REPLY TO MR PARRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1830, 10 August 1906, Page 3

REPLY TO MR PARRY.

(To the Editor Gisborne Times. Sir, —It is unfertunete that Mr Parry has rot been able to keep before him tho fact ihit bo was discusfrng the question of Spiritualism with ono who has only a Casual iottrtai in tho sutj c, and not with a prrson converted to that beliof, Had ho done so it in probab'o that ho would have bron leas dogmatic himself and lers inclined to suspect degmatism in ms. Ho then could have oomprehrr (] d tho aspect in wh ch I approach and view the subject as being that cf a person with a poifrct’y open m : ud. The position and attitude yjur oorre. 1 prndoot assum's is such that if I were ably to fully deal with it, it would not only C 1 your columns but a book. His d.'gmuisra is so stupendous that while disc'aimtrg degrnat am he is more dogmatic tha-i ever, nud practically ass rls that if I will net Bcsint tbo samo hypothesis for my argu moot which be else?, i.e,, the Bible, the whole argument ie of nc value. Sureiy Mr Parry must bo aware that a very large proportion of h : s readers, probably more than ha'f, would not accept his interpretsti. n of tho Bible’s doctiiucs, consequently it does cot seem desirable to introduce it into tbi3 discussion. I can quite uader-

stand that a gentleman of his vocation cin badly appreciate this, but should have imagined that his exponents:) of tho world and h’s lsoowledgo of history would have prevented hiia from reposting that ' tho mm never lived and never will live " who oould reconcile Spiritualism with Christianity, as the spirit which gives rise to this dogmatic utterance atoms similar to that cf tbo Jews who cried “ Cruci’y Him,” or that oi the middle nges which ascribed various eciontilia pbenemona which waa tot understood ts witchcraft and which condemned preachers of new doctrines to tho stake. In advancing t-bo sc’cntific erriem that 11 tbo effects cf m-vttpr ara parts of itaclf’ your correspondent unwittingly acknowledges that splritnoliitio phono lucna represents " visible materialism,” and " patiently investigating tcianco ” will doubtless come day he able to make the phenom;ni clear to tho meanest intellect. That psychic phenomena have boor experienced not only by loading men o. • scionce, but by many individuals in the i town, cannot ba doubted, and although a certain proportion may be the results of

fraud,, thorn is a groat deal that is not fi and. 11 think. Sir. tlul. ns Mr I’iiitv mill 1 cannot. view this subject IVotii anything !i|)|ifo:tehing tlie Millin' sliuulpi'int itiul lonscqurntiy arc likely lo go on marching and counter nmrcliiiig ad inliuilum, it would la- better in your inlcrcsta il this jn-otiiless discussion were Icrmiunted, and so will close with the hone that Mr I’ltrry will seek enlightenment by joining the Society for I’sychictil Keseareh. — I am, etc., NOT A Sl'l KITE AI.IST. Spiritualism--A Warning’.

(To the Editor Gisborne Times.) Sin, — 1 have been a good deal lutoiOstad in tho contruv: ray which has avia n lato’y in tho columns of your paper over tho vexed question if Bpirituahsm. But 1 must say I iegret to scon suij ct discussed which, owing to the absence of any proper starting point is, and apparently over will

be, an impossibility to arguo convincingly up: n. Wriiing ns cno who for many years was a firm and unshskeu believer in tho Bible as divine revolution, who later on c’osidy studied, p aoti-cd, and was an ardent supporter of Spiritualism, and who now socks the all impcnitrahlo truth f.om tbe standpoint cf rationalism, I think 1 may claim to speak impartially on tho subject.

t Although there aro some passages in f Mu New Testament under whioh i; may i bo claimed that the Bible sanctions tho pursuit of Spiritua'-ism, it is strictly interdoted elsewhere. in these days of socalled scepticism tins fact of its-lf would nos det v very m-niy from investigating the subject, and to my mind, if this ivoro tho only obj ction, rightly so, But, with tho rcco lection of my experiences ns a Spiritualist vividly bolero me, the ir.-epar-ablo harm to myself and others svbioh resulted from tho clo o pursuit of its cooult form-i and practieos, I deem it iny duty at this juucturo to rai-o a uoto of warning.

I would urge upon auyono who may now bo disposed to tako up Spiritualism to pause and corstdor seriously what thoy may ba bringing upon thomsolvns, I would go fuithir, I would earurstly beg them t: have tho pursuit entirely alone. - condemn Spiiiilldisiu on the grounds of its being a fraud and that tho phono meua and resu : ts exist only in the imagination of its followers, is entirely erronoous, Spiritualism ia a reality. Too offsets produced cue as visible, tangible, and roil us any other phenomena wo tea in everyday life. Anyone whj dogmatically asserts the contrary prows thereby fit ent'ro ignorance of the sutj 'of. It would bo itnpossiblo for mo beic so givo a 1 my n-a-ous against pursuing Sp ritualism. F- om my own cxpiriecces as a Spi-Dualist I speak; and although I am nwaro that its foll'Wrrs claim to dsrivo advantage both morally and inuteria'ly from its pursuit, I can boar witness to the havee it has wrought amongst many with whom I have come into contact. That the study is a

mest interesting cue I do not deny—fascinating would brtter express it; and io this vovy fascination lurks tho mis’ohief. Unfortunatoly tbe harm is not generally realised until thn moJium, liko tho dram drinker, is wall Digh beyond human help. She —i'< is usually » iveuaon — Gads even tunlly her will power Biid self-reliance practically effaced, and bar mental aud often her physical vigor hopelessly impaired, Bho involuntarily consults her "oont ols" bc-foio tngagiug even in tho simplest details of her oievyday life, and cases in whioh the medium’s mind has booomo totally uu'aiug-d have boon known. That tho "controls,” or entities, which by long practice have been avowed practica'ly to tako possession of ind control tho msdium’s mind aro demons or evil spirits, I cannot from my experiences by any moans almit On the contrary, I have oftin been struck with tho loftiness of their religious csnvictio s as ixpressod through tue med.u u. 13ut that buoy ato mostly very Lttle, if ary bitter, equipped intellig sntly than the ordinary run of mankind, I can asseit positively. Fur that reason, if for no other, it has appeared to me most unwise for any person toscik to replace hia or her mental faculties aud will power with tbo o of some in olligonoo of no higher intellectual order than themsolves. Aa most epiiitualists aro over eager to consult too ‘‘controls’’ with reference to their cv?ry day affaiis, and thus subject their natural Bclf-ro'ianoo and judgment to tho diet at:a of tho uosem intelligence, it fo'lows that this process of rnsntal cffacr-ment is more or loss inseparable from the followers cf spiritualism; and as is well known ths weskming of iho willpc.vor i-a apt ta load to moral degeuoracy. I cou'd rnlargs consiiirably on tho subject, but I truat that I bavo airealy raised a sufficient warning to those who may bo inclined to practise spiritualism to make them pause aod consider carefully wbai is may eventually cost them b: fwe ern') .rising on this, to my mind, most dangarous pursuit.—l am, EX SriRITUALIST.