re carefully reflected upon and understood, the majesty
of the Creator assumes a magnitude most stupendous.

The astronomer searching through space for undiscovered planets and suns,
has failed to fix his telescope upon these spiritual worlds, but the day
will come when science will discover their existence.

The spirit world is not an arid desert. As I have said, it has soil. It
is not a thin, vaporish flat, without depth or density; and its
circumference exceeds that of the earth.

One of the component elements of its soil is magnetism. Its vegetation is
of rapid growth and beautiful beyond anything that your planet can
display.

As the atmosphere of the spirit world is not so dense as yours, and as
the rays of the spiritual sun are not obliged to penetrate through so
much cloud and vapor, the colors of all objects are sparkling and
beautiful in variety and tone.

The specific gravity of the spirit upon his globe is not so great,
comparatively, as that of man in the natural world. He can rise in his
native air with little difficulty, and can dart with unerring accuracy
upon the magnetic current flowing from the spirit world to the one he
once inhabited.

The investigator in searching for the spirit world has but to direct his
attention to the north star and his eye will embrace, unwittingly, the
locality of that world. The north pole is the great gate which leads to
it direct.

The aurora borealis or Northern lights is an electric current which flows
from that world to earth, and is sent in through the great gate. The
scintillations of these rays are caught up by the clouds and vapors and
are repeated in many portions of the globe, and faint rays from them are
seen even in this temperate climate.

ADAH ISAACS MENKEN.

_HOLD ME NOT_.

Up to the zenith mount!
Far into space--
Ah! all thy tears I count,
Sad, loving face.

Clasp not my garments so,
Love of my soul;
Clinging, you drag me low,
Where tortures roll.

Soil not my angel wing;
Keep not from rest;
How can I upward spring,
Clasped to thy breast?

Hold me not, lover--friend--
Earth I would fly;
Passion and torture end
In the blest sky!

Life brought but woe to me,
Even thy kiss
Gave me but agony--
Remorse with bliss!

Let go thy earthly hold--
Fain would I fly;
Voices with love untold
Call from on high.

Farewell--the dregs are drank
Of life's sad cup;
It proved but poison rank;
Life's lease is up!