MODERN SPIRITUALISM.
(CONTINUED.)
More recently the manifestations have been still further developed. From
the "Spiritual Magazine" the following is quoted:--
"The _séance_ was held by appointment. Our object being that of
investigation, we limited the number to three, and, I must add, used every
precaution we could think of to preclude the possibility of
self-deception; we likewise guarded against any possible preparatory
arrangement. Accordingly, we changed from the library to the dining-room.
We were soon seated at a heavy square table. Twenty minutes passed without
any manifestation; then came gentle raps, followed by the table being
lifted, tilted, and gently vibrated. Then raps were heard simultaneously
in different and opposite parts of the room. At my suggestion, the lamp
was partly turned down, when a cold current of air was felt to pass over
our hands and faces. A pause ensued. The dining-room table leaf standing
in the corner of the room then commenced to vibrate, and one of the leaves
being taken from the stand, was passed between Mr. Home and the table at
which we were seated. It was then raised straight up, and passing
vertically over my friend, gently touched him; in passing over me, it
struck me on the crown of the head, but so gently, that I could hardly
realize it to be the heavy leaf of the dining-room table; the touch
nevertheless caused the leaf to vibrate all but sonorously. I name this to
prove how delicately balanced and suspended in the air the leaf of the
table must have been to have produced the vibration. It then passed over
to the right, touching my shoulders, and finally was placed upon the table
at which we were seated. The distance the leaf was carried I compute at
nearly twelve yards (allowing for the circuit made), and at an elevation
of six feet. A small round table was then moved from the corner of the
room, and placed next to my friend; and in reply to his question '_who it
was_,' he received the answer, audible to us all, '_Pa, Pa,--dear--darling
Pa_.' An arm-chair behind my friend, and at a distance of three yards, was
raised up straight into the air, carried over our heads, and placed upon
the dining-room table to my left, a voice clearly and loudly repeating the
words, 'Papa's chair.' We then observed the wooden box of the accordion
being carried from the extreme corner of the room up to my friend. In
passing my right hand, I passed my hand under and over the box, as it
travelled suspended in the air to my front. I did this to make sure of the
fact of its being moved by an invisible agency, and not by means of
mechanical aid.... The accordion was then taken from Mr. Home, carried
about in the room, and played. Voices were distinctly heard; a low
whispering, and voices imitating the break of a wave on the shore.
Finally, the accordion placed itself upon the table we were seated at, and
two luminous hands were distinctly seen resting on the keys of the
instrument. They remained luminously visible for from twenty to thirty
seconds, and then melted away. I had, in the meantime, and at the request
of my friend, taken hold of the accordion; whilst so held by me, an
invisible hand laid hold of the instrument, and played for two or three
minutes what appeared to me to be sacred music. Voices were then heard, a
kind of murmuring or low whistling and breathing; at times in imitation of
the murmur of the waves of the sea, at other times more plaintively
melodious. The accordion was then a second time taken by an invisible
power, carried over our heads, and a small piece of sacred music
played,--then a hymn, voices in deep sonorous notes singing the
hallelujah. I thought I could make out three voices, but my friend said he
could speak to four. A jet of light then crossed the room, after which a
star or brilliantly illuminated disk, followed by the appearance of a
softly luminous column of light, which moved up between me and my friend.
I cannot say that I could discern any distinct outline. The luminous
column appeared to me to be about five to six feet high, the subdued soft
light mounting from it half illumining the room. The column or luminous
appearance then passed to my right, and a chair was moved and placed next
to me. I distinctly heard the rustling as of a silk dress. Instinctively I
put my hand forward to ascertain the presence of the guest, when a soft
hand seized my hand and wrist. I then felt that the skirt of a dress had
covered my knees. I grasped it; it felt like thick silk, and melted away
as I firmly clenched my hand on it. By this time I admit I shuddered. A
heavy footstep then passed to my right, the floor vibrating to the
footfall; the spirit-form now walked up to the fire-place, clapping its
hands as it passed me. I then felt something press against the back of my
chair; the weight was so great, that as the form leaned on my shoulder, I
had to bend forward under the pressure. Two hands gently pressed my
forehead; I noticed a luminous appearance at my right; I was kissed, and
what to me at the time made my very frame thrill again, spoken to in a
sweet, low, melodious voice. The words uttered by the spirit were
distinctly heard by all present. As the spirit-form passed away, it
repeated the words, 'I kissed you, I kissed you,' and I felt three taps
on each shoulder, audible to all present, as if in parting to reimpress me
with the reality of its presence. I shuddered again, and, in spite of all
my heroism, felt very 'uncanny.' My friend now called our attention to his
being patted by a soft hand on his head. I heard a kiss, and then the
words, 'Papa, dear papa.' He said his left hand was being kissed, and that
a soft, child-like hand was caressing him. A cloud of light appeared to be
standing at his left."
