The Dangers of Spiritualism.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 29, 17 July 1902, Page 1

The Dangers of Spiritualism.

The subject of Spiritualism has more than once been fully dealt with in these columns, and its fraudulent character and baneful eifects have been clearly pointed out. It is interesting, however, to have the testimony on this point of those who have thcrnseK es had extensive personal experience of actual spiritual phenomena, and this is furnished in a little volume just published in London, entitled The Danger* of Spiritualism, written by a member of the Society for Psychical Reseaich. It is a carefully written recoid of actual experiences and of the conclusions to which they lead an honest and candid inquirer on the subject. As the result of his investigations the author is convinced that at least a percentage of the alleged spiritualistic phenomena are undoubtedly teal, but that the overwhelming weight of evidence goes to show that they are the work of bad, and not, as the Spiritualists claim, of good spirits. He declares roundly that both amateur and ptotessional mediums are ' possessed,' and gives numerous instances of the tremendous hold and debasing influence which the controlling spirit has upon its victim. It will suffice to cite one rather remarkable example : It is stated by the author that the well-known medium, Home, determined to give up spiritism and to become a Catholic ; that the spirits ridiculed the idea of one upon whom they had acquired so firm a hold escnping Iroin their grip ; but that they had told him they would leave him for a year, and that at the end of that time he would be again under their influence. 'Home,' says the authoi, 'was received into the

Catholic Church — an event which was attended by some very extraordinary occurrences (described to me by an eye-witness) — and his duties as a Catholic brought about the cessation of all spiritistic practices for a time. But it is a fact that a year after this event he was induced to hold a stance in Paris, at which the Emperor Napoleon was present, and that subsequent to this he resumed his rnediumistic career.'

As to the general effect of Spiritualism on the life and character of those who follow it this author's testimony goes to show that it is wholly bad. ' The first impressions,' he says, 'which spiritistic phenomena are apt to cause in the sceptical mind are no doubt calculated to awaken the dormant spuitual faculty, and to bring the mind face to face with the realities of the unseen world ; but it is in very few instances only that this can be said to have become the stepping-stone to higher things. . . . It is a fact universally acknowledged and admitted by experienced spiritualists that the influence of the stance-room is on the whole debasing, and that it tends to banish all true devotional feeling and true religion.' Which amounts pretty much to saving what Artemus Ward less elegantly but more forcibly expressed when he said, speaking of the professional spiritualist : ' He don't do nobody no good and is a cuss to society and a pirit on honest peple's corn beef barrils. Admittin all you say abowt the doctrin to be troo, I must say the reglar perfessional sperrit rappers — them as as makes a biznis on it — air abowt the mcst ornery set of cusses I ever enkountered in my life.'

The'teaching of the Church on this subject has been often stated in the N.Z. Tablet and our readers are all familiar with it. It could not be more tersely or concisely expressed than in the following paragraph which appeared in a recent issue of the Osservatore Romano : ' The theory of the Church, based on Biblical history, is that the wotld of spirits exists, and that the apparition of spirits is classed among events that have occurred or may occur, or will occur, if it be God's will. In the meanwhile the Church condemns the evocation of spirits and everything relative or pertaining thereto.'