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work for whoever is deputed to look after him.
 You see, Roger, the trouble is not alone with these gentry themselves. Their pernicious views are read
and absorbed by their rather tattered following, and treated as profound truths, so that if nothing intervenes
in the meantime to make them alter their opinions, there will be others arriving here in a similar state of
ignorance.
 In other words, said Roger,  the mistakes of the earth have to be put right here.
 That s exactly it. In your own case, it was an absolute holiday for Ruth and me. What so complicates
individual instances is where the new arrival knows nothing about this life, but has wrong ideas about it.
You knew nothing, and fortunately had no ideas at all. I don t say that in derogation you know that, my
dear fellow. What you did have was a
dear mind, free of all silly notions even to the extent of harps and wings.
 One of the most senseless charges brought by these learned gentry is that all the communicators from the
spirit world are English, so that, in effect, the spirit world is wholly English, to the total exclusion of all
other nations.
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  People of other countries might say the same.
 Exactly. The Frenchman, for instance, might say that the whole spirit world seems to be French because
in France all the spirit communicators are French. The very same thing could be said throughout the whole
earth world. Can you imagine what would happen if a company of these highly intelligent and skeptical
philosophers were to meet, one from every nation? They would each be in somewhat of a difficulty, for
each would wish to establish his country s claims upon patriotic grounds, so to speak, but at the same time
would lodge the complaint that the spirit world seemed to belong to his country alone. The proceedings
would possibly have that familiar appearance to be observed in international conferences for the
preservation of peace.
 I suppose people of other nations die in the same way that we ve done.
 You suppose very rightly, my boy. A statement of the obvious, but not so obvious that our philosophic
sages are able to perceive it.
 Is this part of the spirit world English, then?
 What would you think purely from appearances?
 I should say, subject to the differences between this world and the earth, that there is a most decided
leaning towards the old home landscape.
 There is; and the houses bear a resemblance as well. We ve not traveled very far afield as yet. So far
you ve not seen hills of any great height, nor have you seen mountains. But they
are here. As to the people, whom have you met so far?
 Well, there s Ruth and yourself, and you have spoken of Edwin.
 All three of us English like yourself.
 Then there is Radiant Wing, and Omar and his friend.
 Exactly. The first, an American Indian; the second, Chaldean; and the third, Egyptian. That s almost
international in itself. You left out our cottage friend. He s another Englishman.
 The question is: among what nation did you or would you expect to find yourself after leaving the
earth?
 Why, it has never occurred to me. Among English people, I suppose.
 Do you speak any other languages than your own?
 Not one. A smattering of school Latin, perhaps.
 It would have been decidedly awkward for you if you had awakened to find yourself among the Chinese,
for instance.
 Probably scared the life out of me.
 Dear me, why? The Chinese are delightful people, kind and thoughtful, and always ready to help. You
see, my dear fellow, that what you say points the stupidity of these philosopher gentlemen in their false
notions that the spirit world must be an exclusively English one. There isn t one of them who would not
feel much the same about it as you have this minute described.
 Ruth and I have met some of them, and they were profoundly glad to hear their own tongue, the English
tongue, spoken in the same way as we spoke to you. And the same thing applies to the Frenchman, and the
Chinaman, and all the rest.
 As you know, personal communication by the thought process obviates any difficulty in the language
question. That process is without nationality. But when folks are awakening in these lands they use their
vocal organs, and so do we. That s natural.
 What were your own impressions when you opened your eyes in our room beside the open window?
 Well, I certainly had an at-home sort of feeling. The room was the kind I was familiar with, and the view
through the window was most certainly familiar too.
 Precisely. That s as it should be. So you see, there s law and reason behind all this, and nothing that the
 wise folk of the earth can say or think will alter it.
 Then the other nations must be living somewhere else that s a foolish thing to say. Of course they
must.
 They are, Roger. Every nation on earth has some position and location in the spirit world. People like to
be among their own kind, and there s no reason why they should not be. Would it be right, do you think, or
good policy, to force people of one particular nation or national temperament upon that of another? Not at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]