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THE 
 
 BOUQUET 
 
 SPIRITUAL FLOWERS: 
 
 Iztzibtb cjfhflg t^rottg^ tin pebittmsljip of 
 
 MRS. J. S. ADAMS. 
 
 BY 
 
 A. B. CHILD, M.D. 
 
 
 Cold, cold must be the heart that does not soften at the repeated coming and sound of 
 angel foot-steps. — Flora. 
 
 BOSTON : 
 BELA MARSH, PUBLISHER, 
 
 15 Franklin Street. 
 
 1856. 
 
#' 
 
 *■ 
 
 VS 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, 
 
 By BELA MARSH. 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 
 
 Geo. C. Rand & Avery, Printers, 3 Coxnhill, Boston. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 "The Lily Wreath" was published a year 
 since as a gift book, and was received with so 
 much favor by the lovers of Spiritual truths, 
 that in compliance with the wishes of many in- 
 dividuals a continuation is now issued under the 
 name of " The Bouquet." 
 
 The flowers that form this Bouquet have been 
 gathered in celestial gardens. They are fragrant 
 with angel love, and arranged in the glowing 
 tints of angel pencilings. Delicately must we 
 touch them, and susceptible to the purest spirit- 
 uality must they be who would fully enjoy and 
 justly appreciate their many beauties. 
 
 In each message let each one consider him- 
 self as personally addressed, for to all those who 
 while on earth would catch the tones of angel 
 voices, and the soft notes of golden harps 
 moved to melody by angel hands, this Bouquet 
 is presented as a token of that love which is 
 drawing us all home to peace and joy eternal. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The summer flowers are passing by, 
 
 The lilies in their whiteness ; 
 But autumn buds will charm the eye 
 
 By their unrivalled brightness. 
 
 The buds and blossoms all are here, 
 I've gathered all the sweetest: ^ 
 
 And those the brightest colors wear, 
 I fear will be the fleetest. 
 
 T ve brought sweet buds from spirit bowers, 
 And mixed with leaves of bay; 
 
 With ribbons bright now bind my flowers, 
 And call them " Love's Bouquet." 
 
 Flora. 
 
Strike the lyre ; let angel fingers 
 Tune the harp for heavenly choirs ; 
 
 Lovingly the soft touch lingers 
 O'er the spirit-breathing wires. 
 
 Mightier, stronger swells the chorus ; 
 
 Finer, purer swells the strain, 
 Like some zephyr stealing o'er us, 
 
 Bringing hearts to God again. 
 
 Bow thy soul in adoration ; 
 
 Mortal, bow before the throne ; 
 
 Swell this song to every nation, 
 
 'T is not for thyself alone. 
 l* 
 
THE 
 
 BOUQUET. 
 
 SECTION I.* 
 
 0, open ye the gates of beauty, 
 
 Let the rays of truth shine in ; 
 Wide unfold the path of duty, 
 
 Love shall reign in place of sin. 
 
 Come and dwell in heaven's own mansion, 
 Dwell with spirits round the throne ; 
 
 Light shall burst upon thy sorrow, 
 
 Doubting wanderers, come ! 0, come ! 
 
 Thus far have we wandered together ; thus 
 far have we gathered life's roses and twined 
 
 * Note. — All the sections not otherwise designated were received from 
 Flora through the mediumship of Mrs. Adams. 
 
8 
 
 them in blooming wreaths to soften the aching 
 brows of many. Thus far have we sailed to- 
 gether adown the stream of life, and the little 
 ripples that bore our bark along were music 
 to our ears. Not always have we sailed with 
 the tide and the breeze. There have been mo- 
 ments when the mist of error has come across 
 our path, and our bark was stationed for awhile; 
 but hope dropped her golden anchor, and we 
 waited the sunshine of light and truth again to 
 shine through the mist, and then we went sailing 
 onward. Thus far have we progressed; and 
 now to a, point of beauty I have ushered 
 thee, whence we can go on together to higher 
 truths, where we can listen to deeper melody 
 that comes from the harmonious music of God's 
 kingdom. 
 
 We are all music notes in the great harmony 
 of life, and each one goes to fill the melody of 
 time. Some rest upon the music staff in the 
 higher grade, others are below, while many fill 
 the intermediate spaces. 
 
 But he that reads the whole and glances o'er 
 
9 
 
 the page, loves the low tone as well as the 
 higher. It was not God's melody or his design to 
 follow one tone throughout successive measures, 
 but that each and all may bear a part. 
 
 Yes, we will pass home together. O, how we 
 will catch the living beauties that shine forth 
 from our God, and fasten them around the brow 
 like beauteous coronets that we have gathered 
 from his beams. And they beneath shall look 
 on us, and learn through us of God. For every 
 form of life that dwells must have a brighter 
 light, and every gradation of mind has its at- 
 tending God. We mean according as we shine 
 for him and beam from him, we are for that 
 time the God for the lesser. 
 
 We have the glowing, blazing sun for day, the 
 paler moon for night ; and so does intellect range 
 from low to high, and high to low ; they have a 
 corresponding light to shine for them. Bright 
 sun for the day, stars for the eventide, and the 
 gentle moon for the midnight. 
 
 Shine forth, dear one, on forms thou wouldst 
 gather to his eternal kingdom in all these grada- 
 
10 
 
 tions of blazonry. If thou art whispering to 
 one whose boundary of mind is narrow and 
 whose soul is small, show unto him a few 
 faint stars, and let his eye accustomed look from 
 little stars to moons, and then to suns of light ; 
 blind him not with too bright rays. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 What wouldst thou gather from me now ? 
 
 Is it gems to stud the brow ? 
 
 Is it love to fill thy soul, 
 
 To bring thee to our heavenly goal ? 
 
 Is it wisdom's light to shine, 
 Ever on this path of thine ? 
 Is it heavenly treasures rare, 
 Floating on celestial air ? 
 
 Is it angel-powers to bless, 
 
 To soothe all grief, all sin's distress ? 
 
 Is it truth to fill thy mind, 
 
 To shine in love for all mankind ? 
 
11 
 
 If these the treasures you would seek, 
 I from my volume now will sp«ak ; 
 Will read thee all my words of truth, 
 And you shall feel their holy worth. 
 
 Yes, 't is for these you love to live, 
 And all these beauties you shall have 
 To scatter forth on barren ground, 
 And sing the song of life around. 
 
 Swell, swell the anthem high and clear, 
 Earth soon in love shall reappear ; 
 Shall come before the eternal choir, 
 Shall pass to joys, far sweeter, higher 
 
 Than e'er the heart of man conceived ; 
 From sorrowing care shall be relieved, 
 In this our land of holy bliss, 
 In these our bowers of loveliness. 
 
 All shall be gathered here at last, 
 Their night of sorrow then be past ; 
 All have in heaven a mate of love, 
 All shall find here an echoing dove ; 
 
 Room for the sorrowing and the sad ; 
 Bright garlands waiting for the glad ; 
 
12 
 
 A place to lay the aching head ; 
 A softened pillow and a bed. 
 
 A couch by angel ones attended, 
 For those in life who 're unbefriended ; 
 Bright garments pure for them to wear, 
 A crown of hope, the soul to cheer. 
 
 A hand of love to lead them on 
 
 Where friends have past, and loved ones gone ; 
 
 Where words of sorrow and of strife 
 
 Ne'er fall upon the ear, 
 
 But in glad tones they hear 
 
 Bright seraphs singing " Come, 
 You 've found at last your home, 
 And here your souls shall rest, 
 To be forever ever blessed. 
 Shall pass to lands above, 
 Shall echo ' God is love.' " 
 
 Who is mighty in wisdom and power? He 
 that hath gathered in humility's garden the half 
 hidden buds that grow unprotected. 
 
13 
 
 Who shall. reap immortal joy? 
 He that sows without alloy. 
 Who shall garner treasures there ? 
 He that plants the flower so fair. 
 
 Flowers of life that angels bring, 
 Dropping from the golden wing, 
 The wing of time that fans the brow, 
 These are beauties, listen now. 
 
 Presence of Spirit Friends. 
 
 Oh, welcome angels to earth. Open the 
 gates and . unloose the portals of thy soul's en- 
 trance ; bid them enter, turn them not away. 
 They plead long to be thy guests. 'T is hard for 
 you to find their places vacant here on earth. 
 'Tis sad for them to see within the souls they've 
 left behind, the vacant spot in the memory 
 where once they lingered. 
 
 On the soul's sacred tablet is written " remem- 
 brance" On though we pass, on, on, on, still 
 on, memory's chain that binds us to the loved 
 ones of earth breaks not in our grasp. We 
 love them still; kind friends of earth. Oft- 
 
14 
 
 times with grief we're filled, when gathering 
 round the loving forms, to know they feel us 
 not. 
 
 We cannot take their well known hand, 
 We cannot join their little band, 
 But floating in a cloud above, 
 We drop for them a tear of love ; 
 
 And fain would speak of all our bliss 
 To them in words of tenderness ; 
 But 0, that voice of silver tone, 
 They hear it not within their home. 
 
 We gather round the couch in dreams, 
 We see the spirit how it beams 
 With love for those who, gone before, 
 They sorrowing say : ' * are here no more." 
 
 Oh, darkened faith of earth give place 
 To brighter light and heavenly grace, 
 That bids us come, and whispers bliss 
 To all that dwell in loneliness. 
 
 Then take the hand of loved ones here, 
 Bright faith the longing soul shall cheer ; 
 We'll walk forever by your side, 
 And in your homes will long abide. 
 
15 
 
 And heaven and earth shall meet at last, 
 When all the sorrowing sin has past. 
 0, joyous hour for heaven and earth, 
 To sing the anthem of this birth. 
 
 SECTION III 
 
 Pilgrims for time and voyagers for eternity, 
 let the glorious tidings thrill the soul. We 
 emanate from a God of life, from a God of love; 
 and how can we fill up life with duty and 
 with love X 
 
 Plant now your monument of beauty, it shall 
 stand towering over your grave when you lay 
 your body down. 'T is made up of holy deeds 
 and kindly acts. In design it far outstretches 
 Art's most noble work. Tis hewn from Nature's 
 quarry ; it shall stand long after the works of 
 man go mouldering back with his body to the 
 dust. 
 
 Tell the children of earth to build their mon- 
 
16 
 
 uments from a grand design. Let them be 
 built in graceful eloquence to the eye of the 
 passer by. Tell them to tower them high, high 
 above earth, so that angel footsteps may reach 
 them ; and where they are built of love's mate- 
 rial they will approve the deed. Now let us 
 speak of the 
 
 Angel of Love, 
 
 Her mighty mission, and her heavenly work ; 
 Hope, charity, duty, affection, truth, harmony, 
 peace, life* and happiness ; these are the faculties 
 that make up the soul. 
 
 In charity, she sees a brother in deformity but 
 to pity him. In truth, she deals with all man- 
 kind. In hope, she points the tearful eye to fu- 
 ture thoughts of joy. In happiness, she gath- 
 ers flowers to deck another's brow. In peace, 
 she chants her heavenly lay, that soothes the 
 spirit from all strife. In life, she fills the eter- 
 nal day with every duty well discharged, and 
 
17 
 
 lets no form of sorrow pass ; turns not away 
 from aching hearts, 
 
 Lists to the tale of sad distress, 
 
 And strives the sorrowing heart to bless. 
 
 Oh, the mighty mission of Love ! 
 
 Ask her on earth to still abide, 
 And dwell forever by your side. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Various Garments of Faith. 
 
 We are all coming home, though clothed in 
 
 various garments. We are all God's children ; 
 
 some wear the garments of one faith, some 
 
 another ; one the deep folds, another the light 
 
 flowing mantle of love, and yet they are all 
 
 God's fabric. The children of earth all make 
 2* 
 
18 
 
 their garments of faith, of what seemeth to 
 them the most enduring; and they make up 
 unsightly robes with no variation of beauty, 
 but all selected from one dark web of sorrow, 
 woven in anguish. While he that wears a 
 lighter garb, the gauzy mantle made by the hand 
 of love, hath selected the brighter sunbeam, the 
 more becoming mantle of God's enduring 
 truth. Let not the one in darkened robes 
 deny that all are coming home. For he that 
 wears those heavy trailing garments of right- 
 eousness, made by the hand of justice, and fash- 
 ioned after the form of God's eternal law, the 
 garments that go sweeping and trailing in the 
 dust of earth, and raise not a heavenly but an 
 earthly cloud, should not frown on him that 
 wears the full flowing mantle of faith. 
 
 And faith should turn with pitying eyes 
 And tell him how his garment lies, 
 And sweeps along the dust and soil ; 
 Tell how his labor and his toil 
 Might thus be spared. 
 
19 
 
 And he, instead of garments trailing, 
 Might stay the anguish and the wailing, 
 The sighs of those in slavery bound, 
 That come from out the throng around ; 
 
 All forms of slavery and of sin, 
 That keep God's light from rushing in — 
 That 't is his faith and not his robe, 
 That stands an emblem of his God. 
 
 His robe and garments here shall be 
 A mantle made of charity, 
 Folding with grace around the form ; 
 In purest love it should be worn, 
 
 And large enough to gather m, 
 And mantle o'er those forms of sin, 
 Those darkened ones that round him stand, 
 That have no garments and no hand 
 To point them to our heavenly land. 
 
 Its ample folds shall cover all, 
 He holds it forth at every call, 
 And bids them 'neath its folds to rest ; 
 That man shall be forever blessed 
 
20 
 
 Who clothes the naked and the sad, 
 With robes of life to make them glad, 
 To pass them on where they shall roam, 
 And find their own eternal home. 
 
 We are all going home together. 
 
 Brother clasp thy neighbor's hand, 
 Tell him of the happy land, 
 Tell him all the light and love 
 That echos from your spirit dove. 
 
 Come with a joyous heart, come with smiles 
 beaming, come lovingly together. Bring home 
 with thee aught that thy Father loves. Let thy 
 pathway go grading up a gradual ascent. Let 
 each day add new buds to the thickly woven 
 garland of life. I would bear to thee a part of 
 the joy my spirit feels, but language fails. My 
 spirit can only pour out one lengthened, length- 
 ened sigh of sympathy for earth's children. On 
 pinions of celestial beauty I would that you 
 could go soaring, that we could drink insatiate 
 from the fountain of life, and feel the thrilling 
 
21 
 
 joy that courses through the frame. When we 
 come to the courts Celestial, we will pluck from 
 the perennial gardens the amaranthine blossoms, 
 emblems of life, to deck earth's children. 
 When angels gaze on earth and see the clouds of 
 sorrow and anguish oft-times hovering over you ; 
 be it known, O, let it be known that angels 
 weep. O mortal, wherever found, hasten to the 
 dawn of life. O, usher in the noon of eternal 
 joy, that angels may take their harps of love 
 and sing heavenly melody. O, make the spirit 
 on earth most dear, a sacred home wherein 
 angels will love to dwell. Invite us there; 
 woo us with gentle words, call us with smiles, 
 and at the still more inner and sacred tabernacle, 
 the soul, let an angel guardian be ever in at- 
 tendance. Let no rude stranger pass over the 
 threshold of the soul ; keep it sacred and pure 
 by inviting love and beauty to dwell therein. 
 O, I would that these words could have more 
 power ; I would that their feeble import could 
 carry but half the joy, that is yet in store 
 " Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, nor 
 
22 
 
 heart conceived the things of love God hath 
 prepared," that from his bounty he hath bestowed 
 
 on us. But the eye shall gaze, and the ear 
 
 shall listen, and the heart shall conceive and 
 gather in, one by one, these treasures. And 
 music, O, how the rapture shall thrill; and 
 scenes, to the astonished gaze, O, how they'll 
 fill the soul ! 
 
 SECTION. V. 
 
 O, glorious retrospection ! let us turn back ; 
 let us gaze on the past ; let us see if we have 
 gathered life's blossoms to wreathe our future. 
 Has our journey together been joyous? Are 
 there no dark lingerings of memory that hang 
 around the past? Has it been joy and life to 
 thee % Then come and let us go home together. 
 No longer stay the soul to dwell and ask if all 
 be true that dwells beyond ; but let us heaven- 
 
23 
 
 ward bound; let us leap for the living waters 
 that flow from our Father's eternal fountain. 
 Gaze back on the time when we began our 
 course of beauty. Is not thy soul more 
 melodious] Does it not thrill with sweeter 
 harmony ? Does not thy ear catch seraph 
 voices whispering to thee ? Has not thy soul 
 had a wider expanse, and a far richer landscape 
 of eternal beauty] And glorious is the retros- 
 pection ; eternal sunshine has beamed upon thy 
 spirit and warmed thy life into powers anew. 
 It has put a new song into thy mouth. 
 It has taught thee how much nearer is thy 
 relationship to God, and how near allied to 
 angels. It has taught thee to sail on the placid 
 waters of life, and to gather from the banks of 
 time perennial blossoms to adorn thy spirit. 
 As we live now so is our future made. Our 
 thoughts are being built and adorned by that 
 great architect on high, who builds and forms 
 our temples. According as the past is lovely 
 and pleasant, will the future open to the 
 golden entrance that leads to the paradise eter- 
 
24 
 
 nal where we shall walk in love and beauty, 
 and grow in each other's strength, and bloom for 
 each other's joy; yet not for ours alone; we 
 will shed the holy influence around, that the soft- 
 ening breath of love may fall on other hearts, 
 and they, through ours, be brought to hope 
 and joys immortal. 
 
 O, joyous life ! O, happy theme ! Let us 
 peal the anthem of the soul louder, still louder, 
 till all have caught the glorious strain and join 
 in the chorus. O, give joy, give thanks that 
 life, eternal life, is ours. Life that no begin- 
 ning knows, and life that has 'no end. Where 
 shall we grasp infinitude ! The mind will tire 
 and grow faint when drinking in the mighty 
 thought, — the thought of immortality! This is 
 not thy first phase of life. Life ever was and is. 
 Life never had beginning. All matter goes 
 through the various forms, from the inanimate 
 to the animate, and all that lives, and all that 
 fills this world, and the universe are God's im- 
 mortal works. 
 
25 
 
 As we advance towards the perfections of 
 God we develope to a likeness more like his 
 own, and throw off the habiliments of apparent 
 evil. 
 
 The nearer we approach to God. the purer 
 grows the soul, and we throw back the particles 
 of life once more ; they fall on less devel- 
 oped beings, and form for them a garment new, 
 a beauteous change from that they once wore. 
 Keep your garments changing as you progress 
 to light and love, for naked ones stand waiting 
 to be clothed. These garments are God's holy 
 truths and are made for his children. Stand 
 ready to deck thyself in brighter apparel, for 
 higher forms whisper to thee when thou art 
 called to give up thy present robe. All forms 
 are like unto harps, and the faculties of the soul 
 are strings for angel hands to play upon, and they 
 send forth their melody according to their devel- 
 opment in harmony. The chords are the affec- 
 tions. And this harp is the one I must play up- 
 on, to bring forth the best, the sweetest melody. 
 We love to bring forth the melody, yet we love 
 
26 
 
 ever to bring forth concord. We love to strike 
 each string and let the soul vibrate with heavenly 
 music. I have played melody on thy chords ; 
 many melodies on thy harp, and pleasant has 
 been the work. Now, I will strike the concord 
 sweet, and thy own life will come in, keeping 
 time to the notes. I would now play upon each 
 faculty, and let thy deeper nature mingle with 
 the softer, silvery tones of love. I would bring 
 out all thy powers of mind, for each is harmoni- 
 ous, and each chord is attuned by the great 
 music master. Thy harp has never yet sent 
 forth its deepest tones. Each soul has beauty, 
 each soul has harmony. We were not emana- 
 tions of the great Creator, had we no sparks, no 
 light of love within. Some harps are yet un- 
 strung; have ne'er been touched by loving 
 hands. How could they send forth music % 
 We come and call for life and beauty, and find 
 it dwelling everywhere, only differing in de- 
 gree ; we are all of one kind, all human forms : 
 some look on the stars in love, others gaze 
 with awe ; some see a father's love in all things, 
 
2< 
 
 and his hand bearing them ; while others look 
 with vacant stare and ask, " where is my God % " 
 According as you acknowledge God, so is he 
 near unto you ; if clouds come o'er thee, then in 
 faith can you say, my God is near. We'll wor- 
 ship in nature's temple ; we'll offer up from our 
 hearts a bright adoration of gratitude. 
 
 Prayer. 
 
 O, thou who art all life and beauty ! fill our 
 souls with the highest conception of thy beati- 
 tude, and let us know thy power and love. 
 Fill our deeper natures with thy holy life ; let us 
 come to thee in the paths of wisdom, let us bear 
 no vain oblations, but at thy Holy altar let us 
 bring and lay these bursting hearts of gratitude. 
 
 Ten thousand voices from eternity could not 
 whisper to thee the joy we feel when kneeling 
 at thy throne, the altar of nature. When we 
 see the flowers bearing thee their incense, 
 then we would bear thee beauty, we thy chil- 
 dren, for all nature bows to thee, O God. 
 
28 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Is thy soul still trusting ] Has it lost none 
 of its bright pinions of faith % Dost thou learn 
 to blend the light and shade of life % Dost thou 
 see the many paths through which thy soul 
 must traverse to bring it home in symmetry ? Is 
 thy spirit not yet weary of gathering heavenly 
 beauty 'mid the toils of life ? We must gaze 
 upon many grades of progression in the universe, 
 ere we can picture the whole. With how many 
 tints must we vary the soul, to fit it to gaze on 
 heaven's bright harmony ; how many paths must 
 we walk in to collect the scattered beauties that 
 belong to this harmony. The spirit needs diver- 
 sity, and for that want God has provided the 
 varied flowers, the countless forms of beauty 
 that lie around us. O, gaze on every phase of 
 life, and gather in the rays of truth that shine 
 from each, knowing our Father's love pervadeth 
 
29 
 
 all life. We can not turn the eye but we read 
 of him ; we can not take a particle from any 
 phase of nature, but 'tis bursting with his 
 fragrance. Q, how he fills creation and his 
 works ! The soul must praise and acknowledge 
 him in sunshine and in shade. He maketh the 
 evening shadows and the morning light. 
 
