statement that death does not end all ! I 
 have been here in thought, expression, love, and 
 sincerity, and I will always be with you. I have 
 found many things that have been a revelation to 
 me, but none of them call for apology on my part. 
 I have no personal god." (October 1, 1917). 
 * * ^ 
 
 THE FRUITS OF A VICTORIOUS PEACE 
 <<\/ERY FEW MEN win recognition that 
 gives them a great name in their own 
 time. They must bear the brunt of the battle 
 while they live and enjoy the fruits of a victor- 
 ious peace after they get over here. I need men- 
 tion only a few names to prove my point : There 
 is Thomas Paine, Voltaire, Herbert Spencer, the 
 American Spurgeon, Henry Ward Beecher, 
 
14 ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 
 
 Abraham Lincoln, and others. These men had 
 to die to Hve in the grateful memory of man- 
 kind." (November 12, 1917). 
 * * * 
 
 DEPLORES NARROW IDEAS OF 
 LEARNED MEN 
 
 <<T WAS DEEPLY INTERESTED in the 
 wonderful message you just received from 
 vSerando. I thought how much more wonderful 
 his message would have been if he had had my 
 intelligence when he passed out of the body. Now, 
 I never did flatter myself, but I knew a few things 
 the preachers either did not know or would not 
 admit. They called me a bad man, but they were 
 bad in their own hearts. When I think of this 
 ancient spirit who left the world in a savage 
 state and returns to speak of the prehistoric ages 
 of the world's growth, I cannot help but contrast 
 his former and present states of intellectual de- 
 velopment. Yes, mind grows by degrees and con- 
 tinues to expand as time goes on; but, after all, 
 it's a slow progress. There is so much to learn. 
 ''To think, when that man spoke to you of 
 things that took place on this globe more than 
 fifty million years ago ! Among your scientific 
 men, with all their boasted knowledge, you find 
 those who laugh at their colleagues for speculat- 
 ing on the things that were probable as short a 
 time as one million years ago. If you submit 
 such a message as Serando's for their consider- 
 ation, they will ridicule the whole thing. Now, if 
 
ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 15 
 
 that is the reception we get at the hands of the 
 world's learned men when we present new pages 
 in the world's unwritten history, what can you 
 expect from the ignorant masses?" (November 
 19, 1917). 
 
 jjs >Jl ^ 
 
 THE TRAFFIC IN SOULS 
 i<T SEE THE PEOPLE are still offering up a 
 line of worship or flattery in exchange for 
 assistance — quite an easy bargain to drive with 
 God! 
 
 ''Slowly, painfully, but surely, the gods are be- 
 ing driven from the world. The gods have quit 
 causing famine — it is now the coal trust, cold 
 storage and other grafters. 
 
 ''Now and then God is blamed for causing the 
 death of a child because it is idolized by its par- 
 ents. But since the kaiser has God with him, 
 fear, mumps, measles, and pneumonia are natural 
 causes in the army. Still, many people are afraid 
 to save their body for fear they might lose their 
 soul. Since the Selective Draft Law has ex- 
 empted from military service the gentlemen of 
 the soul-saving profession, they are able to con- 
 tinue their propaganda at a safe distance. 
 Various religious organizations are sending 
 Bibles to the men on the firing line oft'ering up 
 rewards in another world for obedience in this. 
 It is like buying a soul on credit. 
 
 "In all ages the people have honored those who 
 dishonored them. Thev have canonized the most 
 
16 ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 
 
 gigantic liars and have buried the great thieves 
 in marble and gold. Under the loftiest monu- 
 ments sleeps the dust of murder. Imposture has 
 always worn a crown ! 
 
 "Even today people are saying prayers for the 
 success of the church, and hiring others to say 
 prayers for them. The church member agrees 
 to surrender his intellect, the church agrees to 
 save his soul upon condition that he hand over 
 his brain to bind the bargain. 
 < < D ELIGION has not civilized man, man has 
 
 •■■ ^ civilized religion. God improves as man 
 advances. The trouble is with these pious peo- 
 ple, they shut up their reason when they open up 
 their Bible. 
 
 ''There is only one sin — Selfishness. There is 
 only one good — Happiness. All law should be to 
 preserve happiness and destroy selfishness. 
 
