DR. T. JONES ON SPIRITUALISM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 601, 1 September 1909, Page 9

DR. T. JONES ON SPIRITUALISM.

Sir,—ln your issno of this morning Mr. Jones'is reported to have, on Sunday night last, declared that thero is nothing in'modern Spiritualism but superstition,, and illusion! Ho^also denounces tho dogmas and creeds of orthodoxy —and I have more than once in his bivn church heard him, declare' foi 1 the' Fatherhood of God and tho brotherhood'of man—and, that it was our duty as,rational, responsible boing? to earnestly seek to bring , that much-needed ;condi- • tion about here on the earth; to which I giivo then, and give now, ray warmest support.' I f was' at that time under tlio impression -that' Mr. Jones> was at 'heart an advanced Spiritual ist, though wisely withholding tho use of-tho term for reasons not necessary here to. state, brit now I regret to find • that bis is more « materialist than ought else,' if lie has lias' been fairly reported. 1 have no quarrel'with him about the inipcrfcction ; of. some mediums, ob•'t'esspd. in somo*'-'cases,.'bylea'rth-bound spirit's or' demons, nor do X deny, that fraud is practised in the name of truth,' Because I have not'care-' fully and sincerely investigated the subject for twenty years without',finding frauds urid'eoun-terfeits.AVhat-l am surprised at' is ' that an educated man should-speak of .a subject (which' to'ino is tho most important of all subjects) in a way which proves conclusively that be has never properly investigated it except.by reading, booss. . But-even from,reading books like Sir -\V.. Crooke's investigation of-.'thirty years ago, entitled "Tho Phenomena of Spiritualism, .must convince any reasonable person of average 'intelligence' that cither' Crooks is fooling or that the discovery he made was -tho result of the operations of laws by intelligent beings outside of material bodies. Therefore the truths of Spiritualism provo that it is,a fact in-nature, having, to do with what. is termed by the wisdom'guides as the fourth dimension in space.' When tho ' Kov. Dr. Jones, or any ono else, investigates it as they should do, they-will not be so ready to jump to conclusions. Book knowledgo is, good, education of the highest order is essential for the permanent good of man, but tho highest degroo of the: best university of to-day; without a real knowledge .'.of-.occult even, ill a small degree, is sadly wanting in completeness. Paul, otherwise called Saul, raid tho spiritual things wore .to' Greeks and Jews foolishness and n stumbling-block. Many of our modern teachers afo to-day .in a-similar dilemma'.—l am, ctc;; 1.1. Wellington, August 30, 1909.