 Yes, thou canst work on for the love of truth; 
 we will not labor for some bright terminus to 
 our pathway, but we ever labor for God. Let 
 that be the aspiring thought, and heavenly beau- 
 ties will surely come ; they will embrace us, for 
 nought can flow from him but that of sweetest 
 accord, and he will meet us in our labor with a 
 glorious, bright reward that far outweighs the 
 favors we have given. 
 
 0, let our thought and labor be, 
 To God and for humanity. 
 
 Our bright reward shall transcend more than 
 the thought or heart of man has ere conceived. 
 If these eternal joys await us, then pledge thee 
 to work, work for eternity in his labor divine. 
 
 3* 
 
30 
 
 Know that a truth wherever found is God's 
 truth ; though it may dwell within some rude 
 case, yet from him it flows, to him it belongs, 
 and his love and beauty must fill all its parti- 
 cles : there is no form that can claim the whole. 
 Each little atom of life holds a spark of divin- 
 ity, for God's beauty permeates and illuminates 
 all things. Each form wears the smile of God. 
 The sunbeam's rays reflect his glorious image ; 
 The fragrance of the rose that sends its sweet- 
 ness forth, catches the light of its Maker's smile 
 and wafts it back again to him. So we, who 
 fill creation here in varied phase, must bear back 
 to him the incense of his love ; and they that 
 stand nearer his form will have more of this 
 work and labor. The gathered incense of life 
 breathed from many hearts and placed in their 
 hands for deliverance, they must bear unto him. 
 
 O, how thrilling the joy that we labor for 
 him, that we work for heaven's bright courts ; 
 and how joyous the truth, that he lets his guard- 
 ian angels come to take the hand of erring ones 
 and bear them home sooner ; for we find our 
 
31 
 
 home in truth, that is the soul's best mansion, 
 and he that knows it not is a wanderer on the 
 ocean of life, and knows not those softening 
 words that truth whispers of " ho?ne, sweet home." 
 Truth, bright, glowing truth, is the heart's cita- 
 adel ; 'tis the heaven of love that we yearn for ; 
 't is the mansion prepared for us ; 'tis the stream 
 of love on which we sail ; 't is the recompense 
 of labor and investigation, for who knows truth 
 but he that toils % The man of deep research 
 finds his great reward in truth. Clothe thyself 
 in a garment of truth, and let it be spotless. 
 Array thyself in beauty, and God will meet thee 
 in warm embrace. 
 
 Learn to have deep faith in the shadows of 
 life. I watch thy progress then as when thy eye 
 of faith reads clear. The unruffled breeze will 
 not be the one that bears the spirit to the high- 
 est progression ; 't is in the shadowy vales of 
 earth, and on the rocky hill, and by the little 
 rippling stream, and on the bosom of the ocean 
 wild, we learn the good and ill that fits us best 
 to live, that gives the vision clear along the 
 
32 
 
 path of life. It is the winding way that gives 
 the eye its better gaze ; for when in the distance 
 dim the soul walks, it wearies, and will turn 
 aside to find the flowers that grow within the 
 dales, to gather the beauteous blossoms, that 
 bloom not in life's highway. 
 
 Dost thou feel my presence with thee ? The 
 principle of love that echoes back from thee to 
 me can never be lost. If thy soul wishes for 
 some truth to nourish it, that food is grow- 
 ing in God's universe. It must be there ; for 
 God hath that with which to meet each pure 
 desire. Thy spirit longed for the food I bring 
 thee, and by our Father's great supervisions and 
 love, it was granted thee ; the form of a gentle 
 guardian was sent to thee, and between that 
 hour and this were kindred joys to weave 
 around affinities. That which nourished thy 
 soul in like manner nourished mine ; and the 
 joy you received imparted a living bliss to me. 
 
 The labor I loved; thy heart admired; and so 
 thy being was requisite to mine, as mine to thine. 
 I wanted a heart of response, a soul that thrilled 
 
33 
 
 to mine own, and that want was filled, and 
 ever in this guardianship and labor there has 
 been the heart of love which is the only true 
 accompaniment to the hand of duty. 
 
 Between us at times a distance may seem to 
 exist ; but know that nothing in spirit-life can 
 divide tw T o principles, or separate two particles 
 that adhere, two souls that mingle. The same 
 law governs our being that uniteth particles of 
 matter, though acting on a higher development 
 of life. And yet I know thy spirit is so far 
 advanced that were it best for thee it could 
 labor alone for the love of good. Assurance 
 double, have I given thee that I leave thee not. 
 Let us ever meet in the bright pathway of duty 
 it is ours to walk in. We are nearing each 
 other, and lessening the space between us when 
 w r e give the hand of love and gather the faded 
 flowers that lie before us, and transplant 
 them to heaven's more congenial clime. In 
 this pathway w r e shall meet the warm embrace ; 
 then, to a higher plane of life and duty we will 
 arise and walk on even more unitedly together. 
 
34 
 
 I asked my guardian if she was always with me ? She answered : 
 
 Whenever thy thoughts flow out towards me 
 I am drawn near, very near to thy inner being. 
 It gives me pleasure to see you attend well to 
 all the duties of life. Remember the little 
 truth, that spirit-communion should not conflict 
 with earthly duties. Angels never call mortals 
 from duty, but rather urge them to its perform- 
 ance. 
 
 Many, many who commune with spirits are 
 indiscreet ; so are their spirit guides. 
 
 Flora ceased speaking, and I expressed to her my debt of grati- 
 tude for the many beautiful communications she had given me, 
 and also the great pleasure I felt in having the " Lily Wreath " 
 well received by the public. And she continued, alluding to that 
 volume : 
 
 'T is only one flower from out the Paradise 
 of God : 'tis only one angel tear shed for hu- 
 manity ; 't is only one of the myriad gems that 
 stud the brows of spirits here. 
 
35 
 
 It is all joy to me to know, 
 
 That good is growing 
 
 And truth is flowing 
 
 On forever. 
 
 Tell all, who read this little volume, that so 
 far as it bears the impress of truth, shall I gath- 
 er joy from the effort ; and if they read its pages 
 and admire, that I shall feel the incense from 
 their hearts, and it will waft a note of melody 
 to my ears. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 The pure and the beautiful flower ! 
 
 Pointing to a white Japonica in the centre of a bouquet before 
 the medium : 
 
 Let thy own spirit be like it, an emblem of 
 purity. With all the shades that surround thee, 
 let thy own soul shine forth, a centre of beauty 
 
36 
 
 around which the different shades of nature 
 shall gather, as the lesser flowers gather around 
 this, and the deep evergreen surrounds them. 
 Every circle in life has its central beauty that 
 attracts the outer. There is in every phase of 
 matter and within every circle one centre. Be- 
 hold creation, and see how all particles of matter 
 revolve around a centre of beauty, as the earth 
 and other planets around the glorious sun. 
 
 This may be called a flower of fancy, an ideal 
 thing, yet this arrangement of beauteous flow- 
 ers «is the symbol of a great truth ; and all 
 things which we conceive in the ideal are truths 
 that exist, though fancy shapes them and bears 
 them to us on the wings of the imagination. 
 Thoughts are eternal, existing with God. They 
 make up the sum of creation as surely as does 
 the more material matter. When your spirit 
 takes a thought from out the great space of in- 
 tellect, it adds to the soul's dimensions as truly 
 as particles of earth's materials add to the bulk 
 of a body, or some known nutrition adds to the 
 size and growth of the human form. Feed well 
 
37 
 
 on the thoughts that nourish the soul. Take 
 those that give the spirit an upward and full 
 growth, Oh, scorn the thoughts that make thy soul 
 grow poor. 
 
 Go mark the hour when first we met ; thy 
 harp was not then tuned ; it waited a skillful 
 hand to draw forth its harmony. Have I per- 
 formed faithfully \ Have I played upon thy 
 harp-strings in beauty ] The blessed assurance 
 to me is ever sweet to hear thee echo, " well 
 done." Within thy spirit I will leave no harp- 
 string untouched ; I w r ill tune them all to heav- 
 en's harmony ; I will tune your harp to sweeter 
 music yet : I will strike some sweeter chords ; I 
 will play yet finer, finer melodies, till thy spirit 
 has bathed in one eternal harmony. Life's music 
 shall thrill thee ; it shall flow unbroken in sweet 
 and heavenly strains. 
 
 And is not thy faith riveted with a stronger 
 chain \ Is it not linked on to eternity ? Oh, let 
 many live around thee to love and cherish the 
 good man's name when thy spirit comes home. 
 Leave with them thy mantle of joy, leave with 
 
38 
 
 them many earth blossoms that thy hand hath 
 planted, blossoms that grew from seeds of heav- 
 enly flowers gathered by thee in hours of com- 
 munion. Leave no blank in thy existence ; fill 
 all the circle with beauties around the central 
 flower. 
 
 Every spirit, every mortal draws around it a 
 circle of other forms corresponding with the 
 tiny blossoms that surround the central flower of 
 beauty in the bouquet before me. If the central 
 soul is pure, purity will be attracted. 
 
 We are like flowers in God's gr,eat garden ; he 
 that goes' forth to gather culls the larger flowers 
 first, and then twines the smaller buds around 
 them to form a beauteous contrast. So strive 
 to have thy soul surrounded with buds of prom- 
 ise, forms that are unfolded, and be thyself the 
 opening flower, shedding fragrance on all around. 
 Watch the little buds of beauty bursting forth 
 to light and love ; w T atch them with the eye of 
 duty. The dews of life will come down and rest 
 upon the blossoms, and fragrance shall infuse it- 
 self, penetrating the outer unfoldin.gSo 
 
39 
 
 Now that I have found my way to earth in 
 glowing language, I would give more leaves of 
 knowledge, and facts, and things that are, and 
 deposit them in the many kind hearts that have 
 read my breathing of love. It claims not to be 
 a perfect work. There is much that seeks kind 
 charity's eye ; for we are all imperfect. To be per- 
 fect would be to soar beyond our God, for he 
 goes moving on in the infinite forever. The 
 evergreen of our souls is the consciousness that 
 we have yet to get and yet to learn. To go on- 
 ward, homeward, heavenward, is the soul's bright 
 star of thought, it is that that keeps it radiant 
 through every night of gloom. 'T is joy to know 
 there is enough, enough for all the pure desires 
 that form within the growing soul. There' s 
 measured out by the hand of our God a full 
 equivalent of knowledge, adequate for every 
 want in the great scale of existence. He keeps 
 the balance weighed in evenness; in one there 
 in the desire, in the other there is a measure rich 
 to meet the want. Let us then trust to a fath- 
 er's infinite wisdom that has provided food for 
 
40 
 
 the hungry, garments for the naked, and living 
 waters for the thirsty soul. 
 
 Oh, ye that are faithless, come, gaze upon the 
 works of the earth whereon ye abide ; bring God 
 within that range of vision and see that there is 
 not one existing want that his hand has not giv- 
 en the means to supply. Come, if thou canst 
 not see without, come within thine own world 
 and see within thy form how as the desire 
 exists, thy God meets it. Thy body craves the 
 bread of earth, and it grows upon the earth. 
 Thy spirit craves the bread of life, and it is 
 found growing in the world of intellect. I have 
 uttered these little truths for thee to read and 
 give to others. Thou canst thyself be a volume 
 daily unfolding new buds and flowers of beauty : 
 for there is much in the language that goes from 
 friend to friend, making volumes to be read by 
 human hearts. Now keep thy soul passive and 
 see how fast I pour within it words of truth and 
 light for thee to give to others. The voice of 
 my soul's whisperings is inaudible, and when I 
 come, recognize my voice in thy inmost soul. 
 
41 
 
 'T is better, far better, that the words I bring 
 should be placed upon the spirit, — not that thy 
 soul should be enveloped by a mantle to shut 
 out thy material senses, — but I would stud thy 
 soul with sparkling gems of truth. 
 
 There are many in the spirit land who have 
 not high motives of love and purity ; they would 
 bid you walk in darkness and keep you there. 
 Learn well to use thy reason ; to exercise thy 
 powers of discrimination. Let not the spirit be 
 warped by a one side view of the spirit life, 
 rather let the soul stand forth in manly beauty, 
 upright and pure, ready to take all of heaven's 
 intelligences that come down to it. O, I have so 
 much to breathe to thee of the soul's best culture, 
 and how it can grow to beauteous symmetry by 
 giving each and all the faculties their true un- 
 foldings, that I find words wanting and these 
 passing hours too short. 
 
 4* 
 
42 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 In the spot where memory lingers with fond 
 endearments we have met again. The ripples of 
 time are flowing gently on, and we are swell- 
 ing the deep current that flows to those immor- 
 tal shores where we shall wander united through 
 the varied gradations of time ; for we are soul 
 affinities, and will part not, no, never. 
 
 Words are but feeble out-burstings when the 
 soul is filled with love ; when it flows out to its 
 kindred soul, the sweetest communion is silence. 
 Unuttered words are deeply felt ; silent water, 
 like the silent soul of love, is fathomless ; while 
 rippling streams are changing ever. Thus our 
 spirits may hold communion. Without the 
 sound of voice we may speak the deepest lan- 
 guage. Thou art never alone. When thy 
 thought goes forth it meeteth me on my way to 
 thee. 
 
43 
 
 Have not the lessons of wisdom thou hast 
 learned been of the deepest import % They have 
 shown to thee the varied phase that dwells with- 
 in the universe. Look on the two as one world ; 
 they are fast, O, how fast, merging into one 
 sphere, — the spiritual and the material. It 
 matters not where the body is, for the spirit all 
 attuned to love can join us in bliss. Thy spirit 
 dwells in my spirit, and on the plain on which 
 we dwell, all those darker forms will come some 
 day and learn to drink as we have drank from 
 out etherial fountains. 
 
 All the beauty we have gazed on shall be left 
 for other eyes. All of God's truth that has 
 made us free and happy, is still the same eternal 
 truth stereotyped in his book of nature for those 
 sad forms to read; and all the sweet endear- 
 ments of consolation that have been bound to 
 thy soul, are not exhausted or lost ; they will go 
 flowing on in tidal waves of love, till they dash 
 against some sinking form, and roll him on 
 progression's waves up to the haven where we 
 have sailed. How beautiful the thought, that 
 
44 
 
 a heavenly truth is never lost; a thought of 
 beauty goes sweeping through the universe of 
 space, till it finds a welcome in some heart. It 
 leaves its impress there within the spirit shrine, 
 and goes on forever, flowing and leaving its da- 
 guerreotype of joy within another soul. And 
 thus in time all must be blessed. For, dearest 
 one, the thought that has made thee grow with 
 life to-day, must ere the morrow be another's joy, 
 and it will roll on through eternity, and paint a 
 glowing picture on the darkest soul now in 
 deepest misery. See thou this truth, all in time, 
 must rise to God? No joy would there be for 
 me did I know that in sin and sorrow one was 
 lingering for eternity. Oh, sorrowing forms that 
 I have seen! this is my joy, that what has 
 blessed my soul with peace, will one day bless 
 you. The thoughts that make up this soul of 
 mine, I shall throw off as I gather brighter and 
 more advanced beauties. The present truths 
 that help me to grasp the brighter, I must pass 
 to those below me. And so, kind spirit, let thy 
 thoughts flow down to less developed forms, foi 
 
45 
 
 thy soul hath beauties forthcoming that it knows 
 not of. The bright glances of eternity, the 
 noon-day beams of happiness, the morning rays 
 of light, the twilight rays of softness, these all 
 will come to thee, and to all who come with 
 willing hearts to learn the truths of angels. 
 
 My soul feels now more heavenly calm than 
 ever before. I bathe to-night within a sea of 
 joy. ' I see earth growing bright and green. I 
 see on barren spots transplanted flowers, and 
 then to thee my spirit comes with sweet congrat- 
 ulations ; for I have seen the spot in life thy 
 willing hand has made green. 
 
 My love for humanity is strong, is ardent ; 
 therefore let not my emotions dictate thee in thy 
 earth course, farther than seemeth right to thee ; 
 let reason ever be thy guide. I gaze on the 
 heavenly side, thine eyes on the earthly. 
 
 O, may I ever be willing and ready to go 
 where love bids me ; where she calls me there am 
 I, not of my own merit alone, for I go to do the 
 work of him who hath done all things for me ; 
 I go to waft a tithe of the joy that my soul swells 
 
46 
 
 with. O, happy, happy hours, that bring our 
 souls together. I'm here so near to thee to- 
 night ! My spirit is so calm and happy ! O, let 
 its influence so fall upon thy spirit, nor leave it 
 till we again grasp the hand of love. I'm gath- 
 ering now from earth the joys of youth. Your 
 spirit is growing higher, and now it almost 
 reaches mine. Its growth is sure and steady : 
 Such an unfolding is best, 'tis most natural. 
 Force not the bud. I do not wish to have thy 
 spirit prematurely opened to the glories that 
 await it. Your work thus far is faithfully done. 
 To God .we owe the debt of gratitude, but 
 we can pay him homage through hearts of 
 love. 
 
 And yet I linger. I cannot say adieu. Thy 
 thoughts are mine, and mine are thine. And all 
 forms may take a wreath ; if they but come and 
 reach the hand of faith, they may all go forth 
 and rejoice with immortal crowns. 
 
47 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 
 I love to come and dwell within the soul that 
 echoes to the world the principles I teach. It 
 is, O, how pleasant to come in the soul that is 
 capacious and open for angel entrance. O, let 
 us be thankful that we can commune. O, how 
 much joy it is to me that I can bring my fond 
 desires, and through this medium, mete them 
 out to you, as you may want. 
 
 When thy spirit shall come home and first 
 awaken in the spirit-world, it shall gaze on the 
 familiar form that has guarded it. And perfect 
 w r ill be its home, with its great central attraction 
 of love. It could not be at home were not its 
 fondest affections to welcome it. Think not that 
 I shall need some winged messenger to tell me 
 when thou art dead ; to whisper to me when thy 
 mortal heart goes back to mingle with its kin- 
 
4'8 
 
 dred elements, and say, — "the soul that thou 
 hast guarded and led, is this day borne to the 
 spirit land." No, we are not so far removed as 
 to wait a messenger to bear these tidings. O, 
 let not a lingering doubt be within thy bosom 
 that I shall be there to welcome thee ; for when 
 mortality heaves the last expiring breath, and the 
 spirit has its first respiration in a finer atmos- 
 phere, remember that thy guardian will be there 
 to introduce thy spirit into the mazes of these 
 wondrous courts and lands, to usher thee into 
 their noon-day of bliss ; for this dawn of light 
 that now shines in thy spirit, will give thee noon- 
 tide rays in heaven. 
 
 Had thy soul passed away in its night of un- 
 belief, it must have waited for its dawn of light, 
 and many, many weary years of slow progression 
 must have passed to bring thy soul to mine. 
 Eejoice, rejoice dear one, that on earth we met ; 
 for now thy twilight of life is calm and beauti- 
 ful, and when thy soul passes away, it will be 
 like the passing of the setting sun, throwing its 
 rays of joy and light on all around. And now 
 
49 
 
 that thou hast laid thy treasure here in heaven, 
 there will be no distance between our souls 
 when thy spirit is called. 
 
 Yes, O yes, now begins the work of love ; for 
 't is a work that can never have a close. These 
 labors ne'er shall know an end ; I look not for 
 their cessation, for with them comes a holy 
 calm and joy. I call for duties that I may have 
 the peace that they bring to my soul. 
 
 I ever dwell with thee. In thy soul's aggre- 
 gate of beauty, there I ever abide. In thy spirit- 
 longings thy guardian lives. In the plant, the 
 stem, the leaf, the flower, require different grada- 
 tions of heat, light and pressure, to bring them 
 to maturity. Each has different demands upon 
 nature, but they all combine in one plant, all 
 tend to the beauteous blossom. Thus thy soul 
 has different demands, and spirits of different 
 shades and degrees will ever be around thee, and 
 all. The force that adds and contributes to the 
 growth of the leaf, mingles not with, nor de- 
 tracts from, the blossom or its fragrance. The 
 power of another grade of spirit life, that might 
 
50 
 
 be drawn to thee by some faculty of thy soul, 
 lessens not my influence. As the blossom is the 
 highest manifestation of life exhibited in the 
 plant, so thy spirit-longings are the highest 
 within thee. 'T is in them I would dwell, live, 
 and blossom in fragrance. Thoughts shall flow 
 into thy being, new truths shall ever nourish thy 
 soul ; and let not thy brother hunger, but let 
 him have food also; though many think 'tis 
 unsubstantial food. 
 
 There are spirit forms now waiting here to 
 shed their tear of love. There are garlands 
 woven that are waiting for brows to wear. 
 There are diamonds bright and polished that 
 spirits of love and affection are holding forth to 
 stud immortal souls with beauty. 
 
 And here let me breathe my feelings forth and 
 give the children of earth 
 
51 
 
 An Invitation to the Spirit Land. 
 
 Sorrowing souls, that wait for sympathy, there 
 is balm in heaven that can heal thee, can soothe 
 your aching hearts. 
 
 Souls that now mourn for lost ones gone 
 before, come and gaze, for here you will find true 
 echoes of affection. 
 
 Souls of darkness and error, come forth ! there* 
 is light for thee. Our God is thy God ; our 
 heaven can be thy heaven also. 
 
 Youth, bright and joyous, dwelling in antici- 
 pation's fondest dreams, come, and bear our 
 golden anchor of realization. 
 
 Old age, turn the uplifted eye with faith, thy 
 day of rejoicing is near at hand, and thy soul is 
 about to enter those immortal courts, where time 
 is no more. Come thou, also and take the flower 
 of life we freely offer. 
 
 Come Love and Beauty together at the shrine, 
 and learn thy God, the God of universal love. 
 
 Come Sorrow and Sadness, for thy tears shall 
 be wiped away. 
 
52 
 
 Come, also, Joy and Gladness^ for thy offer- 
 ings are acceptable at the shrine of spirit de- 
 votion. 
 
 Come, Wisdom and Knowledge , for here are 
 fountains of truth untasted ; here are worlds of 
 life that wait thy deepest investigations. 
 
