_Some quotations from a work on Spiritual Philosophy, addressed to the
Academy of Sciences at Paris, by James C. De Mirville._—Third Edition.
_Manifestations which occurred in France, in 1851._
300. There is a great resemblance between the manifestations which
have been described by Capron and others as having taken place at the
mansion of the Rev. Dr. Phelps, at Stratford, Connecticut, and those
which occurred in the Presbytery of Cideville in France, so as to be
verified before a court. The facts in this last-mentioned case were
verified by the testimony taken during a trial which grew out of the
circumstances. Some of the witnesses were persons distinguished by
their high character and position in society. None had any interested
motives for stating them; but, on the contrary, had to meet the odium
which falls upon all who tell truths conflicting with the prejudices of
the community within which they reside. Rochefoucault correctly urged
that it is more politic, to tell a probable lie than an improbable
truth.
301. This impression I have seen to operate in making people backward
to admit their belief in spiritual communication.
302. It is remarkable that in the case at Cideville, signals as the
means of intellectual communication were employed, independently of
their employment made between two and three years before in New York.
Of course, those who resorted to this expedient, might have heard
previously of the effort in the same way which had been successful in
this country The signs employed, however, differed. At Rochester _one
rap_ was taken for _no_, _two_ for _doubtful_, _three_ for _yes_. At
Cideville _one rap_ was received for _yes_, and _two_ for _no_. At the
former place, the alphabet was directly referred to; at the latter,
reference was made by figures indicating the place of the selected
letter in the alphabetic card.
303. Of this character is the admission of the Roman Church of
the spiritual origin of the manifestations; ascribed, however, to
_diabolic_ agency. To this allusion has been already made; but I
subjoin some letters and expositions, translated from a French
work lately published on Mesmerism, Clairvoyance, and Spiritual
Manifestations.
304. The following letters, taken from the work in question, will
require no farther introduction.
305. If the Roman clergy thus advance the inference that the
manifestations and intellectual communications come from spiritual
agency, it will be easy for Spiritualism to show that it is vastly more
devoid of diabolic malevolence and inhumanity than the institutions
sanctioned by that priesthood.
_Letter from T. R. P. Ventura._
306. “_My Dear Sir_: When you came two years ago to consult me as to
the merit and propriety of your labours, I hesitated so much the less
to encourage their publication, that having myself entertained the
same ideas for a long time, I had been several times on the point of
proclaiming them from the sacred chair. I do not fear then to affirm
‘that the publication of this important and serious work would be of
incontestable usefulness, and tend strongly to enlighten opinion on a
mass of curious facts, and thus prepare for the solution of high and
important questions; for, I add, it is necessary that all the phases of
the subject should be first presented by the laity, in order that the
church may thus be enabled to form their judgment with full knowledge
of the case.’
307. “I do not say enough, my dear sir, in pronouncing your work
_useful_; I might have called it indispensable, had I foreseen the
approaching invasion of that scourge which you so happily designate
as a _spiritual_ epidemic: a scourge whose sudden and universal
propagation, in my opinion, notwithstanding its appearance of
puerility, will constitute ONE OF THE GREATEST EVENTS OF OUR AGE. But
how has it been both received and entertained?
308. “Commencing with your savans, it is impossible not to be alarmed
by the obstinate incredulity which does not allow them to see what at
the present time can be confirmed by anybody. _Oculos habent et non
vident._[9]
309. “Those individuals alarm me still more, who having given their
attention, and of course seen, shake their heads as a sign of
indifference and pity, as if the phenomenon exhibited was of a low
character and beneath their notice. When they have descended to the
foundation, they treat it with contempt.
310. “Then, finally, and very differently indeed, I feel myself frozen
with terror by certain dispensers of truth, who, in their blindness,
trifle without scruple with their most relentless enemies; so far have
they forgotten their most serious teachings.
311. “I do not profess to be a prophet, sir, and do not know what the
mercy or justice of God is preparing for us; but, like you, I tremble
for the present, and hope for the future; for marvellous lessons are
already presented to us in these passing phenomena.
312. “In fact, the justification of the church and of the faith are
emanating from them: the definite condemnation of a fallen rationalism;
and consequently, the approaching glorification of all the past in the
true church, and even of that Middle Age, so calumniated, so ridiculed,
and gratuitously endowed with so much darkness. The political events of
these latter times have to justify that Middle Age, as respects good
sense in the affairs of government; and behold these facts of a nature
entirely foreign, coming to avenge its accusation of superstitious
credulity. This reparation was necessary, and after all our own age has
nothing to fear from it, for certainly it will not render injustice of
any kind to the objective and useful progress of modern civilization.
