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The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1864 > March
March
People sometimes ask if God could not have created the Spirits already perfect to spare them from evil and all its consequences. There is no doubt that God could, since he is Almighty. If God did not do that it is for the fact that God’s supreme wisdom found it more useful otherwise. It is not up to mankind to probe God’s designs and even less to judge and condemn God’s works.
Considering that one cannot admit God without the infinite of perfections, without a sovereign goodness and justice that incessantly shows His solicitude to His the creatures under our eyes, then realizing that such solicitude could not have failed at the creation of the Spirits.
The earthly mankind is like a child whose limited vision does not go beyond the small circle of the present and cannot assess the utility of certain things. Humanity must then bow before what is still beyond their reach. However, since God gave them intelligence as a guide it is not prohibited to try to understand and humbly stop at the limit of what cannot be transposed. Man can only establish more or less likely systems about all things maintained in the secrets of God. The safe criteria to judge which of those systems is closer to the truth is the attributes of the Divinity. Every theory, every doctrine, philosophical or religious, that tended to destroy a single one of those attributes would fail at the foundation and would be, for that very reason, stained by error, from what follows that the safer system is the one that better accommodate those attributes.
Since God is all about wisdom and goodness He could not have created evil as the counterpart of good. Had God made evil a necessary law He would have voluntarily weakened the power of good for something that is bad can only change good and not strengthen that.
God established laws that are entirely good and just. Man would be perfectly happy if he observed those laws scrupulously but the tiniest infringement of those laws cause a disturbance whose effect is felt and whose result is all sorts of vicissitudes. Hence man is the very cause of evil for his disobedience to the laws of God. God created man free to follow his path. The one that followed the wrong path did it out of his own choice and cannot accuse but oneself for the consequences that result from that. Given the destiny of Earth we only see the Spirits of that category and that made us believe that evil is a necessity. If we could embrace the whole set of worlds we would see that the Spirits that remained on the good path passed through the several phases of their existences in conditions that are completely different and since evil is not general it could not be indispensable. But there still remains the issue of knowing why God hasn’t created the Spirits already perfect. This question is analogous to this one: Why the child is not born completely developed, with all aptitudes, knowledge and experience of the adult age? There is a general law that governs all beings of creation, animate as well as inanimate. It is the law of progress. The Spirits are submitted to that law by the force of things without which the exception would have disturbed the general harmony and God wanted to give us an abbreviated example through the progression of infancy. However since evil is not a necessity in the order of things because it only exists to the prevaricator Spirits the law of progress absolutely does not oblige mankind to go through that row to get to good. That law only forces the Spirit to go through the state of intellectual inferiority or, in other words, the spiritual infancy.
Created simple and ignorant and for that very reason imperfect or better, incomplete, they have to acquire science and experience by themselves and their own activity, something that they cannot have from the beginning. If God had created them perfect they would have been gifted with the universal knowledge from the very beginning of their creation. They would have been exempted from any intellectual work and at the same time precluded from all the activity that is required to acquire that knowledge and to which they concur as incarnate or discarnate souls for the physical betterment of the worlds, a work that is no longer in the hands of superior Spirits that are only in charge of the moral improvement. Their own inferiority makes them an essential engine in the general works of creation.
On another hand, had God created them infallible, that is exempt from the possibility of making mistakes, they would be fatally pushed towards good like those well engineered mechanisms that automatically do precision work. They would be like those persons that are born wealthy and believe to be exempted from doing anything. But then there would not be any free-will and consequently no independence. God wanted them to have the merit of their own work by submitting them to the law of elected progress in order to deserve the merit of their work and consequently be rewarded accordingly with the satisfaction of having conquered their position on their own.
Without the application of the universal law of progress to all beings there should be another order of things, completely different. There is no doubt that God had the option but why it was not done? Would it have been better in a different way? If so, God would have made a mistake! Well, if God can make a mistake it means that God is not perfect hence it is not God. Since God cannot be conceived without the infinite perfection one must admit that God did what was best. If we are not able yet to understand God’s reasons we will certainly be later on in a more advanced state. While we wait if we cannot probe the causes we can observe the effects and acknowledge that everything in the universe is ruled by harmonic laws whose wisdom and remarkable providence blow our minds. It would consequently be too presumptuous on our side to believe that God should have governed the world in a different way for this would mean that we would have done better if in God’s shoes. Those are the souls whose pride and ingratitude are punished by God, sending them to inferior worlds that they will only leave when bending their heads under the hurting hand, acknowledging its power. God does not impose such recognition on them. God wants the recognition to be voluntary and born out of observation and that is the reason why God let them be free, waiting for their return after being convinced by the very mistakes that attract them.
To that, some say: “We understand that God did not create the Spirits perfect but if they were all supposed to be submitted to the law of progress couldn’t God have at least created them happy, without the need to undertake all miseries of life? Rigorously speaking peoples suffering can be understood since it could be deserved; but the animals suffer as well; they devour one another; the large prey the small. There are some whose life is just suffering. Would they also have the free-will as we do and have the demerit?”
That is still sometimes the objection that is made and to which the arguments above may serve well as a response. Yet, we will add a few considerations.
About the first point above we say that total happiness is the result of perfection. Considering that the miseries of life are the product of imperfection then the creation of totally happy Spirits would be the same as the creation of perfect Spirits.
The animal issue requires some development though. They bear the intelligent principle, and that is incontestable. What is the nature of that principle? What is the relationship to mankind? Is it stationary in each species or is it progressive moving from one specie to the next? What is the limit of progress to the animal? Does it walk side by side with mankind or is it the same principle that improves and rehearses life in inferior species to receive later new faculties and go through a human transformation? These are so many other questions that are still unresolved today and if the veil that covers such mystery has not yet been unveiled by the Spirits it is because it would be premature since the human species is not yet mature enough to be shone upon by the whole light. It is true that several Spirits gave theories about it but none of them has a truly authentic character to be accepted definitely. Therefore and until the right time comes they cannot be accepted but as individual systems. It is only the general agreement that can consecrate them for that is the only and true control of the Spirits’ teachings. That is why we hardly accept everything that they teach individually as irrefutable truths.
A given principle, whatever it is, only becomes authentic to us by the universality of the teachings, that is, by identical instructions given everywhere through mediums that are strange to one another, not suffering the same influences and notably exempt of obsessions and assisted by good and enlightened Spirits. By enlightened Spirits we mean those that demonstrate their superiority by the elevation of their thoughts and the far reaching teachings, never contradicting themselves and never saying anything that can be dismissed by rigorous logic. That is how the several parts of the Doctrine found in The Spirits’ Book and in The Mediums’ Book were controlled.
The issue of the animals does not fall in that category yet and that is why we have not resolved it yet. Until more serious verification one should not accept theories that may be given about the subject but with reservation and wait for its confirmation or denial.
Generally speaking it is never too much to show prudence before new theories about which we could have some illusions. That is how we have seen many of them since the origin of Spiritism that were prematurely published only to enjoy an ephemeral life! That is what is going to happen to all of those that only have an individual character and that were not run by the control of general agreement.
By receiving communications from about a thousand serious Spiritist centers spread around the world, we are in the position to see the principles about which there was general agreement. That was the boundary that guided us up until now and will equally guide in the new fields that Spiritism is called to explore. That is how we have been observing for some time communications both from France and abroad with a trend to enter a new path through revelations of a totally special nature.
Such revelations, many times through concealed words, went unnoticed to many people that received them and others considered themselves the only ones to have received them.
When considered in isolation they would have no value to us but their agreement give them high importance that will have to be assessed later when the time to give them publicity is right. Without such a general agreement who could hold the flag of truth? Reason and logic are no doubt the first means of control to be used. In many cases that is good enough but when it is about an important principle, about the arrival of a new idea, it would be presumptuous to believe in ones’ infallibility for the appreciation of things. Besides, that is one of the distinct characters of the new revelation, that of being done everywhere and at the same time. That is what happens to the several parts of the Doctrine. Experience is there to demonstrate that all adventurous theories given by systematic and pseudo-wise Spirits were always isolated and localized. None of them became general withstanding the control of the general agreement. Several of them were even ridiculed, an evident demonstration that they were not right. Universal control is the guarantee to the future unity of the Doctrine.
The above digression was a little detached from the subject but useful to make our procedure clear with respect to new theories related to Spiritism and that is far from having given the last word about everything. We never issue them unless blessed by the sanction that we have just described and that is the reason why some people, a bit too impatient, are surprised by our silence in certain cases.
Since we know that each thing will come at its own time we do not yield to any pressure, from any source, for we know the fate of those that want to go too fast with their overconfidence in themselves and in their auto-illumination. We don’t want to harvest the fruit before it is ripe but we may all be assured that when it is ripe we will not allow it to fall down.
Having made that point there isn’t much to say about the proposed issue although the fundamental point cannot be resolved yet. It is incontestable that the animals suffer but is it rational to assign such suffering to the improvidence of the Creator or a lack of benevolence on God’s part for the fact that it escapes our intelligence like the utility of the homework escapes the young student? Side by side with such apparent iniquity don’t we see the shine God’s solicitude towards the tiniest creatures? Aren’t the animals gifted by means of preservation adequate to the environments where they live? Aren’t their skins more or less appropriate to their climate zones? Their nutritional organization, offensive as well as defensive weapons, aren’t they proportional to the obstacles and enemies? Before such numerous facts whose consequences only escape the eyes of the materialist, is it truly founded to say that there is no Providence towards them?
Certainly not although our vision is too limited to assess the whole. Our point of view, restricted to the small circle around us, only allow us to see apparent irregularities, but when we elevate our thoughts above the earthly horizon those irregularities fade away before the general harmony.
What impresses the most that localized vision is the mutual destruction of the animals! Considering that God’s wisdom and benevolence is demonstrated in everything that we can see one must admit that the same wisdom governs what we cannot see. As a matter of fact we don’t use to maximize that importance but by the importance attributed to matter, always by force of the narrow stand point from which humanity observes. It is definitely only the envelope that gets destroyed while the intelligent principle is not annihilated. The Spirit is as much untouched by the destruction of the body as a person is about one’s clothes. That destruction of the temporary envelopes is necessary to the formation and maintenance of new envelopes that are formed by the same elements but the intelligent principle is not touched be it with mankind as well as with the animals.
There still remains the suffering that sometimes is caused by the destruction of those envelopes. Spiritism teaches us and demonstrates that people’s suffering is useful to their moral advancement. Who can tell that the one endured by the animals don’t have the same utility as well; that it is not in their own right and following a certain order of things a cause of progress? It is true that this is no more than a hypothesis but at least it is based on God’s attributes: justice and goodness while the others are its very denial.
After a debate that took place at the Spiritist Society of Paris about the creation of perfect beings the Spirit Erastus dictated the communication transcribed below.
Considering that one cannot admit God without the infinite of perfections, without a sovereign goodness and justice that incessantly shows His solicitude to His the creatures under our eyes, then realizing that such solicitude could not have failed at the creation of the Spirits.
The earthly mankind is like a child whose limited vision does not go beyond the small circle of the present and cannot assess the utility of certain things. Humanity must then bow before what is still beyond their reach. However, since God gave them intelligence as a guide it is not prohibited to try to understand and humbly stop at the limit of what cannot be transposed. Man can only establish more or less likely systems about all things maintained in the secrets of God. The safe criteria to judge which of those systems is closer to the truth is the attributes of the Divinity. Every theory, every doctrine, philosophical or religious, that tended to destroy a single one of those attributes would fail at the foundation and would be, for that very reason, stained by error, from what follows that the safer system is the one that better accommodate those attributes.
Since God is all about wisdom and goodness He could not have created evil as the counterpart of good. Had God made evil a necessary law He would have voluntarily weakened the power of good for something that is bad can only change good and not strengthen that.
God established laws that are entirely good and just. Man would be perfectly happy if he observed those laws scrupulously but the tiniest infringement of those laws cause a disturbance whose effect is felt and whose result is all sorts of vicissitudes. Hence man is the very cause of evil for his disobedience to the laws of God. God created man free to follow his path. The one that followed the wrong path did it out of his own choice and cannot accuse but oneself for the consequences that result from that. Given the destiny of Earth we only see the Spirits of that category and that made us believe that evil is a necessity. If we could embrace the whole set of worlds we would see that the Spirits that remained on the good path passed through the several phases of their existences in conditions that are completely different and since evil is not general it could not be indispensable. But there still remains the issue of knowing why God hasn’t created the Spirits already perfect. This question is analogous to this one: Why the child is not born completely developed, with all aptitudes, knowledge and experience of the adult age? There is a general law that governs all beings of creation, animate as well as inanimate. It is the law of progress. The Spirits are submitted to that law by the force of things without which the exception would have disturbed the general harmony and God wanted to give us an abbreviated example through the progression of infancy. However since evil is not a necessity in the order of things because it only exists to the prevaricator Spirits the law of progress absolutely does not oblige mankind to go through that row to get to good. That law only forces the Spirit to go through the state of intellectual inferiority or, in other words, the spiritual infancy.
