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SIR OLIVER LODGE IN THE PULPIT. BBS rA (i8 134

jr: A JOURNAL OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS & PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

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C ° N.T.E N ^ S . P ro fesso r R lch et's W ork so d S om e D eductions frojar irf" , A ddres W 1 M r. S ta n le y De Bratffirol.I.C.E

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S t. Augustine on P y c ic a l / Phenomena. J v B y E. W. Duxb iry.

MAR 1 3 1936

allng Medlumship, Ja m e s A. Tinting,

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Ht Communications and gyptlan Discoveries# By W. H. Moy«'S.

S ir Oliv* r Qodj dtfc on P sy ch ical Phefeu ena (Illustrated.

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LIGHT

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The British College oi Psychic Scieace, <0 . HOLLAND PARK, LONDON W. II. (ToL FAIR 47MJ ________Hon, Principal. J. REWAT.'McKENZILY Syllabus of fixtures on application to Hon. Secretary. Claaeoo. Lectures. Excellent Library* Practical Demonstrationo available in Direct Voice. Physical Phenomena. Psychic Photography, Onija Board, Clairvoyance, Paychometiy Direct Voice Groups. ( MRS. B. COOPER.) Wed. at 8, Fridays, at 6 Lectures. Monday, March 5th, 8 p.m. ... MISS V. FIRTH.“ Thursday, March 8th, 3.30 p.m. ... MISS V. BUBTON.fi Group Clairvoyance. Tuesday, March 6th, at3.30 MR. W. A.IMELTON, Public Clairvoyance. Friday, Maroh2nd, 8 p.m.... MR. VOUT PETERS. Friday, March 8th,8 p.m.... MRS. JAMRACH. College Quarterly, "Paychic Science" 2/6 (Editor, MB. BLIGH BOND) The College has accommodation for two Realdent Studenta who may wish to gain valuable experience not available elsewhere.^ Apply Hon. Sec.

Marylebone Spiritualist Association, Ltd., AEOLIAN HALL, 186, New Bond S treet, W.

SUNDAY. MARCH 4th at 6.80 p.m. Speaker and Clairvoyants: MRS. E, A. CANNOCK. WEEKDAY MEETINGS at M. 8 . A. INSTITUTE. 5, Tavistock Square. W.C.L MONDAY. MARCH 5th. at 3 p.m. Psychometry by MRS. FLORENCE KING8 TONB. TUESDAY, MARCH 6 th. at 7.80 p.m. Spirit Descriptions and Messages : MRS. ANNIE JOHNSON. THURSDAY, MARCH 8 th, at 7.80 p.m.. Spirit Descriptions and Messages: MRS. TYLER. MONDAY. MARClTieth, at 7.30 p.m. Lantern lecture: MR. F. BRITTAIN. Subject: "Spirit Photography." Photographs by Duguld, Wylie, Hope, and* Mrs. Dean Tickets 2a. Tuesday and Thursdayfree to Members. Non-Members One Shilling. Meetings for Members only as stated on Syllabus. Membership invited. Subscription,10s. per annum. ah correspondence to Hon. Secretary 4, Tavistock Square, W.0.1.

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(Entrance in North St. Four minutes fromthe Houses of Parliament) The Lending Library contains hundreds of books on Psyohio subjects. There are also many valuable Reference Books which may be studied at the Library. Full? Classified Catalogue 2s. Hours, 11 to 6 . Closed Saturdays and Sundays. ACTIVITIES IN! CONNECTIONCWITH THBIX1BRARY. Tuesdays. 11.30 a m. Class for Spiritual Development and Psychic Photo­ graphy. MISS AIMEE EARLE. Tuesdays, 3.» p.m. Self-Mastery Class. MISS VIOLET BURTON. Tuesdays, 3.30 and 8.0p.m. Development Classes. MISS PHCEBE PAYNE. Wednesdays, 3.0 pjn, Maroh 7, Circle for Clairvoyance Mrs.KINGBTONE. Thursdays. 3.0. p.m. Healing Class. MBS. 06ILVIE. A new course of Healing Class will commence in Maroh. Those wishing to join are requested to send for particulars. Thursdays. 6.0 p m. Devotional Group. Fridays, 2.30 to6.0 p.m. “At Home ” to whloh Members and all interested are cordially invited.

[ March 3, 19i!3,

Brighton Spiritualist

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Old Stalne H all, 62a. Old Stelaa, Brlfhtoa. Established 1817. Motto: Onward and Upward. Everybody Weleeme. lordsys, 11A0 and 7. Mondays and Thursdays, 7.15. Tuesdays, 3sal fjg. MAROH 4th, 11.30 and 7.0. M R S. F A IR C L O U G H S M IT H . ' H IG H E R M Y S T IC IS M r Embracing the Homan Aura and Colour, &o. Lecture* at the Ethical Church, Queen's Road, Bayswater, W. Wednesdays only. 12 boob, Public Healing ; Lectures, 3.30 and 8 p.m. Silver Collection to defray expenses. Mrs. Fairolough Smith visits and receives Patients (or Healing, Ac. Interviews by appointment only. Write to above address,

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PROF. PHILLIPS ( E.K.M.V.), M apperley O aks, Cranmer Street, NOTTINGHAM. >8 , Prince* Street, Cavendiah Square, W., LONDON ACADEMY OF MUSIC.

SUNDAY AFTBRNOON ADDRESSES on Spiritual, Mystic and Occult Subjects by

J . HAROLD CARPENTER at 3,16 p.m.

A short devotional meeting for those desirous of spiritual help and guidance will be held at the olose of each lecture. Admission free Collection to defrag expenses. L O N D O N M U S L IM H O U S E !, 111. CAMPDBN HILL ROAD. NOTTING HILL GATE. W.8. SERIES OF LECTURES on MUSLIM LAWS OF MARRIAGE, INHERITANOE, DIV0B0B, WOMEN AND PARENTHOOD, every Sunday at 6 p.m. sharp. Tea and Light Refreshments, 4.30 p.m. You, with Friends, are cordially invited. HABEEB ULLAH LOVBGROVE, Secretary. Nearest Tube Station—Notting Hill Gate, Oen. Lon. & Met. Hlyi,

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For further particnlara apply to the Hon. Boo.: MISS E. W. STEAD.

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SUNDAY, MARCH 4th. At 11im. ... ... ... - ... ... MR. G. PRIOR At 6.30 p.m. ... ........... .. ... ... DR. W. J. VANSTONE. Wednesday, March 7th ... ... ... .. MR. ROBERT KING. Wednesday Concentration Class (Members only). 3.30 p.m. Week-day Services, 7.30 p.m. Mon., Maroh 5th,7.30p.m. Annual Meeting (Members only.)

Wimbledon Spiritualist Mission. BROADWAY HALL (through passage between 4 A 5, The Broadway).

Sunday, Maroh 4th, 11 a.m. ... ... ........... MBS. S. BOOT. ,. „ 6.30 p.m. ... ... ... ... MR. A MRS. LUND, Wednesday. Maroh 7th, 7.30 p.m. Annual General Meeting (Members only.) Healing Tuesdays, 7.0 p.m. Wednesdays, 3.0 p.m.

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Meetings for In­

quirers held on Tuesdav 8 p.m. at 26, Batoum Gardena (near Brook •Green), Hammersmith. All students of Religion, of whatever race, colour or creed, heartilywelcome. ForMembers only. Fridays, at8 p.m., Special fitudv of the Mystical Cabala and the Fourth Gospel. Unite for Truth and Brotherhood, No fees. No collection. Free Beats.

REGBNT STREBT, LONDON, W .l.

MONDAY, M ARCH 5th, at 7 p.m. Chairmen : MR. H. W. ENGHOLM. Admission 2/4 ( including Tax), Evening Dress OptiooflL Tickets from : Hon. Bee., 93, MORTIMER STREET, W.l. M.8.A., AEOLIAN HALL, NEW BOND STREET, W. L.S.A., 6, QUEEN SO*, W.C 1, and on admission.

EXHIBITION. PSYCHIC AND INSPIRATIONAL PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS At Thurloe Art Gallery, 123, Fulham Road (oppoiito PelhamCro0cont)i Fxem Thursday, Maroh 1st, for three weeks. Leotnrettes by F. Bligh Bond, Edwsrd Gardner, Mrs. D. E. Grove and Miss Charlotte Woods, at 6 o’clock, March let, 8 t b , 12th, 16th, 19th.

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Wftat “ Clflbt ” Stands for. " L I G H T ” proclaims a belief in the existence and life of the spirit apart from , and independent of, the material organism, and in the reality and value of in­ telligent intercourse between spirits embodied and spirits discarnate. Th is position it firmly and consis­ tently maintains. Its columns are open to a full and free discussion— conducted in the spirit of honest, cour­ teous and reverent inquiry— its only aim being, in the words of its motto, “ Lig h t! More Light 1”

NOTES BY THE WAY. Our dissatisfaction w ith a n ; other solution is the biasing evidence of im mortality.

—E merson.

E vid ence , and R evelation .

We have often expressed the view—we may be wrong, but hope not—th at the true revelation comes interiorly. I t may be fortified by outward signs and wonders but these in themselves are insufficient to accredit it. No revelation can be made entirely by miracle or testim ony: there m ust be internal evidence. The appeal to external evidences m ust always fail; it is a relic of the childhood of the race. Otherwise we may be asked to believe th a t Plato was actually (as he iA said to have believed) descended from the gods because of his supernal wisdom or th a t some famous pereon of to-day is a reincarnation of Napoleon because ho looks like Napoleon and acts like him. A true reve­ lation surely means th at our minds are so illuminated and inspired that we perceive of ourselves th at the revelation is true. In short we agree with a writer who, discussing the evidences for Spiritualism many years ago, said that, “ If religion is to depend on external evidence then there can never be a religion for the most educated m en.” *

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“ H o w S tands th e R eckoning ?”

When Galileo tried to get the scholars of Padua to look at the moon and planets through his telescope, he disaovered that they were under the delusion that all the truth about the Universe was set down in ancient documents, and was to be found only by a “ comparison of texts.” That attitude of mind still survives—but no longer amongst thinkers. I t is now confined to that class of minds which, being incapable of .farming any idea of its own, can only quote the verdlote afld opinions of “ the men of old tim e.” These are still hurled at our heads as an answer to the con­ clusions we draw from d study of facts in nature. We have a deep respect for “ Galen and "Paracelsus, and

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all the learned and authentic fellows,” but as our teacher and chief authority we prefer to rely upon Life itself and upon the latest findings of those who survey Life extensively and at first hand. Any “ ancient wisdom” that has not been tested and proved true in the experience of to-day is of little interest to us. We base our conviction of the truth of human survival and of immortality on the Present as well as on the P ast; on Season as well as on Revelation. We have checked' the argument at every point. We find its Poetry to agree with its Mathematics; its Theory with its Practice; its Intuition with its Logic. And now we feel th at we stand sure. *

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S ib O liver L odge on S piritual W arfare.

We were greatly impressed by a passage in Sir Oliver Lodge’s recent lecture on Psychic Phenomena at St. Alban’s Church, Wood-street. After referring to psychic facts as representing a consolatory and inspir­ ing branch o f knowledge, he alluded to the onslaught on the subject made by its enemies. Force was some­ times used against persons who pursued the study of this new knowledge or who exercised psychic powers. But that force should be used only an one side. Those who were the privileged messengers of Truth must not-retaliate. I t was for them to show restraint and forbearance. We could witness the contortions oi our adversaries without imitating them. To some this may seem a “ counsel of perfection.’’ But those who have learned the lessons of life will know that true Power is always quiet, patient and dignified. I t is only Force that is turbulent and vindictive, always ready to repay blow for blow. Force is material, Power is Spiritual. THE

HIDDEN

WORD.

Thy Word is buried in the heart of man, Below the life of sense: Of all oreation Thou a rt life and plan, The essence and the immanence. But, ah, for us the hidden Godhead sleeps In eosmio Nature and is veiled in ours, Till something calls it from unsounded deeps To rise within ns and unfold its powers. Then shall great Nature stir And putting sleep for us away from her Shall also wake. How shall th a t morning break ? 0 not in East or West atone And not from here or there: At once and everywhere The Christ Who comes within is Been and known, The Voice of Life is heard, Life of all life and Word. 0 admirable Presence, Voice Divine, Thy world is ours and mine; And to thy light, transfigured, shall respond In light the worlds without us and beyond. —A. E. Waite (in “ The Book of The Holy Graal” ). There is always a best way of doing everything, if it be

but to boil on egg. Manners are the happy way of doing things right.—E verson,

130

L IG H T

[March 3, 1923,

this evening to 6ketoh briefly a new development of these I Mr. Stanley De B rath’s paper, read before th e London la tte r, and to connect them w ith the work of other men. I Spiritualist Alliance, on Thursday, February 22nd, was a I t is only by linking to g eth er th e work of many minds that most im portant contribution to th e understanding of re­ useful conclusions, even .provisional conclusions, can be cent French advances in th e field of psychic research, reached. . - |pK E S especially of th e work of Professor Charles Richet. Mr. Professor R ichet has summed up all th e subjective facts under th e nam e “ C ryptesthesia.” This has given rise to 1 George E. W right presided. controversy, and i t is well to recall his definition. He sayi The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, stated th a t th a t th e word simply m eans “ a hidden mode of sens* as he was himself an engineer, i t was with particular tio n .” H e does n o t m ean to assert th a t there resides in pleasure th a t he welcomed another engineer to th eir plat­ the hum an organism a single facu lty which accounts for or I form. There were no professions which were more explains th e phenomena. H e uses th e word only as.describ- 1 ing the bare fa c t th a t there come through a human organnumerous1’- represented among the members of th e L.S.A. ism m anifestations showing powers of cognition- of evenU than those of the engineer, architect, and surveyor. It d ista n t in space and tim e, which a re independent of the was a striking refutation of the popular idea th a t all Spirit­ norm al senses. ualists were th e victims of unbalanced emotion, th a t Spirit­ The word is likely to rem ain, for even admitting the ; ualism should have so many supporters among what he might Spiritualist explanation of some of these phenomena, it is venture to call th e most hard-headed of ail professions. To undeniable th a t th ey come to us through faculties in tho medium th a t are n o t those of th e normal senses. - . th e friend who was about to address them th a t evening he The investigations of Professor R ichet, one of the first, owed a pergonal debt of gratitude, inasmuch as it waslaTgely if no t th e first, physiologists of our day, have resulted in owing to a most cordial and appreciative review by Mr. th e complete proof of th e genuineness of facts for which De Brath of his (the Chairman’s) own little hook, “ The S piritualists have contended for many years against every 1 Church and Psychical Research,’’ th a t he first got into form of ridicule and abuse. B u t th e prejudice that still I prevails ag ain st these facts will n o t be overcome by any I touch with organised Spiritualism. Mr. De B rath was so evidence higher th an th a t already available, but bv demon- I very closely in touch with th e great work in Metapsychics st rat ion of th e logical whole to which they point; and I j which was going on in France, th a t the L.S.A. might he tak e th is occasion of linking them w ith fresh experimental 1 considered extremely fortunate in having th e privilege -of work done by D r. Osty, w ith D r. Geley’s philosophical in- I an address from him th a t eveniny ductions, and w ith A. R . W allace’s conclusion, summed up I in his “ W orld of L ife,” th a t th e tren d of Evolution is the 1 Ma. De Brath said:— production of a spiritual being fit to survive death; and 1 In a lecture which I had the privilege of delivering here therefore th a t the truly hum an evolution is by development 9 of higher moral consciousness in co-operation rather than -1 last year, I described the principal features of Professor in antagonisms. Richet s work, of which an English translation is about to R ichet shows by a num ber of highly demonstrative ex- I be published by Messrs. Collins, under the title “ Thirty amples th a t cryptesthesia is independent, or nearly inde- I Tears of Psychical Research.” pendent, _cf Space and Time. H e adm its the existence of I shall not repeat what I then said, b u t shall endeavour “ unseen intelligent forces.” and even the possibility that J: there may be beings invisible to our evolutionallv derived j to show the relation of hie work to th a t of others, and the grounds of established-fact on which reliable conclusions can ' senses, though he does not favour th a t id e a ; and even if I such exist, he rules them o u t of th e human category by a be baaed. defining the human being as necessarily possessed of a brain n Re divides his subject-matter into two departments—the and a nervous system. T h at is, he considers the physiologi- 1 Objective and the Subjective. By using experimental cal tenem ent as an essential condition of humanity. Even j if the released son! survives, i t is outside the definition. 1 method on the former in a well-equipped laboratory, and Those who define hum anity by other oriteria—affection, a under precautions th a t eliminate the possibility of fraud memories, a sp ira tio n .‘genius, religious feeling and ethical I or illusion, he and his fellow-experimenters have estab­ perception—will tak e a different view. The real crax of I lished their genuineness. I t is no longer necessary to insist the m atter is whether experim ental proof can be obtained | on these proofs; and I will here observe th a t the scepti­ of th e ethereal “ body.” cism and irrational distrust with which those proofs have B ut the point here is, not Professor R ichet’s opinion, for 1 he expressly states th a t he has not formed one, but that he | been received by persons who do not take the trouble to regards th e phenomena as scientifically proved, and even u read the severe conditions of experiment, or are obsessed the subject-m atter of an entirely new science. His book is I by the idea of fraud and prejudge everything by their own a summary, with full references, of all classes of scientifically J ideas of the possible, have provoked the natural r e s u ltreliable phenomena proved up to the present time. indifference to all such uninstructed criticism; and if I The chief points th a t he makes a r e :— seem to dwell on the advances th a t have been made in (1) T hat ectoplasmic forms and movement of material France rather than in England, it is only because we are' objects without visible contact are objective facta. (It is to 3 here far too much concerned with the conversion of scep­ be noted th a t Dr. von Schrenck-Notzinir has published the I names of over forty German physicians to the same effect.) I tics. Scepticism sterilises enquiry, and it is only when this (2) That th e phenomena of cryptesthesia indicate a I initial stage has been passed th a t investigation and appli­ laten t human faculty. cation can be proceeded with. (3) T hat “ dowsing” is one well-proved evidence of this I Professor Richet rightly takes the objective facts as the faculty, “ dowsers” haring been officially employed by both I foundation and basis for all rational inferences from Psy­ French and German Governments ever since 1910. chical Research, or, as he prefers to call it, the new science (4) That this cryptic faculty gives results th at seem in- I of Metapsychics. dependent of tim e and space, the information rendered ex- I tending far into the past and sometimes into the future, This to rn is coined to indicate th at the subject-matter and acting a t great distances and not arrested by material 1 is distinct from th a t of normal psychology—“ it deals with obstacles. forces th a t seem to be intelligent." W ithout the objective (5) T hat “ telepathy” is one form of this faculty of super- I facts—ectoplasmic forms, supernormal photography, move­ normal cognition: “ clairvoyance” is another; and super- 1 ment of material objects without contact, and intelligent normal medical diagnosis is a th ird ; and so on. messages conveyed by sound—the whole of the subjective This view is confirmed by another set of most interest* I phenomena might reasonably be referred to th a t haven of ing experiments by Dr. Osty. of Paris, who lias restricted fj refuge for sceptics, the subconscious mind. bis researches to the investigation of supernormal cognition 9 Taken in conjunction with the objective facts, the sub­ applied to a human objective. His book js a record d jective phenomena are seen under a new aspect. I intend

March 3, 1923.)

L IG H T

most admirable and complete experim ents, and shows w hat the experimental m ethod can reveal in skilled hands. H e says:— “This departm ent of supernorm al psychology is hardly outlined. for th e work done by those in terested in i t has ph'iefly consisted in verifying phenom ena to show th eir genuineness. Some have verified th e fa c t by ta k in g down the words of th e person possessing th is facultv and com­ paring them w ith th e event. O thers have collected and compared facts to discover th e mode of th e ir _pro d u ctio n ; and as no rigorous investigation h as clearly pointed to any one hypothesis, all possible suppositions have been m ade; some going to th e ex trem e lim its of fancifulness. I t may be said th a t if th e accum ulation of facts ten d ed to compel conviction, th e ingenuity shown in explaining them did n o t keep pace w ith th e mass of m aterial. . . . To fix on paper the words of a.su b ject and th e n to check how fa r th ey are well-founded, is easy enough, b u t has th e same degree of value as if one w ere to ta k e cognisanoe of a certain type of motor only by verifying its o u tp u t.” H e th e n shows how, by presenting th e same individual to different sensi­ tives, and by com paring th e d ic ta of one sensitive on different individuals, in presence o r absenoe of persons more or less acquainted w ith th e facts, th ese d a ta can be used to build up definite conclusions on th e genesis of the- faculty and on w hat i t reveals. One set of these experim ents deals w ith medical cases, chiefly obscure cases of n eu rasth e n ia and suchlike disorders. The sensitive had no d a ta b u t a few lin es of w ritin g by th e patient. In some th e m edical a tte n d a n t was present, in others not. The sensitive in each case gave e x a c t descrip­ tions of the in tern al s ta te of th e p a tie n t, describing th e condition of each organ in th e h o d - D r. O sty gives several such reports verbatim , w ith full clinical details. Mr. De B ratli quoted one of th ese rep o rts in which a sensitive, a fter accurately describing th e a b sen t little son of a lady visitor advised h e r to ta k e th e child to a doctor to have his blood exam ined, as she w as sure it was affected. There was nothing to lead th e m o th er to suspect any ta in t, the child seemed perfectly h e a lth v . b u t m edical exam ina­ tion proved th e tr u th of th e sensitive’s diagnosis. The speaker w ent on to re fe r to a n o th e r se t of experi­ ments dealing w ith la te n t tend en cies in c h a ra c te r and in­ tellect, hidden a t th e tim e th e v w ere described, b u t m ani­ festing themselves la te r. A child, described as egotistical, passionate and jealous, m anifested none of th ese charac­ teristics a t th e tim e, being, to all appearance, a model of amiability and gentleness, b u t th r e e y ears la te r th e o th er qualities made them selves increasingly a p p a re n t. F o r an ­ other who showed little lik in g fo r music, a b rillia n t musical career was predicted, a prediction which la te r gave every sign of coming fulfilm ent. ' In a th ird case, a boy of te n was stated ^ 0 have m arked m ath em atical an d m echanical talent. This, too, tu rn e d o u t to be tru e , th o u g h no indica­ tion of i t appeared till th e lad was fifteen. Mr. De B rath also gave tw o rem ark ab le cases of character-reading from holding a le tte r , o r p a r t of a le tte r, from the person described. In th e first case th e descrip­ tion given by th e sensitive of th e c h a ra c te r and odd tr a its of a girl w ho‘offered h erself to* a lad y as a cook, th o u g h it was not encouraging, led to h e r en g ag em en t, w ith th e re ­ sult th a t th e lady found t h e girl to be exactly as described. In the other, th e sam e sensitive gave th e w rite r—a b eau ti­ ful and a ttra c tiv e woman—a shocking c h a ra c te r. The gentleman who h ad received th e le tte r and who had con­ templated m aking th is lady his bride, was stupefied and incredulous, b u t a m onth la te r th e en g ag em en t was broken off. He had discovered t h a t th e sensitive had s ta te d no more than th e e x a c t tr u th reg a rd in g his whilom charm er. These few exam ples, said M r. De B ra th , should be con­ clusive as to th e existence of th e supernorm al facu lty of cognition. They a re selected from a larg e nu m b er of others, showing th e bearing of th e facu lty on personal relatio n s of all kinds—medical diagnosis, tem p eram en t, c h aracter, criminology, p a st lives, and even fu tu re ev en ts. I t shows what experim ental m ethod, skilfully an d fearlessly applied, can reveal. Tt shows t h a t detec tiv e m ethods, tric k s played on mediums by giving false nam es of n on-existent persons for communications, e tc ., e tc ., is p u ttin g sand in to delicate machinery. I t brings o u t th e pow er of tr u th an d th e disgracofulness of falsehood. I t shows t h a t no memories, such as those revealed bv M rs. p ip e r, a re valid proofs of survival. Tt illu stra te s th e v a st changes th a t m ig h t re­ sult in social and com m ercial life if all c h a ra c te rs can be accurately know n. I t m ig h t even u ltim a te ly lead to a better system of governm ent th a n by counting votes, neces­ sarily ignorant and usually biassed. In th e end i t would make honesty th e only possible policy. I t m ig h t even re­ construct history and give tr u e p ictu res of th e past. But I do n o t in ten d to touch on any of th ese a sp e c ts: th e point a t th e present m om ent is. th a t it is a t least possible that these faculties a re th e senses of th e soul. W e are told from th e Unseen th a t they are, and th a t th e y inhere in developed souls, whose powers a re independent of our Time and Space. These facts reveal ju s t w h at th e fu tu re “knowing as we a re also know n” th a t aw aits us all, reallv is. They explain w h at “ dw elling in th e lie h t” really means: and th e point I would h e re m ake is t h i s :— Richet adm its th a t some of the phenom ena, tak en all together, especially visions by dying children too young to

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have preconceived ideas, ana certain “ hauntings,” render th e notion of unseen intelligent personalities a t least possible. Now intelligent unseen foroes which show per­ sonality and faculties independent of tim e and space seem to me not very markedly different from “ spirits.” I wifi leave i t a t th a t. B everting to the entire group of objective and subjective phenomena treated of in Richet’s very completeand masterly Treatise on th e scientific aspects of Psychical Research, I th in k th a t th e interest of these m atters to most persons lies in th e ir bearings on Religion. I do not mean on the different forms of Religion, b u t on Religion itself, under w hatever forms different temperaments may apprehend it. Now it seems to me necessary to clear thinking th a t we should draw sharp lines between Science, Philosophy, and Religion. Science deals with proximate causes. I t can invent in­ strum ents which enormously increase the powers of the physical senses. The telescope, microscope, spectroscope, electrom eter, vacuum-tube, thermionic valve and scores of • other instrum ents make visible and audible objects and effects beyond the range of our unaided vision and hearing, b u t they do' no t transcend vision and hearing. In the end all chemical and physical instrum ents bring phenomena w ithin th e range of our senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, an d ta s te ; th u s allowing us to infer forces and things which w ithout these instrum ents we could not even guess a t. Science is, therefore, lim ited by the physical senses; and it can therefore use precise language in which each word has one m eaning only, e.p., “ elasticity” means the power of resum ing form a fte r stress, Hydrogen means a p a rtic u la r gas, and every chemical “ element” and com­ pound has its distinctive name. I have recently read th a t th e “ Atomic Theory is exploded” by th e discovery of elec­ tro n s. This is an excellent example of muddled thinking. The Atomic theory is as tru e as ever, so long as i t is applied to chemical m a tte r. N othing can invalidate D alton’s dis­ covery th a t elem ents combine in th e proportion of th eir atom ic weights. All th a t is changed is th a t we now know th a t atom s are n o t indestructible ultim ates, and th a t the “ elem ents” are n o t final forms. Psychical Research claims to be scientific. .In so fa r as i t is scientific i t brings the results of supernormal faculties into sensorial percep tio n ; b u t it stops there. F u rth er develop­ m ents are philosophical. An em inent scientist told' Professor de M organ th a t a ghost is a physical impossibility. The philosophical m athem atician replied, “ And therefore a psychical possibility ” S ir Oliver Lodge says_ (“ Survival of S ian ,” p. 24), th a t “ if telepathy is an etherial process, as soon as it is proved to be an etherial process i t will come in to th e realm of P hysics; till th e n it stay s outside.” Philosophy goes a step beyond science in which i t it founded. I t tak es cognisance of all th a t science reveals, b u t i t also deals with Genius, artistic and ethical impulses in m an, summed up long ago by A ristotle as th e True, the B eautiful, and th e Good. I t seeks a provisional bu t valid answ er to cosmic questions. I f Science progressively re­ veals th e mechanism of m ateria] things, and How pheno­ m ena come to pass. Philosophy seeks to reveal How nonm aterial things, not reducible to sensorial perception, come to pass. Science cannot dispense with philosophy, nor philosophy w ith science, and most so-called scientific errors come from th e confusion of mind which draws huge general­ isations from very lim ited d a ta ; such as H aeckel's answer to th e R iddle of th e Universe. N either Science nor Philo­ sophy nor Religion can answer th a t riddle, because i t is an intellectual question and its answer demands a proportion­ a te intellect. To Science a F irst Cause, Itself uncaused, is a contradiction in te rm s : to Philosophy it is an attem p t to measure th e universe with th e yardstick of our sensorial perceptions used by an undeveloped intellect, and its be*t answer can only be a representation in term s of th a t in­ tellect using every m etaphor and simile th a t language draw n from M a tte r and Sense can supply. B ut religion in its proper sense is based on an entirely different postulate, an d if i t cannot give a final answer to th e brain, i t can satisfy th e h eart. I t s postulate is th a t R ig h t and W rong a re independent of all hum an laws, customs, and devices w hatsoever. T h a t ethical postulate is verified by th e p rac­ tical fa c t th a t R ig h t works o u t to prosperity and happiness, and W rong to th e reverse, w hatever legal sanctions W rong may shelter behind. I t declares th e existence of a Supreme Pow er from which R ig h t and W rong derive. I t affirms th a t M an is a sp iritu al being indissolubly connected with a sp iritu al world. I t bases these affirmations on other d ata th a n those of Science and Philosophy, b u t it is not or should no t be. in any so rt of conflict w ith them. Philosophy is therefore a general outlook on life, and every normal and intelligent person has a philosophy of some kind, conscious or unconscious,, expressed or unex­ pressed. B u t th e term is usually reserved to the works cf those im m ortal teachers who y et rule th e world of t'lo u g h t. O riental, Hellenic and Hebrew philosophers r
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W e may agree, i.oft, th a t “ psychical research must great barm—the means of health or th e means of destruo-' establish facts th a t are incom patible with materialism,” tion according to the character of the men th a t use it. b u t may y et consider t h a t those facts have already been Following on the recognition of supernormal phenomena established by experim ental method. Many of us regret and the vast creative power th a t we call Subconscious, be­ th a t this method has been so little applied in England. cause we are not conscious of it, which moulds every organ of the living being and mair tains it throughout life There are towns th a t in spite of th e commercial denies, with an apparently unerring ability to apply all known sion, are full of money. In one £6,000 was paid not long and unknown chemical and biological laws, there has arisen ago for a p air of Chelsea vases; £260,000 has, we are a new interpretation in close agreement with th e older in­ assured, been spent by one w ealthy m erchant on _racing tuitional philosophies, but expanded by modern scientific y ach ts; £84,000 has been spent, o r claimed, on antique or knowledge. It'h a s been formulated independently by two pseudo-antique fu rn itu re, and £ 1 ,0 0 0 a day is being spent eminent biologists, one English and the other French. to settle which of tnese tw o ep ith ets applies. But none of Dr. Qeley, in his luminous work, “From th e Unconscious th e Societies for Psychical R esearch has established a to the Conscious,’’ shows th a t alike in th e natural tran s­ laboratory th a t can compare w ith t h a t a t th e International formation of the insect in the chrysalis, in normal gesta­ Metapsychic In s titu te a t Paris. The French Government tion, and in the supernormal ectoplasmic phenomena, there has recognised i t as “ of public u tility ,” while our judges is (a) a conversion of formless substance into organic form still class those who have supernorm al gifts with rogues and j and tissues; (b) a psychic energy which does th e work, and vagabonds; th ey have no civil rights and cannot bring an (c) a Directing Idea—th e Idea of the perfect being—to action for libel, and instead of th is m aking psychical re- j whose production th a t energy is directed. Ciroumstanoes searchers scrupulously careful to do them no injustice, H may fy o u r or impede th e nrocess, bu t cannot change its has had th e contrary effect; they are libelled with impunity, I purpose. He shows th a t this Directive Idea presides over or w hat for th e present seems im punity. the formation of all organic life, and th e genesis and Experim ent should be conducted in a proper laboratory arrangement of cells in its lowest forms up to th e human where fraud is made physically impossible, ana by men who brain; acting everywhere and always as subconscious mind. are scientifically trained physicists, biologists, or engineen. I He demonstrates th a t this Directing Idea governs th e whole This has been done in France, while here we are still em- j process of cosmic evolution. He show s'that this subcon­ ploying th e methods of detective polioe which can never pro. I sciousness is manifest as what we call “ instinct” in animals,, duoe anything b u t strife, and are quite unscientific and out I and has in them certain supernormal functions—th e of piece. “ homing” instinct, th e migratory instinct, and others th a t The Metapsychic In s titu te has shown w hat experimental are less obvious. I t produoes human supernormal faculties; method, released from th e obsession of fraud, can do. If I but the highest function of th e Directing Power is the properly applied i t is not a “ slow m ethod,” and it .has development of intelligence and moral character in Man. established, whoever may believe or disbelieve, the verity of I The progress of mankind is towards the Sovereign Con­ objective supernormal facts, and th e existence in mankind I sciousness, the Sovereign Justice, and the Sovereign Good. of supernormal powers which, if they do not, of themselvei | All “evil” is th at which departs from thiBline of evolution. and ap art from Spiritualist “ messages,’’ give mathematical This is Plato’s soma, psuche, and pneuma, united to the proofs of survival, are a t least incompatible with j Logos—the Supreme Reason—not as independent entities, materialism. They point to th e conclusion of Alfred Russel but as graded representations or objections of the universal Wallace th a t th e purpose of Evolution is th e development of and omnipresent Creative Power. a spiritual being fit to survive death. They reinforce the Wallace was led by a similar path to the same end. A evidence th a t European troubles are th e net result of want convinced evolutionist, and as he himself avows, quite free of spiritual character, and they support th e message recently from any ecclesiastical influences, he was th e first biologist published as from W . T. S te a d :— to examine with care the Spiritualist phenomena. He tells us th a t ho thought to disprove an unscientific super­ “ Mostly these things are n o t considered from the point stition, but “ found the facts too str .ng for him,” and th a t of rig h t or wrong, b u t from th e view, ‘Shall I benefit from J they pointed to a Directing Mind through all th e aeons of th is?’ b u t I say th a t aU people on e arth can discriminate, j geologic time, acting by psychic energy in th e first place (I do n o t say they do) between good and not good motives I and by selection and adaptation in the second, to th e pro­ in th e ir lives. In stin ct does th is for them . They can* I duction of a spiritual being. He showed th a t every change not help them selves; they a re bound to know. The trouble I in terrestrial development was a step towards th a t end. is th a t th e v ast majority^ hy force of habit, the desire for I He demonstrated th a t the supernormal faculties in man business gain, o r social gain, or any kind of gain, but always I could not have been developed by any natural selection or a gain for itself, has ceased to consider th e quality of its I adaptation to the phvsical environment. Thev are proofs actions, and thinks only of th e first result. Looked upon ( of internal psychic causation which is the “tendency to from tn e n ext stage in evolution i t is pitiful. Poor un­ vary” without which Darwin admitted selection and adapts^ developed egos preparing th eir own discomfort and suffer* * tion would have no field of action. He observed th a t the • ing.” “ war-in Nature,” red in tooth and claw, is cruel just in proportion to the sensitiveness of the organism preyed Every civilisation is th e product of character, and of upon; th at in the lower forms of life such sensitiveness does character alone; and th e final outcome of Psychical Research riot exist; it is low in fishes and even in herbivora; and is only th e establishment of prim ary tru th s, which are lost | attains its height in Man. I t might almost be said th a t in th e mazes of theological polemic or forgotten under the j cruelty begins with mankind. pressure of modem life. As long as temperaments differ, i men will form different representations of all that transNow I submit th at just as unseen intelligent forces in­ cends direct knowledge, ana it is well th a t it should be so. dependent of time and space are not very easily distinguish­ Truth is far larger than any one mind can grasp. Harmony I able from “ spirits” ; so an infinite and eternal Energy in­ is not unison, i t results from many different instruments I herent in all Nature and s premely intelligent is hardly em itting different notes b u t all governed by one ryhtlim; | to be distinguished from “ GOD” under His creative aspect. and all men may s ta rt from the fundamental verities which j Names are mere labels affixed to the concepts formed by will, in the end, transform our imperfect civilisation. the very limited conscious mind. A false liberalism assumes that such names connote the same idea. They In proposing a vote of thanks to th e speaker, the Chair- j do not: thev express partial and locally dominant human man drew attention to the g reat difference between the I notions. Jahveh is primarily a tribal protector,Allah is the marked progress in th e investigation of met&psychical 1 phenomena in France and th e very small advanoe it had | personal director of Destiny, the Greek Gods are each a personification of gome attribute in Nature or human nature made in England. The cause, he thought, was not far to 1 under Zeus (Life), the child of ChronoB (Time), born from seek. In Paris official psvchical research, as represented hy the union of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (E arth)—the th e In stitu t Metapsychique. did not disdain to work in I spiritual and the material—bu t destitute of morality. co-operation with Spiritualists. The result was that French I Brahui is the ultimate spiritual Power dimly felt behind Spiritualism did its utm ost to assist psychical research hy | the Nature Gods. None are complete notions, but the placing its mediums a t the disposal of investigators. How J Eternal and Incomprehensible Verity is behind all, always lamentably different was the state of affairs in England! J - understood according to local human modes. God is H ere the official instrum ent for psychical research, the I Spirit, and from Spirit all things prooeed. Every chemical S.P.R., adopted an attitude of haughty contempt towards I “element” is the objectification of ap Idea: certain qualities all Spiritualists, and in ' addition. treated all mediums m 1 of hardness, toughness, colour, weight, 'a n d chemical suspicious persons. The manner in which the S.P.R. had j affinities are objectified as Iro n : certain others as Gold: treated, first, Eva C., and then William Hope, had closed I Beauty, Intelligence and Love are, or should be, objectified British mediumship to the S.P.R. Unless the latter body I was prepared radically to alter its attitude^ and method, j as Man. England would fall further and further behind Franoe in j Now this, I take it. is the final purpose of psychical re­ the scientific . investigation of phenomena. The leaders of search. Tt is not to establish a new theological system, new French psychical research were a t least as eminent as any criteria of belief, or anything else of the kind. We may in England. If such great men as Charles Richet did not j cordially agree with Professor W. McDougall th a t:— think it beneath their dignity to co-operate with Spirit- I “ Our moral ideas and standards of conduct have been ualists, why should those who carry out the research work ] built up under the guidance of certain definite beliefs th a t of the S.P.R., who certainly were not greater men than the i are incompatible with materialism; the belief th at our lives famous French phvsiolocist. refuse to do the same ? The I have a significance and value greater than appears on the first need was for English researchers to follow the example I surface of things, the belief that w& are members of an of the French workers and realise th a t mediums should he order th at somehow is d moral order, and cannot be treated, not as rogues and frauds, but as the potential pos­ measured in terms of material comfort or the satisfaction of sessors of rare faculties, and treated with the utmost sym- ^ our animal nature.” pathy and consideration,

LIGHT

March 3, 1923.]

SPIRIT COMMUNICATION A N D EG YPTIAN D IS C O V E R IE S . B y W, H . Moyes. ' Much interest was displayed a t an old-established spirit circle at Westcliff-on-Sea, a t a manifestation of a “ spirit worshipper of the sun’’ in ancient Egyptian times, when reference was made to th e valuable _discoveries th a t are being made in Tutankham en’s tomb in th e Valley of the Kings a t Luxor. A fter assuming control, th e spirit went through some of th e ancient E gyptian ceremonials a t the worship of th e sun, and then, addressing th e circle, re­ marked th at those things had come tru e of which he had told them a long tim e before, as to th e results of th e search mode in the tomb. Writings in Egyptian hieroglyphics had been buried in ' the Bands, and many other valuable things would be found there, but what would n o t be found would be th e ^spirit of the king! Some papers would show th e hidden meaning of the Word of T ruth, b u t many other things would not be found by the hand of man. The sun which he—the manifesting spirit—worshiped in those early days, believ­ ing it to be the (highest power, was n o t th a t which he was worshipping in the Spheres or g reater light. They wor­ shipped th a t H igh Power with g reater devotion th an they used to worship the sun in ancient times, and they were now trying to interpret H is message to th e people. It was not only th e message of T ruth th a t m ust now be understood, but th e message of Divine Love, and it was most important th a t th is message should be conveyed to airhumanity. L et it; therefore, be w ritten and sent forth to help the people or every country. A lesson was to be found in drawing together th e rays of th e sun and bringing its radianoe down to th e earth. Those who had worshipped th e brightness of th e heavens had come to tell the people of e a rth of th e brightness of the Spheres of Light, which fa r exoeeded th a t of th e sun, and all ideas and comprehension of th e human race. Each one shoukl therefore reach out for th a t radiance, and for the vibrations from th e Spirit World. They wanted to encourage the spirit of worship and devotion among the people of the earth, th a t they m ight reoeive inspiration from the Spheres of T ruth. Seeking, they would find th e hidden treasures th a t would teach mankind things n o t .'known in th e past, and reveal to them the beauties of th e Heavenly Kingdom. They would come into possession of it when they had passed through lower r+ages of development, and had found the greater love and th e greater life th a t had carried them upward. The tru th had to be learned th at, there was no death, but th a t they would become spirits in th e eternal future. The manifesting spirit was described, clairvoyantly, as a "great spirit who looked as if th e sun was shining in his

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eyes.” The recorder asked for his name, but the reply was, “ Not yet,” adding th a t more things would yet be found in the tomb, as well as ancient writings which had been concealed there from robbers; and there were spirit people who would help to find them. I t may be of interest to readers to explain, in con­ nection with th e above manifestation, some of the ancient Egyptian conceptions of the future life. The bodies of the so-called dead in those early times were preserved by a prooess of mummifying. An additional safeguard in the case of the wealthy and upper classes was the construction of tombs of masonry, th e formation of which varied with th e religious ideas or different periods. The mummy was looked upon as the home of the spirit­ ual parts of th e mortal body, which it could leave a t will. There were several of these spiritual parts, the chief among them being th e Ka, or “dream-soul.” Even during a man’s life on earth, his Ka showed a tendency to wanaer. Whoever made journeys during his dreams, and experienced good or evil while his body lay in sleep, knew th at his K a had been active. The K a proved its power of free movement still more , definitely by appearing as a physical being to others in th eir dreams. Two other spiritual elements, the Khu, or “ shining one,” and the Ba, seem to have represented one and th e same thing conception—the renown of the de­ ceased. I t is. strange th a t the shadow of man was in­ cluded among the spiritual elements. Possibly it was the late r conception, for th e kingdom of the dead of Osiris was by no means the abiding place of shadows. I t should be added, with referenoe to the sun wor­ ship dealt with in the spirit manifestation, th a t the sungod R a covered the entire heavens and the nether world within twenty-four hours, and th a t his lower dominions were divided into twelve sections, with an hour’s journey between each. Provision for both the Ra and the Osiris theones as to th e future life were made by the wealthy classes in Egypt. N ear th e mummies, in the tombs, with their Book of the Dead, and th eir supply of food for the next life, on the Osiris theory, were sm^ll figures of wood or “ answerers,” whose duty was to answer for the dead, and to act as sub­ stitutes if he should be called on to work on his arrival a t th e fields of Ra. The importance of the discoveries in Tutankhamen’s tomb is increased by the fact th a t he was an absolute ruler of th e kingdom, and was known as the “divine father” as well as th e “heretio Pharaoh of Egypt.” The greatest curiosity and interest centre upon the stone and papyrus records to be found in his place of sepulchre, which has now become th e Mecca of tourist and students of hieroglyphic and other inscriptions and writings, fog a further notable reason. Tutankhamen was the next Pharaoh to Akhn&ton, who was so far ahead of his age that he evolved a religion th a t must be compared with Spirit­ ualism to discover its faults. past which all spirits and souls coming from our country must pass, so th a t I may be sure of meeting you there. “I don’t for a moment think th a t any one of the com­ rades amidst whom I have lived has had any conception of how deep is the love I bear you. Indeed there have been moments when I did not think th at even you quite realised it. I had no intention to write like this, but absence ‘makes my heart grow fonder.’ Please pardon the selfish­ ness th a t seems to pervade thjs little note: perhaps that quality has its root m the rich deep soil of love th at sur­ rounds you. “ Always your loving husband, “Garnet.”

I have just closed an inspiring volume with *a sigh of envy and admiration. The book in question is entitled “The Letters of Lord and Lady Wolseley,” edited by Sir George Arthur, author of “Life of K itchener.” After the passing over of this remarkable couple up­ wards of two thousand letters were found. That this great mass should have been so faithfully kept by both husband and wife is in itself marvellous, considering th e kaleidoscopic nature of their lives. A short time before Lady Wolseley’s death she sent “ On March 31st, 1913, Lord Wolseley was borne, with for Sir George A rthur, begging him to undertake 1 he edit­ every mark of honour, through the crowded aisles of St. ing and arranging of the correspondence with a view to P aul’s to the space in the crypt where Nelson and Welling­ publication. ton are also at rest. Here in the very heart of the land ho He has carried out this difficult task with extraordinary served and loved, a faithful soldier awaits the final Court tact, finesse and ability. From cover to cover we find no of Inquiry. word to wound or jar. Like a musical accompanist, he . “ Seven years later, in the presence of a group of close has kept himself almost too rigidly in the background: the friends, his tomb was opened to admit the entrance of a result being a picture of married life a t its highest and best,’p little casket. So, dust to dust, but surely in joyful expecta­ extending over forty years. Sir George tells us th a t in tion, husband and wife sleep the Great Sleep together.” later years Lord Wolseley regarded every day— Throughout the volume Lord Wolseley shows us his per­ almost every hour—as wasted th a t was not spent in his fect faith in the survival of man, and the persistence of wife’s company. individuality. I should like to see Mr. Justice Horridge’s face when Louise Bbbens. assured of this fact I I copy out Lord Wolseley’s last letter hoping it may interest your readers, and inspire a wish to peruse the H ydesville Memorial (S ir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original. Lady Wolseley had been forced by illness to leave I’u n d ) . — The following is the first list of subscribers: J. her husband and spend a few weeks a t Vichy for a course J A. France, £10 10s.: J. F. Kelly, £5 5s.; Morris Hudson, of baths and waters, and this was the letter she received:— £2 2s.; Mrs. Myleonreest. £1 Is.; H., £1 Is.; G. Tayler “ Villa La Tourette, Mentone, Gwinn. £1 Is.; A. H. Wood, £1 Is .; William Stuart, £1 Is.; W. Tyhir, £ 1 ; Miss Charlotte Starkey, £1; R. W. Hornsby, “23rd May, 1911. £1. Smaller donations: £3 7s. 6 d. “My Dearest ov Dear W omen, T. F. R. (C ounty K er r y ) writes: “I t may interest you “I love you as of yore, and feel sure th a t ( the last to know that in spite of _all th e turm oil in Ireland, with earthly thought th at will pass through my brain whilst the delays and losses which occur in th e post, L ight has dying will be of you and for you. I pray th a t God will never failed to reach me. May we n o t ta k e th is as a p ro -f ■ admit me into heaven, and when I get there—-if I am .per­ of its penetrating quality?” mitted to do so—I snail take up a commanding position

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SIR OLIVER LODGE ON PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA. A t S t. Alban’s Church, Wood-street, E.C., on Wednes­ day, 21st ulto., Sir Oliver Lodge delivered an address on Psychical Phenomena, one of a series to be given by various speakers during th e luncheon hour every Wednesday up to the 21st March, when Sir William B a rre tt will lecture. Sir William was to have given his address on W e d n e sd a y ! last, b u t owing to his absence with Lady B a rre tt in the South of France, his date has been changed to th e 21st inst. On th e occasion of Sir Oliver Lodge's address the church was crammed with an eager congregation, and doubtless had the occasion been widely advertised large numbers of persons would have beqn unable to gain admission. I t was clearly evident th a t the speaker and his subject wou.a have sufficed in such conditions easily to have filled any of th e largest places of worship in the Metropolis. Sir Oliver, who spoke from th e pulpit, dealt with his subject in a clear and comprehensive but extremely simple style. I t was understood th a t his address was to be given t > a congregation most of whom would have little acquaint­ ance with th e m atter. The lecture, indeed, was in con­ nection with th e Church of England Men's Society (Mid­ day) Conferences. In the course of his address Sir Oliver said th a t it was a mistake to suppose th a t Psychical Research was hostile to Christianity. I t was not so. A knowledge of the evi­ dences offered h - psychical phenomena had brought many people back to religion. The existence and accessibility of a spiritual world indeed formed th e substratum of all religions. This point, Sir Oliver later developed by reference to th e miracles and other supernormal happenings recorded in th e Bible, comparing -them with similar manifestations in modern times. In his own case the results of psychical investigation had led him to a profound faith in the fundamental tru th .of. Christianity. Dealing with th e obvious fact th a t we had still Vast tra c ts of territo ry to explore in th e .Universe, Sir Oliver made an apt allusion to the comparative youth of Science, th a t Science which, as organised knowledge, wag accepted without question. I t was impossible to say how many thousands of years humanity had been on th e face of the globe, but its Science did not definitely begin until about three hundred years ago. I t was called in a t first to ex­ plain th e nature of things known to everybody, like the wonderful things studied in N atural History, or

T H E D A Y SPR IN G

in the phenomena of Light, H eat and Sound— 1 all things indeed which make themselves known to on senses. B ut there was admittedly a vast region ta J yond our bodily senses. Even electricity and magnetism I lay outside our channels of direct perception./ We U had no sense organs to bring us into contact ; win *■ these things, yet they made their impression on the huniaa J consciousness. There were, for instanoe, the phenomena I of dreams, and those subconscious activities of the mini which, to some, might bring knowledge of events pan, jt present or to come, by channels independent of the seaaei 9 Sir Oliver went a t some length into this part of the B question, maintaining incidentally th a t telepathy could I not be explained by ‘‘brain waves.” I t was a psychic and 9 not a materialistic process. Passing to the question of communication with those J who had passed from mortal life, the speaker said that I the evidences furnished by psychic phenomena had brought I comfort to may thousands of bereaved persons. . The facts were not new. They had been in existence I for ages, mingled, of course, with a great deal of super- I stition and priestcraft. The study of the facts introduced I them to a region of what m ight be called supermundane I activity and intelligence, which perhaps lay in the etheric I realm, for the etherial and material worlds interlocked I and interacted a t every pouitl.* . I t might well he that there were in th e Universe intelligent beings of a higher I order of life than our own who looked down on us as ire | looked down on the lower animals, and who could say of 1 us, “ How blind they are and how little they know.” H ere on earth in our mortal bodies we were passing I through a process of training amid difficult surroundinigi. I B ut we were not alone in the Universe. No chasm separated I us from the nobler regions of Wfe and activity which existed I in the Unseen. We were surrounded by those whom ye were entitled to call friends and who were a little Wvbnd | us in knowledge and capacity. They could and did afford us help and guidanoe in ways not easily apparent, hut very real in th eir results. T hat among those who surrounded '■ us might be evil and hostile influences was not to be denied. But this should not be strange to any Christian for it vss part of the teachings of the Church. There were “adveraaries,” h u t the powers of good were the stronger, and would always overcome the evil, unless something in our­ selves was traitorous and gave the evil influences a hold upon us for a time, b u t we might surely hope that in the end the good would prevail.