 Then wait not ; wait no longer ; leave us not; 
 turn not from us in sadness. Come, meet us in 
 fond recognition and we will bear your souls 
 home in chariots of love, tune for you our 
 golden harps, strike the beauteous chords of 
 melody, and meet thee, O, earth and thy children. 
 
 SECTION X. 
 
 Here discord does not dwell. Here, within 
 this spirit shrine, there is a sanctity that per- 
 vades her being, and in it how I love, O, how I 
 love to come. These words are not in flattery ; 
 
53 
 
 they are the thoughts I feel, and well I know 
 you feel. 
 
 Do you not observe how similar grow our 
 tastes and feelings I The medium you love best 
 is where I love best to linger ; but yet my heart 
 goes out to all in kindly love, and where I find 
 a channel, through which to send my thoughts, 
 I love it none the less because I have a favorite 
 retreat, a bower where first we met, the place 
 where first my hand grasped thine, and thy soul 
 first felt the warm pulsations of love and heav- 
 enly calmness stealing over it. Dost thou re- 
 member the hour of placid joy that stole across 
 thy senses when first we met % Thy joys have 
 not grown less ; O, no ! I see thy spirit with its 
 germ of life attracting daily new particles of 
 truth. I see thy spirit soften in love's genial at- 
 mosphere, and thy finer being plume its wings 
 for heaven. 'T is retrospection that shows us 
 how we have advanced. Thou art now walking 
 beside me. If in the pilgrimage of life I pre- 
 ceded thee, it was only to send back to thee in 
 thy pathway, the beauties I gathered on mine. 
 
 6* 
 
54 
 
 And how they have hastened thee on the jour- 
 ney of progression. How rapidly they have 
 borne thy spirit to its home. As the long absent 
 mariner when he nears his native port, with the 
 eye of thought catches a view of the home of 
 his childhood, so thy spirit has caught a glimpse 
 of its mansion in heaven, and feels a new im- 
 pulse to its power of motion ; — soon thy long 
 absent soul will reach its home of rest. Home, 
 O, heavenly home ! Thy spirit has neared its 
 port, and stands gazing on its place of rest. O, 
 gaze, dear one, keep the loved mansion in view. 
 The storms on the voyage of Hfe are nearly 
 over, and thy spirit is almost nestled in its heav- 
 enly home. A fond one awaits thee there, or it 
 would not be thy home — blessed home of the 
 spirits — spot where fond endearments twine - — 
 place where thy memory stores her happiness. 
 Yes, sweet, sweet heavenly home, all that affection 
 loves will be there. Forms endeared by memory 
 are ever waiting at that home. As on earth, the 
 ties of affection and love stand waiting for the 
 absent form, so here am I waiting to welcome 
 
55 
 
 thee home. For is not memory here ? Are not 
 the golden hours of blest communion in which 
 we have met and had sweet converse, are they 
 not all here % Recollections throng busily here ; 
 words of love have flown to thee from a soul of 
 love that waits for thee. Sweet, sweet, heaven- 
 ly home, this shall be thy chant of joy when thy 
 spirit stands within its mansion here. "Welcom- 
 ing choirs shall echo back the strains, and roll- 
 ing melody shall float around thy soul, singing 
 home, blessed home. Now our spirits blend, the 
 souls within have found their points of attrac- 
 tion, and the two lives flow into one. 
 
 And now that I have breathed forth the com- 
 ing beauties of thy heavenly mansion, I will 
 wing my spirit near to thy material form, and 
 speak of the things around us that make up the 
 duties and joys of life. We will talk together. 
 I am seated by thy side. In one sympathy, one 
 hope, one trust, let our souls flow out. Already 
 has thy hand reached forth and gathered blos- 
 soms in advance of thy station. 
 
56 
 
 I asked whether I had manifested too much interest in this faith. 
 She remarked : 
 
 Can the soul gather in too much beauty \ 
 Hast thou any bliss to part with now % Are not 
 all thy streams of joy necessary \ Has thy soul 
 gathered too many blossoms % 
 
 Be ready as opportunity comes, to distribute 
 from thy abundance. Already have I watched 
 the willingness with which thy hand has given. 
 O, still be willing, and never deny a child of 
 God a beauty that has cheered thee. They are 
 thine only in possession ; they are mine only to 
 distribute. I will keep thy soul richly sup- 
 plied; for many souls that walk abroad are now 
 famishing for the food thou shalt have to impart. 
 
57 
 
 SECTION XI. 
 
 At the request of some little children, Flora addressed them sev- 
 erally, as follows : 
 
 To Caroline, a young medium who had been seriously afflicted 
 by the possession of unprogressed spirits. 
 
 Child of affliction, thou has seen the light and 
 shade ; remember that they make the picture of 
 life. Dear one, thou hast been the avenue for 
 beauty and sin. Earth has seen through thee 
 the varied degrees of existence in other spheres. 
 May thy soul be forever kept in the right, and 
 thy spirit lose none of its higher sense of duty 
 to God, because by thee a picture of sorrow has 
 been presented. 
 
 May this be but an emblem of thy life ; one 
 hand of sympathy reaching down and drawing 
 up the starved and hungry souls, while the other 
 wipes away their tears and sends them home re- 
 joicing. 
 
58 
 
 To Elizabeth, a little girl. 
 
 Sweet child of beauty, I love the little buds 
 of life. O, how beautifully they twine with flow- 
 ers of larger growth. Happy child, spirit yet 
 unopened. Softly on the wings of love would I 
 bear thee gentle words, to tell thee how I love 
 thee. Childhood is dear to me, memory lingers 
 around it in delicate tendrils. 
 
 Little one, may thy heart be ever as w pure as 
 now. Keep thy soul bright and loving, that an- 
 gels may enter. Let the hands that God hath 
 given thee be reached forth only for truth. In- 
 vite kind angels to thy home, and they shall 
 bring thee spring-blown garlands, made of flow- 
 ers that never fade. 
 
 To Little Mary. 
 
 Tell her there is no thought of her young 
 soul but is known and felt far, far away, where 
 her eyes see not ; that her thoughts of love and 
 beauty bear her up to angels of love, while 
 thoughts of shade and folly lead her down to 
 
59 
 
 darker forms. This little truth will keep the 
 spirit guarded, and tend to make the whole 
 soul flow out to angels bright ; for they stand 
 ready to call her to joy, to life, to happiness, and 
 then they will never leave her, but ever drop upon 
 her path, one by one, life's golden flowers, with 
 which she may adorn the soul, and become fitted 
 to walk in God's bright paradise, where she may 
 gather brighter flowers to give unto others. Tell 
 her that Flora breathes these strains of love, and 
 waits to greet her if it be found best that she 
 come to meet us in our hours of communion. 
 
 To little Theodore. 
 
 Dear youthful traveller in life's great winding 
 pathway, what are the flowers that thou wouldst 
 pluck to carry home with thee to heaven 1 Flo- 
 ra, the spirit of love, would bring you first the 
 bud of truth ; then gather around it thickly the 
 bright opening blossoms of goodness. 
 
 Dear, youthful heart, just bursting forth thy 
 leaves to life's bright morning, with varied feel- 
 ings of hope and joy, beauty and trust, all whis- 
 
60 
 
 pering to thy little soul like so many attending 
 angels. O, take them by the hand and let them 
 be thy childhood's playmates. Keep them, dear 
 one, around thee, and grow up to manhood with 
 Goodness walking by thy side. Look on this 
 great day of life, this long eternal day, and never 
 neglect the golden opportunity to plant little 
 flowers by thy pathway. Love all, all who lin- 
 ger in this world with thee, for thou has learned 
 to love thy God, and he has made them all. 
 Make life all flowery and pleasant, and be thy- 
 self a beauteous bud of hope to the hearts of 
 loving parents. Open in sweetness to thy moth- 
 er's heart. Open in beauty to thy fathers soul. 
 Gather in trust and linger forever on thy moth- 
 er's breast. Come to thy father's arms, a grow- 
 ing, bursting, flower of life. Then let them 
 never shed a tear for thee, but go thyself oft- 
 times, and shed a tear of pity for misery, and be 
 thou a friend to those in sorrow. 
 
61 
 
 SECTION XII. 
 
 Happy hours : quiet hours : hours of golden 
 memory are these. Hours that bring the glori- 
 ous day when we shall meet face to face, and the 
 little cloud that has kept thy material gaze from 
 beholding thy own guardian will pass away, and 
 all these happy hours around which memory lin- 
 gers will come hovering back, and we shall gaze 
 upon the little links that bind us closer at each 
 meeting. Dear little moments, flitting by and 
 drawing two loved hearts together. Golden 
 hours stay with us ; beauteous flowers fall round 
 us. Keep us in fragrance till we meet, meet in 
 our spirit bower. Let the flowers of to-day 
 cheer us for to-morrow T . Let the blossoms yet to 
 come, chase away all sorrow. I am so happy 
 now, talking by thy side, nearer, yes, nearer to 
 thee than ever before. My harp is growing me- 
 lodious, so that I can linger near it and hear no 
 
62 
 
 tones of discord falling on my ear. Your guar- 
 dian to-night is not in some far-distant star look- 
 ing down on thee with a twinkling ray of light, 
 but is here ; yes, Flora is here, very near to thee. 
 Thy pure thoughts that have been ascending 
 have brought thee near to me, and from this 
 hour our walk is closer : so close that a whis- 
 pered tone is heard; so near that no shadowy 
 thought can obscure me from thy gaze, for it 
 can not find place between my spirit and thine 
 in which to rest : so near that every minor act 
 of thy days is seen by me, the smile of recogni- 
 tion or the look of doubt ; so near am I to thee 
 that thy soul has turned away from its anchor of 
 hope to the truths of joyful realization. Hence- 
 forth we will tread the rosy path of life togeth- 
 er. We join our hands in the performance of 
 duty, while angels around are chanting in heav- 
 enly lays, bright spirits are dropping in our 
 pathway beauteous flowers for us to gather, and 
 hearts of love are bounding forth with joy that 
 heaven has found and given to earth a loving 
 angel bride. The curtain is fast rising and holy 
 
63 
 
 beings flock around to see the union of two 
 souls, to see life coming from the tomb, and to 
 see immortal time decking us with a love-gar- 
 land from bowers of eternal beauty. 
 
 Did you wonder that I said " golden hours ] " 
 The joys and the sorrows of to-morrow will be 
 thine and mine together. 
 
 Would'st thou gaze upon the temple in which 
 time and his bright angels stand to greet us. 
 Look at that glorious arch, beneath it we will 
 walk together. All that have gone before, have 
 gone hand in hand, each, with a loving soul. 
 O'er this arch-way see inscribed in diamond 
 letters " eternity's mates." Silvery winged 
 doves are hovering around ; and look ! see you 
 those marble fountains from which the waters of 
 eternal joy go bubbling up I Hope bears to 
 us in a golden goblet its pure waters, and we 
 drink from it together to thirst no more, for the 
 waters of life will course through our veins. Lo ! 
 joy comes to meet us with a crown of sparkling 
 gems, and places it on our brows, and while the 
 pearls drop thick and fast around, wisdom comes 
 
64 
 
 forth robed in bright garments and gathers them 
 up and places them in the hand of time, who 
 holds the precious gems, and at our calling will 
 give them to us again, and we shall find that 
 they have gathered greater brillancy. He calls 
 us to his golden chariot. We will enter and 
 ride on together ; ride on through time, ride on 
 through eternity. With wings of love well fly 
 o'er sorrows here, onward and homeward. O, 
 how our souls have gathered wings, with which 
 to flee to sorrow, to love, to the abodes of mis- 
 ery, to the temples of joy. These are the soul's 
 bright pinions, thoughts, that take us where we 
 should go. Now, homeward let us fly together. 
 When we are called by sorrow's tear, let us 
 plume our wings of love for they will surely take 
 us thither. This is a starry hour in our constel- 
 lation of love. These moments are diamonds on 
 the brow of Time, and how they cluster there. 
 But when we have filled his brow with gems, 
 where will our souls be wandering % O, perhaps 
 in some starry realm, some world where dia- 
 mond stars are glowing, where moonbeams play 
 
65 
 
 forever on our brows and sunbeams forever glow 
 around our hearts ; where waves of glory bear 
 our souls to more etherial worlds, and dazzling 
 seraphs and archangels stand with diamonds on 
 their brows gathered by Time's hand ; where 
 thoughts are wings, and breath is all a fra- 
 grance; and hearts are flowers that open their 
 petals to seraphic dews. I fail to tell thee all, 
 for how can I impart to you a realizing sense of 
 joys that my own soul finds itself unable fully to 
 comprehend ; for on, and on, in the great realm 
 of space flows the tide of joy. 
 
 SECTION X III. 
 
 "We approach nearer each to the other ; and 
 O, let us meet in love and truth. I find words 
 feeble and language impotent to portray the vol- 
 umes of feeling that dwell in my soul. The deep 
 current of love that dwells within me, that would 
 
 6* 
 
66 
 
 come from God through me to thee, I can ex- 
 press only in part O, that I could spread out 
 my wings of affection and take all, all God's 
 children. I would fold them o'er the unfortunate, 
 the downcast, the oppressed ; and rest assured, 
 dear one, that in this outflowing they would 
 hover none the less around thee. 
 
 But do not let my coming engross thy mind, 
 and keep it from the labors of thy earth-life ; 
 rather let it induce a spirit of love and gentleness 
 to pervade thy soul. Thou canst wear the lily of 
 affection through the storms and be none the less 
 engaged in the duties of life, canst thou not % 
 Let the stream of affection flow into thy soul, not 
 thy soul flow into affection. Keep all the other 
 faculties in full play and power, and let affection 
 come like fragrance to the flower. 
 
 The soul's language is unuttered; 'tis like the 
 brook, 't is like the breeze, 't is a principle of re- 
 finement that calls for no outward demonstra- 
 tion. Two souls can meet, and without words 
 exchange deep flowing thoughts coming from an 
 exhaustless fount of love. 
 
67 
 
 'T is thy guardian that comes and lays the arm 
 of love around thy form and throws the influence 
 mild upon thy soul, and brings it dews of heav- 
 en ; that makes thy spirit melt in love and ten- 
 derness. 'T is thy guardian that comes, and ac- 
 cording to thy powers of development weaves 
 those garlands of beauty that are pictured before 
 thy vision ; and this is when we labor together. 
 I give the picture, you tell to those that linger 
 around, and from these conceptions of truth much 
 instruction is conveyed ; and therefrom shall flow 
 a stream of truth that will work and wind 
 itself imperceptibly into their souls, while on the 
 stream shall float the flowers of spirit con- 
 ception. It seems a little thing perhaps to 
 thee ; but the symbols have deep meaning, they 
 are pictures for thee to gaze upon, and tell to 
 earth's children the light and shade that make 
 them. Yes, together we will labor. If I paint 
 the picture thou, gazing thereon, will give to 
 thy friends glorious conceptions of spirit imagery, 
 of thoughts conveyed by forms, of beautiful 
 flowers of life that are blooming for them all, of 
 
68 
 
 the glorious temples of wisdom that await them, 
 of high celestial arch-ways through which their 
 souls will pass, and of angel bowers where they 
 may repose, even while here ; for all can make 
 their souls a bower, a bright celestial bower 
 where invited angels may repose, may have lov- 
 ing forms to walk beside them, to bring them 
 hope's anchor of deepest evergreen. "Why 
 should not all have an angel to guard them ? 
 "Why may not every one have friendly arms of 
 love to repose in ? I see arms of affection that 
 are waiting. Come, wanderer, and fondly re- 
 pose. Come and take the waters of life they 
 bring to thee. 
 
 There are hearts in heaven 
 
 That are waiting for all, 
 There are hearts on earth 
 
 That must answer the call. 
 
 Why will you linger 1 Why will you doubt- 
 ing stand away % 
 
 I feel so near to earth to-night ; I feel so near 
 to him I guard, I would that those who stand 
 
69 
 
 waiting in my courts with me could come and 
 feel that dear ones would listen to their voices, 
 while they approach once again the scenes of 
 earth. We cannot walk into the abodes of child- 
 hood and take the hand of affection and memo- 
 ry the same as when we dwelt in the flesh, for 
 we have changed. Yet we can come another 
 way ; we can walk in avenues God hath given 
 us, can come and dwell in a form of clay most 
 in affinity with our own, and there embody our 
 presence ; we can come with all our spirit long- 
 ings and desires, and appeal to hearts of love. 
 O, welcome us ; accept our offerings, earth and 
 thy children, and we will bear you such immor- 
 tal crowns as the spirit has never conceived of, 
 woven on the banks of time, gathered from im- 
 mortal gardens. This is an appeal to others in 
 behalf of their spirit friends. I need make no 
 anxious appeal to thy soul, for already have I 
 found an entrance and sit within its courts. 
 Thy thought is mine, and my love is all thine 
 own. Our emotions are mingled, our sympathy 
 is joined together. Our faith is one star, our 
 
70 
 
 aspirations one opening rose, our wreaths of 
 hope are hanging on one anchor, our crosses of 
 life are nailed together. Together at the morn- 
 ing hour let us blend our orisons to God. Let 
 us send them up like the rising sun that beams 
 upon the earth, and when it shines forth at the 
 uoon-day hour, let the heart's full thanksgiving 
 rise like the full glowing beams of that light ; 
 and then when it wanes at the eventide, and its 
 rays are passing away, let our souls flow out in 
 holy trust and calm repose till we sink away, 
 like the glorious sun, in the arms of faith to 
 rest. 
 
 SECTION XIV. 
 
 Let words be ours to-night, words that shall 
 melt the soul with the flow of heavenly softness, 
 words that shall cheer the heart and deck it with 
 eternity's foliage. 
 
71 
 
 Fast have the flowing currents of joy been 
 pouring into thy soul, and rapidly has the stream 
 of time borne thee on to heavenly bliss. Un- 
 numbered are the garlands that are woven for 
 thee and as fast as thy spirit changes from one 
 perception of beauty to another, so shall a gar- 
 land descend. 
 
 I feel to-night all love and happiness, my soul 
 seems flowing out in the current of affection, 
 and I would bear a wave of joy to all. I would 
 that earth's children could wear the garland that 
 I wear. I would love to see the flowers of par- 
 adise blooming and growing among the thick 
 hedges of error. I would that the rays of love 
 might shine on every heart ; and how shall I best 
 bear my affection ? what genial breeze will waft 
 it to their spirits and let them know of the fond 
 arms that are waiting to clasp fond hearts in 
 their embrace? With outstretched arms God 
 holds the universe, and he sends his angels with 
 sheltering wings to keep his children in the path 
 of love. I spread my pinions around thy path, 
 and thou canst not stray. Thou canst not stray 
 
72 
 
 from me, but thou wilt stray with me, and to- 
 gether we will go on with angels to their courts 
 in heaven ; and we will pray for the universal 
 tide of salvation that flows unto all men alike. 
 I love the sad hearts that recognize na angel 
 hands. I love the lowly of earth, they that walk 
 not in lighted halls, that tread not in the mazy 
 dance, that go not with the glowing pace of 
 music ; they that weaj not the crown of distinc- 
 tion made of material things; my sympathy 
 flows out to them, to those that linger in the 
 wayside places, that have no lighted mansions, 
 that hear no music save the cold bleak wind that 
 whistles around their forms, and the moan of 
 starvation and neglect that comes from the little 
 buds of life that ought to be growing, cultured 
 and trained with a hand of sympathy. 
 
 Dear one, how shall we bring them but on the 
 stream of affection ? It has no dark, murmur- 
 ing waves ; but a gentle, gliding, silvery stream 
 of love that will take them all to God. My harp 
 to-night is tuned to the melody of love, and the 
 burden of the song I bear, is, — waft them home 
 
73 
 
 in sweetness, they are all treading the courts of 
 eternity. Had they not better come 'mid flow- 
 ers and stars \ Had they not better walk in the 
 pathway paved with celestial gems, where at 
 every step the spirit walks mid pearls, and the 
 soul reflects among the diamonds its image of 
 life and beauty ? Let us walk where flowers 
 bloom, let us leave the desert of sorrow, for God 
 made it not for us to tarry in, but from contrast 
 to know what bliss there is mid roses and lilies ; 
 and may we tread this pathway forever, saith 
 the soul of man. The spirit of the man within 
 may be so tuned to harmony and love, that when 
 he walks mid errors and thorns, the beauty that 
 glows within him will reflect on them its own 
 sweetness. Thus he can make the brier seem a 
 blooming rose; find beauty in all things 
 growing around ; will see in undeveloped mat- 
 ter the great principle of progression, and 
 then, even the thorn that grows beside the rose, 
 will be a thing of beauty to his bright percep- 
 tions. He will see in the soul of error the 
 spark of Divinity. He will see the life germ 
 
74 
 
 though shrouded by an atmosphere of sin; and its 
 internal love and beauty he will behold break- 
 ing through the cloud and bursting forth in 
 rays of love. A sun of heavenly rays will warm 
 his spirit and call it forth to bright unfoldings, 
 as the sun's rays call forth the little flowers. 
 How like the flowers we grow, and how 
 like them we are nourished. How we need the 
 hand of culture to prune the dead leaves and 
 branches, and how we open and unfold as light 
 and heat comes in ; but neglected, how unsight- 
 ly we branch forth, how angular the spirit 
 faculties grow, and the strength and vitality 
 that should be called forth to the spiritual, or 
 the bud, is lost in shooting branches that go 
 creeping near the ground. The vital principle 
 of the spiritual nature, if not brought to a focus 
 or a bud, will go forcing itself through the 
 varied faculties of the soul, and the finer princi- 
 ple that makes the fragrance is lost in the 
 spreading leaves, as we grow, and grow to them 
 and not to flowers. Ye know that the fruitful 
 tree is one that is small in branches, and so of 
 
75 
 
 the soul that grows and buds for fruit immortal. 
 The power that 's drawn from the leaves and the 
 natural branches, goes to make a heavenly bear- 
 ing tree, that yields its fruit immortal, that 
 throws up its life current to the bud, and swells 
 it to the flower. 
 
 Let us take the book of life and so fill it, 
 that each page shall glow with sympathy and 
 affection. Let the truths they convey be in- 
 terwoven with seraphs' bright garlands, inter- 
 spersed with anchors of hope, thickly studded 
 with gems of faith and trust ; and through the 
 volume let one object have prominency, one 
 theme inspire, and that theme, Love. 
 