 ''Now, happiness comes through the environ- 
 ment of living well. They build churches out of 
 concrete, brick, stone, glass, steel and iron and 
 adorn them with gold, stain the windows with 
 the blood of Christ — and allow the people to die 
 in huts and hovels. I think it is time that the 
 church do a little real estate work and see that 
 their congregations have better homes and better 
 modes of living. 
 
 "What a grand dinner they could have on 
 Thanksgiving Day if they would carve the tur- 
 key of Plenty with the knife of Justice and the 
 fork of Reason, pass around the tender meat of 
 
ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 17 
 
 Freedom to all alike. Let them break the spoon 
 of vSuperstition that they have been feeding the 
 people with for centuries. Let them pass around 
 the seasoned dressing of Right Thinking and 
 Reading. 
 
 ''When they start with such ideas, the thinking 
 people will extend their hands in an effort to up- 
 lift and assist them instead of tear down. No in- 
 stitution can stand in the way of human progress 
 and survive." (February 25, 1918). 
 
 ETHICS OF BUSINESS AND RELIGION 
 <<O0AP BAPTISM is the greatest baptism I 
 
 ^ know. Don't pay hypocrites to do your 
 thinking for you, it is a waste of time and money 
 to hire priests to frighten children and dull their 
 intellect. You need something grander, some- 
 thing with brains behind it, to advance. Don't 
 go backward. You can't advance without think- 
 ing. 
 
 "The time has come when Liberty, Justice, 
 Honor and Love must come to every man. There 
 is no use to seek after a Creator. Heaven and 
 Flell wnll take care of their own upheavals. You 
 can expect hell in this world and the next so long' 
 as the evil of graft is allowed to sow the seed of 
 crime. Honesty is the best policy. 
 <<DFLIGTON supports nobody, the people 
 support it — and have done so for cen- 
 turies. Religion can improve only as men grow 
 
18 ROBERT G. INGERSOLL 
 
 better. Your preachers have nothing to say 
 about crooked poHtics, evil mayors and gov- 
 ernors, and private money interests. 
 
 ''The doctor writes his prescription, and you 
 take it to the druggist to be filled. If he hasn't 
 the right ingredients, he substitutes — no matter 
 if the patient dies! If it is found out, it is de- 
 clared to be a mistake, and he goes a free man, 
 anyhow. 
 
 ''The groceryman sells coffee out of the same 
 sack at diff'erent prices to his daily customers, and 
 cheating is done all the way down the line — and 
 many of these cheats are members of some 
 church, and the clergy know it, still they are 
 afraid to expose them. In the face of these con- 
 ditions, the clergy pretend to be following the 
 teachings of Christ. Well, if Christ ever returned 
 to the world and saw the graft practiced in his 
 name, he would turn right back again. 
 
 ''The church escapes taxation, still the people 
 are taxed for many things in which they have no 
 interest. Now, I say, tax church property — even 
 the holy water ! Your preachers can talk a great 
 deal about prohibition, but they offer no amend- 
 ment. Now, it is time for people to quit support- 
 ing such institutions and think for themselves. 
 Good night. (February 13, 1919). 
 
 "ROBERT G. INGERSOLL." 
 
Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon 
 
 A Discussion on the Subject of Prayer — ^ Ideas 
 Have Changed — The Desire for Prayer Ana- 
 lysed — Suggestive Influence of Related Ideas 
 — When Prayer Becomes an Unconscious 
 Habit— The Origin of Worship^ — -When Science 
 Gave Way to Superstition — Man -Created 
 Gods — Mental as Well as Physical Traits 
 Transmitted to Chi Idren^ — I nculcatingNatural 
 Instinct — How Prayer Is Beneficial — ^Fear the 
 First Cousin of Superstition — Imm.orality the 
 Result of Ignorance^ — ^The Dual Standard of 
 Morality — Religion Offers Nothing but 
 Theory — Different Kinds of Prayer — Highest 
 Force Is Universal Mind — All Actual Pheno- 
 mena Are Natural — Advantage of Audible 
 Prayer — A Definition of Faith — Mental Force 
 Must Be Directed with Confidence — ^Regener- 
 ating Influence of Art — The Work of Proges- 
 sion — That Which Lies Above and Beyond 
 Constitutes Progress. 
 