FROM ON HIGH.

L ights in Tins Darkness. B y C. V. W. T abr. 1 looked j.o terd ay upon the exquisite loveliness of the almond trees’ Spring-tide blush and likened it to a tnist of stars in heaven. How naturally the mind links up the small things of th e world with the great things of the Cosmos, hearing witness in its very workings to the Spirit of Beauty and T ru th in all the worlds! Truly the sceptic may urge th a t it is not sufficient to make the Spring-time of the mortal world the basis of our hope in the Eternal Spring of th e deathless worlds of the Spirit. For as man, looking into the far sky, beholds a mist coming up, th a t presently as the gods count time, shall be shaped into worlds and he the coruscating jewels of Heaven, and, understanding as well as looking, knows th a t their glory must wane and pass away as the morning star melts into the sky, so with the magical Spring of the earth. For all we know, is it not a soulless, mindless beauty, no moie purposeful than the beauty of the rainbow, whose very existence arises because the white light has broken through th e tears of Heaven? If there is Beauty in the world, is there not also a canker to eat away its heart and destroy it? Is not Time the destroyer of all things? Our Great Mother clothes herself in living beauty of Form and colour, she woos th e sweet stars and the pale, holy moon, for very lore and aboundin'* vital ioy. h u t is there not a law of con­ flict in her members which decrees the destruction of the lieanty she has created, which brings to pass “ the crash and doom of worlds” and draws down over the life and history of Man, the black curtain of despair? Mat it not he as the Manicheans (with whom St. Augus­ tine himself was involved) held, th a t the world is the result of conflict between the co-eternal powers of Good and Evil? We may well think so if there he no possibility of attaining

J

spiritual knowledge, or if man possesses no means of coming J into touoh with a spiritual world. But here we have I found a Spring of inexhaustible hope and knowledge. Them 1 i3 a living bond between the worlds of Spirit and Matter. I There is a Spirit in Man which inhabits Eternity and “death I doth not touch it a t all,” and the numberless hosts of the I departed bear eternal witness to the victory foreordained I of every human spirit. We take heart not only front the I examples set before us by the great spiritual souls of all i ages ana countries, but from the liberated spirits of men | and women, whose spiritual presences are “ perpetual bene- I dictions.” who reveal in some degree the wonders of the I higher life and whose sole object in coming to us from on 1 high is to teach us the healing power of God’s law. Truly 1 the mighty spiritual struggle of a St. Augustine, a St. I Teresa, a Buddha or Jesus Himself, would mean little to I us if we were not certain in the light of the modern I spiritual revelation th a t they were demonstratin'* the I row er of the Spirit and were ministered to by the Angels I of God. Did not Aucustine, in the culminating spiritual I struggle of his marvellous life, hear a voice from Heaven? I Behold! we clean the glass of intellect, and the burn- I ing rays of the spiritual sun, which is unseen, focus upon g our souls, and kindle in us a holy flame of the wisdom of I immortality I For us the light of spirit shines every- h where, universal and eternal. We see the faces of the H so-called dead like galaxies of sta rs; we see the world of j] material things losing its height in the blue vault of the t| spiritual world • we see the hosts of heaven, bending their 9 fiery crowns like stars, to shine upon the children of earth, u And our souls are exultant with a great joy, for those I whom we see, those whose voices are heard among us. those who guide and teach us are our brothers and sisters, U members of the vast Brotherhood of^ Spirit, Visible and In- 1 visible, whose mission is to proclaim the Deign of haw a b o v e Discord, of Beauty above Ugliness, of Life above 1 D eath. and the ultimate victory of the Divine Spirit in Man.

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jiarch 3. IS 23 1

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S IR O L IV E R LODGE, F.R.S., D.Sc.

jBT Us come out into the open, and clear away ancestral k » , ’ a,l(^ »Q*>k with larger vision at the universe of God; ln 8 not only as a material cosmos intricately woven h; er a beautiful physical system of law and order,

but as interpenetrated also with mind and will and con-

rtheyr have s ibeen & U tfa r r a k k : ^ called by the mysterious workings or Almighty God.”—S m Oliver L odge.

L I G H T

186 L I G H T ,

E d ito rial OfFioas, 5, QUEEN 8QUARE, LONDON, W.C.1 Tel. : M u seu m 5106. T elegrams : “ S u rv iv a l, W e st c e n t, L o n d o n .” C O M M U N IC A T IO N S in te n d e d to be p r i n te d sh o u ld be a d d re s se d to th e E d ito r . B u sin e ss c o m m u n icatio n s sh o u ld in a ll cases be a d d re sse d to H u tc h in s o n a n d C o., 34, P a te r n o s te r R ow , L o n d o n , E .C . C heques a n d P o sta l O rd e rs sh o u ld be m a d e p a y a b le to “ L ight . ” S U B S C R IP T IO N R A T E S .— T w elve m o n th s, 2 2/ - j six m o n th s, 1 1 /- . P a y m e n ts m u s t be m a d e in a d v a n c e . A ll a p p lic a tio n s fo r a d v e rtis e m e n ts m u s t be m a d e to A d v e rtis e m e n t D e p t., H u tc h in s o n a n d C o., 34, P a t e r ­ n o s te r R ow , L o n d o n , E .C . T e l .: 1462 C e n tra l. R a te s .— £10 p e r p a g e ; 10s. p e r in c h sin g le c o lu m n ; so cieties, 8 s. p e r in c h ; classified a d v e rtis e m e n ts , 9 d . p e r lin e .

SPEED

A N D T H E S P IR IT .

That the spirit should be "quick,” in both the old and the new sense of the word; th a t it should have a quality of supreme swiftness is no new thought. I t is doubtless this passion for speed, deep in the soul of the race, which reveals itself in all the m ultitude of machines and methods designed to annihilate tim e and distance. The connection may not a t first be easy to trace. To a rather jaded civilisation, intent to-day more on rest and recuperation than on swiftness and strenuous­ ness, the old "m ad race” of life is less alluring than it was. The Great W ar came as a lesson th a t in-some directions we were going very m uch too fast. The means of speed had been turned to low ends—the accumulation of riches and the purposes of destruction. Even before the Great Lesson was given m any harassed people were beginning to make complaint, and to ques­ tion whether the "time-and-labour-saving devices” .employed in modem businesses really saved tim e and labour. They pointed to the telephone as something which was multiplying work rather than diminishing it. ' They gave us sermons and essays which had for their burden the idea th at the rush of existence was an intolerable tax on the nerves—men and women were "used u p ” years before their time. They longed for the peace and leisure of t h e . old quiet days of our forefathers. I t was a very natural attitude. Many of us shared and still share the feeling. B u t progress went ahead; the automobile followed on the heels of the steam engine and was in tu rn o ut­ paced by the aeroplane. Symbol of the gradual dis­ appearance of the material factors, the wire was left out of telegraphy and we entered on "th e age of wire­ less.” I t was because the moral, the h u m an ,.th e spiritual principle was utterly ignored th a t all the new speed instruments have been utilised in a way th a t has made them often curses rather than blessings. B u t that does not reflect on the value of the machines themselves, or on the essential meaning of their appearance in the world. Their legitim ate use is to redeem man from drudgery and the bondage to physical conditions; to give him leisure to pursue those "higher ways” which belong to his spiritual nature. Sooner or later this will be perceived, and then the means of speed will be also a "m eans of grace,” an aid to leisure and a. path to peace both individual and national. W ith all their perversions and forms of mis-use, it is quite easy to see th a t these "m any inventions” 'a re a wonderful tribute to human ingenuity. Spiritual genius, as well as mechanical skill, is expressed in them . I t only needs th a t they shall be rightly used for the service of man. I t has been said that the present failure of civilisation is due to the spiritual or moral consciousness of the race not having kept pace with its intellectual progress. I t may be so, but we are rather inclined to think that the order of pro­ gression was in essence the right one. The intellect went first as the pioneer, the planner, the executive machine, to prepare the way for the spiritual develop­ ments to follow. The errors and misdirections which befell in the meantime are to be deplored, but are always inevitable a t early stages: " to err is hum an.”

[March 8, 1928.

The passion for speed, then, means n o t merely the idea of "subduing the earth,” and making the way plain for the greater things, but is an evidence—a very significant one—of the reality of the spiritual element in mankind. I t is an expression of the underlying unity, an effort after coherence and integration. It it a part of the process whereby the scattered unite are being brought together to be wrought into a complete structure of life and intelligence. The work already done is a presage and a prophecy. Robert Leighton, the Scottish poet, saw deeply into the thing when, in a poem on the inner meaning of steam ana electricity, he w rote:— T h is passion deep ly ro o te d in t h e sp irit, F o r su d d e n know ledge, in s ta n ta n e o u s speed, F oreshadow s w h a t w e t r u ly sh all in h e r it W h en fro m t h e body fre e d .

We need not be dismayed by the calamities and disasters which the fierce ambition for swiftness has brought about. W e m ay remember that Ariel, in carrying out the plans of Froepero, the magician, had first to raise a great storm and bring about a ship­ wreck in order th a t all the people of the drama should be drawn together mid the magician’s purpose achieved. There is a parable in the story. The storm has come and Ariel is a t work. Prospero, or the WorldProvidence, will surely fulfil his part. D. D.

BOM B

M E M O R IA L .

T o th e E d ito r o f L ight. S ib ,— S in ce th e p u b lic a tio n in L ight of th e photograph of th e D . D . H om e M em o rial F o u n ta in , w hich stands in th e a n c ie n t C a n o n g a te of E d in b u rg h , in fr o n t of the old C a n o n g a te C h u rch , I h a v e m a d e e n q u irie s am ongst some old re s id e n ts a s to i t s h is to ry . U n fo rtu n a te ly , little is known a b o u t it , a n d n o n e e v e r guess t h a t D . D . Home was one o f th e m o st re m a rk a b le m en t h a t e v e r lived. F ro m o ne w ho w itn essed it s e re c tio n , I have the story t h a t m oney w as le f t b y “ a g e n tle m a n w ho had teelotalism o n th e b r a i n ,” to e re c t th e f o u n ta in , in th e hope th at the r a m p a n t d rin k in g custom s in t h a t v ic in ity , w ith its twoscore o r m o re licensed prem ises, m ig h t be lessened. C e rta in ly , d ru n k e n n e s s h a s decreased in th e district, bnt w h e th e r th is h a p p y im p ro v em en t is d u e to th e presence of t h e b e a u tifu lly -d e sig n e d m o n u m e n t a n d its flow of cold w a te r , is a p o in t o n w hich th e C a n o n g a te citizens “hit th e i r d o o ts .” T he#m y ste ry o f th e in itia ls o n th e corona—H and M, on e a c h side—is easily solved. _ O rig in ally , th e re were four o rn a m e n ta l p a r ts , e a c h b e a rin g a le tte r , H O M E in foil. T h e O a n d E d iv isio n s of th e cornice, th e w eakest parts of th e m o n u m en t s tru c tu r a lly , h av e been broken away by the C a n o n g a te b a ir n s w ho h a v e fo u n d i t g r e a t fu n to chase one a n o th e r ro n n d a n d ro u n d th e ro o f of th e “ castle.” T h e d am ag e does n o t a p p e a r to h a v e been done maliciously. F o rtu n a te ly , th e d e lic a te spider-crow n w hich surmounts the b u ild in g is s till com plete. , T o u rs, e tc .. A bch . M'Intosh. S3, M a rc h m o h t-ro ad , E d in b u rg h . F e b ru a r y 20 th , 1923.

AN A PPR E C IA T IO N AND A SUGGESTION. « To th e E d ito r o f L ight. Sib ,— M ay I ex p ress m y appreciation of your valuable

p a p e r by com m ending a sim ple m ethod to your readers w hereby th e y m ay becom e tr u e lig h t-b rin g ers as Thomas C arly le m ig h t h a v e said . I t has been m y practice for som e tim e p a s t to blue-pencil an y a rticles I think may be o f special in te re s t an d p o st th e p ap er on sometimes w ith an accom panying le tte r . O ne frien d of mine, to whom I h av e passed on a copy o f Light occasionally, has acquired q u ite a sm all lib ra ry of psychic books, and is U a rd e n t p ro p a g a n d ist of th e tr u th s contained therein. Our lite r a tu r e is ra re ly to b e found on th e ordinary bookstall, a n d som etim es n o t alw ays in th e bookshop, and I believe th e r e a re m an y who a re sp iritu a lly advanoed for th e reading a n d app reciatio n of it, an d to th em th e arresting nature o f your artic le s conies as a splendid introduction to the su b ject. S urely th is craze fo r fiction reading must give plaoe to som ethin!; h ig h e r. Y our p ap er h as th e tru e spirit­ u al to u ch . M ore pow er to y o u r e tn e ric elbow I— T o u rs, e tc ., N ew castle-on-Tyne. F e b ru a ry 17th, 1923.

R. W. Hobnsbt.

light

Much S, 1023.]

THE OBSERVATORY. LIGHT ON TH INGS IN GENERAL.

“My real object in writing these _lines is to try to show th a t automatic writing, as it is called, is a real thing, and th at by its means messages are conveyed through an unconscious hand from some place outside the physical world to those who are still inhabitants of it.’’ So .w rites Sir E dw ard Marshall-Hall, E.C., the famous counsel, who is now to be number d among the many wellknown men and women of to-day who have publicly declared their conviction of the truth of spirit communication with those who are still in the mortal body. Most of the pro­ minent newspaper recorded the news fast week, and amongst the many th a t did so the “Evening Standard’’ wrote:— When a E .C . puts forw ard a case to prove the possi­ bility of communication with another world, even the most sceptical will wonder if they ought not to give it more consideration than is called for by the experiences of the credulous. One would not, for instance, charge Sir Edward Marshall-Hall, E.C., with the credulity of Sir A rthur Conan Doyle; and it is the E.C. who admits, in his introduction to a book, “Guidance from Beyond.’’ given through E . Wingfield (Philip Allan, 5s.), that, from being a scoffer in th in g s spiritualistic, he was converted, by a message received through Miss Wingfield, who is an automatic w riter, to a belief th at the “dead” have means of communicating w ith those still on earth. Sir Edward Marshall-Hall explains th a t about thirty years ago he elded to th e persuasions of his sister, Mrs. Arthur abouchere, to put Miss Wingfield’s powers to a test, and ask some question which, if answered satisfactorily, must prove communication with another world. The “Evening Standard” then gave a t some length the de­ tails of th e incident th at convinced Sir Edward of the fact of sp irit communication. Referring to the inci­ dent itself, Sir Edward wrote:—

E

This was enough to convlnoe me that there is an exist­ ence beyond so-called death, and that there are means . of communication betw een them and us. . . . Until ’ I am convinced otherw ise I shall continue to believe, and believe steadfastly, th a t the message of my brother’s death was conveyed to me, in mercy, by some influence outside th is life. ■V * - g a a • From a Sydney daily paper we cull the following:— The Sydney Diocesan Synod of the Church of England has unanimously carried a motion, which a committee has been selected to investigate, and report on to the next meeting of Synod:— “That th is Svnod regards the subject of spiritual healing as one which demands the thoughtful considera­ tion of th e members of the Church, with a view to its being restored to its rightful place in the belief and practioe of th e Church.” The Church is attempting to get back to the simple life of th e E arly Church, back through the haze of material obtuseness to the morning glory of the dawn of Christianity. I t follows, even as surely night follows day, th a t if .in Christ’s day spiritual healing was common, so in Christ’s C hurch to-day the healing power should exist. Following on Conan Doyle’s recent visit to the Common­ wealth, one m u st wonder in how far the Sherlock Holmes delineator is responsible for the New Church movement. His earnest fa ith carried conviction to many. In an interesting article by M r. D. T. C urtin, entitled “Lord Northcliffe a t Close Q uarters,” in th e “ National R e­ view,” th e author states th a t he had been spending a week­ end with S ir A rth u r Conan Doyle, and had been greatly im­ pressed by his talk s on Spiritualism . Lord Northcliffe, who was for a tim e a Crowborough neighbour of S ir A rthur, quickly made i t d e a r th a t he liked S ir A rth u r very much, but his Spiritualistio theories no t a t all. “ There is nothing in it,7 said Lord N orthcliffe positively. “ I have looked into it. I have tried to believe in it, b u t I can’t . ” On a later oocasion th e discussion was renewed and Lord Northcliffe then spoke less dogmatically of S ir A rthur Conan Doyle’s exposition. “ There iB a g re a t deal in it,” said Lord Northcline, slowly and reflectively. “ There m ust be, when such outstanding men as Doyle and Lodge make it th e ir life work and stand by it. Discrim inating and honest, both of them.” • • • f On Tuesday, February 20th, M r. M.Barbanell, of the . Central Spiritualist Society, a t th e City of London College Senior D ebating Society, moved a resolution to th e effect, “That Spiritualism is proven true'.” The resolution was carried.

•

•

•

•

The “ Daily Telegraph” of February 22nd reports:— “ Quest N ight" a t Mark 1, Toe H ., 23, Queen’s-gategardens, South K ensington, was rendered notable last night by th e visit of Sir Oliver Lodge, who, during an

13T

address to the members on “The Destiny of Man,” said he was one of those who believed in and was convinced by scientific evidence of a continued existence, that death did not change them,; and th at we were much the same after it as before, retaining our character, memory, and affec­ tions. As they knew, he sometimes talked to his son Raymond. He had a talk with him that afternoon,-and there came unexpectedly a message to “Toe H.”—not from him ; it was spelt out to a medium through whom he (Sir Oliver) often had talks with his friend, Mr. Myers, with Raymond and others. They did not wish to be re­ garded as specially sacred or holy, but in a friendly way, like the other boys—not made a fuss of, but just as one of the family. The unexpected message which came to him he would read, because he promised to. I t ran:— Sir,—Tell them to-night how their lamps of mainten­ ance gladden me. I never thought th at what I only considered was my duty -would be so far-reaching. TeU them also of our ultimate grand destiny, to be one with Christ. Assure them th a t I will welcome each member from th e trenches of earth life, and cheer him, as i. endeavoured to as the boys came out of the trenches and rested with me in my little hut before they entered Tpres for comfort and rest. Tell them that life here is grand, and tell them it is worth striving for. Sir Oliver added th a t the message concluded with the question, “How is father?” and a “little domestic talk about father and mother.” I t was signed, “ 6 . P.” A meeting of the Glasgow Society for Psychical Research was held on February 16th, Piofessor W. Macneile Dixon presiding. Miss Irwin, Honorary Secretary, according to th e “ Glasgow Herald,” reported th a t arrangements had now been made for lectures being given under the auspices of the Society by Captain Bennett, London, late IJellow of H ertford College, Oxford, and a member of the London Society for Psychical Research, and by Dr. Jacks, editor of the “ H ibbert Journal.” I t was intimated th at a full set of th e “ Proceedings of the American Society for Psychical Research" had been presented to the library by Mr. J. M’Lennan Boyd. A number of new works had also been added, and the library was now quite abreast with recent publications dealing with subjects of psychical research. • a • • Mr. Robert Blatchford is still asking questions. In last Sunday’s issue of the “Sunday Herald” his question is, “Why Impossible to Talk with the Dead?” He writes:— W hat is impossible? Some of those sceptics who are such adepts a t straining at gnats and swallowing camels insist th a t it is impossible for the living to hold com­ munion with the dead. Is it not strange that men who believe in the immortality of the soul will not believe that an immortal soul can communi-ate with mortal men? B ut to me i t seems very much more wonderful that a human soul should survive death than that such a soul should contrive to send a message from the other sphere. Which is the more marvellous, the existence of human beings or the fact th at human beings can converse with each other? First-hand experience will, we feel, compel Mr. Blatchford one day to ask: Why is it that some doubt that communi­ cation with those passed on is impossible? This question is actually becoming a more universal one than many are aware of. t > s £ With Reincarnationists the expected usually happens. This time these expectations were realised in a statement published in the “Daily Express" last Monday, which reads: “ Mrs. Edith McCormick, the daughter of John D. Rockefeller, believes th at she is the reincarnation of the first wife of Tutankhamen. A cable to the Paris edition of the ‘New York Herald’ quotes Mrs. McCormick as saying: ‘I was married to Tutankhamen when I was only sixteen. I was hia first wife. Only the other day, while glancing at an illustrated newspaper, I saw a chair recovered from the former king’s chamber. Like a flash I recognised the chair I had sat in many times. I can recall my past life as queen of Egypt. I passed into the Great Beyond two years after my marriage to the king. I t was a lock of my successor's hair th a t they found in the tomb at Luxor.’ ’t t s £ The Wisbech Poltergeist, to which we referred last week, has been brought to the notice of the Society for Psychical Research. According to a Press report, Mr. Ding­ wall, the Society’s Research Officer, when asked by a Press representative if he had* found any solution to the mystery, said: “I have not. This case has all the characteristics I expected, and I think th at Olive, the daughter, is probably a medium. I shall make a secret report to my Society, which may not be published for fifty years.” This is in­ deed workini' for posterity 1 But present-day members of the S.P.R. will ask why the publication of the report of their officer is to be deferred until most, if not all or them, will have passed to a sphere of existence where presumably poltergeists will have ceased from troubling and the weary soepticism of research officers will be at rest.

LIGHT

186 LIGHT,

Editorial Olfioas, 5, QUEEN SQUARE, LONDON, W-G.1

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SP E E D A N D TH E SPIRIT. T h a t th e sp irit should be "q u ic k ,” in both Ih e old and th e new sense of th e w ord; th a t i t should h av e a quality of suprem e sw iftness is n o new th o u g h t. I t is doubtless th is passion for speed, deep in th e soul of th e race, w hich reveals itself in all th e m u ltitu d e o f m achines and m ethods designed to annih ilate tim e and distance. T h e connection m ay n o t a t first b e easy to trace. To a ra th e r jaded civilisation, in te n t to-day m ore on rest and recuperation th a n on sw iftness an d sfrenuousness, th e old “ m ad ra c e ” of life is less alluring th a n it was. T he G reat W a r cam e as a lesson th a t in-som e directions we were going very m u ch to o fa st. T he m eans of speed had been tu rn e d to low ends—th e accum ulation of riches and th e purposes of destruction. E ven before th e G reat L esson w as given m an y harassed people were beginning to m ake com plaint, an d to q u e s­ tion w hether the "tim e-and-labour-saving devices” employed in m odem businesses really saved tim e an d labour. They pointed to th e telephone as som ething which w as m ultiplying w ork ra th e r th a n dim inishing it. They gave u s serm ons an d essays w hich h a d for th e ir burden th e idea th a t th e rush of existence w as an intolerable ta x on th e nerves— m en and w om en w ere “ used u p ” y ears before th e ir tim e. T hey longed for th e peace and leisure of th e . old q u iet d ay s o f o ur forefathers. I t was a very n atu ra l a ttitu d e . M any of us shared and still share th e feeling. B u t progress w ent a h e a d ; th e autom obile followed on th e heels of th e steam engine and was in tu rn o u t­ p a c e d by th e aeroplane. Symbol o f th e gradual d is­ appearance of th e m aterial factors, th e w ire w as left o u t of telegraphy and we entered on " th e age of w ire­ less.” I t w as because th e m oral, th e h u m an , th e spiritual principle w as u tte rly ignored th a t all th e new speed instrum ents have been utilised in a w ay th a t has m ade them often curses ra th e r th a n blessings. B u t th a t does n o t reflect on th e value of th e m achines them selves, o r o n th e essential m eaning of th e ir appearance in th e world. T heir legitim ate use is to redeem m an from drudgery and th e bondage to physical conditions; to give him leisure to pureue those "h ig h er ways” which belong to his spiritual n atu re. Sooner or la te r this will be perceived, and th e n th e m eans of speed will be also a "m e a n s of g race,” an aid to leisure and a path to peace both individual and national. W ith all th eir perversions and form s of m is-use, it is quite easy to see th a t th ese " m a n y inventions” 'a r e a wonderful trib u te to hum an ingenuity. S piritual genius, as well as m echanical stall, is expressed in them . I t only needs th a t th ey shall be rightly used for th e service of m an. I t h as been said th a t th e present failure of civilisation is d u e to th e spiritual o r moral consciousness of th e race n o t having k e p t pace w ith its intellectual progress. I t m ay be so, b u t we are ra th e r inclined to think th a t th e order of pro­ gression w as in essence th e right one. The intellect w ent first as th e pioneer, th e planner, th e executive m achine, to prepare th e way fa r th e spiritual develop­ m ents to fallow. The errors and m isdirections which befell in th e m eantim e are to be deplored, b u t are alw ays inevitable a t early stages: " t o err is h u m an .”

[March 3, 1928.

T he passion for speed, th e n , m ean s n o t merely the idea of "su b d u in g th e e a r th ," an d m aking the way plain for th e g re a te r things, b u t is an evidence—a very significant one— of th e re ality of th e spiritual element in m ankind. I t is an expression of th e underlying u n ity , an effort a fte r coherence an d integration. It is a p u t of th e process w hereby th e scattered units are being b ro u g h t to g e th e r to b e w ro u g h t in to a complete stru c tu re of life a n d intelligence. T he work already done is a presage a n d a prophecy. R o b ert L eig h to n , th e S co ttish p oet, saw deeply in to th e th in g w hen, in a poem on th e inner meaning of ste a m a n d elec tricity , h e w ro te :— This passion deeply rooted in th e spirit, For sudden knowledge, instantaneous speed, Foreshadows w hat we tru ly shall inherit When from th e body freed.

j I I I I I

W e n eed n o t. b e d ism ayed b y th e calam ities and d isasters w hich th e fierce am bition fo r swiftness has b rought about. W e m a y rem em b er th a t Ariel, in carrying o u t th e p la n s of P roepero, th e magician, had first to ra ise a g re a t s to rm a n d bring about a ship­ wreck in order th a t all th e people of th e dram a should be d raw n to g e th e r an d th e m ag ician ’s purpose achieved. T here is a p arab le in th e story. The storm h as com e a n d A riel is a t w ork. Proepero, o r th e WorldP rovidence, w ill su rely fulfil h is p a rt. D. D. B O M B

M E M O R IA L .

To the E ditor of L i e n . Sis,—Since the publication in Lig h t of th e photograph of the D. D. Home Memorial Fountain, which stands in the ancient Canongate of Edinburgh, in front of the old Canongate Church, I have made enquiries amongst some old residents as to its history. U nfortunately, little is known I about it, and none ever guess th a t I>. D. Home was one of the most remarkable men th a t ever lived. From one who witnessed its erection, I have the stay th a t money was left by “ a gentleman who had toeiotaliau on the brain,” to erect the fountain, in the hope that the ram pant drinking customs in th a t vicinity, with its twoscore or more licensed premises, m ight be lessened. Certainly, drunkenness has decreased in the district, hot whether this happy improvement is due to the presence of the beautifully-designed monument and its flow of cold w ater, is a point on which the Canongate citizens “has their doots.” - I The mystery of the initials on the corona—H and M. on each side—is easily solved. _ Originally, there were four ornamental parts, each bearing a letter, HOME in foil. The O and E divisions of the cornice, the weakest parts of 1 the monument structurally, have been broken away by the Canongate bairns who have found i t g reat fan to chase one another round and round the roof of the “castle. ’’ The damage does not appear no have been done maliciously. Fortunately, the delicate spider-crown which surmounts the bnilding is still complete. Tonrs, etc., S3, Marchmont-road, Edinburgh. February 90th, 1093.

Abch . M'I.vtosH.

AN A PPRECIATION AND A SUGGESTION. •

To the Editor of L ig h t .

S ir , —May I express my appreciation of your valuable

paper by commending a simple method to your readers whereby they may become true light-hringers as Thomas Carlyle might have said. I t has been my practice for some time past to bine-pencil any articles I think may be of special interest and post the paper on sometimes with an accompanying letter. One friend of mine, to whom I have passed on a copy of L ight occasionally, has acquired quite a small library of psychic hooka, and n as ardent propagandist of the truths contained therein. Oar literature is rarely to be found on the ordinary bookstall, and sometimes not always in the bookshop, and I believe there are many who are spiritually advanced for the reading and appreciation of it, and to them the arresting nature of t o u t articles comes as a splendid introduction to the subject. Surely this crass for fiction reading must gnu place to something higher. Tour paper has the true spirit­ ual touch. More power to your etneric elbow I— Tours, etc.. R. W. H ouwust. Ncwca stlo-on-Tye. February 17th, 1993.

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March 3, 1023.] THE

LIGHT

OBSERVATORY.

LIGHT ON THINGS IN GENERAL. “My real object in writing these lines is to try to show th at automatic writing, as it is called, is a real thing, and th a t by its means messages are conveyed through an unconscious hand from some place outside the physical world to those who are still inhabitants of it.” So -writes Sir Edward Marshall-Hall, K.C., the famous counsel, who is now to be number d among tne many wellknown men and women of to-day who have publicly declared their conviction of the tru th of spirit communication with those who are still in the mortal body. Most of the pro­ minent newspaper recorded the news last week, and amongst the many th at did so the “Evening Standard” wrote:— When a E.C. puts forward a case to prove the possi­ bility of communication with another world, even the most sceptical will wonder if they ought not to give it more consideration than is called for by th e experiences of the credulous. One would not, for instance, charge Sir Edward Marshall-Hall, K.C., with the creaulity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; and it is th e K.C. who admits, in his introduction to a book, “ Guidance from Beyond.” given through K . Wingfield (Philip Allan, 5s.), th at, from being a scoffer in things spiritualistic, he was converted, by a message received through Miss Wingfield, who is an automatic writer, to a belief th a t th e “dead” have means of communicating with those still on earth. Sir Edward Marshall-Hall explains th a t about th irty years ago he yielded to the persuasions of his sister, Mrs. A rthur Labouchere, to p u t Miss Wingfield’s powers to a test, and ask some question which, if answered satisfactorily, must prove communication with another world. The “Evening Standard” then gave a t some length th e de­ tails of the incident th a t convinced Sir Edward of the fact of spirit communication. Referring to the inci­ dent itself, Sir Edward w rote:— This was enough to convince me th a t there is an exist­ ence beyond so-called death, and th a t there are means of communication between them and us. . . . Until I am convinced otherwise I shall continue to believe, and believe steadfastly, th a t the message of my brother’s death was conveyed to me, in mercy, by some influence outside this life. From a Sydney daily paper we cull the following:— The Sydney Diocesan Synod of tb e Church of England has unanimously carried a motion, which a committee has been selected to investigate, and report on to the next meeting of Synod:— “That this Svnod regards the subject of spiritual healing as one which demands th e thoughtful considera­ tion of the-members of th e Church, with a view to its being restored to its rightful place in the belief and practice of the Church.” The Church is attem pting to get back to the simple life of the Early Church, back through the haze of material obtuseness to the morning glory of th e dawn of Christianity. I t follows, even as sorely night follows day, that if .in Christ’s day spiritual healing was common, so in Christ’s Church to-day the healing power should exist. Following on Conan Doyle’s recent visit to the Common­ wealth, one must wonder in how far the Sherlock Holmes delineator is responsible for the New Church movement. His earnest faith carried conviction to many. • • s .• In an interesting article by M-. D. T. Curtin, entitled “Lord Northcliffe a t Close Quarters,” in the *‘National Re­ view/’ the author states th a t be had been spending a week­ end with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and had been greatly im­ pressed by his talks on Spiritualism. Lord Northcliffe, who was for a time a Crowborough neighbour of Sir Arthur, quickly made it d ear th at be liked Sir A rthur very much, but his Spiritualistic theories not a t all. “There is nothing in it / ’ said Lord Northcliffe positively. “I have looked into it. I have tried to believe in it, but I can’t . ” On a later occasion the discussion was renewed and Lord Northcliffe then spoke less dogmatically of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s exposition. “There is a great deal in it,” said Lord Northdiile, slowly and reflectively. “There must be, when such outstanding men as Doyle and Lodge make it their life work sad stand by it. Discriminating and honest, both of them.” • • • 9 On Tuesday, February 20th, Mr. M. Barbanell, of the Central Spiritualist Society, a t the City of London College Senior Defeating Society, moved a t resolution to the effect. T h at Spiritualism is proven true!” The resolution was carriqd.

The “Daily Telegraph” of February 22nd reports:— “Guest Night” a t Mark 1, Toe H., 23. Qoeen's-gatoggsdens, South Kensington, was rendered notable last light by the visit of 8 ir Oliver Lodge, who, during an

137

address to the members on “The Destiny of Man,” said he was one of those who believed in and was convinced by scientific evidence of a continued existence, that death did not change them,- and that we were much the same after it as before, retaining our character, memory, and affec­ tions. As they knew, he sometimes talked to his son Raymond. He had a talk with him that afternoon,-and there came unexpectedly a message to “Toe H.”_not from him : it was spelt out to a medium through whom he (Sir Oliver) often had talks with his friend, Mr. Myers, with Raymond and others. They did not wish to be re­ garded as specially sacred or holy, but in a friendly way, like the other boys—not made a fuss of, but just as one of the family. The unexpected message which came to him he would read, because he promised to. I t ran:— Sir,—Tell them to-night how their lamps of mainten­ ance gladden me. I never thought that what I only considered was my duty -would be so far-reaching. Tell them also of our ultimate grand destiny, to be one with Christ. Assure them th at I will welcome each member from the trenches of earth life, and cheer him, as i endeavoured to as the boys came out of the trenches and rested with me in my little hut before they entered Ypres for comfort and rest. Tell them that life here is grand, and tell them it is worth striving for. Sir Oliver added th at the message concluded with the question, “How is father?” and a “ little domestic talk about father and mother.” I t was signed, “G. P.” A meeting of the Glasgow Societv for Psychical Research was held on February 16th. Piofessor W. MacneOe Dixon presiding. Miss Irwin, Honorary Secretary, according to the “ Glasgow Herald,” reported th at arrangements had now been made for lectures being given under the auspices of the Society by Captain Bennett, London, late fellow of Hertford College, Oxford, and a member of the London Society for Psychical Research, and by Dr. Jacks, editor of the “Hibbert Journal.” I t was intimated th at a full set of the “ Proceedings of the American Society for Psychical Research” had been presented to the library by Mr. J. McLennan Boyd. A number of new works nad also been added, and the library was now quite abreast with recent publications dealing with subjects of psychical research. • • • • Mr. Robert Blatchford is still asking questions. In last Sunday’s issue of the “Sunday Herald” his question is, “ Why Impossible to Talk with the Dead?” He writes:— What is impossible? Some of those sceptics who are such adepts at straining at gnats and swallowing camels insist th a t it is impossible for the living to hold com­ munion with the dead. Is it not strange that men who believe in the immortality of the soul will not believe that an immortal soul can commoni-ate with mortal men? But to me it seems very much more wonderful that a human soul should survive death than that such a soul should contrive to send a message from the other sphere. Which is the more marvellous, the existence of human beings or the fact that human beings can converse with each other? First-hand experience will, we feel, compel Mr. Blatchford one day to ask: Why is it that some donbt that communi­ cation with these passed on is impossible ? This Question is actually becoming a more universal one than many are aware of. • • s e With Rein earn ationists the expected usually happens. This time these expectations were realised in a statement published in the “Daily Express” last Monday, which reads: “ Mrs. Edith McCormick, the daughter of John D. Rockefeller, believes th at she is the reincarnation of the first wife of Tutankhamen. A cable to the Paris edition of the ‘New York Herald’ quotes Mrs. McCormick as saying: T was married to Tutankhamen when I was only sixteen. I was his first wife. Only the other day, while glancing at an illustrated newspaper, I saw a chair recovered from the former king’s chamber. Like a flash I recognised the chair I had sat in many times. I can recall my past life as qoeen of Egypt. I passed into the Great Beyond two years after my marriage to the king. I t was a lock of my successor’s hair th at they found in the tomb at Luxor.’ * • • • 2 • The Wisbech Poltergeist, to which we referred last week, has been brought to the notice of the Society for Psychical Research. According to a Press report. Mr. Ding­ wall, the Society's Research Officer, when asked by a Press representative if be had’found any solution to the mystery, said: “I hare not. This case has all the characteristics I expected, and I think th at Olive, the daughter, is probably a medium. I shall make a secret report to my Society, which may not be published for fifty years.” This is in­ deed working for posterity! But present-day members of the S.P.R. will ask why the publication of the report of their officer is to be deferred until most, if not afl of them, will have passed to a sphere of existence where presumably poltergeists will have ceased from troubling and the weary

scepticism of research officers will be at rest.

L IG H T

138

[March 3, 1923/

ST. AUGUSTINE ON PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA.

f

B Y JE . W. DUXBURY. b 9SvJ3

The following ex tracts are taken from S t. A ugustine’s Treatise, “ On Care to be had for the D ead,” in Pusey’s “ Library of the F ath ers.” The resemblances between the phenomena he describes and those of modern Psychic Science and the higher phases of mediumship are sufficiently apparent. S t. Augustine discusses in his Treatise th e in­ tellectual perplexities which the phenomena had occasioned him, not having the benefit of the knowledge conferred by modern Psychical Research. I t is interesting to note how greatly the a ttitu d e of this Father of the Church and famous theologian towards such phenomena contrasts with th a t of many rationalistic theologians of to-day.

St. Augustine’s Testimony: Of a surety when we were a t Milan we heard tell of a certain person of whom was demanded payment of a debt, with production of his father's acknowledgment, which debt, unknown to th e son, the father had paid, where­ upon the man began to be very sorrowful and to marvel th a t *his father, while dying, did not tell him w hat he owed when he also made his will. Then, in this exceeding anxiousness of his, his said father appeared to him in a dream and made known to him where was the counter-acknowledgment by which th at acknowledgment was cancelled. Which, when the young man had found and showed, he not only rebutted the wrongful claim of a false debt, but also got back his father's note of hand which the father had not got bacx when the money was paid. . . Similar to this is also th a t condition when persons, with their senses more profoundly in abeyance than is the case in sleep, are occupied with the like visions. For to them also appear images of quick and dead; but then, when they return to their senses, whatever dead they say they have peen are -thought to have been verily with them ; and they who hear sucn things pay no heed to the circumstances th a t there were seen in like manner the images of certain living persons absent and unconscious. A certain man by name Curma, of the municipal town of Tullium which is nard by Hippo, a poor member of the Curia, scarcely competent to serve the office of a duumvir of th a t place, and a mere rustic, being ill, and all his senses entranced, lay all but dead for several days; a very slight breathing in his nostrils, which, on applying th e, hand was just felt and barely betokened th a t he lived, was all th a t kept him from being buried for dead. Not a limb did he stir, nothing did he take in the way of susten­ ance, neither in the eyes nor in any other bodily sense was he sensible of any annoyance th at impinged upon them. Yet he was seeing many things like as in a dream, which, when at last after a great many days he woke up, he tola that he had seen. And first, presently after he opened his eves, “ Let someone go," said ne, “ to the house oi Curma, the smith, and see what is doing there." And when someone had gone thither, the smith was found to have died in th at moment th at the other had come back to his senses, and, it might almost be said, revived from death. Then, as those who stood bv eagerly listened, he told them how the other had been ordered to Im? had up, when he himself was dismissed; and th a t lie had heard it said in th at place from which he had returned th at it was not Curma of Curia, but Curma. the smith, who had been ordered to be fetched to th a t place of the dead. Well, in these dream-like virions of his, among those deceased persons whom he saw handled according to the diversity of their merits, lie recognised also some whom he had known when alive. That they were the very per­ sons themselves I might perchance have believed, ha** lie not, in the course of this seeming dream of tils, seen, also some who are alive even to this present time, namely, some clerks of his district, by whose presbyter there he was told to be baptised at Hippo by me. which thing he said had also taken place. So then he had seen a presbyter, clerks, myself, persons, to wit, not yet dead, in this vision in which he afterwards also saw dead persons. Why may he not be thought to have seen those last in the same way as he saw us, th at is, both the one sort and the other, absent and unconscious, and consequently not the persons themselves, but similitudes of them just as of the places? He saw. namely, both a plot of ground where was that presbyter with the
there. * The sights beheld therefore were those which are I not presented in the things them selves as they are, but | shadowed forth in a sort of images of the things. In fine, a fte r much th a t he saw, lie narrated how he | had, moreover,.been led into Paradise, and how it was there ] said to him when he was thence dismissed to return to his ] own fam ilv: “ Go, be baptised, if thou wilt be in this place ] of the blessed." Thereupon, being admonished to be baptised bv me, he said it was done already. H e who was talk- 1 ing with him replied, “ Go, be tru ly baptised; for that ] thou didst but see in the vision." A fter tin's he recovered 1 and went his way to Hippo. E aster was now approaching, lie gave his name among the other competents alike with very many unknown to u s; nor did he care to make known j th e vision to me or to any of our people. He was baptised, and a t th e close of th e holy days he ret ii riii'd to his own place. A fter the space of two years | or more I learned th e whole m a tte r; first, through a certain friend of mine and his a t my own table, while we were talk- I ing ahout'Some such m a tte r; then 1 took it up,andmadethc man in his own person tell me th e story, in the presence of some honest townsmen of his attestin g the same, both j concerning his marvellous illness, how he lay all but dead j for many days, and about th e other Curma, the smith, j w hat 1 have mentioned above, and about all these matters: j which, while he was telling me, th ey recalled to mind and assured me th a t they had also a t th a t time heard them J from his lips. . . . i t may be also th a t the spirits of th e dead do learn ' some things which are doing here, w hat things it is neees- , sary th at thev should know, and w hat persons it is .'neeessary should know the same, not only things past or pre­ sent, but even future, bv the Spirit of God revealing them: like as not all men, but th e Prophets, while they lived h ere did know, nor even they all things, but only what things to be revealed to them th e providence of God judged j meet. Moreover, th a t some from the dead are sent to- the living, as, on the other hand. Paul from the living was rapt 1 into Paradise, divine Scripture doth testify. For Samuel the Prophet appearing to Saul, when living, predicted even -i what should befall the king; although some think it was ] not Samuel himself th a t could have been by magical arts I evoked, b u t th a t some spirit, m eet for so evil works, did J figure his semblance; though th e book'Ecclesiastical, which j Jesus, son of Sirach, is reputed to have w ritten, and which, I on account of some resemblance of style, is pronounced to 1 1>e Solomon's, contains in the praise of the Fathers that Samuel, even when dead, did prophesy. But if this book 1 be spoken against from the canon of the Hebrews (be- J cause it is not contained therein) what shall we say of 1 Moses, whom certainly we read both iu Deuteronomy to I have died, and in the Gospel to have, together with Elias 1 who did not, appeared unto the living? Hence, too, is solved the question how is it that the j Martyrs, by the very lienefits which are given to them that I pray indicate th a t they take an interest in the affairs of 1 men. if the dead know not what the quick are doing. For not only by effects of benefits, but in the very be- I holding of men, it is certain th a t the Confessor Felix ap- j poured, when the barbarians were attacking Nola, as we j have heard, not by uncertain rumours, but h^ sure wit- j nesses. Howbeit it is a question which surpasses the strength I of my understanding, after what manner the Martyrs aid j them, who by them, it is certain, are helped; whether j themselves bv themselves be present a t one same time in J so different places, and by so great distance laying apart j one from another, either where their Memorials are, or beside their Memorials, wheresoever they are felt to be 1 present; or whether, while they themselves, in a place con- | gruous with their merits, are removed from all converse J with mortals, and yet do in a general Wav pray for the j needs of their suppliants (like as we pray for the dead to 1 whom, however, we are not present, nor know where they j be or what they be doing), God Almighty, Who is every- ] where present, neither bounded in with us nor remote from j us, hearing and granting the M artyrs’ prayers, doth by ] angelic ministries, everywhere _diffused, afford to men j these solaces, to whom in the misery of this life Ho seeth meet to afford the same, and, touching His Martyrs, doth j where He will, when He will, how He will, and chiefest through their Memorials, because this He knoweth to be expedient for us unto edifying of the faith of Christ, for

j j

(Continued a t foot of next page.)

LIGHT

March 3, 1923.] H E A L IN G

M E D IU M S H IP .

By J ames A. Tinling. In the mind of the ignorant public the word Spiritualism not only covers a multitude of sins but includes alls those occult sciences of which they have only a glimmering of the name. And in particular^ hypno-magnetic sciences suffer from this confusion. Spiritualism is more of the nature of a faith than a science as yet, and therefore be­ lief in a medium cannot be demanded in the same loud voice as if Spiritualism were an acoepted science. How­ ever useful, therefore, mediums may prove, in their be­ liefs and through their beliefs in healing or other matters, it will be long before they are generally and popularly accepted as real and literal intermediaries between the liv­ ing apd the dead, or as the authentic telephonic receivers through which we can hear messages from the other side. But in matters of psychic science the term “ medium” includes anyone gifted with peculiar sensibility through whom 'phenomena may be better demonstrated than through the normal individual. In this sense magnetic healers are the greatest of mediums, and I want to sug­ gest that the time has come when these people should be recognised as holders and givers of the greatest gifts of Nature, and th a t they should have a corporate life recognised, blessed and endowed by the State and the pubhc, and when the ignorant should be taught th a t their gifts and abilities to heal are not freakish or roguish but are merely the operation of natural law. Magnetic Healers—mediums between the Souroe of Life and the suffering—can prove scientifically and conclusively to the satisfaction of Mr. Justice Russell or anybody else that any endowment of such a corporate body would be “for the advancement of education,” would be “ beneficial to that section of the public whicn professed or intended to engage in the calling of a medium,” and would be “ bene­ ficial to the whole community because its object was to increase the number of trained mediums, especially those trained for the purpose of'diagnosing and healing disease.” The principle or Magnetic Healing is simply th at the human form is like a galvanic battery capable of sending out electric fluid or vibration. Some bodies are more highly oh&rged than others (those of magnetic healers particularly), and they are capable of communicating their force to others, as well as of Becoming mere channels or media whereby the same life force may be directed through them to the patient. This magnetic or electric force destroys disease germs and also .vitalises the cells of the patient’s body./ Tne life-force can be directed to any particular part where the disease is localised, and has the power of restor­ ing its physiological function to any affected organ. It will thus be seen th at by the application of a funda­ mental force of nature alone many diseases may be success­ fully combated There are innumerable cases on record of cures by magnetism when the patients treated under more orthodox methods have been given up as hopeless. Head­ aches, insomnia, diseases of the stomach and liver,_ and lesser heart troubles are peculiarly amenable to the influ­ ence of magnetism, and the same applies to the many pain­ ful and dangerous complaints to which women are subject; while experiments have established the fact th a t provided neither severance nor atrophy of the optic nerve has taken place, sight may be restored to many who believe them­ selves permanently blind. Finally—but by no means ex­ hausting the cases' of tho curative power of magnetism— neurasthenia, epilepsy, paralysis, and all forms of rheuma­ tism, and even tuberculosis, have been -successfully treated in this way. Seeing that Some doctors actually practise magnetic healing, and others, recognising its virtues, send their patients to be treated by magnetic healers, is it not for the public good that the hundreds of healers all over the country should now be brought together to form nn Asso­ ciation (like the Magnetic Society of France) whereby know­ ledge may ho advanced and pain and suffering alleviated l»y_ the co-operation of those who have been specially appointed and blessed by Nature to serve mankind P (Continued from previous page.) Whose confession they suffered, by marvellous and in­ effable power and goodness, cause their merits to be had in honour. For it is not to be thought th a t no man knows these things (not indeed he who thinks he knows, and knows not), for these be gifts of God, Who bestows on these some one, on those some other. ^According to the Apostle, who says that to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal; to one, indeed, saith he, is given by the Spirit discourse of wisdom \ to another discourse of science according to the same Spirit; while to another faith in the same Spirit; to another the gift of healings in one Spirit; to ono, working of miracles; to one, prophecy; to one, dis­ cerning of spirits; to one, kinds of tongues; to one, inter­ pretation of discourses. But all these worketh one and the same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will. Of all these spiritual gifts, which the Apostle hath re­ hearsed, to whomsoever is given discerning of spirits the

130 THE

P R IC E -H O P E

CA SE.

To the Editor of Light.

Sir,—The conflict of evidence in this case must have caused a good deal _of mental distress to many of your readers, and, not least, your supplementary report on Feb­ ruary 17th. As Sir Oliver Lodge says, it is indeed lament­ able that he should differ from Sir A. Conan Doyle in this matter. Not that there is any reason why they should not quarrel if they want to, but the lamentable part of the business is that two men like these, with the same evidence before them, should come to such'different conclusions. It seems to me that one of them is absolutely in the right, and the other looking at the matter from a wrong angle altogether. And yet both are men who might have been selected to arbitrate in this dispute, and looked upon as certain to come to a correct conclusion. Hope’s vindica­ tion or otherwise seems no more important than the restor- . ing of harmony, but no further experiments, whatever their results, can wipe out the'suspicions and accusations now existing. Only a complete exposure of one side or the other can do this. Either a “diabolical thing” has been done, or it has not, and I trust means may be found to probe it further. Yours, etc., . C. L. Schwind. Forest Home, Withyham, Sussex. February 20th 1923. To the Editor of Light.

