Dorothy's Mystical Adventures in Oz

by Robert J. Evans

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  Chapter Nineteen:

  Americanpresidentland

  *

  Everyone slowly opened his eyes. Oxal, Odin, and Arcturas were gone.Dorothy shook her head in awe. "What a wonderful experience!" she said."And what an enlightening experience! If people on the earth could haveseen and heard all of this, their eyes would really be opened."

  "Do you think they would accept what was said, and change their ways?"asked the Scarecrow.

  The Lion and Tin Woodman shook their heads.

  "But why not?" said Dorothy. "How could they help but see that theirlives have great meaning -- that they don't just live and die and that'sthe end of it?"

  "Remember," said the Lion, "they did not believe Jesus Christ when Hetried to tell them some of these things and, even today, many of Hisfollowers do not really follow His teachings."

  "Yes, you're right," said Dorothy. "I know a cranky old lady who goes tochurch every Sunday, and she smiles and nods to everyone there, but weall know how mean spirited she is. She scowls at children who walk byher, as if she resents their very presence. She even tried to take mylittle dog away from me.

  "There is a Jewish family in the village," continued Dorothy. "Theirlittle girl and I are friends. Sometimes I go to her home to play. Hermother and father and big brother are so kind and loving. They arealways giving me food to take home. They do not have an awful lotthemselves, but they share what they have."

  "Sometimes people forget," said the Lion, "that Jesus was of the Jewishfaith. He had no intention of starting a new religion. He was onlytrying to uplift the thoughts and aspirations of his people. Hisfollowers called themselves Christians because they wanted to follow histeachings more than the traditional Jewish teachings. His teachings weremisinterpreted by later followers and sometimes deliberately distortedor had parts removed by them in order to suit the Church's thinking atthe time. It is sad that some Christians today make judgments on theother faiths. Some even go so far as to believe that non-Christianreligions, are doomed unless they convert to Christianity. God loves allpeople. He is not concerned with their individual beliefs and religions.He wants only for His children to grow spiritually and to love oneanother; to express kindness and gentleness and to live in peace andunderstanding. That is all He wants. Each may think as he wishesreligiously, as long as those thoughts are of the highest order and aslong as there is a desire to know more of the nature of God and Hisuniverse. Too many are smugly satisfied with their religious beliefs andwill investigate no further, believing sincerely that they have beentold all that God wishes for them to know, and so will refuse to listento any other point of view, or to study the many writings that exist,some of which are very spiritual in nature. These people deprivethemselves of a great deal of knowledge, thereby inhibiting theirspiritual advancement. Of course, others are spiritually advanced who donot even belong to any organized religion or philosophy."

  "It's all so very interesting," said Dorothy. "I had never thought ofany of this before -- or at least very little."

  "Most children don't think too much about it, but they do wonder aboutthings sometimes. When you get back to Kansas, Dorothy, you really mustfind a way to bring this knowledge to the children," said the TinWoodman. "Although some adults will understand it, many others are tooset in their ways to change their thinking or attempt to understand it.It is up to you children to change the world, and you can do it. If youwill all learn to think and act in a more spiritual manner, by the timeyou grow up and fill all the positions of government and industry, youwill be living in a beautiful world, one of harmony and honesty andtrust. Oh, there will still be problems, but nowhere near the degreethere is now. And the adults, from their various levels ofconsciousness, will be amazed at what you have accomplished. And tothink it will all be because each individual decided within himself toraise his thinking to a higher level and to serve his brother as himself."

  "I just wish it could be that simple," said Dorothy. "But even if allchildren everywhere could be told all this; there are so many that wouldnot listen. They would just scoff at the idea of being nice. Somechildren just seem to delight in being mean."

  "Perhaps that is because they have not evolved very much over theirlifetimes," said the Scarecrow. "And they have no desire to evolve now."

  "This is true," said the Lion. "But this change is not expected tohappen overnight. Every child that does accept this philosophy willteach their own children too, and if the philosophy is taught from ayoung age, there is so much more chance of it being accepted. Especiallyif it is also taught in the schools. The world could not help but improve."

  "What about countries," said the Scarecrow, "whose governments don'tbelieve in a supreme intelligence, life after death, or rebirth? Whatabout them? Their governments like to have full control over the people.They control the factories, the newspapers, everything! They would neverallow their children to be taught this."

  "Never say never," said the Tin Woodman. "I believe this old hard linethinking will break down -- ever so slowly, mind you. But mass thinkingdoes not change quickly. As younger people with more inquisitive mindsgrow up and replace the old die-hards, things will change."

  "Mortal is the word, all right," said the Scarecrow. "It is the mortalmind which causes people to be enemies. The spiritual mind would neverallow this."

  "Just think what could be achieved," said the Lion, "if all that moneythat the various governments spend on armies and sophisticated weaponscould be spent on humanitarian projects ... like helping to feed all thechildren in the world who go to bed hungry each night."

  "You would think that would be a lot more important to them than armingthemselves to the teeth," said the Scarecrow. "But I guess that they'reall so afraid of each other they feel they have to build their hugearmies to protect themselves. I hope one day they'll all come to theirsenses and see how ridiculous the whole thing is."

  "I'm sure it's only a matter of time," said Dorothy. "My fellow mortalscan't remain in the dark ages for ever."

