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Show AN AMERICAN MYSTIC j I 1 Francis Grierson, the American JiFS?., mystic who was brought up on the s xTt prairies of Illinois, is recognized to- V &"' ;k day as one of the most mysterious Vn VS xli and enigmatic figures in the world. V He is able to do things that lead to i the belief that he is something more than human. His prophetic gifts have v, y astounded the greatest of living &, 1 Z " " ? scientists; he can sit at the piano and fx V"tK? s for hour after hour improvise the 'f " most beautiful of music, to the won- ' sv7 tier and deIight of the world's great- -y est musicians; his writings in English ' Y and French, both prose and poetry, A v Jl n x have won the warm ptaise of the ' 'V.!?11 most exacting critics. & " j Born in England, Grierson was t ? v. y$ reared in Illinois, and as a youth b i vv V i made his debut as a musical prodigy I - 'v'v'Ntv in Paris- Because of his wonderful vj' improvisations he became at once the ! r f $tJLtJ T 'SSfc. musical celebrity of the day and was near(j and teted in most of the capitals capi-tals of Europe. Later in life he gradually grad-ually abandoned music for literature, and he has written some notable books. One of the best of them is "The Valley of Shadows," which has been called a picture of the heart of America in the period immediately preceding the Civil war. Many of this strange man's utterances have been startlingly prophetic. He foretold the Franco-Prussian war of 1S70, the wars of Japan with China and Russia, the Boer war and the present great conflict. He has now been making predictions as to the results of this war. What England wins, he says, will be dearly paid for; wlmt she loses will be lost forever. If the allies win England will have to fight Russia. In the meantime Japan will strike when the moment arrives heedless of any neutrality that may exist. |