 We must carry gifts to earth's children, 
 best suited to their wants. I would not give a 
 harp to a deaf man, nor beauteous flowers to the 
 blind. With discretion let us bear them, and 
 strew the gifts of Deity along life's pathway, 
 suited to the capacities of the recipients. Carry 
 not roses to the hungry man, nor food to the 
 dying. Carry not pinions to the lame man, nor 
 chariots to the bright feathered songsters. 
 
76 
 
 Give not moon to the morning light, nor sun's 
 rays to darkness. Give not landscapes to the 
 beggar, feed him with material things, give them 
 to him and not to angels. To spirits bright that 
 would lead you, give stars and diamonds of thy 
 soul ; give fragrance of thy flowers, the melody 
 of thy harp, the noonbeam of thy happiness, the 
 sun ray of thy joy. Learn well to know what is 
 best to give at all seasons and at all times ; ap- 
 propriate thy bounties for the hour and the occa- 
 sion that call for thy varied gifts. Give not a 
 prayer to him that comes asking for the bounties 
 of earth, but send thy prayer to heaven that thy 
 soul have means to give. In the labor of life 
 there is sweet reward ; the angel of time writes 
 on the scroll of life the deeds of thy soul. 
 Time, the ever present angel, records thy deeds 
 of life, and in revolving eternity we meet the 
 deeds of yesterday and the works of to-morrow. 
 They are there on the pages of the great life- 
 book, and we turn the leaves again, and again, 
 and again, and read the acts and thoughts of the 
 past ; and the future reflects with its heavenly 
 
77 
 
 rays, and shines with golden charity on the lines 
 of darkness. 
 
 SECTION XV. 
 
 An unknown spirit spoke of Flora as follows : 
 
 Blest and favored mortal, there is a bird of 
 celestial plumage that wings her way to thee, 
 and I have watched her coming. She bears thee 
 love's garlands, and I have seen her fly away 
 again with golden tints of joy on her wings, 
 gathered from the pleasures of the hour. And 
 wouldst thou know somewhat of her, which her 
 beauteous modesty keeps back? Well do I 
 know her lily soul and the pearly truths of wis- 
 dom she gathers to herself. Our courts would 
 be sad without her ; she brings an ocean of bliss 
 wherever she comes. Her hand is ever ready to 
 stretch forth to wanderers ; and spirits that 
 come here bewildered in the death shroud she 
 decks in the spring garments of love. You are 
 
 7* 
 
78 
 
 not alone the recipient of her love-tide ; count- 
 less are the spirits that kneel to her in gratitude 
 for the flowers of life she brought them." The 
 aged know her, and they bless her ; the youth- 
 ful heart clings to her like the green tendrils of 
 spring ; the dark, the sorrowing, and the miser- 
 able have heard her silvery voice chiming in their 
 souls. Affection is the court she dwells in, and 
 love is the entrance thereto. Long may thy 
 happiness flow. Thy soul has to this hour been 
 filled with joy and gratitude. Let it now over- 
 flow and gush out ; let the stream of gratitude 
 gush forth and wind itself around thy course, 
 and bear on its tide millions more to the shrine 
 of love. Be thou a fount of happiness from 
 this hour. Be not only filled, but overflowing, 
 that many may drink through thee, the waters 
 of life : let them catch from thy fullness, and 
 may thy fount be ever sparkling with pearly 
 drops adequate to reflect the heavenly glory that 
 shines from Flora, thy guardian. These are 
 but feeblest expressions, and they bear to thee 
 
79 
 
 only a tithe of joy she fills us with. Now I will 
 depart : you know me not. 
 
 SECTION XVI. 
 
 Flora continued. 
 
 Though we performed a duty yesterday, we 
 will keep it fresh by one of to-day. If to-day we 
 have gathered a tiny bud from the great garden 
 of life, to-morrow we will place beside it a green 
 leaf or an open flower. We will add pearls to 
 pearls and diamonds to diamonds. With noble 
 zest and energy we will seize on the anchor of 
 life, and with holy trust in him whose powers 
 are all sufficient to sustain us, we will bow to no 
 obstacle that arises between us and duty. On- 
 ward, forever onward, crushing with the hand of 
 faith the dead leaves and branches that keep 
 from our grasp the little bud whose life was pro- 
 
80 
 
 longed beyond its neighboring shoots and leaves 
 as the summer's last rose stands 'mid withered 
 boughs. Every thing of life that is waiting for 
 a kindly hand to take, we will make ours, and 
 mind not the thorns and hedges that surround 
 it. The flowing stream of love will wear in 
 time the hardest stone. Hearts of adamant will 
 soften by continued drops of affection. Let us 
 be a current of life and love, and let the tide be 
 humanity; let all waves be joy, and on them 
 be borne glad tidings to all mankind. We 
 will not wait for the inflowing, but w r e will 
 ever be outflowing. "We will not wait 
 till we see dawning in the horizon the star 
 of hope ere we send one kindly ray to the 
 sorrowing. We will not stay for a duplicate of 
 joy ere we share that we have with our brother, 
 but give freely ; give, remembering it is more 
 blessed than to receive ; and were this rule uni- 
 versally obeyed, who would be wanting for gifts; 
 did all bestow alike, all would be receiving. 
 The good thou hast imparted to-day, would be 
 filled by a joy thy brother would give thee to- 
 
81 
 
 morrow. O, hasten, heavenly breezes, quickly 
 speed the hour when the harps of earth and 
 heaven shall be tuned in unison. Glad angels 
 usher it in. Tidings from thee to me are hast- 
 ening it ; fond messages from the departed are 
 like so many beams of the morning light that is 
 soon to dawn. Waiting choirs of seraphs stand 
 to chant the lay, and archangels would tune 
 their harps to catch their echo. Christ with his 
 blest exulting seraphs, is standing to welcome 
 the angel morning. Well may earth rejoice. 
 Flow on, flow on, thou mighty stream of joy, 
 that bears the bark of spirit forms, landing at 
 earthly mansions. Float on, float on, bright 
 gondoliers, freighted with angels bright. Fly 
 on, fly on, ye fairy boats, bearing guardians of 
 truth and life to earth's children. Gather now 
 ye sad ones of earth on the shore and gaze ; 
 stand, waiting hearts of hope ; come hither mul- 
 titudes and throng the river's bank, for on this 
 angel stream I see coursing noble vessels filled 
 with the dear departed that left thee at the 
 tomb and the grave; their farewell lingers yet 
 
82 
 
 on thy ears. But speedily will they come, bear- 
 ing to thee life-blossoms. How fast they're 
 flowing. O, tell them who stand afar from these 
 shores, not to let disappointment rest upon the 
 brows of millions who are sailing down this 
 stream. Have they no port prepared where 
 spirit friends, where dear departed ones may an- 
 chor ? Is there no land of recognition 1 
 
 O, stand no longer weeping o'er the tomb ; 
 throw not your garlands on the mound of earth; 
 drop not your tears on the place of dust, but 
 come to the angel shore, stand on the banks of 
 Time's flowing river, and soon will a bark of 
 loving forms sail down. Be ye there to meet 
 them. Come, come, O, come and gaze, see the 
 bright sails spreading, see them furled in 
 heaven. 
 
83 
 
 SECTION XVII. 
 
 On this occasion Flora gave the following description of the va- 
 rious beauties in the garden of the Soul. 
 
 Humility. 
 
 Humility is the flower I bring to-night. 
 Let us plant it anew in the soul, for it is the 
 sweetest flower that grows in the paradise of 
 God. It opens so tenderly for the dews of heav- 
 en; it unfolds so gently, so quietly. While 
 gayer buds are blooming, and taller plants are 
 waving proudly in the breeze, waiting the ad- 
 miring gaze of travellers, this lowly plant, hu- 
 mility, is sending out its rich and sweet perfume 
 that the more ambitious blossom loses in its 
 towering aspiration. 
 
 To keep the spirit humble and lowly, is a 
 truth that is written on the tablet of every soul ; 
 
84 
 
 but the ambition of time often obliterates it. He 
 that walks lowly shall gather many pebbles that 
 the aspirant of fame has trod upon. 
 
 Charity. 
 
 There is another tender blossom that I would 
 bring. It is the running, clinging flower of 
 charity. How deeply painted, how beautifully 
 dyed by the sunbeams of righteousness it grows. 
 How tenderly it looks out on the smaller blos- 
 soms, and bends its head that they may catch its 
 sweet, soft fragrance; and then when autumn 
 sears its neighboring plants, it kindly scatters its 
 leaves on them and covers up their decay. And 
 when some little bud of life is fainting, the dews 
 of heaven's sweet plant of charity invites some 
 summer breeze to take a leaf whereon some 
 dew drop rests, and bear it to the parching bud. 
 This blossom never dies ; it scatters its leaves 
 and blooms again. Blest flower of charity ! 
 
85 
 
 Sympathy. 
 
 Another is the full-blown bud of sympathy. 
 A beauteous flower of the soul. Its roots are 
 so interwoven and twined with all the flowers of 
 earth, that it takes from the vital force only to 
 send back again w r hen their winter comes. It is 
 a bright spring blossom, whose currents run 
 deep through the soil, and infuses its little drops 
 of life that other flowers may spring up to earth 
 brighter and more beauteous for its kindly aid. 
 Its power is all unseen ; it runs along the cling- 
 ing roots and holds them in a mighty grasp, and 
 thus some distant rose is blooming and growing 
 from the long continued force that the spring- 
 flower of sympathy sends to give to her sister 
 blossom. 
 
 Hope. 
 
 There is yet another brilliant bud called hope. 
 Its nature is to be not fully blown but half 
 unfolded to the light so as to catch the golden 
 
86 
 
 rays that linger on it, and to keep them there in 
 its bud-like embrace, and so when the night 
 comes gathering on, and other blossoms have 
 folded in their leaves of repose, the brilliant 
 hope bud has retained the rays of the morning, 
 and sends them on missions of good cheer to 
 others. 
 
 Love. 
 
 There is another blossom that reigns queen of 
 the mighty host. It is the crown imperial of 
 the buds and blossoms that grow within the soul 
 of man. It is the flower of love. 
 
 'Tis all unfolded to celestial light, 
 
 'T is always blooming to the child of night. 
 
 Its fragrance is the gathered perfume of all 
 other buds, the concentration of sweetness, the 
 heavenly extract of purity, and it is the plant 
 on which angels fold their wings and rest. It is 
 a flower so mighty and growing that it reaches 
 
87 
 
 out beyond the garden walls, and creeps along 
 in twining beauty, clinging, from its own sweet- 
 ness, to the walls of neighboring souls. It runs 
 and mounts the highest frame w T ork of man's 
 device. Ye cannot stay its mighty growth, for 
 it is watered by seraphs. Angels, bright an- 
 gels prune it. Divinity himself hath planted 
 this heavenly flower of love. Long may its per- 
 fume fill our souls ; forever may its sweetness 
 abide. It is the flower of eternity. There is 
 not a human garden without it. It grows in the 
 conservatories of archangels ; it creeps over the 
 bowers of seraphs, and is planted by the hut of 
 the demon. Let us traverse creation, and the 
 universe, and we will find love the life-flower ; 
 we'll find it every where a native plant. It 
 goes twining round the borders of creation. It 
 runs in spiral beauty through the centre of the 
 universe, sending out its fragrance to the bor- 
 ders, till their fragrance meets in beauty ec- 
 static. 
 
 'T is my flower, 5 t is thy flower, 't is creation's 
 blossom of love: Let us take this flower at 
 
88 
 
 parting, let us bring it at meeting, and let us 
 wear it forever. 
 
 When humanity cries for a blossom, we will 
 give them a leaf from the love-plant. Let us 
 nestle in this blossom till we meet again. 
 
 SECTION XVIII. 
 
 Now my spirit would speak in softer accents, 
 in sweeter music, telling thee of all the celestial 
 harmony that floats me on to love ; telling thee 
 of my guardian care that watches over thy form, 
 that leads thee ever in the path of truth ; that 
 whispers softly to thee when thy spirit would go 
 out in storms • that lays the gentle palm so lov- 
 ingly upon thy brow when sorrow comes o'er 
 thee ; that when evil would come nigh thee 
 closes loving wings of protection around thy 
 form to keep thee from its blight. 
 
 But I can only whisper to thee while thou 
 
89 
 
 dost linger on the earth. I can only whisper of 
 ray love. The glorious majority ; the brightest 
 reserve ; the yet untasted fruit is kept for thee. 
 Buds unopened encircle my brow that will 
 bloom when we meet ; smiles that my soul has 
 kept will welcome thee ; love that rests in my 
 bosom is kept for thee. I am giving thee but 
 echoes, only little rays of the star that shines 
 for thee. But they are enough to keep thy 
 spirit homeward bound ; they are adequate to 
 guide thee to the bosom that awaits thee; to 
 the heart that hopes for thee. These little 
 thoughts I send thee now are like so many stars 
 at night, and I will keep thy firmament of hap- 
 piness studded with their twinkling beauties. 
 Thy eye of love shall continue to discover new 
 constellations in the bright celestial canopy ; for 
 in the firmament of thy faith those stars shall 
 ever shine. And O, I hope that when thy spirit 
 is called home, I may come within this medium 
 temple and give thee my last whisper of earth. 
 You know the pathway we tread ; know that 
 I walk the same avenue of life and light thy 
 
 8* 
 
90 
 
 soul is treading ; and that a few rolling years 
 will bring us together, where soul can echo back 
 to soul, and hand grasp hand, and love whisper 
 to love. Yes, face to face, and heart to heart 
 shall we meet. But noble deeds are ours to do ; 
 bright deeds of duty must be done. We will 
 not meet without the crown that is gathered 
 from the work of life ; and we will strive with 
 a happy and beauteous ambition to see which 
 coronet will shine the brightest. And if thy 
 crown lacks diamonds and I have gathered more, 
 I will give to thee. If thine is doubly studded, 
 thou canst share with me. 
 
 May our meeting be like that of two pure and 
 placid streams, when wave meets wave in calm 
 embrace. To make these bright waves thus 
 meet and mingle, every faculty of the soul must 
 be calm, magnetized and beautified by the labor 
 of love. Then will our spirits meet and flow, 
 bright thought to thought, and hope to hope ; 
 and the mingled waters shall be like 
 
 A little murmuring, running rill, 
 Winding around some heavenly hill, 
 
91 
 
 Coursing through the meadows bright, 
 Flowing, sparkling in the light. 
 
 Winding by some mossy dell, 
 Where bloometh rose and heather bell ; 
 Rolling through a grove where love 
 Blendeth soul with soul above. 
 
 Thus through an eternal mom, 
 On that stream shall we be borne, 
 Floating on the eddies bright, 
 Sparkling with eternal light. 
 
 
 SECTION XIX, 
 
 We will carry to darkened souls the sweet 
 lilies of life, the bursting blossoms. Our work 
 calls us not often in the busy throng, nor in the 
 gay assembly, but away in unfrequented dells. 
 We 11 go to transplant blossoms oftener than to 
 gaze on the beauteous garden. We will go to- 
 gether and soothe the sorrowing ; we will make 
 their moments happy ; we will carry balm from 
 paradise ; we will bathe them in healing waters 
 
92 
 
 that flow from the fount Elysian. It is no fan- 
 cy fabric ; it is no mystical frame-work ; it is a 
 mighty work that our hands united shall do to- 
 gether. Our hearts and our sympathies united, 
 our tears shall fall together on the blighted flow- 
 ers of earth. Our hopes will twine one anchor ; 
 we will bear one cross together, and together we 
 will stand under the crown of life. 'T is only 
 doing the work Christ bid us do, to cast out the* 
 spirits of evil, and we with holy faith may lay 
 claim to the promises that have been given, that 
 greater works than Christ has done shall we 
 do if we repose in his faith.* 
 
 The labor of love, how sweet. The call that 
 takes us to the needy, how welcome. The moan 
 of sorrow shall ever be music to our ears ; for 
 they call us to acts of love. We are anchored 
 by all the beauties of nature : the little blooming 
 violet makes sweet emotions within, and the soul 
 has an appreciative ear for the wild tornado. 
 We dearly love the little group of radiant an- 
 
 ♦John 14:12. 
 
93 
 
 gels, and we are filled with awe and sympathy 
 for the wild demon. So within us lies the just 
 appreciation of all external forces. We love 
 the still, soft moon, and the soul looks out and 
 sees beauty in the flashing lightning also. We 
 have particles within our nature that attract 
 themselves to every atom of creation. We be- 
 long to the great universe. We are gathered in 
 sands of existence, and every particle that fills 
 creation, and glows with the life principle, must 
 find within us a natural echo. We affiliate 
 with existence ; we are bound by a thousand 
 chords to every grade of life ; we have emotions 
 of the mineral, the vegetable, and the animal 
 life. Creation is but a gradation of matter from 
 the grosser to the finer, and the mass of human 
 life has but one throb, one pulse, one tear, and 
 one joy. One cradle rocks us in infant repose ; 
 one fond parent takes us on his bosom ; one 
 grave takes all that is left of the earthy ; and 
 when nature claims her atoms of this frame- 
 work, one welcome awaits us at the second birth. 
 Humanity is biit one moving mass of love, 
 
94 
 
 sympathy, and affection ; of hope, intelligence 
 and spirituality. We represent but one tree of 
 existence, the branches are the nations, and the 
 leaves the individual forms. One great life-tree 
 of eternity. Some leaves are fresh and budding, 
 others are seared and fading. Our prolonged 
 freshness is often kept by the life-current that 
 should have gone to a neighboring leaf. The 
 decay of some branches gives us a brighter tftit. 
 We would not be the evergreen bough, and draw 
 the life-sap from out a neighboring branch ; we 
 would not progress when sorrow is stationary ; 
 we would not bound with angel-pinions, and 
 leave misery with eternity's woes engraven on 
 the soul. No, ours is the work of life ; we have 
 deeds to do that angels will record; we have 
 dark garments to exchange for shining raiments ; 
 we have many a cup of water to give in the 
 name of Jesus; we have many angels to en- 
 tertain unawares ; we have millions in prison that 
 we must visit ; we have starving souls in pover- 
 ty always with us ; these are glorious incentives 
 to grasp immortality ; these are emulative tides 
 
95 
 
 to float our spirits to the golden ocean where we 
 will bound in billowy bliss, bliss forever. These 
 darker sins behind us form the back ground and 
 shade, so that our pictures of heavenly joys may 
 stand out in glorious relief. 
 
 We will never cease to work and love ; while 
 time rolls on we will diamond the hours, gem 
 the moments, star-crown the years with glitter- 
 ing, glorious, heavenly deeds, with kind and 
 loving charities. We will make our mountain 
 tops glimmer with a rising luminary of love, 
 dance our bliss in wavy joy, stud our canopy 
 with celestial eyes, and life shall be sweet, filled 
 with the labors of love. 
 
 Prayer. 
 
 Oh, my Father! have I guarded this heart 
 aright % Have I crowned him with life-blossoms 
 all eternal % Have I carried the incense of his 
 gratitude to thy throne, and borne him back the 
 fragrance of thy smiles % Have I softened the 
 dews that fall around him ? Have I polished 
 
96 
 
 the diamonds of eternal glory and given them to 
 his gaze aright ? Oh, holy Father ! give me 
 strength to lead him ; bright angels bring me 
 language to bear my thoughts to him. Give me 
 roses and their perfume to invite his spirit home- 
 ward. Hand me the goblet sparkling with eter- 
 nal nectar, that I may pass it to his lips. Kind 
 Father, give me strength and power to caryy his 
 soul to the golden portals of bliss, where thy 
 love can bid him enter ; where thou canst shed 
 thy bright effulgence of joy around him, and we 
 can dwell within the golden temple together ; 
 for thy hand will feed us ; thy love will clothe 
 us, forever, our Father of Glory. 
 
 My soul cannot tell all the love I feel for 
 you. I would crown your spirit with stars and 
 diamonds, so that I might gaze on their brightness. 
 We have no exchange of sentiments, but one 
 united, inseparable flow of joy forever. Blessed 
 the fate that brought us together; bright the 
 star that called our spirits to mingle. 
 
 Now, the internal appeals to your soul are 
 
97 
 
 far more real and abiding than the external. 
 We cannot see the thought that gives us life 
 and happiness ; we cannot gaze on the hope 
 that lights us ; we cannot behold the faith that 
 warms us ; but they are real existences, and be- 
 long to God's universe ; and from them love and 
 truth and beauty fall on thee, as fragrance fall- 
 eth on the flower ere it can impart it. 
 
 Flora ceased speaking, and the spirit of a little Scotch girl came 
 and said : 
 
 I bonnie Scotch flower. I dinna come to 
 take the flower awav. The flower is bright, 
 bright lass. The ringing tones of her fairy 
 voice, the soft touch of her fair hand, is bright- 
 er far than flowers that bloom in my father- 
 land, that grow by the hill and the stream. 
 And her fairy feet that glide around, and her 
 wings, are swifter than the hours that fly o'er a 
 bonnie dreamer. 
 
 Blue are her bonnie eyes, and her feet fly 
 swift as fairies ; but I dinna come to take the 
 flower awa'. 
 
 9 
 
98 
 
 SECTION XX. 
 
 How many doors has the soul of man. How 
 multiplied are the avenues through wl^ch we 
 walk to the soul. The balcony of thy love and 
 affection is thrown out for me, and I stand upon 
 it, even while the wide gateway of benevolence 
 stands invitingly open for weary pilgrims. If 
 in my coming I fill your soul with love, let that 
 for me and thee suffice, and give to beggars thine 
 own. If I bring joy enough for us to feed on, 
 let it suffice, and give thy joy to the mourners. 
 If thy spirit has a moonbeam of light, and I 
 come with many rays, give the beam to darkness, 
 and I will come bearing more to you. And 
 part with the ray before I come, so that the soul 
 give not from a superfluity, but from a scantity. 
 It is the deed that is registered highest in heaven, 
 when he that hath but one rose blooming in his 
 garden, breaks it from the stem, takes it from 
 
99 
 
 his gaze, and gives it to his brother. Is it not 
 higher than the deed that parts with one from 
 an abundance ? Is it sacrifice to bestow from 
 out an overflow of bliss ? No ; rather would 
 we part with the last beam of hope to light our 
 brother home, than to wait for the moment 
 when myriad rays illumine our path. The soul 
 that drinks only from the fountain of self, finds 
 the waters insipid. The drops must flow from 
 heart to heart, to keep the waters pure and 
 bright. As silent waters are dark and turbid, 
 so are souls that gaze on self; but like the 
 bounding, rolling, coursing brook, are souls that 
 keep their stream of love winding through their 
 neighbors' hearts. The little rill is made purer 
 by its ceaseless flow. 
 
