Howard Pyle, a chronicle by Charles D. Abbott, with an introduction by N. C. Wyeth and many illustrations from Howard Pyle's works.

PHILOSOPHER AND MYSTIC
more diligentlyý-for, next to the Bible upon which it stands,
it is the greatest book that I have ever read. It is the very
word of God and the history of every man's soul. If you
can read it (I am afraid I cannot) I am very certain that you
w ill find all your doubts removed.
But your dream-letter;-I do most positively and
emphatically believe that in those earlier dreams you did
actually see your daughter. In the later ones, I have as
little doubt that you are being cruelly hoaxed by just such
spirits as. make themselves felt to you in the darkness of
the night. Liars in themselves they have no greater pleasure than is to be derived from misleading poor, blind, helpless, stumbling men in this world. Should such appear
visibly to me I would set it to the account of an overworked
stomach. I may be prejudiced in such matters but I never
could see that spirits ever could or ever did tell anybody
anything that was worth the knowing--even Swedenborg
confesses to having been deceived by them. It seems to me
to be such an absolute duty to plough over ground and
sow our seed here in the good old honest earth that one
should resolutely turn from such-shall I dare to say unprofitable waste of God's time?
I("* wish that I could see you some time., I love to
talk of these things and maybe in mutual discussion many
things might be cleared away for both of us. Beside, there
is a more practical concern that I would like to discuss. Do
you ever come to New York? If you should come any time
soon and will let me know, I will run on and meet you..
"Very sincerely yours,
"HOWARD PYLE."
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