He who is intent upon the stars, calling them by their names and discovering their mathematical relation to one another, still in the kingdom of the spirit finds himself powerless to turn his spiritual telescope toward any star, planet, sun, or orb in distant space unless he is enkindled from within by the love of humanity. So that the greatest of astronomers, if he be blind spiritually, finds no luminous point from which he can radiate his pursuits in the planetary world; for there are no stars within range of his spiritual vision unless lighted by this divine sphere from within; and many great among men, perhaps idolized, find themselves in a region of spiritual darkness, without the power - save through the plodding routine of some earthly mind - to discover new worlds, or the principles upon which planets turn in their orbits.

But fortunately the true geniuses of science are geniuses nearly always in spiritual perception. Their occupation is the result of the grandeur of their minds and souls, and they cannot contemplate the starry heavens or the wonders of creation without a corresponding greatness and exaltation of the soul. Therefore, you would find them still not in any uncertain light of earth, not dependent upon the observatory of the Signal Service Bureau, not doubtfully watching the stars through the cloud-rifts of the earthly atmosphere, nor dependent upon a time when tempests cease their power, to watch the wonders of the heavens; but in the region made beautiful by the light of their own spirits, radiating what they receive upon those beneath them, holding in contemplation in the very watch-towers of their spiritual natures the divine firmament around and above them, they speak forth the thought, and radiate from within the light that is to give them knowledge of the starry heavens. To these, there is no uncertain pathway of planets; to these, comets are no longer a mystery; to these, all beauties in the kingdom of light beyond but hinge upon the greater beauty and grandeur of the soul.

It is asked by some: "If astronomers have such perfect knowledge in spiritual life, and are able by their spiritual telescopes, fashioned of perception and thought, to perceive more of the principles of astronomical science, why do they not reveal it to mortals?" Why, indeed! Are there any astronomers in the schools of science on earth - at Harvard, at Cambridge, at any of the scientific European Universities - who would be willing to receive a thought from the departed Herschel, or any whose names shine out in grandeur in the astronomical world? Are they not so jealous of their own discoveries that if a spirit were to give them knowledge concerning another planet, would they not hold it and claim it as their own, unwilling that there should be a dead astronomer who could aid them in their personal explorations? And if there are found those who are willing, have they not given to the world the result of the inspiration that has been given to them, and fed their own souls on the thoughts that had been given them, until by degrees they have been taught farther and farther in the astronomy of the heavens, and shown the wonders that the world was not ready to receive?

Do not ask of that of which you know nothing. Spirits cannot teach the astronomy of the heavens until you are willing to learn that the heavens are there. When you are, then the celestial imagery will all flow towards you, and like him who toils willingly, all things in nature assist him. The birds sing for him, the waters murmur for him, the breezes fan his brow, while to the complaining spirit nothing comes. So do not ask why they do not bring these truths that shall startle the world, but be in a condition to receive any truth; for the simple acknowledgment of spiritual knowledge must come before you are ready to receive any more.

In reference to chemical and physical science, those who have applied their lives to the discovery of the primal sources of life, why do they not tell us something more of protoplasm, cells, organic processes, atoms, and the primates of existence? Why do they not? There are the different schools of science quarreling with one another on a subject that they know not, and in the midst of this a little child might rise upon this platform, giving knowledge of chemical principles, and no man of science, unless he is a Spiritualist, would have the courage to acknowledge it to be true. If a Spiritualist, then the whole scientific world cry out, as they did against Zollner, as they did against Mr. Crookes, and Mr. Wallace, " But they are only enthusiasts!" When the world is ready for spiritual truth all other things will follow; but you must have the spiritual disposition to accredit it to the source from whence it comes; for such is the nature of spiritual truth that it must come first, and the knowledge of science and worldy things comes after.

Did not Jesus say to his disciples: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you "? And has not this been preverted and misused?

It is not possible that from spiritual sources there shall flow material knowledge toward man that is of any great and important value until the spiritual source is acknowledged. You cannot win gold nor discover precious stones by using the instruments of the spirit world, and then deny the source from whence they come. You must turn to the spirit, seeking first its light, its methods, its power; and as the grandeur of a truly noble nature draws all things toward it by its wonderful power, so knowledge, science, art, mechanics, chemistry and astronomy are the results of spiritual perception, but they cannot be taken by themselves while denying the other.

We have known young men and young women who said; "Oh, if Spiritualism teaches us the knowledge of history, I would like to be a medium." We beg pardon; but you cannot seek Spiritualism for the knowledge of history; you must seek it for itself, and if the knowledge of history comes to you afterwards, it comes by means of that spiritual gift which you freely accept and freely acknowledge. But to seek the kingdom of heaven for the sake of any utility that it brings, is just as barren a device as to seek it for your own selfish enjoyments. Intellectual power in spiritual ways is the result of an intuition and culture that must belong to your ready accordance with the sources from whence it comes; and you might just as well say, I will have knowledge of chemistry, of mechanics, or mathematics, but I will not have any of the requisite study for it. That is to say, you would like to have it from spiritual ways, and still not begin at the beginning.