all a dream. It was an awful lesson, and taught me how to become a wiser and a better man.'[1]
Such was the terrific experience of my friend, and I feel that I need say no more on a point so well, so very forcibly illustrated. * * * * * *
Still the phantorama glided past upon the wall, revealing many a new mystery, and showing me that every human being is more or less responsible for the result of personal influence exerted upon others.
Much rare and valuable knowledge flowed in while I stood there, in the center of the magic sphere, gazing on the second vivorama, or living picture, delineating the results of my influence on others. Many and many a strange scene passed athwart that globe's interior; and I saw not only what the result of my influence had been, but also what would have resulted had my action, in a given instance, been different from what it really was. Thus, I saw that had a cross word been spoken to a
child, whom I had endeavored to soothe by kindness, that child would have been led to restrain himself, instead of, as happened, taking advantage, and attributing my complaisance to fear or something akin thereto. I saw, on that mystic scroll, the simulacræ of every person I had ever known, and found that there, in the Soul-world, people and things passed at their true, and by no means at a fictitious value, like men and money do on the earth. All mankind are divisible into seven
- ↑ This fearful apocalyptic vision occurred on the night of Feb. 3d, 1861, and was the means of inducing a train of thought and feeling in the mind of the person who experienced it, which resulted in his conversion from all sorts of philosophism to a belief in the pure and sweet religion of Christ the Saviour.—Pub.