  "Not to change the subject," said the Tin Woodman, "but where do we gofrom here?"

  "We haven't heard much of the Wicked Witch lately," said the Scarecrow.

  "Maybe she's gone into hiding," said Dorothy.

  "Not her," replied the Tin Woodman. "She's not scared of anyone."

  "She could be getting scared," said Dorothy, "now that we're gettingcloser to where she lives."

  "Why should she be scared of us?" asked the Cowardly Lion. "She has allthat magic. We don't have any."

  "We may not have all that exotic magic," said Dorothy. "But we have morepower."

  "More power?" questioned everyone at once.

  "Yes," said Dorothy emphatically. "Haven't you been absorbing all thatwe have been told? Love is the greatest power in the world -- in theentire universe."

  "Well, the proof will be in the pudding," said the Lion.

  "What did you say would be in the pudding?" asked the Scarecrow.

  "What I'm trying to say," answered Lion, patiently, "is that when wemeet face to face the real test will begin."

  "Oh," said the Scarecrow. "I understand."

  "We must all have faith," said Dorothy, "and know that, without a doubt,we have overcome hate."

  Everyone was so busy talking that none had paid too much attention tothe surroundings. "Look!" said the Lion. "Look at the beautiful homes!"

  They were very surprised to see several lovely houses scattered about.The landscaping was comprised of little wooden knolls surrounded by thegreenest of green grass. Little winding paths of yellow brick connectedall of the houses together. The homes themselves were all of differentarchitecture and design: from a southern mansion to a very modernsplit-level. One house was a very pretty Tudor style home, with flowersof every variety around it. Another, a beautiful Spanish style home, hadthe most beautiful garden that Dorothy had ever seen; with small lakesand waterfalls and exotic plants and trees of every variety. As they gotcloser, they could make out the figures of
three men on the porchsitting in very comfortable-looking rocking chairs. They seemed to bejust enjoying the warm lazy sounds of the garden -- the droning of a beecollecting pollen, birds chirping, and the soft rippling sound of waterfrom nearby fountains.

  In front of the men, on a little round table, was a pitcher of whatlooked to Dorothy, like ice-cold lemonade.

  As if reading her thoughts, one of the men said, "Come and join us forlemonade, my dear. You look thirsty -- all of you, please come and sit down."

  The man brought out some more rocking chairs and said, "Welcome toPresidentland."

  Dorothy looked up quickly. He had looked very familiar to her when shefirst saw him. Then it dawned on her. Presidentland! Of course! The manwas none other than President Andrew Jackson! Dorothy gasped. She hadseen President Jackson's face in an American History book. "But sir,"she said. "I-I thought you were...."

  "Dead?" interceded the man. Then he chuckled. "No, not at all, my dearyoung lady. Oh yes, my physical body died a long time ago. But no onecan ever really die. That would be impossible. Each of us is part ofcreation; we are all part of the scheme of things. Nothing can destroyus, nothing. We can destroy the quality of our existence by our wrongthinking and behavior. In other words, that beautiful true nature of ourbeing can be covered up until it is invisible -- both to others and toourselves. This true nature cannot be destroyed, only temporarily buriedin the murk of mortality until either someone rescues us, or we rescueourselves. Usually it is a combination of both. Now, my young friend,let me introduce you to my associates."

  Dorothy turned to see the faces of none other than George Washington andAbraham Lincoln. Her eyes grew wide, and her heart skipped a beat as shewhispered, "I am very honored to meet you, sirs,"

  "Not at all," they replied. "The honor is ours," said Mr., Lincoln. "Itis a delight to meet such a fine young lady and her equally finefriends." They shook hands with everyone.

  "Please be seated," President Jackson said. He poured Dorothy a largesparkling glass of lemonade and began to explain why the three of them --all ex-presidents of the United States, were together.

  "We call this area Presidentland. It is not really a land and we don'tall live here permanently. But we do meet here often. That is why wehave homes here. We live with our families in our regular homesthroughout the land. The full name of our little club here is/'Americanpresidentland/,' and it is a private club made up of UnitedStates Presidents. Of course, anyone can visit us, just as you arevisiting us now. We are only private in the sense that we are generallyalone in order to conduct the business that we must conduct among ourselves.

  "The reason we meet so often is because of our dear love for our countryand for mankind in general, we are anxious to help resolve the manyproblems that exist on the earth today, and especially those relateddirectly to our beloved country. We work with many members of thegovernment, as well as the current President. We will be holding a fullmeeting very shortly. You are all welcome to join us and to observe theproceedings."

  "Oh, we'd love to, Mr. President," said Dorothy. "Wouldn't we, everyone?"

  "Yes indeed!" said the Tin Woodman. Everyone nodded excitedly.

  "This will really be a historic occasion, to say the least," said Dorothy.

  "While we are waiting for the meeting to begin, if any of you have aquestion you would like us to answer, please do so," said President Jackson.

  "I would like to ask what you think of the world today compared to yourtime," said Dorothy.

  "That is a very good question," answered President Jackson. "We couldall talk for days on that subject. Would you like to answer first,George?" he said to President Washington.

  President Washington looked rather stern as he spoke: "The world hascertainly changed since my day. But that is to be expected. Thingscannot stay the same if progress is to be made.