 (A Spirit Discourse delivered to the Scientific Seance 
 Circle at a session held October i6, iqi6.) 
 
 i i r^ OOD EVENING, friends, I am Charles 
 V X Haddon Spurgeon. While you are dis- 
 cussing the subject of prayer, let us go 
 into it a little deeper. My ideas on this subject 
 have changed with time, and I will begin by tell- 
 ing you that they are different from what they 
 used to be. 
 
20 REV. CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON 
 
 "It is absolutely true that many people expe- 
 rience such a strong natural desire for prayer 
 that it amounts to a craving which seeks satis- 
 faction with the same persistence as even the ap- 
 petites. Many learned men have observed this 
 desire to pray, and recognize the craving as a 
 natural instinct in the normal human being. They 
 take too much for granted and form conclusions 
 before investigating all of the facts. Inevitably, 
 the average student concludes that the instinct 
 to pray, being so strong and natural, must of 
 necessity be conclusive proof that the Creator has 
 ordained this as a natural means of communica- 
 tion between himself and mankind. But, this is 
 a conclusion based upon superficial evidence and 
 does not consider all of the factors which con- 
 tribute to implant the desire for prayer. 
 
 ''When you feel like your inner self wants to 
 pray, it is because some occurrence, some object 
 or saying — being a related idea — acts as a sug- 
 gestion which the mind unconsciously receives. 
 Certain ideas run in families and, when awakened 
 by such a suggestion as a related idea, the mind 
 makes tmconscious response and expresses itself 
 in conscious desire. So, also, the form of prayer 
 at definite times, and on fixed occasions, fixes the 
 idea of prayer as an idea related to such occa- 
 sions. Such prayer becomes an unconscious 
 habit and the suggestion comes to consciousness 
 as an impulse whenever any related idea is sug- 
 gested by time, place, or occasion. Thus you will 
 
REV. CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON 21 
 
 see that prayer is really a consolation, a satisfac- 
 tion, or even an ecstacy, to persons of religious 
 training or anyone inheriting the idea of worship 
 from ancestors who practiced religious forms. 
 * * * 
 
 <<nrHE IDEA OF WORSHIP had its origin 
 ^ back in forgotten generations. When 
 primitive men experienced enough mental growth 
 to appreciate external phenomena, which they ob- 
 served everywhere in nature, they began to 
 search for explanations of the unknown. This 
 inquiry stimulated the fancy which, in turn, be- 
 came so real that the beliefs of fancy satisfied 
 their desire for knowledge. Science gave way to 
 superstition and the imagination created gods to 
 preside over every desire and every passion they 
 knew. They endowed their gods with all the 
 characteristics of men, and glorified them by 
 magnifying these powers. Soon these man- 
 created gods were so powerful that men learned 
 to fear them, and superstition has ever since 
 been afraid of its own shadow. Thus supersti- 
 tion was enthroned and has since been born into 
 successive generations until superstitious beliefs 
 seemed to be generated spontaneously among 
 men. To this extent it is, indeed, natural to pray. 
 The child inherits this same desire to pray be- 
 cause mental as well as physical traits are trans- 
 mitted from parents to children. Then, it is 
 natural for a child to imitate the forms practiced 
 by its parents and others. All of these influences, 
 
22 REV. CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON 
 
 multiplied through countless generations, fix the 
 idea of prayer so strongly on the mind that the 
 suggestion ultimately asserts itself with the per- 
 sistence of instinct and becomes a ruling passion. 
 <<\TOW, I AM TRYING to make you under- 
 stand that man is able to inculcate what 
 you call natural instinct into unborn generations, 
 and that the instinct to pray is in this class, and 
 does not prove its divine origin any more than 
 does the instinct to follow any other line of 
 thought peculiar to some particular family, tribe, 
 or race of people. For instance, whole races are 
 instructed in the observance of certain forms and 
 usages which become a fixed idea with the people. 
 The habit of observance becomes born into the 
 people for it seems unnatural for them to omit 
 these forms and usages. Then, after the origin 
 of these forms can no longer be traced, whole 
 races find themselves doing peculiar things in- 
 stinctively. But, it is no argument that it is right 
 and devine to do them simply because the desire 
 is natural and seems instinctive. So much for 
 the naturalness and divinity of prayer. 
 