Sip.,—Referring to Sir Oliver Lodge’s amazing. defence

of the S.P.R. officials, would it be too much to enquire what exactly is a “false fact.” It is strange that he failed to comment on the broadcast publication of the little red book' by these people, who were so prejudiced in their methods—th a t ‘‘gutter press pamphlet,” as Sir Conan *Doyle rightly named it. Sir Oliver describes the accusa­ tion against these so-called investigators as “diabolical,” and in tho same breath proceeds to attribute a more damn­ ing crime to Mr. Hope, that he only cheated when it suited him to do so. If true, this would brand Hope as a rogue of a peculi­ arly cruel and calculating nature. If this speech represents the scientific methods of evi­ dence and argument of the S.P.R., then, indeed, the “Man in tho Street” must be allowed to voice his bewilderment. Sir Oliver might also recollect that some of the evidence in his own Spiritualist hooks was both startling and un­ verified. H. T. P emberton. - February 20th, 1923. ‘ T H E PSYCHIC LIBRARY.” E. C. M. writes:— I hare read with interest Mrs. Leaning’s article on “The Psychic Library.” There is just one thing I should like to add to it. She writes, “But our bookworm has not done his whole duty when he has . . . bought, read, and arranged his books.” Quite true—he must lend them. “ All true help that is given from this side of the great, free, beautiful One Life, is not for this or that one alone, but for all who are readv for the word to be given unto them. Nothing may be kept for self alone in these days. You are but a channel, and therefore must allow all that is given you freely to pass on.” (“Teachings of Love,” transmitted through M. E.) I have a fair-sized psychic library, but only a few of these books are a t home at any one time. Half the joy of each new purchase is the knowledge that so many others will enjoy and benefit by reading that same copy. Let me also express thanks for Light; its arrival is the great event of the week. same knoweth these things, as they are meet to be known. . Such, in my belief, was that John the Monk, whom the elder Theodosius, the Emperor, consulted concerning the issue of the civil war; seeing he had also the gift of prophecy. For that not each one person has a several one of these gifts, but that one man may have more gifts than one, I make no question. This John, then, when once a certain most religious woman desired to see him, and to obtain this did through her husband make vehement entreaty, refused indeed this request because he had never allowed this to woman, but “Go,” said he, “tell thy wife she shall see me this night, but in her sleep.” And so it come to pass; and he gave her advice, what­ ever was meet to* be given to a wedded believing woman. And she, on her awakening, made known to her husband tliat she had seen a man of God, suchas he knew him to be, and what she had been told by him. The person who learned this from them reported it to me, a grave man and a noble, and most worthy to be be­ lieved.

LIGHT “ C H IL D CLO U D PH O TO G R A PH S." “ T khtium Q u id ” R e p l ie s .

To th e E d ito r o f L ig h t . S i r , —I no tice in y o u r issue of December 23rd, d some­ w h a t cry p tically -w o rd ed in v ita tio n to myself and (or) Cap­ ta in D e B ra th p u t fo rw ard by D r. L indsay Johnson. Some a r e b o rn g re a t, some achieve g reatness, and some have g re a tn e ss th r u s t upon th em . (You m ay have heard this q u o ta tio n before.) I have long suspected th a t I really be­ longed to th e tw o first of th ese distinguished categories; I now know t h a t I have g ra d u a te d in to th e last of them . I m u s t th e re fo re t r y to m ake th e jewel w orthy of the s e ttin g *(Dr. L in d say Jo h n so n ’s). F o r i t ap pears th a t I am “ m y sterio u s a n d le a rn e d .’’ I knew ab o u t th e la tte r, of course, b u t th e fo rm er is a n added facet reflecting a fre sh b rillia n c e whose ex istence I h ad n o t realised. B u t i t seem s to me t h a t while m y. hum orous challenger m ay be even m ore learn ed —supposing th is indeed to be possible— h e is a t le a st equally m ysterious. W ith several h u n d re d m iles of railw ay tra v e l before me, in which I am fre e to m e d ita te u p o n th e abstruse p ro b le m ' which he in­ v ite s m e t o solve, I m u st fain confess t h a t th e first hun­ d re d o r so leave m e still in some do u b t as to w hat i t is t h a t he really 'w an ts to know. F ir s t, i t would seem, why did R aphael p a in t a cloud of baby faces ro u n d th e S istin e M adonna p ictu re ? B u t R a p h a e l w as a little before my tim e, and consequently I h av e been den ied th e privilege of his_acquaintance, and can th e re fo re only fall back on speculation. D r. L in d say Jo h n so n him self p u ts forw ard a q u ite feasi­ ble sug g estio n , even if in th is case a doubtfully necessary one. R a p h a e l’s p ic tu re was of th e in fa n t Jesu s as R aphael u n d ersto o d H im . R ap h ael, as a devout, if prim itive Chris­ tia n , w ould n a tu ra lly have believed in th e after-existence o f ch ild ren as child-angels, an d w h at m ore n a tu ra l th a n t h a t h e should coneive them as flocking round Him who— a child H im self—w as one day to say w ith au th o rity , in a n ag e in w hich ch ild ren w ere despised, “ Suffer little chil­ d re n to come u n to M e, an d forbid them n o t, fo r of such is th e kin g d o m o f h e a v e n .’’ T he la s t words alone m ight have in sp ired his idea. Besides, all whose souls a re n o t dead in s tin c tiv e ly feel t h a t to be su rro u n d ed by th e innocent love o f th ese p u re a n d te n d e r little souls, w hether in this^ sta te , o f e x iste n c e o r th e n e x t, is n o t only p erh ap s th e loveliest I th in g t h a t life can offer, b u t is a t once a protection ag ain st th o se th in g s w hich “ a ssa u lt an d h u r t th e soul,” and a g u a r a n te e - th a t th e sam e soul has n o t been dam aged beyond r e p a ir . F o r th ese little folk both instinctively shun and unconsciously repel re a l evil. A nd if R a p h a e l, as a psychic, as D r. Lindsay Johnson su g g ests, was ev er g ra n te d th e suprem e rew ard of b u t once c la irv o y a n tly seeing him self to be surrounded by a host of c h ild -sp irits, th e n ne had t h a t of which few indeed can be w o rth y , a n d 'would surely be im pelled to tr y an d repro­ duce t h a t tra n sc e n d e n t experience on his inspired canvas. O r p e rh a p s he ju s t p a in te d them because he loved them , fo r love is in everv lin e of his brush in his ch ild ren ’s faces. Secondly, D r. Jo h n so n seems to ask fo r an explanation o f th ese c h ild re n ’s faces in so-called sp irit-p h o to g rap h s. I say “ so-called” in no s p ir it of prejudiced scepticism or sarcasm , b u t m erely because as I th in k I rem arked in “ T h e V e rd ic t” I have h ad no reliable personal 'experience of th is cluss of phenom ena. B u t, assum ing t h a t th e pho to g rap h s a re genuine, as th e y probably a re , I would v e n tu re to suggest th a t the sam e facto rs m ay he in q u estio n . B u t i t m ay of course be, t h a t so m eth in g in th e psychie condition of children "across th e s tre a m ” m akes i t m ore easy to m aterialise them suf­ ficiently to affect th e p h o to g rap h ic p la te . I t m ight also possibly be t h a t “ a g e n ts” on t h a t side should choose such a form of p h o to g rap h , because, as D r. Johnson duly notes, i t m akes a n accu satio n of “ fa k e ” considerably m ore difficult to s u s ta in w ith anv show of reason. I f e a r t h a t 1 h a v e n o t in th is le tte r displayed myself a s b ein g “ le a rn e d ,” b u t I tr u s t th a t I have a t least not been “ m y sterio u s.-” C a p ta in D e B ra th , i t is now yo u r tu rn 1 W ith c o n g ra tu la tio n s on yo u r C hristm as num ber. Y ours, etc., " T ebtium Q u id .”

“ Som ew hese in th e T ran sv aal,” South Africa. J a n u a r y 24th, 1023. D K C BA SE

OF

M R S.

F IE L D IN G -O U L D .

W e le a rn w ith re g re t of th e decease of M rs. FieldingO uld, th e wife of th e R ev. F . Fielding-Ould, which took p lace on S a tu rd a y evening last, as a resu lt of an a tta c k of influenza, com plicated w ith pneum onia and h e a rt _trouble. T h e m any friends of M r. Fielding-O uld will join with us in conveying to him th e assurance of our sincere condolenoe

in his bereavement.

[March 3 "1928.

M R. HORACE

LEAF

AT

THE

AEOLIAN HALL,

M r. Horace Leaf address* d a large gathering on Sun­ day evening last a t th e Ailolian Hall, Bond-street, under th e auspices of th e Marylebone Spiritualist Association. I t was his first public appearance since his reoent return front his lecturing to u r in Australasia. Mr. George Craze, President of the Marylebone Association, in introducing Mr. Leaf an d Mrs. Leaf, said th a t while all had missed them very much during the past year, there was the satisfaction of knowing th a t they were doing good work at the Anti­ podes. On behalf of all present he tendered to Mr. and Mrs. Leaf a hearty welcome. M r. Leaf gave a very interesting account of some qf the incidents in his tour, interspersin'* it with amusing aneodotes. On his departure from this country, he carried with him th e greetings of organised Spiritualists in England to those in Australasia, and now he had the pleasing duty of conveying th e greetings of organised Spiritualists in the Southern Seas to th eir fellows here. Mr. Leaf mentioned th a t he had travelled over 35,000 miles, and th at during his to u r he a t tim es addressed as many as ten meetings a week. H e found th e general public showed a keen interest in the subject, and were anxious to know more about it. There was, of course, opposition to be faced, and it took very much th e same form as in this country. One misconception was th a t he had come to make the people Spiritualists. T h at was n o t the intention in Sir A rthur Conui Doyle's advocacy of th e subject^ nor was it his own. His aim was to in terest his hearers in th e scientific side of the question, and to show, them th a t there were wonderful facts that were being overlooked by many people, facts which, as Flammarion had pointed out, were as real as gravitation. Be­ yond th a t, however, Spiritualism was proving to the world th e g re a t tr u th th a t man survives death. TELEPATHY

AND

SC IE N C E .

D r. J . S cott B attam s w rite s:— In your interesting interview with Sir William Barrett he asserts Quite tru ly —strange as it must appear to most ol us—'t h a t official Science does not as yet admit telepathy. B u t I am under the impression, w ithout being able to give ch ap ter and verse, th a t certain scientists or pseudo-scien­ tists, invoke the aid of telepathy and thought transference to explain such psychic phenomena as are not easily brushed nside as being due to haljucination and fraud. I have also a vague suspicion—especially when “ S p iritist” phenomena are_ concerned—th a t i t is not always a reasoned scientific b e l i e f in telepathy th a t determ ines the choice of this weapon. M any honestly regard Spiritualism as a dangerous cult, full of quackery, and subversive of the moral order. In th eir fervid zeal, any weapon that-serves the end they seek may seem to them justified; and since journalistic “Lynch­ in g ’’ is losing its one-time potency, we may yet witness the interesting phenomenon of official Science using telepathy ns p weapon against those whom they have derided for accept­ ing it as n aem onstrated fact. We may have to allow time for such a v o l t e - f a c e . for, fortunately, f e s t i n a le n te is the m otto of the p atien t, selfless, votaries of academic science. S P I R IT U A L IS M

AND

W O R LD

HARMONY.

T o t h e E d i t o r o f L ig h t .

Sir ,—This communication is perhaps a little belated, but as no one else appears to have done so, I should like an opportunity to underline and emphasise the ideas so adm irably set forth by Mr. F. Stephens in his letter in your issue of December 30th last. The root evil which, more th an anything else, is responsible for the troubles of th e present era, is th e lack of the spirit of goodwill, so necessary as a unifying force behind all spiritual pro­ gress. By a curious coincidence, the same idea found expres­ sion in another le tte r in th e same issue (p. 824), from a correspondent on the other side of the globe, in which he refers to too much “ Praise the Lord” in buildings and too little of “ Love thy neighbour as thyself” outside them. And now, to emphasise the point still further, let me quote (which I hope I am perm itted to do) from a writer in th e “ Weekly W estm inster G azette” (prize essay in issue of th e 10th in s t.) :— “ In our own day and generation, we are witnessing perhaps the most fatal postponement th a t the world has ever known. For hum anity is aware, os never before, th a t the one ultim ate cure for all its ills lies in the ap­ plication, in politics, commerce, industry, in every social relationship, of the Christian ethio and outlook. Yet as groups, os individuals, we continue to say, 'Not yeti (Continued on next page.)

light

March 3, 1923.]

.

HI

R A Y S A N D REFLECTIO NS. I was reading lately of some alleged ghostly disturbances whioh stopped when police officers were brought on the scene. This is unusual where the manifestations are genuine, and not the work of practical jokers in the flesh, pirite (and poltergeists) do not seem to stand in any* awe They are in th a t respect like the savage bull whioh was constantly breaking out of its field and terrifying the way­ farers. An attem pt was made to get the village policeman to interfere. I t was represented to him th a t ne should wait (like the brave man he was) near a gap in the hedge, and waylay the bull. H e was further encouraged by the remark th a t if the bull broke out it would be very surprised to find a policeman w aiting to arrest i t l I t would get; quite a shock, they said. B u t the constable was not so sure, and remarked drily th a t he believed the bull would be not only surprised b u t pleased, since, as a large police­ man, he would offer an excellent ta rg e t for the bull’s horns 1 He thought, in fact, th a t it would be he and not the bull that would get the shock. No; the policeman as a remedy for haunting (when it is real haunting), is no b etter th a n the doctor or the parson, when they know less th a n nothing of psychic science. 1 know one worthy clergyman whose interposition in a case of haunting resulted in his being lifted bodily into the air by some unseen agency. H e is a strong believer in ghosts how; and, w hat is b etter, has learned something of the ways of those unquiet Spirits who hover on the confines of earth until they have found th e lig h t and come to a know­ ledge of their tru e condition. The fact th a t th e power and presence of the Unseen World have to be brought home to the mass of mankind by signs and wonders and physical tokens has been lamented as an evidence of the m aterialism of th e time. B ut it has always been so. Those natu res which are responsive to the invisible side of things a t first hand are always few in number. The averago m an nearly always fears a judge in the flesh more th a n th e unseen Judge of whom he he is told | by Theology. •

«

•

•

The oase is exemplified humorously in the story of the Bishop who visited th e lower regions (by which I mean the I basement of his palace), to scold th e page boy for disobedi-l once. “Who is th a t,” said the Bishop in the course of his homily, “ Who is th a t One above in Whose presence I —even I I—am but a worm ?” And the boy (an observant youth), replied in an awed voice, “ The missus, my lord.” A morning paper recently published on one day a re­ port of Sir Oliver Lodge’s address on “ Psychic Phenomena” I to “Toe H ,” a t Queen’s G ate Gardens, London; an account of Sir E ; Marshall H all’s conversion to a belief in auto- I matic w riting; a description of the hauntings a t the Cam­ bridgeshire farmhouse; and S ir A rth u r Conan Doyle's letter on the subject. Incidentally, I was glad of this display I of interest in psychio phenomena, for I had on the previous day boen trying to convince some fellow-scribes of the public importance of the subjeQt, and the next day’s newspapers saved me a lot of argum ent. But the newspaper in question went further. I t pub­ lished a perplexed leading artiole on the subject, referring to Hamlet, and th a t venerable and hackneyed quotation, “There Are more things in Heaven and earth ,” etc. And it wound up w ith the prayer of the legendary Scotsman, who prayed to be delivered "fra e witches, warlocks, an wurricoes, a n ’ a ’ th e things which gang bump i ’ th ’ nicht.” That is a t least amusing. B u t how- long will it take the world to realise th a t there are “ angels and ministers of grace,” as well as bogles, poltergeists, and “ devils” P D. G.

THE BLUE ISLAND The Experiences of a new arrival “ beyond the Veil.” Communicated by

W . T. STEAD, and recorded by PARDOE WOODMAN and ESTELLE STEAD, W ith a Letter by S IR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. A remark ble narrative given by Mr. w. T. Stead, in which are related the happenings to himself and others after the sinking of the Titanic, and his life beyond the Veil, fogether with his first experiences after the shock of bodily death with many who were drowned in that great maritime catastrophe.

Price 3 /6 /

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FACTS AND THB

FUTURE

LIFE

BY THB REV. G.

VALE OWEN The Vicar of Orford has, in this work, presented a number of his own personal experiences in connection with spirit com­ munication and Psychical Research. “ FACTS AND TH E FUTURE L IFE ” comprises one of the most searching in­ quiries into the subject of human survival after death in the light of modern knowledge and the Vicar’s own first-hand experiences. In this volume Mr. Vale Owen states his own position in regard to many of the questions that are being discussed by Theologians and others on matters relating to the creeds of Christendom and the relation of Christianity to Spiritualism.

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(Continued from previoui column.) We sing about a nobler race to come, and we resign our own responsibilities to th a t nobler race. _ The rich turn away because they are rich, though it I is obvious that their riches afford them little satisfaction. The poor turn away because they ore poor, although, for the ser­ vice of an ideal, m aterial poverty is no mean equipment. No one dares to tak e to e plunge into sheer applied Christianity. . . ; Meanwhile I . . .” Yours faithfully, J . D .T. East Finchley, N.2. February 19th, 1923.

C S

PE R CENT. IN TEREST-FREE FROM INCOME TAX DEDUCTION—oon be obtained on your Savings. Dividends paid Half-yearly in full. Easy Withdrawals without expense or deduction. Sicubitt Assured. Assets over £1,000,000. Reserve Funds £50,000. Advances made towards purchase of Freehold and Leasehold Property. Full particulars from WESTBOURNE PARK PERMT. BUILDING SOOIETY(Ohairman—ERNEST W. BEARD, Esq.), 136, Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, London, W. j .

LIGHT

142

f March 3, 1923. -|

HOW I IMPROVED

NOW READY.

MY MEMORY in one evening .

THE CASE FOR SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY

By V ICTO R JO N E S. “ Of coarse I know yon 1 Mr. Addison Clerk, of Hall. " I f I remember correctly—end I do remember cor­ rectly—Mr. Burroughs, the timber merobent, introduced me to yoa et the luncheon at the Automobile d u b three years ego this coming May. This is epleesure indeed 1 I haven't seen you since that dey. How is the grein business P And how did. th at amalgamation work outP” The assurance of this Bpeaker—in the crowded cor­ ridor of the Hotel Metropole—compelled me to turn end look at him, though I must say it is not my usual habit to eavesdrop, even in an hotel lobby. " He is David M. Roth, the most famous memory ex­ pert in the world,” said my friend Kennedy, answering my question before I could get it out. " He will show you many more wonderful things than th at before the evening is over.” Ana he did. As we went into the banquet-room the host was intro­ ducing a long line of guests to Mr. Roth. I got in line, and whon it came to my turn Mr. Roth asked: ” What are your initials, Mr. Jones, and your business and tele­ phone number?” Why he asked this I learned later, when be picked out from the crowd the sixty men he had met two hours before, and called each by name with­ out a mistake. What is more, he named each man’s business and telephone number accurately. I won’t tell you all the other amazing things this man did, except how he called out, without a minute’s hesita­ tion, long lists of numbers, bank clearings, prioes, lot numbers, paroel-post rates, and anything else the guests gave him in rapid order. When I met Mr. Roth again he rather bowled me over by saying, in his quiet, modest way!— ” There is nothing miraculous about my remembering anything I want to remember, whether it be names, faoes, figures, facts, or something I hare read in a magazine. "Tou can do this just as easily as I do. “ My own memory,” continued Mr. Roth, “ war originally very faulty. Tes it was—a really pool memory. On meeting a man I would forget his name i] thirty seconds, while now there are probably 10 ,0 0 0 mei and women, many of whom I have met but once, whos names I can recall instantly on meeting them.” ” That is all right for you, Mr. Roth,” I interrupted “ Ton have given years to it. . But how about me ?” “ Mr. Jones,” he replied, “ I can teach you the secret of a good memory in one evening. I have done it with thousands of pupils. In the first of seven simple lessons which I have prepared for home study I show you the basic principle of my whole system, and you will find it not hard work, as you might fear, but just like playing a fascinating game. I will prove it to you.” He didn’t have to prove it. His Course, did i I got it the very next day from his Principals. When I tackled the first lesson I was amazed to find that I had learned—in about an hour—how to remember a list of one hundred words so th a t I could call them out forward and backward without a single mistake. That first lesson stack. And so did the other six. Mv advice to you is, don’t wait another minute. Send for Mr. Roth’s amazing Course, and see what a wonder­ ful memory yon have got. Tour dividends in INCREASING EARNING POWER will be enormous. VICTOR JONES. SEND NO M ONEY. Bo confident are the principals of the Both Memory Course that once you have an opportunity to see in your own home how easy it is to double, yes treble, your memory power in a few short hours th a t they are willing to send the Course for free examination. DON’T SEND ANY MONEY. Merely write a letter, and the complete Course will be sent at once. If you are not entirely satisfied, send it back any time within three days after you reoeive it, and you will owe nothing. But if you are as pleased as are the 175,000 other men and women who have taken the Course, send only BBt. in full payment. You taka no risk, and you have everything to gain, an past the letter now before this remarkable offer Is withdrawn. Write to the Principal, ROTH M EMORY COURSE, The A.B.C. Correspondence Schools, (Dept. U) PATERNOSTER HOUSE.

by

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE M .D., LL .D . M ember o f the Society for Psychical Research. President of the Society for the Study of Supernorm al Pictures.)

Vice-

With corroborative evidence by experienced researchers and photographers, including Miss F. R. S c a t c h e r d and M r . F r e d B arlow.

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. This work has been specially prepared by S ir A rthur Conan Doyle to satisfy the demands of a very large public interested in what is popularly term ed “ Spirit Photography.” S ir A rthur deals at some length wilh the work and history of the famous Crewe Mediums, Mr. Hope and Mrs. Buxton, also stating his views on the recent charge of Fraud brought against these mediums by M r. Harry Price and others. A wonderful series of verified cases of supernormal photography are also presented. Sir Arthur’s case is set out in his inimitable style and the many illustrations presertt a unique record of this phase of Psychical Research.

PRICE TWO SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE. Post F R E E — 2s. lOd.

P L A C E VO U R O R D E R N O W with your

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March

L I G H T

S, 1928.]

143 "F T

Q U ESTIO N S

AND

ANSW ERS.

Conducted by tbe Editor.

\

O E A D E R S are invited to w rite to us w ith any questions arising o u t of th eir inquiries into Spiritualism and Psychical R esearch, a n d we will reply to th em o n this page. If it is a question of wide general interest we may, however, deal with it in an o th e r p a rt of th e paper. W e will also send personal replies where this is desirable. We do n o t hold ourselve-. responsible for m anuscripts, photographs, or o th er enclosures, unless they are forwarded in registered covers an d acco m p an ied by stam ped, ad d ressed envelopes for return W e are always glad o f co m m en ts o r o f in form ation th a t m ay usefully supplem ent th e answers given.

OTHER-WORLD CONDITIONS.

MOTHER LOVE IN SPIRIT LIFE. A bjreaved m other am ongst our correspondents is cer­ tainly correct in finding a certain sim ilarity in th e case of a child losing its m other by death and a child th a t passes into the next world before th e m other. In each case, of course, the child could be described as m otherless. B u t even os the child would have friends here, so i t finds friends when it goes into th e n ex t sta te . A t th is point we may quote from “ The Morrow of D e a th ,” by “ Amicus,’’ a r e ­ cently issued book full of excellent teach in g concerning life in the next world: “ Please observe—and th is should never be forgotten: it is a vital ch aracteristic of th is life—th a t there are no orphans h e re ; every little life p rem aturely banished from e a rth th a t needs m othering, finds w aiting for it a mother soul eager to care fo r i t and provide for all its needs.” T h at is a sta te m e n t th a t has been m any tim es made. There are no neglected children in th e n e x t world, but care and provision a re m ade for all. A nd i t is a re ­ markable instance of th e w orkings of Providenoe t h a t those women who were full of m atern al love w ith no oppo rtu n ity for its exercise on e a rth , find in th e care and tra in in g of the waifs from e a rth th e fulfilm ent of th e ir g re a t yearning. They are tru e spiritual m others.

“ POWER” IN PSYCHIC PHENOMENA. A term commonly used in occult com m unications to ex­ plain the weakness or absence of resu lts is “ th e pow er.” When this is stated to he “ insufficient” o r “ w aning,” it conveys the idea t h a t reference is m ade to a certain quantity of energy which is necessary for th e purpose, b u t Which is not available. This, how ever, is n o t co rrect. Energy is a definite, m easurable physical e n tity , 'which pro­ duces change in th e condition of m a t t e r : i t possesses no option, hut acts blindlv excep t when d irected by will. Will, or Mind, does possess th is o p tio n : it can design and plan, a method of action, and although it c an n o t c reate energy, it can direct i t and so a rra n g e an orderly resu lt. The ‘‘power” referred to , th en , is an evidenoe of M ind, which is -trying to produoe certain resu lts, a m ind which ii not located in a physical body, b u t which is ap p aren tly influencing th a t body, tem porarily, and w ith an effort th a t is not th e norm al' action of a m ind located in a body. Consequently th e influence m ay n o t be sufficiently powerful to produoe th e effect desired, o r th e stra in m ay be too great to he sustained for long. The te rm _is som etimes used in an obscure w ay, b u t in th ese cases i t is probable that the intention of th e com m unicator is badly expressed by the mind of th e m edium . I t is probably b e tte r to substitute the term “ influence,” and th e n , in m ost cases, the intention of th e com m unicator will be understood, while there will be no im plication of physical in terferen ce.

DRAWING B E /^

T here is a g re a t demand for exact knowledge concern­ ing th e conditions of th e world to which we go a t death. B u t inasmuch as it is no t a physical world i t stands to reason th a t it can never be exactly described in physical term s. T here is, bo to speak, a “ G reat Divide,” and when D iotim a told Socrates th a t “ love bridges th e chasm” she was perhaps referrin g to th e only th in g th a t ever will tru ly bridge it. T h a t is n o t to say th a t psychic science will n o t in tim e achieve much tow ards spanning th e gulf be­ tw een th e tw o states, enabling us to gain some real know­ ledge of th o n e x t life, in its ex te rn a l aspects a t least— b u t only t h a t th e affections will always nave to play a p rim ary p a rt. In o ur own case, we have always found th a t th e b e st way to un d erstan d som ething of other-world conditions is to study th e life of th is world. I t is astonish­ in g how m any h in ts and clues i t yields of th e real n a tu re of spirit-life, for i t m ust- never be forgotten th a t we are in a sp iritu al world already. I t is merely th a t we are looking a t th e opposite pole from th a t a t which we shall view i t a fte r d eath .

SPIRITS AND THEIR POWERS. W hen th e in q u irer h as ascertained th a t a belief in spirits is n o t a superstition h e does well to m ake him self fu rth e r acquainted w ith th e subject. I t has become an alm ost th re a d b a re saying w ith us t h a t spirits are hum an like our­ selves and have th e ir lim itations. C ertainly, as a corres­ pondent rem arks, sp irit comm unicators can read th e future and m ake accu rate predictions. B u t surely th a t is not peculiar to d iscarn ate soirits. W e have known people _ m th is world do i t very often. Also we have known spirit predictions to be very fa r astray , showing th a t spirits are no m ore infallible th a n we are. The fact is th a t some people have th e g ift of reading th e fu tu re. I t is a form of clairvoyance by no m eans confined to th e ranks of Spirit­ ualists. We have known some rem arkable instances of prevision exercised in business circles. Now th is being an inborn faculty its possessor, when he dies, tak es it with him in to sp irit life and exercises it th ere, sometimes, it m ay be, for th e benefit of his friends still in th e flesh. T here you have th e secret of th e sp irit who shows th e power of seem " into th e fu tu re . A p art from th is sp irit friends occasionally lay plans for th e fu tu re of those in whom th e y a re in terested , and in th is case prophecy is easy. I t is to be rem em bered too, t h a t spirits lead a m ental life, more sensitive th a n ours, and feel and know thim rs which are no t so ap p a re n t to us. Those who a re in advance of us can read o ur m inds and motives if th ey so desire-—a form of ch aracter-reading which is n o t unknow n, in th is world, and, therefore, n o t a t all “ su p ern atu ral.”

AND

DESIGN.

THE MAGAZINE OF TASTE.

Five years ago ‘‘Drawing and D esign” was founded with the object of stimulating interest in pictorial and applied art. Its programme has been mainly practical and ■ its aim has been to supply helpful information, advice and news for artists, designers, teachers and students. A NEW S E R IE S of the Magazine has now commenced, larger,more fully illustrated, and issued with beautiful coloured plates each month. It is intended to be the link between the artist and the public, between the designer and producer, whose success depends upon the skill of those who execute his commissions; and it will appeal both to an appreciative public and to artists. G et this month's issue—on sa lt everywhere.

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LIGHT

144

SIR A. CONAN DOYLE’S LECTURE AT TORQUAY.

THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY

Whether convinced or not, one of the largest audiences Been in Torquay Pavilion for a very long time left on Wed­ nesday evening. February 21st. after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's spiritualistic lecture on “The New Revelation/' with only one opinion, that it had been a wonderful experience. The Mayor of Torquay (Mr. 0 . H. Iredale) presided, and after referring to the position of distinction which Sir Arthur occupied in the worfd of letters, said that his record was proof that in taking up this subject he was honest and sincere. What was needed in this matter was a spirit of inquiry. While declaring himself a non-believer in spiritua­ lism. the Mayor commended such investigation. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said th at while he lo~ed his home, his books, and his family life, he had been impelled to take up this work by an irresistible impulse^ to enable others to share the knowledge that had given himself and his wife such happiness. At the close of the lecture Sir Arthur and #Lady Doyle and the Mayor were thanked, on the proposition of Mr, Evan Powell, seconded by Mr. J. Rabbich, president of the Paignton Spiritualist Society, who described an occasion when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had visited his dining-room at Paignton, “I, my wife, and s veral friends heard Sir Arthur’s son talking to him.” The accent of the voice was unmistakable, and he also heard the voice of Sir A rthur’s brother, Colonel Doyle, who was killed in the war.

A Sequence o f Spirit* messages describing D eath and th e A fte r » world. Selected from Published and Unpublished Automatic W ritings (1874 to 1918),

Edited by Harold Bayley, with an Introduction by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This work will prove a revelation to those who are not familiar with the beautiful and ennobling character of many spirit messages. MTbe Undiscovered Country ” is a standard work of reference concerning the “ Life Beyond the Veil. The recent demand for tbil valuable work he, freetly depleted the limited Stock. There will be no reprints of thie work after this Edition is enhausted. so piece year order now.

AN8 WIRE TO CORRESPONDENTS. R. ( M orrison (Johannesburg).—The Rev. G. Vale Owen is at present in the United States, so th at we cannot take up the point with him. There is much antique theology that ought to be obsolete by this time. Let us keep more to the spirit and less to the letter in these matters. 0. P. (Sutton).—Thank you for the reminder, but the matter was too conspicuous to escape our attention. M. H olden .— Thank you. The suggestion was made by another correspondent, and is worth ventilating. But we doubt not th at in the course of events radio methods will be adopted in the way indicated.

S U N D A Y 'S SOCIETY

In board oovere. and specially designed two* coloured wrapper.

P ost

Lewisham.—Limes Hall, Limes Grove.—Sunday, March 4th, 11.15 open circle; 2.4o Lyceum; 6.30, Mrs. Annie Boddington. Croydon.—flare wood Hall, 96, High-street.—March 4th. 11 and 7, Mr. Percy Scholev. Brighton.—Athcncevm Hall.—March 4th, 11.15 and 7, services as usual; 3, Lyceum. Wednesday, 8.15, Mr. Howard Hulme. Camberwell, S E .— The Guardian Offices, Havil-street, Peckham-road.—March 4th, 11, Miss Newton; 6.30, Mr. Ernest Meads. Holloway.—Grovedale Hall, Grovedale-road (near Highgate tube station).—Saturday, second performance of “ Silver Star," Lyceum fairy pfay; tickets 1/-, children 6 d .; doors open 7. Sunday, 11 and 7, Mr. A. Punter, address and dairvovanoe; 3. Lyceum. Monday, 8 . developing circle (members^ only). Wednesday, 8 , Mrs. M. Maunder, .address and clairvoyanoe. Free healing every Friday, chil­ dren 5-7. adults from 7. Please note: “ North London Spiritualist Association" and “ North London Spiritualist Propaganda Committee” are in no wise connected. St. John*s Spiritual Mission, Woodberry-grove. North Finchley (opposite tram depot).—March 4th, 7, Rev. G. Ward. Thursday, March 8 tn, 8 , Mrs. Anderson. Shepherd*s Bush.—73, Becklovwoad.—March 4th. 11, publio circle; 7, Mrs. Goddard. Thursday, March 8 th, 8 , Mr. J . B. Firth. Beckham.—Lausa/n/ne-road.—March 4th, 7, Mr. Ernest Hunt. Thursday, 8.15, Mr. J. Lewis Wallis. Bowes Park.—Shaftesbury Hall, adjoining Bowes Park Station (down side).—Sunday, March 4th, 11. Mr. Karl Reynolds; 7, Rev. Geo. Word. Worthing Spiritualist Mission, Ann-street.—March 4th, 6.80. Mr. H. Boddington. March 8 th, 8 , Mrs. Harvey. Central.—144. High Holborn (Bwy-street entrance).— March 2nd, 7.30, Mrs. B. Stock. March 4th, 7, Mrs. Orlowski. Forest Hill Christian Spiritualist Society.—Foresters* Hall, Baglan-street, Da/rtmouth-road.—March 4th, 6.30, Miss L. Thompson, Wednesday, March 7th, 8 , Mr. D. Jones. Bichmond Spiritualist Ohv/rch, Ormond-road.—Sunday, March 4th, 7.80, Mr. Wm. Drink water. Wednesday, March 7th, address and clairvoyanoe. ,

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[March 8, 1928,

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L I G H T

IV,

smos Medical Press Opinions

[March 3, 1923.

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i

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» LIGHT,' March 10th, 1923,

TO U H W M C t.

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The Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon. A ddpgsi on Spiritualism.* (Illustrated.) Man's Psychic Mechanism. Address by Mr. E. L. Gardner. Mediumshlp—its Failures and Successes.

The Pilgrimage of Man, By W. H. Evans. ^Stories of the Supernormal, Some Reminiscences of Sir George Grove. 'Objective and Subjective Visions. {By Geraldine De Rebeck.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10th,'1923. Ho. 2,200— Vol XLIII Registered i t a Newspaper,

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The British College ol Psychic Scieice, 50. HOLLAND PARK, LONDON W. n . (Tel. PA1K 4709.) Hon. Principal. J. HEWAT McMNZIB. Syllabus of fixtures on application to Hon. Secretary. Classes. Lectures. Excellent Library. Practical Demonstrations available in Direct Voice. Physical Phenomena, Psychic Photography, Ouija Board, Clairvoyance, Psychometry Direct Voice Groups. ( MR8 . B. COOPER.) Wed. at 8, Fridays, at 6. Lectures. Monday, March 12th, 8 p.m. ... MISS V. FIRTH. Thursday, March 15th, 3.30 pjn. ... MISS V. BURTON. Group Clairvoyance. Tuesday, March 13th, at 3.30 MB. DEWHIBST. Public Clairvoyance. Friday, March 9th, 8 p.m.... MRS. JAMRACH. Friday, March16th, 8 p.m.... MBS. MARRIOTT. College Quarterly, “Psychic Science” 2/6 (Editor, MB. BZJGH BOND) The College h as accom m odation for tw o R esident S tu d e n ts who may wish to gain valuable experience not a vailable e lsew here. Apply Hon. Bee.

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ACTIVITIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE LIBRARY. Tuesdays. 3.30*pm. Self-Mastery Class. MISS VIOLET BURTON. Tuesdays. 3.30 and 8.0p.m. Development Classes. MISS PHCEBE PAYNE. Wednesdays. 3.0 pjn. Marob 14, Circle for Clairvoyance MR. MELTON. Thursdays. 3.0. p.m Healing Class. MRS. 06ILVIE. Students can join at any time Each lesson is complete in Itself. Open to non-memhere. Thursdays. 6.( p m Devotional Group. Fridays, 2 30tot.Op.m. “At Home” to which Members and all Interested are cordially invited. Wednesdays and Fridays, Sittings for Psychic Photography (by appoint­ ment.) MRS. DEANE. For further particulars apply to the Hon. Sec.: MISS E. W. STEAD.

The London Spiritual Mission, 18, Pembridge Place, Bayiwater, W.

SUNDAY, MARCH 11th. At 11 in. ... ... -. ... ... MR. ERNEST MEADS. At 6.30 p m....................................... ... MB. E. W BEARD. Wednesday, March 14th ... ... ... MISS-CHARLOTTE WOODS. Wednesday Concentration Class (Members only), 3.30 p.m. Week-day Services, 7.30p.m.

Wimbledon Spiritualist Mission. BROADWAY HALL (threugh passage between 4

a s

, The Broadway).

InnSsy, March 11th, ll am. r .1. ... MR. T. W. ELLA. „ „ 6.30 p.m. ... ... ... REV. B EING. Wednesday. March 14th, 7.30p.m. • .. • ... MBS. WORTHINGTON Healing Tuesdays. 7.0 p.m. Wednesdays, 3.0 p.m.

FOOD

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home-made cake s. Specially recommended by Mr. Eustace Miles, M.A. 24 to 3 guint as weekly. On Sea Front, Verandah, sunny rooms. Dovf r, noted for healthy climate, and in close touch with Folke­ stone, Margate, fanti rbury, Deal, also France and Belgium.—Apply Mrs. Ernestine Burrowes or Miss Mitchell, 13, Marine Parade, Dover*

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most perfect instrument for obtaining Spirit messages. Beautifully finished, with full instructions, at 7s. eaon, post free, Weyers Bros., Sdentifle Instrun.ent Makers 60, Oharch Road, Kingsland, London N.l.

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(Entrance In Korth St. Four minutes from the Houses of Parliament.) The Lending I lbrary contains hundreds of books on Psychic subjects. There are also many valuable Reference Books which may be studied at the Library. Full Classified Catalogue 2s. Houra, 11 to 6. Closed Saturdays and Sundays.

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Spirit Descriptions and Messages : MRS. ANNIE BRITTAIN. THURSDAY. MARCH~ 16th, at 7.80 p.m., Spirit Descriptions and Messages: MRS. E. NEVILLE. MONDAY. MARCH 19th, at 7.30 p.m. LANTERN LECTURE : '*SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY." By MR. P. BRITTAIN. Photographs by Duguid, Wylie, Hope, and Mrs. Deane, including the Storeoscoplo Photographs taken by the late Mr. Traill Taylor. Tickets 2s. Tuesday and Thursday free to Members. Non-Members One Shilling. Meetings for Members only as stated on Syllabus. Membership invited. Subserlption.lOs. per annum. All correspondence to Hon Secretary 4, Tavistock Square, W.0,1,

[ March 10, 1923,

Brighton Spiritualist

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SUNDAY AFTERNOON ADDRESSES on S p iritu al, M ystic an d O ccult Subjects by

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LONDON

M U B L IM

HOUSE,

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LEONCE.

L L desirous o f learning the fact. w hich has baffled scientists, while perceiving the problem o f super­ natural m anifestations as - noisy ghosts, &c., should read Leonce, w ho is an inspirer in the unseen, and has given the all im­ portant know ledge to the A uthor, from w hom copies can be obtained post free 2/6.

A

M. LONERGAK, 84, Linden Grove, Nuuhead, S.B. 16.

j

m

3 3 H £3 :

i

LIGHT

A JOURNAL OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS & PSYCHICAL RESEARCH K 5I “L ight I M ore L ight 1 ”— Qoethe.

No.

2,200.—VOL. X L I I I .

[R egistered as]

“ W hatsoever doth makb Manifest is L ight 1”— Paul. SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1923.

Wbat “ £igM ” Stands fo r . "LIGHT” proclaims a belief in th e existence and life of the spirit a p a rt from , and independent of, the material organism , and in th e rea lity and value of in­ telligent intercourse betw een sp irits embodied a n t spirits discarnate. This position it firmly and consis­ tently m aintains. Its colum ns are open to a full and free discussion—conducted in th e sp irit of honest, cour­ teous and reverent inquiry— its only aim being, in th e words of its m otto, “ L ight! More L ig h t!”

NOTES BY THE WAY. I

shall

go forth invincible, erect,

Inspired to seek th e threshold of my doom, Whereon th e crests and surges an d sea-winds, And all th e echoing voices of th e sea, With one precipitous, infinite music crash, Shall break and m erge in rev elatin g lig h t. —Arthur E . W aite.

ILI

A G la n ce A h e a d . I ’Tis a m u d d le, ’tis p a m u d d l e ,” sa id p o o r Stephen B lackpool in “ H a r d T im e s ,” a s h e su rv e y e d the misery an d c ru e lty of t h e w o rld in w h ic h h e liv ed . Many others h av e said th e s a m e th in g b efo re a n d sin ce. In his la te st sto ry , “ M e n -L ike G o d s ,” M r. H . G . Wells has condensed th e id e a in to a n o th e r p h ra s e . T h e inhabitants of h is n e w "Utopia— a w o rld of hig h ly evolved men, an d w o m en , w h o h a v e m a d e life sw e e t, sane and orderly— re fe r t o a p a s t ag e of w a r, in d u s tria l grime and social s q u a lo r (o u r o w n age) a s th e “ A ge of Confusion.” A ll th e fin e m in d s in th is S p iritu a lism of ours are w orking in th e ir o w n w ay to w a rd s th is ideal of an ea rth ly P a ra d is e , a n d n e e d n o t fe a r b eing misunderstood by o th e r w o rk e rs in th e sa m e field w ho are quite pardonably m isle d re g a rd in g th e a im s of Spiritualism. I t s “ tr u e i n t e n t ” h a s n o t y e t b e e n m a d e quite clear. I t s co u rse is still h a m p e re d b y w ell-' meaning en th u siasts w ho im p o rt in to th e q u e stio n all kinds of little d o ctrin es a n d th e o rie s w hich offend th e mind of the o rdinary m a n . A nd th e n th e re is its dreadful n a m e ! W e h av e h e a rd th e id eas of S p irit­ ualism preached an d approved in m a n y q u a rte rs w here the name itself w as abhorred . B u t its w ay to th e goal of world-peace and w orld-harm o n y is o u r w ay a n d we shall abide in it, n am e an d a l l ! T h e m isu n d e rsta n d in g s are part of our p re s e n t “ Age of C o n fu sio n ” w hich is passing, and to w hich o u r d e sc e n d a n ts w ill look back as a barbaric stage in th e c a re e r of th e race. * * * * S cience and a S pir it W orld .

I

We have no definitely scientific proof of th e reality of the spirit world or sp irit " s p h e r e s ,” as so often

“Xtgbt” can be obtained at all Booftstalls anb newsagents; or bp Subscription, 22b per annum,

[ a Newspaper.]

P rior Foubpencr.

described by spirit communicators, but we can at least quote the late Professor Hyslop’s views on the ques­ tion:;— T he existence of rings of extrem ely tenuous m atter round th e p la n e t S atu rn , th e recen t discoveries, in con­ nection w ith radium , of forms of m a tte r normally invisible and im palpable . . . and th e _ still more trenchant fa c t th a t th e spiritual beings which a t one moment can be seen, felt and can e x e rt g re a t force, are, a t th e next, invisible and im palpable to norm al sight and touoh make it possible to conoeive how such a condition of affairs can exist. The existence of such regions, o r “ mansions,” composed of rarefied m atter, invisible and impalpable to norm al sense, is no m ore wonderful and astonishing than th e existence of a spiritual being normally invisible ahd im­ palpable, b u t capable of en terin g into relations with grosser m a tte r. The existence of a normally invisible spirit land o r abode is no m ore wonderful and incredible th an th e existence of its norm ally invisible inhabitants.

Thus Professor Hyslop. At the outset of our in­ vestigations we dealt with the matter in more rough and ready fashion. We said that as there are spirits they must live somewhere; therefore there is a spirit world. That may not be science; but it is at least logic. " S hakespea re ’s G h o sts . ” I t is so m e tim e s said t h a t S h ak esp eare te a c h e s little or n o th in g co n cern in g life a fte r d eath . T he rep ly is t h a t th is w as n o t h is province. H is gen iu s w as to p a in t th e life of th is w orld a s he saw it. M rs. L eo G rindon, w ho is a considerable a u th o rity on th e B a rd and his w orks, m a in ta in s, n ev erth eless, th a t o u r g re a te st p o e t k n ew a g re a t d eal a b o u t sp irits, an d in a series of a rtic le s ( “ S h ak esp eare’s G h o sts”) in th e M anchester C ity N ew s a little tim e ago, she gives m uch inform a­ tion in su p p o rt of h e r views. T aking “ C ym beline,” she show s som e striking p arallels betw een ^ " s u p e r ­ n a tu r a l” elem en ts in th a t p la y and th e facts of M odem S p iritu alism . F ro m “ The W in te r’s T a le ” she selects th e tra n c e of H erm io n e an d h e r appearance (in th e e th eric body) to A ntigonus w hile a t sea. “ H a m le t” n a tu ra lly is fertile in illu stratio n s both as regards th e actio n of th e play a n d th e te x t. Som e of M rs. G rindon’s illu stra tio n s of h e r a rg u m en t are both striking and in ­ genious. W e read th e m , how ever, w ith o u t surprise. T h a t a n y th in g should lie o u tsid e th e ran g e o f th a t g re a t m ind w hich we describe as Shakespeare— th a t would be th e really surprising thing.

The U ses of P sy c h ic P h e n o m e n a .—Christianity, like every other religion, was founded on psychic phenomena, which were personal experiences to those who spread the gospel. Had Christ’s disciples been for­ bidden “ to dabble in Spiritualism,’’ we should have had no New Testament, no record of Christ, and of His example as to how Man triumphed over death. And, but for the psychic experience on th a t Damascan road of Saul the sceptic, we should never have known of Paul the Psychic, and the world would have missed th at masterpiece of exposi­ tion ns to the nature of spirit and of spiritual gifts con­ tained in his Letters to the Corinthians.—From ''Ancient Lights,” by Mns. St. Cljhs Stobabt.

LIGHT

140

VMarch 10, 1928.

-------------------------------------- ------^ e J t o * . *-------------------------------------- ---------

L— If

MAN’S PSYCH IC AD D RESS

BY M R. E .

MECHANISM.

If

L.

1

GARDNER.

-------— -------- =------------------------

/M u c h food fo r reflection w as afforded by th e address oh. th e above subject given by M r. £ . L. G ard n er before th e London S p iritu a list A lliance on th e 1s t in st. I n open* in g .the m eeting, th e C hairm an, M b . Grobgb E. W eight , said he was sure h is hearers were glad to have on th e ir p latfo rm a pro m in en t speaker o n philosophical Theosophy, for although Theosophiste an d S p iritu a lists differed on many points, they hod much in common as regarded th e facts in which they were in terested . I t w as in th e in te r­ p re ta tio n of those facts th a t they d id n o t see eye to eye. I t was good th a t they should have th e Theosophical p r e ­ sentation of th e subject of m a n ’s psychic mechanism se t o u t by one so well able to expound i t a s th e ir speaker th a tevening. M b . G abdneb began by rem arking th a t to speak on th e subject he had chosen was like carry in g coals to Newcastle, b u t his avenue of approach m ig h t be som ewhat d ifferent from th a t to which his audience was accustomed. He proposed to give a definition of th e psychic mechanism which constituted hum an personality and th e relatio n of the hum an consciousness to th a t mechanism. The person­ ality, or mask (th a t was the lite ra l m eaning of th e word) through which our consciousness functioned was dual. W e had a physical body and we had m ind. I f we analysed fu rth er we found th a t th e m ental principle was sep arate from th e emotional n atu re . W h at was called th e etherio body was still physical. M ind, emotions and th e physical and psychic natu res constituted th e personality. These bodies hod been developed gradually an d very laboriously through th e lower kingdoms. In th e p la n t kingdom we h ad a psychic body—an emotional n atu re , added to the physical body. In th e anim al kingdom we hod another factor. Animal n a tu re was three-fold; added to the physical and emotional we h ad m ind. 8 tiQ we had personality only; no inner ruler realising its own sp iritu a l n atu re. Only th e hum an being had th a t. M an alone h ad a point of consciousness, a spiritual spark functioning through the physical personality and using i t as an in stru m en t in three worlds—physical, emotional and m ental. T hat was his (the speaker’s) definition of th e personality or mechanism. He passed on to consider th e relationship existing between th e spark of divine life and thism echanism . Man, a spiritual being, adopted an anim al body, and we might trace the way in which th a t body had been developed into human shape. T h at relationship was symbolised in old times as a point and a sphere. The divine spark m ust be thought of os a point or consciousness ra th e r th a n as having dimensions. I t flashed through th e sphere so th a t the whole personality became aflame. I t took, he supposed, quite seven years for a child to be thoroughly born. We were witnessing in those years the gradual coming down of the sp irit ana its submergence in the mechanism of the personality. The illum ination of the physical body by this divine consciousness enabled us to make the return journey to th e level from which we started. We began our sell-consciousness in th e physical body. W ith th a t body we had an etheric double separable from it. The ability of the etheric double to separate itself from the physical body could be testified. to by many people who had witnessed the separation. Again and again he hod himself seen tbe curious phenomenon of the w ith­ drawal of the etheric body when a person was going to sleep ---in the case of his brother .when they were children together, and in late r years with his wife and children. Whether one was able to see this or n o t depended on whether one's consciousness was functioning freely and easily through the, astral. We functioned ordinarily through tho brain and nervous system of the physical body, b u t if we oould withdraw from it and function on the plane of tho subtler vehicle of the etherio body we could see what was taking plaoe on th a t same level. How, Ikon, did the mechanism work? We noted first the mind and emotions, then the mental body which sur­ rounded the m an ; then the still subtler vehicle of the astral which placed him in touch with the mental and philosophical worlds which were around the physical. In order to explore thoso it was necessary to occupy and function through a vehicle which was in sympathy or alignment with those worlds. That vehicle served as a reproducer or mirror by which we could respond to the vibrations of those worlds, just as our physical body did here. When we were using our physicnl sense organs wo saw nothing, we heard nothing, th a t was really outside us. W hat we saw was a picture of the .exterior world reproduced bv the eye, what we heard was a reproduction by the beafftlfully tuned orchestra of the ear of the music around us. Exactly the same applied

to th e su b tle r body. W e could only see, touch and hear t h a t w hich w as re p ro d u ced by th e senses of th a t body. I N a tu re w as ev er m ercifu l in th e m easure in which she gave u s th e w ork we h a d to d o .. W e had to widen our field of consciousness, b u t only g ra d u a lly would she give si th is ta s k to accom plish. W ere w e able to function quite easily a n d freely on su b tle r levels an d use th e astral body ns we d id th e physical we should be overwhelmed. I t was only by g ra d u a lly e x te n d in g th e in n e r consciousness that we could nope to use t h a t su b tle r body. W e would h av e first to le a rn how. to control and switch off th e senses. I f , w hile we w ere listen in g to a speaker, o u r a tte n tio n w as d iv e rte d by som e ap p eal to the eye, the e a r would go o n reco rd in g th e u tte r e d words while the m in d w as a b se n t; and sim ila rly ,. in re ad in g , th e eye might co n tin u e to reco rd ev ery w ord in th e p rin te d page, while y e t th e m in d w as ta k in g in. n o th in g because i t had switched off from th e sense or s ig h t a n d become concentrated on th e sense of h e a rin g . . W e d id these things un­ consciously, b u t i t w as exceedingly difficult to do them con­ sciously—to sw itch off o u r senses w hen we did not need them .. W e m u st le a rn to exercise the. faculty of using our psychic senses when we w ished a n d sw itching them off when we did n o t w a n t them . T he difficulty h ad been th a t personi had come in to , to u ch w ith tb e in n e r world and had been unable to sh u t i t off a t w ill. T hus th e senses of the physical body helped u s by analogy a n d correspondence to understa h d these finer senses. The h u m an consciousness h ad been sh u t down till ve had only five tin y windows th ro u g h which the light could e n te r. If th e windows w ere w ider o r more numerous too much lig h t would flood in —m ore th a n we would be able to control (here th e speaker in tro d u ced th e analogy of the cam era lens). W e were only now beginning to develop the powers of th e su b tler body an d th u s becom ing aw are of the worlds su rro u n d in g us. T here w ere tw o sense organs in the head which w ere now to be developed—organs o f sympathy which would enable us to b rin g to o u r ou tw ard consciousness someth in g of th e su rroundings to w hich he referred. W e came now to th e psychic mechanism itself—the m ental a u ra which served us as th e in stru m en t of memory, I th a t which observed, recorded an d registered, and which 1 was in stan tly responsive to th e sense impressions.of the physical body. I t w as also th e in stru m en t of the faculty j by which we were able to estim ate distance and depth by I sight. A p a rt from t h a t faculty, th e eye merely registered | a flat p ictu re, b u t by its use th e flat picture presented to I th e consciousness was in te rp re te d in term s of perspective, I so th a t i t w as reflected in to th e m ind as a three-dimen* I sional object. The power of reproducing by our conscious- I ness th in g s as we really saw them was a comparatively I late developm ent of h um an faculty. I f we went back in I tim e we came to an absence of perspective; even in Egyptian I and Chinese a r t i t was represented by placing one object I above another. We were becoming much more mentally I developed th a n o ur ancestors. The w ant of ability to cor- fl rect th e impressions of th e senses caused the distortions I from which we suffered. We knew how difficult it was to I have unbiassed opinions. To any new idea presented to I ns we applied o nr previous ideas and so were unable to I accept i t on its merits.. . O nr m aterialistic friends suffered I greatly from th is inability. They could not allow of the 1 existence of any psychic happenings and rejected evidence I th a t m ight assist them . W ith regard to memory, th e speaker mentioned tbit I under hypnosis persons had been able to repeat incidents 1 th a t had happened many years before—a fact which seemed I to support th e conclusion th a t everything we had observed I was recorded indelibly on th e m ind and could be brought I to the surface. How often forgotten names, quotations I and incidents returned to the mind after the effort to I recall them was relaxed I Relaxation, indeed, was tho I secret of a good memory. The mind, acting independently I of onr volition, was capable of building up all kinds or 1 visions in moments of relaxation. So novelists told us I th a t a t a certain stage in the composition of a story tbe 1 characters they had created were a p t to take things into I their own hands. He regarded. th e physical body itself I ns a living creature of whose services we were making use. J bu t which was able to carry on—to repair wastage, and I perform a g reat number of functions—without our assis I tnnee. So with tho mind. We heard some tune and there* I after it played itself in our brain and would not let m f l go to sleep. I t was not the ego, the real self, that was I doing this We would rath er get rid of the thing. The V mind, like tbe physical body, was a separate independent fl (Continued at foot of next paps.)

