17. Among the facts of spiritism, we must give a prominent place to apparitions,
because they are of such frequent occurrence. That of La Salette, which sets the clergy
themselves at loggerheads, is no new thing for us. We cannot affirm that the fact
asserted really took place, because we have no sufficient proof of its having done so;
but we regard it as possible, because thousands of recent facts of a similar character are
known to us, and because we can perfectly explain how such a phenomenon might take
place. Let the reader only refer to the theory that we give, further on, concerning
apparitions, and he will see that the phenomenon referred to is as simple and as
probable as are a great number of other physical phenomena which are only regarded as
prodigies because no key has yet been found to them. The identity of the personage said
to have been seen at La Salette is another question; for that identity is by no means
proved. We simply aver that such an apparition may have presented itself; more than
this we are not competent to allege, and we leave every one free to form his own
judgement. Spiritism has not to occupy itself with the matter. All we say is, that tile
facts of spiritism reveal to us new laws, and give us the key to a multitude of things
which used to be considered supernatural; and that, as many things, which used to pass
for miraculous, find a logical solution in spiritism, we need be in no haste to deny what
we do not understand.
Spirit-phenomena are sometimes contested because they
appear to contradict known laws, and people therefore cannot see how they are to be
accounted for. Give them a rational explanation of these things, and their doubt ceases.
Explanation is the true means of conviction; and we constantly see those who have
never witnessed any spirit-phenomena as fully convinced of the reality of those
phenomena as we are ourselves, because they have read, and have comprehended their
possibility. Were we to believe nothing that we had not beheld with our own eyes, the
sum of our convictions would be reduced to a minimum.
