SPIRITUALISM

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 96, 17 January 1921, Page 6

SPIRITUALISM

Sir, —In Mr. Seymour’s letter of January 12 h,e states that he has asked vainly for the facts of Spiritualism, and ex- , actly what were the special qualifications of tho authorities who certified to them. Fo? the "facts” I refer him to tho waitings of scores of famous scientists, including A. R. Wallace, Sir W. Crookes, Sir Oliver Lodge, Professor Zollner, and Professor Hyslop. To mention even a fraction of these facts would occupy a whole issue of The Dominion. He also remarks that "M." has been able to cite only two psychologists, Lombroso and Morsolli. Well, hero are two more for him. Fleurnoy and James. Mr. Seymour quotes M'Cabe as discounting Lombroso as an authority because he was in had health for the last three years of his life, omitting to state the fact that Lombroso investigated the subject for eighteen years! He also tries to discredit Morselli as a witness by stating that he had "certified to the genuineness of Eusapia Palladino—a proved fraud.” Here is what Fleurnoy, Professor of Psy-

chology at the. University of Geneva. has to say about that famous medium, in his book “Spiritism and Psychology”. “I wish to say that the Palladino phenomena are to-day, in jny eyes, estal> lished beyond doubt.” When two dis tinguished professors of psychology agree as to the genuineness of phenomena wliv should not their testimony be accepted? The statement of the late W. James, Professor of Psychology nt Harvard, has been ■ quoted by Sir W. Barrett, in his book “The Threshold of the Unseen" with regard to the trance medium ship ol Mrs. Piper: "I feel as absolutely certain as I am of any fact in the world that she knows things in her trances that she cannot possibly have known in her waking state. I am persuad&l that a serious study of these trance phenomena is one of the greatest needs of psychology.” Mr. Seymour complains that he m in tile dark as to the principles of spiritual science. They have been proclaimed often enough. “Spirit Teachings,” by M. A. Oxon (Stainton Moses) would enlighten his darkness considerably as well as many other books I could

name, but space forbids. Perhaps,, as he is so much in the dark about Spiiitualism generally he has not heard of the Archdeacon Colley-Maskelyne libel action, and counter-claim for .£lOOO, in 1907. (Colley had challenged' Maskelyne to reproduce certain materialisation pnenomena, and Maskelyne had denied that Colley was an archdeacon.) The case was tried before a jury, one of the witnesses cited being Alfred Russell Wallace, with the result that Maskelyne lost his claim* to .£lOOO, and had to pay v t he costs of both sides, while Archdeacon Colley won his action, with .£75 damages. Mr. Stuart was perfectly justified m quoting Camille Rlammarion as- an, authority for Spiritualism. His book, “The Unknown and Psychic Problems,’' bears witness to it. new book, “The Phenomena of Materialisation” testifies to the truth of wonderful occurrences obtained through the medium Mlle. Eva, whom I have mentioned in a previous letter, but Mr. Seymour evades or side-tracks all facts that do not suit his point of view. All these witnesses testify to the truths of Spiritualism. It has come to stay and to spread. Opposition like Mr. Seymour’s only serves to bring out the truth more clearlv. —I an*, etc., M.