LIGHT

March 1 0 , 1923.]

OBJECTIVE A N D SU B JE C T IV E V ISIO N S. By Geraldine

de

R obeck.

About three years ago I had a vision which was so beauti• ful that I felt, then, th a t I m ust publish a description of it. I now do so, hoping th a t my experience may cheer those who, though never having seen a vision of angels themselves, yet believe in the existence of a glorious spirit world close to our own, though veiled as y et from sight by th e very, curtain of our material vision. I had been suffering from acute depression for many months, and was not a t all in th e frame of mind called spiritual. One very early morning, a t th a t Sour when the world seems yet w ithout colour, I woke and heard w hat I thought was a mouse scurrying round my room. Feeling irritable and more depressed th an ever th a t morning, I dapped my hands and m uttered, “ Go away, you horrid little thing I” The sound was repeated and, turn in g suddenly, tv look for my mouse, I snapped out, “ Go away I” To my surprise, just above me, and apparently ju st becoming visible in the midst of a rose-and-daffodil-coloured cloud, I saw the most beautiful child angel—more th a n a child, perhaps, but of glorious youthfulness, and yet with th e most seraphic expression of power and perfect purity. The face was so exquisite th a t I could only lie back and murmur, “ You beautiful little thing! You beautiful little th in g !’’ To my intense delight and surprise th e angel, instead of main­ taining th at air of aloofness and detachm ent from our world, which my visionary people generally do (it is as if I saw them but without th eir being conscious of my presenoe), looked down a t me and smiled. This seems little to say, but to me—a student of visions and of apparitions of all sorts—it means much, for th is angel had come to comfort me, and as it gradually faded away into cloud, I felt th a t my earth loneliness was only apparent and temporary— perhaps a favour in itself—and th a t I had celestial com­ panions who had power to m ake themselves visible to my physical eves on rare occasions as well as power to affect my mental state. I want, for a moment, to enlarge on the details of this oelestial picture, which is ever present' to my mental vision. Remember th a t the room’ was still dark—only so far illumined by the faint light of dawn th a t I could see the furniture and be sure th a t I was awake. W hen I turned round, expecting to catch a glimpse of th e mouse, I saw a patch or cloud, and from th e centre grew (was evolved) the face and neck and shoulders of th e angel, with what appeared to be gold-coloured wings springing from the shoulders, as in F ra Angelico’s famous paintings in Flor­ ence. The hair was of golden hue and floated, cloud-like, round the fair and rosy-tinted face. The eyes were full of laughter and joy, th e smile was too beautiful to describe, and aU the colours were of a radiance th a t we see sometimes in sunset cloud-effects b u t th a t a r t cannot truly repro­ duce because of th e transparency th a t gives' th e impression of light shining through a precious stone. No one will ever persuade me th a t I did not on th a t ever-to-be-remembered morning see one of th e Angel Guardians from a higher sphere, and had I ever doubted th e existence of such I Biiould by now have become a convinced believer, for in every way thiB vision was objective and n o t merely imagined.

, (Continued from previous page.) creature, able to look a fter itself. We indulged in our morn­ ing smoke and similar habits. I t was the mind and physical body that enjoyed them. We m ight be said to share the pleasure, but they were habits formed by these inferior lives. Here, in Mr. G ardner’s view, we had the solution of the extraordinarily difficult problem of individuality. The .Microscopical Society had been concerned in the study of that problem. I t was found th a t in the simplest organisms we had separate cells able to fulfil all the functions of life j but from these we came to a curious composite creature, multi-cellular, with limbs to carry the whole community about, and tentacles to draw to it the needed nourishment. Seemingly here was a u n it capable of using all the members of the group for its own purpose. W hat of the individual cells? Had they become absorbed? Mr. Gardner related two experiments in this connection. In one the experimenter had divided two tadpoles and united each half of one to the corresponding half of the other. They developed into two cheerful frogs. a The problem was where was the individuality of the original tadpoles? This opened the further question, was a man* himself simply a sort of community? Personally he (Mr. Gardner) challenged th a t conclusion most vigorously. “ I declare that I am J, th a t I have a consciousness entirely separate from my body ; th a t I nm a single individual though using a composite body.” W hat happened was that each separate cell retained its own individuality all the time, but as the result of living together as a com­ munity we had the possibility of a higher grade of life, another consciousness, functioning through the body as a whole. The physical body, the mind, the emotions, were •nr servants, h u t each of the three had its own life to Jive

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Since then I have seen many mental visions (with the eyes closed or partially closed) of a very clear type, one ° f which I will describe because it is so vivid still in my mind, and is a good examp! > of the type of vision called subjective. I t came to me about September, 1921, and was remarkable because of the wonderful brilliance of the colours and the intensity of the inwardly sensed light. 1 was able to look so long a t this p.cture that, closing my eyes, now, I see it again—but not, as then, in colours. I saw very green fields, of the green of emeralds, and deep blue mountains in the distance and a cloudy sky. Against all this green and purple and grey stood the resplendent figure of a man whom I recognised as our Lord. He was standing in the midst of the field and pointed to the land­ scape. I saw the figure in profile, but the face was turned towards me and the eyes searched mine. They were wonderful, dark eyes. The forehead shone as if selfluminous. The robe was of such dazzling whiteness that the contrast of emerald and white was blinding, so to speak. The impression th a t I received was th at our Lord is a t present walking in complete loneliness on the earth, and th a t those who see Him, thus, in visions, must help to prepare th e way for His second coming. ,% This case raises the question as to how far the material of these visions is supplied by the seer herself and how far they may be due to suggestion or inspiration from another mind in the Unseen. THE

PAGEANT O F BEAUTY.

I t has been said, earth is but the shadow of Heaven, and truly the beauty of tree and flower, landscape and sea­ scape, and even the glamour of cities, emphasised this. During the present w riter’s boyhood, he often walked through a long avenue of trees, whose branches were spangled with hoar frost. The gleam of moonshine invested them with a beauty th a t transported one’s consciousness into a faery realm. A t such moments it is easy to give, as Shakespeare does, to airy nothing a local habitation and a name. Again, when the unseen agencies have reset the view from winter to summer, revealing the glory of leaf and flower, cornfields and the long range of peaceful hills, nestling valleys, and the winding river like a silver thread upon an emerald carpet, with_ all the freshness of the morning air—who could be insensitive to the goodness of the m aster-painter, God P Again, what a world of glorious colouring is displayed in a sunrise a t sea, with its bars of gold and silver, splasnes of crimson, flushed across the sky, and the gleaming lights of the distan t harbour 1 In the cities, too, has the writer, when working at night on the roofs or big buildings, looking down at the lights of London, realised the magical spell of beauty, and although “ God made the country, and man made the town,’’ as the proverb puts it, yet upon all is the signet of beauty.

H abby F ielded.

. I llumination comes from on high. Let the weary seek courage; loving arms are round about them, they shall be the reapers when their harvest is ready, theirs shall be the welcome when the guiding hands are stretched out to lead them over the shallows of death and they join the immortal throng.—M. F .

and th a t life was by no means the same as ours. Theirs was on the downward incline, ours on the upward. _ We might think of ourselves as mounting a descending staircase In the other experiment alluded to, a creature of the jellyfish order, very slightly organised, was squeezed through the meshes of a cloth, with the result th a t the experimenter had simply a creamy mass which he pitched back into the aquarium. He had broken the creature up completely and yet soon afterwards it was its former self. Where was the organising ability th a t had reassembled those t scattered cells into an organised whole? The scientific society could find no explanation. I t was clear th a t there must have been a t the centre a directive intelligence. Again, there was the case of the larva of the butterfly. The caterpillar, a highly organised creature, was succeeded by the chrysalis, in which a t one stage of its existence we found an entirely amorphous substance with nothing what­ ever to indicate organisation, and yet later we had the exquisitely organised butterfly. The problem presented by this phenomenon was hopeless from a purely material­ istic point of view, but granted that we had brooding ovSr the whole process a directive intelligence, we had the key to its solution. Our personality was the most wonderful and efficient machine we hod ever seen or were ever likely to seo on this planet. Even now we were beginning to vision a future when humanity would no longer fie its slave but would have become its spiritual master. (Applause.) Some interesting points were raised by Mr. Blackwell and other members of the audience and dealt with satis­ factorily by Mr. Gardner, and the meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks, moved by the Chairman, for what he described as an extraordinarily illuminating address.

148

LIGHT

STORIBS OF THE SUPERNO RM AL. Boiu Reminiscences or Sib Gbobgb Grove. When people read stories of psychic phenomena and aoconnts of remarkable happenings in books and news­ papers exclusively devoted to occult soience and S p irit­ ualism, they are apt to allow a certain margin of doubt for possible inaccuracy of detail or exaggeration of facts owing to the desire of the writer to convinoe the reader of the tru th of Spiritualism, and in an excess of zeal for the cause, the raconteur may be temp'ted to embellish his story somewhat in order to render it more exoiting or evidential; but when we come across biographical books containing authentic records of supernormal occurrences, rotated probably bv those who have little o r no personal knowledge of psyohio matters and yet whoso accounts do, in the main essentials, agree with similar verified events in-, vestigated by expert psychicians, we study their stories with interest and an unbiassed mind. Beading “The Life of Sir George Grove, O.B.” * (for­ merly Director of the Royal College of Music), the other day, I came across the following so-called “ Ghost Stories.” which probably have not appeared in Light, b u t may be sufficiently interesting to reoord. The first story was related to Sir George by his friend Miss Ursula Mayow, and reads as follows:— Colonel Jacob, of the Indian Army, was in In d ia dur­ ing the Mutiny. He had a brother in Worcestershire and two sisters living about twenty miles off. One of the sisters was a widow with several daughters, and the other was unmarried. The two sisters slept together. One night, the widow woke and said. “ Heigho! what an unpleasant dream I have had. I dreamt th a t I looked a t my watch and it had stopped, on which a voice said to me, ‘.Your watch has stopped, but th a t’s not all, your brother’s life has stopped, too.’ ” She then looked a t her watch and found th at it had stopped. The other sister, who had been listening all the time, said; “ Well, I have not been asleep, and I have been distinctly conscious of the presenoe of something in the room, and ju st before you woke, I felt it pass over me and quite lightly kiss my lips, and it was hit kiss.” In the morning they made a note of what had happened, and so anxious were they, that they sent one or their old servants over to the brother, who lived twenty miles off, to ask how he was. The answer was, “ Quite well; i t ’s a pity you have nothing better to do than to send your people on siTch useless errands.” They then knew th a t if th e occurrence referred to anyone, it must be to the brother in India. Not long after came the telegram announcing Jacob’s death. The date, however, was different. The dream had been on the 16th, the telegram gave the 12th as the date of his death. The sisters, like sensible women, aooepted the dis­ crepancy as a proof th at the dream was merely a dream. They had been thinking a great deal of their brother, and it was natural th at they should have dreamed about him, but the difference in the date showed th a t it oould be nothing more. In a few days, however, came the full dispatch and letters from friends, and then it turned out th a t the dream was right after all, and th a t Colonel Jacob had died on the same day on which his sisters had received warning of it.” 1 had the honour of numbering Sir George Grove as one of my most valued friends, but he had never mentioned theso ghostly narratives to me nor had I any idea th a t he took any interest in psychic happenings, bu t on the same page of the book I read th a t ne paid a visit on September 80th, 1868,' to his friend, Sir Frederick GoreOuseley, at Tenbury, and recorded the following stories told him by his host while they were still fresh in his mem ory: — Before I came here. I lived in a house a t Langley, in Bucks, with Fyffe and several boys. A friend of mine heard groans and strange noises, and was changed by them from profligate, baa ways to a better mind. I had never heard the noisee myself, but one night—the Slat September—I had stopped up late to read till two o ’olook, and before going to bed, while walking down a long pas­ sage to my room, I was—in the dark—all of a sudden startled by the whole place becoming illuminated quite brightly, and I saw a t the end of the passage an old man in a dressing-gown, with a very forbidding oountenance. He was quite plainly to be seen. I was very much startled, but I had the presenoe of mind to rejbuko him in the name of the Holy Trinity, on which bo vanished a t onoe and he has never reappeared since. I made sonrob in old parish registers a n d found th a t an old man bad strangled his wife and killed himself in th a t p a rt of tho house on September 21st. No one else saw tho appari­ tion, though they hoard noises and saw doors open and shut apparently without any visible agency. The date * “The Life and Letters of Sir George Grove,” by Graves (Macmillan).

(March 10, 1923.

was the same oii which my friend heard the groans. The house now lets for £800, th ree tim es as much as when I had it. I t was evidently a case of clairvoyance with the Rev. S ir F . Gore-Ouseley, as th e book goes on to relate another story by h im :— When I was an u ndergraduate, my father was taken iU and I went to see him . I n th e tra in all along, I bad constantly before me on the opposite seat the image of . my au n t, his sister, weeping. I did not know her weU, and had n o t th o u g h t about her till I saw her there. Did I try to touch h e r or s it on th e sam e place? No, I hadn’t th e courage. Two other stories Ouseley told to Grove a t the same tim e :— v My fath er had been dead some years, and my mother was on her death-bed w ith an incurable complaint. It was quite hopeless, and th e doctor had given her an opiate to make her sleep d u rin g th e la st night. I went away to my own room to bed. ’T here I saw, in the room, sittin g on a chair as plainly as I see you, my father, and while I looked, my m other came in and took his hand and they w ent away to g eth er. She had ju st then died. My fa th e r and m other were in In d ia and my father was taken ill, and it was th o u g h t so serious _that hit sister was sen t for—th e a u n t I m entioned just now. There were no overland routes th e n , and she had to cone by th e (jape W hile she was coming, my mother one n ig h t sleoping by th e side of my fath er, saw my aunt appear w ith wet clothes and all her h a ir cut off. She had died, durin g th e voyage, of a fever, and her hair had been cu t off before her d eath as a remedy. Then was a discrepancy, however, in th e tim e of her death, bu t on calculating th e longitude i t agreed to a minute. My m other said nothing about i t to mv father, but resolved secretly to in te rc e p t th e le tte r th a t he might not be frightened, b u t .he knew i t beforehand and men­ tioned it to her. In another p a r t of th e book, in which Grove’s visit to Rippoldsan, in th e h e a rt of th e Black Forest, is men­ tioned, we read th a t here he fell in w ith W . H . Thompson (the M aster of T rin ity ), and H . E . Pellew, a dub friend a t th e Athenamm, an d has le ft copious notes of their conversations:— Thompson told me a curious story of coincidence, or ra th e r second sight. H is sister was stopping with some friends a t or n ear H ull. One m orning she came down to breakfast and h e r hostess said, “ W h a t is the matter^ Miss Thompson, you don’t look well th is morning,” “ No,” she replied, “ I have had a very extraordinary dream. I d ream t th a t I came down to breakfast here si usual, and th a t in th e middle of th e meal, the servant opened the door and said to me, ‘You a re wanted to speak to somebody in th e hall.’ I w ent into the hall and found there the serv ant of my b rother (not the Master). He said, ‘Miss Thompson, you are w anted a t home, your brother has broken nis leg and is in some danger.1’’ While she was speaking the serv an t opened the door and said to her, “ Miss Thompson, you a re wanted to speak to somebody in th e h a ll.” I t was her b ro th er’s servant with precisely th e same message, and she went off at once with him. The M aster said he had onlv very lately seen his sister, and she had given him th e details of the story exactly os he told me. There are two other stories in th e book which point to Grove’s in terest in th e “ su p e rn a tu ra l,” They are recorded in his note books dated 1880: The first is headed, "Fisher Rowe’s S tory,” and ru ns as follow s:— Lord ----- has a place for shooting in Irelandt a tower w ith th e rooms above each other and a spiral staircase. H e was th ere w ith hiB wife and her sister and one or two men. They had gone to bed, and the sister wanted a book. She came down one flight, and on the landing was aware of a face poked oyer her shoulder trying to blow o u t th e oandle. She shielded the candle and hurried on down th e n ex t flight. On the next land­ ing it occurred again. She then g o t seriously angry, and went into the drawing-room, slamming tho door behind her. She found th e book, and a fte r w aiting a moment or two, went out, and on going upstairs, the same thing occurred, and then she saw it was only a head with no body a t all. She was terrib ly frightened, and rushed into Lord ----- ’s room (above th e drawing-room). Lord and L a d y ----- were both there. She told them what nad happened, on which Lord ------ got very pale, and very much excited, and snid, “ I w on’t hear it. ; D on’t describe it. I will never have you m ention i t a g a in .” The other story recounts the alarm ing experience of a Foreign Office clerk who came down for a ball a t Bisham Abbey, the scat of th e V an sittarts—now Vansittnrt-Neales —near M arlow :—* He arrived the day before and V an sittart told him th a t he was to be p u t up a t th e inn. He bogged for a room in the house. “ There is only the green room." “ Well, w hat is the green roomP” " I t ’s an old room (Continued on next page.)

L I G H T

March 10, 1923 ]

PROFESSOR R ICH ET AND TH E " S P IR IT H Y P O T H E SIS.” To th e E d ito r o f L ight. Sib ,—Professor R ic h e t objects to cry p testh e sia being considered anything m ore th a n th e nam e of a fa c t. H e will not have it called a n hypothesis. W ith all resp ect to him , I maintain th a t th is is sim ply a case of th e old d if fic u lty inherent in every science, an d especially so in psychio research—of confusing a fa c t w ith th e in te rp re ta tio n of it. In this particular case th e phenom ena a re accepted by both disputants, Bozzano an d R ic h e t. W ritin g of “ G . P . ” an d Mrs. Piper, Professor R ic h e t s a y s :— Spiritists arg u e th u s . T he p e rso n a lity of “ G. P . ” represented by M rs. P ip e r speaks as “ G .P .” w ould have spoken. Therefore [ita lic s by P ro f. R ic h e t] th e con­ sciousness of “ G. F .” p ersists. A d angerously bold con­ clusion 1 F o r who know s how fa r c e rta in k in d s of lucid ity (this mysterious pow er of o u r m inds) a re u n ab le to g ive the talk of M rs. P ip e r th e a p p e a ra n c e of th e ta lk of "G. P .” P This simply m eans t h a t P ro fesso r R ic h e t conceives th e possibility of M rs. P ip e r (in some incom prehensible m a n ­ ner) so reproducing th e opinions, ideas, speech a n d m a n ­ nerisms of “ G. P . ” t h a t th e s itte rs considered him "present.” B u t w h a t w ere th e a c tu a l fa c ts observedP These were simply th e ag g re g a te o r to ta lity of th e a u d ito ry o r visual sensations of th e s itte rs p re s e n t w ith M rs. P ip e r whilst in tran ce. T hey could n o t a c tu a lly d ire c tly observe "lucidity” as a “ fa c t of consciousness.” I f i t play ed th e part assigned to i t by P ro fesso r R ic h e t, i t w ould be as a judument or in te rp re ta tio n in th e m inds of th e s itte rs to explain the phenom enon on a g e n e ra l fo rm u la—t h a t is as an hypothesis. N o th in g is g ain e d by m ix in g u p fa c t a n d interpretation, and d en y in g t h a t th e la t te r e n te rs in to th e matter a t all. W h a t we call th e “ fa c ts ” in “ p e rc e p tio n ” are merely an in tim a te blen d in g of sen satio n s p lu s in te r­ pretation, so a u to m atic t h a t we co n sid er th e m (unless we analyse) as im m ediately “ g iv e n ” facts.- H e re we h av e P ro ­ fessor Bozzano ex p lain in g th e fa c ts by th e h y p o th esis t h a t “G .P.’s” surviving consciousness was a c tu a lly p re s e n t in some way not understood— a n d opposed to th is wo have Professor R ichet. W hyP B ecause, a n d h e re he invokes what I insist is also a n hypothesis, viz., t h a t c e rta in a b n o r­ mal persons (of whom M rs. P ip e r w as one), possess a recep­ tivity or capacity of b eing a c te d u p o n hy a “ force w hich, hidden in the n a tu re of th in g s a n d m in d , c a n find th e p e r­ cipient, and a c t upon c e rta in reg io n s of h is subconscious­ ness.’’ The p e rc ip ie n t is fu rth e rm o re endow ed w ith th e capacity of selection an d reje c tio n a m o n g st “ v ib ra tio n s ,” and to such uncanny e x te n t t h a t he o r she can m a n u fa c tu re a personality, whose m annerism s a n d speech so closely re ­ semble those of th e o rig in al, t h a t th o se who knew th e la tte r incline to believe he still survives physical d e a th . A ll th is may be rig h t or i t m ay be w rong, b u t to d en y t h a t i t is an hypothesis is sim ply q u ite inadm issible. I t is so used , a n d is chosen in preferen ce to th e s p ir it h y p o th esis w hich in Professor R ic h e t’s consciousness is “ stru c k d ead on th e spot” by th e e n try upon th e scene of “ th e form idable hypothesis of a h u m an m em ory w ith o u t a b r a i n .” T his explains his need of th e m ed iu m ’s b ra in p lus a fa c u lty of cryptesthesia.—Y ours, e tc .,

F rederick S tephens.

27, Avenue Felix F a u re (X V .), P a ris. To the E d ito r o f L ight .

Sir,—I have read th e in te re stin g rep ly of P rofessor Riohet to th e recen t critioism s of cry p te sth e sia . M erely to give a name to phenom ena does n o t seem to m e to advance our knowledge very m uch. The P rofessor considers t h a t we are prem ature in a ttr ib u tin g a n y p a r t of th e ph en o m en a to spirit origin. Nobody seriously asserts t h a t th e s p ir it h p y othesis pre(C ontinued fro m p revious colum n.) th at is never slep t in ; indeed, th e y say i t ’s h a u n te d .” “ Oh, I don’t m ind th a t, if y o u ’ll le t m e h av e m y rotriever.” I t was a high room w ith a v ery ta ll-o ld bed and immense fireplace. H e cam e in to th e room an d there 11*08 a g re a t b rig h t fire a n d th e bed new ly mode. He got into bed and w ent to sleep, b u t awoke a n d found the fire died down and only g lim m ering—h e a rd a drop and then an o th er an d an o th e r—a th ic k so rt o f sound not like w ater. T he drops oame n e a re r. T hen he saw a re s t black shadow, b u t t h a t w as th e dog whom he card going all ro u n d th e room . A t la s t i t le n p t on th e bed—then th e drops oame n e a re r a n d he h e a rd th em on a strip of c a rp e t a t th e foot of th e bed a n d th e n on th e bed. Then the dog cam e rig h t u p nnd_ lay on his b reast quivering. A t la s t some so rt of cold m ist come over him and he fain ted . In th e m o rn in g he woke a n d w as so ashamed th a t he g o t off to th e in n a n d aw ay to tow n. No sign of drops in th e room ,

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sents no difficulties, b u t i t is by a very long w ay th e most reasonable y e t offered, and gain s ground yearly. I t also offers some ex p lan a tio n of th e problem why th e omniscience which is im plied in th e cryptesthesia hypothesis is stric tly lim ited to th e psychic facu lty , and is never dem onstrated in o th er branches of science. I f P rofessor R ich et could be induced to adm it t h a t disc a rn a te - sp irits a re th e agents behind cryptesthesia, th e difficulty I have p ointed o u t is elim inated. T here is little reason to suppose th a t discarn ate sp irits have m uch m ore know ledge th a n those still in th e flesh. No in te llig e n t person would seek to b elittle th e considered op in io n of P rofessor R ich et. I believe t h a t he w ill live long enough to ad d th e lu s tre o f his nam e to th e long lis t of those who nave ado p ted th e s p ir it e x p lan a tio n of psychic pheno­ m en a.—Y ours, e tc ., B u rm ah , N ew port-road, V entnor. F e b ru a ry 27th, 10123.

E rnest Cornell.

THE BIBLE AND PSYCHIC PHENOMENA. Ig n o ra n c e of w h a t a re o ften called psychic, or m ore a c c u ra te ly m etapsychic phenom ena, is so th o ro u g h an d w ide­ sp read , t h a t people can fail to peroeive th a t th e Bible, w hich th e y a re so fa m ilia r w ith , a n d re g a rd w ith such reverence, is s a tu ra te d w ith m etapsychic o r medium istic phenom ena of every k in d . E v en so i t is possible fo r peope to be fa m iliar w ith chalk and lim estone an d o th e r stratified rocks, a n d to u se th e m as b uilding m a te ria l, and y e t fail to perceive t h a t th ese sam e rocks a re packed w ith th e rem ains of c re a tu re s a k in to th e liv in g organism s w hich e x ist to -d ay . A nyone can p o in t o u t th e tr u th , i t needs no learn ed geolo­ g is t to call a tte n tio n to a p a te n t f a c t; an d Hie correspond­ in g fa c t arien t th e stra tifie d lite r a tu re we call th e B ible is so conspicuous, w hen p o in te d o u t, t h a t only m e n ta l blindness can ign o re it, a n d only stu b b o rn n ess deny. U n fo rtu n a te ly th e p re se n t g en e ra tio n is less fa m ilia r w ith o u r w onderful tr a n s la tio n of th e H ebrew L ite ra tu r e th a n th e g e n e ra tio n w hich is passing—a loss a n d disab ility even from a lite r a ry p o in t of view—b u t still th e Bible is th e b e st know n book in th e la n g u a g e ; a n d am ong m ost religious bodies, a n d good people in all w alks of life, i t is still read a n d rev ered , a n d som etim es tr e a te d as o racu lar. F o r such people to deny th e re a lity of psychio phenom ena is p re ­ posterous. Such phenom ena m ay be disliked, as m an y of th e legends in th e Old T e sta m e n t a re instinctively dis­ lik ed , b u t th e y c a n n o t by acceptors of th e B ible be con­ siste n tly denied. —F ro m S ir O liver L odge’s P re fa c e to “ A n cien t L ig h ts,”

by Mrs . St. Clair Stobart.

“ FACES IN THE DARK.” To th e E d ito r o f L ight. y o u r o th e r correspondents, I see these “ hypnagogic illu sio n s” som etim es, th o u g h I have o ften looked in th e cry stal w ith o u t success, a n d have n ev er h ad a psychic experience in m y life. T h e p ic tu re s a re abso­ lu te ly spontaneous an d only occur a t such tim es as I am very tire d an d on th e e x a c t p o in t o f going to sleep. They ta k e th e form of b e a u tifu l landscapes, o r of in te rio rs, or th e less p leasing form of faces o r r a th e r m asks, w hich q u ite o fte n w ind u p ny g la rin g a t m e a n d th e n van ish . The ty p e of face is alw ays th e sam e. I asked a questio n a b o u t th em in a scientific jo u rn a l some tim e ago, b u t m o st of th e answ ers were n o t helpful, a n d some r a th e r silly. I am still v ery m uch in th e d a rk as to th e cause of th ese illusions. I n re g a rd to th e a rtic le , “ An A d v en tu re A m ong N u m b ers,” is i t n o t presum able t h a t if th e re be a m ysterious connec­ tio n betw een sounds a n d num bers i t m u st be betw een n u m ­ bers a n d th e v ario u s a lp h a b e tic a l “ pow ers” as se t fo rth by P itm a n P , T hus th e w ord . T H E th e w rite r resolves in to T =20, H = 8 , E = 5 . S u rely T H would have a n u m b er to itself, a n d so on w ith some o th ers.— Yours, e tc ., Arthur M bs . “ W estern M ail,” C ardiff. S ir , — L ike

M iss S tead at Croydon.—An audience o f 1,200 Croydo n ian s a tte n d e d a t th e N o rth E n d H a ll on T hursday, M arch 1st, to h e a r M iss E stelle S te a d give an address on “ C om m unication w ith th e N e x t W o rld .” M r. Snowdon H all p resided over th e m eeting, an d M r. A. V o u t P e te rs gave clairvoyance, h is d escrip tio n s, a b o u t a dozen in all, being recognised in every case. M r. H a ll in h is opening rem ark s said t h a t M iss S te a d had rec e n tly given a n address a t T hornton^ H e a th , a n d she h ad such a crowded audience th a t i t was decided to g iv e th e people of C roydon,an oppor­ tu n ity of h e a rin g her. M iss S tead quoted messages re ­ ceived from h er fa th e r. H e had spoken to h e r a s loudly as in life, an d she h ad seen his face as p lainly. The con­ v ersation was th ro u g h a tru m p e t in which she h ad heard the sp irits of both h e r fa th e r an d b ro th e r ta lk in g to g eth er.

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[March^lO, 1928.

“SPIRITUALISM AND THE RELIGION OF TO-MORROW.” I

ADDRESS BY THE DUCHESS OF HAMILTON.

end of them. He then began to study religion books. The marvels of religious teaching touched him deeply, and he became possessed with the idea that tlx world should know these things th a t he had read. Hewoj convinced th at the best way to spread these doctrines would be by forming a religious body under strict regime, like the military system to which he was accustomed. Too world, he said, should be governed in religion, indeed in all things. He was to be implicitly obeyed regardless of personal morals, piety, or discretion. Each man was to be entirely sub­ ordinate to his will. The system was to be a vast spider’s web, and he would be sitting like the spider in the middle, directing and controlling all the living strings. The third type, George Fox, was much more like St. Francis. He was the founder of th at great sect the Quakers, Above all he sought truth. He, too, was only nineteen iu 1643, when the divine call came to him. All his life he ex­ perienced the phenomenon of the spirit voice, but none of the orthodox teachers of religion of his day could help him. When he explained his spiritual experi­ ences all the advice he could get from them was that he should see a doctor, th at he should marry, or th a t he should enlist in the army, or take to smoking 1 He had been described as a man whom God en­ dued with a clear and wonderful depth of soul; a disoerner of other spirits and very much master of his, own. He did much good, and to this day the sect and ms followers, the Quakers, are held in high esteem. These three men were all great in the army of the saints, yet .they failed to conquer materialism. And why? fi they failed to supply the living e x p a n d i n gknowledge i ^ l ^ H ^ i i which the mind requires from the eternal fount of wisdom. Mr. Lloyd George was reported Following is a summary o f the t > have said th at even with all the Duchess of Hamilton’s address:— power of a faith like ours, the The world was greatly languish­ greatest faith, the most exalted ing for the need of a religion that faith the world has ever known, satisfied mind and spirit. Every having its influence on Europe kind1 of creed was seen, but atten­ for 1,2 0 0 years, yet we got out tion was continually drawn to the I ursts of savagery, outbursts in divergences of the tru th : dogmas which even religion occasional!; which separate and are remote took part when it was only an out THE DUCHESS OF HAMILTON from the spirit of true religion ward religion. which alone can unify. Looking AND BRANDON. In the past those who sought out on the present state of the knowledge, those who really tned world, we saw this man striving to penetrate beyond themselves, fell to «get for himself; , - everything _ ____ „ he can ________________ „ . {j that man trying to into two divisions, the religious and the scientific. They take $w&y from someone else that which he wants for nimhad never been able to become reconciled to each other, and self. One saw the terrible dragon of war still raising its so there had always been hostility between scienoe and head unabashed, and hatred between, class and class, and religion. Mr. Lloyd George had said that religion sect and sect. Men and women and little children, the should he kept entirely apart from politics. In reality the flowers of heaven, were huddled together in the most opposite was the case. Religion should rule in all things, j terribly squalid conditions. The only remedy for this was Lire only became truly Life when it was guided by the truo truly-living religion, not a dead one. We needed a religion spirit of religion. Tne religion of to-morrow would em­ that really lived, really moved, and would not he content brace a knowledge of the spiritual nature of life, which re­ until (ita bad routed—utterly routed—its great enemy, conciled and united all divisions. “Spiritualism provides materialism. Materialism had always been the stumbling the bridge between religion and scienoe because it brings block for nil religiaus reformers. ever fresh knowledge of the reality of religious truths. Let I There had been many types of reformer of whom she (the US' look at what happens toa science when it is devoid of I speaker) would instance three: St. Francis of Assisi. spirit^-out of touch with spiritual knowledge. You get I Ignatius Loyola, and George Fox. St. Francis of Assisi scientific knowledge devoted to the inventions of machines founded the Order of the Franciscans. He was the type of of destruction.' A daily paper the other day had said, in gentle saint who would woo the world to its religion, to the its leadin'? article, that we had a new heaven, but it was deep sense of brotherhood for the whole creation* He did sprinkled with aeroplanes whose gifts are bombs; a new not think of himself, for he underwent terrible persecution I earth in which powerful motors carried us from one smoky from those be loved, when the time came for nira to em­ slum to another I This is what you get in the department bark on his mission he was only nineteen. He was the son of science called physics and chemistry. Scientifio men, in­ of a rich merchant who wanted, him to live and make stead of using their powers to promote purer and better and who could not understand why his son should conditions for the people, make poisonous gas, destructive change. The father shut him up in prison, but St. I bombs, far-reaching guns for destruction. They fail to see Francis was brave and fought his rate. Of al] the saints, and recognise the simple 1laws of life. They make cense- I Francis was the most blameless and gentle, he was em­ less experiments to find cures by elaborate and far-reaching | phatically the saint of the people. ( St. Ignatius Loyola, theories, whilst abstinence from excesses which obviously { founder of the Jesuits, was a very different type. He was cause disease are not taught. Monkey gland experiment! a a nobleman not versed in letters and learning, but was are undertaken to rejuvenate old bodies and so retain the given to military service, and was badly wounded at tho spirit in physical life. One old man treated in this manner 1 age of thirty. He then started reading. He read was so proud of it that he decided to takeathe Albert Hall | all the novels he could, and soon came to the to proclaim his joy at the prospect of remaining more years 1 At the Ardwick Picture Theatre, Ardwick Green, Man­ chester, on Sunday, 4th inat., the D u c h e s s o f H a m i l t o n a n d B r a n d o n delivered an address under the above title in con­ nection with the Manchester Spiritualists’ Central Propar ganda Committee. Although the theatre has a seating capacity of 2 , 10 0 , it keT with — an eager is not surprising to learn that it was packed audience and that many were unable to obtain admittance.! The proceedings commenced with an invocation by Mb . E r n e s t O a t e n . President, of the Spiritualists’ National Union and editor of the “Two Worlds,” after which aMiss L i n d - a f - H \g e b y , who occupied the chair, gave some intro­ ductory remarks, followed by the Duchess of Hamilton’s address. Then came the presentation of bouquets: to the Duchess, a bunch of the beautiful red roses of Lancaster, and to Miss Lind a posy of flowers representing the colours of the Swedish national flag. The presentation was made by Miss Blakely, who, in a graceful little speech, told of the appreciation by all present of her Grace’s address, ana referred to the “ Red Rose of Lancaster” as at once an emblem of affection and of loyalty. To Miss Lind Miss Blakely tendered the thanks of the ’ meeting for her labours on behalf of suffering humanity and of God's lesser creation, and expressed the hope that she might long be spared to protect the weak and spread the principles of kindness ana spiritual truth. The musical portion of the programme included a solo, “ Eliza­ beth’s Prayer” (from “Tannhaiiser” ), bya f Mme. Gertrude Kdgard (of Milian) who, it may be mentioned, is a daughter of Mrs. Ellen Green, the medium, and is a gold medallist of tne musical profession.

March 10,1928.J

LIGHT

in his physical frame. We all know of the man in scrip­ ture who builded himself huge granaries in order to live long in peace and luxury, and in his anticipations of life ana luxury on this plane ne heard:— ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.’ ’ Continuing, her Grace referred to vivisection and its horrors. One authority had stated th a t animals had no feelings, and no rights, no nerves th a t could' be affected while it was being cut open alive, or suffering the injection of poisons. While in Edinburgh a year ago on a campaign against vivisection, Miss Lind and sne heard their opponent, a medical man, state th at animals had no rights whatever. They saw a section of scientists on the one hand using their powers to exterminate their fellow men, and on the other to maltreat their humbler brethren, the animals, in order to do wEatP Not to make peace with God, but to prolong the physical life of the more fortunate amongst them. And not only that. They found Science taking the greatest pains to prove conclusively th a t the human spirit was not immortal. Witness Huxley, who said of spiritual phenomena; ‘‘Suppose the phenomena to be true, they do not interest me. Let them look on the other side. What happened to religion entirely divorced from science ? We got religious intolerance, such things as the terrible wars between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants: the fearful religious wars of France, the massacre of the Huguenots, the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, and the burning of witches, in all of which all reason, all human sympathy, all understanding were obliterated by fanatical aahesion to form. We haa complete materialisation of spiritual truth, and ever in­ creasing unbelief. We had the Christian churches of to-day no less than in former centuries sounding the call to arms when the State of which they formed a part went to war, irrespective of its justice or injustice. The churches kept aloof from the great changes of the world, and administered stones instead of bread to the people, or else bread of such stale quality th at it was not even palatable, and could not be eaten. The result was seen in the empty churches of to-day. The present state of things was described by the ''Archbishop or York a t Sheffield when he said “Religion attracts but the church repels.” Churches were more or ten empty than not, but meetings for Spiritualism were always full. And this last was the most hopeful sign of this age. In spite of the tangles, the differences, and the power that materialism still exercised, the hearts of the people were seeking earnestly to supply the needs of the spirit. Spirit­ ualism supplied conclusive evidence of the immortality of the human spirit, of life after shedding the body, as against the vague ideas of long sleep or monotonous harp-playing. Spiritualism broke down the old ideas of heaven and hen, substituting knowledge of the infinity, variety, and possi­ bilities of life in the spheres. I t showed th at every aspira­ tion, every power cultivated h ere: music, art. and all other things, had their fruition and development in the life beyond. Spiritualism proved th at we were spirits here and now, that the body was the instrument of the spirit. Spiritualism enlarged, widened, and deepened religion bv breaking down what was mere form, by infusing it with life which was ever larger than all its forms. I t showed that the revelation of tru th about immortality, atonement for sins, resurrection, judgment, heaven and hellt was not only given two thousand years ago, but is being given now. It emphasised the fact th a t all tne great religions had been based on and founded by persons who had psychic gifts, who were mediums. They heard voices, they had trances, they had inspiration, and the gift of prophecy. . After citing some. modern evidences of the power of spirit over matter, the speaker said that these powers of life working from within outwards were in striking contrast with tho pallid results of the materialistic methods—drugs, inoculations, and vivisections. Was this to be wondered at when we considered the healing given by Christ and His disciples—the same method, namely, from within, out­ wards: from within by the power of tne spirit outwards ? And did He not teach that all who truly followed Him would do the same works P What did that mean P I t surely meant that all who did not shrink from a life of com­ plete self-sacrifice would reoeive these gifts. Spiritualism demonstrated the existence of psychic powers and gifts of the highest order, arising out of the subtle and never-ceasing variation of the human spirit. It had a message of hope for everybody. Spiritualism en­ larged, widened, and deepened science by constantly bring­ ing to light finer forms of matter, hidden forces which brought tne domain of so-called miracles within the p ur­ view of science. Material objects had again and again been demonstrated as demateriahsing, passing through appar­ ently solid objects, and again materialising. This was one of the apparent miraoles which proved the very limited nature of tne knowledge ige to which purely physioal science ■ o f levitation. IM M fti it was had attained. The phenomena

161

In conclusion, .her Grace said:—I claim that with the knowledge that Spiritualism gives, it is easier for the everyday man ana woman to gain moral stability and direction. For Spiritualism demonstrates the supreme importance of thought, and when we come to pass out of our bodies we possess only the truth we have sought^ and the love and help and understanding that we have given to others. Spiritualism manifests through the revelation of life after death. Spiritualism shows how enduring is real love, and that its ties formed here persist for ever. To my mind Spiritualism is the path to the religion of to-morrow, which will give the fullest scope to human striving for knowledge and perfection, .and which will satisfy every need of the spirit for 'the light of reason on the obscure mysteries of existence and progressive evolution.

“ AN INDIAN JUGGLER’S PERFORMANCE.” To the Editor of Light. I have been ill, and it is only recently that your issues of January 6 th and 13th have been brought to my notice, otherwise I should have asked, .sooner, your per­ mission to acknowledge Messrs. W. Gregory and D. Row­ land’s contributions on the above topic. I hasten to tnank Mr. Rowland for his plain account of what he saw (or honestly believes he saw) in Allahabad in the ’nineties. To discuss this statement in detail and in public might give the impression of throwing discredit on it, or on the gentleman’s bona fides, and as I have not the remotest intention of doing so I would prefer not to discuss his statement any further. As to Mr. Gregory, his “laburnum-tree example” will not work. If that gentleman has grown laburnums from seed, as I have, he will know that a seed planted in soil will taken nine months to germinate, and twelve months to throw up a seedling an inch high, and that it will take five years for it to come to the stage of flowering (and, de ipse facto, fruiting), whilst it is claimed that a mango seen planted in ant guano will grow a foot high in five minutes, instead of five years, the normal time. All things are possible, of course I If your correspondent appeals to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I at once put mav hands up. and call out “Kamarad/” Mr. Gregory seems to feel rather hurt at my not accepting his suggestion that the miraculous growth of the mango seed into a tree in five minutes was the result of Spiritual­ ism. Sorry 1 But I really cannot! Why the spirit of my great-grandfather or anybody else’s great-grandfather should appear from “ the other side” to juggle about with mango seeds and little trees to no. purpose (except perhaps to advertise the value of white ant soil as a fertiliser) seems to me derogatory to a departed spirit. In exchange for not being able to accept Mr. Gregory’s spiritualistic suggestion, I will make him a present of the suggestion that perhaps when I discovered how the mango trick was done I may have been hypnotised, and that the whole performance never took place, but was merely a figment of my brain. If so, how about all the other “ tricks” I saw or I thought I saw, and especially how about the rupee I lent the conjurer (for his rupee trick) which he forgot to give me back 1 Sir, the last time I was in Bombay, mangos in the market were about ninepenoe apiece. If mango trees can be grown in five to ten minutes from seed does it not stand to reason that it would pay to pull down half the houses for room to grow mangos P And as to Allahabad, the last time I was there they offered me the villainous half-wild green mango as the best they could do: so I advise a specu­ lator to get a bagful of the Bombay “Aphous” mango seeds and start mango groves up there. If you can grow a mango tree one foot high in ten or fifteen minutes tney ought to be in full bearing in twelve months, and a fortune in ’the under­ taking. I have grown mangos in my compound in Bombay, and my experience is that they take about the same time to grow and to fruit as an apple tree does over here.. In conclusion. I would draw attention to one remark In Mr. Rowland’s letter in which he soys: “The white ant earth . . . which accelerates germination and growth to a certain extent'after water has been added.” ' That “certain extent” would seem to require explaining., . Apologising for the length of this letter,—Yours, etc., 0. L. Hardcastle. Elmbank, Paignton. February 24th, lp23. S

ib

,—

t\

T H E WASHINGTON MEMORIAL.

To the Editor of L i g h t . . BBS p fi Sib ,—The response to my appeal for some central physical creation, and the condensation of matter were memorial of our Cause has been so scanty that I cannot other examples. All these opened up vast fields of research I bring myself to present it. I am, therefore, returning the of such importance that every energy of the scientific mind money to tho various subscribers, whom I hereby thank. might well be applied to the elucidation of such discoveries. Yours faithfully, The supremo lesson that Spiritualism gave to Science was A r t h u r Conan D o y l e . that all matter is created, moved, ana moulded by spirit, Windlesham, Crowborough, Sussex. and that the rigid laws of science were as leaves before tho March 6 th, 1928. wind when the spirit was active.

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LIGHT

162 L IG H T ,

Editorial 0Sion, S, QUEEN SQIAIE, LONDON, WC.1 Til . : Mtuetzm 5105, Tb j o a m i : <<8 o n rivilt W n to o t, London/' COMMITSICATIOX6 intended to be printed should be eddreend to the Editor. Business commaaicstions d o ild m ell eeses be addressed to flnfehinson and Co.. 34, Paternoster Bov, London. E.C. Cheques and Postal Oraers should be made payable to “Lic it . ” SUBSCRIPTION RATES.—Tvelre months, 22/-; six months, 11/-. Payment* most be made in advance. All applications /or advertisement* most be made to Advertisement Dept,, Hutchinson end Co., 34, Peternoster Ron, Londoir E.C, TeL: 1402 Central. Rates.—£10per pace; lus. per inch h ig b column; societies, 8 s. par inch; classified advertisements, 9d, per line.

THE NEED FOR CLEAR THINKING. S aritu alian i, we b are been told, » a cloudy and perplexing (o b ject, complicated by a thousand different theories and n^thnA , of presentation. T he result is frequently a state oi complete obfuscation on the part of the avenge inquirer. I t is true enough that Una is the general appearance of th in g s; but we suggest th a t it is only an appearaaee. Th e cloudiness and confusion reside for th e moat part in the minds of those who so contemplate the sub­ ject. They bare not learned to think clearly, to con­ centrate attention on some m ain issue and to follow It

[Much 10,

th e m an who knows th ere is a spirit world breams to sees a table o r som e o th er object floating in the sir I L et us re p e a t: Much of the disorder seen in bonus life o r in Nature herself is simply a reflection of tto disorderly m ental sta te of those who perceive it. TV confusion is only more confounded when th e mnddlai th in k er is guided by o th er muddled thinkers. Wbethu in th e stud y of any department of Hpiritoalani or f life a t large, a m a n 's aim should be to think jndrtgg. d en tly, and n o t to rely solely on the views of ofwn. H e w ill m ake h is mistakes, of course, and have to lean by hi* failu res as w ell aa by his successes. B ut a (V investigation of S piritualism h e will alw ays prove a th e end th e m ost firm ly established in Ms faith, and flu m ost tru stw o rth y guide to those who are puisdDgfV sam e qu est. M oreover, h e w ill be pursuing the wty d N ature, w hose purpose i t Is to develop vndimduaU— self-poised m en and w om en—hum an sp irits in the bri and w orth iest sense of th e w ord. THE

P R IC E -H O P E

If, aa we m aintain. S piritualism a t its high est ia a recognition of the U niverse as S p iritual and of m an as a spirit, it is plain th a t in such a com prehensive view we have room fo r infinite differences of asp ect. We cannot "d eal in U niversal*" in th e contem plation of any subject B y consequence, in th e stu d y of Spiritualism, it is necessary to ad ju st and sele c t; and the inquirer should decide w hether he desires to stud y the subject from th e standpoent of R eligion, Philosophy, Science, or sim ple hum an in terest. T h at, of course, will depend on bis tem peram ent. If be follow s a d e a r and definite line Me course should be sim ple enough. But if he allows him self to be d istracted by th e opinions of others working on different lin es; d he g et Ms re­ ligion mixed up w ith Ms science, Ms in tellect confused with Ms em otions (or sics vrraf) th en he m ay w ell g e t in to a meddled condition. Me must learn to tak e one thing at a time or a very law Urines, for th e m inds th a t are large enough to range over th e whole area of th e matter, end see the relationship existing betw een all the M m sat fields of inquiry are rare. Such m inds are able calmly to survey and correlate all the different regions, tocos of them apparently q u ite unconnected, w e have grown fam iliar with the spectacle of the un­ trained investigator feeling Ms war, but no t auffleientiy experienced to hasp Ms thinking c w r or coherent. B y eonseqnenee he may get Iris facts confused w ith theories and apeeolstiow, be may make a rash leap from th e aaesctafesd fast of some piece of good psychic evidence, to the acceptance of som e possibly quite fan tastic re relation from a spirit (or supposed spirit). Tfie way fa usual! v only wisely to be pursued by slow end measured steps, by a presses of sequential thought. A grots »qua esample of the reverse type is the attitude of

C ASE.