Another example, from the same publication, deserves to be put on
record:--
"The first group of the manifestations (I use the term 'group' to mark the
characteristic difference of the phenomena on each occasion,) occurred at
a friend's house at Great Malvern. Those present had only incidentally
met; and, owing to a prohibition being laid upon Mr. Home by his medical
man against trying his strength, no _séance_ was attempted. I name this as
characteristic. Raps in different parts of the room, and the movement of
furniture, however, soon told the presence of the invisibles. The library
in which the party had met communicated with the hall; and the door having
been left half open, a broad stream of light from the burners of the
gas-lamp lit up the room. At the suggestion of one of the party, the
candles were removed. The rapping, which had till then been heard in
different parts of the room, suddenly made a pause, and then the unusual
phenomena of the appearance of spirit-forms manifested itself. The opening
of the half-closed door was suddenly darkened by an invisible agency, the
room becoming pitch dark. Then the wall opposite became illumined, the
library now being lit up by a luminous element, for it cannot be described
otherwise. Between those present and the opposite and now illumined wall
two spirit-forms were seen, their shadowy outline on the wall well
defined. The forms moved to and fro. They made an effort to speak; the
articulation, however, was too imperfect to permit of the meaning of the
words to be understood. The darkening which had obscured the half-closed
door was then removed, and the broad light from the hall lamp reappeared,
looking quite dim in comparison with the luminous brilliancy of the light
that had passed away. Again the room became darkened, then illumined, and
a colossal head and shoulders appeared to rise from the floor, visible
only by the shadow it cast upon the illumined wall. What added to the
interest was the apparent darkening and lighting up of the room at will,
and that repeatedly, the library door remaining half open all the while.
The time occupied by these phenomena was perhaps five to ten minutes, the
manifestations terminating quite abruptly."
A correspondent of the same serial gives the following facts:--
"On the 1st October, 1865, I attended a _séance_ at 13, Victoria Place,
Clifton, where the younger Mrs. Marshall, the well-known medium from
London, was staying.
"I had previously prepared, as a test, a series of written questions
inserted in a book and numbered consecutively; my wife, who was present,
was by the usual method put in communication with the spirit of her
mother, and the following are a few of the results. It is important to
observe that no clue was given to the medium, or to the others present, as
to the nature of the answer required, the questions being put in the
following form:--'Will you answer the question No. 33?' &c., and as the
answers were occasionally given in a different form from what was
anticipated, though still quite correctly, these two facts taken together
conclusively prove, as it appears to me, that the answers were neither the
result of any knowledge on the part of the medium, nor any 'reflex action'
from the mind of the interrogator.
"The spirit having been requested to answer the question numbered 33,
viz.:--'Will you spell the name of the place where we lived when you left
this state?' The reply, spelt through the alphabet, was 'Aust.'
"Question No. 34 having been put in the same manner, viz.:--'Where was
your body buried?' The reply was, 'Saint George's.'
"No. 35.--'While your body was lying in the coffin, was anything put in
the hand?'[51] Reply, 'Yes.'
"No. 36.--'What was it?' Reply, 'A sprig of myrtle.'
"No. 37.--'By whom was it put there?' Reply, 'Thomas Bowman.'
"No. 38.--'Who else were present at the time?' Reply, 'Ann, Tommy and Mary
Bowman Bryant.'
"Many other replies were given of an equally satisfactory character, but I
must not further trespass on your space. I would merely remark that the
answers in each case were quite correct, and that the events referred to
occurred upwards of forty years since."
Again, Mr. James Howell, of 7, Guildford Road, Brighton, writes as follows
in the "Spiritual Magazine" for November, 1867:--
"When I was at the Marshalls' last summer, a circumstance, unknown to
anyone present save myself, was made known to me by unaccountable means.
The name of a young lady who suffered and died from spinal complaint in
the year 1843 was correctly spelled out, and the date of her death given.
I was most intimately acquainted with her. She was good, pious, and highly
intellectual. To her I owe my knowledge of the French language, and my
love of its literature. I was not thinking of her at the time; in fact,
she was furthest from my thoughts; yet her name--a very uncommon one, you
will admit--was given correctly, 'Aletta V----.' Now I am honest enough to
confess that a million guesses would not have guessed that name. I was
astounded and affected; for it brought back to my mind a rush of thoughts,
happy and sad, of those evenings when I sat by her bedside listening to
her sweet voice, and imbibing the original thoughts which sprang, not only
from a well-stored mind, but one instinct with genius. Twenty-three years
had elapsed from the time of her death; she had often promised to
communicate with me from the spirit-world, if it was possible, and now
that promise was fulfilled, even in the presence of others."
And once more, the same writer gives the following record of facts:--
"I paid a visit on Monday, July 2nd, to Mrs. Parks, of Cornwall Terrace,
Regent's Park, then staying at 7, Bedford Square. Miss Purcell, the
medium, went with me; and we three had some strong and wonderful
manifestations. The table was turned about merrily, and once whirled round
in mid-air. It became as animated as a living being; it even ran about
when not a single being touched it. Knockings were heard all over the
room; in chairs, in tables, under the floor, and along the wainscot. We
had great trouble to keep the tables from being smashed.
"During the evening, the 'Blue Bells of Scotland' and '_Marlbrook s'en
va-t-en guerre_' were knocked out on the table in a beautiful and correct
manner, the table beating and dancing admirable time to each tune. At a
previous _séance_ a well-known tune was knocked out, and my wife was
requested to dance, the spirits stating that the table should accompany
her; but as we could not induce her to do so, we lost the promised _pas de
deux_ between a human being and a table. At my request the table also gave
a series of knocks, viz. the footman's, the postman's, the tax-gatherer's,
and the countryman's, which were perfect, and caused us much amusement. In
one part of the room there appeared a silvery, bluish star, shining
brilliantly. Mrs. Parks, strange to say, could not see it, but to the
medium and myself it was clearly visible, at the same time too; and a
brilliant member of the stellar creation it was, coming and going like
those of the sky, when for a moment a veil of clouds passes over them."
