FLOOD RELIEF FUND. Spiritualism and its “Tests,”

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1831, 11 August 1906, Page 3

FLOOD RELIEF FUND.

Spiritualism and its “ Tests,”

£361 53 Od RAISED. The F.ood Belief lAjod is now cloied, the total amount collected being £561 53, which is eloquent testimony io tbo openheartedneas and generosity of tho Gisborne public. The final moetiDg yesterday was attended by His Worship tho Mayor, Rev. J. G. Putsrson, Captain Tack;r, Messrs Kails, Bright, Kennedy, Symes, Tu.ihy, Field, and Lysnar. A numbir of fresh applications for re'ief were considered, and £45 allocated to three sufferers. It was decided to distiibuto the balance, about £2OO, among tho most deserving of the cases in which losses and hardship; bad been sustained, and to close the fund. This wai done, and tho committee desire it to bo known that as tho fund is closed no more subscriptions will be received, Speoial reference was made to tho donation of £SO sent from the Coast by Mr T. S. Williams, aud also to the help afforded by Mossrs Holden and Lysnar and Captain Tucker by their efforts to secure grazing for stock.

THE NICOLAS FUND. OVER £6OO DONATED. Up to date over £B9O has been donated towards the Nicolas It9liof Fund, Tho list in the hands of the Town Clerk totals £479 Bi, and that at the Poverty Bay Club £129 11s There is also a thi;d li-t in the hands of a local oitizsn with premises of well over £2OO, one subscriber a'one donating £IOO. It is perhaps too much fio c-xpcot that fho amount will reach £IOOO, but as tho subscriptions are slid freely coming forward that sum may yet bo obtained.

(To the Editor Gisborne Times,,

fji r ,—My friend, who des'goated himself ‘N Jt a Spiritualist," h is left his work wholly unfinished. Had I not replied seriatim to tho points ho reiipd, bo would have probably twitted ms with, beiog un able to. do so. He bimsoff, however, has utterly failed to Bubstentiht > any of h>s as ser ions, cr to disprove any of name. A heSorcdix dogmatize of a m;at pronounced typo, he retires from tb a on-a in a little cloud of pstfcctly gratuitous and irrelevant genoralLF'fis. Icf GO bo vtita him! I fnoly forgive his ungeco-ous comparison of myself with the crucifies of tho olden time, and trust that thcoso pbio though to evidently ia in his leaning*,

he may yet learn something of “ sweet oharUy." Tho Lttir of “ Backslider ” ci:ls for no reply, ho altogether misappre- | ' hands lip situ itron, for ho should know ihat theogency o' the Holy Spirit in thi beatowmoot of spiritual gifts, is inseparably connected with the Gospel of Jesus ObrUt, which Spiritualism absolutely denies, aod ba3 nothing whatever to do with tbo allegod intoroourso with diaembodied human spirits. Tho interpolv ti n brought forward by the gentleman is altogether different aud apart from the tU‘,f ot of Spiritualism. Your other correspondent. “ Ex-Bpir.tualist,” makes ju t one mistake i if he reftro to the second of mv 11 reasons aud proofs'" given in reply

to “ Not a Sp’ritu ilist,” ho w:ll God that I do cot belief in supernatural manifestation?, though nut in tbo sense propounded by spiritualists, and though ho be a professed rationalist, ho is to be commended far his solemn warnings. And rnw, having cleared my way through the quibbles aod bmolcss objsct'oas that have been raised, I cm at last directly deal with tbo so called "teats" or spiritualism, that is if you. air, w 11 kindly accord mo further space in your valuable journal. I wish to discuss this subject calmly and dispassionately, md will ask your reado □ to think, think h mostly aud aeuohingly, fur the subject in some of its features is complex, and requires tho concentration of analytical thought, Furthermore, I

de not not n»k your readers to accept anything on my unsupported dialuui, aud that, it will lio readily admitted, is tho direct opposite of 11 dogmatism." I close this letter by laying down four postulates or propositions upon which any furthor expositions you tuay kindly allow to bp published will bn based—lst, tho scionco i f mental and “ psychic " phenomena ; 2nd, the prominent frauds of spa-dualism ; Brd, tho impossibility of communicating with disembodied human spirits; and, 4th, tho possibility of demoniacal intercourse. If you will kindly allow tue, sir, to to averse nnoh of those propositions, I will, all boing well, begiu tbo series on Tuesday next.—l am, etc , D. TABBY.

|lf our correspondent will endeavor to coniine himself to tbo argument of bis postulates and r vades morn assertion, wo will bo pic nred to i (lord him space. Meantimo porluifs "N >t a Spiritualist ” will await his pmuoucocmonts with composure. -Ed, G.T.j