 SECTION XXI, 
 
 Now let our spirits join, and rove away in 
 some Elysian land of bliss, where we can gather 
 roses bright and brilliant, that the glorious day 
 
100 
 
 would pale beside them. We have been wan- 
 dering amid the buds ; we now will take the full 
 blown flower, bursting with fragrance. "We 
 have drank long and together from little rills, 
 now let us roam the bounding oceans, where 
 thoughts go moving on to shores immortal. 
 Now let us grasp the bright conceptions, and 
 plume our spirits to the bright ideals. Come 
 let us away, away awhile, 
 
 And sip from the nectar 
 
 Of angels' bright streams, 
 And fold our soft pinions 
 
 In heavenly dreams. 
 
 Let our spirits bask a while in the glow of 
 eternity, and see how rapidly we can plume our 
 flight celestial, on pinions of thought that flash 
 on the diamond breeze, and the zephyr that 
 wafts star-gems to your soul. We are roaming 
 in etherial atmosphere. Now our souls are sub- 
 limated and we have joined a fairy band that 
 strikes its golden lyres while creation joins the 
 chorus with a never ending chant of joy. Seest 
 
101 
 
 thou those banks beyond, upon which love can 
 clasp its mated love ? Here will we sit awhile 
 and let the rolling brook flow on and bear to 
 earth the burden of our song, which is, — to 
 life and love we 're pledged. We will give them 
 now, the bridal notes ; tell them of our dual 
 flight, and how, with loving links, we twine 
 around each other's soul. And yet love's bound- 
 ary is not here ; our spirits flame with glowing 
 zeal, into a shining, twining, flashing light, that 
 sends its little sparks of love to earth's remotest 
 bounds. 
 
 With our united zeal, and with our fond affec- 
 tion plighted, we '11 woo the soaring eagle pow- 
 er and fly o'er ranging mountains, and sweetly 
 list the welkin notes that are echoes of our love. 
 The pathway is a rosy one ; it twines to heaven's 
 inner courts. No fragmentary joy is growing 
 there, but full unbroken streams of bliss, that 
 flow in rippling melody to our hearts. This is 
 the pathway we will tread ; this is the path- 
 way which all immortal feet must traverse home 
 to heaven. 
 
 9* 
 
102 
 
 Though we are only two pilgrims that wander 
 through eternity, our twin born hopes will min- 
 gle with the multitude to ascend on the orient 
 wings of the morning up to our maker, God. 
 The atmosphere is filled with diamonds and jew- 
 els rare, let us catch them as they come. The 
 beauties of heaven are falling and resting every- 
 where. Can your spirit grow dim whsle the me- 
 teoric showers, God's ruby star-showers, are fall- 
 ing so thick and so fast ? Can the life blossom 
 die while the dews of heaven water it? We 
 will seek for the life that must live and last, till 
 creation glows in its light. 
 
 Now in a grotto of celestial beauty, where 
 rosebuds sleep on beds of moss, and lilies kneel 
 in prayers to diamonds ; where love goes twin- 
 ing, budding o'er the arches of hope let us sit 
 and nestle together. 
 
 What carest thou for the body ? 'T is the 
 mind that is all immortal ; and soon the earth- 
 frame will crumble, and the life-gem within thee 
 will be attracted by its own adherent powers to 
 its echoing gem. These moments are heavenly 
 
103 
 
 auxiliaries to that conjunction of bliss ; these 
 hours are blessed enhancements ; these commun- 
 ions are bounding- waves that bear thy spirit un- 
 to mine. I give you all that you can bear, the 
 blessed, the sweet reserve is folded in spirit buds 
 that can only unfold in a finer atmosphere. But 
 in a little while I w 7 ill give thee sweeter lyrics, 
 sweet enough to fill the epicurean bliss of mor- 
 tals here. I will bear thee enough to keep thy 
 soul in a noonday chant ; enough to keep till 
 the shadows of evening gather around ; till I 
 strike the spirit lyre, and thy soul wakes in an- 
 other life, immortal. 
 
 The vine of my spirit is twining close around 
 thy spirit-form ; let it be like the strong oak to 
 bear me. 
 
104 
 
 SECTION XXII. 
 
 Let our spirits flow together like bright twin 
 rivulets ; and one ecstatic flow of* bliss bound 
 from thy heart to mine, so that all thy smiles 
 and joys will find a love-echo in my spirit, and 
 thy life be mirrored in my bosom. Let all thy 
 waves of sorrow float next to mine, and bring 
 thy love to me so that thy soul may ever find 
 its duplicate of bliss. If these thoughts are too 
 sacred and tender for the eyes of the multitude, 
 keep them embosomed. If my spirit clings too 
 tenderly around thine own for material atmos- 
 phere, turn thou the tendrils from thy spirit, 
 and let them run on time and immortality, bud- 
 ding double hopes for thee. If I come too ab- 
 sorbent in my affections : if I rob the fruitage 
 of Affection's vine that belongs to other hearts, 
 ask our Father to keep me pendant in celestial 
 distance, where I can wave my pinions in grace- 
 
105 
 
 ful beauty, and call thee to rest and to love. I 
 would ever come to thee subordinate to all thy 
 duties in life, and ask of thee only one bud of 
 thy spirit that grows in love's garden. Human- 
 ity has a thousand claims on thy spirit, and the 
 atoms of thy existence have each an adherent 
 particle, and a thousand hearts sing in melody 
 to thee ; and thou canst sing with them in con- 
 cert and meet their souls, and still, our lyres can 
 be tuned together, and we can chant another 
 song ; we can sing in soft, dulcet strains, and 
 # then join in the chorus of humanity. We must 
 linger and dwell with the many while sending 
 out our spirits in the avenues of love, for we 
 meet in soul, we meet in locality. These roving 
 souls are not confined to boundaries and hori- 
 zons. We can pinion our thoughts, and fly to- 
 gether through seraphic space, and warble in 
 bird-like beauty, and send our bounding melody 
 to the ether blue above ; and on some distant star 
 perchance our souls may meet sometimes, and 
 borrow waves of glorious love, while humanity 
 pays the debt in gratitude. Shall we rob divin- 
 
106 
 
 ity if we catch a far distant glory to illumine 
 the path of the sorrowing X Shall we detract 
 from omnipotence when the spirit bounds into 
 sweet seraphic lands and asks for the crown arch- 
 angels wear ? And may we not without assump- 
 tion borrow the eagle's wings, and with electric 
 flight, traverse the golden range of Deity, and 
 ask for a pearl of creative power, that we may 
 wear the jewel bright for the sad and the dying ? 
 Angels will lend us all their lyres to sing a song 
 for earth. Archangels bright will go uncrowned 
 awhile, and bring to earth their starry crowns < 
 for us to wear, if we but ask them. Our -God 
 of love will at our asking divide his jewels and 
 his gems, will give unmeasured stars if our souls 
 can only wider grow, and equal the range of 
 boundless bliss that is so wide spread for hu- 
 manity. 
 
 Ask me not to leave my love in words. I 
 send it in the chariot of the soul. Are these 
 not starry moments that light us heavenward ? 
 Evening dews but soften the grosser nature. As 
 flowers at night close in their sweetness from the 
 
107 
 
 gazing eye, so in these hours of communion all 
 our truth, love and affection close in beauty and 
 fragrance. But we will open when the dawn of 
 affection comes ; when the morning comes, and 
 gazing eyes come forth to look, our souls shall 
 then unfold their leaves, and take the golden 
 beams of the morning. 
 
 The thought that finds not expression is 
 mighty. When the broad wings of language 
 fail to bear our thoughts from soul to soul, then 
 are they towering mountain thoughts that reach 
 to the azure celestial. 
 
 There is communion far, far beyond these 
 words, and in that w T e must meet for our natures 
 to affinitize and mingle ; and there are star- 
 crown thoughts that come from the world of 
 emotion. These are the stars that I would 
 crown thee with. 
 
 Happiness tracks out the path of love and 
 virtue ; bliss ecstatic follows in the train, and 
 immortality crowns us. 
 
 Our love has just begun. Our happiness is a 
 new-born thing. It will increase in grandeur as 
 
108 
 
 the soul can grow to take it in. The roses of 
 time are all immortal ; they bloom in a garden 
 eternal. We may pluck them to-day, and to- 
 morrow they are bright and fragrant. There 
 are roses now, there are roses to come, no dearth 
 of blossom, no barren foliage. Hast thou 
 planted, O time immortal % Let us wear the 
 garland to-day, and new buds will open for to- 
 morrow. The ever-present kingdom of bliss is 
 thine and mine this hour. No local glory shines 
 afar ; but within and without, and through cre- 
 ation, is heaven's bliss spread, like the bright 
 shining constellations that star your canopy. 
 The glory of to-day is measured to the soul ; we 
 will grow to meet the rays of the future. 
 
 SECTION XXIII. 
 
 My thoughts are beyond expression, when 
 thinking of the great, the immortal existence 
 that is ours ; when thinking of the glorious 
 
109 
 
 hereafter; when thinking of the mortal exis- 
 tence and the intercepting steps of angels that 
 are treading along the mazy path of life. They 
 stand on the plain of perplexity, they are ever 
 hovering in the valley of doubt and despair, and 
 they fill up every little portion of life, for every 
 soul in spirit has its angel. I have mine. O, 
 where can the spirit find words to speak of the 
 boundless, flowing love of Deity, who bears us 
 on such ripples of affection, and sends out his tide 
 of clear, flowing love, to wave us forever heaven- 
 ward and homeward. He has given us fond 
 hearts to love him with ; and let us love him 
 now. He cannot manifest his power outside of 
 matter and mind, and through them we must 
 reach our God. My spirit is at home in affec- 
 tion; in her courts I long have dwelt, and 
 within them I will tarry while there is a heart 
 that will pulsate back to mine, while there is 
 an echoing soul that will respond to all my emo- 
 tions, I will still love, hope on, winding in that 
 endless stream, and in my flow of joy, stop 
 
 awhile to send forth fountains of bliss. 1 will 
 10 
 
110 
 
 keep the stream so full, that the waters will 
 laugh, dance and sparkle as they flow along ; 
 make soft eddies of love dance with the sun- 
 beams, and borrow the summer breeze to ride 
 with ecstatic bliss to the soul I love. O, keep 
 forever the fountain of affection flowing. It is 
 the fount whereon God smiles the most. It is 
 the fountain where water-gems dance the bright- 
 est. It is the fountain in which to bathe the soul 
 in heavenly baptism, in holy consecration to the 
 white-robed seraphs that stand around the throne 
 of love. 
 
 O, there are joys that the spirit of man can 
 purchase, transcending the glory of bright arch- 
 angels. There are rays enough to keep his soul 
 all luminous ; enough to break the shadows of 
 the life-picture. O, keep the spirit forever ab- 
 sorbent to the revolving glory. Keep the spirit 
 in sweetest adaptation to the moment and the 
 hour. Be forever mantled for emergency. Life, 
 bright life, is our glowing theme, and all crea- 
 tion's woes are ours to soften. 
 
 My spirit pauses not for love, not for affec- 
 
Ill 
 
 tion ; but the arches of this temple, [the medi- 
 um,] are scarcely towering enough to-night, to 
 echo my thoughts to you. The dome light is 
 veiled, and I must keep my spirit near the en- 
 trance without ascent, and give you my thoughts 
 only along the foundation of my established love 
 and affection, with the dome rays that I some- 
 times catch, and bring to you. I must take the 
 channel as it is, and if the stream runs languid- 
 ly sometimes, and the waters are resting after 
 some emotion, then Flora will speak more in 
 calmness, will send you thoughts more in accord- 
 ance with the flow of the stream she sails on. 
 And if echoes are secondary to my sometimes 
 arching love, know and feel that it is thy guar- 
 dian who stands by the golden gateway of the 
 future ; who stands studding with bright stars 
 the clouds of sorrow that would come near thee; 
 who bounds in progressive ratio at each advance 
 of thy spirit ; whose soul is echoing sad when 
 thine is sorrowful ; whose spirit is echoing glad 
 when thine is joyful. I bow to the Father of 
 love, and pray for thee, for it is thy guardian 
 
112 
 
 who is commissioned of God to bear thee the 
 ripened fruit of life. 
 
 Only circumstances divide our bliss ; the little 
 earth-path yet untrod by thee, is all that keeps 
 thy spirit from my home. We will keep the 
 avenue ornamented and bowered with rising glo- 
 ries. We will make it, not a mighty thorough- 
 fare, where congregate the throng, but one in 
 which the appreciative walk; for it is love's 
 own avenue, and affection's legitimate pathway. 
 Here I can come and talk to you. Here we can 
 meet in moon-beam bliss ; and when we meet 
 etherialized in a brighter sphere, we will not 
 forget the pathway in which we have so often 
 met and communed. 
 
113 
 
 SECTION XXIY. 
 
 Mrs. Adams being under spirit influence, said : Where have 
 you taken me ? The place is very large. All the spirits that have 
 known you during your progression are here. Here are the little 
 orphan buds ; De Sota, the powerful speaking man ; your father 
 and your mother ; your sisters, and little son. Mary Adams, her 
 father and her mother ; Bill and Jim ; Lightfoot and his mother, 
 and many dark ones that I don't know ; and Flora so brightly stand- 
 ing above them all. 
 
 How pleasant ! The picture is beautiful ! Yet what a mixture ; 
 some bright, some dark. They will all speak to you in groups to- 
 night. 
 
 Flora spoke : 
 
 Thine arms of love are outspread for all the 
 guests of this hour ; but who shall come first 
 rushing to thy embrace % I have called thee up- 
 ward on mercy's steps, and now that our spirits 
 have grown bright and joyous together, this little 
 group appointed me the messenger bird to tell thee 
 that they will share these moments with me and 
 
 you. If my claim seems superior on thy atten- 
 
 10* 
 
114 
 
 tion, regard me only as sent on the smiles of all 
 the surrounding forms. They led me smilingly 
 to thee, with prior claims, and tell me to rest in 
 thy arms forever. With modest grace I drew 
 me back from the parents that nurtured thee in 
 life, but they wave me on to thee. Press thy 
 blooming flower closer to thy bosom, for in that 
 pressure the fragrance comes forth. Firmly 
 grasp the jewel of thy spirit, for in that embrace 
 thy spirit gathers my soul by particles. 
 
 My spirit Father and Mother now spoke. 
 
 We are thy parents: thy soul still feels natural 
 yearnings, does it not % This is a meeting of 
 congratulation. If the past existence was not 
 all bright, in the present we have new-found 
 rays that will shine on the future, and in those 
 glimmerings we will try and keep with you, and 
 keep our spiritual progression in pace with 
 yours. We feel that we have loitered, and by 
 sluggard movements have kept your spirit down 
 in the past. But we are not meeting in old re- 
 
115 
 
 cognition, we have come for the present hour : 
 with brief words, but endless hopes for the 
 golden future that is springing for you, and us, 
 and all. We could not speak thus did not that 
 guardian angel stand by, for it is the atmosphere 
 of her holy love that ignites our spirits to a per- 
 ennial glow. 
 
 Child of our souls, we say not adieu, even 
 though the moment fades away, and the voice 
 is hushed, still the soul speaks forever on, on, on 
 forever. 
 
 My little spirit son now spoke : 
 
 My father, see how your guardian smiles on 
 me as I come. She formed this circle. Does it 
 make you happy % If she will keep smiling I 
 can talk. I love my father, and my mother too, 
 and my little brothers. They tell me some day 
 you will all come and be with me. I should like 
 to see earth. Is it very pleasant \ I like to hear 
 you talk about my little brothers. Do you know 
 our two little Orphan Buds? They are here. 
 
116 
 
 Were they earth-angels ? They will come and 
 talk to you. Flora says, do n't say good bye, so 
 I cannot. 
 
 Little Orphan Buds spoke.* 
 
 We are never cold now, nor hungry either, 
 and if we have n't found our father and mother, 
 God will take care of us. Flora calls us her 
 two wings, for she says we make her thoughts 
 fly to brighter worlds, and if we make worlds 
 for her, we are most good, aint we % When we 
 get older we '11 know how to talk better, and we 
 can be guardians to somebody, too. Flora says 
 if we want a guardian, we must guard. When 
 we are summer flowers, you shall see how sweet 
 we have grown. You do n't have to stay in the 
 dark, all alone, do you ? We wa'n't alone when 
 we froze to death, because God sent Flora to be 
 with us. Did God send Flora to you ? You 
 like her most as good as God, don t you ? Can 
 you love anybody next to God, you have a mind 
 to % We love Flora. 
 
 * See " Progressive Life of Spirits," page 24. 
 
117 
 
 Mary Adams * next came, and spoke as follows : 
 
 Shall the heart of gratitude forget the finger 
 that pointed it to heaven I No, no. Shall the 
 bounding, bubbling brook forget the mossy bank 
 that smiles on its coursing ? No, never, never. 
 When my hours of faith were dark, you lent an 
 anchor to my shattered, shipwrecked soul. You 
 stood on the shores of love and sent me a tiny 
 bark to bear me there. My spirit drooped like 
 a fading flower, it was dying on the winter 
 breeze, you brought a summer zephyr that 
 warmed my blasted life, and tinted my seared 
 and barren hopes with a deep, deep shaded ever- 
 green of summer light, I am happy now. I 
 am purer now. The impetus of angels' wings 
 urges me forward and onward. I seem to rise 
 to highest joys on the holy breath of angels — 
 gathering the sands of time and counting the 
 moments I have been led to bliss. 
 
 Should dangers ever thicken around you, my 
 
 * See " Rivulet from the Ocean of Truth," for an account of 
 this spirit's former state and progression. 
 
118 
 
 spirit will not be tardy in its flight to come 
 to your aid. Although a brighter, purer 
 star guards you, still my beams shall lend their 
 rays, and I will revolve around your soul as a 
 secondary planet of love. Take now the offer- 
 ing of my heart, and embalm your soul, if em- 
 balmed it can be, w r ith the love that fills mine. 
 
 This spirit now joined her angel-mother, whom she had reached 
 in her progressive course, and her spirit-father, who, since her pro- 
 gression began, she had led from darkness ; and continued : 
 
 Three buds of gratitude come now bursting 
 to you — father, mother, and a once lost child, 
 lost in the thorny path of sin. As they open 
 to-night to you, take their sweetness into your 
 soul and keep it. But for these new-found paths 
 of spirit-intercourse, our spirits might now be 
 wandering in sorrow. We might be drinking 
 bitter waters now. But we are drinking the 
 nectar of holy bliss, bounded hitherward by this 
 hand of benevolence. What a trio of bliss our 
 souls must present as we bring to you our triple 
 gratitude. 
 
119 
 
 Why does the spirit pause, and rove about the 
 great vestibule of the soul, searching for words 
 when the fount of gratitude is playing ? But if 
 my spirit seems minor in its expressions ; if it 
 does not come to the standard of grateful feel- 
 ing, O, bear the remnant of my bounding thank- 
 fulness on your drooping wings of love, that 
 come to shelter me and mine this moment. And 
 as you rise to your Father, God, in adoration, 
 may your wings go quivering in the breezy emo- 
 tion, doubly laden with the diamonds of grati- 
 tude which shall drop as your spirit mounts, and 
 pave the path of some lonely traveller. And 
 may the brilliancy of the jewel caught, when so 
 near to our God, brighten the path of some spir- 
 it homeward, as the drops of tender mercy from 
 his guardian love floated my spirit to the ocean 
 whereon I now sail. 
 
 O, could I but paint your future glory, could 
 I but tint the life picture with half the shining 
 gems etherial that I see floating aloft for your 
 soul ! Take my heart's music, which is grati- 
 tude; take the melody of my soul, which is 
 
120 
 
 thankfulness, as the united expression of the 
 trio band. 
 
 De Soto came and said : 
 
 I have met you in welling eloquence. Per- 
 haps I have met you when the soul spoke in 
 thunder tones, and the spirit darted out in light- 
 ning flashes. You have seen my spirit when 
 mind and matter dashed heedlessly on — when 
 wave followed wave in angry pursuit, dancing 
 with the storm wind, and defying danger. But 
 I will meet you now in a calm. We will place 
 our spirits in the summer breeze, like harps 
 iEolian, and sweet notes of harmony shall be 
 wafted to, and wave across the soul. Let us 
 cradle our spirits on life's undulating tide ; light 
 the soul with the gentle moonbeam ; wreath 
 brows with roses, and strew gems upon the mo- 
 ments of existence. 
 
 This is my spirit in calm. Like flowers in the 
 night hours, all bound and silent, receiving the 
 kisses of the dews of heaven. As they fall, so 
 let the spirit of man come twine its tendrils, and 
 
121 
 
 curtained from the glare of day, wait for the 
 dews of gentle, silent love to fall thereon. 
 
 I only come to complete the band, and to add 
 to the many echoes that come up to you from 
 the throng of spiritual life to-night, 
 
 Lightfoot came and said : 
 
 No longer Lightfoot, but Lightheart ; with a 
 soul almost golden, an anchor so broad and 
 mighty that I can share it with millions yet to 
 come. We can all repose on the anchor. We 
 can mount it, but we cannot move it. We can- 
 not bring it to the traveller on his toilsome path, 
 but we can place beacons on it to guide him up- 
 ward. 
 
 Let your soul grow sacred with the moment. 
 'T is befitting that you pause and look on the 
 circle that surrounds you, composed of those who 
 have led you, and whom you have led. 
 
