1957
August 21, 1957
[ Photo of letter from Mary Marshall to Margaret Hamilton ]
Margaret L. Glen-Hamilton
Winnipeg, Canada
September, 1957
[The following is a sign of the care and sympathy that those on the Other Side can exhibit when things for those on earth seem to "go to hell in a handbasket." W. D. F.]
[The recipient of this writing is not identified.]
[Margaret Hamilton had been married for about twenty-three years by this time - there was a problem with the marriage and I believe Jim Bach and Margaret divorced around this time. It may be a sitting held to get help and advice from Dr. Hamilton. W. D. F.]
September 4, 1957
Patience (Mrs. Barber) under control:
"Take these questions down please."
"Do you feel your father was justified in leaving your mother?
"Are you happy about conditions created by your father?
"Do you approve of his marriage? Do you feel he was justified in depriving you of your home, of the protection of a father, of a home where children and parents should be one happy family - a home where you are able to bring your friends where the parents welcome them and share your happiness and your friends.?
"Do you think he was justified in depriving you and your mother of your rightful place and her rightful place as the mistress of the home, where, with the aid of the father, she was the protector of her own?
"Do you realize your father has robbed you of your rightful inheritance, of your home and the love that should exist in the home by both parents for their children. He has deprived you of your friends, your rightful position which should also be shared by both parents.
"He has deprived you of the guidance of both parents, where parents should share the responsibility of the children together in the home, not elsewhere - I mean a father who has taken another woman in place of the rightful wife cannot share the burden of the first wife in bringing up the children. It is frustrating and presents great difficulties for the mother who must shoulder great difficulties.
"I am afraid, friend, you will have to think back and back and on and on. It should be a simple question to answer and it would be if material conditions did not enter. The thing of greatest importance is to be true to your own self; at all times be true to your inner self, and the real you. You know what is right. You know what is just. You know what you would say were you to face your Master, your Creator. You would not hesitate, for you know what is right. The time will come when all must face the Master, and you will find how important it is to be true to one's self - honor above all else; truthfulness above all else.
"I find conditions surrounding these individuals very difficult and one can only advise - one cannot say you must. I would like to say: always remember - honor before all else; be true to your own self; be truthful and honest, put that above all else, for the time comes when you must give an account: and when you are right with yourself, you are right wit God. Nothing else is of value.
"You must be careful not to break your word - I have told you many times, a liar is the worst criminal - when you steal a person's purse you steal trash; but to dishonor another's name, or to take away the character of another, or to be dishonorable is the worst sin - whether you have deceived your wife or children - when you make a vow to love, honor and cherish, and when children are brought into the world - God has entrusted a human soul to you - it is for you to care for that bud, love it and protect it against everything until it reaches man or womanhood and is able to care for itself. Animals protect their young with their lives; but man, he forgets his responsibility - he throws it aside.
"It grieves me very much, for God entrusted the children to their parents; and if parents remembered their promise to God there would be no separations. If love died they still would continue to keep the home together and do their best: for they themselves took the responsibility upon themselves - you choose your wife - you choose your husband - you are not forced to take them, and when you have made your choice you realize that marriage means children - that is what marriage means: CHILDREN. They are God's flowers for you to care for. He has given them to you - you know what it means and it is for you who have taken the vows to love and cherish and continue keeping the vows. A man or a woman who breaks a vow - well, words fail me. It is a great responsibility - they have lied - theirs is the greatest sin. It is breaking a trust.
"When the trust is broken by one or the other it means the children are deprived of a parent. This is committing the greatest crime - there is nothing lower than an individual who breaks up a home and deprives children of their parents. Committing murder is less a crime than that: because murder is a crime of passion, but breaking up a home is planned. I trust those of you who sit will never be guilty of breaking up a home - teach your children to be honorable and take their marriage vows seriously. It is better never to marry than to take the marriage lightly. I know there are many who do, but it is very wrong where there are children. Where there are no children and the people wish to go their separate ways it is different thing; but where there are children it is so wrong.
