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January 6th, 1919
Received by James Padgett.
Washington D.C.
I am here, Francis Bacon.
Let me write just a few lines, as I desire to tell you of a thing
which may be of importance to you.
I see you are a little disturbed over what a man said to you tonight
as to his want of belief in the identity of the spirits who profess
to manifest themselves through mediums. Well, this need not disturb
you one particle, for the identity of the spirit is just as real
and certain as is the fact that a man can and does identify another
after an absence, more or less long, from the latter's appearance,
voice, and so forth. In the case of his identification he depends
on the operation of certain of his senses, such as his sight and
hearing, and through them he satisfies his mind that the man identified
is the identical person that he may claim to be, as you may say,
he would be a very silly man if he would not accept such identification
as convincing and determinate.
In the case of the identifying of those who are in the spirit,
and who come with the powers and with the presence of spirits only,
he cannot, of course, use his senses for the purpose of identification;
and if he had to depend upon these organs alone, he would never
be able to conclude that the spirits who present the phenomena are
those who profess to be his friends or acquaintances. Most mortals
do not have the gift of perceiving, or receiving the impression
of, the presence of spirits, and in such cases are in the condition
of the blind and deaf man with reference to the things of earth.
The latter has no means of identifying his closest friends, and
yet it would be just as reasonable to contend that these friends
are not existing and present, and the same day after day, as for
mortals to say that the spirits of those who once lived on earth
are not existing and present, because the mortals have not the faculties
of seeing and hearing them. There are things in earth life as well
as in spirit life that can come to the knowledge of some men only
through information given them by other men who have superior powers
and faculties for seeking for and obtaining this information.
Some mortals have eyes and faculties not material, as usually understood,
for seeing and hearing and receiving knowledge from the spirits,
and who render what is thus seen, heard and received just as real
and certain as are real and certain the presence of mortals and
material things to those who have their physical organs of sight
and hearing; and the identity of what is seen and heard and received
is just as truly established in the former as in the latter case.
All men who are wanting as to the nonmaterial organs mentioned can
identify the things of the material world and are satisfied of the
fact; and make their mode of such identification the standard by
which they must and only can become convinced of the identity of
the things of the spirit world: and when they insist upon such method
of identification they, of course, can never be convinced, except
perhaps in those phenomena as are manifested in materialization
and spirit photography.
When the merely physical powers or means of ascertaining the existence
and identity of things or humans are used, then those who confine
their search for truth and the discerning of the identity of claimed
existences to the use of such physical organs will never be able
to see, hear or receive that which might convince them of the identity
of the things existing in the spirit world.
This is the result of the eternal laws of the universe in their
operations; and no desires or efforts of man can change this result.
Man is unfortunate when he assumes the position that unless these
laws can be or are changed in order that he may by his physical
organs see or hear or be able to identify the things of the spirit
world, he will not believe that there is identity existing among
the spirits who come to men and in various ways manifest their presence.
When a man stands on the compliance with this condition as necessary
to convince him of the identity of those friends of his who have
passed to spirit life and who come in psychical phenomena and manifest
themselves, it is useless to try to convince him, because of the
very necessities of the laws governing such phenomena. And those
who do believe, and those who know of this identity will only waste
time and effort in trying to convince men who assume the position
of depending entirely on the physical means which they may possess.
There are many humans today who are truly convinced, and have all
sufficient grounds for their convictions as to the identity and
presence of their spirit friends, and they are not deceived, but
enjoy the happiness that comes to them from such knowledge.
In my observations of the workings of human minds upon this question
of the existence and identity of spirits, I learn that such evidence
as would satisfy their minds, under the strictest requirements,
as to material things, is brushed aside as wholly inadequate, and
sometimes not even worthy of consideration, to satisfy them as to
these spiritual things; and it seems that the greater knowledge
they possess of the nature of and laws controlling material things,
the less credence and consideration will they give to the nature
of and laws controlling spiritual things. Every other explanation
of psychical phenomena is put forth and accepted, rather than the
simple and natural one; and if men only knew what nature really
is, and its laws, they would realize how little they now know of
nature. Generally, nature is only that consciousness of things material
which comes within their limited cognition. They do not know that
the larger part of nature, if it can be separated, is beyond the
things or conditions which they have knowledge of as being the material
of the universe.
Well, as I said, the identity of the spiritual cannot be and must
not be expected to be established by the operations of the merely
physical organs of man, except perhaps in those manifestations appearing
in the phenomena of materializations or spirit photography, and
even they are not accepted as real or true by many men who accept
what are called scientific deductions from supposed facts connected
with the manifestations of what these men consider to be natural.
And so the proof of the presence and identity of spirits will have
to depend upon the results produced by the operations of laws controlling
the spiritual existences and the psychical powers and gifts of certain
humans, Sometime it may be that these gifted persons will be accepted
as honest and truthful and not self-deceived, and the manifestations
resulting from the exercise of these powers as the effects of the
efforts and intelligence of spirits who at one time were human beings.
When men come to realize that the change called death does not
destroy identity and consciousness and powers of mind, as well as
what may be called powers physical - for the material of the universe
is used and operated by spirits - but on the contrary, intensifies
these possessions and powers, then they will accept the truth that
the presence of the spirits of their departed friends is a variety,
and that the identity of these spirits is eternal.
Well, I have written as much as I think best to write tonight,
and thank you for your indulgence. With kind regards, I will say
good night,
Your friend,
Francis Bacon
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