A discourse from J. S. Loveland, once a minister, reported in the _Banner of Light_, contained this paragraph:— “With God there is no crime; with man there is. Crime does not displease God, but it does man. God is in the darkest crime, as in the highest possible holiness. He is equally pleased in either case. Both harmonize equally with his attributes—they are only different sides of the same Deity.” In “Automatic Writing” (1896), p. 139, a question was asked concerning evil, meaning sin and crimes among men. The spirit answered that these were conditions of progress, and were so necessary to elevation that they were to be welcomed, not hated. The questions and answers are as follows:— “_Ques._—Can you give us any information in regard to the so-called Devil—once so firmly believed in? “_Ans._—Devil is a word used to conjure with. “_Q._—Well, then, as the word itself doubtless arose from the word ‘evil,’ which means to us unhappiness, can you give us an explanation of the existence of evil? “_A._—Evil—as you who are the greatest sufferers from it, name one of the conditions of progress—is as necessary, aye, more so, than what you call good, to your and our elevation to higher spheres. It is not to be hated, but welcomed. It is the winnowing of the grain from the chaff. Children of truth, don’t worry over what to you seems evil; soon you will be of us and will understand, and be rejoiced that what you call evil persists and works as leaven in the great work of mind versus matter. “_Q._—But it seems to us impossible that brutal crimes like murder, assassinations, or great catastrophes, by which the innocent are made to suffer at the hands of malicious and cruel persons, should work for ultimate good? “_A._—Percipients of the grand whole of Being can understand but may not state to those on your plane, the underlying good making itself asserted even through such dreadful manifestations of human imperfections as the crimes you name. “When asked why certain wrongs were allowed to be perpetuated, this answer was given:— “There is a law of psychical essence which makes necessary all these ephemeral entanglements which to you seem so severe, and you will yet see from your own standpoint of reason why such hardships must be endured by questioning souls on the highway of progress. “_Q._—But do you from your vantage ground of larger knowledge grow careless that such injustice is done? “_A._—We do care, but cannot remedy. “_Q._—Why can’t you remedy? “_A._—Because humanity is but an embryo of existence. “_Q._—If you can perceive the trials and sorrows of mortals, and can interfere to save them, why do you not more often do so? “_A._—When undeveloped souls pay the price of development, we stand aloof, and let the play go on. Interference will do no good.”