conditions, physical, mental, moral, and spiritual, are needed if
you would educate yourself and become a fit and serviceable instrument
for exalted spirit intelligence to afford humanity the benefit of their
experiences "over there."'"

Avoid Cross-Magnetism.

A popular mediumistic writer has given the following excellent words of
warning to young mediums: "Do not go into public promiscuous 'developing
circles.' There is always a danger of 'cross magnetism' and disorderly
manifestations in such gatherings. Owing to the mixed and inharmonious
mental, moral, and physical conditions which necessarily exist where a
number of strangers and curiosity seekers are attracted, you run the
risk of being affected by undeveloped, unprincipled, frivolous,
mercenary, self-assertive, or even immoral spirits, who, being attracted
to such assemblies, seek to influence incautious and susceptible people
who ignorantly render themselves liable to their control. The people
'on the other side' are human beings of all grades; they are not morally
purified by passing through the death-change; and as we are constantly
sending into their other state 'all sorts and conditions of people,' you
need not be at all surprised if you get into intercourse with the vain
and foolish, the unreliable and pretentious, or the selfish and sinful,
if you indiscriminately open the doors of your psychic self and give a
free invitation to any spirit 'passer by.'"

Avoid Psychic Absorption.

"You can waste your time, and you can sit in circles, absorb all kinds
of psychological influences, exhaust your own, and in many cases become
so filled up with contending influences that you are in a state of
psychological fever all the time, or so exhaust yourself that you will
become as limp and useless as a rag. This is not the way to use the
opportunities you have; and you should avoid the injudicious,
promiscuous, and insane methods of development of many who are extremely
anxious to develop you as a medium, and who often bring discredit upon
the subject of mediumship, and do no one the slightest practical
good--not even themselves. We admit that the motives of those who
conduct public promiscuous developing circles are good in most cases,
but their methods are frequently 'injudicious'--to put it mildly. Under
ordinary circumstances, your own pure purpose and the spirits who are in
sympathy with your exalted desires and intentions, are sufficient
safeguards agains