This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
DEALINGS WITH THE DEAD
121

gladness—a sun too, whose glorious beams will dissipate all the fogs and mists now bending over human heads, and shutting out the light of higher heavens than optician's glass can ever reveal. Aye, truly do some behold the hither end of the bow of promise, and these are singing the song of approaching joy:

"The wiser time will surely come
When this fine overplus of night,
No longer sullen, slow or dumb,
Shall leap to music and to light.
In that new childhood of the world,
Life of itself shall dance and play,
Fresh, blood through lime's shrunk veins be hurled,
And Labor meet Delight half-way."

There can be no doubt but that the days of Evil by God are numbered—those arising from obsession included.

Gazing still adown the lane of light, I saw that a process had been commenced in the soul of the man upon the stage, who was about to address the assembled crowd—a process, too, which would ultimately set him free—for already his sphere indicated the beginning of the reparatory action; and in precisely so far as he helped himself, and shook off the influence of others, just so far did one or two attendant and radiantly bright beings, of a high and pure order, assist and protect him; and, gazing upon the scroll of his destiny, I saw that in five years from that day he would complete his apprenticeship, and stand before the world no longer an automaton, but a firm and solid-minded man; that, no longer lecturing upon useless metaphysical abstractions, he would, for three years, preach the gospel of truth and true Christianity, with a power and effect never to be attained by human machines, but only

6