INTRODUCTION – XIV

We would pass right over the objection of certain skeptics who point out the spelling errors of some spirits if it did not provide us with an essential observation. We must agree that their spelling is not always faultless, but only a lack of reasonable arguments could make such a fact the target of serious criticism by stating that if spirits know everything, they should know how to spell. We could point out numerous sins of this nature committed by earthly scholars, which in no way lessens their authority. However, the matter involves a more serious issue. For spirits, and especially for high order ones, the idea is everything; the form is nothing. Freed from matter, their speech is as rapid as thought, and it is through thought itself that they communicate with one another without intermediary means. Thus, they must find it very inconvenient having to use the drawn out and cumbersome forms of human language – especially its insufficiency and imperfections – in communicating with us to express all their ideas. They themselves have alluded to this fact, and it is interesting to observe the means they utilize to minimize the inconvenience.
The same would apply to us if we had to express ourselves in a language composed of longer words and sentences, and containing fewer expressions than ours. It is the same type of difficulty that geniuses experience: they become impatient with the slowness of the pen as it always lags behind their thought. Thus, we can understand why the Spirits attach little importance to orthographic trivialities, especially when dealing with a profound and serious teaching. On the other hand, is it not marvelous that they can express themselves equally well in all languages and that they understand them all? We must not conclude from this, however, that they do not understand the conventional correctness of language since they observe it when necessary. For example, the poetry they dictate almost always defies the criticism of the most demanding purist in spite of the ignorance of the medium.

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