they involve a great prophetic apprehension. The difference between what is external and what is internal must vanish; and it will vanish, for 'the God takes care of us,' as Socrates used to say. This practical belief and train of ideas find their continuation and further development in the godlike intellect of Plato." KESHUB CHUNDER SEN ON PRAYER. MOST of our readers will have heard of Keshub Chunder Sen, the Hindoo Reformer, who in his own country is waging so noble a warfare against idolatry, polygamy, and caste-—the triple curse of India, and who, on his recent visit to England, was welcomed amongst us by liberal and devout minds of different churches-Dean Stanley, James Martineau, and a learned Jewish Rabbi joining in the same public reception given to him. It is interesting to know what a mind so broad and free and catholic, so liberal and progressive, has to say on those great questions of the soul which belong to all religions, and in which, indeed, all men are deeply concerned. And it is all the more interesting that he comes to these questions with fresh and open mind, unembarrassed by the speculations, controversies, theories, and creeds of our rival philosophers and churches. This we have now an opportunity of doing in the Lectures and Tracts edited by Miss Collet. We give only one illustration. In noble, manly language, the sincerity of which no one can mistake, Mr. Sen thus records the experiences of his own heart on the subject of prayer :— I can give you no better explanation of the fact how I have learned to pray, and why I am in the habit of offering prayer daily to my God. If I could do without it, this very moment I would leave off the habit. If I had never felt the necessity of prayer myself, I would never have been engaged in it, even if it were insisted upon by teachers or books;-but I have found it necessary. When it pleased my merciful God to cause the light of religion to dawn upon my heart, allow me to mention an incident from the earliest chapter of my religious history,-when through His grace my eyes were first opened to the importance of religion, and the first struggles for emancipation from sin began to agitate my heart, then I felt the need of prayer. I found my heart was full of darkness, and was under the deadly influence of all the passions of the flesh, the allurements of the world, the power of evil, the power of fame, and of lust, and of ambition, and of covetousness, and of worldliness. Against these multitudinous enemies, I, a poor sinner, could not possibly stand. Feeble in body, feebler in mind, feebler still in spirit, how could I stand in the face of enemies *The Brahmo-Somaj Lectures and Tracts. By KESHUB CHUNDER SEN. First and Second Series. Edited by SOPHIA DOBSON COLLET. London: STRAHAN and Co. so awful, so formidable, and so numerous as these,-enemies outside and enemies within, contending for mastery over my soul day and night? What could I do in circumstances such as these? I waited not for the revelation of any particular book or the teachings of any particular prophet. In deep agony I consulted my soul, and my soul said, in language exceedingly simple and impressive, Pray, and pray, if you want salvation. None but God can save sinners.' And then my proud and arrogant mind was humbled down, and with it was humbled down my head; my heart, which had been eaten up with conceit, and arrogance, and self-sufficiency, found that there was nothing in it which could withstand the awful assaults of temptation, and in utter helplessness I threw myself at my Father's feet. All sides of the horizon were dark; light suddenly burst forth in one direction, and it appeared as if the word "Prayer" was written in golden letters on the gate of the kingdom of Godshowing that none entereth God's kingdom except he pass through the gate of prayer-none conquereth sin and temptation unless he humbly, earnestly, and fervently pray. Without wavering or hesitation, therefore, I at once began to pray to my God. The first day-a blessed day it was-I prayed in the morning and in the night, secretly and humbly. No brother helped me with counsel or encouragement. Nay, I had to conceal the matter from the knowledge of my friends and relatives, lest they should scoff at me. I was sure that as soon as they came to know of it, they would ridicule me and scoff at me, and try to dissuade me, if possible, from such a noble and godly habit; and lest such circumstances should happen, I kept the matter a great secret. Day after day I kept on praying, and in the course, I assure you, of a few days, I found as it were a flood of light entering into the inmost recesses of my heart, and dissipating