 ''Yet, prayer does good if it is sincere and you 
 are good. If you are bad, no matter how sincere 
 you may be, your prayer cannot accomplish any- 
 thing. Faith is believing without evidence. The 
 persons who taught us to pray do not know, them- 
 selves, if it does any good. They simply have 
 faith that it will. Fear is the first cousin of super- 
 stition. Instead of teaching our children fear, 
 
REV. CHARLES H ADDON SPURGEON 23 
 
 we should teach them to know the right and the 
 wrong from their first understanding. 
 
 'To make prayer more effective, character 
 must be improved by the increase of knowledge. 
 The time is not far oft' when science will demon- 
 strate the necessity of teaching the youth sub- 
 jects which are now suppressed. I look for the 
 time when public schools will teach the children 
 w^hat parents are now afraid to teach. Most im- 
 morality results from ignorance of nature's re- 
 quirements and demands. A knowledge of na- 
 ture's inexorable laws of sequence, and of cause 
 and effect, will strengthen the character of our 
 youth. A realization that none can commit crime 
 on credit and charge it to another will improve 
 the morals of all mankind and correct the errors 
 now accepted in the dual standard of morality. 
 Religion off'ers nothing but theory — facts are the 
 foundation of knowledge. Knowledge is that 
 higher realization of being which we all must 
 seek. 
 
 <<I AM TRYING TO IMPART to you a 
 knowledge of prayer to the end that you may 
 use it effectively. When I speak of prayer, I do 
 not limit myself to the spoken prayer; you can 
 just as well pray silently. But, in either case, it 
 is a mistake to suppose that prayer is ever an- 
 swered by the interposition of Providence, or 
 that we can secure a special dispensation from a 
 capricious god by the persuasive power of prayer. 
 By the act of prayer we produce mental force 
 which is directed to secure the object of our 
 
24 REV. CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON 
 
 prayer. The power of mental force so directed 
 is almost unlimited in its potentiality for good. 
 'The power of prayer can be made beneficially 
 effective by employing it in natural channels be- 
 cause the highest force is Universal Mind. By 
 directing our thoughts to the great center of Uni- 
 versal Mind, we dispose ourselves to let that force 
 work in and through us, and secure for ourselves 
 the blessings of this Universal Mind by multi- 
 plying its manifestations through us. All actual 
 phenomena are natural, so is Life and all its real- 
 ities. To experience more blessings in our own 
 lives it is necessary to gain greater knowledge of 
 nature's demands and comply with them. 
 <<T MUST INSIST, though, that in places 
 where many people gather for a common 
 purpose, audible prayer has a great advantage 
 over silent prayer. Remember, I said that faith 
 is believing without evidence. Now, there are 
 many people who cannot do this. Again, the very 
 lack of faith is often the only barrier that stands 
 between many people and the realization of many 
 good things for which they pray. Mental force 
 must be directed with confidence to be effective, 
 hence the necessity of faith when evidence and 
 knowledge are lacking. People of little faith will 
 readily join in a public prayer when led by some 
 strong mind who concentrates and directs their 
 thoughts by spoken words. In this manner the 
 audible prayer becomes a hypnotic suggestion 
 which acts on the weaker minds thus led to be- 
 lieve without evidence. Of course, you have suf- 
 
REV. CHARLES IIADDON SPURGEON 25 
 
 ficieiit knowledge of the mental laws employed in 
 this process to understand why a multitude being; 
 led in prayer can accomplish more good by the 
 mental force being created in unison when all 
 minds are focused upon a common purpose by an 
 intelligent leader. 
 
 ''In this way, prayer opens up a new avenue to 
 people who fell by the wayside. But, I do not 
 assert that prayer is the only means by which we 
 can rescue the fallen. I know that music often 
 touches hearts that are calloused to prayer. I 
 have also observed the regenerating influence of 
 art. 
 
