936 C. The following is another case of ecstasy, which was reported to us along with a series of incidents suggesting an unseen protection or guidance. The narrator, Mr. J. W. Skilton, was a railway engineer, residing at Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A., who had several times had veridical dreams or impressions, which in some cases saved himself and his train from serious accidents. One of these - a premonition of an accident - was published in Proceedings S.P.R., vol. v. p. 333, and further cases in vol. xi. pp. 559-567. I quote from vol. xi. p. 560. Mr. Skilton's narrative is dated November 10th, 1890.

I would say that I have been engaged a great part of my life as a locomotive engineer, and this happened while engaged in that business. I was engaged with two other men one day about two o'clock p.m. in taking out some evergreen trees from a box car to take home and set out; they were large and heavy; I had to run the car up on the switch rails to get them out; but as there was no train due till forty minutes I would have plenty of time to get them out, and push the car back out of the way. There had been a great deal of other freight put in the car after mine was, so it was necessary to take out some of it before I could get at mine. I opened the car door, and a barrel of eggs fell out on the ground, and just at that instant I saw a medium-sized person standing at my right hand clothed in white with a bright countenance, beaming with intelligence. I knew what he wanted in an instant, although he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Come with me." We moved upward, and a little to the south-east, with the speed of lightning, as it were; I could see the hills, trees, buildings, and roads as we went up side by side till they vanished out of our sight. As we passed on, this glorious being that was with me told me he was going to show me that bright heavenly world.

We soon came to a world of light and beauty, many thousand times larger than this earth, with at least four times as much light. The beauties of this place were beyond any human being to describe. I was seated by the tree of life on a square bunch of what appeared to be a green velvet moss, about eighteen inches high; there I saw many thousand spirits clothed in white, and singing the heavenly songs, and I could think of but one verse that I had ever heard that would do justice to this heavenly music, and that is this: "Hark! what sweet music, what a song Sounds from the bright, celestial throng!" for it was the sweetest song I have ever heard. I here told my attendant that it was the first time I had ever been perfectly at rest in my life. They did not converse by sound, but each knew the other's thoughts at the instant, and conversation was carried on in that way, and also with me.

1 For a description of these, see The Life of Edward Irving, by Mrs. Oliphant (Hurst & Blackett, 1862).

After viewing the wonderful beauties of the place for some time, and the thousands of spirits, robed in spotless white, passing through the air, for they did not confine themselves to the surface, but went every direction as they pleased, I wanted to see my dear mother, two sisters, and a child of mine that had died some time before this. The request was granted at once, but I was not allowed to converse with them. They were standing in a row in front of me, and I looked at them and coolly estimated the distance we were apart at thirty feet, and wondered how these things could be. They seemed very much pleased to see me, and I shall never forget how they welcomed me when I first saw them, although no conversation passed. About this time my attendant told me we must go back; I wished to stay, but he told me my time had not come yet, but would in due time, and that I should wait with patience. At this we started back, and were soon out of sight of that heavenly land. When we came in sight of this world, 1 saw everything as it looked from a great height, such as trees, buildings, hills, roads, and streams, as natural as could be, till we came to the car that I had opened the door of, and I found myself there in the body, and he vanished out of my sight.

I spoke then (just as I opened my watch and found it had been just twenty-six minutes that I had been engaged with that mysterious one), and said I thought I had left this world for good. One of the men said, "There is something the matter with you ever since you opened the car door; we have not been able to get a word out of you," and that I had done all the work of taking out everything and putting it back into the car, and one item was eight barrels of flour I had taken off the ground alone and put them back in the car, three feet and a half high, with all the ease of a giant. I told them where I had been and what I had seen, but they had seen no one.

This I count the brightest day of my life, and what I saw is worth a lifetime of hardship and toil. Being in good health, and in my right mind in mid-day. while busy about my work, and my mind not more than ordinarily engaged on the great subject of eternal life, I consider this a most extraordinary incident I was told by this mysterious person that if we are counted worthy at death, we shall be accompanied to that bright world by one of those glorious beings, and this is my firm belief.

Mr. Skilton writes to me that he has never had any trance save this - which he regards as "worth a lifetime of hardship and toil".

As I have elsewhere said, I incline to believe that ecstasy is the highest condition into which a spirit still incarnate can pass. The so-called ecstasy of hysteria I regard as merely an instance of the imperfect simulations of various psychical states which the disintegrated personality of the hysteric readily affords. True ecstasy I regard as a condition where the centre of consciousness changes from the supraliminal to the subliminal self, and realises the transcendental environment in place of the material. The reminiscence of such a momentary enlightenment I regard as inevitably confused and coloured by pre-existing supraliminal notions. I no more accept Mr. Skilton's picture of the unseen world as exact than I accept Swedenborg's; but I incline to believe that both alike were in truth exalted into an "interior condition," where their perception of the Cosmos, though less distinct and intelligible, was wider and profounder than our own.