the darkness of my soul, the darkness of death. Oh, it was cheering moonlight streaming through overhanging clouds of hideous sin! Then I felt great relief, unspeakable comfort. I also felt that I could eat and drink with pleasure. Then I found rest on my bed, and then I found comfort in the company of friends. For I can assure you there was a time in my life when I had almost given up mirth and good-humour and cheerfulness, and amusements of all kinds. I felt that the world was dark because my heart was full of darkness; and had not my gracious and beneficent God revealed to me just at that time this great gospel of salvation, namely, Prayer, I cannot think where I would have been to-night. You would not have seen me in Bombay addressing you from this pulpit. Oh, it is too much for my feelings to bear-it overpowers me when it enters my mind—the thought where I would have been to-night if God had not taught me to pray! Prayer, to me, was the beginning of salvation. NOTES AND GLEANINGS. THE KING OF PRUSSIA AND MR. D. D. HOME. THE War Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph (Lord Adare) in a letter to that journal of October 31st, writing from Versailles, says:"Among our party was Mr. Daniel Home, the celebrated Spiritualist, whom the King promptly recognized, and addressed very kindly-reminding him of the wonders that he (Mr. Home) had been the means of imparting to him, and inquiring about 'the spirits' in by no means a sceptical tone. We may add that the King said to Mr. Home that he had told many of his friends of the wonderful manifestations he had seen in Mr. Home's presence: his friends did not believe him; but the facts were true for all that.'” N.S.-V. 2 M MEETINGS, LECTURES, AND NEW SOCIETIES IN LONDON. The first of a series of Winter Soirées at Harley Street was held November 14th, when a Paper was read by Alfred R. Wallace, F.R.S., in reply to popular objections against Miracles, more especially to those urged by David Home in his pretentious and paradoxical essay on that subject, and more recently by Mr. Lecky. It was a Paper of marked ability; its argument was clear, logical, and convincing. No attempt was made at its refutation. Mr. Lecky was invited, but was not present; and in the absence of opposition, Mr. Shorter, by invitation, addressed the meeting in further elucidation of the general subject. Mr. Wallace's Paper should be published in a compendious form for circulation more especially among men of science and letters, members of learned societies, and clergymen. On the same evening Mr. John Jones gave a Lecture on the Supernatural at Lawson's Rooms, Gower Street; and other meetings on Spiritualism have since been held at the same place, and have been moderately well attended. We do not think that the idea of illustrating Spiritualism, and rendering it popular by the aid of the magic lantern and dissolving views, is altogether a happy one; but there are many to whom it may prove an attraction. We understand that Mr. Jones's Lecture and Exhibition are to be repeated in other places. The Winter Session of the St. John's Association was opened on November 3rd, by Mr. Thomas Shorter, with an Address on Modern Spiritualism. Mrs. Hardinge arrived in London from New York, November 15th, and a public reception by the Spiritualists was given her, November 22nd, at the Cambridge Hall, Newman Street. We learn that arrangements are being made for her to lecture both in London and in the Provinces. We hear of new Associations of Spiritualists that have been formed, or are in course of formation, at Brixton, Kilburn, Dalston, Islington, and other parts of the metropolis. DIRECT SPIRIT PAINTING. The last number of Human Nature says that Mr. David Duguid, of Glasgow, continues to paint pictures in the trance; and that "A new form of this wonderful art has been developed of late. We refer to paintings done direct by the spirits, almost instantaneously, while the medium sits quite passive in the dark. We were present in company with Miss Mary Wooderson, London, Mr. Nisbet and Mr. Nicholson, Glasgow, on the evening of October 19, when the following phenomena occurred:-A card, the size of an ordinary envelope, was placed on the table, with The Spiritual Magazine, December 1, 1870.] prepared paints and brushes. The light was turned out, and in less than thirty seconds, when the light was struck, a landscape, painted in oil colours, was found in the centre of the card. It was about the size of the nail of the little finger, and the details could not be seen to advantage without a magnifying-glass. Another card was identified and placed on the table, and a picture the size of the thumb-nail