Created simple and ignorant and for that very reason imperfect or better, incomplete, they have to acquire science and experience by themselves and their own activity, something that they cannot have from the beginning. If God had created them perfect they would have been gifted with the universal knowledge from the very beginning of their creation. They would have been exempted from any intellectual work and at the same time precluded from all the activity that is required to acquire that knowledge and to which they concur as incarnate or discarnate souls for the physical betterment of the worlds, a work that is no longer in the hands of superior Spirits that are only in charge of the moral improvement. Their own inferiority makes them an essential engine in the general works of creation.
On another hand, had God created them infallible, that is exempt from the possibility of making mistakes, they would be fatally pushed towards good like those well engineered mechanisms that automatically do precision work. They would be like those persons that are born wealthy and believe to be exempted from doing anything. But then there would not be any free-will and consequently no independence. God wanted them to have the merit of their own work by submitting them to the law of elected progress in order to deserve the merit of their work and consequently be rewarded accordingly with the satisfaction of having conquered their position on their own.
Without the application of the universal law of progress to all beings there should be another order of things, completely different. There is no doubt that God had the option but why it was not done? Would it have been better in a different way? If so, God would have made a mistake! Well, if God can make a mistake it means that God is not perfect hence it is not God. Since God cannot be conceived without the infinite perfection one must admit that God did what was best. If we are not able yet to understand God’s reasons we will certainly be later on in a more advanced state. While we wait if we cannot probe the causes we can observe the effects and acknowledge that everything in the universe is ruled by harmonic laws whose wisdom and remarkable providence blow our minds. It would consequently be too presumptuous on our side to believe that God should have governed the world in a different way for this would mean that we would have done better if in God’s shoes. Those are the souls whose pride and ingratitude are punished by God, sending them to inferior worlds that they will only leave when bending their heads under the hurting hand, acknowledging its power. God does not impose such recognition on them. God wants the recognition to be voluntary and born out of observation and that is the reason why God let them be free, waiting for their return after being convinced by the very mistakes that attract them.
To that, some say: “We understand that God did not create the Spirits perfect but if they were all supposed to be submitted to the law of progress couldn’t God have at least created them happy, without the need to undertake all miseries of life? Rigorously speaking peoples suffering can be understood since it could be deserved; but the animals suffer as well; they devour one another; the large prey the small. There are some whose life is just suffering. Would they also have the free-will as we do and have the demerit?”
That is still sometimes the objection that is made and to which the arguments above may serve well as a response. Yet, we will add a few considerations.
About the first point above we say that total happiness is the result of perfection. Considering that the miseries of life are the product of imperfection then the creation of totally happy Spirits would be the same as the creation of perfect Spirits.
The animal issue requires some development though. They bear the intelligent principle, and that is incontestable. What is the nature of that principle? What is the relationship to mankind? Is it stationary in each species or is it progressive moving from one specie to the next? What is the limit of progress to the animal? Does it walk side by side with mankind or is it the same principle that improves and rehearses life in inferior species to receive later new faculties and go through a human transformation? These are so many other questions that are still unresolved today and if the veil that covers such mystery has not yet been unveiled by the Spirits it is because it would be premature since the human species is not yet mature enough to be shone upon by the whole light. It is true that several Spirits gave theories about it but none of them has a truly authentic character to be accepted definitely. Therefore and until the right time comes they cannot be accepted but as individual systems. It is only the general agreement that can consecrate them for that is the only and true control of the Spirits’ teachings. That is why we hardly accept everything that they teach individually as irrefutable truths.
A given principle, whatever it is, only becomes authentic to us by the universality of the teachings, that is, by identical instructions given everywhere through mediums that are strange to one another, not suffering the same influences and notably exempt of obsessions and assisted by good and enlightened Spirits. By enlightened Spirits we mean those that demonstrate their superiority by the elevation of their thoughts and the far reaching teachings, never contradicting themselves and never saying anything that can be dismissed by rigorous logic. That is how the several parts of the Doctrine found in The Spirits’ Book and in The Mediums’ Book were controlled.
The issue of the animals does not fall in that category yet and that is why we have not resolved it yet. Until more serious verification one should not accept theories that may be given about the subject but with reservation and wait for its confirmation or denial.
Generally speaking it is never too much to show prudence before new theories about which we could have some illusions. That is how we have seen many of them since the origin of Spiritism that were prematurely published only to enjoy an ephemeral life! That is what is going to happen to all of those that only have an individual character and that were not run by the control of general agreement.
By receiving communications from about a thousand serious Spiritist centers spread around the world, we are in the position to see the principles about which there was general agreement. That was the boundary that guided us up until now and will equally guide in the new fields that Spiritism is called to explore. That is how we have been observing for some time communications both from France and abroad with a trend to enter a new path through revelations of a totally special nature.
Such revelations, many times through concealed words, went unnoticed to many people that received them and others considered themselves the only ones to have received them.
When considered in isolation they would have no value to us but their agreement give them high importance that will have to be assessed later when the time to give them publicity is right. Without such a general agreement who could hold the flag of truth? Reason and logic are no doubt the first means of control to be used. In many cases that is good enough but when it is about an important principle, about the arrival of a new idea, it would be presumptuous to believe in ones’ infallibility for the appreciation of things. Besides, that is one of the distinct characters of the new revelation, that of being done everywhere and at the same time. That is what happens to the several parts of the Doctrine. Experience is there to demonstrate that all adventurous theories given by systematic and pseudo-wise Spirits were always isolated and localized. None of them became general withstanding the control of the general agreement. Several of them were even ridiculed, an evident demonstration that they were not right. Universal control is the guarantee to the future unity of the Doctrine.
The above digression was a little detached from the subject but useful to make our procedure clear with respect to new theories related to Spiritism and that is far from having given the last word about everything. We never issue them unless blessed by the sanction that we have just described and that is the reason why some people, a bit too impatient, are surprised by our silence in certain cases.
Since we know that each thing will come at its own time we do not yield to any pressure, from any source, for we know the fate of those that want to go too fast with their overconfidence in themselves and in their auto-illumination. We don’t want to harvest the fruit before it is ripe but we may all be assured that when it is ripe we will not allow it to fall down.
Having made that point there isn’t much to say about the proposed issue although the fundamental point cannot be resolved yet. It is incontestable that the animals suffer but is it rational to assign such suffering to the improvidence of the Creator or a lack of benevolence on God’s part for the fact that it escapes our intelligence like the utility of the homework escapes the young student? Side by side with such apparent iniquity don’t we see the shine God’s solicitude towards the tiniest creatures? Aren’t the animals gifted by means of preservation adequate to the environments where they live? Aren’t their skins more or less appropriate to their climate zones? Their nutritional organization, offensive as well as defensive weapons, aren’t they proportional to the obstacles and enemies? Before such numerous facts whose consequences only escape the eyes of the materialist, is it truly founded to say that there is no Providence towards them?
Certainly not although our vision is too limited to assess the whole. Our point of view, restricted to the small circle around us, only allow us to see apparent irregularities, but when we elevate our thoughts above the earthly horizon those irregularities fade away before the general harmony.
What impresses the most that localized vision is the mutual destruction of the animals! Considering that God’s wisdom and benevolence is demonstrated in everything that we can see one must admit that the same wisdom governs what we cannot see. As a matter of fact we don’t use to maximize that importance but by the importance attributed to matter, always by force of the narrow stand point from which humanity observes. It is definitely only the envelope that gets destroyed while the intelligent principle is not annihilated. The Spirit is as much untouched by the destruction of the body as a person is about one’s clothes. That destruction of the temporary envelopes is necessary to the formation and maintenance of new envelopes that are formed by the same elements but the intelligent principle is not touched be it with mankind as well as with the animals.
There still remains the suffering that sometimes is caused by the destruction of those envelopes. Spiritism teaches us and demonstrates that people’s suffering is useful to their moral advancement. Who can tell that the one endured by the animals don’t have the same utility as well; that it is not in their own right and following a certain order of things a cause of progress? It is true that this is no more than a hypothesis but at least it is based on God’s attributes: justice and goodness while the others are its very denial.
After a debate that took place at the Spiritist Society of Paris about the creation of perfect beings the Spirit Erastus dictated the communication transcribed below.
(Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, February 5th, 1864, medium Mr. D’Ambel)
Why hasn’t God created all beings perfect? For the very reason of the law of progress. It is easy to understand the logic behind that law. The one that is marching is in the movement, that is, in the law of human activity; the one that is not progressing, that is stationary in essence, that one incontestably is not part of the progression or human hierarchy. I explain myself. A person that is born in a more or less elevated position is a given native situation or state. Well! It is certain that if that person lived her entire life without changes that resulted from her own actions or the actions of others such a life would be declared monotonous, boring, annoying, in a word, unbearable! I must add that such a person would be right about that considering that good is only good with respect to something that is inferior. That is such a positive fact that if you place a person in an earthly paradise where there is no further progress at some point in time that person will see life as something intolerable and that dwelling a horrible hell. The consequence of that is that progress or the push forward is the immutable law of the worlds, that is, that every created Spirit will be inevitable submitted to that great and sublime law of life. Consequently that is also the law of nature itself. There is only one and there could not be but one perfect being: God! Now, asking the Supreme Being for the creation of perfect creatures would be the same as requesting the creation of something similar and equal to God. Isn’t such proposal condemned by anticipation? Oh humankind! Why always asking the whys of certain insoluble things or those that are above human comprehension? Remember that only God can stay and live in his gigantic immobility. Yet God is the Supreme Lord of all things, the alpha and omega of the whole life. Ah, believe me my children, you should never try to lift the veil that covers that big mystery that even the greatest Spirits of creation are afraid of discussing. As for myself, humble pioneer of the initiation, all I can tell you is that immobility is one of God’s attributes, or Creator’s attribute, and that mankind and everything else that is created has mobility by attribute. Understand this if you can or wait for the time of a more intelligible answer that is more in line with your understanding.
That is the only part of the issue that I handle for I wanted to demonstrate to you that I was not unaware of your discussion. As for the rest I refer you to what was said since it seems to me that all share the same opinion. I will soon talk about the other cases that were mentioned (Poitiers’ cases).
Erastus
Why hasn’t God created all beings perfect? For the very reason of the law of progress. It is easy to understand the logic behind that law. The one that is marching is in the movement, that is, in the law of human activity; the one that is not progressing, that is stationary in essence, that one incontestably is not part of the progression or human hierarchy. I explain myself. A person that is born in a more or less elevated position is a given native situation or state. Well! It is certain that if that person lived her entire life without changes that resulted from her own actions or the actions of others such a life would be declared monotonous, boring, annoying, in a word, unbearable! I must add that such a person would be right about that considering that good is only good with respect to something that is inferior. That is such a positive fact that if you place a person in an earthly paradise where there is no further progress at some point in time that person will see life as something intolerable and that dwelling a horrible hell. The consequence of that is that progress or the push forward is the immutable law of the worlds, that is, that every created Spirit will be inevitable submitted to that great and sublime law of life. Consequently that is also the law of nature itself. There is only one and there could not be but one perfect being: God! Now, asking the Supreme Being for the creation of perfect creatures would be the same as requesting the creation of something similar and equal to God. Isn’t such proposal condemned by anticipation? Oh humankind! Why always asking the whys of certain insoluble things or those that are above human comprehension? Remember that only God can stay and live in his gigantic immobility. Yet God is the Supreme Lord of all things, the alpha and omega of the whole life. Ah, believe me my children, you should never try to lift the veil that covers that big mystery that even the greatest Spirits of creation are afraid of discussing. As for myself, humble pioneer of the initiation, all I can tell you is that immobility is one of God’s attributes, or Creator’s attribute, and that mankind and everything else that is created has mobility by attribute. Understand this if you can or wait for the time of a more intelligible answer that is more in line with your understanding.
That is the only part of the issue that I handle for I wanted to demonstrate to you that I was not unaware of your discussion. As for the rest I refer you to what was said since it seems to me that all share the same opinion. I will soon talk about the other cases that were mentioned (Poitiers’ cases).
Erastus
One of our corresponding members from Maine-et-Loire, Dr. C…, sends us the following:
“Here we have a curious example of mediumistic faculty applied to paining, manifested many years before Spiritism was known and even before the dancing tables.
About three weeks ago I was explaining Spiritism and the relationships between humans and the invisible world to a lawyer of some friends of mine in Bressuire, a person that totally ignored the basics of the Doctrine. He then told me the story below as if holding a strong relationship with what I was explaining to him:
In 1849, he said, I visited Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvres village and its two monasteries with a friend, one of them for men the other for women. We were kindly welcomed by Father Dallain, superior of the first one and that also had authority upon the second. After having visited both convents he said:
Now, gentlemen, I want to show you one of the most curious things of ladies monastery. He then sent for an album in which we enjoyed watching water paintings of great perfection. The motives were flowers, landscapes and maritime views. He then said:
These such well collected paintings were made by one of our young religious ladies who is blind. And he then said this about a beautiful flower arrangement with a blue button of rose: Some time ago and in the presence of the Marquee de La Rochejaquelein and several other visitors I called the blind religious lady and asked her to paint something on a table nearby. She was given paint, paper, pencils and brushes and immediately started this arrangement that you see. During her work an object was interposed between her eyes and the painting, sometimes a cardboard, sometimes a clipboard but her hand continued moving with the same calm and same regularity. Someone mentioned that the arrangement was a bit too narrow and she replied: That is fine. I will make a button to come out of that void. While she worked with that objective the carmine color was replaced by the blue. She did not notice the change and that is why you see a blue button of rose. Father Dallain was remarkably knowledgeable and intelligent as well as tremendously charitable. I have never met someone else that had inspired in me more sympathy and veneration.”