"I know the mother is remembering. I know she is shedding tears. The problem is great. Let your conscience guide you. Do only what you know is right, so that you will be able to say to God - I know it is right - I know it is just. I feel great sorrow encircling - I mean the sympathy of the band of spirits are surrounding the individuals. They are inspiring the right thoughts, hoping they will see the right way and to remember that there are things money cannot buy - peace within the soul, happiness and love, those are beyond price. These come only when a man or woman knows he has done right, - you cannot make excuses: words are useless. One must know a thing is just and right.
"My friends, pray for them. The mother of the lady grieves. Arthur says - tell Dot if you play with fire you burn yourself and sometimes the scars remain forever. Once you are burned there will always be a scar: so do not play with fire; then you will have nothing to regret. There is a beautiful upright star before you - if you follow it you will find great happiness. I will be watching - (control changed again) - mama Lil will be watching, too. She says 'Francie you will not fail me - you will not fail.' It will be honor above all things, honor above all things - be true to yourself.
"Mother's love will come to you - you will both, in time, know what it is to be a mother and love your own. You will both know what it is to hold a tiny baby of your own, then pray to God that the father of the baby will not turn you out and replace you by another.
"It must be honor above all, and remember, DO WHAT IS RIGHT.
"I am speaking to you both. I love you both. You are my children. I would spare Margaret this ordeal. There is nothing I can do but surround you and give you strength. You are wonderful, Margaret - you carried your burden bravely, very, very. We have seen your suffering.
"I do not know what to do. If is continues like this it will be too much for her. I wish I could take her burden and shield her from this miserable man who promised to love and care for her. I never thought he would try to deprive her of the love of the children - with that miserable woman to buy their soul. It is like selling them into slavery. He puts the iron chains on them and pulls them to him. He will wrap the chains around them and they will never be free - a chain of money, which is the greatest curse of humanity. If only I could have seen it before. I was blind to it. He would destroy her. He would destroy their morals. He would destroy my child completely but he will not have the power. I will not let him do it to her. The girls must be saved from that awful creature. He has replaced her in Margaret's place. He is buying the friends. If he did not have the money they would not accept her, but money is all power - it is their God.
"They must not be sold. Money must not have the power to buy the soul. I used to think that money had power and we had to do certain things because it was right and we did not wish to offend this person or that person; but that was all wrong. We must look things true in the face.
"Walter has let me come through. There was a lady who spoke before ; it was Gwendoline. We found it was easier for her to come through. Walter is here by me. I want to bring Margaret peace. I want her to know that money has no value. It appears to have, but it really does not have the power that honor and truthfulness have, and love is the greatest in your world and the only things in ours. "Walter" has always told you that - love and honor are of the greatest importance - be truthful with yourselves. (I am alright now - she had been weeping) I have to go - the time has gone. I know my daughter is coming. I know she depends on Sylvia. She is a wonderful girl ..."
[something our of order here]
"... to Margaret: "Were you going through some psychic material today? Were there some typed papers? Walter was there. Let Stead finish. (Here they discussed the work) In the meantime you can think on the Houdini matter - it will find its place. Walter and Stead used to say that to your mother - that had to be finished first, then the rest would follow.
"Did Sterge have deep set eyes and heavy eyebrows? I saw his face above the tape recorder. When you are working and find you get tired, relax, close your eyes, lean back and someone will give you healing. You do get awfully tired.
"Bert is here - he is laughing again. He is laughing about the joke he played.
"I get the play of Svengali - all of a sudden I saw Svengali, and Trilby - It is dangerous to fool with hypnotism in any way. I don't know just where this applies. Either of you can take it if you recognize it. You have not heard the last of this. Do not have anything to do with hypnotism. Your brain is your own to use.
["Do not allow anyone to control anyone in this way - I am saying this in case you hear of V speaking of being in a group like that - it is dangerous.]
"Bill says "Make special prayer ours." In that way in time he will be able to get very close to you. You will feel his presence and he will be able to give you more things. A small prayer of about four lines.