  "Unfortunately, nearly all of the progress being made is of a materialnature. There is nothing wrong with material progress, of course. Andscience has certainly made some amazing advances since my time. Theunfortunate part is that spiritual growth has not advanced at the samepace. As a consequence, the world is presently in a very unbalancedstate. We are all quite alarmed by it. Something must be done soon toget people to change their ways -- to be more considerate of one another,to show more concern -- to have more love in their hearts.

  "Our great United States of America must lead the way. We must be aLight unto the world. Yet presently we are much alarmed over the stateof our nation. Before She can become that Beacon of Light, there aremany things She must put in order. We have the best system of governmentin the world, but the government must be purified -- the people must bepurified, and this can only be done by taking the little children andteaching them strong moral principles, the importance of honesty andintegrity -- of love and compassion -- of fairness and justice -- of thevalue of human freedom, of God, and the nature of the universe. Toinstill in them a great love for all nature, for all mankind.

  The adults must become examples to the children. When someone who is ina position of public trust -- such as a member of the government -- turnsdishonest, and the public reads about it, they shrug their shoulders andsay, /'Another dishonest politician/.' The children hear and see all ofthis. Then they grow up with a very negative outlook towards politics.Many don't even vote, rationalizing that it doesn't matter who gets intopower, for they will sell what principles they have for money.

  "Politicians who do turn dishonest and lie to the American people haveno idea of the damage they do to our beloved country. Needless to say,most of the people in government posts are dedicated, honest people,seeking only to serve. But it is the dishonest ones who undo whatevergood the majority are able to achieve.

  "Of course, a few are in politics for the power. Not to mention thelucrative lifetime pensions at the end of their service. They do notnecessarily take money dishonestly, but they weaken the entire structurejust the same, because their motives are selfish ones.

  "People from all walks of life; doctors, lawyers, government workers,factory workers, people who work in stores -- all of these people are thestrength of our society -- of our way of life. But if dishonest; even inthe slightest; they drain this strength off and weaken our nation.

  "Many people justify stealing from their employer -- from the government-- from the insurance company, by thinking, /'Other people do it, whyshouldn't I/?' Or /'If I don't do it, others will,'/ or /'They canafford it. They won't even miss it/.' But these people are just asdeadly to our society as the hardened criminal who cashes bad checks orpulls a gun. For they are not really stealing from their company or fromthe government or from the insurance company, oh no. They are stealingfrom their brother and sister -- from their fellow human beings. Becausebusiness must figure in these losses as part of the cost of doingbusiness, the price of their products or services must increaseaccordingly to all the people who avail themselves of these goods orservices.

  "Thefts from government, for example, must eventually mean higher taxes.So you see, any form of stealing, whether by a hardened criminal with agun, or by a clever employee falsifying records, serves only to weakenthe entire economy. Government funding of research for projects that areof interest only to a few is also a form of stealing, unless, of course,the results of that research will ultimately benefit the many. Grossinefficiency, through lack of concern -- all these things are forms ofstealing. The greedy and the selfish who indulge in these activitiesserve themselves at the expense of their fellows. What they fail to seeis that their gains are temporary -- they will eventually pay the price.One cannot take from another, or hurt another in any way, withouteventually taking from oneself -- for all are one."

  "Well now, George," said President Lincoln, "I realize that this is allvery interesting and a very important topic. But we must be watching thetime." He turned to Dorothy, smiling. "You must excuse George. He reallygets carried away at times. He would talk all day if we let him."

  President Washington placed his hands
on his hips, pretending to beindignant. "Listen to who's talking," he said. He whispered loudly intoDorothy's ear so everyone else could hear: "He only wants me to stoptalking so he can talk."

  "Now, now boys," interceded President Jackson. "No bickering in front ofour guests. Presidents are supposed to be dignified."

  President Lincoln turned to Dorothy. "I'm afraid all presidents like tohear the sound of their own voices. It's a built-in trait of allpoliticians and actors."

  "Well, I think that's part of the charm of both politicians and actors,"said Dorothy. "Most seem to have very vibrant speaking voices."

  "If you have any more questions," said President Jackson, "we can talkas we walk to the meeting."

  "Well," said Dorothy. "I was wondering which political party is the bestfor our country, Republican or Democrat?"

  President Jackson chuckled. "Well now, the answer to that would dependon which president you talk to. But perhaps you'd like to hear whatPresident Lincoln has to say on that subject. I'm sure he's most anxiousto answer this one."

  "Thank you, Andrew," responded President Lincoln. "You're quite right, Iwould like to answer this question. Neither the Republican nor theDemocratic party would be good all the time, Dorothy. If one or theother is in power too long, the country tends to go too far in onedirection. Balance is the key word. By alternating the power every fewyears a balance is maintained. That is why in so many other countriesthe masses are unhappy. They have had one system of government for toolong. That is why dictatorships are bad, or where the government is sopowerful, so strong, that the people cannot vote for a change.

