Prince of Hohenlohe, Healing MediumHealing mediumship is the order of the day, and anything related to this issue is of topical interest. We borrow from La Vérité de Lyon, of October 21st, 1866, the following article on the healings of Prince de Hohenlohe, which caused a great sensation in the time. This piece is part of a series of very informative articles on healing mediums.
On this subject, we are happy to note that the La Vérité, that is in its fourth year, successfully continues the course of its wise and interesting publications, that throws light on the history of Spiritism, showing it to us everywhere, in antiquity as in modern times. If, on certain points, we do not share all the opinions of its main editor, Mr. A P…, we nonetheless recognize that, through his laborious research, he renders the cause a real service, that all serious Spiritists appreciate.
Indeed, proving that the current Spiritist doctrine is only the synthesis of universally widespread beliefs, shared by men whose words are authoritative, and that were our first teachers in philosophy, is to show that it is not sitting on the fragile basis a single opinion. What do the Spiritists want, if not to find as many supporters as possible to their beliefs? It must, therefore, be for them a satisfaction, at the same time as a blessing of their ideas, to find some even before them. We have never understood that men of good sense have been able to conclude against modern Spiritism, that it is not the first inventor of the principles that it proclaims, while this is precisely what accounts for a part of its strength, and must accredit it.
Denying its seniority to denigrate it, is to show oneself to be supremely illogical, and very clumsy, since it has never given itself the credit for the first discovery. It is, therefore, to grossly misunderstand the feelings that drives the Spiritists, by supposing that these have very narrow ideas, and for having a very silly pretension in believing that they are molesting them, by objecting that what they profess was known before them, while they are the first ones to dig into the past, to discover there the traces of the antiquity of their beliefs, which they trace back to the first ages of the world, because they are founded on the laws of nature, that are eternal.
No great truth has come out of the brain of an individual; all, without exception, had precursors who had a presentiment of them or glimpsed at some parts of them; Spiritism is, therefore, honored to count its own by the thousands, and among them the most righteously recognized men; by bringing them to light is to show the infinite number of points by which it is linked to the history of humanity.
But Spiritism is not found complete anywhere; its coordination as a body of doctrine, with all its consequences and applications, its correlation with the positive sciences, is an essentially modern work, but everywhere we find its scattered elements, mixed with superstitious beliefs that had to be sorted out; if we put together the ideas that are found disseminated in most ancient and modern philosophers, in sacred and profane writers, the innumerable and infinitely varied facts that have occurred in all ages, and that attest to the relationships between the visible and invisible world, we would succeed in constituting Spiritism as it is today: this is the argument invoked against it by certain detractors. Was it how Spiritism did it? Is it a compilation of ancient ideas rejuvenated in form? No, it has emerged entirely from recent observations, but far from believing itself to be lessened by what has been said and observed before it, it is strengthened and enhanced by them.
A history of Spiritism before the present time is still to be done. A work of this nature, done conscientiously, written with precision, clarity, without superfluous and tedious elaborations which would make it difficult to read, would be an eminently useful work, a precious document for consultation. It would be rather a work of patience and erudition than a literary work, and that would consist mainly in the quotation of the passages of the various writers that emitted thoughts, doctrines or theories that are found in the Spiritism of today. Whoever does this work conscientiously will have deserved well of the doctrine.
Let us return to our subject, from which we have deviated somewhat unwillingly, but not perhaps without utility.
Modern Spiritism has not discovered or invented the healing mediumship and the healing mediums, any more than other Spiritist phenomena. Since healing mediumship is a natural faculty subject to a law, like all the phenomena of nature, it must have occurred at various times, as attested by history, but it was reserved to our time, with the help of the new knowledge that we have, to give it a rational explanation, and to bring it out of the realm of the marvelous. The Prince of Hohenlohe offers us an example of this, that is more remarkable since the facts took place before there was any question of Spiritism and mediums. Here is the summary given by the newspaper La Vérité:
In the year 1829 a holy priest, the Prince of Hohenlohe, came to Würzburg, a considerable town in Bavaria. The infirm and the sick went to ask him to obtain their healing from heaven, with the help of his prayers. He called the divine graces upon them, and soon a great number of these unfortunate people were suddenly healed. The rumors of these wonders resounded in the distance. Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, a large part of Europe learned about it. Many writings were published, perpetuating its memory. Among the authentic and trustworthy testimonies that certify the reality of the facts, it suffices to transcribe a few here, whose whole body provides a convincing proof.
To begin with, here is an extract from what M. Scharold, counselor of the Legation at Würzburg and witness to a large part of the things he reports, has written on the subject.