"Though I be tempted I will not yield, my hands are as hard as steel. I see a gate, the gate is big. I go through until I come to a door. I got through that door - I cannot turn to right or left. I feel this applies to your life - that you will always have the strength to hold tight. Your hands are like steel - you will always have the strength. You will always see the right way. Arthur and Moonbeam come and stand beside you. I get the song "God will take care of you in every way." I feel there will be many things to distract you.
"Your mother is leaning over you, Millie - May is with Walene.
"Margaret - I see you very pleased about a letter that is to come.
"Was the husband of your friend in England a slim man? Was his face long and thin, his hands and fingers slim - did he wear dark clothes. He had a nice smile, nice eyes. His neck was thin - did he have a condition of the chest. He left much unfinished work. Finish your work without interference and there will be nothing left unfinished. It is very regrettable when one leaves work unfinished. He is telling me these things - he had so much to give. He was full of beauty and he was gifted. He loved his wife very dearly. Was she a different type from him? But they harmonized. Her temperament was different from his. She looked fuller than he did. I cannot see her clearly. Was his 'adam's apple' quite prominent? He has met Sterge. He has gotten to know him very well. He was an admirer of Sterge's work. He say, "God bless you - do not leave any work unfinished - both are going to help you. That is the first time he has come.
"He is with his wife - he loves her. He has watched his wife kiss his photograph. He has seen her shed tears of loneliness,;he has felt the longing in her soul.
"There is a band standing around you. Remember, continue with what you are doing - it will dovetail one into the other and it will be much easier for you.
"The children are going.
Circle closed before 10:00pm
[The following appears to be addressed to Margaret Hamilton during the time of stress around her divorce. Lillian Hamilton had died in September of 1956.]
September 30, 1957
"Rest, little one. You have earned this peaceful sleep by ceaselessly striving your loved ones here to please. We watch your daily efforts in mastering yourself by overcoming your sorrows and replacing them with a smile. You have gained a silent victory and covered the first mile.
"Sleep, little one. We will not disturb your rest. We know you are very tired and have done your level best. May sweet dreams be yours, darling, and peace when you awake, and the hand of our Loving Father your troubles away take.
"Be brave, my little darling. You have overcome the worst. The future holds for you much beauty, happiness and such. Guard the lovely blossoms God intrusted to your care. I will watch over them with you and their problems share.
(One who watches)
(Walter was with him)
"Slumber, my child, for you have earned your rest.
Forget all ills, for you have done your best.
Soil not the purity of thy thought
By thinking of dross so cheaply bought.
Yours is the gain, and theirs the loss.
They are held down by chains
While you have gained
The strength through Thy cross."
Some notes by Margaret Hamilton years later:
Mrs. Crandon's mediumship was discovered at about the same time as my father realized that Mrs. Poole, his midwife, was a potential medium. Again, "Walter" was the main non-corporeal entity who conducted events from the "other side." Their weekly sittings in Boston, held either at Dr. Comstock's home, or the Crandon home, attracted many family members, as well as close friends. Many were convinced of the genuineness of the phenomena; many were curious; and many repelled.
Outside witnesses were brought in as independent verifiers, among them a number of well-known medical men of the city. Like ourselves, they were unable to account for these phenomena on any known basis.
Among these outside scrutineers also was Mr. J. Malcom Bird, one-time assistant editor of The Scientific American and at the time (1925) official investigator for the American Society for Psychical Research.
In a photograph taken at the time he may be seen standing to the right of the medium, the table levitation and inversion in this case being a notable one. Immediately prior to this experiment he passed the table through a loop of rope to satisfy himself that no strings, wires, or attachments of any kind were connected with it. He was convinced, he said, that the movements were true telekinesis. The speed of the levitation he regarded as extraordinary.
It may be of interest at this point to quote from a report on these phenomena made by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and published in his book Our Second American Adventure.
