A Will in Favor of SpiritismTo Mr. Allan Kardec, President of the Spiritist Society of Paris
“Dear Sir and honorable Spiritist chief,
I attach to this letter my private will in an envelope sealed with green wax indicating in that envelope what should be done after my death. From the moment I met you and understood the bottom line and objectives of Spiritism I made the decision of preparing my will. My intention was to have it done this winter, after my returning from the countryside.
In my leisure time and in the solitude of my refuge I could give serious thoughts to this, illuminated by the shining light of Spiritism, taking advantage of the teachings of the Spirits of the Lord, from all points of view, guiding me for the accomplishment of this task in the most useful way to my Earthly brothers, be it in the heart of my home, near or far from me, known or unknown, friends or foes, and in the most God pleasing way.
I remember the respectable Mr. Jobard from Brussels whose sudden death was announced by you and his profound and witty writings, in particular with respect to an inheritance of twenty million that he used to say he had been defrauded and that such a colossal fortune would have been a powerful lever to accelerate the advancement of the new era. Money that is often called and from a worldly stand point the nerve of war is in fact a terrifying instrument, powerful for good or bad, and I said to myself: “I can and I must dedicate a remarkable amount of my modest estate to support this new era, a heritage acquired for the accomplishment of my trials, with my own sweat and to the price of my health, from poverty, fatigue, study and work, and for over thirty years working as an attorney at law, in the busy days of office and hearings.
I read Lamennais’ letter again from November 1st 1832 after his trip to Rome, sent to Countess Senfft, in which he expresses his disappointment after so much effort and struggles in his search for the truth, using these words that are if not prophetic at least inspired, by announcing the new era:”
(The text is followed by several citations that are omitted here for lack of space).
The envelope contains the following notice: “This enveloped sealed with green wax contains my personal will. The seal must be broken and the envelope open only after my death and in a general session of the Spiritist Society of Paris. The President of the day will read the entire will during that session. The seal shall be broken and the envelope open by the President. The envelope will be delivered to Mr. Allan Kardec, current President, who will have it deposited into the archives of the Society. An original of the same will shall be found in the office of Mrs. xxx; another original will be found at my house. The deposit made with Mr. Allan Kardec is mentioned in the other originals.”
After communicating the fact to the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies on November 20th, 1861, the President, Mr. Allan Kardec thanked the generous intentions of the will in favor of Spiritism, congratulating the person by the way he understood its objectives and reach.
Although the author of the letter had not requested privacy in case it was considered adequate to have the name published, we underst respect the privacy, given the circumstances and the issue at hand.