"• ■ To the Editor of b io ta . Sim,—R eferring to your correspondence columns;— (1 ) I f I h ere used th e undesirable expression, “* him fact, I should aajr i t m eant a fa ct deceptively p r i w f , like the conjurer's rabbit o u t o f a h at. (2 ) That it in possible for people to differ concerning tto interpretation of a phenomenon without qiisrrellmg, m approaching anywhere near a quarrel.

Tonrs faithfully,

persistently. W e were recently reading in manuscript w hat pu r­ ported to be a scientific analysis of psychic phenom ena, out we bad not proceeded m any pages before we found our author firing off at a tangent to denounce psychical pursuits as dem oralising and intellectually d estru ctiv e. " T h a t , " we said, " « not scien ce." Science, it is dear, must concern itself solely w ith th e investigation of facta, and leave the moral applications to the teachers and philosophers. T h a t writer waa not a clear thin ker. I t waa bis business to discover whether pay chic pheno­ mena were facta. T h a t was the only question. A fact in Nature is neither morel nor immoral in itself, but only as regards the uses to which i t ia pot. I t waa an example of the irrelevance w hich creeps in where cold scientific analysis becom es involved w ith emotionalism and personal mas.

1993 .

O n m s Loses. 3rd March, U S . M ERCURY

AND

THE

P H IL O S O P H E R S .

(Aw Awcnarr Sroav with Bourn M onsaw A m ic snows.)

A t a time when the belief in Gods and all the ltm H ( Creatures of the groves had nearly died out in Gum, some peasants reported strange happenings in the nsob ystwism about Athena. There were Carious Movements, M Notes of Mnsic and Flitting Shapes amongst the tkiduU and by the waters of still pools. The w ue Men of tb city a t first ridiculed the m atter, b at later it befell tkst tome of them, drawn by curiosity to the scene, were r e ­ pelled to admit th a t they beard and saw things which tfcssr knowledge of N atural Philosophy could not explain. Bw after funding many Councils amongst themselves it ns agreed th at these things could not bo attributed to say Supernatural Agency, bat bad some quite Earthly Explore turn. While they were debating what this might be, tbs God Mercury, willing to disport himself, appeared awnaa l them in the guise of an Aged and very Learned Pmksopher from Crete. He h a r a n g u e d them on the Pheno­ mena with a profusion of Wise Words, and, after a Die course so profound th a t it was difficult to understood, Is announced th a t the Strange Event# were doe to a rest combination of forces known as “ Circumambient Empyrean.’’ This so tickled their ears th at they rewarded him with many plaudits, and thereafter the phrase waa continually on their lips. So th at to all the Strange Tales which reached (hem and for all the Mysterious Things which they hshsil they had but one description—these were all doe to Ike Circumambient Empyrean. And when afterwards the Mes­ senger of the Gods related the story on Olympus to tkt assembled Deities, the laughter of Zens and his companies! wan so load th at its echoes reached the woods of Athens. Hat t hese sounds also fasid the Philosophers) were das to the mysterious powers of the Circumambient Empyrean. —From “Hpirifaalisin: Its Ideas and Ideals/' hy David flow. C O N S O L A T IO N S .

Wait net ia unsolved dread Death’s sore approach, Earth’s shadowy sphere reigns done beside its rede. And never on Goo’s will can time encroach. Though swiftly on life’s barque ws seem to saiL Heaven is no far-off sphere; 'tie dose a t band. Diets nos and space rale not, nor could divide T bs unity of sonb like grains of sand. For souls being linked by love combined abide. And love is ever radiating power. Nor Life, nor Death can stray beyond its might, And Death stands ever as a watchman’s tower. Tenderly guiding a s towards the Light. Death is E arth’s name far just non forward paceT ie not extinction, none is toft behind; fa Life or Death each spirit finds its plane Our stops s sum get each other's near wind ■

March 10, 1923.]

TH E

l i g h t

O BSERVATO RY.

LIGHT OH THIHGS IN GENERAL. We a r e

i n f o r m e d t h a t the H er, G. Tale Owen, w h o ts a t p n a e a t l e c t u r i n g in the U n i t e d State?., ia not Hkehr t o retain t o England until dole, i t h a r i n g b e e n a r r a n g e d f o r Mm to join f o rc e s with S i r A r t h o r O m a n D o j d e , w b o will ho fearing; f o r Sow York towards t h e e n d o f t h i s m o n t h . Sir A r t h u r n i l be airing two o r t h r e e h e c ta re s i n New T ort early in April, and then mafce a n e x t e n s i r e t o a r o f t h e Western ana Sont h o r n States. He will p r o b a M y c o n e tn d o his toar at Loe Angeles.

The “Toledo Times” of February 18th puMuhea an mterriew with Mr. Tale Owen, when, according to the iaterriewer, M in Flora Ward Hineline, the following ques­ tions were pot and answers recorded: — Whether jrou are among those present a t poor own funeral ia optional with poo, Bor. u . Tale Owen, Church of England clergyman who ia to lecture on the spirit world toaigbt a t the CoHsemn, told a small group which nthered a t the Secor last evening to bid mm welcome Some persons want to stick around and tee how fine a funeral they are given, and others would he greatly pained to watch their old body lowered into the ground, Bey. Mr. Owen explained. The latter remain to far away that they do not sense what ia going on, he said. His own father, who died a t the age of 80, and who in his lifetime had been a g reat joker, has since come to hhn sad remarked on what a fine funeral the family gave him, Bey. Mr. Owen said- “Thank poa very much for all those Sowers,” he said waa bis father's remark to him. Whea asked what he thought of cremation in view of trie knowledge of the future world, the Bey. Mr. Owen said that it is ail right if i t does not take place too coon. Five days a t the least shooId elapse, he as id, because, while the Spirit quits the body instantly a t death, there are particles of ethereal substance dinging to the old form which gradually are absorbed by the spiritual body, and intense discomfort might ensue from too early crema. turn. Embalming and burial do not have the tame un­ pleasant effects because there no disintegration take* place, be said. When a pointed question as to reinesrna. non of coals was put to the Rev. Dr. Owen, be replied:— “I can't answer th a t quart ion by either ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ any more than I could should you ask me, ‘Have 7 0 0 l o t off beating jour wife?' E ither yea or do would be inerimmating. The some way when 7 0 0 ask, ‘Are souls re­ incarnated'"’ Now, I bare asked my friends in the spirit world to answer th a t ooestion for me, and after investiga­ tion they reply th at there are weU-fbonded rumour* with them as with os th a t nook are no reincarnated or bare been in a t least two very special cases, but they did not rolnnteer the information as to just who these two might hare been. So I know but Utile more about the subject thsn yon d o /' The H er; Mr. Owen d e d a n s th a t in deep the spirit leares the body and is with the friends os the other side, and th a t the reason we do not remem­ ber about our experience* daring sleep is because H would wrack oar fires to recall what we bare seen and beard. The "Western Morning News and Mercury," in He tame of February 23rd, publishes the following account of a fdsnes held at Paignton, Deron. a t which Sir A rthur Conan Doyle was present. The report sta te s:— Mr. H , P . Rabbicby P resident of P aignton Spiritua­ list Society, who would be term ed a shrewd and foccemfal inhabitant o f th is world, gave a representatire of "The Western M orning N ew s an d Mercury" yesterday a fall account o f the seance in h is bouse a t Paignton attended by S ir Arthur Conan D oyle. "Evan Powell was brought in, and S ir Arthur exam ined him . H e was fastened in a chair, as be always will be fastened in. After tying him 1 had, for double security, fastened cotton around b is thumbs, because in these sittin gs we very often art tbs physical phenomena of his coat being taken from fie back and laid in the middle o f the floor, or over fbe other end o f the room. On th is n igh t we started to sing a bymn, ‘Abide with me,' and in the m idst o f th e hymn a beautiful baas voice broke in w ith n s outride our own n i c e The volume o f the voice more than overpowered the whole o f our e ig h t or nine voices in the room. He jeiaed «a and sang in perfect harmony with as. As soon as the hymn waa flnieoed, I beard a voice distin ctly sayh g 'Heuo, d a d / and then Sir A rthor exclaim ed : ‘Hello. Kingsley, old m an ; clad von are here, glad you are co m e/ f eeaset tell yon the whole of the conversation between the boy his father. H e used fam iliar names of the family, of which we in the room had no knowledge what­ ever, harness fit was the first tim e I had m et S ir A rthur Cease Doyle- The conversation m ight have lasted for •beet five mtneftes, and then the boy wished ns good-bye. s a l thanked my w ife and me for allowing b is fath er to owns through, and for the privilege of lettin g him spank v, ns. After th a t there started a q u ite different votes. Issrlsr and older. Sir Arthur turned to m e and said that was his brother. Colonel Doyle, who waa shot ia fbe ear. He Introduced me to his brother, wfle thanked n s

us

for the privilege of a s lr is f eonditMas so that ha emM come bock to give a message to Ibr Arthur before he started o n b*s greet wistunaary tonr to Australia. Three smees cats* to nir Arthur—has son. bis brother, and ea o ld Lmverwty friend. The only thing I can say shout those v w * s is that ao mm ic wy diamgrooui eonhi have imitated them. I t required the uamwUkable University oritured voice to speak like them, and ao one as the room fta d that abibtv. There were other vomcs at tb t saa^ time, a r t y . beard the two vomm toggtiwv. Aa4 that •aoae Digilt ray own ton and daughter a m . Wlma ear

boy came through, there wm rut KWokiag oar bay George’* voice. # # 0 0 la the "Observatory" on pag? % of our isma of February IOth. we had M /aw a to refer to an srtris, m V fiithed in the “Ckorcfa Family Newspaper," by C se u H A, Wilson, entitled "Popular Hymns." Canon W in s drew attention to many of the Church hymns, describing after death states. In the is m of the “C h u A Family Newspaper'* of February Ufch. the Mowing Vetter appeared > firs,—I heartily agree with Canon. Wilcon tegardan. the unauitabifity of many of our hymns. Hymns t t l and 499, Ancient and Modern, are two other oflewWr*. Leaving him to sleep in trust Till the ftm n e riio s Day. On the Resurrection morning Soul and body meet again. On th a t happy Faster morning All the graves their dead restore. Father, mother, mater, brother, Meet once more . If this w a n s anything at ail it spells ages of sieef ages of separation from loved ones until the g a n r i Resurrection in the Last Day. How long this will be the Church cannot inform any inquirer because die does not know. I t ia pitiful and astounding to the last degree, to see clergy leading the cortege of scene bonewred d tu e a to the graveside to the waging of sack hymns and to the accompaniment of sueh indefinite deprearing teaching, 10 absolutely contrary to th at of Christ's own resurrection, so utterly unscientific and so absolutely disproved by ids experiences and evidences of modern time*. The statements and doetrines act forth in the above quotations are false from beginning to end. I t would fc s r d y be poawhle to put together a series of stateemnts concerning the condition of the deported which could be further away from the truth. To all who wfl send me a stamped addressed envelope I will send free a twentyfour page pamphlet dealing fully with these matters. Ci a b j s L. T v n s n a . Weston Vicarage, near Otley, Yorks. In the next issne of the same journal the Rev. Edward Host, Vicar of Hamsteels, Durham, replied to Mr. Tweedale as follows:— As far as I understand the teaching of Scripture and of the d ra rd i of England, I can find no faalt with that fine Esiter hymn (A. and M. 499) which the Her. Charted Tweedale bolds up for contempt sad reprobation in tout columns. I quite agree that toe hymn ynrinmdy referred to, "Within the churchyard, ride by mde," ought not to have been admitted into our Hymn Book, because (no doubt quite accidentally) it speaks throughout of the dead (not their bodies only) as sleeping m the grave. The Church befievea th at on toe Resurrection morning, sad not until then, soul and body meet again, John y? 2&> 29, that the mediate state of the soul is with re­ gard to Christ's servants, a state of blessed rest. Rev. tir .. 15; that they await the final triumph of Christ be­ fore they can wish a* he made perfect, neb. xL, 40- L Cor. xv., $1*44; and that then tndy shall tfaev enter into the full glory of the Kingdom prepared for them, M au. vi., 10, Rev. xL, 15. Granting these premises, it 10 just to assume th at the final and perfect reunion of dear ones, parted by the bereavement of death, can only be at brightest of all meetings—that of the Resurrection morn­ ing, Rer. xxi., 5-4. The words of the hymn, “ Leaving him to sleep in trust till the Resurrection Day," are eodaily supported by the Scripture, and by the doctrine of onr Church, end one may say of the Church Catholic. Though the Romans add certain unscriptural details as to Purgatory, and pardons to be purchased by prayers and Masses, they support the some general doctrine as onr Church does. I f Mr, Tweedale has a new revelation on this subject be trustified in disclosing it, and I think ha would find no difficulty in doing ao more eSecttretr than by that of a penny pamphlet, but be ia not justified ia denouncing the statement* and doctrines of the Church to which he belongs, and of the Scriptures to which ho has avowed his unfeigned consent and belief "as false from beginning to end. * The above letter is a very good example of the views of a Urge proportion of the 40JUOO in this country who hold holy orders. Osn it be wondered at that the churches are so often omptyc sad , as the Durham qf Hamilton remarked in bar address in Msacbeq^r last flasday, the £pirituafi* 6 * churches filed to overflowlag?

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[March 10, 1923.

THE PILGRIMAGE OF MAN. AN ESSAY ON HARMONIAL RELIGION. BY W. H. EVANS.

L— I.— T

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Filial love, which is the aspirational principle of the human mind, combined with man's eager questioning of the phenomena of nature, and the experiences of daily life, has given us religion. I t varies in its expression from the lowest fetichism to the loftiest monotheism, but the element of filial love, and the endeavour to understand the mystery of life and being is in all religion. In one sense religion may be said to be roan’s attempt to square things. A dim perception of right and wrong seems to have been with him from the first. His standards change in accordance with whatever fresh light may come to him. This response to fresh impulses which comes from perceiv­ ing higher courses of life and conduct in combat with the conservatism of his nature is responsible for more of the great conflicts which strew the path of human history than any other power in life. I t is a singular, and a t its best, a most noble thing that man has always been more willing to give up his property, his comfort, and even life itself, than give up his gods. However mean may have been his conceptions, or distorted his vision, religion has been, and still is, one of the principal elements in human conduct. So great has the power of religion been that the most vile and atrocious acts have been committed when they have received the sanction of the priest. There is no other power—save patriotism, and that partakes of the religious element, as love of country is often synonymous with love of one’s gods—which has exercised so great an influence in human affairs. Whatever may have been its distortions, it is fundamentally right. The principle of filial love, the craving for reality, and its intuitive perception are in­ fluences inwrought in the very fibre of being; they are ineradicable, indestructible, and often have been the only bulwark against sheer naked animalism. Religion naa given humanity a code of conduct, and has worked, how­ ever dimly, towards a purer ethical concept. “Religion is ethics tinged with emotion,” said Matthew Arnold. I t is more, it is emotion directed to moral ends and purposes, and constitutes the driving force of ethical principle. Grant Allen has told ns that all gods were once men, and in this respect it is impossible to separate- religion from its psychic content. Dreams, visions, trances, polter­ geist phenomena, and all the varied forms of osycnic hap­ penings, are coeval with humanity. I do not believe there ever was a time when these things did not happen. Psychic phenomena, combined with the principle of filial love, fur­ nish the key to the origins of all religions. Whence me belief in survival of death which preceded belief in God P Trace it back, analyse it. and It becomes tne most stupen­ dous thing in human history, this conception by man of the idea of a future life. Belief in immortality has ebbed and flowed in the human mind, and will continue so to do “as long as the lips of love kiss the lips of death." There we have it! Love, the mighty power which transcends all sophistry, and scepticism, the greatest redemptive power in the universe—Love, without which no religion is, or ever can be, possible. The rationalist would have us believe th at religion is the result of the mystery with which all things v e en­ shrouded. The primitive man is not intellectual, though ne may be intelligent, and his intelligence will urge him to try and account for things. There is no need to dispute that man got some of his ideas relative to gods and a future life from an attempt to explain natural pnenomena, but did he get his first notion of a future life from natural phenomena, or from the activities of his psychic nature? Ruling out dreams, which of coarse partake of his psychic activities, what is there in the phenomena of nature to hint to man of a future life? To the cultured mind there is modi, but to the crude, uncultured mind, with scarcely the raw materials of thought, what suggestion of a future life could natural phenomena offer? Very little indeed, and what has been overlooked by the rationalist is that the idea of a future existence can only spring from a mind in which the elements of that life already exist. Given this. then, the phenomena of nature as a secondary influence would tend to strengthen and confirm the primitive impulse arising from the psychic and spiritual nature of man. There is no longer any need to discuss whether a future life exists far man. We know it does. We know that death is simply an episode in our career. Knowing that, we can turn to that far-off time, when primitive man roamed the earth and perceive th at the more sensitive ones of the race would provide conditions for the inter­ play of psychic influences, so that the man who was yester­ day killed in the chase, or in battle, would mingle with

1

his friends, and they would see, either in clairvoyant vinos, or in dream, his presence amongst them, or he might ne tne rougher means of raps, or even stone throwing, to attest his presence. Thus the central principle of religion, human survival of bodily death, now exalted to the great concept of immortality, would be established on a basis of fact. That established, the rest follows as a logical sequence, and we are not surprised that religion has tailored a course similar to other forms of mental evolution. Having established the fact, certain places (because of their stronger psychic magnetism) would be considered sacred to the returning spirits The grove, the well, stream, cavern, wood, hill, etc., would come to be looked upon aa some specially sacred centre. Adoration, or great affection for some tribal chief or patriarch would, in view of the fact th at death was not tne end, lead to the continuation of th at affection even after he had left the body. 71m offerings and sacrifices would be made, and in time tie chief, or patriarch, or petty king becomes a god, lost in the mist of time, but perchance surviving in name in tie polity of ancient religions. The associating of the phenomena of nature with spirits is understandable in view of the fact that the idea cl sequence, or law, was not perceived. I t was natural for the primitive mind to suppose th at storms, earthquakes, rain, sunshine, and all the great forces of nature were con­ trolled by gods who had to be worshipped and propitiated, as the case may be. But the idea or one only God m a slow growth, and even to-dav we have not readied i formula satisfactory alike to the emotions and intellect The idea of a personal God is open to severe crititia, yet the emotions persist in regarding God from the autfcro- pomorphic standpoint. The fact is that while men worship they cannot worship an abstraction of the intellect. The religious mind needs the warmth of personality, the feding of a personal contact, and the mystic affirms that he j realises this. One can, of course, criticise the mystici ■ affirmation, but it leaves him cold. In the face of tk mystic’s assertion that he knows God, all criticism tails to the ground The psychology of the future will bare to turn its attention to those higher states of consciousness, which the mystic experiences, and endeavour to diacum the law of their operation. II. — U n i v e r s a l P r i n c i p l e s . The old Hebrew scribe began his statement of belief ■ to the_ creation of the universe with the words, “In tk beginning God . . created . . the heavens and, .tk earth.” One would not regard the word “ beginning” ia i chronological, but rather in a logical sense, first the re­ manifest, then the manifest. “End and beginning are dreams,” said the ancient Hindu. We can omy say, Go3 is. Whatever conceptions men may have, underneath re phenomena subsists the Eternal Reality. The statement “ In the beginning God," has its correspondence in tk modern scientific conception of a primordial substance. Ik philosophic scientist must conceive of this “substance” ai a living substance; it may be impersonal, it may be w | conscious, but it is not lion-conscious. I t is a unity wfckt expresses itself in diversity. Unity, however, does not men sameness; it is rather the harmonisation of diversities, • blending of many qualities in perfect unity. But how ere one write of this mighty theme? All conceptions hi short, though we may try to understand it. Perhaps tk lowest th a t can be said is th at .the intellect cannot oca eeive of the non-existence of some kind of primeval sub­ stance; it is an intellectual necessity. I t offers the rev material, but raw material is of very little^ use unless then is mind to direct and control its activities; so the ocacaption has to be extended, the substance is not dead, tit alive; not noil-conscious, bat having the potentiality of mind, will, consciousness, inherent in it. Writing on tin theme. Dr. A. J . Daria says: “God scientifically oonsidend is the greatest fact in tne universe—He is the greatest Principle—He ia the greatest Reality. God is active ml moving, Nature ia passive and moved. He ia a find Reality, a Being of absolute necessity.’^ Philosophical# considered. “ God is an infinity cause, an infinite organism! | Power and Intelligence," which “expresses Itself in form] series, and degrees of progressive organisations." In His] exist all principles, so tn a t it may be said, n e sees not viM eyes but with a principle of perception, bears with i nw l cijile of hearing, feels with a principle of sensation. The#] principles may he said to “constituty His peraonslitT."m “ Therefore," exclaims our Seer, “ Deity is an Indivirnd 1 in principles, yet not separate from or outside of Nature." I (Continued on neset page.)

March 10, 1923.]

l i g h t

THE [SECRET [OF,[GRAVITATION.” To the Editor of L i g h t . —The article o n t h i s s u b j e c t p u b li s h e d i n L i g h t o f 16th ( p . 786) has b r o u g h t f o r t h t h r e e re s p o n s e s . To Mr. A. J . Wood gratitude is due f o r the interesting quotations from Swedenborg’s works, o f which I was un­ aware. The contribution by “G.B.B.” shows th at the principle of gravitation is not confined to material bodies. I t opens up a wide field by relating gravitation to thought, mind, consciousness and the spiritual world. To obtain a right concept of the communication quoted requires spiritual dis­ cernment, and to those who have this faculty it may convey much as to how everything in the universe is co-related. In the article in L i g h t of the 24th ulto., by “ LieutenantColonel,” he avoids the spiritual aspect of the case. He considers - that psychic communications are untrustworthy on abstruse scientific questions. But as the material scientist cannot tell us the true nature of gravitation would he have us oease further inquiry? He turns on the discussion the heavy artillery of vigorous criticism and declares the problem insoluble from a material standpoint. By confining the subject to the material side only his guns are short-ranged. When a subject gets beyond the province of the material scientist is it not time to turn to the philosopher, the psychic scientist, or seek information else­ where ? Psychic communications are quoted not as dogmatic utterances but as possible suggestions for a new hypothesis, as light on an inner view of •things. There is duality in all things, and the outward is a manifestation of an inner reality. “To be able to give communication on such subjects, it is necessary that the potential idea should be present in the mind of the recipient/’ says he. Exactly, out is not man a psychical ana spiritual being, “ a spark of tne Divine” ? Has he not then potentially within him all spiritual truth? The reception of higher and purer forms of truth is a matter of the unfoldment of consciousness. The conception of new “ ideas” is bound up with the law of Conditions and the law of Influx. As man’s capacity to perceive and conceive is evolved new ideas flow to him. How otherwise are we to account for the evolution of “ideas” in what is termed the human mind ? “Aerial forms of life” may be an unsatisfactory term, as stated, but does not this arise through the poverty of our language to express new ideas and new forms of truth? For the latter a new vocabulary is required. I t . is difficult to give spiritual concepts in terms devised to 'represent material things. I t is admitted th a t communications are given by “ideas,” mainly, not words. A new form of truth can be expressed only in accommodated language. If matter, as many believe, is an expression of spirit or a manifestation of life, is it inconceivable th at forms of life exist in space of which a t present we little dream and that these forms exert an influence or pressure on so-called matter? This is a sincere inquiry, not a dogmatic statement. Even horn the standpoint of the scientist, if matter can be resolved into electrons, then are not all solid bodies masses _ of electricity ? But what is the nature of electricity? The scientist can deal only with its material manifestations. Is it unreasonable to suppose that in the future it may be discovered th at magnetism and electricity are opposite poles (or modes) of the same life force? We need a new kind of scientist to deal with these things. #So it seems to me, rightly or wrongly, th a t it may be unwise to ignore altogether what psychic communica­ tions give on these matters, although tne “ ideas” may be given in accommodated language. Si r . D e ce m D e r

(Continued from previous page.) God is conceived through the intellect, as a fact or cause; through the emotions, as a Father. Thus “Religion con­ siders God as Love, Philosophy as Wisdom and Science as Form,” and they are an harmonic oneness which the fol­ lowing illustrates: — 3. Law. 1, God. 2, Natuhb. Association. Love. Substance. Progression. Will. Aggregate. Development. Wisdom. Universe. The fundamental fact of the universe is God; “ In the beginning God,” and whether we speak of God. as Religion does, or of substance, as does science, they are a unity. It is the same idea differently expressed. Religion postulates an active Being—to use a phrase of the Harmonial Philosophy, “ an infinite organising Power Sod Intelligence.” This implies that the universe is not a mere aggregate of suns and systems, but a living organism, pulsing with intelligence and directive powers in every part. Not only is God Love, but Wisdom and Lay. “ Lore is the creative principle, Wisdom the governing principle.” Law the expression of both. Or as Dr. A. J . Davis would say, “Love is the spring : Wisdom is the balance wheel: Lore it the motive power: Wisdom is the graduating and justicedistributing power of the Divine mind.” The same ex­ pression is used of the human mind.

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By keeping an open mind, refraining from dogmatism, struggling with problems, and seeking the inner meaning of things, the “apparently insoluble propositions of science” may become soluble. States of receptivity and conscious­ ness may be evolved thereby for fresh light to dawn.— Yours, etc., „

6 1 , N e w c o m b e -r o a d ,

®- Holloway;

The Polygon, Southampton. February 26th, 1923.

To the Editor of L i g h t . interested to read the article by “LieutenantColonel (p. 119), and feel-sure that his reply to the theories put forward will be sufficient [ for the logical mind— especially if that mind be well informed. He says: “Our only knowledge of gravitation is. that it does not conform to any of the laws of energy . and he might have added, I think, that it does not conform to any of the laws of matter, t.e., it does not conform to any law -but is a law to itself. Here, ever since the days of Sir Isaac Newton, who taught us to examine this law, we have been theorising upon gravitation, and I find Prof. P. G. Tait, in his “Pro­ perties of Matter” (p. 132) stating: “Gravity must be caused by an agent acting constantly according to certain laws; but whether this agent be material or immaterial, I have left to the consideration of my readers.” That, at ' first sight, does not convey much to our minds, bat as I look into it I notice the words “agent*’ and “ immaterial,” and find license for the term “immaterial agent,” which I prefer to use because we know of no material agent which explains the law of gravitation. Now we know gravitation by its effects, and I do not wish to bring in “ether stress,” for others .have dealt with th at supposition, bat wish to take it up from the point of view which ought to be plain to the common mind. In the working of oar minds, we can affirm or deny. We can change the modes of matter. We actually control all our affairs by volition, and although our bodies are put in motion through muscular force, we know that it comes from mental force—whatever the connection may be. In our own social and business spheres we have cohesion and concentration and attraction and repulsion as the outcome of volition—for the manufacture and movement of huge masses of goods is by will-power or volition concentrated in the “headquarters ’ from whence all things are set in motion. If, then, we know volition by its results, may we not surmise th at the immaterial agent of which Professor Tait speaks may be volition?—Yours, etc., F. G. Wdllatt. 76, Totteridge Avenue, High Wycombe. February 24th, 1923. S i b ,— I w a s

Dr. A b r a h a m W a l l a c e is leaving this week for the South-West- of France, and later will proceed to Spain, where he hopes to gain relief from his bronchial troubles. Mb. A l b e r t J . S t u a r t , Organising Secretary for th e Rev. G. Vale Owen lectures, has received a very large number of applications from all parts, but would be glad to receive as many as possible from Societies pr Psychic Groups which have not yet applied, before the next two weeks, if possible, in order to complete his list and enable him to map out a suitable tour, giving dates, etc., through­ out Great Britain. Will Secretaries of Societies address Mr. Stuart at 19, Albert-road, Southport, Lancs.

I t follows that purpose is inherent in God and the universe. Purposelessness is inconceivable, everything in life implies purpose; the very stars in their majesty imply it. Purposelessness is inanity, which is the negation ot law; hence chance is ruled out. Writing of the purpose of creation, Dr. A. J . Davis asks. “What is the design of all these external manifestations ? What grand end are they calculated to accomplish? The Great Positive Mind, as a Cause, develops Nature as an Effect, to produce the human Spirit as an Ultimate. The human spiritual prin­ ciple is unfolded and eternally individualised through the instrumentality of innumerable suns and planets, and also through the regular progressive development of minerals, vegetables, and animals, all of which man represents and embraces in the energy, strength, symmetry, and struc­ tural beauty of his form, organs and functions. Man is the flower of Nature, the prototype of the living God. The great mechanism of the universe is, therefore, adapted to the complete accomplishment of this grand and glorious End, grand and glorious because it fixes unchangeably the structure and immortality of the human spirit! ” Thus it may be said that the process of development from the un­ conscious to the. conscious, is a process of becoming; or in other words God as impersonal consciousness becomes per­ sonal and self conscious in man (To be continued.)

166

LIGHT

MED1UMSHIP: ITS FAILURES AND SUCCESSES. Referring to our recent leading article on Psychic Faculty (p. 104), Mrs. Elizabeth Ford sends us some notes of a sitting with Mrs. Osborne Leonard when she discussed with a communicator (purporting to be a distinguished psychical researcher while on earth), the question of con­ scious v. unconscious fraud. As the communication had, as usual, to pass through “Feda,M there may be some colouration. But the following extracts from the statements made are well worth attention. "If people once understood that the difficulties they meet in communicating with our world were due to their own ignorance of the subject, they would give more time to the study of its problems. i “There is so much he (the "Professor) can say, viz., so much so-called fraud he can explain comes from the sitter and not from the medium or control. Here is a case in point:-* “A sceptic invents a fictitious personality whom we will call John. It is understood by us that John does not exist except in the mind ef the sitter. " a o f the investigator will go to a perfectly genuine medium and obtain a long description of John, his history, etc. The sceptic goes away highly delighted—convinced that the subject and its exponents are colossal frauds—and even believers begin to doubt, because they have on other occa­ sions received wonderful proofs through the same medium. “A medium is an instrument—a delicately poised instru­ ment. He is receptive to strong influence—thought— mental pictures. If ne ware not extraordinarily sensitive to every little puff of thought that comes his way, he would sot be a medium. "Now, his development has consisted, or should have doney in an endeavour to open the sensitive side of his nature—his psychic self—to the thoughts of our [spirit] world, but we know by experience that he can also open himself to thoughts of earthly origin; which explains how clairvoyance or psychometry senses something which is happening at a distance, or the physical or mental condition of some person on the earth, but the more highly developed mediums are open mainly to impressions from our side only. "If it is necessary to say anything, or to give any information with regard to someone on toe earth, we give is from our knowledge of that person or condition. That is the ideal development; where it is left to us. it is a sign? of the higher development of the medium, but the sitter can play an important part for the time being. If he is openminded, and is not consciously exerting mental power over the medium, he will obtain genuine information, first-hand, from the spirit world; but when the originator of John appears on the scene, the results are otherwise. "Suppose we are dealing with a medium where the recep­ tive state is induced normally. We have said th at the medium is a delicately-poised instrument. The letter T will illustrate [medium shows with first finger of both hands]. I is the medium, " is the psychic susceptibility of medium delicately poised. Put the left hand side of the poised part as the susceptibility to earth influence, and the right hand side as the susceptibility to spiritual influence. "When I come to a sitting to speak to you, it takes a little time to become m rapport with that susceptible side of the medium. It is easier for the creator of John to get m rapport with the medium because the medium and the aforesaid psychic susceptibility are functioning in the same state or plane as the sitter. "The sitter has a much better chance of getting in quickly than I have, and if he obtains a foothold first there is no condition left for us. because the poised p art has dipped to his side, and on the medium’s mind for the time being will be thrown the mental picture or thought which the sitter is transmitting to him; and the medium, if in a normal state will have no knowledge. All be will know is that ha visualises a certain person and certain conditions and ideas. j-* "IF the sitter has visualised the fictitous John as having passed with pneumonia, this thought imposes itself on our sensitive instrument and forthwith every detail of illness will be described, because the suggestion—already formed by the sitter—in the medium's mind will link itself with other forgotten memories that the medium has, of anything appertaining to such a death or disease. ,kIo the sitting, among all these thought-pictures there may be found rays of genuine clairvoyance, but I would venture co assert emphatically that they would be of mun­ dane origin, and not of our world- because the medium m ra rapport with the physical plane." S e r v i c e f o r t u b B u n d . —We take from “ Theosophy’* some information which should be of use to those of our readers who wish to be of service to the Blind, in the way suggested in these pages by Mr. A. M. Heath cote some time ago. "The Braille and ’Servers of the Blind* League has offices at 3, Upper Woborn-place, and amongst its riceuresidepta are Muriel Countess de la Warr, Viscountess fleer ef Faltsdou. Lady- Emily Lutyens. Lady Cynthia Mosley, Mrs. Baillie Weaver, and Celenel E I . Jehnaoa.”

[March 10, 1923 PSYCHIC

PHOTOGRAPHY.

At the British College of Psychic Science on Wednesday, February 23th, Mr. Staveley Bulford gave a lantern lec­ ture describing a series of experiments made with a private group of sitters, which resulted in some remarkable psychic photographic results. This was the first occasion on which the lecture had been delivered, and Mr. Bulford told hit audience th at the genesis of his efforts lay in a sitting he obtained for psychic photography with the Crewe Circle at the College. From th a t he began to work, as he believed on th a t occasion he had a true and remarkable result. The intelligence who became the helper of his own , was specially asked to help in showing the method rich psychic photographs are produced, and the ex­ amples thrown on the screen indicate that an endeavoo was made by this helper to show how the ectoplasm drawn from the sitters was utilised.^ Mr. Bulford believes, as many do, from his own deductions, th a t the psychic photo­ graph is produced within the camera, and that the drapery ana ectoplastic clouds are self-luminous and provide the necessary lighting. Mr. Bulford, who claimea to be an expert amateur conjurer and member of the Magic Circle, said th at he had gone a step further than his conjuring brethren in th a t he had proceeded to personal practical experiment. The results had been limited but satisfactory and he hoped a t a later date to obtain another series.

n

THE

RONALD BRA ILEY FUND.

As the result of the sitting generously given by Mr. Vout Peters a t the London Spiritualist Alliance, and of certain donations and collections given in detail below, it has been possible to send to Mr. Ronald Brailey an amount of £7 as a small contribution towards amaking good the very heavy loss which he recently experienced m the destruction of his property by fire. Further subscriptions for this excellent object will be gratefully received and acknowledged by me. G e o r g s £ . W eight .

Org. Sec. ■ £ i d.

Fees for Mr. Vout Peters’ Private Clairvoyance

Circle

D

o n a t io n s

...................... ................................• • 2 12 b

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Miss Ida George ........................................... Miss Mill ......................................... ............. C

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Mrs. Stead .................................................. Mrs. Leaning ...... ................................. . Anonymous .................... ............................. Collected by Mr. Vout Peters a t his Circle on February 26th ................................................

110 2 6 0 1 6 0

2 12

6

£7 0 0 Obituary.—Mrs. Helen Temple Brigham, speaker for the Spiritual and Ethical Society, New York, since it was organized in 1891, passed to the Life Beyond on the 12ih ult., after a short- illness. The funeral services on the 14th ult. were attended by more than two hundred people. Mrs. Elizabeth Harlow Goetz delivered an inspiring and beautiful address, and "Abide With Me” was sung to • harp accompaniment. The eulogy was spoken by Arthur L. Howard, former President of the Spiritual and Ethical Society, who expressed the feelings of the members and friends of the society in a paraphrase of Hamlet’s tribute to his father, She was a woman, take her for all in all, We shall not look upon her like again, and for her epitaph suggested the well known lines by FitsGreene Halleck: None knew thee but to love thee Nor named thee but to praise. P

s y c h ic

P

h o to g r a p h y

a t

th b

P

h o t o g r a p h ic

F

a ir

. — 1I V

Photographic Fair, to be held a t the Holland Park Hal. Holland Park-avenue, from March 15th to 24th, will con­ tain much that is interesting to the public generally, whose interest in photography is chiefly in its applications. This exhibition represents a remarkable stage in the history of Psychic Photography, this being the first time at which t loan collection of Psychic Photographs has been on vies a t a photographic exhibition. We understand that over forty-nve feet of wall space will be devoted to the dispfav. Among the scientific specimens, the Royal Free Hospital Gray’s Inn-road, will have an exhibit illustrating how photography is used in the hospital as an aid in the ukria tion of human suffering. Among others there will ba examples of how, by the use of X rays, the interior of tbs body is searched and photographs made disclosing what a abnormal. The medical student’s story, which so sborksd Mr. Pickwick, of the child th at swallowed its sister’s roe of beads, will hare be ahown to be not ao far-fetched after al.

l i g h t

March 10, 1928]

RAYS AND REFLECTIONS. The art of prophesying—if it be an art—has always struck me as a very perilous business. I am aware of many curiously accurate predictions made by clairvoyants, but the faculty of prediction seems to come and. go in a very elusive fashion, and attempts a t tests are generally fatal. When the fortune teller, for instance, is visited by polioe spies, it is usually found th at the prophet rarely gets anything right, even by accident. The.results, even when there is a suggestion of psychic faculty, are generally of the most rubbishy description. And then the sceptics and the Sadduoees have a merry time of it.

157

THE BLUE ISLAND T h e Experiences o f a new arrival “ beyond the Veil.” C om m unicated by

W.

T.

ST E A D ,

and recorded by

P A R D O E W OO DM AN Fortune telling, which means, in effect, predicting the future for a fee, is, of course, illegal, and the law must be obeyed, even when it is wrong-headed. B ut it really seems that the question should be not, “Do you tell fortunes?” but “Do you tell fortunes correctly?” for it is only by accurate prediction of the future th a t the reality of pre­ dictive power can be tested. Although I never met the late Dr. Garnett, reputed to have been one of the most learned men in England, and a great student of astrology, I have met several other astrologers of note, and observed th a t astrology had its failures like the rest of the prophetic arts. Thus, I noted that in the horoscope of the late Mr. A. P. Sinnett, pub­ lished in a book called “The A rt of Synthesis,” by a famous astrologer, Mr. Sinnett was said to be “ under preserv­ ing influences until the fall of 1922.” Mr. Sinnett passed away in June, 1921; so evidently the “preserving in­ fluences” failed to act. •

*

•

*

Yet one of my astrological friends found so many of his predictions fulfilled th at he began to take a fatalistic view of life—events were predestined and were bound to happen. From a study of the failures, however, I took another view. I t seemed to me th a t life was a very much more fluid matter than that. A train of causes seems to be leading up inevitably to some given event, and then something unforeseen interposes, and the prophecy goes awry. • • • .* There is probably a good deal of tru th in Bergson's theory that life is an experimental m atter, rather than a cast-iron mechanism. He says somewhere th at Nature occasionally goes into a blind alley, and has to return. Certain things, of course, are under Fate. I t is quite safe to tell a man he will infallibly die, but to tell him when and how is quite another m atter. The prophet is likely to be wrong nine times out of ten, and he is almost certain to be wrong if he sets down his prophecy in cold print. There is something peculiarly fatal about th a t! I have hardly ever known a prediction fulfilled when H was publicly recorded beforehand. Some years ago the late Mr. C. C. Massey, a man of outstanding capacity and a devout astrologer, set out to prove the trutn of astrology bv publishing a series of predictions. None of them “came off.” It is only after some event has actually happened that the prophet can shine by shewing that; having regard to the planetarv aspects, or other occult signifiestors, the thing Was bound to happen and might have been expected (only he did not expect it). But this, of course, is of no OS3 to the investigator who is bent on scientific tests. At the Cambridge farmhouse, alleged to be haunted, a medium asked the farmer if he remembered a woman named Liaxie. to which he replied, “Lot's o’ ’em—hundreds, and when the fruit-picking season is oyer they all go back to London.” How reminiscent this is of those melancholy exhibitions of public clairvoyance where the medium having described a female spirit in a way th at might applv to multitudes of women, asks patheticaUy. “Does anybody here know the name or M ary?” The pity of it is th a t this kind of exhibition is called “clairvoyance. ’’ There are good clairvoyants, whose achievements leave nothing to be desired. It is a misplaced tolerance which permits Spiritua­ listic platforms to be disfigured with exhibitions of incom­ petence. D. G. Wa have recmvrd a letter from “ His Imperial Highntm, the Archduke Maximilian of Austria,” concerning a wonderful sermon preached a t the “ Church of the Great Sacrifice.’* Maiden-lane, Strand, by the “Archbishop of Windsor,” and are desolated to hear th at the “Archbishop” threatens to become a Spiritualist! Maiden-lane is a great theatrical resort, so that these theatricalities in the way of assumed titles are quite appropriate. We are now expecting to hear from the Duke of Bloomsbury and the Arcnbishop of Soho.

and

ESTELLE

STEAD,

W ith a L e tte r by

S I R A R T H U R CONAN D O Y LE. A remark ble narrative given by Mr. W. T. Stead, in which are related the happenings to himself and others after the sinking of the Titanic, and his life beyond the Veil, together with his first experiences after the shock of bodily death with many who were drowned in that great maritime catastrophe

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L I G H T

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Sketching is the hobby that PAYS! Would you like to sell sketches to Editors, Pub­ lishers, and Advertisers P Providing you have an aptitude for sketching, whatever your ago may bo, and whether you have had little or no provious training, you can be taught to produce ■ketches that sell.

[March 10, 1923.

NOW READY.

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This work has been specially prepared by S ir A rthur Conan Doyle to satisfy the demands of a very large public interested in what is popularly term ed “ Spirit Photography." S ir A rthur deals at some length with the work and history of the famous Crewe Mediums, Mr. Hope and Mrs. Buxton, also stating his views on the recent charge of Fraud brought against these mediums by Mr. Harry Price and others. A wonderful series of verified cases of supernormal photography are also presented. Sir Arthur’s case is set out in his inimitable style and the many illustrations present a unique record of this phase of Psychical Research.

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LIGHT

March 10, 1923.]

Q U ESTIO N S

AND

159

ANSW ERS.

Conducted b ; the Editor. D E A D E R S are invited to write to us with any questions arising out of their inquiries into Spiritualism an d Psychical Research, an d we will reply to them on this page. If it is a question of wide general interest we may, however, deal with it in another part of th e paper. W e will also send personal replies where this is desirable. W e do not hold ourselves responsible for m anuscripts, photographs, or other enclosures, unless they are forwarded in registered covers and accom panied by stam ped, addressed envelopes for return. W e are always glad of com m ents or of inform ation th a t may usefully supplem ent the answers given.

S P IR IT U A L IS M

A N D O TH E R S U B JE C TS .

We find it necessary once more- to affirm th e fact th a t Spiritualism in itself can—as Spiritualism—n either support nor oppose any proposition connected w ith other questions, theologioal, political, social, o r economic. These are matters for the Spiritualist personally. I t is tim e th is was better understood. Then we should have- less of th a t con­ fusion which results from enthusiastic advocates of some par­ ticular dootrine claim ing th a t S piritualism is inseparable from the subject which th ey personally favour. Can you be a Spiritualist and e a t m eat, or disbelieve in liquor prohibi­ tion or birth control, or believe in reincarnation? Of course you can. Those a re m a tte rs for personal choice and derision, just as, indeed, is th e belief in Spiritualism itself. It is no p art of any m an’s du ty to lay down th e law for others on any of these m atters, and it is, wise to follow th e plain and simple rotad, and refrain from complicating a sufficiently complex question w ith additional difficulties. L et it be granted th a t Spiritualism represents th e faith (or knowledge) th a t we are spirits living in a spiritual universe, and that there is communication between spirits in th e flesh and spirits out of it. T h a t is a proposition of uni­ versal range, and one which allows for every variety of opinion on subsidiary m atte rs. On our m ain proposition we make no compromise—i t is a principle. Even so, we have no quarrel with th e m an who disputes it. F a r less do we see any occasion for dispute w ith those who, while accepting that proposition, differ radically from us on some minor question. We can express our views on it in L ight w ithout in any way binding th e subject of Spiritualism to those views. The intense desire to convert or convince people too often arises from an exoess of th e personal elem ent—th e de­ sire that “my opinion’’ shall prevail. W e m ust perm it to others the same liberty of th o u g h t we demand for ourselves. S P IR IT U A L IS M A N D A N T I - C H R I S T I A N I T Y .

On this subject, which is Btill a burning question in some quarters, we may appropriately quote from th e Rev. W alter Wynn’s book, “ In D efence.” I t will answ er th e objections of several correspondents. A fter dealing with a case of “religious” persecution of a B ap tist deacon for his belief in psyonic phenomena, M r. W ynn w rite s : — “Now if such wickedness can be com m itted in th e year 1921, what did th e S piritualists have to endure in th e year 1870? or 1845? or 1700? No words can tell. B urning, ostracism, prison. Y et we are now discovering th a t w hat these brave people really did was to b lu rt o u t facts in Nature they did n o t understand. _ I t required Lodge, Hyslop, Crookes, B a rre tt. Flam m arion, Conan Doyle, ana othorB to open our eyes. Can we be surprised th a t th e early Spiritualists judged the Churches by th e ir fru its, and as a result rejected C hrist, th e Bible, and C h ristianity? Is it surprising th a t they, standing on verified fact, should say, 'If your Saviour has your spirit of intolerance and b ig o try ;

A BRILLIANT . - -W

X

NEW

if you look N ature’s facts in th e face and say they are of th e D evil; if you shut us out of your Churches as you would clear us out of th e world; if you p u t your denomination first and T ru th second; we hereby disown your Christ, your dogmas, and you, and we will go out to find th e tru th and m ake a religion for ourselves.’ Can we not understand them ? I can and do, and I also sympathise with them, despite th e fact th a t when a minister of Christ approaches them in C hrist’s spirit, they suspect him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I forgive them even for this. They have been blinded to th e meaning of th e Gospel, th e million secrets in th e Bible, and th e unique grandeur of Christianity by th e a ttitu d e of th e Churches. I am convinced, however, it is a tran sien t phase.” “ V E G E T A R IA N IS M

AND

BOOK EVERYONE IS BRADY

the pa th

P S Y C H IC

D E V E L O P M E N T .”

In reply to an inquiry on th is subject, W . H ., a con­ trib u to r, expressed his views on th is page in Light of th e 17th ulto. . H is answer, which m aintained th e need of a flesh d iet a t m an’s present stage of evolution, has resulted, as we ra th e r expected, in some strong protests from vege­ ta ria n readers. In especial, th ere is a le tte r from Mr. F ra n k W y att, th e Secretary of th e London Vegetarian Society, who points o u t th a t all th e great anatom ists “ are unanim ous in proclaiming th a t m an’s physical affinities are oertainly n o t with th e carnivora,” ana th e fact “ th a t the use of flesh foods is h arm fu l has been testified to from the spiritualistic standpoint.” Doubtless. How simple it would all be if man were purely animal and, like other animals, blindly obeyed th e laws of his own n ature I B ut to us he is more th a n an animal, and in th e course of his evolution he has become considerably “ de-natured.” W e have not th e space, n or is it p a rt of th e province of Light, to enter on th e long controversy which would ensue from a discussion of th e rig h t d ie t for m an. I t is indeed too complex a question, and one on which no one can dogmatise. I f meate atin g is sinful, how hard m ust be th e lo t of th e natives of Arctic countries, who have little or nothing b u t flesh foods on which they can subsist! I t is clearly a geographical as well as an ethical question, and emphatically one which each individual m ust settle for himself. Doubtless in a more advanced sta te of hum anitv flesh foods will disappear, to­ gether with stim ulants and drugs—alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee, and th e rest. They will be no longer needed, and an Arcadian, simplicity will prevail. In the meantim e there will he conflicts of opinion as to w hether th e use of these things now is morally defensible or not. We are indisposed to ta k e any p a rt in these controversies. As to th e question of m eat-eating, we are impressed by th e statem ent of an able contributor, W. B. P ., th a t the whole question resolves itself into a question of th e “ polarity” of a given food. He states th a t m eat is positive, fish is passive, and vegetables are negative, regarded as d ie t; and th e ir use or disuse can be governed accordingly, i.e., a too positive sta te can be modified by a vegetable diet, and so m utatis m utandis. T h a t seems to us to p u t th e m a tte r into a nutshell.

DISCUSSING.

WOW.

^

m

to p e a c e

X

/ft one large handsome volume, cloth gilt, 1 8 /- net. B y th e A u th o r of THE POMP OF POWER. (A N O N Y M O U S) Note in if* 11th large edition. In his second book the anonymous au th o r of “ The Pomp of Power . 11 whose identity continues to psovoke widespread speculation, describes w ith outspoken and illum inating criticism s certain post-war incidents a t home and abroad. No clearer or more Buccinct account has as y et appeared on th e present situation in G ermany and her ability to make reparations. On French affairs, th e w riter gives an illum inating account from our Ally s point of view of the contrast between t h e many policies spasmodically adopted since 1919 by the late P rem ier’s one M inistry and the single aim con­ tinuously pursued by the numerous F rench Governments. London:

H U T C H IN S O N

&

CO.

L I G H T

160 an sw er

*

to

co k w m po rdbnts.