“For two years, a seventeen-year-old princess, Mathilde de Schwartzemberg, daughter of the prince of that name, had been in Mr. Haine's nursing home in Würzburg. It was impossible for her to walk. In vain the most famous doctors of France, Italy and Austria had exhausted all the resources of their art to cure the princess of such illness. Only Mr. Haine, who had helped himself with the knowledge and experience of the famous physician, Mr. Textor, had succeeded in putting her in a condition to stand up, after a lavished care given to the patient; and she herself, by making an effort, had succeeded in executing some movements as if to walk, but without really walking. Well! on June 20th, 1821, she suddenly got out of bed, and walked very freely.
This is how it happened. Prince de Hohenlohe went in the morning, around ten o'clock, to pay a visit to the princess, who lives with M. de Reinach, dean of the chapter. When he entered her apartment, he asked her, as if in a conversation, in the presence of her governess, if she had any firm faith that Jesus Christ could cure her of her illness. Given her answer that she was deeply convinced of it, the prince told the pious patient to pray from the bottom of her heart, and to put her trust in God.
When she stopped praying, the prince gave her his blessings, and said to her: “Come, princess, get up; now you are healed, and you can walk without pain…”. Everyone in the house was called immediately. They did not know how to express their astonishment for such a rapid and incomprehensible recovery. Everyone fell on their knees in the deepest emotion, singing praises to the Almighty. They congratulated the princess on her happiness and joined their tears to those that joy made flow from her eyes.
This news, spreading through the city, caused astonishment. Crowds were rushing to ascertain the event with their own eyes. On June 21st, the princess had already appeared in public. We cannot describe her own astonishment, for seeing herself coming out of her state of cruel suffering.
On the 25th, the Prince of Hohenlohe gave another notable example of his gift. The wife of a blacksmith, in the rue Semmels, could no longer hear even the blows of the biggest hammers in her forge. She went to see the prince in the courtyard of the Hung presbytery, and begged him to rescue her. While she was on her knees, he placed his hands on her head, and prayed for her for some time, his eyes raised to the sky; he then took her by the hand and raised her up. What an astonishment to the spectators when this woman got up and said that she heard the church clock ticking! As she returned home, she never stopped telling everyone who asked, what had just happened to her.
On the 26th, an illustrious person (the Prince Royal of Bavaria) was instantly healed of a disease that, according to the rules of medicine, would have taken a long time and a great deal of pain. This news brought great joy to the hearts of the people of Würzburg.
The Prince of Hohenlohe was also successful in the cure of a patient that he had tried to cure twice, but each time he had obtained only a slight relief. This healing took place in the person of a sister-in-law of Mr. Broili, a trader. She had long been afflicted by a very painful paralysis. The house echoed with shouts of joy.
On the same day, the sight was restored to the widow Balzano, who for several years had been completely blind. I have convinced myself of this fact.
As soon as I left the spectacle of this touching scene, I witnessed another cure, operated in the house of General D ... A young woman was so severely crippled in her right hand, that she could not use or extend it. She immediately gave proof of her perfect recovery by carrying a heavy chair with that very hand.
On the same day, a handicapped, whose left arm was completely wasted, was completely healed. Two paralytics were then cured soon after. It was also complete and faster still.
On the 28th, I saw for myself how promptly and positively the Prince of Hohenlohe cured children. He had one brought from the country, that could only walk on crutches. A few minutes later, this child was running without crutches in the street, full of joy. In the meantime, a mute child, who could only make a few inarticulate sounds, was brought to the prince. A few minutes later, the child began speaking.
Soon after, a poor woman carried her little daughter on her back, crippled on both legs. She placed her at the prince's feet. A moment later he returned the child to her mother, who then saw her daughter running and jumping with joy.
On the 29th, a woman from Neustadt, paralytic and blind, was brought to him on a dray. She had been blind for twenty-five years. About three o'clock in the afternoon, she presented herself at the castle of our city, to implore the help of the prince of Hohenlohe, as he entered the hall that is built in the form of a large tent. She fell on the prince's feet, begging him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to help her. The prince prayed for her, gave her his blessing, and asked her if she firmly believed that she could recover her sight, in the name of Jesus. As she answered yes, he told her to get up. She moved away. But as soon as she had moved a few steps away, her eyes opened. She saw, and gave all the proofs she was asked about the faculty that she had just recovered. All the witnesses of this healing, among whom were a great number of lords of the court, were dazzled in awe.
The cure of a woman at the Civil Hospital, that had been brought to the prince, is no less astonishing. This woman, called Elisabeth Laner, daughter of a shoemaker, had her tongue so strongly affected that she would sometimes go a fortnight without being able to articulate a single syllable. Her mental faculties had suffered greatly. She had almost lost the use of her limbs, so that she was in her bed like a lump. Well! this poor woman went to the Hospital today, without anyone's help. She enjoys all her senses, as she enjoyed twelve years ago, and her tongue is so loose, that no one in the hospice is as talkative as she is.
