THE SHADY SIDE OF SPIRITISM.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 266, 13 April 1917, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE SHADY SIDE OF SPIRITISM.

"A MONEY-MAKING GAME."

By STUART CUMBERLAND, the Well-known Thought-reader, In the London DaH.y Mail.

In tins advanced, enlghtened. twentieth century it does indeed seem wonderful that the old-time spiritism, wioh its unsound pretensions and palpable little tricks, all of which the hard-head-ed had como to accept as things of the past, should flourish so strongly in our midst.

But tho hankering after the occult, tho desire to lift the veil and peep into the future, has ever been with U3 and never really dies. With some it is an honest, deep belief, amounting almost to a religion; with others just a pose or a mere money making gamo. It is this deep conviction of tho true believer which has given tone to the movement and, at the same time, made possible niucn of the chicanery attached to it. No argument will convince tho out-and-out believer that this or that manifestation alleged to have occurred' in his presence or through li r -s own mediumship is merely the outcome of expectation or false deductions. With him the dfference between facts and inference from facts has no actual existence, and as he has convinced himself of tho genuineness of the manifestations which ho alleges have been personally vouchsafed hint, he declines to see trickery in other drections and resents as an attack on his own genuineness of belief the unmasking of other people's trickery. In my endeavours to arrive at the truth in colinecti/on with so-ealled "spirit manifestations" I have, it goes without saying, incurred the condemnation of those worthy folk whose aims, and convictions have my profound respect instead of receiving their approval in weeding the cause of its palpablo impostures. At an early age I commenced my investigations with mucin) enthusiasm and a perfectly open mind. The University of Oxford was good enough to bo interested m my work and, on a signed request, my first exposition was given in the Hall of Christ Church, which was kindly placed at my disposal for that purpose. About that time the Cnurch had become somewhat alarmed at the spread of this spiritualistic movement and all the little tricks of tiie trade that went with it; and at the Church Congress at Newcastle an important feature of the programme was "The Duty of the Church towards -Spiritualism and Infidelity." I had the honour of being invited to .speak at this congress in the Town Hall, Newcastle, where I was by several years the youngest speaker. I shortly afterwards went to the West, followed by a visit to the East, in pursuit of my investigations, hoping upon kopo that I should eventually find somo genuine instance of occult manifestation. I heard much about the alleged miraculous from- people whoso honesty of purpose was beyond question and whose veracity was above suspicion; and I saw much to which an occult origin was attached but the assumed occultism of which proved, on the one hand, to be th© outcome of highly strung expectation or false sensorial impressions or, on the other, to be the result of skilfully applied chicanery.

In a -nerd, I have never yet in any land or with any medium or adept discovered any alleged occult manifestation that was not explicable upon a perfectly natural basis and which in the. majority of instances could not be humanly duplicated undfer precisely similar conditions. This, as the true believer would say, has been my misfortune. But there it is. So inherent is this hankering after the supernatural in human naturo that many would much rather seek for a supernatural than a natural explanation of what may seem mysterious or out of the wpy to them.

It i« just this longing in human nature upon which these psychic frauds aro preying to-day. To-day, with its heavy death toll and fateful uncertainty so closely affecting every section of the community, is indeed' tho moment for the practitioners on the shady side of spiritism. There is a natural desire among the bereaved, or those in doubt as to the actual facts surrounding tho " missing," to seek for news and guidance unobtainable through the ordinary channels. These credulous folk are told that this or that medium is; a real wonder who has given such and such person tho most astounding revelations. So what has been vouchsafed others can quite well be revealed to them. Hence the run upon tho plausible "crooks," who so readily trade upon their credulity. The foolish, credulous dupes never for a moment consider tho utter inoongruousness of the association of their beloved dead or missing with tnese professional "spookiste." It never enters their heads that if the spirit of anyone clear to them could return at all it would he to them direct that his return would bo manifested, and that to have to go to some strange

"crook" and part with money for the privilege of being put in touch with tne spirit is tho height of absurdity. They are told that they themselves are not 'meduimistic 1 and that it is only tlirough the truly 'modiumistic' that such communications aro possible. Besides it in the fashion or " tho thing" to go to these mediums, who, "poor dears," must lire and who aro entitled to payment for the exhaustion they frequently undergo in getting in touch with tho spirits. No labourer, in fact, is as worthy of nis h'ro as one in tho spiritual vineyard. And the wine he presses an he rakes in tho notes is the flow of tears from the orrowful and dstresscd. It is not only a shady busini i but it is a cruel and mean one, and should bo put an cud to. If the i'oo'ish cannot or will not protect themselves, they ni'-st 1.0 protected against their own folly.

(..utt'.rsi! Smith - Dorr>n's crusade against vice had for its ohje t the wo!l----heiiiL' of the young soldier; hut the vide, in all it-: alluring natnralne-s of which he complain* is, to put it quite hlunilv, mi.'d in its injur'ous effects as compared with the possihiHtics of harm arising to tlxso soldiers' sorrowing relatives in their pursuit of the unnatural. Any mental authority will tf-st-Ufy to tlio ment'il dangers associated with such pivctices. Tnero is not space for inn hero in which to relate my impres-ions and nxperKH'OH of sp-rits I have known, tegeth r with oilier phases of ihe soeai~lcd off ult. It forms too ftvng .a story. I would, however, like to say that, 1 am desirous of extending my knowledge of spiritism and (is i.. to include the latest exponents oi the mystic art. I am quite open 1 1 conviction and should r;\i<>'e> to find something which under proper test eonr]it:oii.« and with duo investigation proved itself heyond (pie tinn ihe ouf-

('Oino of spirit power. A manifestation which is (apah.e of lioing tt-'Tnonstrn+o-J ran a!on:> he heyond question when done under conditions from wlich all chances of trickery ar.i eliminated.

Thcre are apparently, forms of ".spir i power," wli'ch, wli'.lc not depending upon outward ami vis'.hlo demonstrations for their proof, claim to give tee inquirer glimpses of the n-ijst. present, and future. They, too, clipped of ther palter and ungraspahle aw interesting in the : r iway a- showing on wli.it hues certain spirits alone '•:\v. or will work.

Honestly the whole of my inquiring, investigating so-il foes out t- all: II"-hootle-s materialised form In white, the llirec dead frrnds on tno slips i f p-aper, the passing of matt r through matter, the sepulchral voice that (omes from Heyond linal'v t'l find e-caiH- through the medium-. 1 own mouth, the elufcin<_' spirit-eontro'led hand that serihhles endlrss mes.-.mes from the other \w.Hd rogardle-s of t>-e shortage; of paper i.i th ••. Ves, I am ready and oager to hecomp acquainted with them all and to make known to the world the truth tha'j in tin m i=>.