2tf. Cnorron.—In the ordinary usage of the term amongst Spiritualists a “dweller on the threshold" is a spirit in a comparatively unawakened state who has not clearly dis­ engaged himself from his earth conditions and dwells ain the “ Borderland.** The phrase is, howevert used with another significance in some forms of “ Occultism." where it denotes a terrible being who threatens those who rashly tamper with the unseen world along the lines of “ magic. Ohaei. 1 Lctshall.—So far from being “ a m atter of wide interest." it is quite a dead question now for people of any intelligence. If it is a fact that spirit communica­ tion is prohibited in the Old Testament it is also a fact that the eating of pork, the weaving of garm ents of mixed wool and cotton, and several other things which are daily practised by Christians, are also forbidden. We have no time for the discussion of “emissaries of the arch fiend.** Anyone who believes there are such beings is quite welcome to his belief so far as we are concerned. Mas. H o s b s t s J o h n s o n will be in London from April 18th to 18th (inclusive). Letters should be addressed c /o L ie iT .fi, Queen-square. W.O. A W s l c o h i H o m b S o c i a l to Mr. and Mrs. Horace Leaf was held at Mortimer Hall, Regent-street London, on Monday last, when a representative body of Spiritualists assembled to gfeet the missionaries on their return from a lengthy lecture tour of Australasia and New Zealand. Mr. tf. t i , Kngholro, who occupied the chair, referred to the magnificent work that Mr. Leaf had accomplished “ down under." Mr. and Mrs. Leaf had in their twelve months' absence travelled over 95,000 miles, and Mr. Leaf had on more than one occasion addressed ten m eetings a week. Speeches of welcome were delivered by Mr. Leslie Curnow sad Mr. George Cruse, the President of the Marylebone Spiritualist Association, and on Mr. Leaf rising to reply he received an ovation. Tns Woolwich and P l u m s t h a d S p i r i t u a l i s t S ociktt held a social gathering of members oh Thursday evening last, Marsh 1st, when Mr. Edwin Fidler( the Hon. Organis­ ing Secretary, was presented with a silver cigarette case as a token of the esteem in which he is held by the mem­ bers, and as a recognition of his services to the society. Mr. H. W. Engholm, who occupied the chair, reminded the company present that Mr. Ficuer had fulfilled his duties as secretary for over three years, and steered the society through a financial crisis, and by hip dom inant courage brought it to its present flourishing condition, free o f debt. He also paid a tribute to Mr. F idler'sasplendid work in creating and organising the Robin Dinner Fund. This year the sum of £80 being collected, five hundred and ninety-five poor children were entertained to th e dinner, of whom some fifty were presented with pairs of boots.

SUNDAY’S SOCIETY MEETINGS. Lewisham.—him** Ball. Limes Grove.—Sunday, March Hth, 11.15. open circle; 2.46, Lyceum; 0.30. Mr. G. R. Symonds Croydon,—Bare wood Ball, 96, Bigh-street.—March 11th, 11, Mr. Percy Scholey; 7, Mr. R. A. Bush. Hnyhton. -A thm aum Hall.—March 11th, 11.15 and 7, Mrs. Clements; 3, Lyceum. Wednesday, 8.15, Mr. Everett, President. Camberwell, &.E. -The Guardian Offices. Havil-street, Peckham'road. March 11th, 11, church members; 0.30, Mrs. Clare O. Hadley. Holhuftty.—-Grovedale Hall, Grovedale^rocid (near flig toafs tube etation).—Saturday. 7.90. whist drive in aid oi Building Fund. Sunday. 11, Mr. Geo. Prior; 7, Mrs. Mary Crowder, address and clairvoyance; 9, Lyceum. Mon* day, B. developing circle (members only). Wednesday, 8 , Mr. will Carlos. Free healing every F rid ay : 5-7, children; from 7, adults. Membership earnestly invited: annual sub­ scription, 0/«, at. John's Spiritual Mission, Woodberry-prove, North Fmehlry (opposite from depots. -March 11th. 7, Mr. H. Carpenter. Thursday, March 15th, 8 , Mr. Hartley Ford. Shepherd's Bush.—73, Becklow-road.—March 11th, sf, a bite circle; 7, Mr. A. E. Fra in. Thursday, March 15th, , Mrs. Golden. Psrkhom.—ijousanne-road.—March 11th, 7, Mr. G. Tayler Qwinn. Thursday, 8.15. Rev. J. W. Matthias. Howes Park. —Shaftesbury tlatt, adjoining Bowes Park Station (down side).—Sunday, March llth , 11. Rev. J. W. Matthias; 7. Mr. to u t Peters. Wednesday, March 14th, 8 , Mr. W. A. Melton. Worthing Spifitualist Mission, Ann-streei.—March llth , 6*80. Mrs. Newton March 15th, 8 , Mrs. Ormerod. Centra/.—114, High Holbom (Buoy-street entrance).— March 9th 7.90. Mrs. Lewie. March llth . 7, Mrs. Edey. For#«f BiH Christian Spiritualist Society.—Foresters' Ball, Baglanstreet, Dartmouth-road. — March llth . 6.30, Mrs. kN. Mefioy. Wednesday, March 14th. 8 , Mrs. L. Morris, hand-readings. Bithpusnd Istri(no/uf Church. Qrmond-road.—Sunday. March llth , W 7.90.P Mr. ——— Hth, M Ernest M P Hunt. Wednesday, March

K

14th, add rasa and clairvuyanes

[March 10. 1923

NEW PU BLICA TION S

RECEIVED.

From A. H . Stock well, the following:-— “Introspections." (Poems.) Charlotte C. Morrison 2 /- net. “Life’s H ope." (Poems.) Annie L. Lambert. 1 /-net “ The Universal Medium." J . N. L. Mackenzie. 4/- net! “Royal Magazine." March. “Theosophy.** March. “ Pearson's Magazine." March. The London D istrict Council of the S.N.U.f Ltd., held their Annual Conversazione and Dance a t Holborn Hall os Saturday last. I t was a g reat success. The hall was quite full, ana the occasion was thoroughly enjoyed. The per­ formance of the orchestra who, it was announced, gave their services, was excellent. T h e B r it is h C o l l e g e has the opportunity for a few weeks of a visit from H err Melzer, of Dresden, a medium well known in his own city for the production of “appon#1* of flowers and small articles. H err Melzer is also sa excellent clairvoyant, but as his descriptions are given is German, an interpreter is always present a t the s&ncei.

RADIAT O R S O F SPIR ITU ALISM. North London Spiritualist Propaganda Committee will hold their First Propaganda Meetiog on 8 UNDAY, MARCH 18th , in the STA N LEY HALL, JU NCTIO N ROAD, (near Tufnell Park Tube Station,) at 3 o'clock in the Afternoon. MR. ERNEST MEADS will give an Address on “ WHAT SPIRITUALISM

MEANS."

Chairman—MR. QEO. E WRIGHT, Organising Secretary of the London Spiritualist Alliance. Clairvoyance by MRS. E. NEVILLE. Boloist—MISS ALICE WILLCOX. Special Hymn Sheets will be provided. All welcome. Bilver Collection to defray expenses. 27 Bus and 19 and 69 Trams from Easton Road, North Fioehlcj _____ and High Barnet pass the d o o r . __________ ~

THE

B R IT TE N

MEMORIAL.

The Annual General Meeting of Subscriber! will be held in the

Onward Buildings, 207, Oeansgate, Manchester, on Wednesday, M arch 21st, at 3 p.m. prompt, at which the Trustees hope for a large attendance, J O H N J A C K S O N , H o n . Sec., Road,_____ N e w M ills , N r. Stockport

30, Buxton

H O RACE

B U S B Y .

Builder, Decorator, Sanitary A Electrical Engineer. Furniture Repairs. Upholstery and Polishing, ' The Old Reboots,” Upper William Street, St. John's Wood, H.W. Work executed by a skilled staff at moderate charges. Estimates iaf advice gladly given by appointment. D o c to r, specialising in E le c tric a l Tre a tm e n t, with con*

plete Installation, In pleasant h o u se in South C o a s t town, cai receive a Faying Guest.—For terms, he. write “ D o c t o r ,” c/o Lien, 34, Paternoster Row, I.C.4

M r» - M usgrave, late shorthand typ ist of the L.S.A.,

desires work in 1923. Own portable machine, good knowledge of French, speeds 120, 40. Effra Cottage, 89a Croxted Road, 8 .B. 21. W a n te d ,

By

a

w ell-kn ow n

S p iritu a list,

a reliable

Working Housek eep* r T h e situation is s u ita b le frr a middleaged woman wanting a comfortable home.— tpply Box X Y Z, c/o Hutchinson A Co.. 34. Pat* roost* r Row, E.C.4. E a s te r.— M ount Pleasant, T o tla n d B a y , I.W .

Board

residence; moderate terms to Mediums and Workers. L a d y , m iddle age, requires post as Housekeeper to

elderly Lady and Gentleman, where maid is kept, or Comptons and Help.—Write, 80, Mortlake Road, Kew Gardens._____ _ S p iritu a lis t compelled to p a rt w ith his L i b r a r y ; suitable

for u p -to -d a te s o c ie ty or p r iv a t e c o ll e c t o r : co n ta in s most of the work* adV* rtis e d in L i g h t i n re c e n t years, with tome older works of B.P.R and other publications ; list stamp ; re aso n ab le offer for com* plete library p re f e rr e d , bnt will sell separately.—'T. 8 ., 77 Oilif S tr e e t , London. 8 1 1. •• W h e n c e P

W h ith er P "

B y B e rth a Thom pson.

“A

g^eat faith in God ru n s th ro u g h o u t and is closely intermrres with a wonderful sympathy for *ho se in trouble o r d is tre s s .” Stiver Star cloth design, 2/*, brochure, 1 — Stick w e ll, 29, L u d g a te Bill, m

any bookseller._____________________________________ -

X h e L a s t W o rk of the late M r . Jo h n Lobb, P .R .G A

F R.Hist.. Ac. "Btartiiig Revelation* From the H«svtaWetks.*

Also former work, "Talks With The Dead.” Post free 8,8, from Mrs. Lobb, 14, Emmanuel Road, Balham, B W.12,

March 10,1923.]

L I G

H

iii

T

LONDON SPIRITUALIST ALLIANCE LTD., 5, QUEEN SQUARE, SOUTHAMPTON ROW. W.C. 1. Telephone t

MUSEUM 5106.

Annual Subscription, One Guinea

A N APPEAL TO ALL SPIRITUALISTS . By a decision, ty p ic a l o f th e in to le ra n c e w ith w h ic h th e legal m in d still reg ard s o u r G re a t Inquiry, this Alliance h a s lo s t th e s u m o f £3,000 d e d ic a te d to it b y a g re a t S p iritu alist, th e late M r. G . A Hummeltenberg, f o r th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f th e m o st b e n e fic e n t gift o f h ealin g m edium ship. All Spiritualists must fe e l d e e p ly in d ig n a n t th a t legal p re ju d ic e can th u s set aside th e clear intentions of a testator. I am sure that all re a d e r s o f " L i g h t ” w ill w e lc o m e th e o p p o rtu n ity o f giving a tangible demonstration of their fe e lin g s b y d o in g w h a t th e y c a n to m a k e good th e loss w h ic h th e A lliance has sustained, and to enable s o m e th in g to b e d o n e to c a r r y o u t th e fr u s tr a te d in te n tio n s o f o u r frie n d now in Spirit Life. Contributions w ill b e most g ra te fu lly re c e iv e d b y M r. D a w so n R ogers, H o n , T re a s u re r o f th e Alliance, or by myself, G E O R G E E . W R I G H T , O rg an isin g S ecretary. A R R A N G E M E N T S F O R W E E K E N D IN G M A R C H 17th. TUEBDAYf M a rch 13th( 3.15 p . m . Public Clairvoyance. M r s . C a n n o c k . „ „ p 7 .3 0 p .m . M r . H . E r n e s t H u n t . Eighth of a series of nine lectures on the Subconsoious Mind and Mental Processes—(The Influence of Thought. Direct and haphazard thinking —Temperament, inherited and acquired. Effects of mind upon body—The use of suggestion—Cou6 and his system. Thought and happiness—Spiritual thought and spiritual evolution. WEDNESDAY• M a rch 14th, 4 p,m . Discussion Gathering. THURSDAY,' M a rch 15th, 7.30 p . m . Special Meeting, Mr. H. W. E n g h o l m . “ Spiritual Law in the Natural World.” FRIDAY, M arch 16th, 3.15 p . m . .M rs. M. H. Wallis. Trance Address, Answers to Written Questions. P R IV A TE C L A I R V O Y A N C E . A f t e r n o o n S i t t i n g s . Mondays, 3 p.m. All Circles during the present Session are now filled. Further sittings will be held weekly throughout the Summer Session, commencing on Monday, April 16th. Applications, a c c o m p a n ie d by the fee (5s. per sitting), should be made to the Librarian.

BOOKS ON SPIRITU A LISM B y H . E R N E S T H U N T (M e m b e r o f Conned, L . 8 .A .) NERVE 00NTROL: The Cure o f N ervousness and S ta g e Fright. 128 pages, n e t 2s ., post free 2t . 2 d. A MANUAL OF HYPNOTISM. ( 8r d im pression.) Cloth, 182 pages, net 2s. 6d., post free 2s . 8d SELF TRAINING: The Lines o f M ental Prog r e ss . Cloth, 240 pages, net 4 s, 6d ., post free 4s- I0d. A BOOK OF AUTO-SUGGESTIONS. Wrappers, 64 pages, n e t Is., post free Is. 2d. THE INFLUENCE OF THOUGHT. C loth, 288 pages, n e t 5 s., post free 6 s. Od. THE HIDDEN SELF, an d Its M ental Processes. Cloth, 172 pages, n et 4 s. 6d., post free 4 s . lOd. A series o f dear a n d ooncise works by a well-known authority on Mental

OnUrol and Suggestion.

By B . W . W A L L IS

(E d it o r of " L i g h t , " H .) W A L L IS .

MRS. (M.

1899-1914) and

SPIRITUALISM IN THE BIBLE. Boards, 104 pages, l a S id ., post free. A 0UIDI TO MEOIUMSNIP AND P8Y0HI0AL UNFOLDMERT L

Mediumship E x plain ed . I I . B o w to D evelop M edium ship. m . P sychical P o w e rs ; H o w to C u ltiva te Th e m .

Cloth, 812 pages, 7 a -3 d ., p ost free, or In 8 separate parts, 2a. 2 |d . each, post free. Mrs. W allis who rooontly completed 60 years' service to the cause at Spiritual Progress, has a unique knowledge of mediumship and the develop­ ment o f psychic gift*.

AB E A U T IF U L

ft I N E X P E N S I V E G I F T B O O K

HEAVEN'S FAIRYLAND—THE CH ILD R EN 'S SPHERE. E d ite d b y W . R . B rsd b roo k, Art wrappers, Svo, 04 pp. illustra te d . 2s, Od. post free.

A record of trance communications of groat interest and beauty, dealing

with the state of Children in the After Life.

B y J A M E S C O A T E S , Ph.D . SEEING THE INVISIBLE. C loth 284 p ages, n o t 6 s 6d., p o s t fr e e , 7s. HUMAN MAGNETISM. C loth, 263 p ages, n e t f a ., p o s t fr e e So. 6d. PSY0MI0AL PNEN0MINA. 188 p ages, n o t t o ., p o s t free, to . 3d IS MOOERR SPIRITUALISM BASED ON PA0T OR PANOY 7 86 p ages, n o t So., p o s t fre e 2a. Sd.

(Valuable works bp a great pioneer.)

AND PSYCHICAL By

TH E

REV.

CHAS.

SCIENCE. L.

TW B R D A LE,

M .A .

MAR’S 8URVIVAL AFTER DEATH. Or the O T H E R HUMAN

S I D E of L I F E in the L I G H T of S C R IP T U R E , E X P E R I E N C E and M O D E R N R E S E A R C H . C loth, 582 pages. Its. 3d.

The book which so greatly impressed Mr. Robert BlatehfordL S P E C I A L

O F F E R S -

TNI VITAL MESSAGE. B y S IR A R T H U R C O N a N D O Y L E . Cloth, 228 ages. Published at 5a. Reduoed to 3s. Od. post free This mod valuable and arresting book is now o ftrod at a substantially

reduced price. Strongly recommended.

B y G B O B G B B . W R I G H T , Organising Secretary, L .S .A . PRACTICAL VIEWS ON PST0NI0 PHENOMENA.

136 pages, 2 a 0d., t o s t free. TH E CHURCH AND P8Y0HI0AL RESEARCH. A discussion of the implications of Psychical Researob on the Christian Faith. C lo th, 147 pages, 3 a Od. post free. 80IEN0E AND TH E IN FIN ITE. B y S ID N E Y T . K L E IN . Clo th G ilt. 183 pages, 6a , post free.

A remarkably profound though ample treatment of mysticism and occultism in the light of modern science.

_______________

PSYCHICAL AHD SUPERNORMAL PHENOMENA. By D ll P A U L J O IR E . Professor a t the Psycho-Physiological Institute of France, Past President of the Society Univereelle d*Etudes Psychiques. Translated b y D udley W right. C lo th gilt, 688 pages, with 2 2 .illustrations, its. 3d. post free.

A great book by a world-wide authority, admirably translated.

VOICES FROM THE VOIO. B y H B H T K R T R A V E R S S M IT H . W ith introduction b y S ir W illia m Ba rre tt, F .R .S . Cloth, 44 post free.

Records of remarkably evidential communications obtained through the Oujja Board. GORE WEST. Thre e Narratives of A fte r Death Experiences. Communicated to J 8 M . W A R D . B .A ., late Scholar and Prizeman of Trin it y B a ll, Cam be. Cloth, 5 a Od. post free.

A SUBALTERN IN SPIRIT LAND.

A sequel to " Gone West.’’ Cloth, Os. 6d . post free. THERE IS NO DEATH.

By FLORENCE MARB TAT. d o t h , 3 a 0d.f p o st free.

A new and convenient edition, at a popular price, of a famous book.

The above publications end all other works oa Spiritualism, Psychical Research god Allied Subjects can be obtained of the Pub. brity Department of the London Spiritualist Alliance. Ltd.. 5 , Queen Square, London, W.C. 1. Send Remittance with order.

L

IV.

I

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[March

io.

INVALUABLE ADDITIONS TOANY LIBRARY^

LIBRARY OF

STANDARD LIVES OF FAMOUS MEN &WOMEN A series o f volum es contain in g th e sta n d a rd b iographies o f th e m ost famous men and women o f all tim e, p rin te d in clear ty p e on th e best q uality p ap er an d co n tain in g frontispiece p o rtra its on A rt Paper. Each volum e contains a p p ro x im a te ly 384 pages, the necessary appendix, chronology, notes a n d full index. T h e dem and for th e first four volum es co m prising th e lives o f

NAPOLEON, Queen ELIZABETH, NELSON & MARIE ANTOINETTE h as exceeded' ex p ectatio n s an d is alre a d y ra p id ly assu m in g large proportions. Messrs. H u tchinson & Co. p ropose to p u b lish a d d itio n al volum es — one each fo rtn ig h t— including th e follow ing fam ous liv g s :

JOHN WESLEY, Mdmc. DU BARRY, WELLINGTON, Mdme.DE STAEL, OLIVER CROMWELL, CLEOPATRA, Lady HAMILTON, Samuel JOHNSON, NELL GWYNNE, WASHINGTON, MARY Queeo of Scots, Queen VICTORIA , and m an y o th e rs . T h e best, cheapest, a n d m ost p o p u la r lib rary o f fam ous b io g ra­ phies y e t offered.

tr /* 4

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utT 0 DAn OTHERS IN PREPARATION

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London: HUTCHINSON & CO. Paternoster Row, E.C.

Printed by the Amociitioil L n c n n , 26. T dor Street, Fleet Street and PubUdMd’fflT‘1'* OonUMnWAl3n m M’ P*t*rn°rter Bow> London, E.O.—Saturday, March 10th, 1913. A n a tr ftla iU : Messrs. G ordon ensTootch n P * ™ I M e ssrs. Dawson &Boos (Low’s E x p o r t ), L o n d o n ; Uoraon ,nd ° ° ,ch> Ltd-* Auatreles a n d B. Africa: Messrs. Dawson fc Sons, L o n d o n .

" I

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PRIOR F O U R P E N C E

1923

ECTOPLASM

NONSENSE

SEE

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168

A JOURNAL OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS & PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

gH
The " Fveiling Stnndnrd " and Psychic Progress. Letter from S ir A. Conan Doyle.

Controls. , By “ C.E.B. (C 0 l / ” i^Bdadera* r e d e n tin ls

By J. Scott Battam s, M.R.C.S,

The Pilgrimage of Man, By W, H. Fvnns ( Conclusion.) Into the Silent Land, By J . P. H.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17th, 1923. No. 2,201 -Voi XLIII Registered as a Newspaper, Price Fourpence.

L I G H T The British

College ol P s y c h ic

59, H O L L A N D

(Tel. PARK 4786J S y lla b u s C la s s e s .

PARK, LO N D O N

Science,

L e c tu re s .

B righton

E x c e lle n t L i b r a r y .

Practical Demonstrations a v a ila b le in D i r e c t V c ic e . Physical Phenomena. Psychic Photography, Ouija Board, C la irv o y a n c e , Psychometry Direct Voice Groups. ( MRS. B . COOPER.) Wed. at 8, Fridays, at 5. Lectures. Monday, March 19th, 8 p.ra. ... .MISS V. FIRTH. Thursday. March 22nd, 3.30 p.m. ... MISS V. BURTON. Group Clairvoyance. Tuesday, March 20th, at &J50 MISS COLLYN9. Public Clairvoyance. Friday, March 16th. 8 p.m. ...t 'MRS. MARRIOTT. Friday, March 23rd, 8 p.m.... MRS. KIKGSTONK. College Quarterly. “ Psychic Science" No. 5. ORDER NOW. Price 2 6 Poit.Vree 2 s . 9d. ( Editor. MR. B L I 6 B BOND.) Containing: Unique P h e n o m e n a with Frau Siibert ( Illustrated.) A Physical Medium a t d h is Mork. (Illustrated.) A Voice Medium—some Remarkable Book Tests and other Valuable and Original Contributions. The College has accommodation for two Resident Students who rosy wish to gain valuable experience not available elsewhere. Apply Hon. Sec.

Motto: Onward and Upward Everybody Weloome. Sundry*, ILSOand 7. Mondays and Thursdays, 7.16. Tueadafa I sod m. MARCH 18th, 11.30 and 7.0. M R S

F A IR C L O U G H S M IT H . H IG H E R IVIYSTIGISMr Embracing the Human Aura and Colour, &c. Lectures at the Ethics) Church* Queen's Road, Bayswater W. Wednesdays only. 12 boob, Public Heali g ; Lee* urea, 3.30 and 8 p.m. Silver Collection to defray expenses. Mrs. Fain-lough Smith visits and receives Patients fa Healing, &c. Intervi- w- by appointment only. Write to above sddiest.

GAZING

The “ W. T. S te a d " Borderland Library, 5i S m ith S q u a re , W e s tm in s te r, S . W . i, (Entrance in North St. Four minutes from the Bouses of Parliament.)

The Lending Library contains hundreds of books on Psychic subjects. There are also many valuable Reference Books which may be studied at the Library. Full' Classified Catalogue 2s. Hours. 11 to 6. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. ACTIVITIES IN! CONNECTION.WITH THBrLIBRARY. Tuesdays. 3.30 p.m. Self-Mastery Class. MISS VIOLET BURTON. Tuesdays, 3.30 and 8J) pjn. Development Classes. MISS PHCEBB PAYNE. Wednesdays. 3 0 pjn. March 21. Circle for Clairvoyance MBS. CLEMPSON. Thursdays. 3.0. p.m. Healing Class. MRS. OGILVDE. Students can join at any time Each lesson is complete in Itself. Open to non-memhers. Thursdays. 6.1 p m Devotional Group. Fridays, 2.30 to6.0 pjn. “At Home" to which Members and all interested are cordially invited. Wednesdays and Fridays, Sittings for Psychic Photography ( by appoint­ ment) MRS. DRAKE. For further particulars apply to the Hon. Sec.: MISS E. W. STEAD. The Library will be closed from Wednesday, March 28th. until Monday, April 9th.

1 0 / - C a sh , o r s e n d

13, Pernbridge Place, Bayiwater, W. SUNDAY, MARCH 18th.

At II non. At UO p.m.

MR BLIGH BOND. MR P. R BEARD. Wednesday, March 21st «. M M M DB. W, J. VANSTONE. Wednesday Concentration Class (Members only), UO p-m. Week-day Services, 1JD p.m.

. « MRS. M. F. ROBERTSON. Sunday, March 18th, 11 a.m. ... ... MR E. H. PICK HAM. S N AJOpjn. -. _ MRS. L. LEWIS. Wednesday. March list, 7.30p.m. Healing Tuesdays, 7.0 pjn. Wednesdays, A0 pjuu GUEST

H O U S E . — G ood

Deposit o n .

PR O F. PH IL LIPS ( E.K.M.V.), M a p p e r le y O a k s , C ra n m e r Street, N O T T IN G H A M .

C R Y S T A L GAZIN G LESSONS A complete course of Lessons in this Ancient and Fascinating Science will be ser t post free to any address on receipt of 6
rrinteo Street, Cavendish Square, W.,

LONDON ACADEMY

O f MUSIC.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON ADDRESS BS on S p iritu a l, M y s t ic a n d O c c n lt Subjects by

s i.

HAROLD

CARPENTER

at 3JL5 pjn. A short devotional meeting for those desirous of spiritual • he p an*1 guidance will be held at the close of each lecture. Admission fr e e C ollection to defrag expenses *1 L O N D O N M U B L IM H O U SE , 111. CAMPDBN HILL ROAD. NOTTINO HILL GATS. W.S SERIES OF LECTURES on MUSLIM LAWS OF MARRIAGE, INHERIT:’ YCE DIYOSC^ WOMEN AND PARENTHOOD, every Sunday at 5 P-m. sharp. Tea and Light Refreshments, 4.30 pjn. You, with Friends, in cordially invited. HABEEB ULLAH LOVBGROYB, Secretary. Nearest Tube Station—Notting Hill Gate, Cen. Lon. k Met. BIjl

E X H I B I T I O N . P S Y C H IC A N D IN S P IR A T IO N A L PAINTINGS A N D D R A W IN G S At Thurloe Art Gallery, 123, Fulham Road (opposite PelhamCrescent^ From Thursday, March 1st. for three weeks. Lecturettes by F Bligh Bond, Edward Gardner, Mrs. D. E. Orore and Mias Charlotte Woods, at 6 o’clock. March lat, 8tb, 12th, 15th, 19th.

BETTER FOOD. KINDLIER WAYS. WORTHIER LIFE. TH B 39,

V E G E T A R IA N S O C IE T Y (N A T IO N A L ), W ilm s lo w R o a d , Rtasholme, M anchester.

14 B o o k s T h a t H elp.*’ B y H . E R N E S T H U N T . Descrip­

tive booklet free.—Secretary, 30, Woodstock Road, Bedford Park. W. 4.________________________________________________ 44 T h e F ir s t P a th to T r u e K n o w le d g e '* Is the subject

Wimbledon Spiritualist Mission. BROADWAY HALL (through passage between 4 A 6. The Broafieratl

REFORM

2/6

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SUNDAY. MARCH 18thjat 6.80 o.m. MR. ALFRBD VOUT PETERS Address and Clairvoyance. WEEKDAY. MBBTINGSJfat M. S. A. INSTITUTE. S. Tavistock Square. W.C. 1. MONDAY. MARCH 19th. 'at 3 p.m. Psychometry by MRS. F. TYLER. MONDAY. MARCH 19th, at 7.30 p-m. LANTERN LECTURE: ••SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY.’* By MR. F. BRITTAIN. Synopsis : Method rf titling—How the image is impressed—Various theories—Varied degrees o f Mediumship. Illustrated by fifty slides, including stereoscopic photographs taken by the late" Mr. Traill Taylor, pi otogrsph of Ectoplasm leaving medium under supervision of Professor* Jager and Neilson, also Spirit Photographs through the mediumship of Duguld, Wylie. Hope, and Mrs. Deane. Tickets 2 a TUESDAY, MARCH 20th. atC7.80 p.m. Spirit Descriptions and Messages: MR. A. VOUT PETERS. THURSDAY. MARCH~22nd. at 7.30 a n .. Spirit Descriptions and Messages: M R HORACE LEAF.' Tuesday and Thursday free to Members. Non-Members One Shilling. Meetings for Members only as stated on Syllabus. Membership Invited. Subscription. IQs. per annum. All correspondence to Bon Secretary 4, Tavistock Square.lW.0.1.

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Established 1817.

Marylebone Spiritualist Association, Ltd., A E O L IA N

S p iritu a lis t

O ld Steloe H e ll, 62 a , O ld Stelae, B rig h t,,.

W . t l.

_______ Hon. Principal. J.IHEWAT!McKENZIE. of fixtures on application to Hon. Secretary.

[March 17, 1923

cook,

home-made cakes. Specially recommended by Mr. Eustace Miles, MJL. U to i guineas weekly. On Bee Front, Verandah, sunny rooms. Dover, noted for healthy climate, and in close touch with Folke­ stone, Margate, Canterbury, Deal, also France and Belgium.—Apply Mrs. Ernestine Dunowce or Mies Mitchell, 13, Marine Parade, Dover.

of an address to be given by Mr. W. Bomberg at Savoy Home, next Chapel Royal, on Friday, March 16tb, at 8 p.m. Admission free. Collection. P ER FEC TED

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M eetings for I s

quirers held on Tuesday 8 pjn. at 28, Bahrain Gardens (near Brook Green). Hammersmith. All students of Religion, of whateverrace, odour orcreed, heartily welcr me. For Members only. VYidaysyat 8 p,m.,B|Mitl Study of the Mystical Cabals and the Fourth Gospel. Unite hr Truth and Brotherhood, No fees. No collection. Free Beats.

LIGHT SPIR IT U A L

A JO U R N A L O F P R O G R E S S & PSYCHICAL RESEA RCH

i 1

221 “L ig h t I

M esa L i g h t ! ”— Goethe.

Mo. 3,201.—VOL. XLTTT.

What **

[Registered as]

“ W hatsobvbb

" L I G H T ” proclaims a belief in the existence and life of the spirit apart from , and independent of, the material organism, and in the reality and value of in­ telligent intercourse between spirits embodied an J spirits discarnate. Th is position it firm ly and consis­ tently maintains. Its columns are open to a full and free discussion— conducted in the spirit of honest, cour­ teous and reverent inquiry— its only aim being, in the words of its motto, “ L ig h t! More L ig h t!”

WAY.

Night wanes—the vapours round the mountain curl’d Melt into morn, and lig h t awakes the world. — B y r on .

T rance E loquence . F orty years ago we listened to a description of the spirit world given by a medium in trance. H e was on u nlettered m a n , yet his trance discourses were full of passages of great power and beauty, m any of them marked by a n exquisite literary finish. H ere is the reply given to th e question, “ W hat is the Spirit World, a n d where is it? ” :— What is th e Spirit-world ? The home of departed humanity, wherein th e highest dreams, th e most vivid imaginings, th e m ost beauteous and artistic conceptions of life in this world are more th a n realised; where th e myriad dead collect in friendships and companionships and pursue life in a thousand and one different directions; where each and everyone is gaining in tr u th end grace and beauty; where th >g reat business of conscious being is pursued under infinitely greater advantages th an could ever be obtained in this world. W here is it? Some of it is h ere; the inner life of this world, of which you are now treading the outer limits, circles around this little rolling planet, affords a probationary state of life for you immediately upon vour departure from it, and finally circles in broad ana endless sweep around the C entral Life of all which holds every­ thing within th e compass of its own fearful power—God. T hat is a fine passage given amid many even finer, most of th em u n reco rd ed b u t not lost.

*

*

*

M a n w b t U L ig h t ! ”— Paul.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1923. |a Newspaper.]

** Stands for.

NOTES BY THE

d oth h a u

*

A P oetical “ I n t e l l ig e n c e . ”

We w ere la tely turning the pages of a small book which was review ed by L igh t some years ago, and. as we thought at the time, attracted less attention than it deserved. It.is called “ Both Sides of the Door,” and is a true story of very remarkable psychic manifesta­ tions narrated by Irene Hay. The narrative is brightly told; indeed, there is a captivating humour about it. A particular fe a tu re of the phenomena, and one which attracted our attention a t the time of the book’s first appearance, was the verses which “ came through” by

“ Xlflbt ” can be obtained at all Bookstalls an& newsagents; or bp Subscription. 22/- per annum.

P rice F odRPESCI.

ta p id au to m atic w riting, accompanied by comments in th e w ay of table messages. H ere is one of the little p o e m s :— To L ais . D on y o u r heavy golden dress I n th e p hantom hours of dawn, W h en th e A ttic sleepers press R ound th e jocund faun. Toss th e heads of dancing flowers, T urn th e roses to your face, L ead th e yellow m orning hours To th e highest grace. T h e experim enters were very sensible people, and th e verses w e have given, which were accompanied by an o th e r poem of equal m erit, sh u c k one of them “ as a n in sta n ta n e o u s jeu d ’esprit of a person with a certain te ch n ical know ledge of v e rse ." I t was clearly not the w ork of th e au to m atist.

*

*

*

*

A P roblem of I dentity. A gain, in th e m essages given through the table, as p a r t of a conversation betw een the sitters and some u n seen intelligence, th ere is evidence of a brilliant wit a n d a q u ite exquisite choice of words. W e noted a c ertain foppishness about th e phrasing—the elegance of th e Society w it w ho “ tu rn s off” a t will poetry of a d elicate hot-house variety—literary orchids. This, we confess, did n o t please us. W e love b etter the vigorous, “ fresh a ir” style. B u t there is real psychic interest in th e problem presented by the communicator who m asked his id en tity under the nam e “ Charon.” A lthough he w as full of fine phrases and Greek allu­ sions, he gave a really instructive account of his post­ m o rtem experiences, showing the working of an intellect of a high order. In one place he sa id :— My fiercest regret is that I allowed myself to hate or despise anything at any time, because I see how these things tell against one's soul. Harmonious blending of the forces th a t are in one. no matter whether in themselves good or evil, make for perfect development—evil into good, sensuality into purity. B u t th e “ ruling passion” of the m an cranes up inevitably in such p hrases as “ Amber or violet lay in th e pale daw n, and yellow topazes in the w inter sun­ s e t,” and th is p retty complim ent to the autom atist, “ You are like a w ater lily in a silver sh eath .” There seem s to be good m aterial for the inquirer into the problem of spirit-identity here. The world is God’s broad word, whose sense is heaven To those who wisely read; time’s trilogy— The mighty drums of the Lord; the rest, Man, angels, act and hymn. To Him derote Re all the paradisal world to come; Each hill an altar named to God while men. Saintly, may praise and pray; a covenant heap Of witnessed commune ’tween them; oh may earth. Sea-like, but render back the hearen she nears, Be every flower a censer of delight— Spiritual; each wing an augury of the skies. — JJau .e y ’8 "F bstvs,”

LIGHT

162

[March 17, 1023.

rv

in

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES O F~“ "l| SPIRITUALISM. ADDRESS

BY

MRS.

HOME.

--------------------------------------- ------------------- :

The address given by Mrs. Home to the London Spirit­ ualist Alliance on the 8 th inst. carried the minds of the older members present back to quite the early days of the Society. Mr. Wright, the Chairman, in introducing the speaker, said that the personal experiences she had to relate^ -were, he thought, exceptional in the history of psychical research and Spiritualism, and probably before she had concluded her intensely interesting narrative her hearers quite agreed with the statement: Mrs . H o rn began with some reflections on the duty of not letting one’s personal experiences of so vital a subject as Spiritualism remain hidden in the recesses of memory but passing them on to others. To her the word “ Spirit­ ualism” was an apt term. I t was thought by some to have been soiled by abuse, but if th at were so it was for true Spiritualists to restore it to its original purity. I t was the demonstration to us of the immortality of the soul and of its evolution towards future perfection. She felt that from the first her mind must have been prepared to receive the .spiritual message, for the demonstration came to her very early in life. She was only fifteen years old when she was called upon to rejoin her parents m India. There were only mails once a fortnight. All arrangements bad been made by her mother and a friend who was to chaperone her, but a t the last moment this friend was unable to go. I t would not do to take the journey later on in that year on account of climatic conditions, so the girl went to the P. A O. office to ask for a passage to Calcutta in the following year. Here the unexpected hap­ pened. A kind gentleman in the office told her th at he had a friend going out by the next mail and gave her an intro­ duction. In view of her mother's illness she felt th a t this was an opportunity not to be lost, but she had no means of letting her parents know th at she was coming after all, as there was no telegraphic communication up country, and a letter would take quite as long to reach her parents as she would. (This was forty-five years ago.) Her mother, however, showed no sign of surprise a t her arrival, having, as her daughter subsequently (earned, been led to expect her through messages received through the table, which nad even given, almost letter for letter (except th a t the syllables were transposed!, the name of the gentleman a t the P. A O. office who had furnished her with the introduction! She sat many times with her parents in the circle th at bad been formed. On one occasion she saw the old family table lifted up and a Scottish march was rapped out. H er father was verv sceptical, but her mother always said that she was helped ana comforted by unseen hands. A long interval elapsed before her next experiences. The passage of the years bad witnessed her marriage and the growing-up of her seven children, when she started sitting again. A young officer came to her and asked her help through the circle which she had formed, though he was sceptical^ not only of the fact of survival but of the truth of religion. For six months the sitters got no results. (She mentioned this for the sake of those wno grew weary of waiting for results.) Then a celebrated medium came from London and Joined them, and from that date remark­ able experiences followed. At first they had rapping* and other physical phenomena, but later a higher type or mani­ festation ensued in which questions on some of the deep problems of life were put by the sitters and answered with wisdom and understanding. Mrs. Home here read two messages of a lofty spiritual type received a t these sittings. For six years this circle was kept intact. Many wise and helpful communications were received, and her young friend was happily convinced not only of the actuality of the manifestations hot also of religion itself. Mrs. Home’s next step in the subject was after another lapse of time, when she was asked to help Col. Le Mesuricr Taylor in investigations he was making with the object of getting in touch with his wife who nad passed over—an object for which he was prepared to spare neither pains nor money He went to America to see if he could get anything through Mrs. Piper, b at without success. On nis return he invited Mrs. Home and one of her daughters to attend with him a Conversazione of the London Spirit­ ualist Alliance. That was her first introduction to the Alliance, of which Mr. E. Dawson Rogers was then a leading spirit. On th at occasion Miss Rowan Vincent gave clair­ voyant descriptions. .Mrs. Home had hitherto no knowledge of clairvoyant descriptions, but die was now to hear her deceased husband so exactly described th at not only herself bat her daughter and Col. Taylor, who had known him in earth life, recognised him at once. The clairvoyant would have seen that she was a widow, as die was wearing widow's weeds, but this could not account for the accuracy of the

I ~

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description and for the correctly narrated incidents in hor husband’s lifaw ith which it was accompanied. Miss Vincent went on to tell her of a little girl who, she said, was stand­ ing before her with a hand on her knee, described the illness from which the child passed away, and added, “She was not known to the spirit behind you in earth life.” No one ■present but Mrs. Home herself could have known who tltfi ittle girl was, but she immediately recognised in the des­ cription a younger sister who had died a t four years of age. H er husband had never known the child, but she bad often talked to him about her. This experience made a great impression on Mrs. Home and her daughter. They both joined the Alliance, became members also of the 6 .P.R. and the Theosopbical Society, and read all the booka they could on the subject. Next Mrs. Home was introduced to Mr. A. Vout Peters and had several tests from him. At a sitting with Col Taylor, Mr. Peters in a moment of semi-trance wrote the name Adela. Col. Taylor repudiated th e idea that that was the name of his wife. A few years later Mrs. Home accompanied the Colonel on a visit to his wife’s grave and saw the name on the stone. I t was Adeline! Mr. Peters also described a photograph of Mrs. Taylor which he said was contained in a small tin box. Col. Taylor had no recollection of it, b u t after his return home he wrote to Mrs. Home to say th a t he had found the box and its contents, and to ask her.w hether she did not think Mr. Peters’ description of the photo (which he enclosed) was correct—“ which,” said Mrs. Home, “ it certainly was, even to the little brooch the lady was wearing at the time.1' At another sitting with Mr. Peters the spirit of a lady manifested who appeared to entertain bitter animosity against Mrs. Home, cursing her and declaring that she bad always stood in her way. She mentioned several things Mr. Peters could not possibly have known. Mrs. Home said she would pray for her, to which the visitor retorted, “That is what I don’t wish." However, in the following year tbs same spirit came back, this time to convey to Mrs. Home the most heartfelt thanks for her prayers. Mrs. Home said it would take too long to tell of the many sittings she had with those two kindly souls, Mr. and Mrs. Everitt. At one of these the raps on t be dinner table were so load and insistent th a t Mrs. E veritt had to ask the spirit friends to desist. T hat was. the first occasion on which she heard the direct voice, and i t startled her very much. She passed on to narrate a beautiful vision she had of one of her sons who had been engaged in railway i construction in Egypt under Lord Kitchener and had died a t Omdunuan. At th a t time one of her daughters bad developed mediumistic powers and through her hand the young man wrote a comforting and reassuring message. After this Mrs. Home ana her family formed a circle in London with her friends Mr. and Mrs. Spear, and Mr. Stain ton Moses. A series of extraordinary manifestation* took place. The table was moved and lifted high by un­ seen Bands. They were told to stand up and hold up their hands. On their doing so the table was raised at request without contact and gently lowered qgain. Even Col. Taylor could not say th a t there was any collusion. At that time they had several things brought to them through her daughter’s mediumship. Small stones were produced by the rubbing of finger and thumb together, ana were put into the hands of anybody who wished to have them. Flowers were brought in a similar way. The sitters had been asked to put cut flowers on the table. One day it was Mrs. Home’s turn. Detained by work till all toe shops were closed, she went into a nursery and inquired the price of some roses she saw there, but finding tnem too expensive, she took instead a pot of heliotrope. Daring the seance her daughter's hand was stretched across the table. The sitters, at they looked a t it, saw a kind of protuberance appear on the upturned palm ; leaves sprang out, followed by the petals of a flower, then a rose fell on the table. It was one off the roses Mrs. Home bad seen in the nursery. I t had been dematerialised, to be re-materialised in toe stance-room. At one time Mrs. Home used to practise meditation a t midnight and dawn. One night she was doing this'when she saw a globe of light a t the end of the bed, out of which gradually grew a form in whom she recognised the features of a celebrated Statesman—then Prime Minister. Three times the words came to her, “----- will be dead before the month is out.” Soon afterwards she had a sitting with Col. Taylor and a lady friend.. Through Mrs. Home the two other sitters were told that the great Statesman bed

f

(Continued on next page.)

March 17, 1928.]

“ INTO THE A

M

essage

i- 1 G H T SILENT LAND.” of

C

o n s o l a t io n

.

Oht it is strange to feel, That on some coming day, the sun shall rise, Paling the gleam or midnight’s starry eyes; The lark’s laud song will peal, The wide world’s traffic will succeed. But my heart will not rise. I shall not hear nor heed. '.That is. every day, the sficret or uttered thought of millions of whom, presently, it shall bo true, th a t the "mourners will go about the street” when "all the daughters of music will be brought low,” and "the silver cord be loosed,” and "the golden bowl be broken.” For these who are waiting, this care-worn life will be over; and toil for others, and the toil of others for them, will alike come to an e n d : and the busy stir of the streets, and the many-coloured hopes of life, will be known no more. The long-hiding barriers will then be withdrawn, and the great secret will be disclosed; for the hiding veil will no longer loom before them bpt shine behind them, and they snail stand amid the sublime realities th a t no mind could here conceive. The last line will be written in their little earthly history; the book of life will be clasped, and they will pass on, to stand with it open before the splendour of God. These words may be read by or to some of those who wait. To them we sav; We have a message for you. It is a message which, for centuries, has blest the world in the midst of its darkness, tumult, mystery and sin. It comes with the sanction and the consecration of inspired witnesses for God in every age. I t has been bom of the deepest experience, the intensest suffering, the widest know­ ledge, the keenest insight, and the brightest hope of the wprld; and, amid all tne vicissitudes or human life, with all its disappointments and decays, this has survived, and jias become and is becoming "brighter and brighter, unto the perfect day.” Does it distress you to face this th a t is happening to you ? Is it only a mournful waiting for you ? I t was not so to him who could say, " I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at th a t day.” Per­ haps you hesitate, to make such a confession, and to advance such claims,* but, whatever your life has been, you can at least hold fast by this appeal to "th e righteous judge.” Life for ns au is but a broken cry—a silver cord loosed at any hour, when the power which made it has to mar it. It is the old, old story of life and death—the one half of which is being told by us all to-day: the other half of which will not fail to be told presently; and then there will be nothing left to do but to lie down, upon the deeds and promises or the past, and to meet the inevitable day as a new birthday—one more stage on the wondrous Journey, one more transformation in the great evolution of Life. (Continued, from previous page.) just passed over. He had not entirely left the body but was present. They looked a t the time. I t was 9.15 p.m. The next morning Mrs. Home went to church. During the service the prayers of the congregation were asked for the bereaved family of the late Prime Minister, and at the end the Dead March was played. Mrs. Home w ent to a newspaper office to learn a t what hour the great man passed away. I t was 9.151 Finally the speaker narrated three remarkable instances of success in psychomefcry—a gift which she had previously been trying for two years to develop. She had instituted an afternoon meeting for friends to test their psychic powers. Closed envelopes each bearing a number for iden­ tification were brought and deposited on a table a t the door of the drawing room. Bhe picked up one of these, experienced a shock of great sadness, and exclaimed that her hand was on a dead face. The gentleman who had brought the envelope said th at it had been given him by a lady years before for the purpose of psyebometry. Having obtained his permission to take it to the lady, Mrs. Home told her that it seemed to her to contain a hat-lining and asked whether her husband was not wearing it when he fell dead from his bicycle. The lady admitted the correctnew of this^impression. On taking up another envelope Mrs. Home saw and described a little girl of four-and-a-balf years old w earing s pinafore. The description exactly tallied with a photo­ graph of the child which the mother had placed in tbo envelope. Asked by a lady on another occasion to psychometrise s ring Mrs. Home took it between her hands, but instead of being conscious of the ring itself she felt her fingers running op and down a chain. Bhe described a gentleman by the lady’s side. The gentleman was the lady's deceased husband, and the ring, it appeared, had been made after bis death, from a chain that he wore. At the conclusion of the address, Mr. Vout Peters said be had listened to it with the greatest interest and enjoy, went. It bad taken him back to the years long past when

168

I t is our privilege to know that for everyone who passes on there is hope; hopo that soonor or later "tho peace of God that passeth understanding” will be found. It may not be found at once, for "whatsoever a man sowoth th at shall ho also reap,” but the Father has so ordered all things that light and peace will come at last to all. This, then, is our message to you who wait: The silver cord will be lossed, and the golden bowl bo broken, only th at you may pass on to something better. Your past has not boon all in vain, and your future is not witnout the promise of hope and peace. As the trembling hands of earth part from you, other hands will feel for you and find you in the darkness that will soon be light. As the things of time become dim, fading away into the shades of a relentless night, the dawn of another day will rise upon you—a day of judgment hut a day of hope—a day without a night—a day revealing many helpers^ teachers, guides—* an all-revealing day, with tho promise m it of endless pro­ gress, in knowledge, in service and in peace. If it were not for these poor earth-bound eyes, you would see the^waiting helpers behind tho hiding veil, and the hands that will presently roll that veil away. The portal may be dark, but it is bright within, and there are those who will fulfil the Father's promise to wipe away all tears from every eye. Do not fear, then, you who wait. Do not shudder to take the death-angel by the hand. Love him and trust him: ho is your friend, and loves you well. Go with him for a moment into the dark portal: it is the portal of your Father’s house. Look trustingly into his race: he is very kind. "L et not your heart Be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Lay your hand in his. He will guide you with a lover’s care into "The Bilent Land.” Into the Silent Landl To you, ye boundless regions Of all perfection! Tender morning-visions Of beauteous souls 1 The Future’s pledge and hand, Who in Life’s battle firm doth stand, Shall bear Hope’s tender blossoms Into the Silent Land. 0 Land! 0 Landl For all the broken-hearted, The mildest herald by our fate allotted Beckons, and. with inverted torch, doth stand To lead us with a gentle hand Into the country of the great Departed, Into tbo Silent Landl J . P. ff. d i e d from the mineral and became a plant; # I died from the plant and reappeared in an animal; I died from the animal and became a man. Wherefore then should I fear? When did I grow less by dying ? Next time I shall die from the man That I may grow the wings of an angel. —From the Persian.

I

he had the privilege and pleasure of being associated with Mrs. Home in her work. He recalled a seance a t which tiny stones were produced through Miss Home. He took them to a jeweller who told him tnafc these "Siamese rubies,” as they were called, were of no value# They were Indian water-cut garnets, not cut in England, and he was astonished when told of how they had been obtained. Mr. Peters went on to relate some of his experiences of stances held at Col. Taylor’s house at Cheltenham, a t which he was the medium. They were at once a pleasure and an ordeal. The Colonel was a man for whom he had the greatest respect as a man, but a sitting with him was a terrible experience as he never gave the medium the least encourage­ ment. He (the speaker) only knew from Mrs. Home privately that they aid get success. He thought Mrs. Home spoke rather modestly of some of the work she started, as he knew of more than one group of people whom she had led to investigate the subject. One of the most remark­ able experiences of clairvoyance that had ever occurred to him was in connection with the pairing over of Mrs. Home’s ■on. After that event Mrs. Home and her daughter called on him. He saw before him the two ladies and a young man. He put out his hand to shake hands with the third visitor, ana when he found that the latter had disappeared ho exclaimed. “ You brought a third in with you.” Then he learned that it was Mrs. Home's son who had died in Egypt whom he had teen, bat to Mr. Peters the young man was so absolutely material that he could not understand that he was not still in the body. Mr. Peters expressed his warmest thanks to Mrs, Home for opening up her private life for her hearers’ benefit and telling them incident# which itrust have been sacred to her. In conclusion he urged the audience to do their utmost in support of the Alliance. It stood for a pure and unadulterated Spiritualism. It had been founded by the spirit people and carried on steadily year by year under tneir guidance, . The C h a i m m a n , after expressing his own warm apprecia­ tion of the address to which they had listened, asked the audience to couple with the vote of thanks to Mrs. Home tneir thanksto Mr. Vout Peters for his very valuable con­ tribution. The vote was carried with applause.

LIGHT

164

A BOOK OP WISE COUNSEL. Bin

E

dw ard

M

arshall

H

a l l 's

T

e s t im o n y

.

By W. B uist P iokbn.