The conviction that such acts and deeds are the work of evil spirits is
put on record in the same serial, a formal organ of the Spiritualists, in
the following narrative:--
"Mr. and Mrs. C---- attend a _séance_ at which the spirit of 'a darling
child' is manifestly present. They attend a second _séance_, and through
the same medium they are confirmed in the conviction of the real presence
of their child. Mr. C---- then finds that he is himself a medium, and
forthwith he purchases a small table for the exercise of his power.
"His first experiment proves to him beyond a doubt that an intelligent
being, though invisible, is with him; but he speedily begins to suspect
that whatever the character may have been of the spirit which first
manifested to him through another medium, this, which is now communicating
through himself, is an evil spirit. On his 'wishing it to walk to the
dining-room, it started at once.' He was struck by its heavy tread, 'so
very unlike the footfalls of a young child,' and he exclaimed, 'This is
_not_ the spirit of my child, if so, I want no other manifestation.'
Becoming more and more suspicious of the character of this particular
visitant, he said, 'If thou art not the spirit of my child, march out of
the house.' 'The table did, indeed, march, making a noise like the loud
and well-measured footfalls of a heavy dragoon--literally shaking
everything in the room.'
"This gentleman then adjured the spirit in a variety of forms, and asked
if it was not a bad spirit? and it said, 'Yes!' Then he said, 'Accursed
devil! by the living God I adjure thee to speak the truth! Has the spirit
of my child _ever_ been put in communication with myself or her mother
through this or any other table?' The 'accursed devil' said, 'No, never!'
Then, after similar assurances, Mr. C---- made up his mind to believe the
devil; and he closed his experiments with an auto-da-fé, by breaking up
and burning the table!"
Mr. Chevalier, who was the first witness called before the committee
appointed by the Dialectical Society, gives the following personal version
of this experiment, 20th July, 1869. He stated that he had had seventeen
years' experience of Spiritualism, but it was not till 1866 that he
commenced experimenting on tables. He obtained the usual phenomena, such
as raps and tiltings and answers to questions. On one occasion, the answer
which was given being obviously untrue, the witness peremptorily inquired
why a correct answer had not been given, and the spirit in reply said,
"Because I am Beelzebub." Mr. Chevalier, in continuation, said, "I
continued my experiments until I heard of the 'Spiritual Athenæum.' About
that time I lost a child, and heard my wife say she had been in
communication with its spirit. I cautioned her, and yet was anxious to
communicate also. I placed one finger on the table; it moved, and the name
of the child was given. It was a French name. I told a friend of mine what
had happened, but was laughed at by him; he however came, sceptic as he
was. I placed one hand on the table asking mental questions, which were
all answered. He then asked where my child went to school, not knowing
himself, and the answer 'Fenton' was given; this also was correct.
Frequently after this, I obtained manifestations in French and English,
and messages as a child could send to a parent. At my meals I constantly
rested my hand on a small table, and it seemed to join in the
conversation. One day the table turned at right angles, and went into the
corner of the room. I asked, 'Are you my child?' but obtained no answer. I
then said, 'Are you from God?' but the table was still silent. I then
said, 'In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I command you to
answer--are you from God?' One loud rap, a negative, was then given. 'Do
you believe,' said I, 'that Christ died to save us from sin?' The answer
was 'No!' 'Accursed spirit,' said I, 'leave the room.' The table then
walked across the room, entered the adjoining one and quickened its steps.
It was a small tripod table. It walked with a sidelong walk. It went to
the door, shook the handle, and I opened it. The table then walked into
the passage, and I repeated the adjuration, receiving the same answer.
Fully convinced that I was dealing with an accursed spirit, I opened the
street door, and the table was immediately silent; no movement or rap was
heard. I returned alone to the drawing-room, and asked if there were any
spirits present. Immediately I heard steps like those of a little child
outside the door. I opened it, and the small table went into the corner as
before, just as my child did when I reproved it for a fault. These
manifestations continued until I used the adjuration, and I always found
that they changed or ceased when the Name of God was mentioned. One night,
when sitting alone in my drawing-room, I heard a noise at the top of the
house; a servant who had heard it came into the room frightened. I went to
the nursery and found that the sounds came from a spot near the bed. I
pronounced the adjuration and they instantly ceased. The same sounds were
afterwards heard in the kitchen, and I succeeded in restoring quiet as
before.
"Reflecting on these singular facts, I determined to inquire further and
really satisfy myself that the manifestations were what I suspected them
to be. I went to Mrs. Marshall, and took with me three clever men, who
were not at all likely to be deceived. I was quite unknown; we sat at a
table, and had a _séance_: Mrs. Marshall told me the name of my child. I
asked the spirit some questions, and then pronounced the adjuration. We
all heard steps, which sounded as if someone was mounting the wall; in a
few seconds the sounds ceased, and although Mrs. Marshall challenged again
and again, the spirits did not answer, and she said she could not account
for the phenomenon. In this case, I pronounced the adjuration mentally; no
person knew what I had done. At a _séance_, held at the house of a friend
of mine, at which I was present, manifestations were obtained, and, as I
was known to be hostile, I was entreated not to interfere. I sat for two
hours a passive spectator. I then asked the name of the spirit, and it
gave the name of my child. 'In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost,' said I, 'are you the spirit of my child?' It answered, 'No!' and
the word 'Devil' was spelled out."
