The following tale has a certain historical aspect. The events described therein or their equivalents have actually taken place, and the characters of the story are, so to say, composite photographs of living people. This story was written with the sole object of showing to what absurdities a merely intellectual research after spiritual truths will lead; or to express it in other words, that it is foolish to attempt a scientific investigation of the nature of the Holy Ghost, if one has not the spirit of truth and holiness within one's own self. The story represents the vain struggles of a soul for light, and how at last the truth came to it without any struggle. Thus in attempting to show the difference between true spirituality and sophistry, or between true religion and what is most properly rejected as mysticism, spiritism and metaphysical speculation, I believe that I am rendering a service to the cause of the Truth.