THE EDITOR AND THE "SPIRITS."

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 3 July 1919, Page 3

THE EDITOR AND THE "SPIRITS."

The large audience which assembled at the Leys' Institute, Ponsonby, the other evening, to hear Mr T. W. Leys, editor of the Auckland Star, lecture on 11 Spiritualism and Telepathy," demonstrated the great public interest manifested in the mysterious "' ism." Hundreds of people were crowded out. Unlike T. W. Stead, Conan Doyle, Sir Oliver Lodge, Alfred Russell Wallace, Professor Crooks, and many other shining lights in the world of science, literature, and art, Mr Leys does not consider there is really anything, "in" Spiritualism—anything, that is, that is not explainable on purely natural grounds. Of course, in arguing thus the Editor of the Star may be perfectly right, and all the famous scientists, who hold the contrary opinion wrong. But it is a rather difficult problem to express an authoritative or dogmatic opinion about. lam not a spiritualist myself, because I have not yet been convinced. At the same time, after devoting considerable attention to the subject I am absolutely sure there is a great deal more in it than many of its critics are prepared to admit, and when men of the intellectual calibre of Oliver Lodge and Professor Crooks are firmly persuaded that communication with the other world is not only possible but that it has been demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubfc I consider their conclusions may be accepted with a certain amount of respect. Have you read Sir Oliver's " Raymond," and Estelle Stead's life of her father, T. W. Stead ? I venture to say that these books are more convincing as to the truth of Spiritualism than anything uttered to the contrary by Mr Leys in the course of his lecture.