 "Anything that makes people better must be 
 good. You could not be perfect if you would. 
 One-half of your time would be spent in trying 
 while the other half would be dissipated resisting 
 the efforts of those urging you not to make the 
 effort. All these difliculties are past when you 
 pass out of Earth-Life. 
 
 <<IJ[ERE WE ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE in 
 ^ ■ leaps and bounds. What we learn comes 
 from Spirits far superior to ourselves. There is 
 no guess about the accuracy of what they teach 
 us. Yet, our teachers over here do not know 
 everything. For instance, if I was interested in 
 some character of history, and I ask some high 
 Spirit here to tell me about him, he may tell me 
 he never heard of the person about whom I in- 
 quire. Again, I am interested in some event in 
 history or some obscure incident related in the 
 
26 REV. CHARLES H ADDON SPURGEON 
 
 Bible and T ask these High Spirits for confirma- 
 tory information which I have sought. Even 
 though I have long taken the truth of these nara- 
 tives for granted, I am often told by these Spirits 
 that they have no information on the subjects 
 about which I inquire, and they sometimes tell 
 me they will try to find out what I want to know. 
 Our teachers do not speculate on the accuracy of 
 the information they give us. They are positive 
 about the things they do know and are non-com- 
 mittal about the uncertain and the unknown. 
 They are also candid to tell us that they do not 
 know, when we ask them concerning subjects 
 about which their information is incomplete. 
 Nothing seems complete, even here, and I find 
 that knowledge is limited with all. Nor are all 
 of the High Spirits engaged in the occupation 
 of teaching. The work of progression in the 
 Spirit World is a great work, and the Spirits are 
 engaged in many different lines of effort. 
 
 "In conclusion, I leave you a word of advice 
 concerning your mental growth and spiritual 
 progress: Never stop growing, either mentally 
 or spiritually; never be satisfied with the things 
 that are old ; always reach out for the things that 
 are new — that which lies above and beyond con- 
 stitutes progress. The time can never come when 
 there is nothing more ahead ! My advice to you, 
 who are still in the flesh, is to keep your minds 
 focused on progress. Your minds must be pro- 
 gressive or there will be no progress on this 
 side." 
 
POST-MORTEM REVERIES 
 OF JACK CARPENTER 
 
 Given through the trance mediumship of Mr. 
 D. L. Gray 
 
 Recorded by Robert C. KroU 
 
 Note :^ack Carpenter, the trumpet control of the 
 Scientific Seance Circle, gave us occasional verses of 
 what seemed to be a connected poem. When asked to 
 give us a complete recitation at one time, he said he 
 could not hold the forces long enough for such an effort 
 by means of trumpet speaking. Acting on the sugges- 
 tion of the Spirit control, we appointed December 15, 
 1 91 6, for a special sitting with another medium, Mr. D. 
 L. Gray. This young man was highly susceptible to 
 trance control but knew nothing of the purpose for which 
 we had invited him to our home. 
 
 On the evening stated, Mr. Gray came to the house 
 alone and joined Mrs. KroU and myself in a conversa- 
 tion as we sat around a table in a well-lighted room. In 
 a little while, Mr. Gray went under control and recited 
 the following poem, which I recorded verbatim. 
 
 —Robert C. Kroll. 
 
 "So that's the way of trying to be straight and on 
 the level, 
 
 You will lose your reputation if you try ; 
 If you say a word of kindness for some poor devil, 
 
 Then some boob will say, 'You lie !' 
 
28 POST-MORTEM REVERIES 
 
 ''And if yon try to sqnare yonrself with this boob 
 And tell him that yon didn't mean just what he 
 thought, 
 He'll turn his nose up and won't listen, 
 
 But he'll tell the folks around that you've been 
 bought. 
 
 "So it's best to play the wise owl 
 
 And listen to their rot ; 
 And, if they ask you what you heard. 
 
 Just tell them you forgot. 
 
 "li they insist on telling 
 
 Their troubles all to you, 
 Just roll your eyes, like an old owl, 
 
 And when they're done, say 'Hool' 
 
 ''Don't believe anything you hear. 
 
 And only half of what you see ; 
 And, if they ask you questions, say, 
 
 'You can't prove that by me.' 
 
 "But eventually, and all in time. 
 
