DASHED AGAINSTTHE ROCK 31 Romance of the ¢om1ng Elge E W . J . C OLVILL " E m r' o n o r Tm : PROB LE M o r LIF E ” “ " A UTH OR o r PIRITUAL Tn s n a m n n c s Sr' um s s m Tm o so rm S , , " ' Oxxsn w s TEMPLE TON , n rc . H a ppy sha ll he b e tha t t a keth a n d dashet h t hy little ” o n es a ga in st th e ro ck Psa lm i 9 e i se e rs o n cxxxvi . (R v d V i ) BOSTON LBY RI H P BLI CO C , U SHERS 9 Bo sw o n rn STRE E T Y W B J . C LV . O ILLE. M Tvsoc ruu mv a v . C sum c 8 Co . BOSTO N A ss. U . S. J S u : , , , A M Y V E RY D E A R F RI END A N D N OB LE B E NEF A C TO R GE. J! . 012 . 33mm TH I S B OOK I S R E S PECTF ULLY A ND A FFECTI ONA TELY IN LOV ING MEMORY O F A M UNIFICENT PH ILANT H RO PIC E A RTH LY C A RE E R A ND IN SINCERE CON V ICTI ON T H A T TH OUGH UN SEEN B Y EYES OF F L E SH TH A T GRACI O US LIFE I S STILL E! PAN D ING IN S TR ENGT H A ND U S EFULNE S S W . J . COLVILLE INTRODUCTION. IN presenting to the public the following e xtra o rdi r it be na y romance , I wish to distinctly understood that I am n o t i n any sense the a u thor o f the scientific dis se rt a t io n s and ta bles which form a considerable portion of t he volume . “ In Onesimus Templeton I gave to the world the outcome of some truly wonderful experiences which came — I sa under my notice , and arrested may y, literally com e lle d u o f 1 885 p my attention d ring the summer , when my time w as divided between France and England . T o hat wonderful phen mena did indeed occur, that the most remarkable cures were accomplished, through a w a s subtle agency defying exterior analysis , I then thoroughly convinced ; but at that time I had not in my possession the mysterious and yet I daresay alto gether natural , even though spiritual statements con cerning exact science Which I now introduce into these ’ f o r as pages , not any one s blind acceptance , but a challenge to whoever may des ire to investigate , or even s eek to disprove . We are certa inly living in an age o f scientific inquiry and marvellous mechanical achievement , an age , more over, which, despite its vaunted agnosticism , is to an extent deeply interested in the mysteries o f the psychic 3 4 rn rn o n uorro n . r a lm o r bo rd erla n d use e , to the most popular terms at present . The scope o f a novel of ordinary dimensions does n o t o f course permit of much more than a bare , unelaborated o f recital facts , introduced in the almost transparent guise of assumed fiction . Some readers may object t o the extreme plainness o f speech of some o f the leadi n g characters , and doubtless there are those who would have liked to suppress all contrast be tween g e n u in e and s u rious s p occultism ; but, in my Opinion, to how only ' n o f o e side a subject is misleading and u nfair . There are far to o many people yet who never reason or dis criminate ; therefore they class all real knowledge co n cerning Spiritual things with the veriest chicanery and T — dishonesty . o such if any o f them read this book it may be a revelation to find that in the same narrative the most pos itive expressions o f entire confidence in the reality o f the spiritual are placed side by side with the most unmistakable u n co v e rin g s o f fraud . — The time has n o w certa inly come to unveil to all who are in any way prepared to profit by such unveiling — t he subtle operation o f universal Force through the action o f unchanging Law . rivile e as as d ut It is also decidedly a p g well y, devolving upon all who are somewhat acquainted with the facts o f genuine SCIENC E to discriminate plainly and boldly between scien tific teachings which are purely H EI IC scio listic bom ba st T ST in their entire trend and , which in the mouths of the conceited and ill- informed is made a pretext fo r denying the very being of Supreme e o sin Int lligence , and heaping ridicule up n all who INTRODUC TION . 5 cerely tru st in the immortality o f man as a spiritual reality . The unu sual and distinctly technical terminology employed in some o f the most important sections of this story may be considered o u t o f place in a tale co n taining some a m usi ngincidents and ostensibly published as a novel ; but, whatever may be the appropriateness o r inappropriateness o f introducing such matter into a romance , I had no alternative but to do what I have t done or suppress this priceless knowledge al ogether, fo r I have only received it on trus t from a friend who is its custodian in a sense that I am n o t . For the sake o f this superlative information many will read the story, o f and again , because the story, some will have their attention turned t o this astounding revelation . I know beforehand that no “ critic will have a word o f praise fo r so unconventional a style as the o n e I have as e difi ca ~ adopted ; but, the book is written for public o f -it - tion , not to please the fancy cynical know alls , the mission o f the volume will be f u lfilled if any o n e ' o r he r o sitio n anywhere , no matter what his p in the be its world may , receives light from pages ; and even t hose who get o nly entertainment may not have read in t o r vain , for be ente tained is frequently to be cheered and uplifted, and he who is himself upraised becomes o r in turn , whether he knows it knows it not , an o f r uplifter othe s . ’ The really singular feature o f Aldebaran s science and philosophy is the deep spiritual -practical lesson clearly taught through even the abstrusest portions . The name given to the mystical scientist intentionally IN I 6 TRODUC T ON . ‘ o f o f n o conveys the idea a bright cluster stars , t of a single luminary ; the title is therefore absolutely true in its o n suggestiveness , for no single person earth is the sole possessor of important truth concerning the universe . Special discoveries along particular lines are made by eminently qualified individuals , who are in relation Spiritually with great centres o f knowledge in the o f - unseen ; but there are in all parts the world to day, men and women w ho are entitled to bear the glorious ' o f B ro thers a n d Siste rs o the PE RPETIIA L I title f L GHT . I do not mean t o sa y that they are organized into soci e t ies be aring that name ; I only mean that such a title and by right belongs to them ; and I further declare , that most emphatically, that these truly illumined men and women are not located in any special part of the world, nor is there any other way of joining their num r ber, save th ough inward growth and the qualification resulting therefrom . ' I am su re tha t many Of my readers will be speculating as to where in the story I introduce my o w n particular a fi o rd Opinions . I do not care to any clue t o my private o n o f views any subject in the course the narrative , and this for two reasons . First , inquisitive prying into an author ’s private predilections is certainly not a profitable occupation ; therefore I have no intention o f deliber . S c o n e ately setting people to work at it e ond, Of the greatest weaknesses Of humanity is the widespread, almost uni versal disposition to adopt the views Of some person rather than to weigh statements , look at a ‘ subject from all possible poin ts Of view and then arrive ’ at one s own unbiassed conclusion . I do n o t pose as. a 7 INTRODUcrro N. c as t ea her ; I am in these pages only a recorder, and u such I m st appear before the world, in company with - Of all novel writers in this age the novel , who discover that the deepest philosophy and most glorious science must be introduced in the guise of fiction if it is to be cons idered extensively .