 If this is not a holy time, I never found hap- 
 piness. Are the gates of heaven then so near, or 
 is this a picture of the paradise of which I have 
 
 so often heard % Pause and think. You cannot 
 u 
 
122 
 
 go down, for there are too many souls beneath 
 you, bearing you up. Does humanity know 
 that it is what it calls dark demon life that keeps 
 the higher mass floating ? Does it know that it 
 ascends by stepping on lower rounds % No soul 
 can ever fall back, for we are so closed together 
 in life, so grasping on to neighboring souls. You 
 must move onward, for in doing so some brother 
 beneath you moves on in like ratio. Do not re- 
 main standing, for it stays the tide of progres- 
 sion back, far back from where you stand. 
 No more now : now Lightheart goes. 
 
 Bill came and said : 
 
 Goes agin my natur not to be accommodating 
 to that bright creature up there. As hard as I 
 be, I cannot stand that. I didn't come to ex- 
 press opinions. I come to accommodate that 
 bright angel. I feel two or three shades softer. 
 How beautiful she is. Gorry, there aint nuthen 
 in heaven beats that, I know. Lord, I have 
 been where it was so dark that midnight has 
 been a star to it. 
 
123 
 
 Flora continued : 
 
 You have had the spring hopes and the au- 
 tumn's sighs. They are gathered around for 
 good. Let your soul now look on the retrospec- 
 tion, and see the throng that you have gathered. 
 We need many existences. We have the world 
 of the past and the present ; and when our souls 
 are entwined together, then we shall catch glanc- 
 es of futurity, and light up the picture of the 
 past. O, let us be faithful to every incident of 
 life. This great life is but one existence. The 
 curtain of the tomb is but a little thing. Spir- 
 its and mortals are working together ; the love 
 of angels is twining around the hearts of mor- 
 tals, where the bliss of heaven shall lie indwell- 
 ing, for all, all are, and shall be alike, God's 
 recipients. 
 
124 
 
 SECTION XXV, 
 
 Are all the loved ones in your household hap- 
 py now % Does your spirit throw its sunshine 
 around each soul to illumine it heavenward? 
 There is the central point where thy influence 
 begins ; where it ends, time answereth not ; for 
 there are no boundaries to the emanations of the 
 spirit. Recognize me more in thought. Try 
 and feel me thine own loved guest in thoughts 
 that come sparkling within the spirit. I am 
 waiting when I can meet thee in thine own com- 
 munion ; waiting when thy spirit will catch the 
 cadence of my soul ; waiting when thy spirit 
 thoughts flow next to mine, without an interme- 
 diate wave ; waiting when thy spirit will gently, 
 gently flow into mine own. 
 
 The finest emotions of the spirit have no ut- 
 terance; the sweetest interchange of thought 
 are the silent inflowings from soul to soul. 
 
 Now does thy spirit feel how near I come 1 
 
125 
 
 Our spirits now embrace. Were it not for the 
 atmosphere of love that surrounds you, how 
 could I come so near and dear? Your spirit 
 opens and spreads the arms of welcome, and I 
 swiftly bound to thy embrace. 
 
 What I have given thee from my spirit, are 
 only little tints; the blessed reserve is yet to 
 come. And O, we will have such rosy hours ; 
 we will have such dewy thoughts; they will 
 fall like pearls, uniting our spirits. We will 
 wander in such azure bliss ; we will garland our 
 spirits with such love-blossoms, that when we 
 meet, we can only meet in sweetness and beauty. 
 And we will travel o'er the fields of thought to- 
 gether in dual joy; we will wind our course 
 along, and leave behind a stream of beauty, and 
 a fount of bliss. Our joys shall all be twin- 
 born beauties ; thy happiness will rest on mine. 
 My bliss will be thy soul's bright duplicate. Do 
 you not now feel my love ; how deep it lies, how 
 broad the stream I flow to thee ? O, on the 
 waters of my flowing love, come, come thou 
 
 home. God bids me send this gentle stream to 
 
 11* 
 
126 
 
 float thy soul to heaven ; he created me for thee, 
 a fountain bright and clear, and thus your spirit 
 tastes his love and glory. 
 
 Fear not, dear one, for I am tangible. I am 
 not a thing of fancy made, of fabricated angel- 
 love, but a true, existing principle, a soul in 
 unison with thine, sending heavenly breezes to 
 thy life, to bear me back thy joys, thy woes, so 
 that all thy sorrows and thy bliss can be by me 
 nestled so closely here, for I cradle thy spirit in 
 the motion of my love, where I will lull thy 
 spirit in a soft repose. 
 
 Prayer. 
 
 O, thou Guardian of all created love, who 
 hast rippled my spirit next to this wave of life ; 
 keep thou all my soul's emotions, and, from thy 
 great throbbing heart-life, throw out thy mighty 
 spirit of love, and let us, thy children, be as 
 waves of life that bear the current bright 
 through this great, this mighty system of exis- 
 tence ; and as it ripples through our souls, we 
 
127 
 
 will send the current back to thee untainted. O, 
 keep thou me a wave of healthy, moving beau- 
 ty, to bear thy w r arm, thy softening love down to 
 creation's woes ; to w r aft to the shadows the dew- 
 drops of light ; to tint the midnight with a beam 
 of day, and to sing to thee, thou central source 
 of all creation's love and wisdom, some mellow 
 cadence. 
 
 I hope your earth-life w 7 ill be long enough to 
 leave many flowers blooming ; long enough, I 
 trust, to leave many a wilderness in blossom ; to 
 leave many once barren spirits engrafted with 
 love, so that when thy spirit comes home, there 
 w 7 ill be towering monuments of affection erected 
 in souls and hearts in memory of thee. Yes, in 
 memory of thee let joy be gilded ; let sorrow 
 be star-wreathed ; let happiness be blossom- 
 crowned. May your life be long enough for the 
 soul to do all its labors and its work, so that the 
 spirit at its birth will not repine, or reflect, or 
 exclaim — O, that I had done my work. 
 
 I will smile on thy labor ; I will ever prompt 
 
128 
 
 thee to plant the seeds of joy and happiness, 
 and then together we will gather the harvest of 
 bliss. 
 
 Now the magnetism of thy spirit has drawn 
 me so closely unto thee, let doubts die out and 
 fade away in the arms of faith, as I come cling- 
 ing around thee with my love. Such little spots 
 of paradise are these where'er we meet ; such 
 fragments of Eden bliss, my language has flown 
 away in love's embrace, and words have sunk 
 beneath my soul. 
 
 Your guardian is the fountain from which 
 God's love flows for thee. Be true ; be true to 
 the inner life. Follow your impressions ; listen 
 to the inward ripple. Your visions give you a 
 world of thought ; they carry you to the world 
 ideal, where the finer emotions dwell. They are 
 in themselves little worlds of beauty. 
 
 The nature of your spirit is mighty and tow- 
 ering ; circumstances have kept the branches 
 drooping. 
 
 My hand is always on thy heart, so never let 
 
129 
 
 that heart be sad. My love, my affection does 
 not go with my receding grasp ; no, no. 
 
 SECTION XXVI, 
 
 Is it not pleasant to know that thy loved one 
 is always near thee. Thus far have we traversed 
 the field of thought, and thy spirit has no wish 
 to return to the paths where it was wandering 
 when I found thee. Canst thou measure the 
 range of the spirit % Canst thou find the bor- 
 ders of the soul's field of exploration 1 Dost thou 
 feel the limitless expanse where thy spirit dwells? 
 I come gently treading in thy garden of affec- 
 tion. I walk in the avenues of thy soul's love. 
 I breathe my echoings in thy sympathy ; and ere 
 long I will stand in the temple of thy wisdom, 
 laying my gifts at the altar of sweet affection, 
 and claiming from thee that thou art mine as I 
 am thine. 
 
130 
 
 How the sweet prospect cheers the soul as we 
 number the multiplied beams of morning glory 
 that are rising o'er creation's vast expanse, and 
 bearing the soul home in heavenly halos. Rise 
 o'er our land bright sun, of glory, rise ; chase the 
 shadows of night with thy sparkling rays, and 
 link sorrow with hope. Whisper to sadness that 
 there is a morning crown that will fade no more. 
 Tell every child of earth that loving ones come 
 nigh ; carry pinions to their weary souls ; bid 
 them fly to the bliss that flows in the land of 
 shadows. Never let thy soul grow weary; never 
 let thy feet cease to tread the pathway of duty. 
 Labor for thy Father in heaven, and the king- 
 dom of heaven shall be thine on earth. Cast 
 all thy treasures into his kingdom, and jewels 
 will be waiting when he calls for thee. Blessed 
 are the pure in heart for they shall see God. 
 
 When the roses of life do grow dim and decay, 
 When the flowerets of time are all fading away, 
 When the night of the spirit has found no bright day, 
 I am thine, I am thine. 
 
131 
 
 When the loved tones and voices are hushed in the grave, 
 And the spirit is sinking 'neath sorrow's dark wave, 
 0, look up, for thy loved one a beacon will wave. 
 I am thine, I am thine. 
 
 When the spirit would roam from its sweet bower of love, 
 Led away by the song of some bright-tinted dove, 
 To mansions of beauty — to temples above, 
 I am thine, still am thine. 
 
 When the gathering curtain of death-night comes on, 
 When thy spirit is passing from night unto morn, 
 When the quick-moving pulse and the heart throb is gone, 
 I am thine, still am thine. 
 
 I am thine in the birth of this heavenly land, 
 I am thine when we join the bright archangel band, 
 When thy spirit by heaven's pure breezes are fanned, 
 I am thine, still am thine. 
 
 These thoughts to you are my soul's daguerre- 
 otype. Take the likeness and love it well. 
 Gaze on it when my noon-beam love comes 
 shining through affection's bower, and give me 
 thy upturned gaze of recognition. 
 
 The soul is worthy of that which flows to it. 
 
132 
 
 If the spirit is made for eternity, it is worthy to 
 receive all the truths that eternity gives. It is 
 beautiful to have truths that we can feed on, 
 thoughts that we cannot consume in the moment. 
 Truth is towering and mighty, so mighty that the 
 spirit of man can never reach its summit. 
 
 When resting in thy arms, 
 My soul feels all the charms 
 
 Of joy, of hope and love ; 
 And in my happy bower, 
 I mark the gem-like hour, 
 
 That took me to my dove. 
 
 While resting near thy heart, 
 My spirit feels a part 
 
 Of thine own bliss ; 
 And in my happy bower, 
 I '11 mark the gem-like hour, 
 
 That brought my soul to this. 
 
133 
 
 SECTION XXVII. 
 
 Down the avenue of love my spirit comes 
 floating to-night. Hearest thou not the mur- 
 muring rill of joy within my soul, transcending 
 the fountain of bliss of souls enraptured % My 
 joy is deeper than they who sit 'neath dia- 
 dems of glory. My life is filled with noon-day 
 rays. My spirit is all redolent with bliss of im- 
 mortality. How best can I come to tell you of my 
 rapt emotions, and of the heart's satiate of bliss ; 
 a bliss from an exhaustless stream ; that stream 
 of life divine, that runs through all things ; that 
 ne'er would leave a soul in death, but wind with 
 a heavenly and a native grace through every soul 
 and every heart in the universe. O, love, sweet 
 love, I would have thee feel the enchantment of 
 this hour ; feel that we have met where mortal 
 love holds us in its charms ; feel that the dew 
 drops of heaven will fall within our souls, leav- 
 ing the tinge of a finer life, of a brighter and 
 
 12 
 
134 
 
 more real existence, where the spirit of man may 
 soar even though in the carnal house of clay ; 
 feel the beauties of this heavenly hour; and 
 sweeter bliss shall flood your soul than has yet 
 meandered through it ; softer melodies ripple in 
 thee, and thy soul finding its quickening in the 
 finer calls of thy etherial nature, assert its claims ; 
 for now, even now, thy spiritual body is rising, 
 and the longing, quivering aspirations that often 
 flutter within thee are but the legitimate callings 
 of thy spiritual body, asking for a foretaste of 
 the bliss that remaineth for man. Did no burst- 
 ing, quivering emotions e'er shake these languid 
 hearts, then might the spirit justly question im- 
 mortality ; but it is the great, moving, flowing, 
 immortal tide, that sweeps and floats against the 
 restless present, dashing it into the fast flowing 
 current of thy existence, that tells of the mor- 
 row's beams chasing the shadows of to-night 
 away. 
 
 O, man, and immortality ; mind, matter, and 
 life undying! Who can soar and grasp the 
 thought so infinite that tells us we shall live and 
 
 
135 
 
 love forever % It is an ocean thought on which 
 the soul can float to heaven. There are no ship- 
 wrecks on these waters ; no soul will e'er be lost. 
 This ocean of love, so vast and so mighty, so 
 broad that every soul in the universe can sail 
 thereon, is but a wave from out Divinity's soul 
 one wave from his unfathomable love. 
 
 There are flowers within the soul that God 
 has planted, and he is waiting to catch their fra- 
 grance. Children of immortality, wouldst thou 
 not bear him flowers ; wilt thou not give him 
 perfume of the blossoms, for he is waiting for 
 the fragrance of thy spirit. He sends thee heav- 
 enly breezes of angels' love ; and they will bear 
 back to him the perfume of thy affection. He 
 sends thee dews of angels' guardianship, and 
 they will soften all thy woes. He sends thee 
 sunbeams of seraphic light, and on those rays 
 that warm thy soul wilt thou not send some glo- 
 ry back ? Around, within, and all about thee 
 dwells thy father, God. His love is waiting on 
 the face of creation in flowers for thee. In azure 
 glory he paints the starry hosts, and wide o'er- 
 
136 
 
 spreads the firmament with shining orbs, and 
 with attendant love and smiling glory he gives 
 the blazing beams of that great and powerful 
 luminary. 
 
 Know, child of mortality, where'er thou art, 
 thou art never from thy God. Creation lies up- 
 on his heart ; he holds the universe within his 
 arms, for his tender mercies are over all his 
 works. 
 
 Soul of sadness* grow to the recognition of 
 thy ever present Father ; thou shalt never find 
 him afar from thee, for his is a power omnipo- 
 tent, ever-present, sustaining thy vital energies. 
 Thou art moving in obeisance to his high com- 
 mands. 
 
 O, beauteous thought is this, that there is not 
 a soul that's nearest God. The outcast, the 
 lowly, the down-trodden and the poor, all live 
 within his measureless provision. All, all are 
 nestling beneath one parent's protecting wing. 
 Great family of life, offspring of Deity, let us 
 closer nestle in each other's arms. Nearer and 
 more tenderly draw us to our brothers' and our 
 
V 
 
 137 
 
 sisters' sighs; for the mortal life-link holds, and 
 we cannot fly away from sorrow's asserted claims. 
 With heart joined unto heart, and sympathy 
 linked with love, and affection twining around 
 the brow, let us grasp the anchor of hope, and 
 new-create our souls to love the one great family 
 of the universe of our Father. 
 
 SECTION XXVIII. 
 
 The guardian of a very congenial friend addressed me as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 Spirit, thou too art wandering heavenward 
 through ranks of angels. The aspirations of thy 
 soul flow up to heaven with one whose life I 
 guard, and whose wandering, and whose mean- 
 dering footsteps I firmly plant in the undying 
 path of eternal progression. I have long waited 
 to pour my spirit-thoughts into thine own, to 
 show thee we love to come in groups and join 
 our thoughts together, to whisper to thee in 
 
 
138 
 
 united voices, that heaven's arches echo in tri- 
 umphant glories, higher, brighter far, than man 
 has ere conceived ; for time has not pictured his 
 brightest landscapes yet ; the lineaments of love 
 are yet unsketched on the heart of man ; thoughts 
 of diviner wisdom are yet to be engraven on the 
 souls of creation ; more etherial waves will ye*t 
 flow round their souls than man's inadequate 
 powers have ere conceived. 
 
 O, the crown that time is gemming for the 
 nations. Reiterate, repeat, and tell the glory 
 around the world, and if e'er the crown grows 
 dim, God's wisdom will re-gem, his rays re-gild 
 the coronet. O, spirit of Progression, let thy 
 glory ring out ! let the horizon of thy spirit- 
 throes be bounded with sorrow, so that thou 
 mayest flow with a magnitude of sympathy to 
 meet the demands that are calling to thee from 
 life's horizon. Leave no glory undefined, but 
 walk within and walk without the golden por- 
 tals and azure bright that lead to yonder bliss, 
 where sits a spirit so calmly waiting, and mant- 
 ling thy life with love and charity. Her inner 
 
 12* 
 
139 
 
 name is " Love." She dwells am;d Affection's 
 courts ; She crowns the brow of sorrow ; She 
 dews the fading flower. She will keep the fra- 
 grance of thy bliss in one harmonious, harp-like 
 mould ; she will tune thy quivering notes of joy, 
 and sweetly chime them with her own. Her 
 name, her life, her soul, is Love. How sweetly 
 must thy spirit rest, beneath a balmy breeze like 
 this. 
 
 SECTION XXIX, 
 
 Now let me bathe my soul in some star-lit sea, 
 and catch some glowing waves of flowing joy, to 
 new-baptize your faith and love, and to help you 
 walk through the mazy, misty path of life ; to 
 w T alk with trust and hope while forms of love 
 are floating around you. 
 
 God's smiling angels are multiplying o'er the 
 firmament of his glory, gazing on the children 
 of earth like stars at night. 
 
140 
 
 What theme of melody shall my spirit bring 
 to thee to gem the mountain of thy journey o'er? 
 What soft and soothing strain shall I put forth 
 to re-invite thee to this land of love ? What 
 golden banner shall I outspread to wave and 
 float across thy pathway 1 
 
 But I will come, so gently come, and softly 
 kiss the faith that rises from thy soul; and I will 
 bear thy young Hope in my arms ; I will nur- 
 ture it in my fond embrace, and when thy spirit 
 wants a gentle monitor within, to tell thee that 
 the path is thorny where thou wouldst tread in 
 blindness, my hovering heart of love will be that 
 monitor to keep thee safe. 
 
 O, still prolong and keep the theme of beauty 
 ringing clear and loud, that angels love the chil- 
 dren of earth. If shadows thicken around thy 
 pathway, and sorrow grows to mountain magni- 
 tude, I will not leave thy soul alone. 
 
 There are green meadows in the future land ; 
 there are deep mossy banks ; there are soft me- 
 andering streams ; there are lilies blooming white 
 and fair ; there are arches radiant with blooming 
 
141 
 
 roses ; there is deep toned music chiming ; there 
 are stars of diamond beauty flashing ; there are 
 harps of coral gems ; there are fountains dancing 
 like fairies bright on flowers ; there are birds of 
 paradisal plumage ; there are rainbow tints of 
 glory bursting everywhere, in the future of every 
 soul's existence. 
 
 Sorrow is but the shadow of the wing of hap- 
 piness. Sunshine and shadow lie together. 
 
 Let every one in the earth-life repose and rest 
 within the thought, that peace and harmony flow 
 through creation, and every spirit must find its 
 legitimate part of bliss. 
 
 SECTION XXX 
 
 I hold a bright coronet above your brow. 
 There are sparkling gems therein, and the points 
 glitter with golden stars. The diadem is almost 
 descended upon your brow. The weight of beau- 
 
142 
 
 ty is so mighty that I lower it gently, gently 
 down, and fill up the space with flowers. 
 
 "When the crown falls on your head, my spirit 
 will fall with brighter and more radiant beauty. 
 I have been crowning you with flowers. In this 
 coronet there are gems and sparkling stars, and 
 in each star a world of beauty and light ; each 
 ray is a volume, each gem will tell to thee king- 
 doms of affection. 
 
 O, how thy spirit will be crowned ! I will 
 try to fill every faculty, that the soul may come 
 home in symmetry. O, how brilliant is our path- 
 way yet to be! We shall bound, we shall 
 rove, we shall traverse the kingdoms of the 
 beautiful. We shall tarry on the fragrance 
 of the rose, and repose beneath its tiny leaves, 
 for love and beauty go hand in hand. Onward 
 has been our pathway together ; and forever on- 
 ward is the motto of the spirit. Shall we tarry, 
 loved one? 
 
 When I first came to guard thee, thou didst 
 not know my spirit well. I felt accordant tones 
 rise from thy inner soul to mine. I felt a warm 
 
143 
 
 and throbbing heart beat to the pulses of my 
 own. 
 
 * My language to the world may oftimes have 
 seemed too flowery. If I woo thy spirit to truth 
 with flowers, is it not better than clouds and 
 weapons % If I draw thee to God's unchanging 
 guidance and unchanging truth with a garland, 
 is it not as well as an iron chain whose links are 
 heavy and coarse] If I join thy spirit to eter- 
 nity's beauties, I must link it with blossoms 
 bright and dewy, for my nature is affection and 
 love. Other spirits can come better on the roar- 
 ing, dashing, mighty current of thought ; but I 
 choose the melting cadence, and the sweet, soft 
 tone, and echoing breeze of love to invite thy 
 spirit upward and onward. 
 
 Then look on the kingdom of bliss as sur- 
 rounding thee everywhere in all conditions, and 
 every incident of thy existence a little wave that 
 bears thee nearer and nearer home ; even the 
 contra motion of the tide strengthens thy faith. 
 The wintry blasts bear healing in their breezes. 
 What seem to thee opposing waves, are only 
 
144 
 
 great tidal waters bearing thee to the shores of 
 time and eternity. There can be no opposition 
 to God's immutable and unchanging laws. His 
 great and mighty tide flows o'er creation, tran- 
 scending the power of man to stem the 
 influx. The groans and sighs are only mighty 
 rolling waves that flow to God's refining shores. 
 They beat against some finer current, and with 
 it flow into that mighty stream of bliss, made 
 up of dark and glittering waves; for stars gleam 
 out from midnight, and the chain of happiness 
 is in one eternal grade, the links of which are 
 human souls. 
 
 Then let us traverse wide creation o'er in 
 thought, finding truth and beauty growing side 
 by side. Blossoms and thorns alike have beauty. 
 Looking on creation as a vast gradation of life 
 and bliss, we shall never fail to find the king- 
 dom of which Christ hath spoken, swelling high 
 within us. 
 
145 
 
 SECTION XXXI. 
 
 " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
 see God." 
 