 These questions will be asked ; 
 That's why I'm telling you in rhyme 
 
 My experience of the past. 
 
 "Now, when the ladies get inquisitive, 
 Want to know if they love their beau, 
 
 The answer that I give them is — 
 Now, wouldn't vou like to know? 
 
POST-MORTEM REVERIES 29 
 
 "There are some things you ought to know, 
 
 So ril tell you in advance 
 Fm a Freethinker, like all of you, 
 
 A Spiritual P>ee Lance. 
 
 "Now, I've traveled east and I've traveled west, 
 
 A thousand miles or more, 
 But, I've never seen the caves of hell 
 
 Nor heaven's pearly door. 
 
 "Now, I've traveled north and I've traveled 
 south. 
 And also through the air. 
 But, I never saw an angel's wings 
 Or heaven's golden stair. 
 
 "Now, when I say these things. 
 
 Some folks are going to worry ; 
 They'll burn some candles for their friends 
 
 To light their way through purgatory. 
 
 "Well, they burn candles in the church 
 
 To ward the devil away ; 
 And, if that's the case, it's a mighty good place 
 
 For the candles all to stay. 
 
 "Yes, I looked for old Saint Peter 
 
 With his bunch of golden keys. 
 But I got stung as bad as anyone 
 
 That ever fooled with bees. 
 
30 POST-MORTEM REVERIES 
 
 ''Some say the future should not be told : 
 
 If that is so, why do they tell 
 About future mansions of gold 
 
 And that fiery complexioned hell? 
 
 ''While there are some things that I've done 
 wrong, 
 
 I never paid the devil fees; 
 Still, to hear good Billy Sunday talk, 
 
 He could show you all of these — 
 And, when he's through, he'll turn over to you 
 
 Saint Peter's golden keys. 
 
 "But Sunday, like the rest of them 
 
 Is out collecting fees; 
 When you figure it out, they're grafters, 
 
 The whole darn cheese! 
 
 "You take it all in all, 
 
 I've seriously been thinkin' 
 Why they let a guy live like Gypsy Smith, 
 
 And kill a man like Lincoln. 
 
 "I've seen Barnum, the old show man, 
 
 Who used to fool the people, 
 But he didn't fool 'em half as bad 
 
 As the preachers fool them in the chapel. 
 
 "When old Barnum fooled somebody. 
 He knew that he was doing wrong ; 
 
 But the preachers, who fool the multitudes, 
 Are fooling themselves right along. 
 
POST-MORTEM REVERIES 31 
 
 "Yet, they're supposed to know these things; 
 
 And, you can hear the clergy sing: 
 'O grave! where is thy victory? 
 
 O death ! where is thy sting ?' 
 
 "I'll tell you this of things beyond. 
 
 Speaking of graves and death and stings, 
 
 The grave has no more victory 
 
 Than angels fly with feathered wings. 
 
 "As to the sting of death, I'm glad that I've been 
 stung ; 
 
 If I now lived upon the earth. 
 And said just what I thought, 
 
 Perhaps I would be hung. 
 
 "Some people say that mediums, like dogs, 
 
 Are not fit for a public floor ; 
 If they are any better themselves — 
 
 Well, what are they growling for? 
 
 "x\nd when they say man has a soul. 
 
 They know not what they say ; 
 Man has no soul, but is a soul 
 
 That dwells in a house of clay. 
 
 "How well do I remember when my body was 
 laid away, 
 And I couldn't help from laughing when I 
 heard the Reverend say ; 
 
?i2 POST-MORTEM REVERIES 
 
 'He has gone to meet his Maker' — then I saw 
 my kinfolks sway — 
 And upon me came the dawning of a brighter 
 future day. 
 
 ''Then I turned to seek adventure, 
 
 But my feet were frozen fast, 
 And before me came a vision — 
 
 Not of heaven, but my past ! 
 
 "And, as 1 stood in waiting, 
 
 The scenes were changed for me; 
 
 And there serene — on that majestic screen — 
 Was the World as it ought to be. 
 
 "And I've ever since been trying 
 
 To exact its Hkeness here ; 
 And, by so doing, rid the World 
 
 Of all its worry, doubt, and fear." 
 
ItK.'^'^y of congress 
 
 022 175 824 9