TALK WITH SHAKESPEARE.

Grey River Argus, 8 December 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

TALK WITH SHAKESPEARE.

SIR FRANK BENSON’S EXPERIENCES. VISITS FROM THE DEAD, LONDON. November 16. Sir Frank R. Benson, the wellknown theatrical manager and Shakespearian actor, has drawn attention to his beliefs by writing a foreword to a book, “Telepathy and Spirit Communicution. ’’ In this he says: “I have seen, touched, and spoken with the risen dead. I have had frequent communications, with and without mediums, will: most of my friends who have passed on. l am n ' ot aware that I have any mediumistie power. I am only one of many who daily Jive in close contact anxl sympathy with those whom we wrongly call dead.” Interviews have followed, in which Sir Frank lias affirmed that he has spoken with Shakespeare. This, in his own words, is how it happened.

“A voice—that of Shakespeare—spoke to me through a trance medium saying: ( I know that you are engaged wit|i my plays. I am glad. Go on. “I asked no questions hut listened for the next voice. It was that of Aeschylus. Aeschylus said: ‘lt was I who sent you to work on the stage be fore my great successor. Our work is on the same lines.’

“By/his successor’ Aeschylus meant Shakespeare, and . the explanation is this. T went on th c stage in consequence of thc success of the ‘Agamemnon,’ which we played at Ballio) while T was an Oxford undergraduate. I am perfectly satisfied that the communications were genuine. That Aeschylus spoke to me in English was but natural. Thought has ?*o language. Words arc symbols.” DEAD SON’S MESSAGE. He said that his first experience took place many years ago at the hour his father’s death, when a being iu th c shape of his father came to him. kissed him on the forehead, and said ■’’Farewell. ” A later experii ncc was at the front during the Great War when Lady Bendon and himself were serving with the French Red Cross. “ I was,’’ said Sir Frank. “140 miles south of where my sou was on the Western Front. 1 was just going off to sleep when midway between the ceiling and the floor T saw a light., and in thc midst of that light stood my son. I sprang up and half got out of bed.

“I exclaimed, ‘My God, Eric, f thought you were dead.’ ‘Dad,’ saiu my boy, ‘you know we have always agreed that there is no such thing as death.’ ‘Of course.’ said I; ‘what a fool I am. How are things going on with you?’ ‘Oh. fine..’ he replied. ‘ Everything is going well. Good night, dad. God bless you,’ and then the vision faded away. I at once turned on the electric light, looked at my watch, and took a note of the time.” Next day he read in the papers that his boy’s regiment had been in action. Three days afterwards came a wire saying that he had been killed on the afternoon of the day on which he appeared to him.