To Our CorrespondentsParis, March 1st, 1862 Ladies and gentlemen,
You know the proverb: “Nobody is forced to do more than they can”. It is based on that principle that I come to you. For six months now and despite my total good will it has been impossible to keep up with my correspondence that accumulates beyond all prediction. Hence, I feel like someone in debt that is trying to cut a deal with the lenders or otherwise declare bankruptcy. Whilst some debts are paid off a larger number of new ones arrive increasing rather than diminishing the backlog and right now I am behind with a load of two hundred letters. Well, since the daily average is 10 letters I cannot see a way of freeing up myself if you do not give me an unlimited time allowance.
I am far from complaining about the number of letters that I receive since that is an unquestionable proof of the reach of the Doctrine and most of them express feelings that touch me profoundly and constitute an invaluable archive. As a matter of fact, many of them contain teachings that will never be forgotten and that sooner or later will be utilized according to the circumstances hence they are immediately classified by subject.
The correspondence alone would thoroughly absorb my time although it is only a quarter part of the obligations that I have undertaken, something that I was far from predicting at the beginning of my Spiritist activities. Therefore a number of important publications are halted given my lack of time to work on them and I have thus received a pressing invitation from my spiritual guides to get going with the urgent works without delay, leaving everything else aside.
As a consequence and, unless I fail on the accomplishment of the work so happily initiated, I am forced to implement a kind of literary liquidation of the past and in the future restrict myself to the strictly needed answers, collectively asking my honorable correspondents to accept my most sincere gratitude for their testimonies of sympathy.
Among the letters addressed to me many carry requests for evocation or for controlling evocations done somewhere else. They frequent ask for information with respect to mediumship skills or things of material interest. I would remind you of what I said somewhere else about the difficulty and even the inconveniences of such kind of evocations in the absence of interested persons who are the only ones capable of verifying their accuracy and ask the required questions, adding to the fact that the Spirits communicate more easily and with more benevolence to their loved ones than to strangers that are indifferent to them.
For that reason and leaving aside the considerations with respect to my occupations, I cannot attend every request of that nature but on very exceptional cases and in any case never with respect to material interests. Had the persons interested in this matter thoughtfully read chapter 26 of The Mediums’ Book and many of those questions could be avoided.
On the other hand personal evocations cannot be carried out at the sessions of the Society unless they offer subject for instructive study and of general interest. Otherwise they can only take place
at special sessions. In order to satisfy every request a daily session of two hours would not suffice. Besides, we must take into account that every medium, without exception, who give us their support do so out of pure kindness and do not admit any other condition and since they have their own commitments and hence they are not always available regardless of their good will.
I understand the importance that each person attributes to matters of their own interest and I would feel happy if I could address all of them. However, taking into account that given my position I am in touch with thousands of people one can then understand the actual impossibility of doing so.
One must also realize that certain evocations would not require less than five or six hours of work both to hold and transcribe them, and that put together all that were requested to me would render a volume like The Spirits’ Book. As a matter of fact the mediums multiply daily and it is rare the case when one is not found in the family or among acquaintances – when the person herself is not
– something that is always preferable on more private issues. It is a matter of trying in good conditions out of which, and before any attempt is made, the first one is to be well informed about the instructions relative to the practice of Spiritism, in case one wants to avoid deceptions.
As Spiritism spreads further my network multiplies and the duties associated with my position follow suit forcing me to somewhat neglect details in favor of general interests, since time and human strength have a limit and I confess that mine are fading for some time now and I cannot enjoy the necessary resting time since I am only one to take care of everything.
I beg you, ladies and gentlemen, to accept my reiterated demonstration of affectionate devotion.
Allan Kardec