  "You see, there are certain individuals who see themselves as a sort ofGod above all the people. They think they know far better what is goodfor the people than the people do. So they treat the people likechildren. And anyone who opposes them is treated like a naughty childand punished. In other words, the '/children/' are not allowed todisagree with them. That is why in many countries there is no freespeech. That is, people have to be very careful what they say, orsomeone will tell on them and they will be punished. Even the newspapersand radio are all controlled by the government. It is hard for us toimagine -- but it is true. The factories, and the railroads, theelectrical power -- all are under government control. Even the housing.Needless to say, people are not very well off. That is to say, most ofthe people. The ones in power always make sure they feather their ownnests. Yet these governments are generally founded on the principle thatall are equal, and will share in the national wealth. It sounds a littlebit like Oz, doesn't it? But unfortunately, the results are not at alllike Oz. You see, Oz doesn't have any greedy people, or people whobecome overwhelmed by their own power, except for the wicked witches, ofcourse. Also, if someone in Oz decides that he'd like a bigger house, ormore land, he has only to ask. But in the countries we are referring to,the government sets rules and regulations in all things. A person is noteven free to travel where he wishes. And the people in power are quicklyfilled with a sense of their own importance. It is very dangerous forany nation to allow a small group of their citizens absolute controlover them. People cannot handle having absolute power over others. Whenone person can do anything he wants to another person without fear thathe himself will be punished, it is very difficult to keep a balance.This enormous feeling of power seems to bring out the worst of humanbehavior. Some of the worst atrocities mankind has ever sufferedoccurred under these exact conditions.

  "When people in power know that there will be no repercussions for whatthey do, it is very few indeed who can remain dignified and just. It isunder these kinds of conditions that people are thrown in jail withouttrial -- executed, have their property confiscated, or their familiesabused; et cetera.

  "No group can be a law unto themselves. That is why our founding fatherswrote the Constitution as they did. They knew the dangers of tyranny,for they had experienced it first-hand. So they built in safeguards.Free enterprise must flourish. Individual initiative and hard work,honesty and integrity, must be recognized and rewarded. These are thestrengths of our nation. Individual effort is the key to a nation'sgreatness. No laws must ever be passed -- tax or otherwise -- that wouldinhibit individual ambition and initiative. And to paraphrase one of ourpeers: /Ask not what others can do for you, but rather, what you can dofor others./

  "And I might add, although God created all men equal; the right to enjoythat equality must be earned. One cannot be expected to shirk one'sduties to self, to family, to country and still hold one's head high asan equal member of society."

  As President Lincoln continued to talk, they arrived at what appeared tobe a southern mansion with the traditional white pillars. As she drewcloser, it became apparent to Dorothy that the building was an exactreplica of the White House.

  Dorothy noticed that other men were arriving too. It was as if anAmerican History book had come to life. Their mode of dress ranged fromthe 1700s to the present. Many of the faces were quite familiar to her;others she recognized but could not quite place. Then it dawned on her;each of these men was, at one time, the President of the United States.Several smiled and nodded as they walked by. Some stopped to say helloto Presidents Washington, Lincoln, and Jackson; others gathered inlittle groups to chat, while others went directly inside.

  "Shall we go in?" said President Washington.

  The interior of the mansion was most luxurious. The furnishings weremostly antique. Beautiful paintings and tapestries hung on the walls. Asthey walked, their feet sunk into deep soft carpeting. Here and therewere little bowls of colorful flowers. The whole atmosphere was warm andfriendly -- it gave Dorothy a most happy feeling inside.

  They walked into a large room which had a long, beautifully ornate oaktable in the center. Around the table were matching oak chairs with oneat the far end slightly larger than the rest.

  "As you can see," explained President Jackson, "one chair for eachUnited States President -- past and present."

  Dorothy appeared somewhat puzzled, and was about to speak, whenPresident Jackson continued: "As you know, most of the Americanpresidents have left their earthly bodies and now live here. However, atany given point in time there are usually one or more ex-presidentsstill in their physical bodies as well as, of course, the existing orcurrent President. A chair is required for each of these people because,although they are still on the earth, they are able, while in restitude,to depart temporarily from their physical abode -- their bodies; and joinus for our meetings.

  "Incidentally, time is not the same here as on earth. For example, wecould have a meeting here which lasts for several hours. But onlyminutes would have elapsed on earth. Peculiar, isn't it? You willunderstand why this is so at a later date.

  "Now, the earth presidents will more than likely not consciouslyremember their visit here. In fact, it is very difficult for anyone torecall such visits upon awakening. But these visits are so veryimportant. A great deal is impressed on the subconscious level of themind during these excursions and much is accomplished."

  President Jackson sat down and motioned Dorothy and her friends to dothe same. "I think the proceedings are about to begin," he whispered.

  Dorothy looked around the table. What a distinguished sight to behold,she thought. Every single president of the United States of America. Andto think she, little Dorothy from Kansas, was here with them as a guest.She had noticed earlier that each chair had a beautifully designedsilver nameplate attached with a president's name engraved. Two datesalso appeared. One said "Birth date," the other "Transition date." Shenoticed that the transition dates on the chairs belonging to the currentPresident and ex-presidents still on earth had not yet been engraved.She wondered if those dates were known in advance by those present whohad already made the transition.

  The presidents were seated in sequence, beginning with GeorgeWashington, and ending with the current President. The only chair not insequence was President Andrew Jackson's, whose chair was the larger oneat the end of the table.

  President Jackson now s
tood. He spoke with a strong, vibrant voice. "Letus recite the Pledge." Everyone stood and, holding the right hand overthe heart, began.... /"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the UnitedStates of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nationunder God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."/

  "Please be seated," said President Jackson.