Dr. Edmunds: "How were the names spelled out?"
Mr. Chevalier: "The legs rapped when the alphabet was called over. Mrs.
Marshall used the alphabet herself, and the table rapped when her pencil
came to the letters. My opinion of the phenomena is that the intelligence
which is put in communication with us is a fallen one. It is the Devil,
the Prince of the Powers of the air. I believe we commit the crime of
Necromancy when we take part in these spiritual _séances_."
We obtain from these extracts, which might be multiplied thirty-fold from
the authorized publications of the Spiritualists, some idea of the nature
of their _séances_ and proceedings. Our own statement at the outset has
been more than justified as regards its moderation and accuracy from the
examples provided in the extracts in question. "Necromancy" has been well
defined to be "The art of communicating with devils and of doing
surprising things by means of their aid; particularly that of calling up
the dead and extorting answers from them." Now this, it seems clear, in
one form or another, is precisely that which is carried on by a
considerable and increasing section[52] of people in America, in England,
on the Continent, and elsewhere. It is practised mainly by persons who
were such extreme Protestants in previous times that, having almost
altogether denied the Supernatural, they have been reluctantly won over to
a belief in it by communion with evil spirits. Father Perrone, the
distinguished Jesuit, has calculated that upwards of two thousand
treatises have been published in defence of the system of these
manifestations during the past fifteen years. It has been pointedly
remarked by an English clergyman, of those people who once, like the
ancient Sadducees, rejected the idea of the existence of spirits, but who
now have accepted the Spiritualistic theory, that "they have given up
believing in nothing, and have taken to believe in the Devil."[53] And
this epigrammatic saying is hardly too pointed. According to Perrone, the
modern professors of divination frankly allow that the phenomena have
passed through three phases. First, that of Mesmerism; secondly,
artificial Somnambulism and Clairvoyance; and thirdly, Spiritualism,
properly so called. He gives five reasons for maintaining his theory of
diabolical agency with regard to the same. 1. From the nature of the
phenomena. 2. From its effects. 3. From the manner in which Mesmerism
operates. 4. From the malice and wickedness of the agent, who frequently
utters anti-Christian and blasphemous doctrines; and lastly, 5. from the
frank and candid admission of the mediums or operators themselves.
In most cases it may be safely assumed that evil spirits personify the
souls of the departed. That such spirits are the deadly foes of man so
long as he is in his period of probation, may, for all Catholic
Christians, be also assumed. That such spirits, moreover, constantly
represent the departed as continually desiring the hand of Death to fall
upon their earthly friends, in order, as is implied or stated, that a
future of unclouded light and everlasting happiness may speedily link them
together, can be seen from a careful study of the records of Spiritualism.
Some of the facts already set forth teach this. The principle that men,
whether good or bad, righteous or unrighteous, will all be certainly
saved, and be for ever hereafter in bliss, is the practical heresy[54]
that Spiritualism in its theological aspect has most openly taught, and
still continues to teach. "Spiritualism," writes Mr. William Howitt, a
convert to it from Quakerism, "rejects the doctrine of eternal damnation
as alike injurious to God and man. Injurious to God's noblest attributes,
repugnant to the principles of justice, and unavailing in men as a motive
to repentance.... Spiritualism knows that there are isolated passages in
the Gospels and in the words of our Saviour capable of being made to bear
an appearance favouring the doctrine of eternal punishment, but it knows
that the original terms bear no such latitude, and when Christ says there
is a state 'where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched,' it
admits the state, but denies that any of God's creatures will continue in
that state a minute longer than is necessary to purge the foulness of sin
and the love of sin out of their spiritual constitutions. Were the
solution of this supposed difficulty much harder than it is, Spiritualism
would place the love of God and the love of Christ, and all the great and
gracious attributes of God and His Saviour--justice and truth and wisdom,
and a charity more immeasurable than God Himself recommends to mankind,
confidently and courageously against so horrible and senseless a
doctrine."
Now, though Spiritualism be ignored by the press, Universalism, its own
offspring, is constantly and persistently maintained. Spiritualism also
flatly denies the great Christian doctrine of the Resurrection of the
body:--
"Spiritualism teaches, on the authority of Scripture and of all
spirit-life, that there is no such thing as death: it is but a name given
to the issue of the soul from the body. To those in bodies who witness
this change, the spirit is invisible, and they only see a body which
ceases all its living functions, has lost that intelligence which during
so-called 'life' emanated from it, and lies stiff and cold, and to all
appearance dead. But even the body is not dead. There is a law of life
even in what is called dead matter, which is perpetually changing its
particles and converting them into mere black earth and water, and hence
into all the articles necessary for the physical life--corn, meat, wine,
all foods, all fruits. The same law immediately begins to operate in the
dead body, and, if unobstructed, speedily resolves it back into earth, and
then forms this again into food and clothing and fresh enveloping forms
for fresh human beings. The whole of the universe is in perpetual action,
and the ever-revolving wheel of physical is subserving the perpetual
evolution of spiritual life."[55]
And again:--
"The Church of England and Spiritualism accord, but not in the doctrine of
the resurrection of the body. The spirits all assert with S. Paul, that
the body which rises from the death-bed is the spiritual body, and that
the soul needs no other, much less an earthly body, in its
spirit-home--that, in fact, nothing of the earth can ever enter heaven.
