_"__Death
and the After Life,__"__ pp. 18, 19._

Through Mrs. Conant, medium, in _Banner of Light_, June 3, 1865, we have
this information: "It is said that some spirits require a thousand years
to awake to consciousness. Is this true?--Yes, this is true." In "Automatic
Writing," p. 93, the spirits teach the same thing to-day. If others deny
such statements, it only shows that their testimony is contradictory and
therefore unreliable.

Again, the Bible doctrine that the incorrigibly wicked must cease from
conscious existence, is denounced by Spiritualists; but on this point the
spirits confess also:--

"_Ques._--Do I understand you to say that a diakka is one who
believes in ultimate annihilation?

"_Ans._--Only yesterday one said to a lady medium, signing himself
'Swedenborg,' this: 'Whatsoever is, has been, will be, or may be,
_that_ I AM, and private life is but the aggregative phantasms of
thinking throblets rushing in their rising onward to the central
heart of eternal death.'--_"__Diakka__"__ p. 11._

"_Q._--Does every human being continue life on higher planes?

"_A._--Shall not all who are abortions die?"

"_Q._--Do you mean that some born on this plane may spiritually die
from lack of force to persist?

"_A._--Yes--both women and men are born into the divine humanity who
must necessarily perish, because they have not sufficient soul
strength to persist."--_"__Automatic Writing,__"__ pp. 101, 102._

There is, it seems, a purgatory in the spirit world. In answer to a
question, a spirit replied:--

"There is a sphere in spirit life allotted to those who leave the
earthly plane in spiritual ignorance, which is _not pleasing_ to
dwell upon, yet which is absolutely necessary to spiritual soul
growth."--_Id., p. 90._

Spiritualism is claimed to settle the question of immortality; but the
spirits confess themselves ignorant of it:--

"_Ques._--On your plane do you arrive at certainty in regard to
immortality?

"_Ans._--We here are as _ignorant as you are_ as to the ultimate of
existence. Immortality is still an _undetermined issue_. One life
at a time seems as pertinent with us as with you."--_Id., p. 103._

The spirits' heaven, it seems, is not so desirable a place that it
prevents their being homesick.

"_Ques._--Why are you homesick?

"_Ans._--Have not found out the real