How many times have they not said that Spiritism is dead and buried! How many writers have already flattered themselves of having given it the coup de grace, some for having used swear words seasoned with coarse salt, others for having discovered a charlatan under the cover of Spiritist, or some a crude imitation of a phenomenon! Not to mention all the sermons, warrants and brochures from the source, from which the least believed to have thrown the lightning bolt, the appearance of ghosts in theaters greeted with a “hurray” down the line.
“
We got the secret of the Spiritists” – screamed the papers over and over again, small, and large, from the Perpignan to the Dunkerque - “
they shall never stand up again from this blow!”. Then came the Davenport brothers, apostles, and supreme priests of Spiritism that they did not know, and that no Spiritist knew either. After that Mr. Robin enjoyed the glory of salving France and humanity for the second time, while striving with his theater business. The press built a crown to this courageous defender of common sense, to that wise man that had discovered the threads of Spiritism, like Dr. Jobert (de Lamballe) had discovered the threads of the muscle that raps. The Davenport brothers, however, left without the honors of the war; the muscle that raps drowned, and Spiritism is doing very well. It does evidently demonstrate that it is neither the ghosts of Mr. Robin nor the ropes and tambourines of the Davenports, nor the “
Peroneus brevis” muscle.
[1] Therefore it is another failed attack.
But this time, this is the true and good one, and it is impossible to have Spiritism standing up again. It is the “
The Event”, “
The National Opinion” and “
The Grand Journal” that teach us and affirm. A rather bizarre this is that Spiritism likes to reproduce all the facts that are opposed to it, and which, according to its adversaries, must kill it. If they were considered too dangerous it would keep them quiet. Here’s what it is about:
“
The renowned English actor Sothem has just published a letter in a Glasgow newspaper that gives the last blow to Spiritism. The paper criticized him for ruthlessly attacking the Davenport brothers and the followers of the occult influences, after having himself entertained sessions of Spiritism in America, with the name Sticart, now his pseudonym in the theater. Mr. Sothem confesses to have frequently showed his friends that he could reproduce all the trickeries of the Spiritists, and even produce more fantastic tricks, but that his experiments had never taken place outside a small circle of friends and acquaintances. He had never asked anyone to come up with a single cent, since he covered all the expenses himself, after which he joined his friends in a joyful dinner. With the help of a very active American, he obtained the most curious results: the apparition of ghosts, sounds of instruments, the signature of Shakespeare, invisible hands caressing the hair of spectators, slapping them, etc. Mr. Sothem always said that all that magic was the result of ingenious trickeries, skill, and dexterity, without the participation of the Spirits from the other world. In short, the celebrity artist declares that he challenges the Hume, the Davenports and all the Spiritists of the world to make some manifestation that he cannot overcome.He never thought of making profession out of his skills but just embarrass the swindlers that insult religion and steal money from the public, making believe that they have a supernatural power; that they can communicate with the other world; that they can evoke the soul of the dead. Mr. Sothem does not go around the bushes to give his opinion. He gives things their actual names; to him, a cat is a cat and the Rollets… they are thieves.”
The Davenports had two things against them that our adversaries acknowledge: the theatrical exhibitions and exploitation. Believing in good faith – at least we like to admit it – that Spiritism consists of strong gimmicks from the part of the Spirits, the adversaries expected that the Spiritists would take sides with those gentlemen; they were a little disappointed when they saw the Spiritists, on the contrary, discredit that kind of manifestations as harmful to the principles of the doctrine, demonstrating that it is illogical to admit that the Spirits are always at the service of the first one that shows up, willing to use them to make money.
Certain critics, out of their own initiative, used this argument against the Davenports, unwilling defending the cause of Spiritism. The idea of bringing the Spirits to the stage and turning them into accomplices in their own interest led to a general feeling of repulsion, even in the non-believers, who said: “
We do not believe in Spirits but if they do exist that is not how they should present themselves, and we must treat them with more respect.” They did not believe, and correctly so, that Spirits would do a session against a price, from which we can conclude that the exhibition and exploitation of extraordinary things are the worst means of making proselytes. If Spiritism supported such things this would be its weakness. Its adversaries know it so well that they do not let go the tiniest opportunity to touch it, believing to hit the doctrine. Mr. Gérôme, from the “
Univers Illustré”, responding to Mr. Blanc de Lalésie (see the December issue of the Spiritist Review) that criticized him for speaking of something that he did not know, said: “
I studied Spiritism in practice with the Davenports, and that cost me 15 francs. It is true that the Davenport brothers today work for lesser amounts: one can see the falsehood for 3 or 4 francs, practically the prices of Robin!”
The author of the article about the cataleptic of Swabia, who is not a Spiritist (see the January isse) is careful enough to point out, as a proof of confidence in these extraordinary phenomena, that her parents do not absolutely intend to benefit from the strange faculties of their daughter.
The exploitation of the Spiritist idea is, therefore, and undoubtedly, reason for discredit. The Spiritists deauthorize speculation, and that is why Mr. Sothem was carefully presented as selfless, in hopes of turning him into a successful argument. It is always the same thought that Spiritism lives of the wonderful and trickeries.
May the critics beat the abuse as much as they like; let them unmask deception and the ropes of charlatans, and Spiritism, that does not use any secret process, and whose doctrine is totally moral, can only win by being disentangled from the parasites that utilize it as a stepping stone that stains its character.
Spiritism had adversaries of real value in knowledge and intelligence, that unsuccessfully launched a whole arsenal of argumentation against it. We will see if the actor Sothem will have more success than the others to have it buried. It would have been buried long ago if it were founded on the absurd that have been attributed to it. However, if after charlatanism is dead, and the ridiculous practices are discredited, if it continues to exist, it means that there is something more serious in Spiritism that was not possible to reach.
[1] See the Spiritist Review issue of June 1859: The rapping muscle. The Monitor and other newspapers announced some time ago that Dr. Jobert (de Lamballe) had been taken ill by a mental disease and was presently in a health facility.