  On the wall behind President Jackson was a large sculpture of abeautiful eagle. It appeared to be made of solid gold. In each corner ofthe room was a large American flag.

  Dorothy thought: "What if Aunt Em could see all this?"

  President Jackson began to speak again. He spoke of the early days ofthe republic and the spirit of independence. As he spoke, Dorothy couldhear ever so softly the strain of the beautiful music of the NationalAnthem. An unseen angelic choir began to sing the words, followed by/America the Beautiful/ and /God Bless America/. Tears came intoDorothy's eyes and flowed unashamedly down her cheeks as a great lovefor her country welled up inside her. The entire scene was just too muchfor her to bear. As she dabbed her eyes she could hear President Jacksonsaying, "...and now, gentlemen, before we begin our meeting, allow me tointroduce our very distinguished guests. This is Dorothy Gale fromKansas. And with her are her friends from Oz: Nick Chopper, theScarecrow, and the Lion. They are all on a very important mission. Theyare trying to bring Light and Love to people who need it the most. Theirpresent assignment is a lost soul who is filled with bitterness andhatred. Let us wish them well in their noble endeavor."

  Everyone stood and clapped his hands vigorously. Dorothy was filled withemotion. To have all the presidents of the United States stand andapplaud her and her friends was just too much for her. She shook herhead slowly, as if to say, "What we are doing is nothing compared towhat you gentlemen are doing."

  As if reading her thoughts, President Jackson raised his hand to quietthe applause. "You know, Dorothy," he said, "you may feel that what youand your friends are attempting to do doesn't warrant much admiration.But believe me, you have the admiration of all the enlightened souls ofthe universe. For what you are attempting is no easy task. To reversethe attitude of one filled with such hatred and venom is not onlyextremely difficult, but very dangerous. It takes a great deal ofcourage to do this work. So many keep to themselves and make no attemptto help those of little understanding. That is why we express ouradmiration for you. We love you all very much. It is you and others likeyou who are the hope of America, and of the rest of the world.

  "To be good is not always popular, and you can be savagely persecutedfor your goodness. This brings a great deal of pressure upon the youngpeople. The ones who can maintain their goodness in spite of the socialpressure to be drawn to the lower levels of expression are to becommended indeed; and all of us who are working to raise the level ofconsciousness of mankind will be working with these courageous children,for they are the true heroes. They are the ones that should be looked upto. They are the ones whose behavior should be emulated. And thoseadults who do anything to influence the minds of children in negativeways; whether it be by the spoken word, written page, or the camera --woe unto them. If they could only see what lies in store for them, theywould change their ways very quickly. Unfortunately, most will have tolearn the hard way. And believe me, it will be hard for them and forothers who insist on staying on those low levels of consciousness.Evolution for these people could come to a screeching halt; and they mayhave to begin the difficult climb all over again. You see, the earth iscoming into a New Age. A Golden Age. And those who are refusing toevolve spiritually will not be allowed to share in this Golden Age, forthey have not earned the right. But sad to say, few will recognize theneed to change their ways.

  "As for the people who introduce our precious young people into alcoholor drugs, or who make such dross readily available to children: Nothingcan save them except an immediate stop to this activity, and thedevotion of their lives to helping those who have had their lives tornapart by this despicable material. The same can be said about those whopromote hate for others, simply because they are of a different race,creed, or religion.

  "Man-made laws may be escaped from, but the universal law cannot be.That in itself is a universal law.

  "Imagine if you will, a criminal on the earth having all of his criminalactivities automatically recorded into your court records -- no matterwhether he was caught or not. Well, that is how it is with universallaw. No one escapes his misdeeds. All must be accounted for. But I amafraid, Dorothy, that if the people on earth were told this; they would,for the most part, merely scoff -- they just would not believe it. And sothey go on in ignorance, thinking that they are getting away withsomething. They are like children growing up who will not listen totheir parents -- they have to learn the hard way."

  Dorothy nodded her head thoughtfully.

  "Well," continued President Jackson, "we must press on with our agenda."He motioned towards President Washington. "Would you like to take over,George? I've talked long enough."

  "Thank you, Andrew. I'll be glad to. But I don't think anyone could talklong enough on the subject of child abuse -- and mankind's generalignorance of universal law.

  "As you know, gentlemen, we have offtimes discussed the ills that plaguesociety. And especially the activities which hurt the United States. Thequestion I now pose to you is: How can we solicit help from the peoplethemselves?"

  "Well," someone said, "we do bring certain ones over here while theirphysical body is resting."

  "Yes," agreed President Washington. "And we are able to achieve much.But often commitments made here are not carried out, simply because theyare not consciously remembered. Mortal influences often inhibit the bestof intentions. No -- what we need is help from the children."

  "How can we achieve that?" asked President Jackson. President Washingtonthought for a moment. "The children's book our Girrephalump friendmentioned would tell of Dorothy's experiences in Oz and about all of usand what we are trying to accomplish. Such a book would not only beenjoyed by the children, it would serve to uplift them and inspire themto work together to improve the world they were born into."

  "But we all know how hard it is to change public sentiment -- to changepeople's way of thinking. And if such a book were to be written, peoplewould not believe it. They would simply see the whole thing as a fantasy."