In our opinion the fact does not unequivocally demonstrate a mediumistic action. Given the language of the young lady it is clear that she saw something otherwise she would not have said: I will make a button to come out of this void. But it is also unequivocally certain that she did not see through her eyes considering that she continued the work despite the fact that she had the eyes covered by the obstacle before them. She acted consciously and not mechanically, like a medium. Hence, it seems evident that she was guided by the second vision. She saw through the eyes of the soul, abstraction made of the eyes of the body. It is possible that she was in a kind of awaken somnambulistic state.
Similar phenomena have been observed many times but people were satisfied by considering them remarkable. The cause could not have been discovered because the phenomenon is essentially associated to the soul and it was necessary to recognize the existence of the soul first. Even after admitting that it was not good enough for it lacked the knowledge of the properties of the soul and the laws that govern its relationships with matter.
By revealing the existence of the perispirit Spiritism gave us the knowledge of the physiology of the Spirits, if we can say so. Therefore it gave us the key to a number of incomprehensible phenomena that in the lack of better reasons were qualified as supernatural by some or of a bizarre nature by others.
Can nature present bizarre things? No, because bizarre is a caprice. Since nature is the works of God it must not show caprices without which nothing would be stable in the universe. If there is a rule without exception it must certainly be the one that governs the works of the Creator; exceptions would mean the destruction of the universal harmony. All phenomena are connected to a general law and something only looks bizarre to us because we are observing from a single point whereas if we consider the whole we will acknowledge that the irregularity of that point is only apparent and depends on our limited point of view. Having said that we say that the phenomenon above is neither wonderful nor exception. That is what we are going to explain now.
Given our current state of knowledge we cannot conceive the soul in its fluidic, perispiritual envelope. The intelligent principle completely escapes our analysis. We only know it by its manifestations that take place with the support of the perispirit. It is through the perispirit that the soul acts, perceives and transmits. Once detached from the corporeal envelope the soul or Spirit is still a complex being.
According to experience, the theory teaches us that the vision of the soul, as with all other perceptions, is an attribute of the whole being. In the body it is circumscribed to the organ of sight and that is why we need the help of light and everything that is in light’s path intercepts it. That is not what happens to the Spirit to whom there is no obscurity or opacity.
The comparison below may help to understand that difference. In day light the human body receives light rays from all sides; inside that luminous fluid the visual horizon extends everywhere around. If the person is placed inside a box with a small aperture everything will be darkness around with the exception of the point through which light is allowed in. The vision of an incarnate Spirit is like the latter. The vision of a discarnate Spirit is like the former. Such a comparison is fair from the point of view of the effect but it is not fair when taking into account the cause since the source of light is not the same to the corporeal creature as it is to the Spirit, or even better said, it is not the same light that allows them to see.
Therefore, the blind person above saw through the soul and not the eyes. That is way the obstacles placed between her eyes and the painting did not bother her more than to a clairvoyant person that had a transparent crystal placed before her eyes and the vision. That is also the reason why she could work both during the day and at night. The spiritual fluid radiated around her, penetrating everything, bringing the image to her soul rather than to her retina. In that case, someone may question, how come she did not notice the color change? First it is possible that she was thoroughly concentrated in filling out the place where she wanted to have the flower. Besides the vision of the soul does not attend the same mechanism of that of the body hence there could be effects that we don’t realize. Furthermore we must notice also that our colors are produced by the refraction of our light. Since the properties of the perispirit are different from those of our environmental surroundings it is likely that the refraction in that case did not provoke the same effects; that the colors may not cause the same impressions as they do onto an incarnate soul. Thus, she could well see pinkish in her mind something that looked blue to us. The replacement of colors is a well-known phenomenon in ordinary visions. The most important fact is to attest the vision without the help of the eyes.
From the above it can be seen that such a manifestation does not imply a mediumistic action but at the same time it does not exclude the assistance of a strange Spirit in certain cases. The young lady could then be or not be a medium and that could be revealed by a more careful study.
A blind person enjoying such a faculty would be a precious object of observation. One would need, however, to know well the theory of the soul, the perispirit and consequently somnambulism and Spiritism. These things were not known in those days and even today it would not be in places where they are considered devilish that they could be studied. Neither could it be done in places where the very existence of the soul is denied.
There will certainly come a day when people will realize that there is a spiritual physics as people are starting to acknowledge the existence of a spiritual medicine!
“Here we have a curious example of mediumistic faculty applied to paining, manifested many years before Spiritism was known and even before the dancing tables.
About three weeks ago I was explaining Spiritism and the relationships between humans and the invisible world to a lawyer of some friends of mine in Bressuire, a person that totally ignored the basics of the Doctrine. He then told me the story below as if holding a strong relationship with what I was explaining to him:
In 1849, he said, I visited Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvres village and its two monasteries with a friend, one of them for men the other for women. We were kindly welcomed by Father Dallain, superior of the first one and that also had authority upon the second. After having visited both convents he said:
Now, gentlemen, I want to show you one of the most curious things of ladies monastery. He then sent for an album in which we enjoyed watching water paintings of great perfection. The motives were flowers, landscapes and maritime views. He then said:
These such well collected paintings were made by one of our young religious ladies who is blind. And he then said this about a beautiful flower arrangement with a blue button of rose: Some time ago and in the presence of the Marquee de La Rochejaquelein and several other visitors I called the blind religious lady and asked her to paint something on a table nearby. She was given paint, paper, pencils and brushes and immediately started this arrangement that you see. During her work an object was interposed between her eyes and the painting, sometimes a cardboard, sometimes a clipboard but her hand continued moving with the same calm and same regularity. Someone mentioned that the arrangement was a bit too narrow and she replied: That is fine. I will make a button to come out of that void. While she worked with that objective the carmine color was replaced by the blue. She did not notice the change and that is why you see a blue button of rose. Father Dallain was remarkably knowledgeable and intelligent as well as tremendously charitable. I have never met someone else that had inspired in me more sympathy and veneration.”
In our opinion the fact does not unequivocally demonstrate a mediumistic action. Given the language of the young lady it is clear that she saw something otherwise she would not have said: I will make a button to come out of this void. But it is also unequivocally certain that she did not see through her eyes considering that she continued the work despite the fact that she had the eyes covered by the obstacle before them. She acted consciously and not mechanically, like a medium. Hence, it seems evident that she was guided by the second vision. She saw through the eyes of the soul, abstraction made of the eyes of the body. It is possible that she was in a kind of awaken somnambulistic state.
Similar phenomena have been observed many times but people were satisfied by considering them remarkable. The cause could not have been discovered because the phenomenon is essentially associated to the soul and it was necessary to recognize the existence of the soul first. Even after admitting that it was not good enough for it lacked the knowledge of the properties of the soul and the laws that govern its relationships with matter.
By revealing the existence of the perispirit Spiritism gave us the knowledge of the physiology of the Spirits, if we can say so. Therefore it gave us the key to a number of incomprehensible phenomena that in the lack of better reasons were qualified as supernatural by some or of a bizarre nature by others.
Can nature present bizarre things? No, because bizarre is a caprice. Since nature is the works of God it must not show caprices without which nothing would be stable in the universe. If there is a rule without exception it must certainly be the one that governs the works of the Creator; exceptions would mean the destruction of the universal harmony. All phenomena are connected to a general law and something only looks bizarre to us because we are observing from a single point whereas if we consider the whole we will acknowledge that the irregularity of that point is only apparent and depends on our limited point of view. Having said that we say that the phenomenon above is neither wonderful nor exception. That is what we are going to explain now.
Given our current state of knowledge we cannot conceive the soul in its fluidic, perispiritual envelope. The intelligent principle completely escapes our analysis. We only know it by its manifestations that take place with the support of the perispirit. It is through the perispirit that the soul acts, perceives and transmits. Once detached from the corporeal envelope the soul or Spirit is still a complex being.
According to experience, the theory teaches us that the vision of the soul, as with all other perceptions, is an attribute of the whole being. In the body it is circumscribed to the organ of sight and that is why we need the help of light and everything that is in light’s path intercepts it. That is not what happens to the Spirit to whom there is no obscurity or opacity.
The comparison below may help to understand that difference. In day light the human body receives light rays from all sides; inside that luminous fluid the visual horizon extends everywhere around. If the person is placed inside a box with a small aperture everything will be darkness around with the exception of the point through which light is allowed in. The vision of an incarnate Spirit is like the latter. The vision of a discarnate Spirit is like the former. Such a comparison is fair from the point of view of the effect but it is not fair when taking into account the cause since the source of light is not the same to the corporeal creature as it is to the Spirit, or even better said, it is not the same light that allows them to see.
Therefore, the blind person above saw through the soul and not the eyes. That is way the obstacles placed between her eyes and the painting did not bother her more than to a clairvoyant person that had a transparent crystal placed before her eyes and the vision. That is also the reason why she could work both during the day and at night. The spiritual fluid radiated around her, penetrating everything, bringing the image to her soul rather than to her retina. In that case, someone may question, how come she did not notice the color change? First it is possible that she was thoroughly concentrated in filling out the place where she wanted to have the flower. Besides the vision of the soul does not attend the same mechanism of that of the body hence there could be effects that we don’t realize. Furthermore we must notice also that our colors are produced by the refraction of our light. Since the properties of the perispirit are different from those of our environmental surroundings it is likely that the refraction in that case did not provoke the same effects; that the colors may not cause the same impressions as they do onto an incarnate soul. Thus, she could well see pinkish in her mind something that looked blue to us. The replacement of colors is a well-known phenomenon in ordinary visions. The most important fact is to attest the vision without the help of the eyes.
From the above it can be seen that such a manifestation does not imply a mediumistic action but at the same time it does not exclude the assistance of a strange Spirit in certain cases. The young lady could then be or not be a medium and that could be revealed by a more careful study.
A blind person enjoying such a faculty would be a precious object of observation. One would need, however, to know well the theory of the soul, the perispirit and consequently somnambulism and Spiritism. These things were not known in those days and even today it would not be in places where they are considered devilish that they could be studied. Neither could it be done in places where the very existence of the soul is denied.
There will certainly come a day when people will realize that there is a spiritual physics as people are starting to acknowledge the existence of a spiritual medicine!
Varieties
We personally know a lady that is a medium gifted with a remarkable faculty of tiptology. She easily obtains, and something that is rare almost constantly, accurate things like name of places and persons in several languages, dates and private circumstances before which disbelief has been confounded more than once.
The lady, entirely devoted to the cause of Spiritism, dedicates all of her spare time to the practice of her mediumship with the object of propaganda and that with absolute selflessness particularly considering that her position and fortune places her closer to mediocrity. Since Spiritism is something very serious to her she always starts her work with a prayer said with great reverence, soliciting the assistance of the good Spirits and asking God to keep the bad ones away. Here is how she ends: - “If I am tempted to abuse this God given faculty by any means I ask you to have it removed from me instead of allowing it to be veered off from its providential objective.”
One day a rich foreigner – from whom we heard this story – sought that lady asking her for a communication. He had no idea about Spiritism and even less about the belief. He then put his wallet on the table and said: “Madam, you have here ten thousand francs, they are yours if you tell me the name of the person that I am thinking now.” That is sufficient to demonstrate the level of knowledge that he had about the Doctrine. The lady then made him see what every true Spiritist would have done in similar circumstances. Well, soon after he left she received much more difficult and complicated communications to other persons than the one that he had asked.
Such occurrence should have been a demonstration of sincerity and good faith of the medium, as we told him, because charlatans always have resources at their disposal when making money is involved. But other teachings may come from that too and of a different importance. The Spirits wanted to demonstrate to him that it is not money that make them speak when they do not wish to; besides, they demonstrated that if they did not respond to the question it was not for incapacity on their side for they responded to more difficult questions to persons that offered nothing. The lesson was greater still to the medium; it demonstrated its absolute impotence without the help of the Spirits and teach her humility because if the Spirits had served her, if the person’s will were sufficient to make them speak it was then the case of making it happen now or never.
That is a positive demonstration of the support we mentioned in the February last issue of the Spiritist Review regarding Mr. Home and about the possibility that the mediums’ faculty may fail them at the very moment when it was necessary.
Someone that has a talent and explore that talent is always certain that it will be available because it is inherent to the person but mediumship is not a talent; it only exists thanks to the help of third parties. If those deny support there is no mediumship. The aptitude may remain but its exercise is nulled. A medium without the assistance of the Spirits is like a violin without the violinist. The gentleman above was surprised that since he had come to be convinced the Spirits did not yield to that. We respond that if he can be convinced then he will be convinced by other means that will cost him nothing. The Spirits did not want him to say that he had been convinced but to a high price because if money were necessary to be convinced what would be the fate of those that cannot pay? Mediumship is not a privilege so that it can be found in the humblest dwellings. It is everywhere so that everybody, rich and poor, may find the consolation of communicating with their relatives and friends from beyond the grave.