 The inquiring heart goes out and speaks : 
 " Where shall I find my God % " The pure 
 in heart will meet him in the gentle stream 
 and within the tiny flower. Deity wears no 
 mystic veil to the soul, to the heart of purity ; 
 for on creation's face they read the lineaments of 
 his parental love. The pure in heart flow unto 
 him, each stream of thought is a crystal brook 
 that sparkles its spirit home to Deity. The pure 
 in heart find no shadows floating between them 
 and God. Through love and faith they look, 
 and with eyes of peace behold the universe, a 
 circling glory of enchantive life, twining to the 
 great central Spirit, God. Through flowery 
 paths the pure in spirit walk, not by the wayside 
 hedge; they bound along the wide and beaute- 
 ous avenues of love, linking their life and 
 thoughts with myriad souls. The pure in heart 
 
 13 
 
146 
 
 see bright divinities of beaming love shining 
 through humanity ; they gaze on brightness 
 through the love of the spirit within the mortal. 
 They do not sit on the bank of despair, where 
 the deep and angry waters of sin and error are 
 flowing on, but they sit them down by the cool- 
 ing, flowing stream of happiness, and on its 
 wavelets send their sparkling trust to the bosom 
 of their Father, God. Blessed are the pure, for 
 they shall see him. Each moment of their 
 life bears unto them the impress of their Fath- 
 er's face ; and on the mighty works his hand 
 hath made, they see the image of their God. 
 How blest are they that ride on those plume- 
 like, bounding, crystal thoughts, that send their 
 spirits out in dewy sparkles to be attracted to 
 some sapphire sea of bliss, where bright and 
 sparkling jewels dash 'round the shores, and dia- 
 monds point the way to bliss, and emerald islands 
 dance in ether light, and jewelled wings spread 
 out from soft angelic forms, and mystic music 
 floats along the breeze. This is the port ; this 
 is the port to which the hearts of purity sail to 
 
147 
 
 see their God. Then launch thy spirit nobly 
 forth, and on the quivering aspirations of thy 
 immortal soul, send its beauty dancing on 
 flowers of bliss immortal. Warbling melody 
 shall greet the soul. The sweet enchantress 
 shall entrance the vision, and the soul of pure 
 desire shall gaze through countless vistas of eter- 
 nal space, on the image of its God. 
 
 Each pure desire is a wing on which the spir- 
 it mounts. Every holy aspiration is a chariot 
 inviting the soul to fly onward. Each loving 
 thought is a wave of progression, and every 
 longing, throbbing emotion a golden arrow dart- 
 ing the spirit on and on through space infinite, 
 eternal, and sublime. So blessed are the pure 
 for they shall see God ; no atom of creation shall 
 be a thing too small for them to gaze upon and 
 behold him. In each shall be seen a kingdom of 
 his glory ; a bright enchanting power that leads 
 home through wisdom's ways to their Father, 
 God. Each day of life, and each care shall bear 
 the shadow of his spirit. 
 
 While o'er the silvery sea of purity we sail, 
 
148 
 
 the lilies of life shall adorn our way. As we 
 pass along, the waving branches above shall du- 
 plicate their dewy leaves by being mirrored on 
 the waters below, as the future, the golden fu- 
 ture, paints its form upon the stream of the past. 
 So to purity let us wed our souls, that we may 
 through eternity gaze upon our God. 
 
 O, how I love this spirit life, God's life, thy 
 life, my glorious life ; this flowery-bursting, 
 rosy morn of life ; this rolling, moving, angel 
 tide of life ! O, gushing fountain that didst fill 
 me with animation, call back thy waves of mo- 
 tion unto thyself. Let animated nature roll 
 back to thee all eloquent with thanksgiving. 
 Bright morning stars, sing for joy. Glorious 
 noon-day, chant thy anthem. Deepening twi- 
 light with moon-beams in thy arms, come, sing 
 a melody to Deity. O, creation, thou art a migh- 
 ty orchestra, in which each little ripple is a 
 sweetly sounding note to the Creator of all. 
 " Bless, O, my soul, the living God." O, trans- 
 cendent, heavenly life, flowing from and unto 
 God. Let dulcet notes peal from my spirit now, 
 
149 
 
 while I with quivering breath tune my lyre to 
 sing thy praise. According as my spirit knows 
 will I sing, and my song shall not be brief. O, 
 thou from whom all finite love does flow, let 
 brighter angels w T ing around my soul, and star 
 my spirit to Elysian lands, where glory beams 
 resplendent. 
 
 O, who w r ould ask to live not ? What soul 
 should sigh to pass from earth, for the pealing 
 anthem goes on, and the voices of creation sing, 
 " we live /" " we live !" 
 
 Mortals chant the strain ; angels respond ; 
 archangels reverberate, and seraphs echo the loud 
 amen. 
 
 No utterance of the soul can picture, no lan- 
 guage of the heart can paint, no pathos of the 
 spirit can delineate the ecstacy of life forever. 
 
 Thanks added unto thanks, gratitude and 
 praise entwined with high thanksgiving, is the 
 offering chorus of the soul to God. 
 
 To live, to labor, and to love, are the spiritual 
 circles of the soul. "When we have mounted 
 
 unto love, pure, holy love, then our souls shall 
 
 11* 
 
150 
 
 be traversing the path of seraphs, and we will 
 make the circle of life again, and live, and live, 
 and live ; watch-words for the soul of man ; 
 bright landmarks for creation — Life and Love. 
 
 Lend me thy egotism, spirit of sadness ; gaze 
 out upon the glorious heavens, and mirror the 
 love in the bright sky. Plume, plume thy spir- 
 it, take an advance joy, and sweeten thy weary 
 life. 
 
 When Deity and life die out, then hope will 
 leave the soul, and joy follow in the sorrowing 
 train. But while God and life exist, hope will 
 forever be the guest of man, for it is but the glo- 
 rious result of heavenly life, and life the bright 
 result of God. 
 
 O, that I could herald the world's salvation, 
 joined by seraphs without number. I would 
 work, and would not know a slumber till in joy, 
 eternal joy, mankind had been gathered home. 
 
 With fresh garlands of zeal, and new found 
 blossoms of hope, let us with angels labor till 
 we can meet every known want. The longings 
 of the spirit are only wildly beating waves with- 
 
151 
 
 in, that mount the spirit heavenward. Dark 
 waves of life, dark waves of the ocean, can 
 mount us to the skies. Struggles and conflicts 
 hasten the spirit home to kiss the stars of light. 
 
 SECTION XXXII. 
 
 Flora spoke through Mrs. Helen Leeds as follows : 
 
 I am gazing on thee and drinking in thy spir- 
 it thoughts. How my plant hath flourished ! 
 How beautifully the flower unfolds to send me 
 higher spirit power, to help me build the bridge 
 of faith, on which you shall cross to realms of 
 bliss, where we, with spirit natures awakened, 
 can read the w r ords that God hath given us, and 
 gaze together on his mysterious ways. 
 
 I am a part of thy own nature. One stem 
 with a bud and flower. From the beginning we 
 were buds together on the parent stem. I have 
 bloomed in heaven sooner than thou, to reach 
 
152 
 
 higher, and gather nurture to strengthen the 
 bud of spirit soon to bloom above. 
 
 Mrs. Leeds spoke from impression. 
 
 There is a half circle over your head, of white 
 flowers mixed with green leaves, compressed ; 
 soon as they are grown a little more, they will 
 be very beautiful. There are some little things 
 to be cleared away in your mind, then the light 
 from heaven will be to you as the sun bursting 
 on flowers. Truths high and elevated will 
 spring up spontaneously ; they will flow into 
 your mind with rapidity. You will almost for- 
 get the outer man. It is owing to your energy 
 and activity of thought that you have risen 
 above materialism to spirit heights of progres- 
 sion. 
 
 Flora continued : 
 
 Together we will raise our spirit thoughts in 
 prayer, asking the Giver of all blessings to bestow 
 this gift on us, his children, for he doeth all 
 
153 
 
 things well, and ere long we will receive the 
 promise. When my spirit receives the gift from 
 higher spheres, I will give it to you, that joy in 
 thy spirit may abound. 
 
 I w r ould have thee ascend the ladder of pro- 
 gression by a steady step, not growing giddy by 
 the height, nor the beauty that thy spirit eyes 
 may behold. I would nerve thee for the ascent: 
 for remember, dear one, that the natural senses 
 can bear but so much, and the spirit must not 
 dethrone the monarch, Reason. If the gates of 
 the spirit world were thrown open to your gaze, 
 the brilliancy of the spiritual sun would dazzle 
 and make you blind. We can only give of these 
 rays as they are adapted to the plant w r e nur- 
 ture, guide and guard, that the buds may open 
 fresh in fragrance to all who shall put forth their 
 hands. It is pleasant to have your spirit realize 
 that our affections mingle, and that I with you 
 stem the current of your natural life, and that 
 when your spirit embarks on the life of eternity, 
 I will conduct your soul to the port of peace. 
 
 Was thy joy perfect when you gazed on me, 
 
154 
 
 when you beheld the spirit form which hovers 
 around you to guide from evil, and to lead in 
 the path to heaven ? You shall soon see me 
 more distinctly, as soon as I can throw around 
 you that influence which shall not make you wish 
 to come from earth to our sphere. Soon, soon 
 you shall behold me entering your thoughts with 
 such a look of love that you shall know that the 
 eternal spirit form has life, and even matter, too, 
 to make thy bliss complete. Together we will 
 wander o'er the fields of truth, culling all the 
 beauteous flowers, and bearing them to earth to 
 lead some wanderers to the bliss our spirits en- 
 joy, for we could not be happy in bliss alone; 
 selfish flowers grow not here, and as we progress 
 together we will cull flowers, giving to others 
 near us, and carrying them to those of lower 
 spheres. 
 
 I asked, if when I called my guardian's name, she heard me : — 
 and she answered : 
 
 The electric chord of sympathy reaches from 
 thee to me in my spirit sphere, and thus I hear 
 
155 
 
 your call and feel your thoughts. Now then is 
 your judgment to be used. Keep me not always 
 by your side, for I shall be like the foolish vir- 
 gins. I must go to trim my lamp and have it 
 burning. The flowers need the rain of heaven 
 to keep them fresh and fragrant, and so your 
 guardian spirit needs to roam in the spirit 
 spheres for the grace that abounds there, to re- 
 fresh and make her spirit strong in God's love. 
 How wonderful are all the works of the infi- 
 nite mind. Spirits come to convey to you the 
 words of eternal life. The departed have been 
 as silent as the tomb where the mortal body re- 
 mains. But God has given us the key to open 
 the secret spring of thought, and the ponderous 
 doors of superstition have opened, and we have 
 come with our life essence of love and truth to 
 keep them back, and you have only to ask of us 
 and you shall receive. The bread of life shall 
 be freely given to support you on the way. The 
 tomb shall be no dark passage to our clime, but 
 flowers shall be strown, garlands fair shall be 
 wreathed in forms exquisite, and our spirit fin- 
 
156 
 
 gers shall interpret to the mind of man, the 
 meaning of those forms which the garlands shall 
 make around the tomb, bidding him hope and 
 look beyond, for the spirits are freed, to roam, to 
 bask in the glories of eternity, and to come back 
 to earth and tell of their new home. 
 
 SECTION XXXIII. 
 
 Flora wrote, through Mrs. Bickford's hand, as follows : 
 
 Stronger than the sunlight, purer than the 
 moonlight, more gentle than the starlight, and 
 softer than the twilight is my love for thee, mine 
 own beloved one. How my soul goes forth to- 
 night in joy to meet thee. How near we are to- 
 gether. Thou art like the vine, and I the trellis, 
 for do I not support thee and give thee strength ? 
 
 The golden apples are ripening fast, and ere 
 the Autumn clays are over thou shalt pluck 
 them : thou shalt gather in thy fruit into the 
 great storehouse of eternity. 
 
157 
 
 My love to thee to-night is like the gentle 
 dew unon the flower : thou scarce can feel it, for 
 it presses not upon thee, but only refreshes and 
 sends forth the fragrance that others may be ben- 
 efitted thereby. 
 
 Come with me to-night ; leave earthly cares 
 and wander with me through etherial realms of 
 bliss ; visit my bower adorned w 7 ith nature's 
 richest gems ; come sit with me beneath the 
 cooling boughs of thought, and let thy soul go 
 forth to mine in holy converse. When the sun- 
 set cometh, let us wander together on the golden 
 sands of eternity's shores. O, wander with me, 
 my own true mate, and together let us enjoy the 
 beauties of nature and God's w r ondrous handi- 
 work. 
 
 'T is hard to come to earth to-night, my spirit 
 soars like the lark, so high above all earthly 
 things. I have made happy many sad hearts to- 
 day. I have lightened many darkened homes 
 with love's bright taper. I have placed my 
 hand with affection upon misery's brow. I have 
 whispered comfort to the widow's heart, and 
 
 14 
 
158 
 
 made orphans feel that they were fatherless no 
 longer. 
 
 Angel fingers have been weaving me a wreath 
 of laurel that shall never fade, and I have re- 
 ceived a Father's blessing for my deeds. Verily, 
 great is our reward for every deed of love — we 
 are paid tenfold. 
 
 Now I come to thee, mine own, and on thy 
 brow set the star of faith. It shall be of such 
 surpassing lustre that it will light the most be- 
 nighted soul to heaven's portals. 
 
 Accept, then, Flora's gift ; it has been blessed 
 by angels. O, how like sunny ripples on the 
 sea, is my love ever dancing in thy heart, making 
 it light and joyous when care comes to thee. 
 Then do I softly smooth the ripples away, and 
 make a perfect calm wherd once only a storm 
 would have arisen. 
 
 We have sailed together through life's rapids, 
 now in calmer water we peacefully glide adown 
 the celestial stream. Fear not, I will guide thee. 
 I will weave a breast-plate for thee, and stud it 
 over with gems of love and wisdom, and it shall 
 
159 
 
 make thee strong ; the jewels shall attract the 
 million, first by their wondrous beauty, then by 
 their great value. 
 
 O, let me twine my spirit arms around thy 
 heart this night and take thee home. I am as 
 impatient as a young bird first learning to fly ; 
 my heart is so glad that it can scarce contain 
 such fullness of joy. 
 
 I have filled thy life fountain with pure streams 
 of gladness, and now I have enough for thou- 
 sands, and to spare. O, drink my love ; I'll hold 
 the golden goblet to thy lips, and it shall be as 
 nectar in thy soul. 
 
 How exquisite is this love. How it thrills 
 every fibre of our hearts ; how it makes earth 
 more like heaven to thee, and makes heaven 
 more a heaven to me. Thy soul's casket is filled 
 with most costly jewels ; but there shines one 
 among them, more brilliant, far, than any other. 
 
 Tis the gem of love that I placed there. 
 These jewels will help to form thy diadem in 
 the spirit land. O, happy will the hour be 
 when I come to thee ; when with angel touch, 
 
160 
 
 I come and say, prepare O mortal mate of 
 mine, prepare to enter paradise, to enter Flora's 
 bower, pure sanctuary of pure thoughts ; pre- 
 pare to leave the arms of health, and lay thy 
 head lovingly upon death's cold bosom. Let 
 death take thy earthly temple, what is that to 
 thee ; thy spirit is immortal, and with Flora, you 
 shall roam within the gardens of our angel 
 home. 
 
 SECTION XXXIV 
 
 Flora spoke through Miss . 
 
 Yes, dear one, I am here, ever with and 
 around you. Are these not blissful moments of 
 communion, and holy joy, when the heart is too 
 full for utterance ; when with words we cannot 
 find expression \ Our words shall come burst- 
 ing forth like pure, bubbling springs of life, and 
 yet the fountain source is ever full. 
 
 I will ever bring you words of love, and in 
 
161 
 
 your heart impress sweet heavenly precepts. I 
 will be with you ; I will be around you ; I will 
 be near you, and when you go forth among the 
 children of earth, I will be the magnet star of 
 truth upon your brow that shall shine on earth's 
 children, and impart to them the light of heaven 
 and the love of God. 
 
 O, give the gems of truth that you receive 
 from a spirit land to earth's children, for they 
 are hungering and thirsting for them. They are 
 in darkness. O, light their pathway, and let 
 them see the smiles of God's love that are being 
 shed around them, so beautiful and bright. 
 Keep not one truth within thy soul secluded ; 
 let them all go forth and do their mission of love, 
 for it is thy Father that has sent them. He has 
 sent his angels to you with bright flowers from 
 eternal gardens. Let them go forth and admin- 
 ister , to the spiritual wants of man, and make 
 his earthly pilgrimage pleasant and happy. 
 
 14* 
 
162 
 
 SECTION'XXXV. 
 
 The flowers of the garden are sweet, and they 
 woo my spirit; but how much more beautiful 
 are the flowerets of the spirit that blossom in 
 their own fragrance of love, arranged by a hand 
 of progression to woo us to the hearts we love. 
 
 It is not, that we shall not often meet, that 
 our souls will not be knit together by bonds of 
 affection, that I address you to-night with some 
 words of tenderness and leave-taking. I speak 
 of this temple, [Mrs. Adams,] where our spirits 
 have painted jeweled memories of the past, and 
 borrowed the beams of futurity over the dia- 
 monds. 'T is here that we have drank often at 
 the fountain of truth, and here together we have 
 nectared our spirits with the draughts of eterni- 
 ty. Here we have culled many roses of beauty 
 to deck the brow of time. Here have we gath- 
 
163 
 
 ered many a sand of life, and counted the shining 
 pebbles and linked them with the glowing beau- 
 ties of eternity. Here, on the breezes of affec- 
 tion, our souls have been wafted away to those 
 sunbeam streams of thought, whose rippling 
 melodies floated us into the mazy future, and we 
 have caught some day-dreams of the morrow, 
 just glimmering o'er the mountain, the moun- 
 tain tops of time. 'T is here thou hast gazed 
 on stars that light the heavens. And fittingly 
 it seems that this hour should be spent in chant- 
 ing the melody of the past. Come, then, on rec- 
 ollection, and let us rove away and re-admire the 
 roses of the past, and newly gild the star-gems 
 that brought us together. We will sing the song 
 of yesterday, the song that made us bright and 
 free. 
 
 At this point, Flora found the physical condition of Mrs. Adams 
 too low to sustain, while entranced, the flow of rapturous thought 
 upon which she had entered. She therefore closed at this point, 
 and at a subsequent time wrote by Mrs. Bickford's hand, in contin- 
 uation, as follows : 
 
164 
 
 Retrospective Vision. 
 
 One eve I laid me on my soft cloud-couch to rest, 
 And drew the beauteous mantle of thy love around my breast. 
 Beside me stood a glorious one, with bright and shining wings, 
 And in the purest melody these words she sweetly sings : — 
 
 I am the goddess of sweet sleep, 
 
 To thee I come ; 
 Alike to those that joy and weep, 
 
 I bring all home. 
 
 I gently lull them to repose, 
 
 And in sweet dreams 
 Lead them where immortal water flows, 
 
 In sparkling streams. 
 
 I lead them where the songsters ever sing, 
 
 In one bright band ; 
 And to their gaze I all the glories bring, 
 
 Of this fair land. 
 
 I lead them where eternal fountains play, 
 
 And bid them fill ; 
 And oft I hear their poor, worn spirits say : 
 
 Peace, peace, be still. 
 
165 
 
 Now all the glories, and the angel kind, 
 
 And this sweet dream, 
 Are no chimeras of the human mind, 
 
 But. what they seem. 
 
 Thus spake the lovely angel, and her liquid accents fell, 
 Upon my listening ear, like dew drops in a dell, 
 Where the buds are ever waiting for soft refreshing showers, 
 To call forth sweetest fragrance from the highly perfumed flowers. 
 
 I could have drank the music of those silvery- tinted words, 
 Their tones to me were like the carolling of birds. 
 And as she opened her sweet lips, the language seemed to flow 
 Like rippling of some fairy stream in sunlight's gentle glow. 
 
 Spirit of love ! thou 'rt passing fair, yet I am fairer still : 
 I come to thee from spheres above, my mission to fulfil ; 
 I will gently close thine eyelids, and make thy slumbers free, 
 And whatever thou may'st wish to have, in dreams I '11 give 
 to thee. 
 
 Then softly o'er my senses a pleasing fragrance stole, 
 And most delicious music was ravishing my soul. 
 And with a new awakening, I gazed in rapturous awe, 
 Not at the lovely angel, but the vision that I saw. 
 
 I saw a little child in its mother's arms repose, 
 
 And as she gazes on him, her heart with love o'erflows ; 
 
166 
 
 Then in soft, trembling accents, and mild imploring gaze, 
 She pleads, " 0, God of mercies, keep him from error's ways! 
 How gladly would I shield him, but e'en a mother's love, 
 Is powerless compared with thine, thou Holy One above. 
 Now in thy holy keeping I place this babe of mine, 
 And oh, may he in after years kneel at thy blessed shrine." 
 Then I looked within that youthful heart and saw a limpid 
 
 spring, 
 Ever bubbling pure and truthful as the dews that angels bring. 
 Not a cloud upon its surface, but as beautiful and true 
 As the clearest crystal raindrops, when the sun is peeping 
 
 through. 
 A cloud came o'er my vision, and I gazed in empty space, 
 Looking vainly for another glimpse of that sweet, sleeping face. 
 Then sadly from the cloud I turned, to ask the reason why, 
 When suddenly this vision greets my enraptured eye. — 
 
 I gaze upon the countenance, 't is one I should have known, 
 Though years have passed, and he to man's estate has grown. 
 Then I look within the open heart, for the spring that bubbles 
 
 there, 
 But the weeds have overgrown it, and heavy clouds of care 
 Have dimmed its limpid waters. No longer does the sound 
 Of its merry, heartfelt gushings, make all the air resound. 
 Then I asked myself the question, where is the mother's prayer ? 
 Was it not heard in heaven ; was it not answered there ? 
 