  "Perhaps most adults would not believe," replied President Washington."But the children will. Children know when something is true. Adultshave suffered too much from learning. They don't believe in anythingunless they can see it, hear it, touch it, taste it, or smell it. Ouronly hope is the children. If we can just get the word to them, theywill listen and they will understand.

  "Collectively, the children have tremendous power. If we can win most ofthem over, they could boycott the negative images presented by adultsthrough so many mediums. They could stand up en masse against thecreatures who would push those destructive nightmarish drugs on them.

  "The children can wield a great power over the adults who wish to drawthem into negativity. They have been pushed around and manipulated fortoo long simply because they are small and easily influenced.

  "They must stand up and be counted, and say to these adults, 'You cannotmake me read or hear your despicable words, or see your despicableimages, or take your despicable drugs or alcohol or tobacco. We refuseto be manipulated any more. Your greed for money allows you to do thingsto hurt us. That greed has overwhelmed any feelings of compassion andlove you might have had. You don't care if you hurt us, as long as youmake your filthy money. Even you adults who own legitimate businesseswho make certain /'medicines'/ and other products which you know canhurt people. You are equally guilty. We will not buy your products, andas we grow up we will not give you money for all these things and wewill teach our children to do the same. We children can change theworld. We children will change the world. When there is no more money tobe made from all these things, you adults will cease the activitiesforever. Then the world will be a beautiful place to live in. And
wewill be proud because we will have done it. We children will have turnedthe world around by ourselves. And all the other inhabitants of theuniverse will be proud of us and they will visit us and help us.'"

  President Washington stood and threw out his arms. "That is what thesechildren will say, my friends. They will show unscrupulous adults thatthey no longer have any power over them."

  Everyone stood and clapped loudly. "Hear, hear!" they shouted as theyapplauded.

  President Jackson turned to Dorothy. "Will you do it, Dorothy? Will youtell your story?"

  "I will indeed," said Dorothy. "I certainly will."

  Everyone clapped again. "Good girl," said President Jackson. "We haveaccomplished a great deal already, and our meeting has barely begun.Would you like to continue, George?"

  "Thank you, Andrew," nodded President Washington. He stood and began tospeak again. "Gentlemen, as you know, I fought for seven long years withmy brave men to weather the tyranny of the English monarchy. When thewar was over, I surrendered my authority as Commander of the AmericanForces to Congress, and I retired to my home at Mount Vernon. I hadscarcely returned to private life when the clash of civil strife brokeour newfound peace. Rumors of rebellion, talk of monarchy, and schemesfor military dictatorship alarmed me. I then urged the formation of astrong government, not by the scepter or the sword, but by discussion,propositions, and ratification. To this end I accepted membership in theConstitutional Convention of 1787. I presided over its deliberations andacted as conciliator behind the scenes. My friends pressed me to lendthe weight of my name to the Federal experiment agreed upon. So Iaccepted the presidency, and for eight years devoted my energies to thenew civil administration. I took great care to install as members of mycabinet men loyal to the new order. Under my administration the federaljudicial system was created. We arranged to pay our revolutionary debts,a protective tariff was enacted, the first United States bank wasestablished, and encouragement was given to commerce. We were on our way."

  President Adams spoke up: "There was much turmoil in those days. I was,as you know, vice-president during George's two terms. Thomas, here,returned from France to serve as Secretary of State. He later assumedthe position of vice-president with me, and four years later replaced meas chief executive. We did not always see eye to eye then, but we didlater become good friends. And curiously, we both died on the same day,July fourth, 1826."

  "Oh yes, I remember it well," smiled President Jefferson.

  "Do you remember when you first drafted the Constitution of the UnitedStates?" said President Washington.

  "Yes. That was an exciting time for me," replied President Jefferson."Which brings us to the next point. It's quite interesting to hear thediscussions revolving around various interpretations of the Constitution."

  "People seem to read into it what they wish to believe. It would be niceto be able to go back and explain some of the fine points. I don't thinkthe wording of the Constitution leaves any room for doubt," saidPresident Washington. "If people would only read it objectively, withoutbringing their own emotions and self interest into their interpretation."

  "So true," sighed President Jefferson, shaking his head slowly. "Butisn't it human nature to see things as we want to see them?"

  "Indeed," said President Jackson. "Legislators have much to learn inthis regard. It is ironic that once elected to power, the voters whobrought about the election are often forgotten. The will of thelegislature is quickly substituted for the will of the people. Any lawof the land which is unpopular with the majority of the people should beseriously reviewed, and repeal strongly considered. The government is,after all, the servant of the people. Unfortunately, many governmentmembers see themselves as rulers of the people, and feel that they mustthink for the people. The intelligence of the masses is oftenunderestimated. Government tends to think of itself as a superior body."

  "Yes," replied President Jefferson. "I cannot disagree with you. Butremember, also, that the bills which are passed are not the same billsas were originally drafted. They have been revised to satisfy variousspecial interest groups, and have special interest clauses tacked on theend just before being voted on. The people often get the short end ofthe stick; and the bottom line is that the taxpayer pays the bill. Thetaxpayer should have more control on how his money is spent."

  "But that is the reason for the elected officials," said PresidentAdams. "It would be too cumbersome for the taxpayer to study every issueand vote intelligently on them. That is why he elects representatives tostudy these things in depth; and to think and speak for him, and to voteon his behalf."