That if the spirits of just men are _made perfect_, they can be nothing
more, and no addition of anything belonging to this earth can add to their
happiness, freedom, power, and perfection, but on the contrary. That so
far from receiving at some indefinite and, probably, very distant period,
their earthly bodies back again, they are continually, as they advance,
casting off the subtler particles of matter that have interpenetrated
their spiritual bodies."[56]
With regard to the influence of the Protestant Reformation on that temper
of mind and habit of thought which have led sceptics and those whose faith
has been overturned by the blasphemies of Calvin or the immoral principle
of the Lutheran systems and their offshoots, to become votaries of
Spiritualism, we cannot do better than put on record Mr. Howitt's
deliberate judgment, expressed in language which, however painful to read
in some parts, is at once forcible and pertinent:--
"By the denial of the intermediate states, the Protestant Reformers
perpetrated a more monstrous outrage on the Divine justice, and more
frightfully libelled the Divine mercy, than by the broadest stretch of
imagination one would have thought it possible. By this arbitrary
extinction of some of the loveliest regions of creation, by this wiping
out of vast kingdoms of God's tolerance and goodness by the sponge of
Protestant reaction, God's whole being was blackened, and every one of His
eternal attributes dislocated and driven pell-mell into the limbo of
Atheism. I say Atheism, for such a God could not possibly exist as this
Protestant theory would have made Him--a God with less justice than the
most stupid country squire ever established in the chair of magistracy;
with less mercy than an inquisitor or a torturer with his red-hot pincers
and iron boots. These atrocities were but the work of moments, but this
system made the God of love and the Father of Jesus Christ sitting in
endless bliss amid a favoured few, whilst below were incalculable
populations suffering the tortures of fires which no period even of
millions of years should extinguish, and that without any proportion
whatever to the offences of the sufferers! All who were not 'spirits of
just men made perfect' were, according to this doctrine, only admissible
to this common hell, this common receptacle of the middling, bad, and the
most bedevilled of devils! Never could any such monstrous, foul, and
detestable doctrine issue from any source but that of the hearts of
fiends themselves. None but devils could breed up so black a fog of
blasphemy to blot out the image of a loving and paternal God from the view
of His creatures. And yet the mocking devil induced the zealous Protestant
fathers to accept this most truly 'doctrine of devils,' as an antidote to
Popish error. As some glimmering of the direst consequences of this
shutting-up of the middle states of the invisible world began to dawn on
the Protestant mind, it set about to invent remedies and apply
palliatives, and by a sort of spiritual hocus-pocus, it taught that if the
greatest sinners did but call on Christ at the last gasp, they were
converted into saints, and found themselves in heaven itself with God and
the Lamb. This was only making the matter worse, and holding out a premium
for the continuance in every sin and selfishness to the last moment. It
was an awful temptation to self-deception presented to human selfishness.
Millions, no doubt, have trusted to this wretched Protestant reed.... Yet
common sense in others rejected and rejects the cruel deceit. A country
poet, writing the epitaph of the blacksmith in my native village,
expressed the truth on the Protestant theory of no middle regions:--
'Too bad for heaven, too good for hell,
So where he's gone we cannot tell.'"
And now to conclude this portion of our subject, regarding which not a
tenth part of the examples of "Spiritual" manifestations gathered has been
given. To have discussed the facts and theories provided on previous
pages, would have occupied several chapters. Sufficient, however, is
recorded to show that Spiritualism is directly antagonistic to the
Christian Religion,[57] to point out the true character of many of the
signs and wonders which exist in this nineteenth century, and which
testify and witness to old and unchangeable truths. The ministry of "men
and of angels in a wonderful order,"[58] the practice of exorcism, the
facts of diabolical agency, possession by evil spirits, the sins of
Witchcraft and Necromancy, are all more or less intertwined with the
Divine Revelation which God has been pleased to give to man. But the
Materialism of these latter days is blinding men's eyes, that they cannot
see, and successfully destroying their faith in all that is beyond their
cramped and narrow temporal range. Intellectual Paganism, and a positive
disbelief in the distinct Nature of God, if not openly professed, is
indirectly acknowledged; while the Faith of Pentecost, which for
generations has regenerated the World, is cast aside as worn out, effete,
and valueless. The possibility of miracle is derided; Providence is
scouted as the fond dream of an exaggerated human self-love; belief in the
power of prayer is asserted to be only a superstition, illustrative of
man's ignorance of the scientific conception of law; the hypothesis of
absolute invariable law, and the cognate conception of Nature as a
self-evolved system of self-existent forces and self-existent matter, are
ideas advancing with giant strides. Side by side with all this, however,
stand the portentous phenomena referred to here. Let the existence of one
course of such facts as those related be granted, and far more follows
than the pure Materialist or the Positivist would for a moment allow. Yet
none can deny the presence amongst us of such, evil in their essence and
mischievous in their operations. The whole cycle represents the works of
the Devil and his angels--works opposed at every step in theory by the
Truths of Christianity, and in fact by the sacraments of the Church
Universal. Man's highest and chiefest duty is to do the Will of the Most
High: the practice of the Spiritualists, on the other hand (and let men
lay the warning to heart), appears to be an intentional and systematic
giving up of their wills to the evil one; an invocation of evil spirits
for unlawful purposes, a "willing" for supernatural intervention in things
which are not lawful, and a deliberate turning away from Him to Whom all
power is given in Heaven and in Earth.
