WCP3493

[1]¹

Town Hall,

CASTLEFORD.

YORKSHIRE.

Jan. 14th. 1913.

To Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace,

Wimborne.

DORSET.

Honored and Revered Sir,

GREETINGS.

As one who has benefitted by your life and work, please accept my hearty and sincere congratulations on your natal day.

If I were acting from personal feelings I should hesitate in thus venturing on your rest, but I am carrying out instructions recently received from the late Mrs. Emma Hardinge Britten² under circumstances that call for a long preamble and explanation, for which I crave your kind patience.

I have long been associated with four ladies residing at Normanton some four miles from here. For over 20 years these ladies have operated with a common three legged round table, and by means of an arranged code have received very many communications. Poems on a great variety of subjects, Essays, Addresses, etc., but the greatest labour of love has been the taking down and transcribing, a manuscript novel of several hundred foolscap pages. This has been dictated letter by letter by Mrs. Britton assisted by several Spirit colleagues, and is by them entitled "THE MIGHTY LEVER-LOVE".

This interesting work is at once historical, prophetic, romantic, sentimental, scientific, occult, pathetic, and socialistic with personal references, thinly veiled and with local colouring and references, What adds further interest to it, is the coincidence (if one dare so term it) that you recent utterances on the state of modern society is almost a repetition of remarks in chapter 23 on 31ast pages, [2] (2). of the manuscript written in 1905. For 2 years and 10 months these four ladies at stated periods sat down to take down this large volume. With their hands placed on the table it tapped out the marvelous work. Our spirit friends are confident that when the work is printed and placed before the world, that humanity will be benefitted thereby. When the work was completed a summary was prepared by the directions through the table and sent to Mr A. J. Balfour³ who kindly intimated, that if and when the work was placed before the public, it might be dedicated to him. The M.S.S. was also submitted to the late W. T. Stead⁴ who warmly appreciated it. Mr. Geo Young⁵ late of Glasgow read it, and contributed a criticism in laudatory terms. The Hon. Ev^erard Fielding⁶ has also read it, and has been down to Normanton, examined the table, sitters, and the mode of delivery. He did not admit spirit agency, seeming to lean rather to the idea of the operation of sub-liminal consciousness. This theory however does not appear to us to be satisfactory.

A Local newspaper editor desired to publish the work in columns as a serial. but our spirit friends seek a wider circulation, and more permanent standing, and so the offer was declined.

And now my dear and venereal teacher, I come to the object of this letter and that is as directed by our spirit helpers, to ask you if you will be good enough to peruse the M.S.S. and if in your ripened judgement and wide experience the M.S.S. deserves to be issued in book form, will you help in the matter? On hearing from you that you would like to see the M.S.S. I am directed to forward the same to you.

Rest assured that whatever your decision may be in this matter, the respect and gratitude, that your life and labours have won, will ever be felt by,

Yours Most Respectfully, | H H Broadbent⁷ [signature]

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