  "What it all boils down to," said President Washington, "is how devotedand dedicated your elected representative is, and how much time andenergy he puts into doing the job you elected him to do as opposed tohow much time is put into politicking or serving those special interestgroups."

  "Exactly!" exclaimed President Jackson. "Which brings us right back towhere we started. As was told to Dorothy in Elfland, any government -- nomatter what name is given to it -- is only as good as the sum total ofthe individuals who make it up. If all of these individuals are honestand devoted, dedicated servants of the people, the people will have afine government.

  "I think we all agree on that. And although not all individuals who makeup the present United States government are of the highest integrity,our basic system is still the best in the world. It remains only for usto continue to help and guide these dedicated individuals, and to workwith those who are not quite as dedicated or as honest as they shouldbe, in order that we might uplift their level of consciousness."

  Everyone applauded vigorously.

  President Washington next addressed President Lincoln with a commentthat he hadn't been saying much, and he thought there should be somediscussion on the merits of elected as opposed to appointed officials.

  President Lincoln stood. He smiled kindly at President Washington."Sometimes silence is stronger than the spoken word. I concurred in whatwas being said, and I didn't feel I could add to it. Why clutter up theproceedings with a lot of unnecessary rhetoric? As for theelected/appointed question, I think we should save that for our nextmeeting. I've a feeling it will be a very long discussion."

  "Well said," acknowledged President Washington. "Too many of uspoliticians talk too much. But of course that fact is not entirelyunknown to the general public."

  Everyone laughed.

  At this point President Madison interceded: "Forgive me forinterrupting, Mr. President, but I think we need to address the problemof elected officials as a whole. How can we be sure of electing onlythose who have the best interests of our beloved country at heart?"

  "I think herein lies the problem," said President Adams. "Everyone hashis own opinion as to whether or not a given policy is within ourcountry's best interests. Who is to be the supreme authority on the matter?"

  "If there were only two people left on earth, there would be adifference of opinion," said President Lincoln. "Therein lies theuniqueness of mankind."

  "How can we be sure," said President Adams, "that this difference ofopinion will never become so great that it would again divide ourbeloved country into warring factions?"

  "We can never be sure of that," said President Lincoln. "There are thosethat would try to divide us in order to conquer us -- that they may forcetheir system of government upon us. A system of government where,unfortunately, freedom of the people is not the highest priority."

  "Gentlemen!" said President Madison. "Doesn't it all boil down to whatwe said earlier? That it all begins with the children. If they weretaught from a very young age the importance of high moral principles,they would grow up with these high ideals inside of them, and thoseelected to office would be there to serve all the people in a fair andequitable manner that would not, for example, bend to pressure, or theoffer of monetary gain from the special interest groups." Everyonenodded in agreement. President Madison went on: "As you know, I servedfor two terms of office. Prior to that I served Tom here as
hisSecretary of State. They were troubled times then, and I could foreseethat our country would face many problems in the future. Many socialproblems. I felt then, as I do now, that America's hope -- the hope ofthe world -- lies along the path of honesty, integrity, and justice. Itis the only way. And those who would follow another path are traitors,not only to their countrymen, but to all mankind." Everyone applaudedloudly as several voices interjected with, "Hear, hear," "Well said,""So true," et cetera.

  "You know," said President Monroe, "if all people of the United Statescould see us now, to see that we are all still alive, and how veryconcerned we are about our beloved country and the rest of the world, Iwonder if many of them would change their thinking. Especially if theyknew that they, too, would not really die."

  "I think they will change," said President Adams. "When they see thatthe short life given to them on earth is not given to see how muchproperty and money they can amass, but is given to allow them theopportunity for spiritual growth, and in order that they might leavethat earthly world a better place for those that come after them. Ofcourse, if a fortune happens to be made while making the earth a betterplace and making life better for their fellow men, all well and good."

  "But so many put the making of a fortune their first and foremostobjective. It is such an obsession for many that they don't care who ishurt or that the world will be worse off for them having lived there.These people often are miserable and lonely, Their vast fortunes oflittle comfort to them. They come into this realm with no moneyphysically, of course -- and paupers spiritually. They are a sorry sightto behold, indeed. As you know, after we arrive here, we reflect uponour life in great detail. So, when these people contemplate all theyhave done with their lives and compare that with all that they couldhave done, they practically cry out for the chance to do it over, forthe chance to make amends. But it is too late. They must live with theirmemories. As we all know, they will eventually be given the chance tomake amends. However, all of what they did could have been avoided ifthey could have known in advance what the results would be."

  "Oh, they knew all right," said President Lincoln. "We all knew prior toour birth on earth, but our desire for mortal expression is so strongthat our higher self is delegated to a place deep in our unconscious sothat it won't interfere with what we wish to do mortally. We cannotblame our actions on a lack of knowledge. No, any action we take onearth is of our own volition. We must accept total responsibility. And,as we all know, Universal or Karmic Law will eventually balance thescale.... How soon we choose to learn our lessons, or how long we wishto prolong the agony is entirely up to us."

  "When Dorothy returns to Kansas and tells her story; and when her bookis published, many people will be reminded," said President Anderson.

  "But they have been reminded before," said President Adams. "How manygreat teachers have come and gone? Yet the world goes on with itsfoolishness and its wickedness."