“Guidance From Beyond.” Given through K. Wing­ field, with a Preface by Helen Countess of Radnor, and an Introduction by Sir Edward Marshall Hall, K.C. Philip Allah and Go. (Prioo, 5s. net.) Perhops no one more than the jaded reviewer of “auto­ matic writings” can better appreciate the refreshing quali­ ties of this little volume, which contrasts rather than com pares with many of its nominal class. Miss Wingfield is fortunate in the admirable Preface and Introduction to her book. The former, although extremely brief, supplies just ,the needed essential particulars of the conditions in which these writings were produced. The latter, of well-judged extension, is a noble disclosure of private life in defence and explanation of unpopular truth. It also provides toe “evidential” material, from personal experience, and directly through the writer of the book:, that is requisite to introduce such a work to the public. Nothing of this kind is attempted by Miss Wingfield herself, and truly there is no call for it aftor Sir Edward’s brilliant contribution. The whole work is characterised by a spiritual purity in asso­ ciation with due intellectuality. Sir Edward’s acquaintance with Miss Wingfield began at the home of his sister, more than thirty years ago—a sister by whom it was his good fortune to be brought up, and one of whose great troubles in life was that’ her brother could not bring himself to believe in any state of future existence. Between these two there existed a rare bond of affection, with a remarkable telepathic sympathy. Miss Wingfield was a groat friend of this devoted sister, Mrs. Arthur Labouchere, who happened to have the former as guest on the occasion of a visit from her brother, about thirty years ago, when he was implored to test Miss Wing­ field's psychic power. “ What’s the use?’’ said he, “ she cannot tell me the winner of the Derby or the Leger. ” The unforgettable look of pain that came over his sister’s face, with a remark she then made, induced Sir Edward {only to please his sister) to say he would ask Miss Wing­ field a question. Not knowing what to ask, in a pocketsearch for a bit of paper on which to write something, he pulled out a letter received by him at his Temple chambers on the preceding day. “ As if inspired,’’ he “ folded up the letter in its envelope, writing, stamp, and post-mark inside, and then placed the whole in another envelope,” sealed with a seal he always carried. Miss Wingfield was then asked to tell where the writer of the sealed letter was. “ After considerable delay the automatic writing brought the mes­ sage: ‘The writer of that letter is dead.1 “ Disbelieving more than ever, Sir Edward asked another question: “When and where did the writer die?” Came the answer: “He died yesterday in South Africa.” No indication of sex or locality having been givqn, it was disconcerting to reflect that the letter icat from South Africa, and from a brother: but he kept his own counsel strictly. A week later a letter came to him from Arch­ deacon Gaul, giving information about his brother, and an­ other the week following, also referring to this brother. On the third Saturday one more letter from the same writer, dated the day preceding the Sunday of the fateful question and answer: “I little thought when I wrote you last mail,” he said, “ that I should nave to tell you tnat your brother was found dead in his lied this morning'.” Correct psychic news was thus three weeks in advance of information by ordinary means. Sir Edward says he could relate many other instance* and experiences that have occurred sinoe. His motive in consenting to write a few lines by way of introduction‘to this book was “the desire to assist in the wider distribu
[March 17, 1928.

it to you; for there is muoli above us and much below ui, and even round *a, equally good and equally necessary, of which we know nothing. As regards Spiritualistic communication wo rood:— The first thing th a t you must do is to dissociate sight from presenoo and connect tho spiritual proeonoo with feeling, Thus you bridge over tho river tn at you stand forever on the brink of. . . . When tho body is gpno you are spirit, and therefore spirit cannot communicate with the body, but with th e spirit. . . Thoso who imagine th at they constantly receive visible signs and communications do not deceive themselves necessarily: they simply have a power th a t brings more material proofs to tho fore. Of course, it iB not tho “spirits" of those who aro “ gone” who do the things, but tho second self of th e person himself, who is able to get out of the body and do them a t the instigation of thoso on the other side. From other pages:— It is not the writing th a t teaches you, hut the oxercine It makes you give your brains. I t is your inward reflection th a t teaches you most. . . . So when yon write, or touch the words we want to l>o placed on paper, we take control of tho inner brain, and wo make it unconsciously convoy our words, through its own power acting on the hand by the inner brain. I wonder why the dwellers in the world dread death? . . . 1 suppose th at, if man were asked, ho would say th at the greatest mystery of all is death, though if I were asked I should say it is life, , . , Did all have their due, death itself would lie welcomed as the tender mother rather than as the stem master, I want you to try to let this idea permeate your mind: that because two ideas are given of tne same subject, one need not of necessity be false and one true. I t is quite in the course of tne laws of the universe that there should not only be one, but many, true sides to each question, and each equally true. . . . If one spirit tells you one tiling, and one another, do not hastily judge, and say, “ I will believe neither, for either one or the other must be untrue” ; but know th a t both speak accord­ ing to their beliefs from the position they are in. . , . One of the most difficult points for you to settle is the seeming contradiction of Jthings. I say seeming advisedly, for it is only seeming; and th a t is one of the most difficult points to be grasped by the mind of man. Koch soul has its own work, therefore each soul hu its own limit. And instead of try in g to temporise with those of different opinions from yours, you should try to grasp their ideal, and by accruing it, as it were, to your own personal surroundings, the idea of the ideal of each, yon will find your intelligence greatly illuminated and your boundaries enlarged. . . . One was in­ tended to learn one thing ana one another, and yet you try to teach them all the same thing. . . . Learning is not a boon to all, though wisdom is more precious than rubies. B ut there is a wisdom th a t does not pro­ ceed from learning, the pure outcome of the higher self th at knows without reasoning, because the knowledge is the outcome of reason itself. INNER T he R eflections

LIGHTS. of a

W orking M an.

Man has been described as an island of mystery, surrounded by a sea of misunderstanding. Certainly he hu states within him which relate him closely and definitely to the outer world, by “ correspondence,” such as the storm and calm, gloom and sunshine in his mental firmament, and the tendencies which correspond to the animal world. In short, man is a microcosm, touching a t all points the macrocosm. This fact, I think, throws the searchlight of a rational interpretation upon the apparently obscure story of Bible creation. Often has the writer seen the unfolding of the good in the lives of men and women, when brought under the influence of the Spirit in the Salvation Army. God’s Spirit is said to have brooded on the face of the waters; what waters? The old Book says the wicked aro like a troubled sea, as a result of restless conditions of the mind out of relation to the Divine. Ju st here the story of Creation becomes clear in its correspondence to man’s mind. “ Oh Earth, hear the word of the Is>rdl” th at is the clarion call to nobler lives. Chaos then gives place to cosmos. A new story has begun in the life pages of the race. In the light of such interpretation, the words of Holy Writ be­ come esoterically luminous, and we begin to see the Bible as Swedenborg saw it a fountain of Wisdom to angels and to men, and able to make us wise unto Salvation. Record­ ing, as it does, tlie hidden history of mankind, its real meaning can only he glimpsed when with the clairvoyance, induced by an earnest search for the gleam iipsnining through th e clouds of the letter, we discover the Bible to be, as the name suggests, u library of Divine worth. r—H arry F ielder,

March 17, 1928.]

L IG H T

A TALK ABOUT CONTROLS. B* " 0 . E. B. (C o!.).” Quo or the greatest puzzles connected with communica­ tions received through trance mediums is th e real n atu re of tlio “control,” who, when th e medium has gone into trance, appears and'speaks through her. In every case, this “control” purports to be a person quite separate and distinct from the medium and ..to be acting as an in te r­ mediary or “ medium” between th e sitte r and th e “ sp irit” of a dead person, or “ discam ato intelligence,” to use the nomenclature preferred by th e psychical researcher. A peculiar feature of controls is th a t they so frequently purport to bo lied Indians, gypsies, children with peculiar names, etc. . . . and th a t very few have giy«m satis­ factory proofs of identity. Mrs. Piper’s first control was an Indian girl who gave the nam e of “ C hlorine,” which does not inspire much confidence, although it is ju s t pos­ sible th at the name was one in an Indian tongue which re­ sembled “chlorine” in sound. Mra. Piper’s second control was th e famous “ Dr. .Phinuit” about whom much controversy has raged. Indeed, in a very reoent paper, Professor C harles Hichet says: “ Dr. Phinuit never existed; D r. P h in u it was merely Mrs. Piper, etc. . . ,” and on th a t he bases his arg u ­ ment th at George Pelham , who frequently assumed “ per­ sonal control,” and who gave excellent proofs of identity, also was only Mrs. Piper. He says, in effect, no real distinction can lx> draw n be­ tween Dr. Phinuit and George Pelham ; therefore, as Dr. Phinuit never existed, George Pelham never existed eith er. Now, I do not th in k it is a t all established th a t> th e genuineness of a “ personal control” m ust stan d or fall by the genuineness of th e “ control,” b u t a p a rt from th a t 1 do not think Professor H ichet’s premiss unassailable, i.c .f that Dr. Phinuit is a fictitious personage. It is true th a t he never was identified, although he said that his real name was D r. P aul Schliville, and mentioned the University a t which he had been educated, b u t it never seems to have occurred to anyone th a t possibly, for good reasons of his own, “ D r. P h in u it” did n o t wish liis identity to be discovered and th a t he p u t off his too im portunate questioners with fiction. I t has even been m aintained th a t Dr. Phinuit, although professing to be a F renchm an, knew no French, and th a t, although professing to be a physician, he knew nothing,.of. medicine, yeit a perusal of tn e S.P.K . Piper records snows quite clearly th a t if he rarely spoke in French, he certainly understood th e language, and th a t he frequently made good and correct diagnoses and p re­ scribed excellent if somewhat old-fashioned remedies. Apart from this question of identification. I see no difficulty in accepting Dr. P h in u it as a real p erso n ; to my mind the n atu re of Mrs. P ip er’s th ird control; “ Iinperator,” presents a more difficult problem. This con­ trol, or rather, head of a small band of controls, appeared to be a very “ high faluting,” ra th e r pompous individual, with a stilted m anner of speech and fond of religious ges­ tures and sypibols. H e did not deign to give any evidence of identity and purported to be an “ advanced sp irit.” Probably th e control best known a t th e present mom ent is “Feda, Mrs. Leonard’s trance control, who represents herself to be a young H indu woman, connected with Mrs. Leonard’s family. This little lady snows strong likes and dislikes, and has ideas, Opinions, mannerisms, and tricks of speech of her own, very different from those of th e normal Mrs. Leonard. She is always m ost staunch and helpful towards those she considers h e r friends, and it is quite impossible for anyone, however sceptical he may be, to do otherwise than to tr e a t her as a real person. She possesses an astonishing memory and never confuses or mixes up any of th e very numerous sitters or th e ir affairs, or any of the communicators. Other well-known controls are Mrs. B ritta in ’s “ B elle,” Mr. Vango’B “ Sunflower,” Mies Bacon’s “ Sunshine,” etc. . . . Some of th e mediums for physical pheno­ mena have Bed Indians as Controls, such as Miss B esinnet's “Black and Mr. Evan Powell’s “ Black H aw k.” Now it is certain th a t secondary personalities possess characteristics markedly different and d istinct from those of their normal personalities. No one could have been more of a separate individual apparently th an “ M arg aret,” or more distinct from “ Real Doris” (Doris Fischer case): Miss Beauchamp was entirely different in ch aracter and temperament from Miss 11(3), while “ Sally” was distinct from either. Superficially, therefore, there is a resemblance between trance controls and secondary personalities, b u t examined more closely i t will be seen th a t th e resemblance is only superficial. A secondary personality claims to bo th e rightful owner or occupant or the human body; to bo in fact the real |>er8on. whereas no medium’s control makes such a claim. Such a control usos the medium’s organism tem porarily to enable it to fulfil its mission, which is to bring together living persons and their friends who have departed this life. In carrying this out th e control is found to im port,

166

through th e lips of th e medium, a mass of perfectly veridical information which m ust have been acquired supernorm ally, i.o., n o t through th e ordinary channel of th e senses. No secondary personality lias shown th e power of acquir­ ing knowledge supernormal ly, nor has it shown any in terest in tlio affairs of dead people. Professor H ichet finds it convenient to explain th is faculty of obtaining information supemorinally by a ttrib u t­ ing i t to wliat he calls “ cryptoosthesia,” b u t he is totally unable to explain how i t is. a t every age and in every clime, th is strange faculty should be confined to th e per­ ception of things related to people who are dead. F u rth e r, if we agree with Professor H ichet th a t no real distinction can be draw n between a trance control, such as D r. P hin u it. and a “ personal control,” such as George Pelham , we nave to accept th e existence in a tran ce medium of an immense number of secondary personalities, each one of which is relat&l to a particular sitte r to whom it repre­ sents itself to be attached by ties of affection or relation­ ship. This is quite different from any case of m ultiple per­ sonalities th a t has been studied. I t is one th in g to im agine th a t th e mind of a medium creates a realistic representation of a fictitious person, b u t it is q u ite an o th er m a tte r to suppose th a t it can create a realistic and veridical representation of an actual person, who once lived on th is e a rth , b u t who was absolutely un­ known to th e medium. T he difference is radical, b u t Professor H ichet does n o t appear to appreciate it. H e ascribes th is alleged power of creatin g veridical representations of real deceased persons to th e faculty he calls “ cryptsesthesia,” b u t th is is simply a label and does no t explain th e facts. F inally, I know of no case in which tn e secondary per­ sonality p urported to be of different sex to th a t of th e norm al personality. As we have seen, th e sex of tb® con­ tro l is q u ite independent of th e sex o f th e medium. There is one ap p a re n t exception in th e case of William Sharpe and Fiona McLeod, b u t a careful perusal of th e p oet’s biography has convinced me th a t F lo ra McLeod was n o t a secondary personality, b u t a “ control” of th e same type as “ P atien ce W o rth .” M any, however, who believe in Survival and who accept th e possibility of comm unications from th e O th er Side, are y et n o t prepared to accept th e tran ce control of th e medium as a real Separate e n tity . They distinguish between a “ personal control,” such as George Pelham , and th e official “ working control” of th e medium, and consider th e la tte r to be a creation of th e subcdnsciouu mind of th e medium. In considering th is theory it is in terestin g to compare th e comm unications received through a trance-m edium w ith those received through a good clairvoyant medium. In both cases th ere is a tendency to suggestibility, in­ duced by verbal suggestion, although on occasion th e sug­ gestion m ay be strongly resisted. In th e clairvoyant medium th ere appears to be no sign of any tranco condition, although I am strongly of opinion th a t during a sittin g such a medium is n o t in h e r normal sta te but in w hat resembles a lig h t hypnotic condition. T here does no t appear to be any intervention by a “ con­ tro l,” and th e supernorm al inform ation seems to be received directly by th e medium and passed on to th e sitter. The communication in both cases purports to bo p artly heard, and partly to be conveyed by means of visions and pictorial sym bols; in both cases names, especially surnam es, present a difficulty; sentences are sometimes saia to be seen w ritten up. In fact, th ere is no essential difference in th e two cas ,, and it m ight th u s be considered t h a t with th e clairvoyant medium th e subconscious mind receives th e message and passes it into th e conscious mind which delivers it to th e sitte r, whereas with th e tra n c e medium th e conscious mind is c u t out, and th e subconscious mind, d ram atising itself as a personality, both receives and passes on th e message. Both th e tran ce medium and tn e clairvoyant medium may on occasion be obsessed by a “ personal control,” in which th e com m unicating intelligence p u rp o rts to control directly th e organism of th e medium and to speak thro u g h her. In tiie case of a tranco medium, when th is happens^ th e ordinary control disappears, and th e two kinds or raediumship become alike. I t m ust n o t Im> overlooked, however, th a t com m unicating intelligences, when exercising “personal control,” invariably stoite th a t th e ordinary “ working control” is really a separate e n tity and w hat ho o r she represent themselves to be. I hope th a t my article may stim ulate th e in terest of those who have tn e opportunity and can afford th e tu n e to study th e question a t first hand. C ertainly nothing is to be gained by severe cross-examinations, b u t I would sug­ gest sym pathetic talks and chats with certain tran ce con­ tro ls all about themselves and th e ir id e n tity ; th e ir interests and occupations; th e ir relation to tlio medium < to whom they are a tta c h e d ; and th e ir methods of obtaining super­ normal information so fa r as they can explain th e m ; and T would especially suggest th e investigation of th e symbolic methods of communication, how and from whom such symbols originate, and how they are interpreted.

166

LI GHT

[March 17, 1923.

WRITERS AND READERS. LABELS AND CREDENTIALS. BY J. SCOTT BATTAMS, M.R.C.S.

Personal experiences involving others, and dealing with matters generally considered more or less sacred, are seldom fit subjects for an article. I trust, in departing from this attitude. that what follows will furnish both ex­ planation and justification. I was recently asked by a fair, but unknown corres­ pondent, the very straight question: “ Are you a Spirit­ ualist, or anyway, what’s your label?” A misunderstood article prompted the question, with which I deal later. A year ago a lady in California, where the atmosphere is electrical, bared her soul to me as if to some spiritual con­ fessor', commencing a pathetic human document with: “Your letter [to “Occult Review”] haunts me.” Two letters lie before me as I write from a lonely “seeress” dwelling in a far country, and, as she asserts, bora be­ fore her time. A certain article struck a sympathetic chord, and induced her to unburden herself so freely and inti­ mately, whilst opening out so many new lines of thougnt, that she became the light-bringer, and I a kind of lightning conductor. When we realise how, year by year, writers in every department of human thought give us of their best, bring­ ing light to many, and comfort to others, it would be strange indeed if our gratitude only took objective expres­ sion. It is the privilege of all to send out strong helpful thoughts of gratitude to the living, and even on that plane where thoughts are things, they cannot fail to be of some effect, if not as we desire, then as the Higher Wisdom may direct. Now, although the personal experiences referred to above may be 'trivial in themselves, yet I venture to assign them a significance that may seem far-fetched to many. When the thoughts and ideas, even of the least of us, have assed from the printer’s hands, we have added our quota, owever small and ephemeral, to the thought-current of the world, perchance to bring a ray of light or breath of com­ fort into some darkened and bewildered life, or, may be, to bring doubt and unrest where none existed before. Purity of motive, though it mav react favourably on character, cannot undo or mitigate the evils the printed page has wrought. We become liable to the great Law of Consequences, which acts unerringly and impersonally in small things as in great. The unknown scribbler ana the sage are both answerable to this law, even if in unequal degree. The reward or penalty fits the Karma—good or evil—-that we have generated. If this be true, as Christianity teaches, our (sympathy must go out to those who decide what shall pass through the editorial sieve. I t may with some truth be argued, th a t to follow such reasoning to its logical conclusion would tend to dry up some of the sources of knowledge. But laws th a t are guided by Infinite Wisdom and Perfect Love may not be so rigid as doctrinaires assert. Moreover, there are many aspects of Truth, and the capacities and needs of men differ as widely as does their stage in evolution. In our complex civilisation, with the degenerate and unevolved a t one end, and the sage and saint at the other, with many grades between—what sieve in mortal bands shall sift the gold from the dross, the wheat from the chaff? What Index Expuryaturius, whether in ecclesiastical or civil hands, is equal to such a task? And since man has free will and hence responsibility, he is free to read what he will, and accept or reject as his conscience and critical reason deter­ mine. Again, if conscience be the product of evolution on the moral side, distilled from the experiences of many lives, as some of us believe, then it may be germinal or fully un­ folded, a safe or imperfect guide, and this fact, surely, determines responsibility. Having made my fair inquisitor a peg on which to hang these rambling reflections, I may confess that, whatever avenues to Truth my uncertain feet are treading, I am not a Spiritualist. But though not of them, I am with them, if not in their sense, yet in the larger sense th at recognises the movement as part of a wide evolutionary wave. If I wore a label, it would be one that might prevent immature opinions being offered or accepted as eternal verities. To us indeterminate*—if the description may be allowed —attitude would seem of more importance than labels. The one tends to change with advancing knowledge; the other to harden into an impervious barrier. To label oneself i s , to assume great responsibility, lest the outer and the inner

a re a t variance, and the bearer becomes a fraud, and a stumbling block to others . The nationalist’s label, though bold and aggressive, often covers a most irrational individual; nor can we take that' j of the Psychologist a t face value, for he mostly deals with everything but soul. I t is through no fault of his that the science !at which he labours is, by a “ terminological.in- j exactitude,” termed psychology. In some far future the label may more accurately describe the science. Self-assumed labels are often less reliable than those j imposed on the individual by others. In every department j of knowledge there are those whom, by general consent, we invest with the hall-mark of the teacher. Fortunate the groper after truth who seeks guidance a t their hands. The nearer we approach the higher knowledge-^-the per­ manent, the spiritual—the more our power of discrimination is put to the test. When we come across a writer previously unknown to us, who questions or denies the validity of some deep-rooted conviction, we would fain know with what authority he writes; and the more cogent and logical -iis reasoning the more we need this knowledge. There is a type of critic who, for example, without any first-hand knowledge, will airily dismiss all psychic phenomena as due to hallucination or fraud. He doubtless serves some use­ ful purpose, but since he lacks the chief essential of a critic, he makes but little appeal to the thoughtful and instructed. ■ I But what he lacks"in knowledge he makes up in dogmatic assertion and cheap gibes—poor material for thought, but bandy weapons for the thoughtless. The writers whose works are destined to live are the least likely to flaunt-their credentials, or seek such recogni­ tion a t the hands of others. The more grateful, therefore, should we be when editors and critics reveal what modesty I or indifference have concealed. “ Sir Oracle” is not of this type. He expects such recognition, and in no stinted measure. But the scales in which he weighs himself are “ weighted” with egoism; and surprise and anger—seldom humility—are begotten when he is weighed in a juster balance. The label most frequently and easily applied, and often justly earned, is th a t of “ crank.” Few God-illumined men have escaped the distinction; indeed, it is often the sign and symbol of the teacher. I t is th e almost inevitable penally inflicted on those born before their time. They who flaunt conventions, however admirable, traditions. however sacred, as a quick and certain method of “beating their names on the drum of the world’s ear,” welcome this label as a token of success. Meanwhile genius, neglected and uncheered, flowers in solitude, and flowering—dies. A distinguished theologian, who, with rare insight and rarer courage, lays bare the evils and perils of our time, trac­ ing effects back to causes, whilst indicating remedies—he is labelled the “Gloomy Dean.” His pronouncements excite passionate resentment in the many, and partial or complete approval in the few. We need not wonder—Tot homines, quot sentential. The seer and philosopher can only-appeal -a to the few, who have some spiritual or intellectual affinity with them. The politician, dealing largely with distressing effects, fights shy of the tangled web of causation. He appeals to self-interest, and, therefore, to the many. Although we cannot confine the various departments of human thought and ‘activity in water-tight compartments, yet it is the spiritual th a t should form the basis for man’s higher evolution. I t is here, therefore, th a t the needs of students and seekers, and the responsibilities of editors, writers, and critics, etc., are greatest. I note with satisfaction a growing tendency with editors to act the part of “ Who’s Who” for over modest or less known writers. Such credentials should insure a more un­ prejudiced examination of unpalatable views. With some diffidence I suggest th a t when a distinguished authority sets his imprimatur on the work of a living writer, in the shape of a foreword, he takes on a certain responsibility. Toe less instructed of us assume a general approval on his part, although we may forgetthat the gracious desire to encourage merit must tend to plunt the critical faculty. But better this than the acrimonious attacks of anonymous critics; not forgetting such a preface is often more illuminating than the work itself. I have but touched the fringe of such ethical problems as the varying responsibilities of writers, critics, and editors; but the personal experiences referred to above, and others still more recent, seem to suggest th at these ftsponiibill ties do exist, even for the least of us. I t also seems certain th at they are widely realised and acted upon—else would free and unrestrained discussion degenerate into licence.

March 17, 1823.]

L. I G H T

THE PROBLEM OF PROPERTY. There has undoubtedly been much insincere sentiment uttered on the subject of the advantages of poverty and the undesirability of wealth. Charles Lamb, we remember, made some caustic allusions to the type of mind which affected to despise land as being merely ‘'‘d irt,” and he de­ nounced an aphorism on the vanity of riches, often in the mouths of this class of thinkers, as a ‘‘vile, cold scrag of mutton sophism.” That sturdy old master of British commonsense, Dr. Johnson, was equally emphatic on the subject: “Sir, all the arguments which r.re brought to represent poverty as no evil, show it to bo evidently a ’’ery great' evil. You never find people labouring to convince you th at you may live very happily upon a plentiful fortune.” And yet, a City man who has amassed a colossal fortune confessed in a Press interview some time ago th at wealth was far from being the blessing it was popularly supposed to be. Another famous millionaire is never so eloquent as when pointing the same mor«.l, while it is almost a commonplace that the most lighthearted and cheerful souls are found amongst the classes who possess little or nothing. We were led into these reflections by ii desire t j arrive at some conclusion regarding the place and meaning of property from the standpoint of spiritual life—to consider it, in short, in the light of Spiritualism. For in these unquiet days when the ‘‘roaring loom” of Time is weaving so many strange and perplexing patterns in the fabric of existence, many things th at we once accepted as the normal conditions of life are being brought up for review. We are hearing much of the ‘‘propertied” and ‘‘propertyless” classes, and our philosophy, while concerned with mankind in the world beyond, is no less related to the condition of the soul in the flesh. We have been told th a t the desire to possess is one of the most ineradicable instincts of the human spirit. I t is quite true, and certainly we have no dsire to try and eradicate it. B ut to possess what? “Property,” is the reply, and here again we have no quarrel with the sentiment. -Every instinct of the soul is in essence divine—it is only in extremes or inversions th a t we find our so-called evils. The asoetic, the religious mendicant, the devotee who resigns himself to a condition of abject poverty as an exercise of piety, is almost as little to our taste as the strenuous man of the world who heaps up riches and fares sumptuously every day. In a book, which was immensely popular some years ago, there is a humorous account of the adventures of two small boys who are committed to the charge of an indulgent uncle. The urchins* are _one day desired, as a preliminary to a shopping expedition, to give a list of the toys they would like to possess. The eider boy promptly responds with a long catalogue of the gifts he desires, but the younger one is strangely modest in his ambitions. All he asks is a chocolate cigar, for, as he naively explains, he doesn’t want to be bothered witn a lot of things! | There is a parable in the anecdote, but it is a parable with more tHan one moral. To take the less obvious side of it, there is a self-abnegation th a t has its roots in feeble­ ness of the soul. A good deal of what passes as altruism is mere lethargy. When the Stoic philosopher moves amongst men, reasoning and teaching, we can admire him, and Honour the spirit th at makes him content with his poverty. But when he begins to brag about it, and to explain that being poor he has nothing to lose, and so is free from the troubles and anxieties of the rich, we feel that he is not such a heroic figure after all. I t is not really admirable to renounce wealth merely out of a desire not to be “bothered with a lot of things.’’ The man who by patience aand work has accumulated riches has this measure of justification: he has been expressing energy— the forces of his soul may have been mis-airectea, but they were there. And the same may be-said of the man who, inheriting wealth, exerts himself to maintain and consoli­ date it, and to amass more. Property, then, is not without its place and purpose. It is an expression of the soul—on a low plane to he sure, liable to abuse and not without its dangers, but, none the less, an attribute th at is not deserving of all the condemna­ tion poured out upon it. For we are +o remember th at we are living in times of transition. The conditions in which the soul can express itself truly and naturally have not yet arrived. When th at time arrives man’s greatest per­ sonal possession will be liimsejf, with all his endless pos­ sibilities of happiness and spiritual achievement. To-aay, as a recent'writer sadly remarked, a man has not time to possess his soul. Nor, we may add, has he the power truly to possess his material wealth. For there i3 some­ thing elusive about th at form of riches, since the time never arrives when the goldseeker feels th a t he can sit down in quiet and enjoy them. Before th a t period comes, the “beckoning finger” is thrust gauntlv out of the dark­ ness, and we read shortly afterwards in our daily paper th at Mr. ----- “left” so many thousands of pounds. _ And th at is the tragedy of it. He “left” a fortune, without any well-grounded assurance of finding another where he has gone! Bo all this fret and anxiety about property, this in­ creasing sense of the “ deceitfulness of riches”—and there is no doubt it it increasing—what does it mean ? To our {Continued at foot of next column.)

167

“ T H E SECRET OF GRAVITATION.” To the Editor of L i g h t . —Mr. E. Solloway (page 165) does not appear to grasp the point I tried to make in my reply in your issue of 24th ult. Gravitation is a function of matter, and there is no evidence to show that it does or can influence any­ thing outside the material boundary. He confuses gravita­ tion with affinity; but the former not only tends to collect objects, but to condense them to an unknown degree, an action which is resisted only by molecular and electronic movement; the latter may cause attraction, not necessarily spatial, and yet its effect is mentally expansive. The two entities would not coalesce, but would each expand by dupli­ cating the ideas of the other. He is also rather begging the question when he trans­ lates “potential idea” into power to acquire an idea; the germ of the idea must, at least, be present in the former expression, or so it was intended, while there may be none, and present possibility of none, in the latter. We cannot be omniscient while using a physical brain. Certainly a “new vocabulary” is needed, but who is to compile that vocabulary? Hardly those wno have not, as yet, even the potential ideas on which it must be built. I t is quite permissible to theorise, but theories should be based on probabilities, and probabilities can only be based on our present knowledge, and not remain absolutely “in the air.” When the conditions have been favourable, psychic com­ munications of great value have been received, but an immense amount of nonsense'has also been given out as “ communications,” possibly often from the incapacity of the receiver to deliver the message, and often as the result of unbalanced imagination. Consequently it behoves us to accept them critically, and judge by the probability or possi­ bility of the statements as far as our present state of know­ ledge will permit. I t should be remembered that far more harm can be done by the hasty publication of an absurdity, than by the cautious retention of a possibility until further evidence has been obtained in support of the assumed com­ munication. Yours, etc., S ir ,

“L

THE

ie u t e n a n t -C o l o n e l . "

D. D. HOME MEMORIAL.

To the Editor of L i g h t . —I noticed your mention of the Drinking Fountain, in the Canongate of Edinburgh, dedicated to the memory of D. D. Home. I t was erected by his widow, who obtained the consent of the City Council, on the ground that ljer husband had been a native of Scotland, and had always felt a strong attachment to the country; he had noticed th at the poorer parts of Edinburgh were badly provided with drinking fountains, where men and animals might nench their thirst, and expressed a wish to provide one uring his lifetime in one of the crowded streets. This desire was, therefore, carried out by Madame Home after his passing away. I had a letter on the subject from Mr. John Veitch, who owed so much to Mr. Home’s kindness, in the year of his death, asking how the application should be made to the City Authorities. Both Mr. Home and Mr. Veitch were great friends of Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Hall, whom I had known for years,and I was well acquainted with both of them, and still possess a good many letters from Mr. Home written in 1876 and 1877. On his mother’s side D. D. Home was of Highland descent; his grandmother was a Miss Mill, and his great­ grandmother a Campbell, and he always attributed his wonderful powers of second-sight to this circumstance. I am, dear Sir, yours very truly, J . A. C a m p b e l l . Argyll, February 28th, 1923. Sib ,

A d a n c e will take place a ,t the Hall of the Art Workers’ Guild, 6 , Queen Square. W.C., on the evening of Monday, April 16th, a t 8 o’clock. Tickets can be obtained of the Secretary, Miss Mercy Phillimore, 5, Queen Square, price 6 s. (including refreshments). The proceeds of the dance will be given to the funds of the London Spiritualist Alliance. “ S c i e n c e a n d a S p i r i t W o r l d . ” —In our Note under this heading last week appeared a quotation which we were misled into attributing to the late Professor Hyslop, but which we find is really from the Rev. C. L. Tweedale’s book, “ Man’s Survival After Death,” and we hasten to make amends to Mr. Tweedale. (Continued from previous column.) thinking it means the growth of spiritual life. For the spirit is seeking a higher means of expression. I t is seek­ ing something which it can carry with it to higher realms. And when those who own and those who covet material wealth have equally' gained that, the problem of property will have been gloriously solved, and Materialism as well as Spiritualism will have had its part in bringing this about. For while Materialism will havea provided the valuable and salutary lesson “how not to do it. Spiritualism will have “ allured to brighter worlds and led the way!”-

L I G H T

168

LIGHT, 5, QUEEN 8QUARE, LONDON, W.G.1

Editorial Off!0 3 8 ,

e l . : Museum 5106. “Survival, Westcenfc, London.’’ ALL COMMUNICATIONS INTENDED FOR THE EDITOR should be addressed to the Editor of “ L i g h t / * 5, Queensquare, London, W.C.l. BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS and “LIGHT’* SUB­ SCRIPTIONS should in all cases be addressed to Hutchinson and Co.. 34, Paternoster Row, London, E.C. Cheques and Postal Orders should be made pay­ able to “ Light.’* SUBSCRIPTION RATES.—Twelve months, 22/-; six months, 11/-. Payments must be made in advance. ADVERTISEMENTS.—All applications respecting these most be made to “L ight’* Advertisement Dept., Hutchinson and Co., 34, Paternoster Row, London. E.C. Tel.; 1462 Central. RATES.—-dCIO per page; 1 0 s. per inch single column; societies, 8 s. per inch; classified advertisements, 9d. per line.

T

T

eleg r am s

:

TH E HUMOUR O F

IT.

A certain poet reviewing his expeiiences of life, which he had found mainly monotonous and depressing, expressed the view th a t "L ove, it was th e best of it, and sleep worth all th e rest of i t . ” H e left o u t an ingredient in which m any of us find delightful com ­ pensation for th e trials and troubles of o u r earthly pil­ grimage, and th at, as Corporal N ym rem arked, th a t is " th e humour of i t . ” We were led into these reflections by a le tte r from Mr. H ubert W ales appreciative of those flashes of th e comic elem ent which enliven our pages from tim e to tim e B u t hum our was never quite alien to o u r sub­ ject. Many a w itty phrase and am using rep artee have come to c u r knowledge from the spirit w orld; to m any a m erry discourse or laughing dialogue have w e listened, wondering th e while a t th e strange delusion, which prevails in some quarters, th a t s p i r it intercourse is something peculiarly dism al and sepulchral. We noticed, by th e way, th a t th e background of dullness necessary to so much brilliance w as usually furnished by spirits in th e flesh. To be " in th e body p e n t” is frequently a depressing experience. I t takes som e of us a long tim e to see “ th e h um our of i t . ” B u t i t is always there. W e were reading lately a littie story, or parable, of th e downfall of an industrial tyranny. B riefly p u t, it described the revolt of the workers against a ru th less .capitalist. H e called in th e soldiers, w ho w ere ordered to shoot down th e strikers. The soldiers disregarded the order, and burst into a roar of la u g h te r; th e n th e "wage-slaves” laughed, and th e outbreak of m errim en t thus strangely occasioned so affected th e “ bloated p lutocrat" th a t be laughed to o l Seldom have w e seen the power of th e hum orous spirit so a p tly illustrated. W hen man begins to laugh n o t only a t oth er m en but at himself there will come a speedy end to th e reign of social injustice. M any a tyran n y will re sist every form of serious criticism , b u t when i t com es to be generally laughed a t its tim e is short. I t can n o t long survive th at. E ven sainthood and spirituality are n o t necessarily allied with solemnity. T here is no essential connection between sanctity and seriousness. W e m ay thin k of S t. Francis and S t. Teresa, and th e o th er “ happy saints” w ho had a horror of th e dism al spirit, and whose religion moved w ith song and dance. W e recall th e story of th e theologian of th e Middle Ages w ho was once confronted by one of his scholars with a problem of such desperate profundity th a t he took up his fiddle and played a m erry tune, to which he capered gaily. T h at was his answer to, and his com m ent upon, the'riddle. Life m u st have its safety valve. W e have beard it objected th a t th e general diffu­ sion of fun in life m ay lead to levity and fig h t m indedness. W e do n o t think Society is in any d anger from th a t source. ' Indeed, we som etimes fancy th e reverse b really th e case. Many of us are in peril of taking ourselves and our affairs m uch too seriously. J u s t

[March 17, 1923

now we are seeing th e g re a t social structure of hum anity shaking ominously, and we sometimes itaey th a t it is m erely because L ife th e A rchitect is laugh­ ing vigorously inside. - B u t w e do n o t agree with the p oet who found th a t L ife w as all a jest. I t is not d a jest, b u t h u m o u r is an essential p a rt of it. I t is » p ity to m iss th e joke. B ehind S piritualism we see th e Spirit of Life itself smiling serenely a t o ur “ leaden-eyed despairs," *> brief and so futile. L ig h t and darkness are respec­ tively positive and negative conditions. So are Happi­ ness and M isery. L e t u s be on th e Positive side ss m uch a s possible. TH E

“ E V E N IN G

S TA N D A R D ” PROGRESS.

AND

PSYCHIC

To the Editor of L ight . S ir .—I have frequently said th a t w e are now living m tit

Dark Ages, and if I wished to give a proof of the factlwodf choose a leaderette which appeared in the “Evening Stan­ dard” of March 7th, and which commented noon the deaosstration of recent psychic discoveries which I gave to tine Pressmen who did me th e honour to h are tea with me B the Hotel Metropole last week. The writer, who seems to be a religious bigot with medieval instincts, winds up an ignorant and shame article by the sentence. “The Middle Ages took a raj short, way with people who promulgated nonsense of tin kind.” The nonsense in question was an account of the experi­ ments of Professor Charles Richet. D r. Geley, Dr. SdmearkXotzing, Sir William Crookes, D r. Imoda, Dr. Crawford, Professor Flammarion, Professor XielsBon and others, ■ of which I illustrated upon the screen. Apparently tin strange survival of mediaeval ism thinks th a t I should dun the fate which Giordano Bruno endured and Galileo mrrowly escaped, because I p n t forward the considered view of these great scientists. W hat is it th a t is troubling the “ Evening Standard"! I t is th a t ectoplasm is unpleasant, viscous material. That seems to be th e root of the m atter. I t was made, bowevrr. by the Creator, and so we may hope for the beat. 5s doubt had th e “ Evening Standard” been consulted it aetid have been more refined in its n atu re; but it is oar ex­ perience th a t raw m aterial is somewhat coarse, bat nay none the leas be tempered to something of ntility aad beauty. So a fuller knowledge may reconcile our mediaeval critic, and be may find th a t wisdom usually underlies tie thing th a t is.—Yours faithfully, i n x n Coses Dona. S P IR IT Hu

P H O TO G R AP H S

u e ib l i

Dh p u t

at thw

ON

E X H IB IT IO N .

P hotographic F air

Psychic Photography occupies a prominent place amoag the exhibits a t th e Photographic F air now being held at tie Holland Park Hall, Holland Park-avenue, London. Tie exhibition opened on Thursday last, and wifi remain w a daily from Iff a.m. to 9 p.m. until March 24th. The a n exhibition of psychic photographs comprises almost every phase and example of supernormal photography. A wonder­ ful collection of over forty spirit photographs enlarged te life size, has been loaned by Mr. George Ganicadden. of Gfaeg o r. The British College of Psychic Science and the Sooety for th e Study of Supernormal Pictures hare also contri­ buted some striking examples. A selection from Mr. Staveley Halford's collection is also included. Tins exhibi­ tion offers an exceptional oppo rtunity for everyone to mete a comparative study of what is undoubtedly the most com­ prehensive collection, illustratingtheue mncfcdisenssedphew mens, th a t has y et been on public exhibition. We advwr all oar renders, where possible, to pay an early l i s t to tie Photographic Pair, as such an opportunity of seeing at various a collection may n o t offer itself again for some thee to come. With reference to th e Photographic F air Mr. H. Blacked w rites: In this week’s issue it is stated. *T his exhibition repre­ sent* a remarkable stage in the history of psydrie picto­ graphy, this being the first tim e a t which a loan colieciwn of psychic photographs has been on view a t a photographic exh ib itio n .’ This statem ent is not accurate, for at n r Photographic A rts and d ra fts Exhibition held a t the Hcrticahoral Hall, Westminster, in April, 1910, I exhibited as interesting selection from my collection. Mach interest was manifested, and the “ Times” and many other pasen commented upon the exhibit. The w riter felt it his defy to be present each day the exhibition was open and gho information on the subject, as a lecturer (in the employ of a photographic company, curiously) held forth each earn­ ing endeavouring to prove th a t spirit photography m a delusion.

L I G H T

March 17,1923.]

TH E

O BSERVATO RY.

LIGHT OH THING 8

IN GENERAL.

Sayings of the week:— There is little doubt that human evolution, m a whole, eren in its terrestrial phase, will become increasingly spiritual.—Professor James Y. Simpson, D.Sc., F.K.S.E. • » • • The “Daily Chronicle” of Saturday last reporter “The Gorefield Ghost is walking again. More mysterious mani­ festations broke out a t the farmhouse occupied by the Scrim­ shaw family late on Wednesday night, March 7th, and dur­ ing the early hours of Thursday, wires a ‘Daily Chronicle’ representative. On being informed of the fresh manifests^ tio u s, the Vicar of Gorefield telegraphed to Mr. Eric J. Dingwall, the Research Officer of the Society for Psychical Research. Mr. Dingwall has replied th a t he will revisit the farmhouse should the manifestations continue. T h e trouble has started again,’ said Mr. Joseph Scrimshaw to a ‘Daily Chronicle’ representative. ‘I t began a t 11.30 on Wednes­ day night, when a small ornament fell from the mantelpiece in my mother’s bedroom. The filter in the kitchen was thrown to the floor and smashed into little pieces, and on account of other disturbances during the night none of ns could get a wink of sleep. |_ The old lady and my daughter (Mire are very much upset. On th e first occasion of the dis­ turbances it was B the filter lid only th a t was broken, although the filter itself was tumbled over a t the same time. 1 bare no explanation to offer. I am simply more mystified than ever.’ Since Thursday morning the vicar. Mr. R otter, and Miss Ratter have spent many boors a t the farmhouse. Mr. Rutter has declared th a t be now ‘sees a little light,’ bu t de­ clines to amplify Ins statem ent. Mrs. J . T. Holmes, who attempted to break the spell of witchcraft under which she said ‘neighbour Joe Scrimshaw’ had been laid, was buried yesterday by the Vicar of Gorefield.” • • • « The Trustees of the British Museum have just published a magnificent volume entitled “ Egyptian H ieratic Papyri. Second Series’’ (price £ 6 10s.). This volume contains facsimiles of eight papyri, covering a period of Egyptian hieratic literature between 1450 and 1300 b .c.. which period includes the reign of Tutankhamen and some of his im­ mediate predecessors. The “Times,” of March 12th, pub­ lished a deeply instructive r eview of this work, in the course of which we learn th a t th e papyri gives us the story or the crafty capture of Joppa by one of the generals of Thoibmes 111. The Egyptian officer smuggled ms soldiers into Joppa in jars, and so the story is th e prototype of th a t of dli Baba and the Forty Thieves. Magic and its various branches are represented by a wonderful book of magical formulae and diagrams which were drawn up to effect the resurrection of the dead. Nearly one-third of the book is occupied by the “Teaching” of great moralists. Two of the most important moral works are here published for the first time. In many ways th e more im portant of these is the Teaching of Amenemapt. th e son o f Ka-nekht, a high official, but the name of the Kir
M owing letter:—

published

the

When I see miracles in my own home I believe there is something in Spiritualism. My mother, who is aged

im

**gbty-seveo, had W o teen by three doctors, who hdd out no hope of her recovery from Ubtetm, a t her age, when I met a young preadar. who asked to Me her, roHowing several visits he called inDecember when she was m terrible agony. In ten minutes the walked out of her room and asked for food. She baa m e t been out of doors, has visited the cinema and lectures, and is able to smoke her pipe again. This 1 believe to be a miracle of spiritual healing.—Jas. C. Bullock, School House, Askew-nmd, Gateshead. Occasionally it is instructive as well as iDnrninaiing to group together opinions that are contrary to our own, culled from various sources, on the subject of Spiritualism. During the past week there has been quite a crop of them, and although there is nothing unusual or new about them we will record a few of them which read as follows:— The “ Birmingham Evening Dispatch,” March 7th.— Referring to Spiritual ism, th e Rev. J . A. H utton, preach­ in g a t toe Birmingham Wesleyan Misricm aamveraary service a t the Central H all, said “he was not one of those who thought there was nothing in occultism; he took the philosophical lin e th a t there was tbe very devil in it!** Tbe “ Lancet” in its issue for March 3rd, writes:— “ W e have received an earnest little book by Mr. James Gillingham, a surgical mechanician, in which be point* ou t the dangers inherent in the superstitions of Spiritua­ lism . The book is written in a spirit of fervent Christi­ an ity. and the doctrines of S p iritu alim are stated to he th e wisdom of Satan a t the bead of a vast principality in rebellion again st God. The application of this funda­ m ental ten et to all tbe m anifestations of the occult with which modern life has m ade us familiar gives rise to positions th a t are distinctly piquant.” The “ Sunday School Chronicle” for March 8th, re­ ports :— “The Church of S t. Alban, in Wood-street, has been holding a series of mid-week lectures on the subject of ‘S p iritu a lism / and although many views have been voiced by various authorities on the subject, the Vicar has held the balance even, and haa made quite d ear what, in h is opinion, should be the attitu de of the Christian m inister towards Spiritualian. 'Spiritualism.' he said on W ednesday la st a t th e mid-day service, Hs not y e t a fixed science, and I hare no hesitation in saying that it is not a subject which the ordinary layman can enter without d a n g er/ H e w ent on t o s s y th a t a properf j constituted society for Psychical Research was quite a t liberty to undertake reverent investigations into the qusstisn of psychical phenomena, but the way scores of people were now approaching tbe subject waa wholly unscientific, and was destructive to religion. Speaking as a minister, the V icar said em phatically that under no circumstances would b e advise his people to attend ieacecs in order to satisfy the desire to get in touch with their departed frien d s.” The “ A berdeen Journal” of March 9th reports: To a fairly large audience in th e Ball Room of the M arie Hall. Aberdeen, last night, the Rev. Herbert Thurston. **J. London, delivered a lecture on “Spirituaham.” Father Thurston in his lecture betrayed a deep and thorough study of th e subject o f Spiritualism, quoting from all the recognised authorities, both and outside investi­ gators. H e related bow the first apirnualistic cam munRations were said to have been received by two lizzie girls—M argaretta and K atie Fox—in New Tors in 1H*. Forty years later, after Spiritualism had spread through­ ou t the United States and to Europe, th e same two sisters, then elderfy women, denounced it as an absolute false­ hood from beginning to end—the most wicked blasphemy known to th e world. Science and art had gained nothing Criminal investigations had n ot been helped. N o one was eith er th e wiser or the better of Spintuali^r.. There was hardly a sinsde recorded case of a paid mrflima giving seance for psychical phenomena who had not sooner or later been detected m flagrant imposition. A certain mental, and often moral, deterioration was a n t e q m m only remarked in those who were completely absorbed bv tin s cult. . The “ CLurch Times." in i t s issne of March 9th. sta tes: N o thinking person can deny the reality of many such phenomena as those o f which Sir Arthur spoke. I t is only when w e come to the semi-religious hypotheses that are b a i t upon them that we join tmoe w na the Spiritnalists. Spirit materialisations are as old as history. The Church forbids meddling with such things, not i i w they are non-existent, but because they are only too true, and because, further, no one knows what reservoirs of evfl m ay be tapped. The man or woman who gives free entrance to unknown spirit agencies cannot discriminate between th e spirits o f darkness and tbe spirits of fa h t. The powers o f evfl are all toorerrerful as it is, n il tour giving t hem free entrance to th e citadel. There rrmiinr also th e fact tfc»* despite aO the m fsn grr th at are said to have been received from pe rsons departed th is life, n ot one jot has been added to our knowledge of t l ? grave mad all th at lies beyond it.

ri

LIGHT

17#

[March 17, 1923.

THE PILGRIMAGE OF MAN. AN ESSA Y

ON HARM ONIAL R E LIG IO N . BY W. H. EV A N S.