In the afternoon of the 30th, the prince gave an extraordinary example of healing. A dray, around which thousands of spectators had gathered, had come from Musmerstadt. In that cart there was a poor student, arms and legs crippled in a terrible way. The prince, begged by this unfortunate man to relieve him, came to the cart. He prayed for about five minutes, with his hands folded and raised to the sky; he spoke several times with the student and finally said to him: "Stand up, in the name of Jesus Christ.” The student did get up, but with a pain that he couldn't hide. The prince tells him not to lose confidence. The unfortunate man that, a few minutes before, could not move his arms or legs, then stood upright and perfectly free on his cart. Then, turning his eyes towards the sky, with the kindest expression of gratitude, he exclaimed: "O God! you have rescued me!” The spectators could not hold back their tears.
The miraculous healings carried out in Würzburg, by the Prince of Hohenlohe, could provide subjects for more than a hundred ex-voto paintings.”
One will notice the striking analogy that exists between these facts of cures and those that we have witnessed. Mr. de Hohenlohe was in the best conditions for the development of his faculty, so he kept it until the end. Since, at that time, its true origin was unknown, it was considered a supernatural gift, and Mr. de Hohenlohe as working miracles. But why is it regarded by hundreds of people, for some as a gift from heaven, and for others as a satanic work? We do not know of any healing medium that has claimed to have derived his power from the devil; all, without exception, operate only by invoking the name of God, and declare that they cannot do anything without His will. Even those that ignore Spiritism, and act by intuition, recommend prayer in which they recognize a powerful helper. If they acted out of the devil, denying him would be an ingratitude from their part, and the devil is neither modest enough nor selfless enough, to leave to the one he seeks to fight the merit of the good he does, because that would be losing his supporters instead of recruiting them. Have you ever seen a merchant boasting of his neighbor's merchandise to his customers, at the expenses of his own, urging them to go to his store? Truly, we are right to laugh at the devil, because we make him a very foolish and a very stupid being.
The following communication was given by the Prince of Hohenlohe, at the Parisian Society.
Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, October 1866 – medium Mr. Desliens.
Gentlemen, I come among you with more pleasure, as my words can become a useful subject of instruction for all. A weak instrument of Providence, I have been able to contribute to the glorification of His name, and I come in good will among those whose main goal is to behave according to His laws, and to advance as much as possible in the path of perfection. Your efforts are commendable, and I will consider myself very honored to sometimes attend your proceedings. Let us now come to the manifestations that provoked my presence among you.
As you have rightly said, the faculty I was gifted with was simply the result of mediumship. I was an instrument; the Spirits acted, and, if I could do anything, it was certainly only by my great desire to do good and by the intimate conviction that everything is possible with God. I believed! And the healings that I obtained made my faith grow constantly.
Like all mediumistic faculties, that contribute today to the popularization of the Spiritist teaching, healing mediumship was exercised in all times, and by individuals belonging to different religions. - God sows His most advanced servants everywhere, to make them milestones of progress among those that are the furthest from virtue, and I would even say, especially among them… Like a good father that loves all his children equally, His solicitude extends to all, but more particularly to those that need the most support to move forward.
That is how it is not rare to meet men, endowed with extraordinary faculties for the crowd, among the simple ones; and by this word I mean those whose purity of feelings has not been tarnished by pride and selfishness. It is true that the faculty can also exist in unworthy people, but it is and can only be temporary; it is a strong means of opening their eyes: too bad to them if they persist in keeping them closed.
They will return to the darkness from which they came out, in a procession of confusion and ridicule, if God does not punish them, even in this life, for their pride and their obstinacy in ignoring His voice.
No matter what an individual's inner belief, if his intentions are pure, and if he is fully convinced of the reality of what he believes, he can do great things, in the name of God. Faith transports mountains: it gives sight to the blind and spiritual understanding to those who previously wandered in the darkness of routine and error.
As for the best way to exercise the faculty of a healing medium, there is only one: It is to remain modest and pure, and to report to God and to the powers that direct the faculty, all that is accomplished.
Those that lose the instruments of Providence do not believe themselves to be simply instruments; they want their merits to be partly due to the choice that has been made of their person; pride intoxicates them and the precipice opens under their feet.
Raised in the Catholic religion, imbued with the holiness of its maxims, having faith in its teaching like all my contemporaries, I considered the manifestations of which I was the object to be miracles. Today, I know that it is quite natural, and that it can, and it must accommodate with the immutability of the laws of the Creator, so that His greatness and His justice remain intact.
God could not work miracles! ... because that would then be to presume that the truth is not strong enough to assert itself, and on the other hand, it would not be logical to demonstrate the eternal harmony of laws of nature by disturbing them with facts at odds with their essence.
As for acquiring the faculty of healing medium, there is no method for this; everyone can acquire this ability to some extent, and by acting in the name of God each will heal. The privileged will increase in number as the doctrine is popularized, and, it is quite simple, since there will be more individuals driven by pure and selfless feelings.
Prince Hohenlohe