The Spirits did not want him to be convinced that way because his opinion and that of his friends would have been falsified by the shine of gold regarding the essentially moral and religious character of Spiritism.
They did not want it in the very interest of the medium and of the mediums in general whose greed would have been super excited by such a result because they would have told themselves that if such a success was achieved in those circumstances then the same could happen on other occasions.
This was not the first time that similar offers were made; that prizes are offered but always unsuccessfully, considering that the Spirits are not servers and do not attend the highest bidder.
If that lady were successful would she have accepted or refused? We don’t know because ten thousand francs are very inviting, particularly in certain situations. In any case the temptation was great. And who knows if the refusal wouldn’t have been followed by regret that would have attenuated the merit of the achievement?
Notice that in her prayer the lady asks God to remove her faculty instead of allowing it to be used to veer off from its providential objective. Well, then? Her prayer was heard; her mediumship was subtracted for that special case so as to spare her the danger of temptation and all the unfortunate consequences that would have followed, first to herself and also for the bad effect that it would have produced.
But it is not only against greed that the mediums must be forearmed. Since there are mediums in all echelons of Society their majority is above such temptation. There is, however, a much bigger danger that all are exposed to: it is pride that loses such a large number. It is against that obstacle that the most beautiful faculties are shattered. Material selflessness is of no benefit if not followed by moral altruism. Humility, devotion, selflessness and abnegation are the qualities of the medium beloved by the Spirits.
The lady, entirely devoted to the cause of Spiritism, dedicates all of her spare time to the practice of her mediumship with the object of propaganda and that with absolute selflessness particularly considering that her position and fortune places her closer to mediocrity. Since Spiritism is something very serious to her she always starts her work with a prayer said with great reverence, soliciting the assistance of the good Spirits and asking God to keep the bad ones away. Here is how she ends: - “If I am tempted to abuse this God given faculty by any means I ask you to have it removed from me instead of allowing it to be veered off from its providential objective.”
One day a rich foreigner – from whom we heard this story – sought that lady asking her for a communication. He had no idea about Spiritism and even less about the belief. He then put his wallet on the table and said: “Madam, you have here ten thousand francs, they are yours if you tell me the name of the person that I am thinking now.” That is sufficient to demonstrate the level of knowledge that he had about the Doctrine. The lady then made him see what every true Spiritist would have done in similar circumstances. Well, soon after he left she received much more difficult and complicated communications to other persons than the one that he had asked.
Such occurrence should have been a demonstration of sincerity and good faith of the medium, as we told him, because charlatans always have resources at their disposal when making money is involved. But other teachings may come from that too and of a different importance. The Spirits wanted to demonstrate to him that it is not money that make them speak when they do not wish to; besides, they demonstrated that if they did not respond to the question it was not for incapacity on their side for they responded to more difficult questions to persons that offered nothing. The lesson was greater still to the medium; it demonstrated its absolute impotence without the help of the Spirits and teach her humility because if the Spirits had served her, if the person’s will were sufficient to make them speak it was then the case of making it happen now or never.
That is a positive demonstration of the support we mentioned in the February last issue of the Spiritist Review regarding Mr. Home and about the possibility that the mediums’ faculty may fail them at the very moment when it was necessary.
Someone that has a talent and explore that talent is always certain that it will be available because it is inherent to the person but mediumship is not a talent; it only exists thanks to the help of third parties. If those deny support there is no mediumship. The aptitude may remain but its exercise is nulled. A medium without the assistance of the Spirits is like a violin without the violinist. The gentleman above was surprised that since he had come to be convinced the Spirits did not yield to that. We respond that if he can be convinced then he will be convinced by other means that will cost him nothing. The Spirits did not want him to say that he had been convinced but to a high price because if money were necessary to be convinced what would be the fate of those that cannot pay? Mediumship is not a privilege so that it can be found in the humblest dwellings. It is everywhere so that everybody, rich and poor, may find the consolation of communicating with their relatives and friends from beyond the grave.
The Spirits did not want him to be convinced that way because his opinion and that of his friends would have been falsified by the shine of gold regarding the essentially moral and religious character of Spiritism.
They did not want it in the very interest of the medium and of the mediums in general whose greed would have been super excited by such a result because they would have told themselves that if such a success was achieved in those circumstances then the same could happen on other occasions.
This was not the first time that similar offers were made; that prizes are offered but always unsuccessfully, considering that the Spirits are not servers and do not attend the highest bidder.
If that lady were successful would she have accepted or refused? We don’t know because ten thousand francs are very inviting, particularly in certain situations. In any case the temptation was great. And who knows if the refusal wouldn’t have been followed by regret that would have attenuated the merit of the achievement?
Notice that in her prayer the lady asks God to remove her faculty instead of allowing it to be used to veer off from its providential objective. Well, then? Her prayer was heard; her mediumship was subtracted for that special case so as to spare her the danger of temptation and all the unfortunate consequences that would have followed, first to herself and also for the bad effect that it would have produced.
But it is not only against greed that the mediums must be forearmed. Since there are mediums in all echelons of Society their majority is above such temptation. There is, however, a much bigger danger that all are exposed to: it is pride that loses such a large number. It is against that obstacle that the most beautiful faculties are shattered. Material selflessness is of no benefit if not followed by moral altruism. Humility, devotion, selflessness and abnegation are the qualities of the medium beloved by the Spirits.
The facts mentioned in the last issue of our Spiritist Review and about which we had postponed our opinion seem to have been definitely settled as Spiritist phenomena. A careful examination of the circumstances and details do not allow to have them confused with acts of malevolence or joke. It seems difficult that ill-intentioned persons could have escapade the eyes of law enforcement and in particular act at the very moment when they are been watched, before the eyes of those that are looking for them and that lack no will of having them caught.
Exorcisms were carried out but after a few days of interruption the noises restarted with different aspects. Here is what is found in the Journal de la Vienne, on February 17th and 18th:
“We remember that last January the rapping Spirits made their solemn apparition in Poitiers, establishing themselves at St. Paul St., in a home located near the old church designated by that name but their stayed for a short time with us and we were led to believe that it was all over when the day before yesterday the noises that had agitated so much the population were reproduced now with new intensity.
Thus, the black devils returned to the home of Ms. de O… The only difference is that now they are not only rapping Spirits but shooters that provoke extraordinary explosions. We will celebrate their party on St. Barbara’s day, patron of the artillery. There are always those to long for the restart of processions of curious persons and have the police questioning every echo to be guided by the fog of the other world.
One can only wait, however, that this time the perpetrators of those mystifications of bad taste are caught and that justice may well demonstrate to the explorers of human belief that the best Spirits are not the ones that make more noise but those that know to be quiet or only speak when necessary.”
Piogeard
“We always go back to St. Paul St. without being able to penetrate the infernal mystery. When we question someone that strolls around Ms. de O… house, showing some concern, the answer is invariably this: - I have heard nothing but someone said that the explosions were really loud. This is not but an embarrassment to the solution of the problem. However, it is certain that the Spirits have some pieces of artillery and of large caliber because they say the noise is similar to that produced by small bombs. But where do they come from? Impossible so far to determine their direction. They do not come from the underground since pistol shots in the basement are not heard on the first floor. It is then in the superior regions that they must be caught, however, all processes indicated by science and by experience to achieve that goal resulted useless.
It would then be necessary to conclude that the Spirits can shoot at the sparrows and disturb the rest of the population and not be caught. Such a solution would be too strict. In fact through certain means and by some accidental events effects can be produced that at first sight would be astonishing but that later on surprises people for not having realized their elemental mechanism. It is always the simplest things that escape people’s observations. We are forced to believe, therefore, that the shooters from the other world have the laughter by their side at this point but they are far from being unachievable.
The mystifying persons may rest assured that the mystified will have their turn.”
Piogeard
It seems that Mr. Piogeard struggles greatly against the evidence. One could say that a doubt goes unsuspected in this mind; that he is afraid of a solution that is contrary to his beliefs; in one word that he gives us the impression of those persons that when receiving some bad news say: “No, No. That is not possible. I don’t want to believe it.” They close their eyes to avoid seeing so that they can attest that saw nothing.
In one of the paragraphs above he seemed to raise doubts about the reality of the noises themselves because in his opinion all of those that are questioned say that they heard nothing. If nobody heard anything we don’t understand why such an uproar since there wouldn’t be neither ill-intentioned people nor Spirits. In a third article that goes without signature the newspaper says that it must be the last and finally gives the solution to the problem. If those that are interested don’t consider it convincing it will be their fault and not of the periodical.
“For some time now we have been receiving letters from our subscribers and persons that are strange to us requesting sound explanations about the scenes that took place at the home of Ms. O…We said everything we knew about it; we repeated everything that is said in Poitiers in our editions. Considering that our explanations did not seem complete here you have and for the last time our answer to the questions addressed to us: - It is certain that singular noises are heard every night from six o’clock to mid night at St. Paul St., home of Ms. O… Those noises are similar to the ones produced by successive discharges of a double rifle. They disturb the doors, windows and walls. One cannot see light or smoke and there is no smell. The events were attested by the most dignified persons of faith in that town, through police inquiries and the civilian guard by request of the family of Mr. Count de O… There is an association of Spiritists in Poitiers but despite Mr. D… opinion and that writes to us from Marselle, it hasn’t crossed the thought of any of our citizens, too witty for that, that the Spiritists were somehow involved in the occurrence of the phenomena. Mr. H. de Orange believes in physical causes, like gases that are expelled from a former cemetery on which the O…’s house was built. The house was built on a rock and there is no underground construction that leads to the house. As for ourselves we believe that the strange and still not explained phenomena that disturbed the peace of a respectable family for over a month will not remain as a mystery. We believe in a very ingenious gimmick and hope to see very soon the phantoms of St. Paul St. be sent to jail.”
Exorcisms were carried out but after a few days of interruption the noises restarted with different aspects. Here is what is found in the Journal de la Vienne, on February 17th and 18th:
“We remember that last January the rapping Spirits made their solemn apparition in Poitiers, establishing themselves at St. Paul St., in a home located near the old church designated by that name but their stayed for a short time with us and we were led to believe that it was all over when the day before yesterday the noises that had agitated so much the population were reproduced now with new intensity.
Thus, the black devils returned to the home of Ms. de O… The only difference is that now they are not only rapping Spirits but shooters that provoke extraordinary explosions. We will celebrate their party on St. Barbara’s day, patron of the artillery. There are always those to long for the restart of processions of curious persons and have the police questioning every echo to be guided by the fog of the other world.
One can only wait, however, that this time the perpetrators of those mystifications of bad taste are caught and that justice may well demonstrate to the explorers of human belief that the best Spirits are not the ones that make more noise but those that know to be quiet or only speak when necessary.”
Piogeard
“We always go back to St. Paul St. without being able to penetrate the infernal mystery. When we question someone that strolls around Ms. de O… house, showing some concern, the answer is invariably this: - I have heard nothing but someone said that the explosions were really loud. This is not but an embarrassment to the solution of the problem. However, it is certain that the Spirits have some pieces of artillery and of large caliber because they say the noise is similar to that produced by small bombs. But where do they come from? Impossible so far to determine their direction. They do not come from the underground since pistol shots in the basement are not heard on the first floor. It is then in the superior regions that they must be caught, however, all processes indicated by science and by experience to achieve that goal resulted useless.
It would then be necessary to conclude that the Spirits can shoot at the sparrows and disturb the rest of the population and not be caught. Such a solution would be too strict. In fact through certain means and by some accidental events effects can be produced that at first sight would be astonishing but that later on surprises people for not having realized their elemental mechanism. It is always the simplest things that escape people’s observations. We are forced to believe, therefore, that the shooters from the other world have the laughter by their side at this point but they are far from being unachievable.
The mystifying persons may rest assured that the mystified will have their turn.”
Piogeard
It seems that Mr. Piogeard struggles greatly against the evidence. One could say that a doubt goes unsuspected in this mind; that he is afraid of a solution that is contrary to his beliefs; in one word that he gives us the impression of those persons that when receiving some bad news say: “No, No. That is not possible. I don’t want to believe it.” They close their eyes to avoid seeing so that they can attest that saw nothing.
In one of the paragraphs above he seemed to raise doubts about the reality of the noises themselves because in his opinion all of those that are questioned say that they heard nothing. If nobody heard anything we don’t understand why such an uproar since there wouldn’t be neither ill-intentioned people nor Spirits. In a third article that goes without signature the newspaper says that it must be the last and finally gives the solution to the problem. If those that are interested don’t consider it convincing it will be their fault and not of the periodical.
