GROWING BELIEF IN THE' OCCULT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 69, 15 December 1919, Page 15

GROWING BELIEF IN THE' OCCULT

* (Bv George A. Wade, in Daily 11 nil.'') Hverywhere there is a great and ''nospread lug growth of beliet in_ tlie tic cult. It lakes various forma in different muii(vio, and, indeed, with different, individuals. Shortly betore tho armistice a ii'.ftu wrotfe to tho papers' stilting th-at Ms brother, an officii- in- France, lind »p----noared to their father, who was ill in bed and had much wished to see the hou hoforo ho died. The leather tuld the family .thai same day o£ the "visit, saying lie could now die happy. lie died next dny, and two or three wiys inter iho family received ollicial news that the ollieor had been killed ut the front at. a time corresponding almost t<i a miiiule with tho hour when the fijVheihad said bin eon .tame to see him! Henco not only this family, but also many scores of peopla who know Hie fitoi-v, have been led to a (strong Lclict in something in which they did not previously place much credence. 1 v.as speaking not long ago to a well-known Blorv writer, who told mo thal-thoogu he had never hitherto believed m the existence of spirits or ghftst-raising—he was now halfway to belief. He had been to a Eeanco at l'reslon, in Lancashire, (juito unexpectedly, and wft> unknown to anybody there except to tho friend who had persuaded him to attend. Also ho was a sceptic, and when a'-lrcd whom he would like to oee ho replied, with nu insroihilous smile, ''My mother." He told me that his mothers spirit appeared ami spnko to him, mentioning something which dio one but themselves knew. He was so unset that he has never been to anything of the. kind since. But he now (irmly believes in tha occult. A Cornish neighbour of mine tells me th'at around his old home "down west" all tho folk have a strong 'belief in "the calling of tjie sea" when something serious is about to happen. He states that in March last year there was a big ground-swell of the sea on the Cornish coast, which made a terrible "call," aau that the Cornish peoplo far and near felt sure that some disaster was occurring to those tbev loved. Within the next day or so came 'neve- of a slaughter and retreat nt St. 'Ouentin, in the part of the line where there was a large number of Cornish troops. Naturally, since such curious confirmation of what all had been expecting came so quickly, it has made the super=tition spread still more in the County of Cornwall, A cousin of mine in Leeds nlways believes that angelic music can come to welcome the dying. Ho saya ho knows this is so, because, when his own father wa.s dving, he (the son), lying awake in the middle of the night in another room, was suddenly startled to hoar most beautiful music as if from afar. Ho went at once lo the sick room, wlic-re Ins father, w'th shining eyes, whispered to him, "Willie. Iho angels haTO just been here, and they playc<t such sweet music! Within an hour or so Iho father died. All these Mories are true. . And they explain why the belief in the occult is'spreading 50 rapidly to-day.