APPENDIX TO CHAPTER IX.
SPIRITUALISM AND SCIENCE.
The following Letter appeared in "The Times" newspaper a few years ago:--
"SIR,--Having been named by several of your correspondents as one of the
scientific men who believe in Spiritualism, you will perhaps allow me to
state briefly what amount of evidence has forced the belief upon me. I
began the investigation about eight years ago, and I esteem it a fortunate
thing that at that time the more marvellous phenomena were far less
common and less accessible than they are now, because I was led to
experiment largely at my own house, and among friends whom I could trust,
and was able to establish to my own satisfaction, by means of a great
variety of tests, the occurrence of sounds and movements not traceable to
any known or conceivable physical cause. Having thus become thoroughly
familiar with these undoubtedly genuine phenomena, I was able to compare
them with the more powerful manifestations of several public mediums, and
to recognize an identity of cause in both by means of a number of minute
but highly characteristic resemblances. I was also able, by patient
observation, to obtain tests of the reality of some of the more curious
phenomena which appeared at the time, and still appear to me, to be
conclusive. To go into details as to those experiences would require a
volume, but I may, perhaps, be permitted briefly to describe one, from
notes kept at the time, because it serves as an example of the complete
security against deception which often occurs to the patient observer
without seeking for it.
"A lady who had seen nothing of the phenomena asked me and my sister to
accompany her to a well-known public medium. We went, and had a sitting
alone in the bright light of a summer's day. After a number of the usual
raps and movements, our lady friend asked if the name of the deceased
person she was desirous of communicating with, could be spelt out. On
receiving an answer in the affirmative, the lady pointed successively to
the letters of a printed alphabet while I wrote down those at which three
affirmative raps occurred. Neither I nor my sister knew the name the lady
wished for, nor even the names of any of her deceased relatives; her own
name had not been mentioned, and she had never been near the medium
before. The following is exactly what happened, except that I alter the
surname, which was a very unusual one, having no authority to publish it.
The letters I wrote down were of the following kind:--yrnehnospmoht. After
the first three--yrn--had been taken down, my friend said, "This is
nonsense, we had better begin again." Just then her pencil was at e, and
raps came, when a thought struck me (having read of, but never witnessed,
a similar occurrence), and I said, 'Please go on, I think I see what is
meant.' When the spelling was finished I handed the paper to her, but she
could see no meaning in it till I divided it at the first h, and asked her
to read each portion backwards, when to her intense astonishment the name
'Henry Thompson' came out, that of a deceased son of whom she had wished
to hear, correct in every letter. Just about that time I had been hearing
_ad nauseam_ of the superhuman acuteness of mediums who detect the letters
of the name the deluded visitors expect, notwithstanding all their care to
pass the pencil over the letters with perfect regularity. This experience,
however (for the substantial accuracy of which as above narrated I vouch),
was and is, to my mind, a complete disproof of every explanation yet given
of the means by which the names of deceased persons are rapped out. Of
course I do not expect any sceptic, whether scientific or unscientific, to
accept such facts, of which I could give many, on my testimony; but
neither must they expect me, nor the thousands of intelligent men to whom
equally conclusive tests have occurred, to accept their short and easy
methods of explaining them.
"If I am not occupying too much of your valuable space I should like to
make a few remarks on the misconceptions of many scientific men as to the
nature of this inquiry, taking the Letters of your correspondent Mr. Dirks
as an example. In the first place, he seems to think that it is an
argument against the facts being genuine that they cannot all be produced
and exhibited at will; and another argument against them, that they cannot
be explained by any known laws. But neither can catalepsy, the fall of
meteoric stones, nor hydrophobia be produced at will; yet these are all
facts, and none the less so that the first is sometimes imitated, the
second was once denied, and the symptoms of the third are often greatly
exaggerated, while none of them is yet brought under the domain of strict
science; yet no one would make this an argument for refusing to
investigate these subjects. Again, I should not have expected a scientific
man to state, as a reason for not examining it, that Spiritualism 'is
opposed to every known natural law, especially the law of gravity,' and
that it 'sets chymistry, human physiology, and mechanics at open
defiance;' when the facts simply are that the phenomena, if true, depend
upon a cause or causes which can overcome or counteract the action of
these several forces, just as some of these forces often counteract or
overcome others; and this should surely be a strong inducement to a man of
science to investigate the subject.