167 
 
 Was not that young heart given unto the most divine ? 
 Yet now I see him kneeling devout at Mammon's shrine. 
 Then softly knelt I by the spring, and brushed the weeds away , 
 The waters were not tainted, and the ripples still might play. 
 Where weeds had once been growing, I planted mossy flowers, 
 And humbly prayed to heaven to bless them with her showers. 
 The spring within the open heart began to bubble clear, 
 And the heavy clouds were breaking for the sunlight to appear. 
 I gazed into the mirrored depths of that clear, living stream, 
 And saw my own reflection. 0, was it all a dream ? 
 
 This was my mission well performed, God given, 
 To lead thy hungry soul to Him and Heaven. 
 
 Again the cloud before my vision passed, 
 But left me not in darkness as the last ; 
 For soon the hallowed rays of spirit light, 
 Brought me another vision still more bright. 
 
 I saw thee on a couch repose, mine own, 
 
 And midnight around thee her dark robe had thrown, 
 
 Studded with gems of spirit thought so bright, 
 
 They seemed to bathe thee in celestial light. 
 
 And roiihd thee myriads of bright forms were pressing, 
 
 To crown thee with their love and with their blessing. 
 
 I saw them weaving garlands for thy head, 
 
 And looping up festoons around thy bed ; 
 
 So glowing were their features and so blest, 
 
 That fairer each one seemed than all the rest. 
 
168 
 
 Now a bright spirit of peculiar grace, 
 
 With genius shining in his radiant face, 
 
 With loving smile, and mein, and gentle tone, 
 
 Like evening breezes as they softly moan 
 
 Through forest trees ; he spoke to thee, 
 
 Not as e'er man spoke, but only He 
 
 Who rules the winds and waters by his will, 
 
 And bids the storms and troubled waves be still. 
 
 And he with his all loving heart hath taught 
 
 His accents unto angels — with his spirit fraught. 
 
 Mortal, I place this laurel wreath upon thy brow, 
 Emblem of fame and immortality ; and now, 
 Oh keep its leaves from any earthly taint, 
 And wear it until thou shalt be a saint 
 In angel spheres. I come to guard and bless 
 Thy Genius. Though I may not love thee less 
 Than others. Yet in this peculiar sphere, 
 I 'm fitted more than others to appear. 
 Then all the angels joined in one accord, 
 And warbled forth their praises to the Lord. 
 
 Then from among that glorious angel band, 
 Steps one more fair than all, and in her hand 
 She holds a pure white bud and snowy dove, 
 These are her gifts, emblems of trust and love. 
 
169 
 
 Mortal, oh place this pure dove in thy breast, 
 And gently pillow his soft head to rest ; 
 Even as in thy Saviour's arms thou 'It lay, 
 When from all earthly cares thou pass away. 
 
 Then joined the angels her soft hand with thine, 
 And kneeling made thy lowly couch their shrine ; 
 Then in sweet, blending harmony the angels sing, 
 Praises to their almighty God and King. 
 
 Then forth an aged spirit stood, and in her arms 
 An infant lay, whose gentle, winning charms, 
 Might well make angels stand in wondrous awe, 
 Before the holy image that they saw. 
 Emblem of purity, how like it seems, 
 To snow beneath the moonlight's gentle beams. 
 
 Then spake the aged spirit, and her voice was faint and low, 
 As trembling from the fountain, the accents seemed to flow. 
 
 Mortal, thou seest childhood before you in both forms, 
 Though one has seen but sunshine, the other met the storms. 
 Thou seest upon my brow the path where sin has trod, 
 But on this little child is stamped the image of a God. 
 I bring thee sin and purity, they 're working hand in hand ; 
 And age may by a child be led, in this most glorious land. 
 Then angels tune your harps anew, and lift your songs above. 
 Sing praises to the heavenly hosts and to the God of love. 
 
 15 
 
170 
 
 Now came a maiden forward, with a face supremely blest, 
 And her small white hands are crossed upon her snowy breast ; 
 Her glorious eyes are shaded by the lashes thick and long, 
 And her breast swells with emotion, as she poureth forth her 
 song. 
 
 Oh mortal eyes may never gaze upon this fair Madonna, 
 For Charity hath lovingly thrown her soft mantle on her. 
 Then spoke this lovely maiden, and her words were spirit given. 
 As suddenly she lifts those radiant orbs to heaven. 
 
 " Mortal, 2" bring an humble gift, 't is but a simple flower, 
 And thou may'st gather many, for they 're blooming every hour. 
 'T is an emblem of humility, a violet of blue, 
 Which I plant beside thy heart-spring to keep it pure and true. 
 Beside thy many rich gifts then place it on thy shrine, 
 And, though it may be humble, slight not this gift of mine. 
 
 Then joyously the angels woke the anthem long and loud, 
 And the swelling of the chorus reached my couch upon the 
 
 cloud. 
 And I looked within the open heart, to find the pearly spring, 
 And my heart with joy rebounded as I heard the waters sing. 
 Not a cloud did o'ercast it, and the flowers were springing wild, 
 And the waters bubbled clearly as when he was a child. 
 Then I turned and asked the angel, where was the mother's 
 
 prayer ? 
 And she pointed to my vision — I saw it answered there. 
 
171 
 
 Then the fountains of my own heart with silent prayer were 
 
 stirred, 
 And I knew that by my Father that simple prayer was heard. 
 I prayed for thy redemption, mine own beloved mate, 
 That thou might be perfected to walk within the gate 
 Of Eden's happy lands, where the milk and honey flow, 
 And meet the shining bands that have guarded thee below. 
 
 SECTION XXXVI, 
 
 There is a dark spirit near me. The influ- 
 ence this spirit brings makes me very sad. I 
 must remove from this influence. How can I 
 best do it 1 
 
 This spirit now passes by me and is gone, and 
 in its pathway I see a dark, flowing stream. Oh, 
 how dark ! On the opposite shore I see Flora, 
 she beckons me to come to her. But I cannot 
 cross this dark stream. Will you help me? 
 "Wait, for Flora is dropping flowers in this stream, 
 it will soon be full and I will cross upon them. 
 
172 
 
 After a short pause, Flora spoke as follows : 
 
 And so of thee in thy pilgrimage, and of all 
 the dark currents of folly that wind around thy 
 life ; I will scatter flowers till they cover the 
 stream so thou canst walk over them ; and at thy 
 tread their sweet fragrance shall arise. Frail as 
 the flowers may seem to earth ; incompetent as 
 their power seems to sustain thee, yet come over 
 in faith ; tread not doubtingly ; think not of the 
 dark current, but tread thou firmly on the delicate 
 blossoms, for power dwells in what seems to 
 earth's children but flowers and phantoms. 
 
 She soon after gave the following, as an address to little Theo- 
 dore: 
 
 Pure and innocent traveller of earth. I bring 
 to thee the buds of innocence, the buds of hope, 
 the buds of purity ; and with them I '11 twine 
 for thee a chaplet that I will throw around thee. 
 I will pray for thee, loved child, that in thy path 
 nought but bright and beauteous flowers may 
 spring up ; and that no inharmony from without 
 
173 
 
 or within may retard thy progress. O, may thy 
 young bud of life be unfolded beneath a sum- 
 mer's sun ; may the gentle dews refresh it ; and 
 gentle showers invigorate it, so that when the 
 rude and harsh hand of an unfeeling, uncharita- 
 ble and uncongenial world shall be placed upon 
 it, it may have strength to stand the harsh touch, 
 that the tender leaves may not be blighted by 
 the withering emanations of the iceburg. 
 
 Let a father's wisdom guide thee ; let a moth- 
 er's gentle love lead thee, and thy garden shall 
 be filled with bright blossoms, for a father's wise, 
 cautious hand shall pluck the weeds of error ere 
 they drink up the richness of thy soul ; and 
 when thy wisdom shall be unfolded, be thyself a 
 wise and careful gardener ; prune well the flow- 
 ers, and water well the roots. Yet as you tread 
 on, I fear, I fear the dark clouds ; I fear the 
 freezing, wintry wind. But thy Father in heaven 
 will guard thee ; he will shield thee from the 
 wind ; he will wrap close around thee garments 
 of love, and in his protection there is no fear. 
 
 15* 
 
174 
 
 SECTION XXXVII. 
 
 Flora spoke through Miss Elizabeth — — — as follows : 
 
 What would you have me speak to-night, to 
 add to thy little volume that is going forth to 
 cheer the darkened places of the earth % "Would 
 you have me speak to you of bright spirits, or 
 of spirits who are crushed and broken, who are 
 bound to earth by chains they cannot break ] 
 O, how they strive to sever those chains, but ex- 
 cept they abide in Christ, and repose in faith in 
 the arms of our almighty Father, they cannot. 
 Let thy little volume point souls to the land of 
 bliss. Tell them that God is merciful, kind, lov- 
 ing, gentle and good. He makes no distinctions. 
 As dear to him, precious in his sight, is the soul 
 of the beggar as the soul of the king ; and ever 
 in the humble abodes of poverty and sadness he 
 sends his angels to guard. And holy angels 
 weep over down-trodden humanity. Tell earth's 
 children that their sorrows and sufferings are 
 
175 
 
 likewise the sorrows and sufferings of angels, 
 for they come to sympathize and bring consola- 
 tion. 
 
 Tell them that could they but once gaze 
 into the glories and mysteries of the spirit land, 
 their souls w r ould loathe the things they now 
 cling to most. 
 
 Bid the weeping mother weep not for her in- 
 fant gone ; tell her that could her eyes behold 
 the loved form she laid in the silent tomb, she 
 would be dazzled with its beauty. Tell her that 
 she beheld not the smiles that gladdened angels' 
 faces as her child was ushered into the abodes 
 of love and peace, and heard not the welcome 
 cry — "A child is born, a new soul has entered 
 the gates of paradise." 
 
 Bid the husband mourn not for his bride ; tell 
 him that she is freed from earth's sufferings and 
 cares ; that her spirit like an uncaged bird now 
 ranges the broad land of that bright world of 
 spirits. Let loose from earthly trammels that so 
 long have held it, like a weary child sighing for 
 rest, and at last it has found that rest. 
 
176 
 
 Bid all mourners cease their weeping ; tell 
 them when the death-angel comes, in him they 
 may behold the one who said — " Fear not, it is 
 I ; be not afraid." Tell thy earthly friends when 
 troubled, to look back on him who trod the rug- 
 ged steeps of Calvary. Tell them when in toil 
 with drops of sweat upon their brow, to remember 
 him who sweat great drops of blood, that 
 through him they might gain great victory even 
 over death and the grave. 
 
 SECTION XXXVIII. 
 
 Flora spoke through Miss Ann Groce, as follows : 
 
 When I look about me, and see the thorny 
 paths through which you must travel, then do I 
 feel my own weakness, my own inability to guide 
 you. Then would I drink deep from the foun- 
 tain of strength. 
 
 I pray for purity of thought, for holiness of 
 life ; for if my life is pure, I am fortified and pre- 
 
177 
 
 pared to meet temptations. No matter then if 
 my pathway is filled with thorns. 
 
 O, my soul longs to meet thee in my own qui- 
 et home, where in silent whispers we can com- 
 mune together; where all around is harmony 
 and love ; where no earthly care shall distract 
 the mind from the beauties I bring thee ; 
 where no anxiety is, but all is passiveness. O, 
 meet me often where no dark clouds come to 
 darken the bright sunlight of heaven ; meet me 
 where no cares come to oppress thee ; let thy 
 mind be passive, and together we will gaze, and 
 together see new beauties. The perfume of the 
 bright flowers that I have brought thee, has 
 filled thy soul, made it radiant, bright and har- 
 monious. So interwoven with my own soul is 
 thine, that together we will gaze, and I will point 
 out beauties to you. 
 
 And art thou soaring far above the material- 
 ism of the world, this bright, this sunny morn- 
 ing ] Thou hast drank deep from my fountain ; 
 and have these draughts brought joy to thy soul 1 
 Soon can I lead thee to a garden more beautiful ; 
 
178 
 
 and twine for thee brighter, purer flowers than 
 thy mind has yet conceived of. But as you wan- 
 der in the garden with earth's children, touch 
 not the flower of envy. Many, whose crowns 
 would be pure, could they tear from them that 
 flower, are dim. It sheds darkness on brighter 
 flowers, so they cannot shine. Let it not twine 
 itself around you, for the purest are in danger 
 when walking the garden where this flower 
 blooms. 
 
 I will build around thee a framework so strong 
 and yet transparent, that the uncongenial influ- 
 ences, the unlovely flower of envy cannot enter. 
 Pluck the little flowers and throw them away. 
 Trample under thy feet the weeds of error, and 
 the beauteous flowers shall spring up and unfold 
 in the bright sunlight. 
 
 Let our souls flow together in one streamlet ; 
 let our thoughts be one ; let us wind our way by 
 the hill side, through the valley, through the 
 forest ; let us flow onward, and even shall be our 
 course, until at last we shall enter the great 
 fountain from whence we came. 
 
179 
 
 As we travel in life's rugged path, let us adapt 
 our garments to the work we have to perform; 
 let us live up to the glorious doctrine that we 
 preach, and earth's children shall point to us as 
 models of the religion we believe ; as true follow- 
 ers of Jesus ; as searchers after God's truths ; as 
 small fountains whose streams flow from God's 
 eternal fountain. Doubtless they may oftimes 
 become impure by passing through the channels 
 that bring them to us. 
 
 Let us utter our thoughts with wisdom ; let 
 wisdom guide us. Let us plant the seed within 
 an enclosure so high and strong that no foes 
 can come in and destroy it. 
 
 Let us open the eyes of the blind that they 
 may see ; let us uncover the beauties of earth ; 
 let us pluck the weeds that the flowers may be 
 seen. 
 
 Materialism asks what better teachings bring 
 you to earth's children than the word of God ? 
 
 If you read the Bible, and appreciate its con- 
 tents, w T e bring nothing more, nothing new. 
 We come not to give new truths, but we come 
 
180 
 
 to uncover, to unfold truths that have ever ex- 
 isted but have not been perceived. New truths, 
 great reforms are unfolded among the meek and 
 lowly. 
 
 We bring flowers, and the world takes them ; 
 we bring laurels and the world wears them. If 
 mortals can not enter the garden, we will twine 
 beautiful wreaths and give to thei% When we 
 have planted our own garden, materialism may 
 step in and take the praise ; let these worldly 
 children come and take it, for thus we may lead 
 them to an appreciation of beauty. We seek not 
 for honor ; we seek not for laurels ; we ask no 
 praise. 
 
 When materialism shall step and trample 
 down our flowers, there shall a purifying, soften- 
 ing fragrance ascend and fill the atmosphere 
 around, and will pass to other opening fields of 
 beauty that await us. And when we've thus 
 passed on, they will follow to our new garden, 
 and so onward still we will go. 
 
181 
 
 I would not bring from dark, insipid streams, 
 Water to bathe thy weary spirit in ; 
 
 But crystal dews from love's immortal fountain, 
 That 's pure from hatred and from every sin. 
 
 SECTION xxxix. 
 
 Flora spoke through Miss Frances A. Burbank, as follows : 
 
 How many new truths are opening to your 
 spirit ; so numerous are they, that I scarce know 
 which first to bring to you. 
 
 O, how I joy to meet thee ; the love of the 
 spirit fadeth not, but human love, how frail it is. 
 A pure spirit love is thine for me, and mine for 
 thee. Earthly feelings taint it not ; 't is a pure 
 spiritual emotion, and I can liken it only to two 
 dewdrops blending into one, reflecting the rays 
 of the sun of wisdom, and filling them with rain- 
 bow light. 
 
 As the quiet lake reflects the bright star that 
 shines in the firmament above it, so does thy 
 soul reflect mine. And though the lake ripples 
 
 16 
 
182 
 
 on, the star still shines, and its multiplied reflec- 
 tions are ever changing, but the star shines ever 
 the same. 
 
 But why does my spirit thus come, attracted 
 by emotions of love to earth % I may as well 
 ask, why do streams flow on to the deep ocean ? 
 
 Flora, alluding to the medium, said : 
 
 I find a new channel opened for me to-night ; 
 a new mind to impress, new lips to speak 
 through. 
 
 Shall I give thee an account of one I beheld 
 come to the spirit land of late % 
 
 A mother came to me saying ; " Will you go 
 with me and aid me in receiving a child who is 
 coming to our spirit home ? " Gladly did I obey 
 the summons, for I love to aid those who aid 
 others. 
 
 We sought the earth. How dim and dark it 
 looked compared with our bright home, for the 
 flowers of earth had faded ; the chilly winds of 
 autumn had swept over what was once green and 
 
183 
 
 beauteous, and we missed the sweet incense of 
 summer flowers. 
 
 The youth struggled for life. The friends of 
 the youth had anticipated his life to be a long 
 and useful one. But who can stay the hand of 
 death % An earthly father clung to him with 
 deep, true love — but a spirit mother waited to 
 greet him with a deeper and holier affection 
 above. I watched the change as life faded away, 
 and the pulse ceased to beat. 
 
 A beautiful spirit was now rising and forming 
 over the dying body. When fully formed, it 
 hovered still over its lifeless tenement and gazed 
 in wonder ; then gazed upon the scene around 
 him, and was surprised that he was freed from 
 pain. A band of spirits now approached him, 
 and chanted sweet music for his ear. Still his 
 spirit was confused, until a mother's voice, in 
 
 softest whispers called his name. " , 
 
 child of my own being ! " Instantly he then 
 knew that his earthly life was ended, and that 
 his spirit was free. A mother's fond love then 
 drew him to her arms, and he was borne away 
 
184 
 
 by a band of spirits to a bower of repose strewn 
 with fragrant flowers. "We poured upon him 
 the incense of love and joy, and he slept like a 
 weary child. O, would that you could behold 
 the joy of that mother's heart, I never knew be- 
 fore how deep a mother's love could be. She 
 had waited long for the flower to unfold in the 
 spirit world. She had watered the buds she left 
 on earth with the dews of her affection, and with 
 the tears of her love. And now one is gathered 
 home to bloom in the garden of her heart. 
 
 Now he has grown strong from repose, and he 
 opens his eyes and gazes upon the spirit land, 
 and wishes not to return to earth. And when he 
 thinks of the loved ones left behind, the thought 
 is an incentive to higher motives, to greater ef- 
 forts in goodness, that he may return to earth 
 and aid his earthly friends. Dear friends, who 
 are left behind, mourn not for him, for he is free 
 and joyous, while you are weary and sad. Think 
 of him as a jewel that has gone before you to 
 the spirit land, to glitter like a star in the firma- 
 ment of heaven ; to attract your thoughts and 
 
185 
 
 eyes upward, so he will continue to draw you, 
 until one after the other shall be called home to 
 join him. 
 
 SECTION XL. 
 
 Flora spoke, through Miss , as follows : 
 
 Welcome, welcome again. O, how I joy to 
 meet you, and how I joy to greet you. 
 
 O, how my spirit loves to come to thee bring- 
 ing little flowers for thee to give to mortals, to 
 cheer them with hope's bright ray. Give to 
 them freely of the flowers that I have plucked 
 from the eternal gardens above; they will be 
 given to thee and return thou them increased 
 tenfold. 
 
 Beloved one of my soul, God's blessings shall 
 rest upon thee, and the smiles of his counte- 
 nance shall illuminate your onward progress to 
 happiness and truth ; angels shall hover over and 
 around thee to catch the holy aspirations of thy 
 soul and bear them upward to the throne of 
 grace. 
 
186 
 
 That sweet light that opes your eyes 
 
 At morning's earliest ray, 
 Is but a whisper from the skies 
 
 To call thy heart to pray. 
 
 How often do my prayers go up to God to 
 ask a blessing for thee, and how earnestly do I 
 pray my heavenly Father that I may ever be 
 permitted to be near thee and speak to thee 
 words of love, of holy love. And let thy pray- 
 ers of thanks ascend to God for the love of an- 
 gels that fills thy own soul; bless him for a 
 world like this, and praise him that you live; 
 let the soft wing of every hour returning soon 
 to heaven, waft to his throne some notes of 
 praise that thine own lips have given. 
 
 SECTION XLI. 
 
 Closing Words. 
 
 The busy thoughts of memory come rushing 
 
 fast and close around my soul; and I, amid the 
 
 past, the golden lighted past, am numbering the 
 
 blossoms that fell on the pathway of mortals, 
 
187 
 
 plucked by angels in gardens of paradise and 
 joy. Cold, cold must be the heart that does not 
 soften at the repeated coming, and sound of an- 
 gels' foot-steps within their mansion. Slumber- 
 ing, must they be that hear not our voices as we 
 wake them from the night and call them to the 
 rosy arms of morning. 
 
 I am looking on the past, when first I took 
 those mazy threads to weave thy bright eter- 
 nal life with flowerets and never fading blos- 
 soms. In holy guardianship and love I've never 
 left a bud untwined. Even when the threads 
 were coarse and hard, I plucked from the tree of 
 life a flower of stronger growth. But when the 
 threads were closing thick and fast, I formed the 
 fairy garland of blossoms most delicate and 
 rare ; sometimes the buds were so etherial and 
 light, so delicate and fair, that even love, the 
 hand of love, was bade by truth to fasten them 
 with thorns. They pierced awhile, but they kept 
 the flower all delicate within thy soul. I'm 
 thinking how thy course has upward been, to 
 join me in my onward way. 
 
188 
 
 I'm numbering the pearly tears of pity that 
 thou hast flowed into the ocean of sorrow. 
 
 I'm looking on the links that bind our souls 
 to human hearts : we will count and count them 
 often-times, that their brightness may be kept 
 forever. Let not neglect send them to rust and 
 decay. 
 
 On Time's great dial I have painted flowers, 
 and celestial blossoms shall reveal to thee the 
 unnumbered hours of our earthly love. 
 
 My spirit now bounds to the glorious light as 
 I gaze on the beautiful, pure and bright, that 
 shall come to bless our love. The past, the past 
 hath nectared thee ; the tributes of affection and 
 holy guardianship have been gathered, page by 
 page, and loved ones of earth have traversed our 
 garden of thoughts alone, and placed the flowers 
 upon their breasts, that pledged our love. Not 
 alone have we culled and worn them, but joy's 
 bright breeze has borne them on and on to 
 many a heart where they have clung with ten- 
 dril sweetness. 
 
 These hearts all wreathed with flowers of love, 
 Shall bless us in the courts above. 
 
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