“For some time now we have been receiving letters from our subscribers and persons that are strange to us requesting sound explanations about the scenes that took place at the home of Ms. O…We said everything we knew about it; we repeated everything that is said in Poitiers in our editions. Considering that our explanations did not seem complete here you have and for the last time our answer to the questions addressed to us: - It is certain that singular noises are heard every night from six o’clock to mid night at St. Paul St., home of Ms. O… Those noises are similar to the ones produced by successive discharges of a double rifle. They disturb the doors, windows and walls. One cannot see light or smoke and there is no smell. The events were attested by the most dignified persons of faith in that town, through police inquiries and the civilian guard by request of the family of Mr. Count de O… There is an association of Spiritists in Poitiers but despite Mr. D… opinion and that writes to us from Marselle, it hasn’t crossed the thought of any of our citizens, too witty for that, that the Spiritists were somehow involved in the occurrence of the phenomena. Mr. H. de Orange believes in physical causes, like gases that are expelled from a former cemetery on which the O…’s house was built. The house was built on a rock and there is no underground construction that leads to the house. As for ourselves we believe that the strange and still not explained phenomena that disturbed the peace of a respectable family for over a month will not remain as a mystery. We believe in a very ingenious gimmick and hope to see very soon the phantoms of St. Paul St. be sent to jail.”
In our preceding number we described the remarkable cure obtained by a young lady of Marmande through the prayer of the Spiritists of that town. A posterior letter confirms the result of that now complete cure. The lady’s face, altered by eight months of torture, recovered its youth, good health and serenity.
Whatever the opinion we might have; whatever the opinion one may have about Spiritism any person driven by a sincere love towards their neighbor must have felt happy on seeing the tranquility that returned to that family and happiness replacing despair. It is regrettable that the priest of that parish preferred not to join that feeling and that such event may have served him for the production of a not much Evangelical text for one of his sermons. His words are of public domain. If he had limited himself to an honest criticism of the Doctrine from his point of view we would not mentioned that but we believe to be our duty to respond to the attacks addressed to much respectable persons that were treated as thugs regarding the fact above.
He said: “Therefore will then the first shoeshinner that shows up, if a medium, be able to evoke the member of an honorable family when nobody else in that family can do that? Brothers, do not believe in such absurd. This is mockery, foolishness. What do you really see in those gatherings? Carpenters, workers, what else? Some people asked me if I had contributed to the cure of the young lady. No, I answered, I did not join that absolutely; I am not a doctor.”
He told the relatives: “The only thing I see in this is a physical condition that is up to medicine to handle”, adding that if he had thought that prayers could have given her any relief he would have done that long before.
If Mr. Priest does not believe in the efficacy of prayer in similar cases he did well in not saying them. It can be concluded that as a conscious person if the parents had come to him asking for masses for the cure of their daughter he would have refused the payment for that since if he accepted he would be receiving payment for something that he considered useless. The Spiritists believe in the efficacy of prayers for illnesses and obsessions. They prayed, cured and asked for nothing in return; even more, if the parents were in need they would have helped.
He says: “These are charlatans and clowns”. Since when has he seen charlatans working for free? Have they made the patient wear talismans? Have they employed cabalistic signs? Have they pronounced sacramental words? Have they connected a special virtue to those words? No because Spiritism condemns every superstitious practice. They prayed with fervor and with a communion of thoughts. Were those prayers foolish? Apparently not since they were successful meaning that they were heard.
Mr. Priest can treat Spiritism and the evocations like absurd and foolishness in his own right if that is his opinion and that is nobody else’s business. But when in order to denigrate the Spiritist functions he says that there only carpenters and workers in general isn’t that a degradation of those professions and an offense to those that practice them? You then forget, Mr. Priest, that Jesus was a Carpenter and that his apostles were all poor art craft or fishermen? Would that be Evangelical to cast from the podium such a disdain upon a class that Jesus wanted to honor by being born among them? Do you understand the implication of your words when you say: “The first shoeshiner that shows up could then be a medium and evoke the member of an honorable family”? Do you then disregard that simple shoeshiner that cleans you shoes? Why? Because his position is low you do not see him as dignified enough to evoke the soul of a noble character? Are you then afraid that such a soul could be blemished when working dirty hands reach out to heavens? Do you really believe that God makes a differentiation between the soul of the rich and the soul of the poor? Hasn’t Jesus said: “Love your neighbor as yourself”? [1] Now love the neighbor as oneself means no difference between the neighbor and oneself; it is the application of the principle that all men are brothers since all are sons of God. Does God receive with more distinction the soul of the great against that of the little one? Does God receive better the soul of a person that does a proposed well paid service than that of an unfortunate person to whom you do not dedicate the shortest prayers? You speak out of an exclusively mundane point of view forgetting that Jesus said this: “My kingdom is not of this world.” [2] There you do not find the distinctions found on Earth; the last ones will be first and the first the last.[3] When Jesus said: “In My Father’s house are many mansions” [4]does it mean that there is one for the rich and another for the worker? One to the master and another to the servant? No, but that there is one for the humble and another for the proud because he also said: “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all and servant of all.” [5] It is then up to those that you call profane to remind you of the Gospels?
Mr. Priest such words would be little charitable in any circumstance particularly in the house of God where only words of peace and union among all members of the great family should be preached. Your words show inability in the current state of society since they spread the yeast of antagonism. We would understand your words if said in times when the servants, used to bend the cervix, judged themselves as an inferior race because they were told so, but in today’s France in which every honest person has the right to raise their heads, be it a plebeian or a noble, it is an anachronism.
If, as it is likely to be so, there were carpenters, shoeshiners and workers in the auditorium they must have felt humiliated by such a speech. As for the Spiritists we know that they prayed to God to have the speaker forgiven for his imprudent words because they themselves forgave the one that said Racca [6] to them. It is the advice that we give to all brothers.
[1] Mark 12:31
[2] John 18:36
[3]Mathew 20:16
[4]John 14:2
[5] Mark 9:35
[6]Mathew 5:22
Whatever the opinion we might have; whatever the opinion one may have about Spiritism any person driven by a sincere love towards their neighbor must have felt happy on seeing the tranquility that returned to that family and happiness replacing despair. It is regrettable that the priest of that parish preferred not to join that feeling and that such event may have served him for the production of a not much Evangelical text for one of his sermons. His words are of public domain. If he had limited himself to an honest criticism of the Doctrine from his point of view we would not mentioned that but we believe to be our duty to respond to the attacks addressed to much respectable persons that were treated as thugs regarding the fact above.
He said: “Therefore will then the first shoeshinner that shows up, if a medium, be able to evoke the member of an honorable family when nobody else in that family can do that? Brothers, do not believe in such absurd. This is mockery, foolishness. What do you really see in those gatherings? Carpenters, workers, what else? Some people asked me if I had contributed to the cure of the young lady. No, I answered, I did not join that absolutely; I am not a doctor.”
He told the relatives: “The only thing I see in this is a physical condition that is up to medicine to handle”, adding that if he had thought that prayers could have given her any relief he would have done that long before.
If Mr. Priest does not believe in the efficacy of prayer in similar cases he did well in not saying them. It can be concluded that as a conscious person if the parents had come to him asking for masses for the cure of their daughter he would have refused the payment for that since if he accepted he would be receiving payment for something that he considered useless. The Spiritists believe in the efficacy of prayers for illnesses and obsessions. They prayed, cured and asked for nothing in return; even more, if the parents were in need they would have helped.
He says: “These are charlatans and clowns”. Since when has he seen charlatans working for free? Have they made the patient wear talismans? Have they employed cabalistic signs? Have they pronounced sacramental words? Have they connected a special virtue to those words? No because Spiritism condemns every superstitious practice. They prayed with fervor and with a communion of thoughts. Were those prayers foolish? Apparently not since they were successful meaning that they were heard.
Mr. Priest can treat Spiritism and the evocations like absurd and foolishness in his own right if that is his opinion and that is nobody else’s business. But when in order to denigrate the Spiritist functions he says that there only carpenters and workers in general isn’t that a degradation of those professions and an offense to those that practice them? You then forget, Mr. Priest, that Jesus was a Carpenter and that his apostles were all poor art craft or fishermen? Would that be Evangelical to cast from the podium such a disdain upon a class that Jesus wanted to honor by being born among them? Do you understand the implication of your words when you say: “The first shoeshiner that shows up could then be a medium and evoke the member of an honorable family”? Do you then disregard that simple shoeshiner that cleans you shoes? Why? Because his position is low you do not see him as dignified enough to evoke the soul of a noble character? Are you then afraid that such a soul could be blemished when working dirty hands reach out to heavens? Do you really believe that God makes a differentiation between the soul of the rich and the soul of the poor? Hasn’t Jesus said: “Love your neighbor as yourself”? [1] Now love the neighbor as oneself means no difference between the neighbor and oneself; it is the application of the principle that all men are brothers since all are sons of God. Does God receive with more distinction the soul of the great against that of the little one? Does God receive better the soul of a person that does a proposed well paid service than that of an unfortunate person to whom you do not dedicate the shortest prayers? You speak out of an exclusively mundane point of view forgetting that Jesus said this: “My kingdom is not of this world.” [2] There you do not find the distinctions found on Earth; the last ones will be first and the first the last.[3] When Jesus said: “In My Father’s house are many mansions” [4]does it mean that there is one for the rich and another for the worker? One to the master and another to the servant? No, but that there is one for the humble and another for the proud because he also said: “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all and servant of all.” [5] It is then up to those that you call profane to remind you of the Gospels?
Mr. Priest such words would be little charitable in any circumstance particularly in the house of God where only words of peace and union among all members of the great family should be preached. Your words show inability in the current state of society since they spread the yeast of antagonism. We would understand your words if said in times when the servants, used to bend the cervix, judged themselves as an inferior race because they were told so, but in today’s France in which every honest person has the right to raise their heads, be it a plebeian or a noble, it is an anachronism.
If, as it is likely to be so, there were carpenters, shoeshiners and workers in the auditorium they must have felt humiliated by such a speech. As for the Spiritists we know that they prayed to God to have the speaker forgiven for his imprudent words because they themselves forgave the one that said Racca [6] to them. It is the advice that we give to all brothers.
[1] Mark 12:31
[2] John 18:36
[3]Mathew 20:16
[4]John 14:2
[5] Mark 9:35
[6]Mathew 5:22
We pure and simply cite the passage of that pastoral regarding Spiritism without comments or reflections. Mr. Bishop in his own right gives his opinion from a theological point of view only attacking the idea and not persons hence there is nothing to be said. We could discuss his theory but that has been done so many times that it would be superfluous particularly because we cannot find new arguments to add. We bring it to the eyes of the public so that everybody may be aware of that and take advantage of that in the best possible way.
“The devil hides in all possible ways in order to keep his conspiracy against God and mankind forever and to continue his work of seduction. In paradise he took the disguise of a snake. He shall transform into an angel of light if that is needed or necessary to contribute to the realization of his projects, as demonstrated by a thousand and one examples registered in history. In more recent times the devil even made use of weapons that were rusted and lost in time, utilized in the most remote eras, more precisely in the second and third centuries to fight Christianity.
The dancing tables, the rapping Spirits, the evocations, etc. are so many other artifices and God does allow them for the punishment of the sinful, curious and carefree. If the bad Spirits, as assured by the sacred Scriptures, attach to people’s bodies and souls (see the book of Job and many other passages of the Scriptures), if they can give voice to sticks, rocks, a snake, goats, a donkey; if near the lake of Gennesaret and under his command they receive permission to enter into filthy animals, then they can also speak through the tables, write with the leg of a table or a chair, adopt the language and imitate the accent of the dead and absent, talk about unknown things that seem impossible to us but that can be seen and heard by them as Spirits. However, I feel sorry for the idle, unwise and indiscreet criminals that turn those devilish buffoonery into a pastime and that are not even afraid of taking advantage of superstitious and forbidden means of getting the knowledge of future events that are ignored or only superficially known by the devil! Those who love danger shall perish in danger. Those that play with poisonous snakes shall not escape their assassin fangs. Those that play with fire will be reduced to ashes. Those that seek the partnership of liars and villains shall necessarily become their victims. It is a trade with bad angels that in the Old Testament the prophets name it something that is hardly taken to Christians in good faith. When such evocations are carried out the malignant Spirit may well tell a truth or another to begin with and speak as desired by curious people to gain their trust. But people are then dazzled and seduced, anxious to unveil mysteries.
It is then that the poisoned chalice is brought to their lips, full of lies and impieties, stripped from any Christian principle or charitable feeling.
Fortunate is the one that has realized in time that he/she had fallen into diabolic hands and can, with the help of God, repel the links with which they would be carried away…”
-o-
While the antagonists remain in the terrain of theological discussions we urge our brothers that want to listen to our recommendations to abstain from any recrimination because freedom of speech must apply as much to them as to ourselves. Spiritism is not imposed it is accepted. It gives its reasons and does not find it bad that those reasons are fought against as long as it is done honestly and then it is up to common sense to pronounce about it. If Spiritism is founded on truth it will succeed despite everything. If its arguments are false it is not by violence that they will become better.
Spiritism does not wish to be believed by word; it wishes free examination and its propaganda is done by this: see the pros and cons, judge what best satisfy your reason, what best responds to your hopes and aspirations, that best touches your heart and then make a decision based on the acquired knowledge.