"While not laying any claim myself to the title of 'a really scientific
man,' there are some who deserve that epithet who have not yet been
mentioned by your correspondents as at the same time spiritualists. Such I
consider the late Dr. Robert Chambers, as well as Dr. Elliotson, Professor
William Gregory, of Edinburgh; and Professor Hare, of Philadelphia--all
unfortunately deceased; while Dr. Gully, of Malvern, as a scientific
physician, and Judge Edmonds, one of the best American lawyers, have had
the most ample means of investigation; yet all these not only were
convinced of the reality of the most marvellous facts, but also accepted
the theory of Modern Spiritualism as the only one which would embrace and
account for the facts. I am also acquainted with a living physiologist, of
high rank as an original investigator, who is an equally firm believer.
"In conclusion I may say that, although I have heard a great many
accusations of imposture, I have never detected it myself; and, although a
large proportion of the more extraordinary phenomena are such that, if
impostures, they could only be performed by means of ingenious apparatus
or machinery, none has ever been discovered. I consider it no exaggeration
to say that the main facts are now as well established and as easily
verifiable as any of the more exceptional phenomena of nature which are
not yet reduced to law. They have a most important bearing on the
interpretation of History, which is full of narratives of similar facts,
and on the nature of life and intellect, on which physical science throws
a very feeble and uncertain light; and it is my firm and deliberate belief
that every branch of philosophy must suffer till they are honestly and
seriously investigated, and dealt with as constituting an essential
portion of the phenomena of human nature.
"I am, Sir, yours obediently,
"ALFRED R. WALLACE."
The following Review, taken from the "Weekly Register" of August 1, 1874,
will be read with interest:--
"The May and June numbers of the 'Fortnightly Review' for 1874, contain
two remarkable articles by Mr. Wallace, the eminent naturalist. They are
entitled--'A Defence of Modern Spiritualism.' His aim in these is to prove
the objective reality of its phenomena in the first instance, and then to
show that the theory which explains them can be accepted by those who,
like himself, entirely disbelieve in a Supernatural order. He points out
that Modern Spiritualism is not in any way a survival or revival of old
superstitions, but a completely new science. The facts upon which it rests
have been known and noted from the earliest beginnings of history, but,
owing to the influence of Superstition, were almost universally
misinterpreted. Now, at last, these mists are clearing away. We have
abundant materials upon which to work, and he looks forward with
confidence to the establishment of a satisfactory scientific theory of a
future life. Such a theory will be a truly regenerating influence,
resting, not on arbitrary beliefs, but on established facts, and will, for
the first time, make a true religion possible and a pure morality.
"At the close of the second essay, there is a sketch of the outline of the
theory up to the point which it has reached as yet. Of course there is
still much which requires to be explained and developed. The science is
only in its infancy; but still its principles can be understood and
appreciated. It is taken for granted that there are no spirits but human
ones, these being the only spirits of which we can have any scientific
knowledge. This being assumed, Mr. Wallace proceeds to give a short
analysis of human nature, drawn from generalizations from the 'phenomena
in their entirety,' and the communications of the spirits themselves. This
is contained in four propositions:--
"1. Man is a duality, consisting of an organized spiritual form evolved
coincidently with and permeating the physical body, and having
corresponding organs and development.
"2. Death is the separation of this duality, and effects no change in the
spirit, morally or intellectually.
"3. Progressive evolution of the intellectual and moral nature is the
destiny of individuals; the knowledge, attainments, and experience of
earth-life forming the basis of spirit-life.
"4. Spirits can communicate through properly-endowed mediums. They are
attracted to those they love or sympathise with.... But, as follows from
Clause 2, their communications will be fallible, and must be judged and
tested just as we do those of our fellow-men.
"From the acceptance of these propositions will result a far purer
morality than any which either Religious systems or Philosophy have yet
put forth, and with sanctions far more powerful and effective--'For the
essential teaching of Spiritualism is that we are all, in every act and
thought, helping to build up a "mental fabric" which will be and
constitute ourselves more completely after the death of the body than it
does now. Just as this fabric is well or ill built will our progress and
happiness be aided or retarded. There will be no imposed rewards and
punishments; but everyone will suffer the inevitable consequences of a
well or ill spent life. The well-spent life is that in which those
faculties which concern our personal physical well-being are subordinated
to those which regard our social and intellectual well-being and the
well-being of others; and that inherent feeling, which is so universal and
so difficult to account for, that those latter constitute our higher
nature, seems also to point to the conclusion that we are intended for a
condition in which the former will be almost wholly unnecessary, and will
gradually become rudimentary through disuse, while the latter will receive
a corresponding development. This teaching will make a man dread to give
way to passion, or falsehood, or a selfish and luxurious life--knowing
that the inevitable consequences of such habits are future misery and a
long and arduous struggle, in order to develop anew the faculties which
had been crippled by long disuse. He will be deterred from crime, knowing
that its unforeseen consequences may cause him ages of remorse, and his
bad passions perpetual torment, in a state of being in which mental
emotions cannot be drowned in the fierce struggles and sensual pleasures
of a physical existence. And these beliefs (unlike those of theology) will
have a living efficacy, because depending on facts occurring again and
again within the family circle, and so bringing home the realities of the
future life to the minds of even the most obtuse.' He asks us to 'contrast
this system of natural and inevitable reward and retribution, dependent
