CORRESPONDENCE

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 May 1916, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE

I Our coriesponduncs' opinions are thou own; t;;q responsibility of editorial ouu» am <vtis siiiiicient imllast for the editor's shouuiers.j ON Si'IKITUAUSM. (To the Editor.) Sir,—The following quotation is from the writings of "Professor" Driver, of Wellington.—fours, ete., W.M.K. "Thtf Delusion ol Modern Spiritualism." "Modern Spiritualism, so-called, was based on fraud, and the world has not seen in its long procession of follies, vagaries and strange manias one so utterly devoid of a reasonable foundation. Many professed spiritualists are completely ignorant of the real origin of their "religion,"and of the goal to which it tends, having been impiessed with the truth of its doctrines on very unsatisfactory groundu; and it is the evil effects which this dioliißion has upon the mental and J he morai condition of many of its followers that is the deepest stain on its history. -There aro many who ,if they would speak truly could declare that the ruin of" conscience bradn and health resulted either from their willing faith in flimsy illusions or their weak connivance in puerile dicoeptkm. That there are many virtuous men and women in our midst who entertain the theory or hold to the faith of Spiritualism, I am aware, and hold no one has the right to dictate to thorn as to their religious beliefs.

"But I accuse the " manipulators of the supernatural machinery, the "mediums" of the inner circle, tfie presjbidigateurs and: cliinnsy magicians who seek to make simpletons of manknul, of the grossest practices and abominations , the loosest social ideas, the most utter absence of principle that has been exhibited by any one set of people in this or any age.

"In a pamphlet just printed will be found tlie true story of .Margaret and Katherine Fox, the creator® of what is called "spirit" rapping; through whose "trickery" modern spinhiairvii had its origin, go that tho bold "fabric Oif lies built up to sustain the claim that the ''rappings" from which the "spiritualistic phenomena" evolved were unaccountable except on tho ■upernattural hypothesis, can no longer be cited to an intelligent mind. Tho confessions o.f Margaret and Katherine Fox were givein to the world in 1888, and it is a most significant *'aofc TTiaT the only one of tho tfiiee Fox Sisters—'Leah, then Mrs. Underbill - who adhered to the imposture practised 'for so many years, and the only spiritualist who could deny the statements of Margaret (then Mrs. t'ox Kano) with anything approaching to authority, found her safest and; most fitting defence in silence. Indeed, if there was one striking negative feature in the circumstance* surrounding Margaret Fox Kane's exposure of spi ritualism,' it was the entire absence n any reply from the great body ol spiritualists . that was commensurate with the accusations made. As there is no questions in the minds of honest, intelligent peopie regarding the pro- j priety of denouncing fraud in .all ,ts i guises, no apology is offered for .his! letter. Some time back I contribdted an article to the columns ot the New Zealand Truth entitled "Mcihors of Modem Spiritualism,in whiclT I stated that the movement was founded on falsehood and fraud and that in after life the originators of the deception (Maggie and Rate Fox) admitted the imposition. The article was written with a view of prevent- ( ing a too-credulous public being misled by the gfariiig inaccuracies -egarding the origin of this peculiir "ism" too often repeated from Spiri tualistic platforms and in little Spiritualistic papers. The time, too, was opportune for such an article, e-p<vi I ally in one having the largest eire-ila- ] tion in the dominion, as we wire thci.! approaching the sixty-sixth amine:'- j sary of tlii& "n<sw religion that v, - :i -- ' going to supplant Christianity," and) that generally an address was deliver-1 ed by those in authority on the "mar ; vellous spiritual powers possessed | by the Sisters Fox. For contributing that article I was admonished by some of my Spiritualistic lriends; while others "strong in tho faith" soundly abused mo. asserting I had no proofs for the statements made. But one only had the courage to combat the articles publicly in tho columns of vho paper in which it originally appeared. He rushcdi into a irordy war with •the keenest zeet, trailing his spiritual coat, using his pen as a shillelagh, and gnllanitly. hitting out right audi loft. He was indeed a worthy opponent. Alas! ho is no longer amongst us, to give us light and learning, having croseed to the Great Beyond, where let us all hope, there is no "horn Vie shadow" or "unreal mockeries." May he rest in peace. But to the emphatic statement made by iny deceased friend and reiterated by several other Spiritualists that these confessions ano exposures never took place, the proofs contained in my pamphlet is my answer. A 6 Ford Bacon sayß: "We have set it down as a law to ourselves to examine things to the bottom, and not to receive upon credit, or rejeot upon improbabilities, .until there hath passed a due examination." (Signed) TITOS. H. DRTVFJR..