He says:
"On our first night in Winnipeg we attended a circle for psychical research which has been conducted for two years by a group of scientific men who have obtained remarkable results. The Medium was a small, pleasant-faced woman from the Western Highlands of Scotland. Her psychic gifts are both mental and physical. The circle, which contained ten person, including my wife and myself, placed their hands, or one hand each, upon a small table, part of which was illuminated by phosphorous, so as to give some light. It was violently agitated and this process was describes as 'charging it.' It was then pushed into a small cabinet with an opening in front. Out the table came clattering again entirely on its own, with no sitter touching it. I stood by the slit in the curtain in subdued red light and I watched the table within. One moment it was quiescent. A moment later it was like a restless dog in a kennel, springing, tossing, beating up against the supports and finally bounding out with a velocity which caused me to get quickly out of the way."
"Many of Crawford's Belfast experiments have been duplicated by this group of scientists, which is the more important in view of Dr. Fournier d'Albe's failure to get the same results."
So much for some types of telekinetic phenomena witnessed in this city from 1921 on.
(Reprinted, by permission of Dr. Glen Hamilton, from the Winnipeg Free Press).
Loud blows on the cabinet were heard, probably not more than twenty times, (1925 - 1926) but when they did occur they were an arresting and a challenging event. As a rule they were heard only on occasions when other physical events were also of the powerful and more or less violent type.
Thus end the Dawn-scripts, those amazing outpourings from many minds through a little Scottish woman, who gave of her great gift that it too might be used in the interests of humanity.
And surely this one verse from Tennyson's IN MEMORIAM fittingly epitomizes all that we have been so greatly privileged to witness:
"Thine are these orbs of light and shade;
Thou madest life in man and brute;
Thou madest Death; and lo, Thy foot
Is on the skull which Thou has made!"
Margaret L. Glen-Hamilton
Winnipeg, Canada,
October, 1957.
[Some Final Observations: - by Walter David Falk]
After the last messages from Dr. Hamilton in 1944, Lillian continued to work on the messages already received. She spent time finding references to various aspects of the notes from R. L. Stevenson and David Livingstone and so on. This was a long and laborious process and was never completed.
Lillian continued to work at this until her death in 1956. There are many more letters in the notes, than are given here, that refer to this time and the loneliness she sometimes felt in Winnipeg separated from her only daughter.
Glen Hamilton continued his medical career in Winnipeg and used the old Hamilton house as one of his offices. Nothing is said about whether he had a secretary during these years, but he probably did.
Jim Hamilton first earned his degree in Physics and later also qualified in Medicine and practiced medicine in Eastern Canada until his death. Many more details of the lives of these two Hamilton men are found in the letters of the Hamilton notes. These have not been included in this abbreviated version of the notes but can be found in the longer versions.
Margaret continued the work after Lillian died and wrote a book entitled "Is Survival a Fact?" which was published after Lillian's death. After that she continued to work on an even later version of the notes entitled "If These Walls Could Speak"
She never seems to have progressed beyond an outline for the book and the first few chapters, of which there are several versions resulting from several separate attempts.
Margaret moved from 185 Kelvin, which became 185 Henderson Highway when the Disraeli Freeway was constructed. She moved into an apartment farther north along Henderson Highway. She died in 1986.
The Hamilton home, in which the most exhaustive experiments in the world were done in the various aspects of psychic phenomena and the most complete records of these experiments kept, still overlooks Hespeler along which the depression dust storms of the 20's swept so long ago; and the very small seance room upstairs is, as of August, 2010, still there, although now it is a small office. The hot water register from the heating system still has its place between the two large windows facing east
The complete set of images of the Hamilton Files can be copied along with the transcriptions in several word processing files of the entire Hamilton Files. These comprise two DVD discs and may be obtained from the University of Manitoba. The images can be viewed on any image viewer on the computer and the transcribed files may be viewed in WordPerfect, MicroSoft Word, or in .pdf format.
Anyone desiring to do research work on the Hamilton Files can now do so without extensive travel.
I began the work of photographing the collection in the spring of 2004 and finished the transcription on August 30, 2010.
Walter D. Falk.