  "Can you imagine how much worse conditions would be in the world hadthese masters not lived?" replied President Anderson. "Many people didlisten to the wisdom of the masters, and changed their livesaccordingly. Even today, their great works are studied, and the way oflife advocated by them is practiced by thousands of good people all overthe world."

  "That is indeed true," replied President Adams. "But while the religiouswritings of today contain many pearls of wisdom and are most helpful inkeeping one on the spiritual path; the governing body of the clergy ofthe various ages held back from the people the inner knowledge in orderto maintain the power of the church: thus assuring their own, and thechurch's financial integrity and security.

  "Much of what the great spiritual masters actually said has becomedistorted over the years and key parts of their doctrine deliberatelywithheld. The ministers of today have no written record of those lostteachings and so do not believe that they ever existed.

  "If people were to realize their true relationship to the Source of allknowledge and all power and that they themselves were an integral partof that source, they would be amazed. They have no idea that they aredivine beings in their own right, with no need for an intermediary.

  "It is not in the best interests of the established church to teachthis, even if the ministers and priests believed it themselves. For thechurch would lose its hold over the masses and therefore lose much ofits power. Far better to keep the people in ignorance, and make the pathto salvation a very narrow one.

  "Reincarnation, as we all know, hasn't been taught by the church forcenturies. Wasn't it in Constantinople in the sixth century that thechurch fathers decided that it would not be wise to retain the doctrineof reincarnation in the Holy Scriptures for fear that the people wouldnot see the need to go to church if they knew they had manyopportunities many lives in which to make amends? But the church thoughtit far better to teach that man only had one life. Only one chance torepent.

  "The church had nothing to fear if they had only realized it. But theywere afraid that if the people were to know that they did not only haveone chance to repent their wicked ways they would say, 'Why should Ichange? I will live forever regardless.'

  "But it would have been better for the church to teach men the truth.And to teach that as long as the children of God refuse to change theywill simply be prolonging their agony through many lifetimes, andkeeping what could be a delightful planet in a permanent state ofagitation and misery.

  "It takes many lifetimes for a soul to work its way out of the mortalenvironment once entrapped there. For one's own mortal mind is thebiggest obstacle to overcome."

  "I cannot disagree with anything you've said," President Lincolnintercepted. "I had trouble accepting the orthodox teaching myself. Ihad to modify my thoughts on the matter because of my position at the time.

  "But I must point out one thing. The traditional orthodox teachingscannot suddenly be changed. People need the stability of the traditionalchurch service. besides, these services are not all fire and brimstone,many are deeply spiritual in nature. To suddenly take that away would beconfusing to many, and perhaps some would be lost completely. Instead,the church fathers should develop open minds and study not only theesoteric teachings, but review in depth church history and especiallythe content of the texts of meetings in which official policy wasestablished regarding what would be taught or not taught to the people.Then, once they have developed a thorough understanding of the humanmotivation behind the teachings of certain doctrines, they should be ina position to gradually introduce to their congregations a moreuniversal understanding of the nature of creation and man's true placeas a co-creator with his God. Before any of this can take place, thechurch fathers must lose their self-image as all-knowing teachers andsee themselves as fellow students learning along with everyone else. Mencan become very pompous and pious over their positions in religiousorders and can be most reluctant to release their illusions ofself-importance and their hold over the ignorant. However, the writingis on the wall. Even now, subtle changes are taking place withinorganized religion. People are at last awakening, asking questions; nolonger satisfied by the smug answers of the past. I foresee thedissolution of the many doctrines and creeds and the formulation of anew universal understanding. I see Temples of Wisdom upon the earthwhere people are taught the ancient philosophy, and where one canmeditate and really communicate on a one-to-one basis with that supremeintelligence which in reality is their own higher self. This coming erawill be that long-promised Golden Age on earth when the wicked and allthose of a lower order of vibration will no longer be able to dwell uponthe earth, but will through that transition called death be delegated toa distant planet to begin the whole cycle of evolution all over again. Iwould emphasize again however, that to many people the establishedchurch is a of critical importance -- they really need that structure intheir lives, they find great spiritual solace in the traditionalservices. To suddenly take that away from them would be highlyirresponsible."

  President Jackson stood up. "Gentlemen," he said, "let us take arecess." He turned
to Dorothy and company. "Would you care to walk inthe garden?" The back door of the hall was opened, and everyone streamedoutside. The scents of various flowers and blossoms filled the air.

  "You know, my dear," President Jackson said to Dorothy as they walked."You are more than welcome to stay as long as you like. But as you cansee, in spite of our pledge to reduce our rhetoric, we politicians arenotoriously long-winded. I expect that this meeting will last for weeks,as all the other presidents have yet to speak."

  "Well," said Dorothy. "I do enjoy listening to all that is said, but wehave a great deal yet to accomplish. Perhaps we should be continuing ourjourney. I shall be sorry to miss hearing all the presidents speak."

  "You are welcome to visit us any time," said President Jackson. "Afteryou return to Kansas, just focus your thoughts on us upon retiring forthe night, and visualize yourself with us. When you fall asleep, youwill be there."

  "Thank you, everyone," said Dorothy. "This has been a delightfulexperience and a wonderful privilege."

  "The privilege is all ours," said President Jackson. "Goodbye my dears,

  and God-speed."

  Many of the presidents came over to shake hands again. All of them wavedgoodbye.