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DEALINGS WITH THE DEAD
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you reconcile your statements concerning 'blue-caste hands, wrinkled epidermis, shrivelled appearance,' and so on, with your subsequent assertions that they afterwards became fair, plump and beautiful? Do shadows grow? Do phantasms avail themselves of the law of increment? Please explain; clear up, elucidate!" Reply: These are the very points concerning which the people need light; for assuredly that which they have heretofore received, instead of illumining the subjects under consideration, have tended directly to increase the already dense obscurity, and only rendered the darkness still more palpable and dense. In order to a clear conception of what lies before us, it will be well to remind each other that both soul and body act under the impetus of two distinct codes of law: the one volitional, the other mechanical, and therefore involuntary. An illustration of both is seen in the case of a man who either reading a book or earnestly conversing as he moves along, takes no notice whatever of passing persons or things, and yet pursues the direct path, nor once misses his way. Both laws are operating simultaneously. The bodily powers are under the same government; for the heart beats, digestion proceeds, and all the functions of the physical economy are carried on by a power lying altogether back of will. There is also another law, which from voluntary, at length comes to manifest itself altogether involuntarily I refer to the law of Habit. Now that this law governs both soul and body is proved by a simple reference to the swearing man, who also drinks liquor, chews tobacco, falls asleep at a given hour and wakes up at another. Whosoever hums a tune often, will at length