313. “As for yourself, sir, you will enjoy the honour of having
brought, by your luminous discussions, a large stone for the
construction of this majestic edifice, and I rejoice in the
encouragement I have given you. I need not enlarge on this subject, FOR
SUCCESS HAS SPOKEN, and think I am sufficiently acquainted with you to
know that you did not anticipate one so brilliant. You have known how
to engage the attention of the learned, and people generally, by making
your work attractive while it is instructive—a quality sufficiently
rare to claim my congratulations. I will only add another word: had
this work been confined to the notice of those phenomena whose advent
we deplore, it would probably share their fate; but what will secure
its perpetuity is your discussion of medical science which you put in
apposition with your subject, and which will not long be able to resist
the severe stricture of your logic. Therefore, be assured, it will be
the learned, and especially physicians, that you will first convert
to your doctrine. Philosophers will only surrender after them; but so
far there is no doubt that you will have given rise to most serious
reflections in all of them.
314. “I will not speak to you at present of two or three observations
which I have made in reading your book, which we will discuss _in
private_, and which only relate to some inaccuracy of doctrine,
foreign, besides, to the principal subject of your work.
315. “Finally, my dear sir, I do not doubt that the God of truth
will bless your labours. Continue them, for the subject is vast, and
especially do not suffer yourself to be discouraged by the reasoning
of light minds, ‘that in divulging all these things you favour
their promulgation, when they had better be suppressed, &c. &c.’ A
gross error! They might as well accuse the doctors of causing the
cholera. And, beside, it is worthy of remark that all the cases of
insanity lately developed in the midst of these exhibitions are due
to thoughtless enthusiasm succeeding to an absolute state of doubt
and disbelief. It could not well be otherwise; the prodigy which was
doubted yesterday, and to-day is firmly established, will to-morrow be
transformed into _God_. Truth alone is able to prevent and remedy such
disastrous mishaps.
Receive, my dear sir, the assurance, &c.,
LE P. VENTURA DE RAULICA,
_Former General of the Monks, Examiner of the Bishops and of the
Roman clergy_.”
_Letter of Dr. Coze._
316. “_Sir_:—You do me the honour to ask my opinion of the book on _the
Spirits_ which you have just published. That opinion I have already
expressed to our mutual friend, the good worthy doctor Paulin; and true
it is, this book has made a strong impression on my mind, for I had
arrived at similar conclusions from the examination of some magnetic
phenomena and _the moving of tables_. I find in your book a chain
of very remarkable facts—presented, too, with talent and clearness
very unusual in this sort of writing. I see, beside, that science is
brought back to the path which cannot mislead us to that of the sacred
writings; there, as I think, are to be found the true philosophy and
the true light.
317. “I do not fancy that my opinion can have any weight with the
learned world. If, however, you think proper to make this public,
I consent with all my heart in behalf of a truth which you so well
defend, and THE SUCCESS OF WHICH APPEARS TO ME INFALLIBLE.
I have the honour to be, &c.,
R. COZE,
_Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Strasbourg_.”
_Letter of M. F. De Saulcy._
318. “_Sir_:—You desire me to report to you my opinion in writing
which I have formed as to the strange phenomena, to say the least of
them, which have been conventionally called _table turning_ and table
talking. I am not the man to recoil from what I regard as a truth,
whatever sarcasm may be reserved for such profession of faith, and
therefore proceed to satisfy your inquiry.
319. “It is about eight or ten months since when the public of Paris
was agitated by the late arrival of the fact from America and Germany;
a fact which pure physics was not able to explain _a priori_. I did
as many always do, and have no doubt done for a long time—received
this account with the most determined incredulity, and, I confess,
with ridicule. I considered its adepts as charlatans or as simpletons,
and refused for a long time to bestow on it the least attention. I
became tired of the war, however, and after hearing many affirm, to
whom I could not apply these epithets, the reality of these facts, I
determined to try for myself.
320. “My son and a friend were my two companions: we had the patience
for forty-five minutes, seated at the table, to form what is called the
chain, and were not a little surprised, I assure you, to see at the end
of that time the table on which we were operating, and which was merely
the parlour dinner-table, begin to move, and after some hesitation
to contract a rotary movement, which, accelerating, soon became very
rapid. We endeavoured by pressing to make it strike against the bar and
arrest its motion, but could not succeed.