was produced in less than forty seconds. In both cases, the picture occupies exactly the centre of the card. There could be no doubt as to the paintings being produced then and there by direct spirit agency—as the paint was wet, and the medium, in deep trance, placed his right hand into Mr. Nisbet's left while the light was out. Another attempt was made, and a full-length portrait of a Persian spirit, who is familiar at the circle, was done in two minutes. It occupied the whole card, and presented abundant evidences of its having been freshly done. Miss Wooderson's clairvoyance testified to the fact that she saw the spirit, Jan Stein, performing the work of producing the pictures. The colours seemed to be transferred to the card instantaneously by one action of each brush; then the card was heard to fall on the table, and the spirit-hand rapped on the table for the light to be struck. The clairvoyant also saw the shady form of the Persian standing for his portrait." THE RIGHT HON. JOHN BRIGHT ON SPIRITUALISM. Mr. J. M. Peebles, the United States Consul, in a lecture on his recent travels in Europe, delivered at Buttle Creek, near Chicago, and reported in the Present Age of September 3rd, makes the following statement: "While in England I dined with John Bright, when transpired quite an earnest conversation upon the subject of Spiritualism. He said he had witnessed some of D. D. Home's manifestations. They were wonderful. He could attribute them to no cause except it be the one alleged, that of intelligent, disembodied spirits. But,' he added, with due caution, I do not say that this is so, but if it be true, it is the strongest tangible proof we have of immortality.' แ MUCH THAT REMAINS UNEXPLAINED." The special reporter of the Daily Telegraph has lately been looking up the subject of Spiritualism, so far at least as attending two or three séances at the Progressive Library is concerned. In his last report, after relating the phenomena he witnessed there at a séance on November 14th, he says:"There were one or two instances of what looked remarkably like thought-reading, and which would require considerable [The Spiritual Magazine, December 1, 1870. adaptation to reduce them within the limits of clever guessing or coincidence. After leaving a very wide margin for collusion or delusion in these matters, there is much that remains unexplained." And he goes on to say that "There is something that will persistently refuse to be explained" by the solution either of ventriloquism, or of thought-reading; and he concludes by strongly recommending those who present themselves at these séances to be on the alert, but at the same time to observe the conditions prescribed. "Let the investigator be content to do what is really all the Spiritualists ask-sit it out in silenceand if there be a trick involved, surely there are clever people in London to find it out. SPIRITUAL COMMUNION A TRUTH OF THE HIGHEST PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE. In Mountford's Magazine for August is a "Discourse on Spiritualism," by its editor, the Rev. William Mountford, from which we take the following passage: With "But to the great truth of spiritual communion there is a practical bearing of the highest importance. A momentous interest is given to our whole earthly life by the thought that it is passed in the presence of the great spiritual family. what fulness and emphasis do the words of the apostle roll in upon the soul: Seeing that we are compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.' The cloud of witnesses! Do they indeed behold us? Can we bear their inspection, and willingly remain unworthy of their esteem? Can we cherish the thought that they are with us, and yet harbour principles and pursue habits from which they must turn with loathing and disgust? Our friends who have gone from us, in the strength of their affection, could, perhaps, see no fault in us. Our parents, it may be, were blind to our failings. Our children looked up to us with unmingled reverence, as if we had been the incarnation of every virtue, but the scales have now dropped from their eyes. They see no longer 'through a glass darkly.' They know us as we are. Have we fallen in their esteem? Do they find us less worthy of their love than they used to think us? Do they look upon us as less their companions and fellow disciples than they were here? Can we bear the thought? To realize it must instantly destroy our happiness, and disrobe life of all its beauty. Oh, let us then cut off all sources of alienation and disappointment on their part; let us not break fellowship with them by so living in negligence and sin, that they |