medium. We
might also quote "Spiritualism as It Is," p. 14, that "not one per cent.
of the manifestations have had a higher origin than the first and second
spheres, which are filled with low, ignorant, deceptive, mischievous,
selfish, egotistical spirits;" and "Dealings with the Dead," p. 225, that
"the fact is, good spirits do not appear one tenth as often as imagined."

Jan. 7, 1888, the following appeared in the _Banner of Light_:--

"_Ques._--What is the cause of our receiving inconsistent and
untruthful communications? Does the blame, if any there is, rest
with us or the controlling intelligence?

"_Ans._--There are spirits who delight in imposing upon mortals;
they realize their power outside of material things, and that
those who seek knowledge from them _cannot see nor get hold of
them_; therefore to an extent they exercise a certain power over
those mortals who approach; and if the mortals are themselves
tricky by nature, insincere, ready to take advantage of others,
whether it be at the time of sitting or in their daily life, rest
assured they may be imposed upon by spirits from the other side
who occupy a like plane of existence with themselves."

Mediums themselves will not trust the spirits, according to statements
made as late as 1896. Mrs. S. A. Underwood, medium, in "Automatic
Writing," p. 55, says:--

"With all my experience in it, I would not to-day venture upon any
change, business venture, friendship, or line of conduct, advised
from this source, unless my own common material sense endorsed it.
Indeed, I would not take as fact any of its even reasonable advice
without question, because it is not reliable as a guide in earthly
affairs."

Spirit communication, then, certainly does not amount to much as a
heavenly instructor, a celestial guide to enlighten the ignorance of men.
Whatever we know ourselves, we may rely upon; all else is uncertain.
Again, on p. 56, she says:--

"Then the assumption of great names by apparently common-place
minds is a very strange thing. I was horrified and annoyed when
this occurred under my own hand, because that is one of the things
which disgusted me with spiritual messages before this writing
came to me, as I had occasionally glanced over such messages. When
I protested against such assumption, I was told that 'Elaine and
Guinevere' were not real bei