321. “After repeating the experiment two or three times, I sought to
find some cause in physics for the movement, and battled the whole
theory of Electro-Dynamics with the aid of an electroscope, compass,
iron-filings, iron, &c. As I could not detect the least trace of
electricity, I thought then of impulses due to the volition of the
operators, and of which a sort of integration might cause the motion
of the table. On that I stopped, and for several weeks did not give
the smallest attention to a phenomenon which did not seem to merit any
further notice.
322. “Finally was commenced the faculty of _talking_, and I assure you
my incredulity was considerably greater than when its moving power was
announced. I was sparing, however, in my epithets, for I soon found
myself an investigator. I watched the rogues, as I suspected, for two
hours, but left the room a full believer of its reality, without any
further examination, confirmed too by all subsequent experiments. (1.)
323. “What could be said indeed of the fact witnessed together, that a
crayon, which was fastened to the leg of a table, wrote legible words,
while we were pressing it down with our hands?
324. “It was then, sir, that your book fell into my hands. I have read
it with the most lively interest; have admired your erudition, and the
courage necessary at our epoch to treat such a subject.
325. “I believe in the existence of facts which often volition is
unable to produce, and over which I declare that volition sometimes
appears to have a manifest influence. I believe in the intervention of
intelligence DIFFERENT FROM OUR OWN, and which puts in action means
almost ridiculous.
326. “I believe that the Christian religion should not encourage the
practice of these experiments. I believe there is danger in allowing
them to become a habit, and at least we may lose the little reason
which has been granted man by the Giver of all things. I believe,
finally, that it is the duty of an honest man to dissuade others from
occupying themselves with it, in preaching, by example, and not
allowing it in the least to occupy himself.
327. “This is the end I have reached after some months’ experience;
and, ask permission to close this letter, already too long, by
repeating a very wise saying of a man of high intelligence: ‘Either
these phenomena are, or are not real; if not, it is disgraceful to lose
time with them; if they are, it is dangerous to invoke them and to make
them a pastime.’
Please accept, &c.,
F. DE SAULCY,
_Member of the Institute_.”
_Spiritualism in Paris._
[See New York Reformer, September, 1853.]
“We find the following article in the London Illustrated News of July
23; it is an extract from the News’ Paris correspondence:—
328. “‘An immense sensation was caused here, a few days since, by a
revelation given on the authority of some of the most respected and
influential members of the clergy, headed by the Archbishop of Paris,
on the subject of table movements. The archbishop, being questioned
as to his opinion of the legitimacy, in a religious point of view,
of attempting to communicate with spirits through the medium of the
tables, alleged that he had not sufficiently studied the question to
reply definitively; that he imagined that the effects produced were
wholly of the nature of physical science, and in that case harmless;
but that, in order to form a judgment, he would attend a meeting
composed of certain members of the clergy, at a place appointed to make
the usual experiments.
329. “‘The table being put in motion, one of the party demanded it in
reply, by a certain number of raps, if there were a spirit present. The
response was in the affirmative; and in answer to a second question,
the spirit represented herself, by raps indicating certain letters
of the alphabet, to be that of _Sœur Francoise_, deceased a week
previously at the convent of -—-, Paris. The Abbe B-—- stated that he
had confessed the _Sœur Francoise_, who had, in fact, died at the time
and place named. General consternation, as may be supposed, ensued when
the Abbe L-—-, rising, commanded the spirit in the name of the Saviour
to appear.
330. “‘The report declares that the spirit hereupon actually became
visible, and replied to a variety of questions put to it, but of what
import we are not informed. On the above details we do not pretend to
give either explanation or opinion.
331. “‘Such is the story as related by the members of the _Seance_,
two of whom were so affected by the events related as to be some days
seriously indisposed, one of them even confined to bed.
332. “‘Various narratives mention that, through the medium of the
tables, communications are held with spirits of all nations. The
spirits, happily, being excellent linguists, find no difficulty in
expressing themselves in any language chosen by the questioner, and
reveal the secrets of the prison-house with a frankness, not to say
indiscretion, that would shock the more reserved ghost in Hamlet, in no
way confirming his statement of the horrors of their temporary abode.
Many of them describe in glowing terms the beauties and delights of
their celestial abodes.’”