wholly on the proportionate development of our higher mental and moral
nature, with the arbitrary system of rewards and punishments dependent on
stated acts and beliefs only, as set forth by all dogmatic religions; and
who can fail to see that the former is in harmony with the whole order of
Nature--the latter opposed to it?' We cannot enter on the religious and
moral questions which this brief survey of Mr. Wallace's theory suggests,
but we wish to make some remarks on the 'facts' on which it is founded,
and his treatment of them. The point that strikes one most in these
articles is their evident sincerity. Mr. Wallace has become a believer in
Spiritualism in spite of deeply-rooted prejudices against it, and he is
anxious to deal thoroughly and impartially with all the facts connected
with it as far as he can, without contradicting the first principles of
his scientific creed. We can understand this limitation, for we, too, have
first principles--first principles of which we are so certain that no
seeming contradiction of them by facts could shake our belief. But the
difference between our position and his is that our first principles are
founded, not on facts of experience, but on a _belief_ that God has spoken
to us, and is speaking every day in the Church. Therefore, whatever God
has revealed becomes to us as a first principle, which, _à priori_, cannot
contradict facts, and which, as our knowledge increases, we more and more
find experimentally to harmonize with them and explain them. But the whole
of Mr. Wallace's theory is founded on the assumption that God does not
speak--that He, and all that concerns Him, is unknown and unknowable to
us; and this assumption rests, he would tell us, on facts--_i. e._ on his
view of the order of Nature. Now, what we wish to point out is, that
nothing which thus rests only on experience can, in any true sense, be
called a first principle. It is merely a wide generalization, which may,
any moment, be displaced by a still wider one. Mr. Lecky, in his 'History
of Rationalism,' asserts that the evidence in favour of the reality of
witchcraft would be irresistible, were we not convinced, on _à priori_
grounds, that witchcraft is a delusion. Once Mr. Wallace fully shared this
conviction, and found himself compelled, in his own words, to 'reject or
ignore' all this evidence. Now, Modern Spiritualism has enabled him to
accept all these, and other facts of a similar nature; and he expatiates
on the relief he feels in being able to open his eyes to a whole host of
things which he had hitherto been obliged painfully and laboriously to
overlook. There is quite a string of them. Socrates' Demon, the ancient
Oracles, all Miracles--those of the Bible, the lives of the Saints, and in
the present day, answers to prayer, all the phenomena of Second Sight,
Ghosts, and occult disturbances of all sorts. We cannot refer our readers
to the articles themselves for the explanations, some of them very
curious, of all these things. But we should like to ask whether it may not
be possible that there may be some theory yet to be found still more
comprehensive than Spiritualism, and which may yield a still deeper joy
and relief? The one before us seems to us still to require a considerable
amount of reserve, to say no more, in dealing with some of the facts.
Professor Huxley objects to the amount of twaddle that is talked by the
spirits; but to this Mr. Wallace replies, very justly, we think, that it
is no more than we must expect, considering the mental and moral calibre
of the majority of mankind; and, consequently, of spirits, who are not
much improved by the mere fact of dying, not to mention that of the
spiritualists themselves; and we know that the proverb, 'Like attracts
like,' is especially applicable to mediums. But we confess that we are
surprised when we are told that 'sectarian' spirits continue to maintain
special dogmas and doctrines, while yet quite unable to describe
themselves as being in any situation which at all corresponds to the
orthodox teaching about a future life. We cannot understand what doctrines
or dogmas could survive such a _désillusionnement_, whether agreeable or
the reverse, as Mr. Wallace's future life would be to a spirit whose
conceptions on the subject had been moulded on any form of Christianity.
Nor can we conceive of any motive, except a diabolical maliciousness,
which could prompt spirits to wish to keep up such delusions among their
surviving friends. And yet Mr. Wallace explains the apparitions of Our
Lady, &c., in modern times, as being produced by spirits with strong
Catholic predilections, knowing that they would be very efficacious in
stimulating the cultus which they prefer. And this is said without any
moral comment whatever. Also allowing, as he does, the reality of the
apparitions, though only of human origin, in the Bible and lives of the
saints, we are at a loss to see how he can say that orthodox notions of
heaven are never confirmed by spirits. We should have said that it was
precisely by them that most of these had been originated, not to say
confirmed. If his spirits are spirits, so are ours, and quite as worthy of
credit. These are only a few of the difficulties on the surface of
Sceptical Spiritualism. But we have already exceeded our limits. We will
only add that we cannot but hope that, Spiritualism being so far an
approach to truth that it admits an important class of facts which had
lately been very much denied and ignored, may, by the difficulties which
they raise, lead some minds to reconsider the position they have taken up
with regard to the Supernatural. There is no bridge across the chasm which
divides Faith from Unbelief, and yet in this World the edges are so close
that it is but a step, and we pass from darkness into light."
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.
"The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear Him, and
delivereth them."--_Psalm xxxiv. 7._
"God sees at one view the whole thread of my existence, not only that part
of it which I have already passed through, but that which runs forward
into all the depths of Eternity. When I lay me down to sleep I recommend
myself to His care; when I awake I give myself up to His direction. Amidst
all the evils that threaten me, I look up to Him for help, and question
not that He will either avert them, or turn them to my advantage. Though I
know neither the time nor the manner of the death I am to die, I am not at
all solicitous about it: because I am sure that He knows them both, and
that He will not fail to comfort and support me under them."--_Addison._
"Reverence the angels; shun the demons."--_Thomas Scott._