The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1862

The Cross

A tall and simple cross stands amidst all human revolutions, uproars and reasoning, fixated on an altar of stones. A little child sculpted in the stone holds a little flag in his hand where it reads: Simplicity. Philanthropists, philosophers, deists and poets, come to read and contemplate that word. It contains the whole Gospel, the full explanation of Christianity.

Philanthropists, you must not invent philanthropy since there is only charity. Philosophers, you must not invent wisdom since there is only one. Deists, you must not invent God since there is only one. Poets, you must not disturb the human heart.

Philanthropists, you want to break the chains that hold humanity captive; philosophers, you erect Pantheons; poets, you romanticize fanaticism. Back up! You are from this world and Jesus said: “My kingdom is not from this world.”

Oh! You belong too much to this muddy world to understand those sublime words. And if a sufficiently powerful judge asked you: Are you the Son of God? Your answer would fade in your throat and you would not be able to respond as Christ did before humanity: “You said that.”

You are all gods, said Jesus, when the tongue of fire descends upon your heads and penetrates your hearts; you are all gods when you live in the name of charity on Earth, but you are the children of the world when you see the current suffering of humanity and do not consider its divine future.

Mankind! May that word be read by your heart and not by your material eyes! Christ did not erect a Pantheon. He erected a cross!


How blessed are the poor in spirit


The most meritorious actions to the spirit after death are those of the heart rather than intelligence. How blessed are those who are the poor in spirit does not refer to the mentally challenged only but also to those who have plenty of intellectual gifts and did not use them badly since those gifts are a powerful weapon to drag the masses.

However, and as Gérard de Nerval* said lately, the unknown intelligence on Earth shall have a great merit before God. In fact someone that bears a powerful intelligence fighting against every unfortunate circumstance must rejoice with these words: “the last will be first, and the first will be last”. This must not be exclusively understood in a material sense but also with respect to the manifestations of the spirit and in the works of human intelligence. The qualities of the heart are meritorious because the circumstances that can preclude them are very small, rare and futile. Charity must shine everywhere, despite everything and to everyone, like the Sun shines to all. A person can preclude someone else’s intelligence from manifesting but cannot do anything against their feelings. The struggle against adversity, the anguishes of pain can paralyze the impulses of the genius but cannot halt those of charity.

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* Reference to a communication by Gérard de Nerval


Slavery

Slavery! When that word is pronounced the hearts goes cold because one sees egotism and pride. When a priest talks about slavery he refers to that slavery of the soul that diminishes the human spirit and muffles conscience that is freedom. Oh! Yes, that slavery of the soul is terrible and every day it does excite the eloquence of many preachers. But what do they say about the slavery of the helot and the black? Before such a question the priest shows the cross and says: “Wait!” In fact that is the consolation to offer to those unfortunate people and it says: “When your body is lacerated by the whip and you die from the pain you must not think of Earth. Think of heavens.”


We touch here one of the most serious and terrible issues faced by the human race and that throws it into uncertainty. Is the black race to the level of the Europeans and should human prudence, or even better, human justice show them emancipation as the safest way of achieving the progress of civilization? The philanthropists point to the Gospel and say: “Has Jesus talked about slaves?” No, but Jesus spoke of resignation and said these sublime words: “My kingdom is not from this world.”


John Brown, when I look at your corpse in the gallows I am taken by a profound compassion and eager admiration, but reason, this brutal reason that incessantly drags us to the whys, leads us to ask ourselves: “What would have you done after victory?”

Allan Kardec