A Perfect Day

Delivered in Chicago, Ill., by the guides of 
Mrs. Cora L. V. Richmond, July 1892

Out of a heaven of perfect calm, whose undisturbed and divine atmosphere was girded round with the light of angels, in whose presence and abiding light was the Infinite Love, pulsating without vibration through all the wondrous spaces, God said, We will make unto the earth a perfect day.

All night the stars had hung quivering like pearl-drops in all the azure sky, tremulously giving forth their melody of light. There was naught to disturb the serene and perfect beauty, as no cloud, save, it might be a transparent veil of silvery light, that for a moment eclipsed the wonderful beauty of the starlit sky only to reveal it more perfectly. There was no darkness; there was such a palpable glory that even the night was wonderful; and as if passing from glory to glory there was no shadow preceding the day.

Along the sky, when the earth turned that way, the first streak of day revealed a peacefulness as of paradise; no sound, no sob of sorrow, nothing but the rest that had given to the blossoms their sweet fragrance, and touched the leaves with diviner glory; nothing was heard save the piping and warbling of the birds, like a prelude that precedes a wonderful symphony.

Along the eastern sky there was preparation for wonderful glory; the marshaling of hosts of light; soft-winged clouds appeared clustering around the east as if to enshrine and enthrone the morning star, that glistened as a herald to the day. The clouds hung around like accompanying angels, and awaited a little way off for the greater glory to appear.

Then rays of light shot up one after another, like wondrous flames pointing to the zenith, iridescent at first, then clear crimson and golden; then the full mellow songs burst forth from the groves that seemed to be alive and populous with the messengers of divine joy and love; and then at last, as the clouds rolled up in splendour, fold on fold, the wonderful golden glory of a perfect throne was fashioned, upon which suddenly, with bright and conquering joy, the sun mounted in triumph. The day had dawned.

Like wonderful relays of celestial hosts and battalions, the clouds went marching and wheeling away from the sun, mighty hosts of peace and tranquillity.

Noiselessly, with many a wonderful and mighty import, the messengers of earth went forth. There were engines, glorious with, strength and fleetness; they were of finest mechanism, so fine that not one jarring sound was heard; there were argosies on all the waters of the earth, laden with the fruitage and products of many climes. There were ships that, moving noiselessly by some unseen motor, were borne to different portions of the earth. There were air-ships, silently performing their flight without resistance, without vibration, not even having motion like winnowing wings, but steadily, calmly, sailing in the upper air. There were long, wonderful trains, noiselessly speeding through valleys and over hills; no snorting, shrieking of fiery horses, no smoke nor dust, but all was silent, peaceful, full of harmony.

Softly and full of sweetness the earth had prepared to receive the day. Thus, at first, the twilight opened. There was the song of the morning breeze, not only from hills and valleys, those hills upon which clustering trees hung, and the pines made a wonderful background for the glory of the morning, but those valleys teeming with verdure, in which was the evidence of all the peaceful vocations of man; simple cottages and grand palaces, beautiful homes, places adorned with every loveliness.

Thus the earth and all these physical scenes were prepared to receive the wonderful power, the wonderful life that held dominion over them; even the birds attuned their songs to that other being who would awaken to listen when the full day appeared. Forth from many habitations issued the sound of music, like a morning anthem of praise. Then came the people, clothed in light and useful garments, and moving noiselessly, yet with wonderful grace, among the scenes that surrounded them.

Large warehouses, teeming with all that the many lands produced, yielded readily into the hand that sought whatever product had been stored away. Cities were dispersed. Only such convenient places of storage as were required gave unto the people the exchange which they sought for their commodities. There was no sound of barter, there was no crunching and clashing of wheels nor clattering of hoofs that beat upon the sensitive ears of those who required to rest.

There were no polluted places; no dust or darkness into which human lives had to creep to hide away from the starlight or from the glare of the sun’s rays; all was clean swept and garnished. No weary feet wandered houseless and homeless along desolated streets, or where the midnight glare or glamor had lured them on to fall wearily by the wayside. All was hushed until the needs of the day required a quiet motion, activity but not confusion.

The daily wants and needs were simple and easily prepared. As soon as the morning repast was finished, into the fields and places of labor all emerged with songs upon their lips, caroling as birds, going freely with hands made strong by refreshing slumber to their fields of labor to perform that which needed to be done in the morning hours. But few hours were required for labor.

As the sun sped high up in the sky of golden glory there were sights denoting that there was a period of rest; there was a hush in the groves, the birds had sung their early songs, there was a peaceful hush, and man retired to the shelter of groves or gardens to rest also from his labor. Children gathered around in the coolness of the shade to receive their calm instruction and such teaching as comes from the parents lips when there is leisure; all was given in love.

Toward evening there was another brief period of toil; after the labor there was rest and social converse; there were songs of praise during the evening for the beauty of that day.

O’er all the earth there was a reign of peace; there were no armaments of war, no bristling bayonets, no forts that shut out the light and the enemy’s attacks at the same time, no ships of war with which to fight the enemies of the nations, for none were foes. Kings forgot their ambition, priests their rule, all were merged in one fraternity; nations did not oppress others, and none were doomed to toils, but all went freely to their vocations, and when their work was done all had homes, but there were no places of poverty, and none of regal splendour.

There was loving kindness and ministration one to the other, each seemed to forget his own thought or selfish wish in the thought of his neighbor. If there was a need each turned away from his own wishes to aid his fellow man. If there was want he turned away from his own dwelling to assist another. The helpfulness of each for another made the earth as a dream of that lovely time when God’s love shall abide with men.

There were over all the lands that were arable waving fields. The products were so abundant that not one human being seemed to be destitute. There were none in rags and none in royal robes, but all attired in a manner befitting their labor and befitting their states of mind; who* went forth in their tasks or ministrations unto others.