The Spiritists must not follow the same path by criticizing the inconvenience and personalism of the speech of their adversaries. Its strength comes from moderation and we urge you not to stay away from that. We deny support to any aggressive and inconvenient quarrel, from whatever direction, in the name of the Spiritist principles and in the interest of the cause.
Side by side with some regrettable events like that one of Marmande we could mention a good number of very different cases if we were not afraid of bothering their authors and that is why we only do so with the greatest reservation.
A lady acquaintance of ours, a good medium and like her husband, keen Spiritist, was near her death about six months ago. She found reassuring resignation in her faith and belief in the future before that supreme moment that she saw coming courageously. She called for the priest of her perish to come and give her the sacraments.
“The devil hides in all possible ways in order to keep his conspiracy against God and mankind forever and to continue his work of seduction. In paradise he took the disguise of a snake. He shall transform into an angel of light if that is needed or necessary to contribute to the realization of his projects, as demonstrated by a thousand and one examples registered in history. In more recent times the devil even made use of weapons that were rusted and lost in time, utilized in the most remote eras, more precisely in the second and third centuries to fight Christianity.
The dancing tables, the rapping Spirits, the evocations, etc. are so many other artifices and God does allow them for the punishment of the sinful, curious and carefree. If the bad Spirits, as assured by the sacred Scriptures, attach to people’s bodies and souls (see the book of Job and many other passages of the Scriptures), if they can give voice to sticks, rocks, a snake, goats, a donkey; if near the lake of Gennesaret and under his command they receive permission to enter into filthy animals, then they can also speak through the tables, write with the leg of a table or a chair, adopt the language and imitate the accent of the dead and absent, talk about unknown things that seem impossible to us but that can be seen and heard by them as Spirits. However, I feel sorry for the idle, unwise and indiscreet criminals that turn those devilish buffoonery into a pastime and that are not even afraid of taking advantage of superstitious and forbidden means of getting the knowledge of future events that are ignored or only superficially known by the devil! Those who love danger shall perish in danger. Those that play with poisonous snakes shall not escape their assassin fangs. Those that play with fire will be reduced to ashes. Those that seek the partnership of liars and villains shall necessarily become their victims. It is a trade with bad angels that in the Old Testament the prophets name it something that is hardly taken to Christians in good faith. When such evocations are carried out the malignant Spirit may well tell a truth or another to begin with and speak as desired by curious people to gain their trust. But people are then dazzled and seduced, anxious to unveil mysteries.
It is then that the poisoned chalice is brought to their lips, full of lies and impieties, stripped from any Christian principle or charitable feeling.
Fortunate is the one that has realized in time that he/she had fallen into diabolic hands and can, with the help of God, repel the links with which they would be carried away…”
-o-
While the antagonists remain in the terrain of theological discussions we urge our brothers that want to listen to our recommendations to abstain from any recrimination because freedom of speech must apply as much to them as to ourselves. Spiritism is not imposed it is accepted. It gives its reasons and does not find it bad that those reasons are fought against as long as it is done honestly and then it is up to common sense to pronounce about it. If Spiritism is founded on truth it will succeed despite everything. If its arguments are false it is not by violence that they will become better.
Spiritism does not wish to be believed by word; it wishes free examination and its propaganda is done by this: see the pros and cons, judge what best satisfy your reason, what best responds to your hopes and aspirations, that best touches your heart and then make a decision based on the acquired knowledge.
The Spiritists must not follow the same path by criticizing the inconvenience and personalism of the speech of their adversaries. Its strength comes from moderation and we urge you not to stay away from that. We deny support to any aggressive and inconvenient quarrel, from whatever direction, in the name of the Spiritist principles and in the interest of the cause.
Side by side with some regrettable events like that one of Marmande we could mention a good number of very different cases if we were not afraid of bothering their authors and that is why we only do so with the greatest reservation.
A lady acquaintance of ours, a good medium and like her husband, keen Spiritist, was near her death about six months ago. She found reassuring resignation in her faith and belief in the future before that supreme moment that she saw coming courageously. She called for the priest of her perish to come and give her the sacraments.
- You know that we are Spiritists. Despite that will you give me the sacraments of the Church?
- Why not, answered the cure priest. That belief comforts you. It does make you both kind and charitable. I see no evil. I know The Spirits’ Book. I will not say that it had me convinced in all points but it contains the moral teachings that should be followed by every Christian and I do not reproach you for reading it. But if there are good Spirits there are also bad ones. It is against those that you must protect yourselves. Those are the ones that you must distinguish. On another hand, my dear, see that true religion consists on the prayer said from the bottom of your heart and in the practice of good deeds. You have faith in god; you pray with fervor; you help thy neighbor when you can then I can forgive you.
We would not take the initiative of writing about the fact that follows but there is no reason to stop since it was published in several newspapers among which the Opinion Nationale and the Siècle on February 22nd, 1864 according to the Bulletin Diplomatique.
“A letter sent by a well-informed person reveals that recently in a private council where people discussed the Danish situation Queen Victoria declared that she would not do a thing without consulting with Prince Albert.[1] In fact after having retired for some time into her cabinet she came back saying that the Prince had pronounced against the war. That fact and other similar ones transpired and gave rise to the idea that would be appropriate to establish a regency.”
We were right when we wrote that Spiritism had followers in thrones. We could have said: even in thrones. As it can be seen, however, the sovereign themselves do not escape the qualifications given to those that believe in the communications from beyond the grave. The Spiritists should feel reassured for being in such a good company after being treated as mad people. Therefore it is too contagious and moves too far!
We are aware of a good number of foreign Princes that have that supposed weakness for some of them attend the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies. How could they wish the idea would not penetrate the whole society when it is present at all levels? From that Mr. Priest of Marmande can see that there aren’t mediums only among shoeshiners.
The following reflection follows the article in the Journal of Poitiers about the same case: “Isn’t an abandonment of reality, the only way we have to govern the world, when we fall in the hands of the Spirits”?
We agree with the journal’s opinion but from another point of view. To them the Spirits are not reality because for certain people there is only reality in what can be seen and touched. Well, God would not be a reality then and who would dare say that God does not govern the world and that there aren’t providential events to lead to a predetermined result? Then! The Spirits are the instruments of God’s will. They inspire and incite people to do this or that despite their own will; to act in one way or another instead of a given direction and that as much in great events as in private circumstances of life. Hence we do not share the journal’s opinion about this. If the Spirits give hidden inspiration is the allow people to use their free-will and to have the responsibility of their own actions. If a person receives the inspiration of a bad Spirit that person must be certain to receive at the same time that of a good Spirit since God never leaves us defenseless against bad suggestions. Each one must ponder and decide according to their own conscience.
In ostensive mediumistic communications people must no longer abstain from using their free-will. It would be a mistake to blindly guide every step and movement based on the advice given by the Spirits because there are those that still have the ideas and prejudices of life. Only the really superior Spirits are exempt from that.
The Spirits give their advices and opinion. In case of doubt one can discuss with them as one would do when they were alive. In such a way one can assess the strength of their arguments. The truly good Spirits never refuse to do that. Those that reject such examination and that demand absolute submission demonstrate that they do not depend much on the fairness of the reasons to convince others and must be considered suspicious.
In principles the Spirits are not here to carry us along. The objective of their instructions is to make us better, to give faith to those that have none and not to spare us the work of thinking by ourselves. That is what those that don’t believe in the relationship with beyond the grave ignore. They believe it to be absurd because they judge them according to their own ideas and not according to reality that they do not know.
Also, the manifestations must not be judged by the abuse or false applications that some people may make of them as it would not be rational to judge religion by the bad priests. Now to know if something is well or badly applied one needs to get to know it not superficially but in depth. If you go to a concert to know if the music is good or bad and if the musicians execute it well one does need to get to know the music before anything else.
That could be the basis to appreciate the fact in question. Would the Queen be reproached if she had said: “Gentlemen, the situation is serious, allow me some privacy to ask for God’s inspiration with respect to the resolution I must make”? The Prince is not God, that is true, but since she is pious it is likely that she had asked God to inspire the Prince’s response what is the same thing. Her affection made her have him acting as an intermediary.
Things may have gone still in a different way. If the Queen would not do anything without consulting the Prince when he was alive she could wanted to ask his opinion when dead as if he would be alive and not because he is a Spirit and for her he is not dead. He is always by her side as a guide or an obliging counselor. Between them there is nothing more than a missing body. If the Prince were alive she would have done the same hence nothing changed in her way of doing things.
Now, the theory of the Spirit-Prince is good or bad? It is not up to us to judge. What we should reject is the opinion of those to whom it seems puerile, bizarre and even stupid that someone in good judgment could believe in the reality of someone that no longer has a body because they enjoy thinking that when they are dead themselves they will be nothing. To their eyes the Queen did not do anything more sensible than if she had said: “Gentlemen I need to consult with an astrologer or the cards.”
If that alone has no consequence to politics it is not like that from a Spiritist point of view given the repercussion it had. The Queen could certainly abstain from telling the reason for her absence and from saying that such was the Prince’s advice. Saying so in such a solemn circumstance was like publically confessing her belief in the Spirits and in their manifestations and acknowledge to be a medium herself. Now, when such example comes from a crowned head that can encourage the opinion of those that are not no highly placed.
It is impossible to stop admiring the fertility of the means employed by the Spirits to oblige the skeptical to talk about Spiritism making the idea penetrate every layer of society. In this case they have to be careful with their criticism.
[1] Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the husband of Queen Victoria. He was born in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, to a family connected to many of Europe's ruling monarchs. Born August 26th, 1819, Coburg, Germany and died on December 14th, 1861, Windsor, UK. (Wikipedia)
We received a death notice from Le Havre with the following subscription:
“We beg the Almighty and Merciful and the good Spirits to receive him well.”
The letter mentioned: “Given the sacraments of the Church.”
It is the first time, as far as we know, that similar public profession of faith has been carried out in similar circumstance. One must be thankful to the family for the example that has just been given. Generally speaking only a few persons, with the exception of closer relatives, take into account the request in the note to pray for the dead. We are certain that every Spiritist, even those strange to the family, that received it took it as their duty to attend the request because to them prayer is not a prosaic formula. They know about the influence of prayer on the detachment of the soul at the time of death.
“We beg the Almighty and Merciful and the good Spirits to receive him well.”
The letter mentioned: “Given the sacraments of the Church.”
It is the first time, as far as we know, that similar public profession of faith has been carried out in similar circumstance. One must be thankful to the family for the example that has just been given. Generally speaking only a few persons, with the exception of closer relatives, take into account the request in the note to pray for the dead. We are certain that every Spiritist, even those strange to the family, that received it took it as their duty to attend the request because to them prayer is not a prosaic formula. They know about the influence of prayer on the detachment of the soul at the time of death.
The order given to Mr. Home by the pontifical authorities to leave Rome in three days had been initially retracted as we saw in our last number. Nonetheless and as fear is not dominated it had been revoked. The right to stay had been definitely denied and Mr. Home had to leave at once under the accusation of witchcraft.
It is worth mentioning that the raps and lifting of tables during his questioning and that we had announced with reservation since we were not certain about it are accurate. That should have added to the belief that Mr. Home had brought the devil along to Rome where, as it seems, he had never been before. There we have him duly found guilty by the Roman government, guilty for being a witch but not those that make people laugh, a real witch or on the contrary they would not have taken him so seriously.
We read the interrogatory to which he was submitted and by the type of questions it involuntarily took us back to the times of Joan of Arc. It came short of the common conclusion for that type of accusation in those days. The teasing papers are surprised that people still believe in witchcraft in our days. That is because there are people that like Epimenides[1] have been sleeping for four centuries.
As a matter of fact how could the people not believe when its reality is attested by the very authority that must know him better and had also sent so many to be burnt at the stakes? It is necessary to be skeptical like a journalist to not acknowledge such positive truth.
What is even more remarkable is that they bring back the witches reviving them in the Spiritists, the ones that bring the proofs in their hands that there aren’t witches or wonders but just natural laws.
[1] Epimenides of Knossos (Crete) was a semi-mythical 7-6th century BC Greek seer and philosopher-poet believed to have fallen asleep for fifty-seven years in a Cretan cave that was sacred to Zeus, after which he reportedly awoke with the gift of prophecy (TN, Wikipedia).
It is worth mentioning that the raps and lifting of tables during his questioning and that we had announced with reservation since we were not certain about it are accurate. That should have added to the belief that Mr. Home had brought the devil along to Rome where, as it seems, he had never been before. There we have him duly found guilty by the Roman government, guilty for being a witch but not those that make people laugh, a real witch or on the contrary they would not have taken him so seriously.
We read the interrogatory to which he was submitted and by the type of questions it involuntarily took us back to the times of Joan of Arc. It came short of the common conclusion for that type of accusation in those days. The teasing papers are surprised that people still believe in witchcraft in our days. That is because there are people that like Epimenides[1] have been sleeping for four centuries.
As a matter of fact how could the people not believe when its reality is attested by the very authority that must know him better and had also sent so many to be burnt at the stakes? It is necessary to be skeptical like a journalist to not acknowledge such positive truth.
What is even more remarkable is that they bring back the witches reviving them in the Spiritists, the ones that bring the proofs in their hands that there aren’t witches or wonders but just natural laws.
