Spiritism in a distribution of prizesOne of our colleagues from the Parisian Spiritist Society sent us the letter below that he addressed to the board of directors of a boarding school where one of his two daughters is enrolled:
“Dear Madams,
With your permission I would like to send some thoughts about a speech given during the distribution of prizes in this boarding school. In my condition of a breadwinner and in particular as the father of one of your students I believe to have the right to give you my appreciation.
The author of the speech, a stranger to your organization, and according to what I was told a professor at C… College, allowed himself – and I do not know why – to mock the Spiritist Science and the mediums at length. I would understand that if he had given his opinion about the subject in any other circumstance but before the audience that he had and in the presence of youngsters who were trusted to your care, allow me to say that the subject was misplaced and badly chosen to achieve success.
Among other things the gentleman said that ‘people who show interest for experiences with tables and other Spiritist phenomena or of psychological nature are lighthearted, silly or stupid’.
I am myself, ladies, among those interested in the subject and I do not hide it. Besides, I am sure that I was not the only one in the event. I have no intent to be a wise man, like your speaker, hence in his point of view I might be stupid. The expression, however, is very rude when referring to people that are unknown and when generalizes ideas but my position and my character certainly shelter me from the epithet of lightheartedness. That gentleman seems to ignore that such stupidity today counts on millions of followers around the whole world and that the supposed “silly” people are found in the highest echelons of society without which he could have thought that his words could have reached more than one of his listeners. If through his inopportune jokes he demonstrated a lack of sensibility and elegance he also proved that he was talking about something that he ignores.
As for myself, ladies, I have been studying and observing these facts for four years and the result of my observations have convinced me as so many others that under certain circumstances our material world can enter into communication with the spiritual world. I have thousands of proofs about this from several places and from all countries that I have visited and know this that I also have them and many of them in my family with my wife who is a medium but not silly and with relatives and friends that like myself were seeking the truth.
Do not you think ladies that I just believed at first sight and without examination! As I said I studied and observed with criterion, coldly, in calmness and without any preconceived idea and only after mature thoughts I was fortunate enough to convince myself about the reality of these things. I say fortunate because, I must confess, the religious teaching that I had received had not been sufficient to clarify my reason and I had become a skeptical. Now, thanks to Spiritism and to the positive proofs presented by Spiritism, I am no longer skeptical since I was able to assure myself about the immortality of the soul and its consequences. If this is what that gentleman calls stupidity, he should at least abstain from saying so in the presence of your students who can sooner than you think be aware of the phenomena that has now been uncovered. For that the only thing they need is to enter real life. The new science advances in great and quick strides out there, I guarantee.
Hence one should not fear when they have the following thoughts: If we were led to make mistakes about these matters; if they wanted to hide the truth from us, couldn’t have them deceived us about other points also? When in doubt the most elemental prudence recommends abstention.
In any case that was not the time or the place to discuss such a subject. Ladies I found it to be my duty to communicate my impressions to you. I beg you to receive them with your customary kindness.
Respectfully,
A.Gassier, Rue de la Chaussée, 38 – d’Antin
OBSERVATION: Spiritism spreads everywhere so that it is not rare to find at any given time and place a certain number of followers. Producing sickening jokes about an opinion that grows incessantly; utilizing rude expressions before an audience that is unknown is the same as to expose oneself to hurt respectable people and sometimes to face reproach. Do that in a gathering that for its very nature and more than any other requires strict observation of conveniences in which every word must carry a teaching is a big mistake. If one of those youngsters whose parents were interested in Spiritism told them: “you are lighthearted, silly and stupid” couldn’t she be justified by saying: That is what we were taught during the distribution of prizes?
Would that gentleman do the same thing against Protestants or Jewish calling them heretic or mad or against this or that political opinion? No because there are only few colleges where there aren’t students whose parents profess different political or religious opinions and he would fear to have them harmed. Well! He should know that today, particularly in France, there is the same amount of Spiritists as there are of Jewish and Protestants and that soon there will be as much a Catholics.
As a matter of fact, the result in that place as everywhere else will be the opposite as intended. There you have a large number of naturally curious young ladies many of who have never heard about such things and that will be willing to get to know it at the first opportunity. They will experiment with mediumship and some will unmistakably be successful; they will talk to their friends and so forth.
When forbidden to look into these things; when you are scared away with the idea of the devil that will be one more reason for them to do it in hiding since they will want to know what the devil is going to tell them. Do not they hear about the devil every day, the pink devil? That is the danger because without experience and a good, enlightened and experienced tutor they could find themselves under bad influences from which they would not know how to escape. Much more serious inconveniences may result from this since they would not dare say a word about it for being afraid of the prohibition and the punishments.
Would you prohibit them from writing? That is not always easy. The teachers of the boarding school know that well. But what are you going to do to the ones who become clairvoyant or hearing mediums? Could you cover their ears and have them blindfolded? That is, Mr. Speaker, what your unwise speech may produce, a speech that may have made you very happy.
The result is absolutely the opposite on those children raised by parents who support those ideas. To begin with they have nothing to hide and that protects them against the dangers of inexperience. It then gives them a reasoned compassion that fortifies later on. They become kinder, more submissive, more respecting. The certainty about the presence of the dead around them and with whom they communicate and receive wise advices operate in them as a powerful brake for the healthy fear that is inspired.
When the generations are educated in the Spiritist beliefs there will be another youth, more conscientious and less tempestuous. This can already be assessed in the effect produced in the youngsters who are already following these ideas.