There were no places of learning, for learning seemed to flow from the lips of those inspired with the truth, whether in groves or chosen places, where they erected pavilions among the trees in which the inspired ones were appointed to teach the people and give them knowledge of the nature around, or sometimes in still more secluded places where the young were instructed for the few brief moments necessary for them to understand. There seemed to be no labor in climbing up the steps of learning.

There were no vassals chained to the car of Mammon, but human beings seemed to be equal with one another, and freely passed to and fro from country to country, from place to place, without the obstructing statutes and without the kind of locomotion that abides upon the earth today. Thousands were rapidly passing over valleys and oceans. In a few moments one could go to the most remote lands, for all fairest and farthest lands were freighted with nations populous and full of peace.

Each individual was attending to such necessary duties as were required in the performance of physical tasks for existence, while the larger and diviner duty was toward the fulfillment of the highest aims in human life. Subjects and themes that come now only by giant labor, by the greatest toil, were borne in upon the minds like sweet dreams or songs of praise. The vast topics suggested by Nature seemed as easily understood as the simplest leaf or flower. There were no longer discontent and dissension among the schools, no longer need of a forced education, as information on the subjects of life and the methods of existence and all the laws of nature were clear and plain, and simply revealed, as it must be when the truth is realized and understood by man that God is spirit, and that spirit must be the monarch over all.

There were no children with weariness crying for bread in the street, and none who sought for knowledge with weary brows and bent forms, but everywhere were those of matchless countenance who were ready to give to the young the knowledge that they sought. Each question could be clearly answered. For everything that children wished to know there was a ready response. It seemed as though knowledge, like the growth of the form, was innate; that it came as the spontaneous outgrowth of the seeking spirit.

Then o’er all the broad lands beneath the heavens there was no storm, wind, or snow, or rain, but such sweet showers as were invited from the clouds. There were no destructive elements, but the soft-winged zephyrs distributed the drops that would refresh and cool the flowers whenever needed. No forked lightning, no crashing thunder, nothing save the music of winds and waves undisturbed, and of the spheres of worlds moving in solemn grandeur. Fair oceans in peaceful monody told of such life as seemed to be born of the buoyancy of the sea, the sound of waves made music on the shore, the waters bore their treasures without the deep sea tempest. No dark-winged storm hovered over town and over the verdure, destroying the products of the labor of man’s hands; dwellings were not demolished.

There were no human battles, no tempests of the shedding of blood; nothing save the sweetness of peace like that soft stillness that comes upon the spirit in the consciousness of perfect rest.

There were no roses that had thorns, none, indeed, of those destroying and poisonous weeds that seem to desolate the earth. No noxious vapors rose from marshy pools, but the fragrance and freshness of the bloom of wonderful and rare flowers filled the air with praise, for this perfect day.

The labors of the day ended, all people clothed themselves in restful raiment. All were peaceful because their labor was well done and full of life and strength because there had been no exhausting nor degrading care. Clothed in the lightness of freedom born of the upper sky, all saw the glory of surrounding Nature, and gave praise unto the Infinite who had given all these blessings.

There came a more perfect wonder; for out of all the hearts there flowed a song of peace that blended with the songs of birds and with the music of the waters until the whole was a perfect and divine symphony in which there was no sound of sorrow. Over the broad spaces appeared a vision that was a portion of this scene, one that was a customary occurrence; beings appeared who had passed from earthly life into the spirit state, distinguished only in slight degree in their glory from the others who dwelt upon the earth. They mingled freely with those who were resident on earth, conversed with them, gave to them messages of love and wisdom—more perfectly seen in their more transcendent state—and taught them ever that souls were not divided by the simple changes called birth and death.

There was perfect communion; the knowledge of spiritual things flowing freely to all in earth-life. Infant lips were made to speak; young maidens were made to see. The presences that were not visible to the human eye were more palpable because perceived by the human heart, and understood by the human spirit. Both worlds mingled in the songs of evening praise, glad for the blessings of earth and of the spirit, glad for the abundant and Divine Baptism of love.

As the birds ceased their songs, as the great glory of the sun, round, and full, and clear, was again enthroned upon the attendant clouds, which beneath, round, above, encircled with glory the retiring monarch, people arrayed in the splendour of all their simplicity came forth from the abodes and dwellings, and in the sight of the Infinite Presence and the glory of the perfect day, praised God.

The hymn; the blending of the voices; the nearness of the world’s visible and invisible; the hearts that were joined in perfect praise and the loving accord that dwelt upon the earth, and filled all scenes with harmony; the sympathy of endeavor made the duties in human life a perfect praise.

Sweet rest followed the labor. There was gentle and cheerful preparation for slumber; the soft folded pinions of night brooded like a wonderful mother-bird above the earth, and as the messages of spirits and angels ceased, there was a gradual sinking to rest of those who had toiled and fulfilled their duties during the day without great care or pain or labor. The silence that had first brooded o’er the earth again was felt, and the gladness and the thrill that awakened the early morning came again in soft unfolding slumber, and the retiring hosts of spirits and angels waited just beside the gateway of mortal sleep, until with closed lids and restful forms the spirits of those dwelling on earth were set free by the angel of slumber, to dwell awhile in the inner realm; and then in the rapture of that Divine Communion the sleeping passed the hours needed for the rest of the body, and awoke again unto the morning of a perfect day.

Such shall be earth’s perfect day; when in all the world there shall be borne into the hearts and lives of an uplifted humanity a full knowledge of the presence of the angel of perfect love.

May such glimmerings of that perfect day be yours, that though it seem afar off, still shall the songs and prophecies declare it, and your souls with uplifted voices seek for that angel to abide within your souls. Amen.

Source: The Two Worlds Oct 21, 1892