[1] Epimenides of Knossos (Crete) was a semi-mythical 7-6th century BC Greek seer and philosopher-poet believed to have fallen asleep for fifty-seven years in a Cretan cave that was sacred to Zeus, after which he reportedly awoke with the gift of prophecy (TN, Wikipedia).
Instructions by the Spirits
NOTE: The other day Mr. Leymarie woke up earlier than normal and taken by an involuntary force felt invited to write, obtaining the following spontaneous dissertation:
“A generation of workers cursed my name. Were they right? Were they wrong? Ah, future should respond! I had the single idea of improvement, and particularly that of saving, then subtracting some hands. I wanted to simplify Vaucanson’s loom, taking the boy at an early age and turning him into a singular pariah, pale, skinny, looking fuzzy with a funny language, forming a separated population in my home town. There was always tension in my mind. I slept to wake up with another plan. Instead of carrying images and feelings my thoughts were about engines, cylinders, springs, gears and levers.
I used to see my guardian angel in my dreams, putting all my ideas to work, everything done by the hands of men. They were right when they said that “the mechanics were the poets of matter”. The most beautiful machines were ready when they left the minds of a worker. The invented the foundation of mechanics that he did not have before. The only sources of knowledge were patience and imagination.
It is truly an inspiration by the good Spirits neglected by the academia or by professional scientists but it is not less true that if Archimedes and Vaucanson are geniuses of mechanics those like Vergilius, if you like, are that patience and imagination that brings about every discovery that honors humanity. And all that by whom? By monks, ceramists, wool-workers, shepherds, a silk-worker and an ignorant blacksmith.
I was a humble worker, not a genius, but like many others I was predestined to simplify a loom that hurt people, abbreviating the lives of thousands of boys. I subtracted a physical pain and by serving the industry I served mankind.
One must admire the Providence that uses a simple Jacquard to transform a loom that feeds thousands – what am I saying? – Millions of people on Earth; an insect whose tomb compensates, transforms and feeds two fifths of the globe. Isn’t God a wonderful mechanics? God created the silkworm the ingenious artist in which resides a vast problem of economic policy. What a teaching to the proud and indifferent!
The issue of machines! A terrible issue! Each invention subtracts the bread and the tool from a whole population. The inventor is then a close enemy and a distant benefactor. The inventor multiplies the power of art and industry and the work in the future; the inventor does a remarkable service to humanity but doesn’t the inventor also cause a problem now? The first inventor of the loom destroyed the means of survival of many. Who were those that used to weave by hand other than mothers, lady shepherds and older women? However small their payments they at least had the means of making ends meet.
Similarly to the discoveries of religious, political or moral truths, the inventors of machines revolutionize matter. They are the precursors of the future, aggressively opening the way through interests, keeping the past under their feet. Thus, expecting a distant reward they are cursed by their contemporary fellow citizens.
Poor humanity! You are stupid if you stay behind, cruel if you move on. According to God you must not stay put if you do not wish to perpetuate evil but to do good you are revolutionary despite everything else.
That is why at this time of transition God tells you: Be Spiritists that is profoundly convinced of the selfless and moral initiative determined to endure every sacrifice so that you may achieve perfection in life.
Like the silkworm I painfully crawled supported by the good Spirits, endured my prison giving it all that I had. In the same way I was neglected by my contemporaries but also like the worm, the Spirit is born again from its ashes to truly live and admire the mechanism of the worlds, the God of light and goodness that wanted to show to my hometown that Spirit of Truth that vivifies and comforts.”
Jacquard
-o-
After this message was read at the Parisian Society in its February 12th, 1864 session, the Spirit of Jacquard was evoked and answered the questions below.
Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, February 12th, 1864 (medium Mr. Leymarie)
Question: You must certainly have given communications in Lyon but I don’t remember seeing communications by you. How come you chose Mr. Leymarie in Paris and not someone in one of the centers in Lyon to give the communication that we have just read? Why has Mr. Leymarie felt in a way compelled to wake up early and write that communication? Finally what is your opinion about the Spiritism in Lyon?
Answer: - “It is natural that I gave communications both in Paris as well as in my hometown because the medium’s parents are from Lyon and I met his grandfather in particular, that did me a great service in special circumstances. Besides, the medium was indicated to me by the Spirit of his grandfather that carries out a mission similar to mine in the spiritual world. Since the mission allows me some spare time I thought I would not bother the medium’s sleep a medium that like many others shows devotion to the cause that he serves. I also wanted my compatriots to hear from me through the Spiritist Review. I have always been with them, sharing their happy moments as well as the sad ones, never stopping telling them: - love one another. In times of unemployment I wanted to join my voice to so many others more influential and give them encouragement and forearm them against eventualities and against the enemy. Lyon shows you what Spiritism interpreted in good faith can do. What has become of the past violence, the riots and outcries that shed so much blood upon Lyon? Why have the night clubs that witnessed so many bad scenes in past become empty now? Family has taken back its righteous place wherever Spiritism has found dwelling, where its good influence was felt, and all over the place the Spiritist workers recovered hope and reestablished order, returned to the intelligent work and to the desire of doing good and progress. In my time my invention no longer slaved the worker to the machine, hence regenerating a generation of workers. In turn it is Spiritism that transforms the Spirit of that population, giving them the true initiation in life. It is a whole legion of good Spirits that come to open their eyes and their hearts up until now perverted to reason and love.
Spiritism today enters a new phase for now it is the time of generous aspirations. Bourgeoisie, still submitted to the clergy, remains like a spectator of the peaceful struggle carried out by the new idea against the ‘non-possumus’[1] of the past. They all wait for the end of the battle to remain side by side with the winners!
Therefore, dear compatriots, listen to and follow the advices given by Allan Kardec for they come from your protector Spirits. It is through them that you will keep the danger of clashes and even coalitions away. The more humble and serious you are the stronger you shall be.
The proud ones will lay down their flags before the truth that shall obscure them and then the great transformation of this city that we love so much will come, a city that in particular loves the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies for its faith in the future and the hopes that it was able to spread.”
Jacquard
In the same session, while Jacquard wrote the communication above, another medium, Mr. d’Ambel, obtained another one about the same subject signed by the Spirit Vaucanson.
[1] A religious phrase in Latin meaning: we cannot (TN)
“A generation of workers cursed my name. Were they right? Were they wrong? Ah, future should respond! I had the single idea of improvement, and particularly that of saving, then subtracting some hands. I wanted to simplify Vaucanson’s loom, taking the boy at an early age and turning him into a singular pariah, pale, skinny, looking fuzzy with a funny language, forming a separated population in my home town. There was always tension in my mind. I slept to wake up with another plan. Instead of carrying images and feelings my thoughts were about engines, cylinders, springs, gears and levers.
I used to see my guardian angel in my dreams, putting all my ideas to work, everything done by the hands of men. They were right when they said that “the mechanics were the poets of matter”. The most beautiful machines were ready when they left the minds of a worker. The invented the foundation of mechanics that he did not have before. The only sources of knowledge were patience and imagination.
It is truly an inspiration by the good Spirits neglected by the academia or by professional scientists but it is not less true that if Archimedes and Vaucanson are geniuses of mechanics those like Vergilius, if you like, are that patience and imagination that brings about every discovery that honors humanity. And all that by whom? By monks, ceramists, wool-workers, shepherds, a silk-worker and an ignorant blacksmith.
I was a humble worker, not a genius, but like many others I was predestined to simplify a loom that hurt people, abbreviating the lives of thousands of boys. I subtracted a physical pain and by serving the industry I served mankind.
One must admire the Providence that uses a simple Jacquard to transform a loom that feeds thousands – what am I saying? – Millions of people on Earth; an insect whose tomb compensates, transforms and feeds two fifths of the globe. Isn’t God a wonderful mechanics? God created the silkworm the ingenious artist in which resides a vast problem of economic policy. What a teaching to the proud and indifferent!
The issue of machines! A terrible issue! Each invention subtracts the bread and the tool from a whole population. The inventor is then a close enemy and a distant benefactor. The inventor multiplies the power of art and industry and the work in the future; the inventor does a remarkable service to humanity but doesn’t the inventor also cause a problem now? The first inventor of the loom destroyed the means of survival of many. Who were those that used to weave by hand other than mothers, lady shepherds and older women? However small their payments they at least had the means of making ends meet.
Similarly to the discoveries of religious, political or moral truths, the inventors of machines revolutionize matter. They are the precursors of the future, aggressively opening the way through interests, keeping the past under their feet. Thus, expecting a distant reward they are cursed by their contemporary fellow citizens.
Poor humanity! You are stupid if you stay behind, cruel if you move on. According to God you must not stay put if you do not wish to perpetuate evil but to do good you are revolutionary despite everything else.
That is why at this time of transition God tells you: Be Spiritists that is profoundly convinced of the selfless and moral initiative determined to endure every sacrifice so that you may achieve perfection in life.
Like the silkworm I painfully crawled supported by the good Spirits, endured my prison giving it all that I had. In the same way I was neglected by my contemporaries but also like the worm, the Spirit is born again from its ashes to truly live and admire the mechanism of the worlds, the God of light and goodness that wanted to show to my hometown that Spirit of Truth that vivifies and comforts.”
Jacquard
-o-
After this message was read at the Parisian Society in its February 12th, 1864 session, the Spirit of Jacquard was evoked and answered the questions below.
Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, February 12th, 1864 (medium Mr. Leymarie)
Question: You must certainly have given communications in Lyon but I don’t remember seeing communications by you. How come you chose Mr. Leymarie in Paris and not someone in one of the centers in Lyon to give the communication that we have just read? Why has Mr. Leymarie felt in a way compelled to wake up early and write that communication? Finally what is your opinion about the Spiritism in Lyon?
Answer: - “It is natural that I gave communications both in Paris as well as in my hometown because the medium’s parents are from Lyon and I met his grandfather in particular, that did me a great service in special circumstances. Besides, the medium was indicated to me by the Spirit of his grandfather that carries out a mission similar to mine in the spiritual world. Since the mission allows me some spare time I thought I would not bother the medium’s sleep a medium that like many others shows devotion to the cause that he serves. I also wanted my compatriots to hear from me through the Spiritist Review. I have always been with them, sharing their happy moments as well as the sad ones, never stopping telling them: - love one another. In times of unemployment I wanted to join my voice to so many others more influential and give them encouragement and forearm them against eventualities and against the enemy. Lyon shows you what Spiritism interpreted in good faith can do. What has become of the past violence, the riots and outcries that shed so much blood upon Lyon? Why have the night clubs that witnessed so many bad scenes in past become empty now? Family has taken back its righteous place wherever Spiritism has found dwelling, where its good influence was felt, and all over the place the Spiritist workers recovered hope and reestablished order, returned to the intelligent work and to the desire of doing good and progress. In my time my invention no longer slaved the worker to the machine, hence regenerating a generation of workers. In turn it is Spiritism that transforms the Spirit of that population, giving them the true initiation in life. It is a whole legion of good Spirits that come to open their eyes and their hearts up until now perverted to reason and love.
Spiritism today enters a new phase for now it is the time of generous aspirations. Bourgeoisie, still submitted to the clergy, remains like a spectator of the peaceful struggle carried out by the new idea against the ‘non-possumus’[1] of the past. They all wait for the end of the battle to remain side by side with the winners!
Therefore, dear compatriots, listen to and follow the advices given by Allan Kardec for they come from your protector Spirits. It is through them that you will keep the danger of clashes and even coalitions away. The more humble and serious you are the stronger you shall be.
The proud ones will lay down their flags before the truth that shall obscure them and then the great transformation of this city that we love so much will come, a city that in particular loves the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies for its faith in the future and the hopes that it was able to spread.”
Jacquard
In the same session, while Jacquard wrote the communication above, another medium, Mr. d’Ambel, obtained another one about the same subject signed by the Spirit Vaucanson.
[1] A religious phrase in Latin meaning: we cannot (TN)
In the past people were chained to the plough; they were sacrificed in gigantic works like the construction of the walls of Babylon where cars marched in line; the edification of the pyramids and the Sphinx that costed more than ten blood battles. Later on the animals were subjugated and we saw in the young Lutetia oxcarts dragging idle kings of the second race. This introduction intends to show to those that listen to us that questions framed in this center sympathetic to the Spirits may obtain their solution from one or another of us. That dear Jacquard, the glory of loom machine, an ingenious artisan that fell on the battle field of honorable work, mentioned one of the economic aspects related to humanitarian work. He kind of put me behind it, talking about the changes that I had implemented in the art of weaving and invited me to take part in this spiritual concert. That is why me, someone that was born in the old town of the Allobroges,[1] the Queen of the Grésivaudan,[2] took over the medium with the permission of his customary guides and come here to somehow complement the explanation given by my illustrious friend from Lyon through another medium.
In his dissertation, remarkable in fact, he still mentions a few complaints expressed by the eager bread winning worker, afraid of the disgraceful unemployment. One can feel that the worker fears for the suspension of his work that sustains the loved ones; they feel that disaster looms over the heads of the majority. Such a feeling is noble but shows a kind of narrow point of view. I come to discuss the same subject handled by Jacquard but if not in broader terms than he did at least in a more general point of view. I must attest, however, and paying tribute to those that rightfully deserve so, that the generous conclusion of my friend’s communication amply recovers the faulty side that I mention.
