LINKS WITH THE DEAD

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 272, 13 August 1919, Page 10

LINKS WITH THE DEAD

SIR A. CONAN DOYLE AND THE SCOFFERS. A "National Memorial . Service" foi» those who had fallen in tho war was held recently Tinder tho auspices of tho Spiritualists' National Union. Somo thousands of people were present, special hymns were sung, and Sir. Keeling, of Liverpool, made nn invocation during which he addressed the spirits of those who had made tho great sacrifice.

Mr. Owen, president of tho union, who presided, said that thousands of spiritualists had gone into khaki and hundredshad gone under, but a larger proportion ihnn usual came back unscathed. "We want to call tho attention of tho whole world," Mr. Owen said, "to tho fa,ct that life is a continuous thing and that its continuousness is provable."

Sir Arthur C'onan Doyle said. Ihat spiritualism had recently been passing through a crisis of contention and of argument, and many of tho more sensilivo souls felt it very much that a matter so delicate, which concerned thoso they had lost, should be exposed to tho unseemly levity with which their opponents had attacked tliem. None the less, they wore out to fight. "There is a wiiolo Hindenburg line of ignorance and prejudice and plenty of theological barbed wire in front of us, but we shall go straight through it. because we. have a cause that cannot bo beaten. (Cheers.) We are hero to greet our dead heroes— those who havo cut short their earthly life in order that ours muy bo moro tolerable. Many tens of thousands of our dead aro attracted down to us to-night by that spiritual law of sympathy and love. They come to bo congratulated, p.'irl we, representing those who lovo them, congratulate them, and (hey will go back to their other world nnd' high duties in another sphere. This is not a memorial meeting; it is rather a joyous reunion." Ho recalled how Admiral Togo during iho Russo-Japanese war had invoked his dead seamen. "When wo havo got to the level of Japan in psychical civilisation," Sir Arthur Conau Doylo said, "it will not bo ignorant civilians liko ourselves; but the great chiefs of tho Army ami Navy who led these men to battle and death who will welcome and thank them for their sorvices. Tho Army contains many who believe our doctrine, and it may not bo long before such a thing takes place. I know one army corps commander who would rejoice to stand hero and address liis vanished men." Ho related tho dialogue of a soldier from tho spirit world at a sennco held after the commemoration servico to the First Seven Divisions. In roply to questions, tho friend who lost his'life thus described the meeting :—"There was too much ceremony and we felt out of it. They praised tho dead. Wo are not dead, though they did not see us. I was disappointed. Many felt we were there, but they were swamped by tho scoffers nnd unbelievers. Most of'those who passed away in the Seven Divisions were there." No fault of that kind, added Sir Arthur, could be found by their frieuds on tho further side that night. They knew their love, respect, and admiration was tho one thing in the universe that would bring them there. No doubt at that moment, if only their eyes were sufficiently developed, they would realise that that was a double, meeting and that they wero tho smaller part of it—"Daily Mail."