People were not created to remain as in intelligent instrument of production. Their aptitudes, their place in creation and their destiny are called to another function that is not that of the machine; to another role that is not of the horse in the carrousel. People must produce more and more intellectually, to the limit defined by their own advancement and finally emancipate from that state of servitude and intelligent machinery to which they have been enslaved for generations.
The worker is called upon to become an engineer, to see the working arms replaced by more accurate, tireless and active machines.
The artisan must turn into an artist, guiding the mechanical work through thoughts rather than arms. That is the irrefutable demonstration of that broad law of progress that governs all humanities.
Now that you can foresee the truth of human destinies by probing a future life and that you are convinced that this existence is not more than a ring in the chain of your immortal life I can say: what does it matter that a hundred thousand perish when a machine was discovered to do their work? To the philosopher that stands high and above earthly prejudices and interests such an event demonstrates that mankind was no longer walking the path designed by the Providence when dedicating to that kind of work. In fact it is in the field of intelligence that people must now apply the fertilizing plough. It is only through intelligence that progress will come.
I beg you not to attribute a much too revolutionary meaning to my words. No. But allow its broader and superior meaning allowed by a Spiritist essay that addresses the already advanced and ready minds for the thorough understanding of our instructions.
It is certain that if the artisan left overnight the bread winning loom under the pretext that it would be replaced by any sort of mechanism or invention it would be fatal and contrary to every lesson given by Spiritism. All thoughts, however, have the sole objective of demonstrating that nobody should scream against progress that replaces human arms by mechanical devices and gears.
Besides, it must be added that humanity paid high price to misery and that education penetrating further and further into all social layers will make each individual more and more capable of the intelligently called liberal functions.
It is hard to a Spirit that communicates through a medium for the first time to express the thought with enough clarity; I apologize for the disorganization of my communication that I conclude in a few words: man is a spiritual agent that must submit matter in a not too distant time to his own service and only utilizing intelligence that expands in human brains.
Vaucanson
[1] Gallic tribe of ancient Gaul, located between the Rhône River and Lake Geneva (TN – Wikipedia)
[2] A valley of the French Alps (TN – Wikipedia)
In his dissertation, remarkable in fact, he still mentions a few complaints expressed by the eager bread winning worker, afraid of the disgraceful unemployment. One can feel that the worker fears for the suspension of his work that sustains the loved ones; they feel that disaster looms over the heads of the majority. Such a feeling is noble but shows a kind of narrow point of view. I come to discuss the same subject handled by Jacquard but if not in broader terms than he did at least in a more general point of view. I must attest, however, and paying tribute to those that rightfully deserve so, that the generous conclusion of my friend’s communication amply recovers the faulty side that I mention.
People were not created to remain as in intelligent instrument of production. Their aptitudes, their place in creation and their destiny are called to another function that is not that of the machine; to another role that is not of the horse in the carrousel. People must produce more and more intellectually, to the limit defined by their own advancement and finally emancipate from that state of servitude and intelligent machinery to which they have been enslaved for generations.
The worker is called upon to become an engineer, to see the working arms replaced by more accurate, tireless and active machines.
The artisan must turn into an artist, guiding the mechanical work through thoughts rather than arms. That is the irrefutable demonstration of that broad law of progress that governs all humanities.
Now that you can foresee the truth of human destinies by probing a future life and that you are convinced that this existence is not more than a ring in the chain of your immortal life I can say: what does it matter that a hundred thousand perish when a machine was discovered to do their work? To the philosopher that stands high and above earthly prejudices and interests such an event demonstrates that mankind was no longer walking the path designed by the Providence when dedicating to that kind of work. In fact it is in the field of intelligence that people must now apply the fertilizing plough. It is only through intelligence that progress will come.
I beg you not to attribute a much too revolutionary meaning to my words. No. But allow its broader and superior meaning allowed by a Spiritist essay that addresses the already advanced and ready minds for the thorough understanding of our instructions.
It is certain that if the artisan left overnight the bread winning loom under the pretext that it would be replaced by any sort of mechanism or invention it would be fatal and contrary to every lesson given by Spiritism. All thoughts, however, have the sole objective of demonstrating that nobody should scream against progress that replaces human arms by mechanical devices and gears.
Besides, it must be added that humanity paid high price to misery and that education penetrating further and further into all social layers will make each individual more and more capable of the intelligently called liberal functions.
It is hard to a Spirit that communicates through a medium for the first time to express the thought with enough clarity; I apologize for the disorganization of my communication that I conclude in a few words: man is a spiritual agent that must submit matter in a not too distant time to his own service and only utilizing intelligence that expands in human brains.
Vaucanson
[1] Gallic tribe of ancient Gaul, located between the Rhône River and Lake Geneva (TN – Wikipedia)
[2] A valley of the French Alps (TN – Wikipedia)
Archives of Spiritism in Italy
The Spiritist Society of Turin initiated a monthly publication with the title above from which we received the two first issues. The eminently serious objective of that Society as well as the talent and enlightenment of the members allow us to have great expectations for the future of this new organ of the Doctrine.
Thanks to that and since it is written in their national language Spiritism will walk its way in Italy where it already counts on many sympathizers. The Society and its journal have clearly taken the flagship of the Parisian Society. The following passage translated from their first number is a kind of profession of faith that clearly states the Spirit that presides over the publication.
“Therefore those that wish to dedicate to the study of Spiritism must begin, before the experiments, by reading the works that handle the issue and study them thoughtfully to avoid acting like the traveler that traveled to an unknown land without guides or advices taking the risk of getting lost in every step of the way. Since others have leveled the terrain reason requires that they enlighten themselves by the study so that they can distinguish between the good and the bad Spirits and how to behave to free themselves from the latter ones and not become victims of their trickeries or the bad consequences that result from that.
The books written in French by a tireless and wise Spiritist, Mr. Allan Kardec, are highly recommended, books that we don’t know what to praise the most if the equity of the intent, the highest philosophy or the clarity of the explanations. Among the works the first to be read are The Spirits’ Book and The Mediums’ Book. The first one contains the philosophical doctrine revealed by the superior Spirits, as the author says, and the second contains a comprehensive treaty about the practice of Spiritism and the way to acquire, if possible, the mediumistic faculty. None of those works, however, was translated to the Italian and even if they could be analyzed by everybody their reach would be an obstacle to many. The author himself felt that and that is why he summarized the essential part of The Spirits’ Book in a little brochure entitled: Spiritism in its simplest expression that was translated to our language and published in Turin. One can say that the translation circulated the whole peninsula and a large number of books sold in every Italian city. But since the author did not publish a summary of The Mediums’ Book and in hopes that the complete book be translated into Italian, we had the idea of publishing a summary ourselves that although not comparable to one by Allan Kardec it at least contains the first aid kit of warnings for those that are willing to dedicate to the study of practical Spiritism. We hope it will be good enough to initiate the path that will be needed to be covered to be able to successfully establish a relationship with the good Spirits and keep the inferior and bad ones away. Studied with purity of feelings Spiritism can become a source of the sweetest consolations to every good person that longs for progress.”
A new journal has just appeared in Bordeaux, with the title: “The savior of the peoples, journal of Spiritism, propagator of the fraternal unity.” General Manager: A. Lefraise. It is a weekly publication.
The title promises a lot and imposes great obligations for today the etiquette is no longer enough. We shall remind them after appreciating the way they justify things. If it is here to bring a useful stone to the edifice; it is comes to unite, as it says, instead of breaking apart; if guided by true charity in words and actions towards their fellow believers; if the controversy with the adversaries of our doctrine does not go beyond the limits of honesty and moderation it will be welcome and we will gladly encourage and support it.
A new work of Mr. Allan Kardec more or less of the same extension of The Spirits Book is in preparation to be released in December. It should have been published in February but involuntary delays in printing and the care that it requires did not allow so. Everything leads to believe that we will be able announce the publication in the next issue of the Review. It should replace the book announced under the title: The voices of the invisible world, whose primitive plan was radically modified.
The Spiritist Society of Turin initiated a monthly publication with the title above from which we received the two first issues. The eminently serious objective of that Society as well as the talent and enlightenment of the members allow us to have great expectations for the future of this new organ of the Doctrine.
Thanks to that and since it is written in their national language Spiritism will walk its way in Italy where it already counts on many sympathizers. The Society and its journal have clearly taken the flagship of the Parisian Society. The following passage translated from their first number is a kind of profession of faith that clearly states the Spirit that presides over the publication.
“Therefore those that wish to dedicate to the study of Spiritism must begin, before the experiments, by reading the works that handle the issue and study them thoughtfully to avoid acting like the traveler that traveled to an unknown land without guides or advices taking the risk of getting lost in every step of the way. Since others have leveled the terrain reason requires that they enlighten themselves by the study so that they can distinguish between the good and the bad Spirits and how to behave to free themselves from the latter ones and not become victims of their trickeries or the bad consequences that result from that.
The books written in French by a tireless and wise Spiritist, Mr. Allan Kardec, are highly recommended, books that we don’t know what to praise the most if the equity of the intent, the highest philosophy or the clarity of the explanations. Among the works the first to be read are The Spirits’ Book and The Mediums’ Book. The first one contains the philosophical doctrine revealed by the superior Spirits, as the author says, and the second contains a comprehensive treaty about the practice of Spiritism and the way to acquire, if possible, the mediumistic faculty. None of those works, however, was translated to the Italian and even if they could be analyzed by everybody their reach would be an obstacle to many. The author himself felt that and that is why he summarized the essential part of The Spirits’ Book in a little brochure entitled: Spiritism in its simplest expression that was translated to our language and published in Turin. One can say that the translation circulated the whole peninsula and a large number of books sold in every Italian city. But since the author did not publish a summary of The Mediums’ Book and in hopes that the complete book be translated into Italian, we had the idea of publishing a summary ourselves that although not comparable to one by Allan Kardec it at least contains the first aid kit of warnings for those that are willing to dedicate to the study of practical Spiritism. We hope it will be good enough to initiate the path that will be needed to be covered to be able to successfully establish a relationship with the good Spirits and keep the inferior and bad ones away. Studied with purity of feelings Spiritism can become a source of the sweetest consolations to every good person that longs for progress.”
A new journal has just appeared in Bordeaux, with the title: “The savior of the peoples, journal of Spiritism, propagator of the fraternal unity.” General Manager: A. Lefraise. It is a weekly publication.
The title promises a lot and imposes great obligations for today the etiquette is no longer enough. We shall remind them after appreciating the way they justify things. If it is here to bring a useful stone to the edifice; it is comes to unite, as it says, instead of breaking apart; if guided by true charity in words and actions towards their fellow believers; if the controversy with the adversaries of our doctrine does not go beyond the limits of honesty and moderation it will be welcome and we will gladly encourage and support it.
A new work of Mr. Allan Kardec more or less of the same extension of The Spirits Book is in preparation to be released in December. It should have been published in February but involuntary delays in printing and the care that it requires did not allow so. Everything leads to believe that we will be able announce the publication in the next issue of the Review. It should replace the book announced under the title: The voices of the invisible world, whose primitive plan was radically modified.
R.P.F. Mathieu
Former army chief pharmacist and member of several scientific societies
Mr. Mathieu, deceased on February 12th, 1864 was very well-known in the Spiritist environment of Paris where he used to attend several meetings in which he took active part. He was involved with the Spiritist phenomena since its origin. We met him when we were initiating our preliminary works. The nature of his mind led him to doubt. A long time after he had carried out experiments himself with the planchette he still refused to acknowledge the action of the Spirits. Later on his ideas changed and he was no longer so radically against the idea of reincarnation.
Mr. Mathieu only hardly and with time would admit something that was not the way he saw things but he was not a systematic adversary and although not totally convinced by the doctrines found in The Spirits’ Book we must pay tribute to his controversy since he has never distanced himself from the boundaries of civility. The kindness and honorability of his character made him appreciated by all of those that met him and he shall be missed. He died at the moment when he was giving the finishing touch in his important book about the Convulsionaries that has just been published by Mr. Didier & Co.
Former army chief pharmacist and member of several scientific societies
Mr. Mathieu, deceased on February 12th, 1864 was very well-known in the Spiritist environment of Paris where he used to attend several meetings in which he took active part. He was involved with the Spiritist phenomena since its origin. We met him when we were initiating our preliminary works. The nature of his mind led him to doubt. A long time after he had carried out experiments himself with the planchette he still refused to acknowledge the action of the Spirits. Later on his ideas changed and he was no longer so radically against the idea of reincarnation.
Mr. Mathieu only hardly and with time would admit something that was not the way he saw things but he was not a systematic adversary and although not totally convinced by the doctrines found in The Spirits’ Book we must pay tribute to his controversy since he has never distanced himself from the boundaries of civility. The kindness and honorability of his character made him appreciated by all of those that met him and he shall be missed. He died at the moment when he was giving the finishing touch in his important book about the Convulsionaries that has just been published by Mr. Didier & Co.