(Continued front page 155.) III.—The Divinity or Man. Tho' universe expresses the anatomical, physiological, mechanical, chemical, and electrical principles inherent in the Great Positive Mind. An objective universe implies subjectivity, but these are relative terms. What is sub­ jective to one mode of existence may be objective to another; thus we frequently speak of the spirit world as subjective, but it is obvious it is objective to those who live there. I t is well for us wnile we are on the matter side of Being to bear in mind that every objective form has its corresponding subjective side. Thus the ancient Hebrew proclaimed, “ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters; and God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Here is a symbology which is doubtless true to fact. One instinctively links it up with the opening statement of John's gospel, “In the beginning was the Word,” and also with the saying of Paul, “ Whatever doth make manifest is Light.” I t was a sure spiritual instinct which made the Hebrew proclaim Light as the first manifestation of creative power. Jesus is spoken of as “ the Word,” as “the Light of the world," statements applicable in some degree of all men. For a word implies thought, consciousness, mind, and it is mind which gives “ light.” Again, Isaiah, xlv., 7, proclaims of God, " I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” Light is the symbol of peace, joy, happiness, cleanliness, purity, darkness the symbol of ignorance, and is the prolific mother of evils. The terms that “ the earth was without form and void,” are descriptive of the earth ’s primitive nebulous condition, and light would certainly be manifest therein. B ut I have no wish to put forwara a plea th a t the opening chapters of Genesis are a statement of scientific valne. Rather is it a dramatic presentation of certain ideas, and must be inter­ preted as such. I t illustrates what has been called the desoent of spirit into matter. I t is a statement not of an evolutionary but of an involutionary process. To take the chapters literally is to miss their meaning. Thus the state­ ment, “And Goa said, let us make man m our image, after pur likeness," really expresses a mental process, the first ideation in the Great Positive Mind of God minor, who was to “have dominion over all the earth,” a prophecy which has yet to be fulfilled in its‘entirety. Man certainly has the stamp of the Divine Image upon him ; he is from the royal mint of the Divine Mind, and his immersion in the astral fire (the serpent of Genesis) and the awakening of desire with his ultimate incarnation in m atter, are state­ ments of tho process of involution. “ God made them coats of skins,” cannot reasonably be held to be a piece of tailor­ ing in the literal sense some suppose, but is symbolic of the last process of involution, the imprisonment of the Divine Image in m atter; the exit from the garden of the purely spintdal state to exploit the matter side of God ana learn by hard experience to become as gods “knowing good from evil.” How else can man become master of environment, master of the great forces flowing through and manifesting in him? Only by hard experience, by Jbeing immersed in the darkness which God forms equally with tne light. Man is in process of becoming, slowly evolving to a clearer realisation of bis divine noture, learning to reflect bit by uit the resplendent glory of the Divine Image. IV.—S piritual E volution . This creative process is one in which the “ sons and daughters” of God co-operate. The great fact of human survival, and the ability of incarnate humanity to come into contact with finer realms of being, implies more than many imagine. It is presumptuous for us to assume th at this earth is the only world in space which is inhabited, or that other systems prior to ours have never existed— systems which nave doubtless borne their burden of life wherein beings similar to man have evolved and become comparatively perfect or. at least, have reached a stan­ dard of unioluinent which has qualified them to become “co-workers with God.” I t is reasonable, then, to suppose that there are beings other than the present humanity dwelling in the realms of space. These may well be the angels, archangels, seraphim, and cherubim of holy writ, and the prevalent view that angels are winged beings may not he so wild and absurd as some think. I t probably rests upon as good ground as the tradition which always pic­

tures saints with a halo, confirmed iu these modern days 0 by tho discovery of the human aura. Granted this, is it | not reasonable to suppose th a t the evolution and guidance 1 of humanity is under the supervision, if not actual control | of these beings ? Their perception and understanding of I the Divine purposes would be such as to give them a clear I idea of the cosmic process, and how intelligently to co> I operate with the Divine Will. Thus humanity is at first fl coerced by the law; with the slow awakening of tl^e intellec- I tuql and moral perceptions man wins some measure of free- I dom, and instead of being coerced by the law uses it to his I own advantage, but the advantage is never great at to bis 1 lasting benent until he works from a purely moral basis, f He has to learn to “ lose his life th a t he might find it.” The descent into m atter again then, would first be | expressed by a purely spiritual action which, moving through the mass of “ unformed materials”—the ancient “chaos” —would result in a process of gradual condensation, i or aggregation of particles. This would correspond to the primitive motion, expressed by the words, “Ana the Spirit of -God moved upon th e face of the waters,” the psychic realm indicating the slow process of involution until it may be said the thought of God expresses itself in the outward and to us visible m aterial universe. This process of oosmogonesis is for the present obscure for us, as we are on the upward arc and have not yet reached the stage of development where we can perceive the downward sweep
Ju s t as the Genesis story of creation, and the Garden of 1 Eden is symbolic of the creative process of involution, and | of the soul’s incarnation in m atter, so is the Story of the I Cross and of«Redemption symbolic of the soul’s evolution fl out.of m atter. J u s t as Eden is the symbol of the Divine I Mind peopled with its sublime conceptions of a universe. I and of a being like unto God, so is the cross the symbol of m atter. Indeed, the whole story of the life of Jeans ii true of every soul. Incarnate in m atter, the soul starts its long pilgrimage towards freedom, or redemption. Lib the prodigal son, it takes its portion and goes into a fir country, and through ignorance squanders its patrimony in riotous living, until, sunk in sin and misery, the germ of divinity seems well nigh smothered. Pain and sorrow | slowly bring an awakening, until the germ of divinity swells and bursts through into the outer personal life, awakening memories of its original home ana glory. The y contrast is such th a t the prodigal is filled with shame and disgust of material things. ‘‘Glory is departed,” only the husks of swinish desires remain. The fires of passion are burnt out, their ruddy glow quenched in the ashes of satiated desire. A fresh light bursts upon his mind and humility takes the* place of the erstwhile pride. “I will arise and go to my F ather, and say, Father I am no more? worthy to be called Thy son, make me as one of Thy hired servants. ” B etter be a servant in the House of the Father than a lord in the kingdom of desire. This awakening ol the prodigal son corresponds to the birth of the Christ mi manger or cave, symbol of the birth of the Christ Con­ sciousness in the human heart. When this happens it marb a definite stage in the evolution of the soul. Henceforward I the drama moves to its final trium ph on Golgotha. Tlpoudi pain, trial, tem ptation; slowly overcoming, slowly sub­ duing the lower n atu re; mastering the desires, until Calvary I marks the final battle where the self stretched upon the cross of m atter, struggles to direct tho lower forces to tho higher purposes of tne spiritual life. I t emerges finally from the tomb of the lower self, master of the outer world, and ascends to the higher realms “ like unto a god.” VI.—Man is a S pirit .

The Divine Image in which it is said man is made must be regarded as an organic unity,. I t implies that man is i j potential god. The old theological doctrine “ that man horn in sin and shupen in iniquity, " is seen to be entirelyI false. The new view of religion insists upon the essentially I spiritual nature of man. Man is a spirit upon all planes off l life; m atter may for a season restrict the manifestation of f l the higher, but sooner or later all plhnes of being an fl unified in him. Indeed, this is man's great worS, w fl unify in himself all planes of being. But if he is tkugMfl th a t he is “ innately depraved,” th a t he is “ a worm of tlsL dust,” lie will by response to such suggestions act in con* ■ fortuity therewith, and tend to prove the very things which ™

March 17, 1923.]

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h« ia taught; such is the operation of the mental law of suggestion. A Harmonial view of religion insists th a t the saying, “Man is made in the imago or God,” is not mere poetry but simple truth, and it will demand from man that he act in accordance with his Divine origin. In man are operative the dual principles of Love and Wisdom, the one creative, the other the governing principle of life. In man Love and Wisdom have six modes of action th u s:—Love or the actuating principle, manifests as, 1. Self, love. 3. Parental love. 5. Filial love. 2. Conjugal love. 4. Fraternal love 6. Universal love. The Wisdom or governing principle manifests as, 1. Use.' 3. Power. 5. Aspiration. 2. Justice. 4. Beauty. 6. Harmony. Thus, each aspect of love has its corresponding wisdom aspect, and when man is harmoniously developed he mani­ fests them all in a perfect blend: they are unified in him and become an organio whole from which flow definite results. Thus we have:— 2. Form. 1. Germ. 3. Fruits. Self Love. Use. Individuality. Conjugal Love. Justice. Marriage. Parental Love. Power. Offspring. Fraternal Love Beauty. Socialism. Universal Love. Harmony. Happiness. Filial Love. Aspiration. Elevation. It will be seen th at the circle of each love is a gradu­ ally expanding one, or. rather, it is a spiral, starting in self ana ending in Goa, or the totality of things, which can be expressed th u s :— God, Law, Objective Universe), Man, Spiritual Universe Ansel, God. The law of action of Self-love and Use is restricted mainly to the self, emphasising the individuality, recognis­ ing mine and thine, and acts from utilitarian motives. “Conjugal Love and Justice reveal a law of fitness and congeniality; Parental Love and Power reveal a law of oxecativeness and enforcement,” which is expressive of energy and strength, protection and care of weaker beings. '“Fraternal love ana Beauty reveal a law of exactness and symmetry.” I t demands self-discipline, orderliness and method. “Filial love and Aspiration reveal a law of pro. gression and endless expansion; Universal love and Har-. lnony reveal a law of individual dependence, individual reciprocation, individual position, abilities, occupation, destiny, happiness.” The perfeot blending and harmonisation of these qualities in man will naturally result in the revealment of the Divine Image in him, and render the expression of the spiritual nature in its fulness natural to him. VII.—The P u r p o s e o f R e l i g i o n . The true function of religion, then, is to elevate the mind, purify and cleanse it from all sordid motives and bestial desires. Hence all religions have insisted upon certain mental exercises, such as prayer and meditation. Prayer, or aspiration, is the natural lifting of the mind to higher levels of life. The more intelligent the prayer the more effective it will be. Harmonial religion insists upon intelligent faith and eschews blind credulity so ofteif mis­ taken for it. The saying of Paul th a t we should “ pray without ceasing” indicates what our mental attitu d e should be. The temper of the mind should be prayerful, aspirational, desirous of holy thoughts, noble, pure, and lovely j thoughts. Its true office is to see th a t the mental furni­ ture is fit and proper and clean. The prayer of ignorance is a clamorous appeal: the prayer of the spiritually intelli­ gent has the quality or “one-pointedness. ” The one scatters energy; the other directs it. The one is taken up with per80nal salvation, desire to “flee from the wrath* to come,” the other is wishful of the good of others. Perhaps the most deadly and hurtful influence th a t can operate in our life is spiritual, and intellectual pride. The picture of the Pharisee praying in publio and “ thanking uod he is not as other men” illustrates this state of mind, but the Pharisee's pride had the virtue of openness. I t was arrogant, hurtful, deadly, but the spiritual pride th a t is nourished in Becret is more so; its corrosive influence spreads through the character and ultim ately brings ruin to those who cherish it. Humility and meekness are out­ standing features of the truly religious life, and ever seek channels to do good. “ Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from tho world,” said James. Religion should be practical. “Faith without works is dead.” Therefore the religious man endeavours to reform himself before attem pting to reform others. By prayer and meditation he will rebuild his character, casting out undesirable qualities and con­ centrating upon those which reflect the pure glory of the kingdom of heaven. Religion, while it takes in the psychic qualities of man, and their manifold activities, yet shows “a more excellent way,” and Paul indicates it in his message to the Corinthians. I t is essentially the way of Love. Love is the greatest thing in the world. “ Hatred cpAscth not by hatred, hatred oeaseth by love.” When will I [ I > i

(Continued at foot of next column.)

171

PSYCHIC PHOTOGRAPHY: ITS EVIDENCES. To the Editor of

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Si r ,—I have read with much interest the various articles recently appearing in L ight both in favour of and opposed

to the genuineness of the many phases of spirit return and commune, and especially those concerning psychic photo­ graphy, and should like to add my testimony as to the undoubted genuineness of one case in point experienced by me. The case was a test, but not a test case in the general acceptation of the term. There was nothing scienhifio about it, but to me, a any rate, the circumstances under which the phenomenon was produced have considerably more weight than any scientific test would have, as your excellent paper has many times shown that even “test” cases are fre­ quently bungled, and so their value is reduced to a minimum. In the case given below the results were foretold by spirit friends long before they happened, and the test was tn a t everything came off exactly according to promises from the other side. , In the year 1910 Mrs. Millicent Thompson, the wellknown medium of Accrington, Lancs., came to South Africa for a year’s mission work, and when she came to Uitenliage, where I then resided, I had an interview with her. She was entranced, and her control, called “The Professor,” told me th at some day I should be photographed, and that a spirit form would appear on the plate, and that I should then sit with my wife and two spirit faces would show on th a t picture. Some six or seven months afterwards another medium came to Uitenhage, Mrs. Annie P itt, of Cape Town, and her control, “ Aziel,” confirmed what “The Professor” had told me. I did not take much notice of these promises, as I had never heard of a psychic photographer in South Africa, and I had not the slightest idea of ever seeing Old England again, and I speedily forgot all about the matter. In May, 1913, however, I suddenly made up my mind to pay a visit to England, and whilst in London I met Mr. Henry Blackwell, who showed me a number of negatives and spirit photos th at had once belonged to Mr. Boursnell, and th a t reminded me of the promises I had received years before I left South Africa, ana I asked Mr. Blackwell if he knew of a psychic photographer in England, as I should like to visit one. He mentioned Mr. M. J . Vearncombe, who was then in .business as a photographer in Cardiff. Twelve months afterwords my wife and I found ourselves in Cardiff, and I decided to call on Mr. Vearncombe one after­ noon. On the morning of th at day I sat for automatic writing, and received the following message: “ Aziel [my guide]. I shall be with you this afternoon to help. Sit first alone, and Emily [my spirit wife] will show nerself. Then sit with your wife, and Ida and Gracie [two adopted daughters] will appear in the picture.” We followed “ Aziel’s” instructions, and when the completed photos were forwarded to us we saw, very distinctly, in tne one for which I sat alone, my spirit wife looking over my shoulder, and in the second picture Ida and Gracie show, one in each top corner of the plate, whilst Emily's face again shows dis­ tinctly on my wife's wrist. All the faces have been clearly recognised by myself and others who knew the originals when in the flesh. Your Mr. H. W. Engholm has seen these pictures. We all know it is possible for photographers to “ fake” their pictures in various ways, and there' are some igno­ ramuses who to-day declare that “ all” spirit photographs are faked; but in this case Mr. Vearncombe and I met as perfect strangers, and it is quite certain that, should he nave wished to do so, he could not possibly “fake” the very faces we expected, and which wo and others instantly recognised. Yours, etc., W. S. J . S elliok . Humansdorp, G. P., South Africa. T h u s the entire teaching of Christ makes for the reality and immanence of life after death, as against tho idea of a long period of oblivion or sleep, to be followed by a resurrection to life on the last day.' This idea, so unlike th at presented to us by the Christ, is only to be found at a later period in the history of the Christian Church.— From r'Man’s Survival After Death,” by the R ev . Charles L. T weedalb .

(Continued from previous column.) the nations of the world learn th at lesson ? Is it like all great things, tqo simple ? Yet when religion is truly under­ stood, it possesses man. holds him to the way of righteous­ ness, and raises the spiritual standard; and his outer life reflects the glory of the inner being. Life, then, is a unity expressed in harmonious diversity. Worship beoomes a daily exercise; neither priest nor prelate is required. Between man and God will be no mediator; the approach will be open to all, and the Prodigal Son (humanity) will enter upon his divine heritage.

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PSYCHIC SCIENCE AND THE CHURCH. “Ancient Lights; or the Bible, the Church and Psychic Science.“ By Mrs. St. Clair Stobart. Kegan Paul. (7a. 6d. net.) This is a notable book by a notable woman. Mrs. St. Clair Stobart’s record of heroic and self-sacrificing service during the great war receives acknowledgment from Sir * Oliver Lodge, who contributes to the book both the Intro­ duction and the Preface, thus conferring upon it an imj/rimatur of no small distinction. To these is added a commendation from Lady Grey of Pallodon, who describe# it as a book of unusual interest—“a piece of literary re­ search well worth doing and well done.*’ In the case of a book with such credentials, a critic may be either disarmed at the outset or piqued into an attitude of test and scrutiny. For the present reviewer it was sufficient to observe that the work was done with a marked capacity, both as regards the analytical and the synthetic qualities called for in such a task. Such parts as are specu­ lative in character will naturally afford scope for differences of view, but* the fundamental idea which inspired the book will remain unassailable by any who accept the spiritual interpretation of life, whether from the orthodox stand­ point, or that more liberal and more advanced stage upon which the world’s thinkers have now entered. Between the attitude of “the Dean,” who expressed his wonder recently that a civilised people to-day should be guided by the legends of a tribe of wandering Bedouins, and the position of the “cave-men” of theology, who .take the Old Testament as inspired and literal truth, the>psychic scientist is able to find a more excellent wav. By con­ sequence. Mrs. Stobart, as a student both of theology and psychical facts, is able to expound and interpret what to the assailing party is a mass of incredible fables, and. to the defending side a record of supernatural happenings more or less improbable^ and unintelligible, but integral parts of the Christian faith. To-day, when the conflicting parties represent only a small proportion of the thinking public—the remainder holding their judgment in suspense on the general question of miracles—the book should have a considerable appeal. The work of psychic interpretation of the Bible has been done before, but only in a fragmentary and not over­ efficient manner. Mrs. Stobart’s book appears to cover the whole area of the question in an able, comprehensive and authoritative way. Mrs. Stobarlr ’wrileg'Tonvinemgly and-in » fearless- and forthright style. In her concluding remarks she shows how overwhelming is the proof from intrinsic evidence that the Bible is based upon psychic phenomena—“ had there been no psychic phenomena there would have been no Bible, for there would have been nothing worth recording.” And there is no resisting the argument that if psychic senses and psychic happenings prevailed in “Bible times,” they must needs exist potentially or actually to-day. One need not introduce the argument a fortiori, which would come from a comparison with other ancient races and other religions where the psychic factor also plays its part. The argument based on the Bible^ alone is clear, simple and definite—self-evident, indeed, it will seem to some. It is needless to call in a legion- where a cohort will serve. Finally, to quote from the two concluding passages of the book. Mrs. Stobart, after pointing out that the religion of the Bible is a revelation from Spirits on the plane be­ yond to the men and women on the earth, writes:— But if religion—that is. revelation—is to be accepted by the world to-day, in such a manner as to influence the lives of men; if it is to be accepted as biology, astronomy, « and all the other sciences are accepted, as an indubitable fact, with a practical bearing upon life, it must have a scientific basis, a basis that is rounded upon knowledge rather than upon hearsay or tradition. And it is this knowledge which psychic exponents seek to further; and, owing to the evidential nature of psychic revelations to-day, there is every reason to believe tnat this knowledge could be made amenable to laws of science. We believe, in short, that this knowledge could lie woven into a science which would be worthy of the noblest in­ tellects; a science which it will no longer lie necessary to study in dark holesa and corners, but, as of o!dt> upon the mountain tops, in view of all the people, or in the Holy of Holies, m sanctuaries set'apart for its service— a sacred and a romantic science, which will, when mastered, wipe away all tears from our eyes, and make •earthly life an interesting period of rehearsal for the great dsama of infinity. D G. Overtaken by a great sorrow, I found myself in an abyss of desolation*, a dark valley of utter loneliness. After a time u ray of light pierced the darkness; and I saw the living world around me. And in the tender sympathy of one friend, the loving self sacrifice to his dug of another, the sweet, calm, smiling strength of a third, there was re­ vealed to me, in a flash, the God, the Christ, and Hope again dawned on my horizon.—V, G.

[March 17* 1933,

SOME RECENT BOOKS.

“Hypnotism and Suggestion.” By Louis Satow, trvu. ] la ted by Bernard Miall. George Allen and Unwin, Ltd ] (Price, 10/6 net.) Even to readers who are acquainted with varitnU ol I this work, it will be more than interesting. Hypnotism is dealt with historically, and in relation k I methods, results, the psyche, and subjects; Suggestion a I treated in auto and moss forms, a special chapter being I devoted to suggestion-epidemics in politics and cConomii*. I Hypnosis and suggestion in religion, “Monarchism—Mil; *1 tnnsm—War” are the subjects of other chapters. It b U regrettable that the author’s limitations should ue so seriou* H as indicated in the beginning of his Prefatory note: “Sot if only the vanquished peoples, but all the nations are suffer- 1 ing from grievous distress of mind. The stupendous events j of the last few years have destroyed their mental cquili. 1 brium. They are following false prophets. Mystics, occot j tists, and Spiritualists are clouding their sight.” This myopic observer very curiously fails to notice that 1 mysticism, occultism, and Spiritualism, are not post-w I developments: they ^ire ages old, and generations ago | even Spiritualism was much more impressively represented I than during “the last few years. ” He does not suspect I that his. “ Hypnotism and Suggestion,” a handsome bodyof I goodly thought, is yet only truncate, m> more than a k l capitated form. Happily tne misfortune is not irreparable. I If Socrates was wont to tell his disciples that, as M. SatowI says, “There is only one good for man, knowledge, and on); J ono evil, ignorance,” Socrates was not there Socratic. Bat I this great good that M. Satow would apply to cure the ■ world of its supposed spiritual distempers is the natural I remedy for the truncation of which he is ignorant. On tbe I last page but one of this book our author “gives himself I away” th u s: “I t is, to be sure, a difficult task to free man-1 kind from superstition, ignorance, and intellectual servility, I But there is one excellent method : the complete and#final I renunciation of all belief in another world, and the trainingI of mankind, from youth upwards, in an atmosphere of free, I unprejudiced, critical, scientific thought.” Haeckel “re- ■ “ incarnate!” M. Satow’s finest chapter is “Monarchism-I Militarism—W ar.” The nations are allotted a comwn fj task, he says, if they wish to live securely, in safety and I prosperity. “Tao Tieli King,” by Lao Tzu (translated by Isabella H Hears). Theosophical Publishing Co. (Price 2/6). This book is a mixture of ethical and philosophical H maxims, based upon tbe dual nature of God, and the dial forces operating in the universe. A striking saying quoted, j in the book is, “ Of the soft and weak things or the world, I none is weaker than water. But in overcoming that vbidl is firm and strong, nothing can equal it.” - HydrauliaH would doubtless prove this, and one thinks of the power oil a wave in smashing a big iron davit used for boats at sea. I I t is a book of many wise sayings, well illustrating tk l philosophy of Tao. “The Life of Isobel Erne.” By Peggy Webling. Hut-ji chinson and Co. (7/6 net). Bjiss Webling’s latest novel has no special applicatioiB to psychic themes, but it is marked by that skill in nam-ffl tive; character drawing, and general descriptive qualityj which has won her no small reputation as a novelist. Them I is a strong love interest in tne book, and it comes toi l happy ending, as all good stories should do. “The Universal Medium.” By N. L. Mackenzie. A.H t Stock well. (4s. net). This is a closely-reasoned analysis of man from a psych I cal standpoint. Its main argument is that man best learn I his spiritual nature through the rational and balanced I development of his emotional faculty, termed by tbe anthr I “ feeling,” rather than through mental exercises only, b I other words, it is “ with the heart that man believeth unto I salvation.” I t is not a book for the casual reader, WI rather one for the spiritual mind willing to dig deep ill gold. W.B.P., H.F., and DC. I S P IR IT

MINISTRY. —

Miss H. A. Dallas writes:— Thie fact that spiritual education and the ministry of tbfl more enlightened to the less enlightened continues aftcrB death was evidently recognised in the early Cliunil although lost sight of later. Not only are we told tkfl Christ went and “ pleached” to the spirits in safe keeps after His d eath,'but in that quaint book of visions, "Ml Shepherd of Her mas” (assigned to the early part of Afl second century a.d.) we are told that “Apostles ofl teachers preached the name of the Son Of God, dying afttfn they had received His faith and power, to them who r t l dead liefore. through these, therefore, they ill ceived Life, and knew the Son of God.”—“Similitudes,! Book Ilf., xvi. If this truth had been kept in view how many doolfl would have been laid to rest? Dante v/ould not nave IS constrained to leave his beloved Virgil when ascending O Paradise.

March 17, 1928)

L I G H T

RAYS AND REFLECTIONS. Dreams, when they are the “real thing,” or show some gleams of it, are always a fascinating study. I am familiar with the dreams in which one receives good counsel and accurate predictions of future events, or becomes the de­ lighted spectator of amusing dramas, or wanders in the Elysian Fields. Personally I am less curious about the “machinery” of the dream than its results. There is much philosophy on tho subject, and an infinite amount of dis­ putation. Many dreams are allegorical, and with these, also, I am familiar. There are “ family dreams,” as in the Scots family, where to dream of “gleds” (hawks) foretokens tho death of one of the family. In another household to dream of a golden bird has proved the unfailing token of some piece of good fortune. Birds, beasts and other things come into dreamst and seem to acquire in certain coses a sym­ bolical meaning. Just how or why the correspondence between the symbol ana the event is established, I do not particu­ larly concern myself. It may have to do with the primi­ tive mind to which a symbol was always more eloquent than the written or spoken word. The mind of tho Celt, oven in modern days, is full of symbolism.

I offer these casual observations as a preface to the fol­ lowing letter from the Rev. Ellis G. Roberts:— “On the night previous to the outburst of the blizzArd, which still continues at the time of writing (February 26th), I found myself on the seashore hauling in codfish with a line half a mile long a t two-second intervals. _ For the benefit of the Editor of ‘Veracity,’ who is a diligent but obtuse student of my writings, I had better state that thiswas in a dream. “For certain members of my family to dream of fish is n fairly certain warning of the approach of rain. .This was very noticeably the case with my father and his mother before him. With them the dream was of frequent occur­ rence. In the present generation the faculty is chiefly developed in myself. I t first appeared in my case nearly thirty years ago; since then the dream has come to me about twenty times. Twice it has boen completely wrong, and once doubtful; in all other cases it has been fulfilled. In one case, during a voyage over the Indian Ocean, tho Faming came three days ahead, but usually the interval is considerably less. I Should be interested to know wliat ideas these facts may suggest to some speculative reader. By the way, I am not a fisherman. “Some years back I referred the matter to the S.Q.R. (Society for ‘Queering’ Research) of the time, but got no satisfactory answer. I fancy they thought it in some way due to a conjurer I'1 There are, of course, dreams and dreams. Those that are important as being persistent said purposeful are always worth attention, if only in the general interests of mental science.The rest, ns being mere musings of a more or less disorderly kind, often traceable to digestive or other bodily disturbances can safely be disregarded. The Rev. Ellis Roberts’ example appears to belong to the order of family dreams with a meaning. • • • • A Welsh newspaper contains the statement that Gwauncaegurwen Spiritualist Society has a membership of over two hundred and fifty, and that the evidences furnished at their meetings axe so remarkable th at the subject is spread­ ing, and causing undisguised alarm amongst the churches in and around Brynamman. The journal asks, “ What is the solution for this state of things ?” I give it up, toether with the other puzzle as to how to pronounco Iwauncaegurwen.

S

Tho kind of gauntlet which our more distinguished speakers have to run after an address was well illustrated at a recent meeting. The great man (we will call him Sir Thomas) having finished his address, was endeavouring to leave the hall with a friend with whom he was in close con­ versation, when an excited man, leaving the crowd of on­ lookers. fairly hurled himself between, them : “ Sir Thomas, may I nave the honour to shake your hand?—such a wonder­ ful address. I have been in this subjeot /twenty years, s i r may I tell you, sir, of a wonderful dream I once had—my son-in-law’s cousin —wonderful _manifestations—raps came on tho dressing-table.” Standing by, I caught fragments of the loquacious gentleman’s torrent of talk, and looked to goo how Sir Thomas would extricate himself from the bore's obtrusive attentions. Quietly and politely, but with great firmness,* ho detached himsolf, and proceeded on his way. It was unfortunately a rather typical example of tho ordeal to be undergone by our men and women of note, put, perhaps fortunately, jb in not confined to Spiritualism, P . G.

178

THE BUIE ISLAND The Experiences of a new arrival ‘ “ beyond the Veil.” Communicated by

W.

T.

STEAD,

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l i g h t

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The importance of publio speaking is now generally recognised, but many people who believe that this ability can only be acquired by oral instruction at a high fee will be surprised and interested in the new points of view suggested e publics by the publication entitled: EVERYONE H AS SOUETBINiJ TO SAY, a copy of which will be sent free to any reader of Limit who cares to apply by it. In addition to containing much helpful advioe, it fully describes the A.B.O. Course of Effective Spanking, which has been prepared .by a wellknown expert with the rbjeob of assisting men and women who are anxious to improve their speaking ability. THE ACID ! W . The Coarse has the warm approval of many dis­ tinguished public men, including; members of both Houoee of Parliament, King's Counsel, Barristers D tp s and Business Men. Vlany professional men who are now tailing (Tie Course have expressed appreeiation of the remarkable progress they ase now making. For full information write lor a copy of "Everyone Has Something to Say." It will be tent post free on request.

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WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. This work has been specially prepared by Sir A rthur Conan Doyle to satisfy the demands of a very large public interested in what is popularly termed “ Spirit Photography.” Sir Arthur deals at soijie length with the work and history of the famous Crewe Mediums, Mr. Hope and Mrs. Buxton, also stating his views on the recent charge of Fraud brought against these mediums by Mr. Harry Price and others. A wonderful series of verified cases of supernormal photography are also presented. Sir Arthur’s case is set out in his inimitable style and the many illustrations present a unique record of this phase of Psychical Research.

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L IG H T

March 17, 1923] ■■

..

— T B g E Z Q ix a ^

Q U E STIO N S

c

AND

175 -

=

ANSW ERS.

Conducted by the Editor. T JE A D E R S are invited to write to us with any questions arising o u t of th eir inquiries into Spiritualism an d Psychical Research, an d we will reply to them on th is page. If it is a question o f wide general in terest we may, however, deal with it in an o th er partjof the paper. W e will also send personal replies where this is desirable. We do not hold ourselves responsible for m anuscripts, photographs, or oth er enclosures, unless they are forwarded in registered covers and accom panied by stam ped, addressed envelopes for return. We are always glad of com m ents or o f inform atioh th a t m ay usefully supplem ent th e answers given.

Non.—I d future we propose to m ake o ur replies of a more genenl character, as many of th e questions asked are such as occur to others th a n th e original inquirer. Our replies therefore will be no longer addressed to some particular correspondent b u t will deal n o t only with personal inquiries b u t w ith subjects under discussion and the problems of Spiritualism generally. Less im­ portant questions will be answered u n d er ‘‘Answers to Correspondents.” S P I R IT U A L R A N K A N D S T A T I O N .

To the question, ‘‘Who determ ines th e ran k or place which a man shall occupy when he passes to th e life beyondP” we might reply, th e m an himself. B u t t h a t answ er would need some qualification, since we rem em ber th e existence of persons who by w hat is known as “ push,” and sometimes described by term s even less eleg an t, m anage to thrust themselves to th e fro n t in all companies, and who take the chief place w hether th ey are fitted for i t o r n o t. In a sense they are, sinoe th ey are n a tu ra lly gifted w ith greater will-power, determ ination and assurance th a n those whom they th ru st aside in th e ir am bition for leadership. Doubtless in the lower orders of spiritual life these qualities will still secure for them , in some measure, th e prom inence they seek. But in th e tru e spiritual o rd er fitness is th e only qualification for any position, and counterfeits and p re­ tensions are of no avail. In th a t way, th e n , th e m an de­ termines his own position in accordance w ith universal laws which rigidly ana unerringly determ ine his sta tu s. And that would apply generally, for even th e leadership gained by mere personal domination over inferior m inds would be of a low grade. I t would be a p e tty lordship lastin g only as long as the minds th u s subjugated chose to rem ain in vassalage. The law of spiritual g rav itatio n operates like its physical analogues. TH E

LA TE

M IS S L O T T I E

FOW LER.

The recent mention of th is lady’s nam e m akes appro­ priate an allusion to her here. She was a very fine clair­ voyant and did some excellent work forty o r fifty years ago. Mr. Stainton Moses ( “ M . A. Oxon.” ) said th a t w hat he had witnessed in her presence convinced him of th e truth of Spiritualism. H er clairvoyant descriptions were astonishing in th eir accuracy. She was a woman of th e simple-minded, generous and affectionate type, free of fads and fancies and self-regarding prejudices. H ence h e r vision was clear and her mediumship unclouded by personal p re­ possessions. She made a g re a t impression on even th e most critical minds who investigated h e r powers, and was

A BRILLIANT ^

NEW •

secretly consulted by many distinguished people who feared publicity. I t is said th a t it was thro u g h h e r mediumship th a t th e body of Lord Lindsay, of Balcarres, which was stolen from th e family v au lt, was eventually recovered, and th a t she received from th e head of th e family, Lord Craw­ ford, a jewelled w atch in recognition of th is service. Many people became S piritualists th ro u g h th e proofs given by L o ttie Fow ler, although only very few openly avowed th e fact, and we have sometimes th o u g h t t h a t it is th is mass of p riv ate conviction am ongst th e public which m akes th e way of th e m aterialist so h ard . H e is a p t to suppose th a t th e only S piritualists are those who publicly confess th e ir views, b u t th ese are th e sm aller p a r t of th e Spiritualistic com m unity. T H E GERM

W hen eollating th e theory of E volution to th e tr u th of Survival, a difficulty arises in m any minds as to when th e being we now call M an achieved perm an en t individuality, re ta in in g his conscious personality a fte r separation from his physical body. T here a re those who contend th a t all life persists, a fte r th e d eath of th e physical form , in its m un­ dane degree, b u t u n d e r h igher conditions; b u t th is raises th e deeper question, “ W h a t is L ife?” I t is impossible to give a final definition o r to assign a lim it to its m eaning. O riginally confined to a function of w h at is called “ organic m a tte r,” i t is now difficult to exclude m inerals, especially those which ta k e on crystalline forms, and con­ sequently we trao e a subconscious directive tendency which overrides th e otherw ise accidental shape t h a t would be given to th e m ineral by e x te rn a l forces. T h a t all life m ust persist is an obvious axiom , b u t n o t of necessity in an individualised condition. All drops re tu rn to tn e ocean; th e y are n o t extinguished, .b u t th e y lose individuality. To re ta in individuality, a knowledge of th a t individuality is necessary—som ething which can conoeive of and re ta in th a t function. F rom th is p o in t of view, th e anim al desires and reasons to a degree, b u t it does n o t know t h a t i t know s; i t perceives th in g s autom atically and w ithout considering th a t it is perceiving. Therein lies its difference from man who reasons and knows th a t he is reasoning. H e knows th a t he is perceiving th in g s and n o t only t h a t th ey are being perceived. This is individuality, th a t, knowing its individuality, can re ta in it. W hen and how th is per­ m anence commenced is a difficult p o in t; possibly th e hum an anim al a t some period, by a flash of genius, realised th a t he was m ore th a n a “ happening,” b u t could control th a t happening—th a t he had n o t done som ething by in stin c t or h ab it, b u t had trilled to do it. T h a t anim al had realised his individuality, and had. in fact, become m an and assured his continuance, and, as th e knowledge spread, m ankind, in its e a rlie st form, was evolved.—W . H .

BOOK EVERYONE IS READY

OF IM M O R T A L IT Y .

DISCUSSING.

MOW.

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A The PATH to PEACE X In one large handsom e volume, cloth gilt, 1 8 /- net.

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PO M P

O F PO W ER.

Note in its 11th large edition.

In his second book the anonymous au th o r of “ The Pom p of P o w er.” whose id e n tity continues to provoke w idespread ■peculation, describes w ith outspoken and illu m in atin g criticism s certain post-w ar incidents a t home an d abroad. No clearer or more succinct account has ns y e t appeared on th e presen t situ a tio n in Germany- and h e r ab ility to make reparations. On French affairs, th e w rite r gives an illu m in a tin g account from o u r A lly's p o in t of view of th e c o n tra st between the many policies spasmodically adopted since 1919 by th e late P re m ie r’s one M inistry and th e single aim con­ tinuously pursued by the num erous F rench G overnm ents. L o n d o n s H U T C H IN 8 0 N A CO.

L I G H T

176

T he “W eekly S c o ts m a n ” of 3rd inst., quotes, th® I artiole, “ Strang© Craft,” b y Harry Fielder, from L ight I of 24th ulto. That little article, from the pen of a work’ I ing man, had the true human touch, and it is not surpris* I ing that it should be admired and quoted.

FORECASTING EVENTS : PREMONITIONS. To the Editor of

L

ig h t

.

S i r , —For several instances of the forecasting of events, which forecasts havo been placed on record before the events happened—sometimes months or weeks before—and which have come within my own experience, may I refer enquirers to my book, “Man’s Survival After Death” (2nd Edition), pages 226-264. One very remarkable one forecasting the details of the Aeroplane Race round Oreat Britain in .1913 was put on record ten days previous to the event in the ofljoe of L i g h t , and was acknowledged by the Editor in the issue of September 6th. 1913. I t was also put on record with Mr. Baggally, a member of the Council of the S.P.R., at Brighton, and with several persons of good standing at Weston and Otley. I have had the fullest evidence that the prophetio power to forecast events is as real and active to-day as it was in Bible times. In some of my experiences the forecast has been fifteen months ahead and has been fulfilled with awe­ inspiring precision and certainty.—Tours, etc., C

ha rles

L. T

w e e d al b

R A D I A T O R S O F S P I R I T U ALISM. North London Spiritualist Propaganda Committee will hold their First Propaganda Meeting on SUNDAY, MARCH 18th, in the STANLEY HALL, JUNCTION ROAD, (near Tufnell Park Tube Station,) at 3 o’clook in the Afternooo. MR. ERNEST MEADS will give an Address on « WHAT SPIRITUALISM IV IE 2ANB.”

Chairman—MR. GEO. E WRIGHT, Organising Secretaryof the London Spiritualist Allianoe. Clairvoyanoe by MRS. E. NEVILLE. Soloist—MISS ALICE WILLCOX. Special Hymn Sheets will be provided. All welcome. Silver Collection to defray expenses. 27 Bus and 19 and 69 Trams from Euston Road, North Finchley and High Barnet pass the door.

.

Weston Vicarage, Otley, Yorks. ANSW ERS

TO

[M arch 17, 1923.

A

C O R R ESP O N D EN TS.

LANTERN

LECTURE

BY

H. H unt (Hucknall).—Thank you. We quite agree with you: it is our own attitude. Christine B ennett.—Thank you. We note that in your * .°n case, as in many others, the use of glasses has no disabling effect on ouija board messages. The communications you send are worthy of the occasion, showing [ a devotional character and good sense, although not s u f f ic ie n t ly distinc­ tive to entitle them to publication. IN ' J. C. M a ag a a r d . —The naive simplicity of the adventures Mortimer Halls, Mortimer St., Regent St., London,K.l of “Aunt Ann” in the “ underworld” has touched us deeply, MONDAY, MARCH 26th, AT 8 P.M. but we oannot reconcile it with our literary conscience to Doors open 7.30 p.m. Admission 2/6. Reserved 3/6. publish them. E. L. Waller.—Thank you, but the communication is Tickets from Hon. Sec., 41, Westbourne Gardens, Bayiwster, I too vague to be of any use. W.2; L.S.A., 5, Queen Square, Southampton Row, W.C.l

HORACE LEAF

1M y Tour Through Anzac Land,"

NEW

P U B L IC A T IO N S

R E C E IV E D .

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SUNDAY'S SOCIETY MEETINGS. Lewisham.—Limes Hall, Limes Grove.—Sunday, March 18th, 11.15, open, circle: 2.45, Lyceum: 6.30, Mr. T. W. Ella. Croydon.—Harewood Hall, 96, High-street.—March 18th, 11, Mr. Percy Scholey; 6.30, Mr. Geo. R. Symonds. Brighton.—Athenaeum Hall.—March 18th. 11.15 and 7, Mr. H. Boddington; 3, Lyceum. Wednesday, 8.15, see local paper. Camberwell, 8.E.—The Guardian Offices, Peckham-rnad. —March 18th, li; Mrs. C. 0 . Hadley; 6.30, Mr. H. E. Hunt. Hollauray.—Grovedale Hall, Grovedale-road (near High• gate tube station).—Saturday, 7.30. whist drive in aid of Building Fund. Sunday, 11, Mr. Ernest Meads: 7, Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Pulliam; 3, Lyceum. Monday. 8, developing circle (members only). Wednesday, 8, Mrs. Grace E. Prior. Free healing every Friday: 5-7, children-: from 7, adults. Membership earnestly invited: annual subscription, 6/-. 8t. John's Spiritual Missionf Woodberry-grove, North Finchley (opposite tram depot).—March 18th, 7, Mr. H. Fielder. Thursday, March 22ud, 8, Mr. T. Austin. Shepherd's Bush.—73, Beeklow-toad.—March 18th, 11, publio circle; 7, Mr. R. G. Jones. Thursday, March 22nd, 8, Mr. J . Spiers. Pechham.—Jxiusannt-road.—-3)1arch 18th, 7. Mrs. A. Boddington. Thursday, 8.15, Mrs. B. Stock. Bowes Park.-—Shaftesbury Hall, adjoining Bowes Park Station (down side).—Sunday, March 18th, 11, Mr. W. G. 1 nomas; 7, Mrs Laura Lewis. Worthing Spiritualist Mission, Anh-street.—March 18th, G.30. Mrs. Paufet. March 22nd, 8, Mrs. Pan let. Central.—144, High Holbom (Bury-sireet entrance).— March 16th, 7,80, Mrs. Podmore. March 18th, 7, Mrs. Clements. Forest Jlill Christian Spiritualist Society._Foresters' Hall, Banian-street, Dart mouth-road.—March 18th 6.30, Mr. W. Drinkwater; subject, **Symbol of the Flowers.” Wednesday. March 21st, 8. Min B. Boyd, psychometry. Bichmond Spiritualist Church, Ormond-roarf.—Sundav, March 18th. 7.30, Mrs. E. Edey. Wednesday, March 31st. Mrs. Grsddon Kent.

WONDERS AND TRU TH OF THE SPIRIT WORLD. ' By Special Request T H E H O N . M R S. A M ES will repeat this Lecture with Original Coloured Lantern j Slides (as given at the Town Hall, Folkestone), On THURSDAY, t h e 22nd i n s t , at 8,45 p.m., ^ at the Unique Centre Club, 99, Lancaster Gate. (Facing Hyde Park.) Slides from Automatic Spirit Drawings, The Story of Dickens's j I Cottage, of the Spirit of Caxton Hall, etc. Apply Secretary. Seats—2s. 4d., inclusive of tax.

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Annual Subscription, One Guinea Membership can be taken out a t any time and covers to corresponding date in 1924. A R R A N G E M E N T S F O R W E E K E N D IN G M A R C H 2 4 th . TUESDAY, M arch 20th, 3.15 p.m . Public Clairvoyance. Mrs . A n n ie J ohnson . «, n i> 7 .3 0 p.m. M r H. E rnest H unt . L ast of a series of nine lectures on the Subconscious Mind and M ental Processes—.(H ints on Public Speaking. W hat to say—Subject m atter - Analysis—Arrangement—A bridgementSynopsis—Association. D elivery—Elocution—Vocal points—Fluency and Suggestion—Memory and Freedom of Associa­ tion—The Problem of “ Nerves.”) WEDNESDAY, M arch 21st, 4 p.m . Discussion Gathering. THURSDAY, M arch 22nd, 7.30 p.m. Special Meeting, M iss H. A. D allas. “ The Cumulative Evidence of Survival.” The Spring Session eloses with th e above meeting. The Summer Session will commence on Thursday, April 12th. PRIVATE CLAIRVOYANCE. A fternoo n S itt in g s Mondays, 3 p.m. All Circles during the present Session are now filled. F u rth er sittings will be held weekly throughout the Summ er Session, commencing on Monday, April 16th. Applications, accompanied by th e fee ( 6 s. p e r sitting), should be made to the Librarian- M il J . J . V *ngo has generously under­ taken to give a Special private S itting (lim ited to 10 m em bers) in aid of the Ronald Bmiley Fund, on Wednesday Evening, M arch 21st, a t 7.30 p.m. ( Fee 5s. p e r S it te r .)

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HOLLAND PARE, LONDON W n . (Tol. PAIR 4700.) ______ Hon. Principal.. J. FIEWAT McKENZIE. The Collofowill beclotod from Friday, Maroh 30th, till Monday, April 9th, oxoopt for prlvato appolntmonta. Now Byllabui, for April, May and June, on appltoatlon Clasaod, Lectures. Bsoollont Library. Practical Domonitratloni avaflablo in Direct Voice, Phyelcal Phenomena, Piyohlo Photography, Oni]a Board, Clalrvoyanoo, Psyohometry. Harr Mol/.or, tho " Apport *' Modlum, li at the Gollego during March and April. Appointments can be mado. Dlreet Voice Group*. (MRS. B. COOPER.) Wed. at B Fridays, at6. Public Clalrvoyanoo. Friday, Maroh23rd, 8p.m. ... MRS. KINGSTON!. College Quarterly, "Payable Science" No. S. ORDER NOW. Prloe 2/0 Post free 2a. 0d, ( Editor, MR. BLIOH BOND.) Containing: Unique Phenomena with Frau Sllbert. (Illustrated.) A Physical Medium and Ills hork. (Illustrated) A Voice Modlum—some Remarkable Book Tests and othor Valuable and Original Contributions, The Collage haa accommodation for one Realdent Student who may wish to gain valuable experience not available elaewhere.

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Brighton S p iritualist

Brotherhood,

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F A IR C L O U O H

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M Y S T IC IS M .

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A JOURNAL OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS & PSYCHICAL RESEARCH yf>\

"L iohx I More L ight I”— Ooethe. No. 2,202. —V o ii, X L I I I .

[Registered u ]

•" W hatbobveb doth hash Manifest ib L ight I ”— Paul. S aturday , M arch 24, 1023.

Mai “ ciQbt ” stands for. " L I G H T ” proolalma a belief In the exiitenee and life of the spirit ap art from , and independent of, the material organism , and In the re a lity and value of in­ telligent intercourse between sp irits embodied and spirits disearnate. T h is position it firm ly and consis­ tently m aintains. It s colum ns are open to a fu ll and free discussion— conducted in the sp irit of honest, cour­ teous and reverent inquiry— its only aim being, in the words of Its m otto, " L i g h t I M ore L ig h t I ”

NOTES

BY

THE

lantrr that makes th in g s seen

W AY. m akes

somo

th in gs

invisible.

—Sin T homas B rowne S ome

S cottish F olk -T ales .

We' carry in memory a story concerning Michael Scot (or Scott), the-fam ous wizard. I t tells how, while travelling on foot in one of th e Scottish border counties, he sent his man to a farm-houso to procure food. The farmer was churlish enough to deny the appeal, where­ upon Michael put a "sp o il” on the place, the effeot oi which was to compel all the inm ates and farm hands to oommenco singing and danoing w ithout being able to stop. The song conveyed a reproach for it ran: — "M aster Michael Scot’s man Asked for broad and got nano."

The farmer himself was compelled to join in this weird "song and dance” until he had repented of his inhos­ pitable behaviour and made amends. J u s t lately we came upon a story in which Andrew, the twelfth chief of tho OlanMacfarlane, who was credited with magical powors, punished a Linlithgow miller in similar fashion, The Maofarlone asked for a drink of milk, the miller refused, and a “ spell” was oast on tho mill with the result th a t all tho miller's servants com­ menced to danoe and sing as if they had gone mad. The terrified miller made amon'ds and tho spell was [(moved. #

#

*

*

H ypnotism and " M agic ."

Tho above sto ries, it w ill bo n o tic ed , lik e m a n y other old legends, c en tre a b o u t th o samo idea. W o have nover regarded nny of th e se folk-lore ta le s ns boing wholly imaginary. W o lo n g a go arrived a t th e con­ clusion Hint all "m n gin " 1ms a t its b asis, h yp n otic power, "suggestion,” th e in flu en ce o f m in d over m ind. In short, as a spirit co m m u n ica to r o n ce p u t It, "M agic is tho scientific app lication of p sych ological princip les. ” In the case of both M ichaol S o o t and A ndrew M ncferlano we

bqo

an a n c ien t e x a m p le o f th o hyp notism

which to-day form s port o f an en terta in m en t on th e stage. The idea of " su g g e stio n " is stron gly brought

"Xtflbt | can be obtained at all Soobstalla anb flewaaflents; or b$ Subscription. 2 2 b pa nnum,

[aNowspapor.]

P rice Foe epoch .

o u t in t h e M a o fa rlo n e s to r y , for h e r e t h e a fflicted m iller w a s to ld t h a t t h e s p e ll w o u ld b e rem o v e d b y ta k in g a b r a n c h o f r o w a n a n d th r o w in g i t in to th e m ill-str ea m , w h ic h w a s d o n e . I t d o e s n o t r e a lly m a tte r w h eth er h e s t o r ie s ’are lite r a lly tr u e or n o t. T h e y are probably h ig h ly e m b e llis h e d v e r s io n s o f an e p iso d e in w h ich h y p n o tic p o w er w a s e m p lo y e d . T h a t w a s u n d o u b ted ly th e fo u n d a tio n o f t h e w on d er-w o rk in g a ttrib u te d to th e o ld w iz a rd s (or w is e m e n ) w h o in c lu d e d m a n y w o rth ies o f e m in e n c e , s u c h -, fo r e x a m p le a s L ord G ifford, to w h o m h is K in g , A le x a n d e r I I I . o f S c o tla n d , o ften r e s o r te d fo r c o u n s e l. S m a ll d o u b t so m e o f th e w ise m e n o f o ld w e r e c a p a b le h y p n o tists .

S piritual Cause and E ffect. I n M r. H . W . E n g h o lm 's r e c e n t a d d ress to th e L . S .A ., h e b ro u g h t o u t str o n g ly on a sp e c t o f th e larger S p ir itu a lis m w h ich h e h a s reason to regard a s being v e r y m u c h o v erlook ed . I t is th e fa c t th a t S p iritu a­ lis m b y it s d ir e c t c o n ta c ts w ith th e U n seen W orld an d th o e v id e n c e s i t h a s g a in ed , h a s p u t th e w orking of t h e L a w o f C o n se q u en ce s in a w a y m ore v iv id and r e a listio th a n h a s e v er b een th e c a se before. I t is now b ro u g h t h o m e t o t h e head a s w ell a s t o th e heart. I t lia s b eco m e a p a rt o f th e p ractical b u sin ess o f life for e v e r y S p iritu a list. I t lia s cea sed to be a p iou s theory, p art o f a d o ctrin e th a t m ig h t or m ig h t n o t be true. T h e m a n p a sse s in to th e n e x t world and co m es back to rocord from h is ow n exp erien ce th e inexorab le work­ in g o f th e la w . M r. E n g h o lm sa w in th is a kind o i o o m p u lsivo m o ra lity m ore au stere in its w ay than P u r ita n ism . C ertain ly to try a S p iritu alist on th o basis n o t o f h is cod e b u t on h is knowledge w ould be in th e n a tu re o f an acid te s t. W e fear n on e o f u s would su c ­ c e s sfu lly en d u re it, b u t it is w ell to consider a t tim es p la in ly and frankly th a t thore is a law of R etribution ns w ell a s a L a w of L o v e, th a t w e m a y n o t lose our se n s e of th e rea lity o f J u s tic e in th e contem p lation o f th e E vorln stin g M ercy.

THE

GREAT SE C R E T .

Tho oh nut of tho soul th a t sings Of oarth’s groat comforting th in g s: I toll of tlie froo bluo spaoos, Of flow'rs, and tho flashing wings Of birds, and tho inurinurings Of boos in tho sunny places; Of smiles and of kindly faces. I sing of visions and dreams, Their mystical hints and gleams; The joy of a mind made brighter By hiiightor and merry' themes: Of Lovo and its golden schemes; The sest of the gallant fighter; Tho onso of n loud grown lighter, Yet never a song so wise, Bub something for ever flies. The heart of a rose ooucoals it; It flashes throtlgh seas and skies; It lurks in tho droiinvor’s eyos; Tho soul of tho poet fools it, And only gray Death reveals it,

P. «•

LIGHT

178

SPIRITUAL

[March 24, 1923,

LAW IN THE NATURAL WORLD.

ADDRESS

BY MR. H. W. ENGHOLM.

O n th e e v e n in g of t h e 1 5 th i n s t ., M r. H . W . E n g h o lm g a v e b efore an a u d ien ce o f m em bers a n d fr ie n d s or th e L on d on S p ir itu a lis t A llia n ce w h a t a t th e close o f t h e m e et­ in g th e C h airm an M r. G eo. E ; W r ig h t w ell d escrib ed as “ a w on d erfu lly b e a u tifu l an d sp ir itu a l a d d re ss,” h is su b je ct b ein g ‘‘S p ir itu a l L aw in th e N a tu r a l W o r ld .” M r. E ngholm s a id t h a t h e p u rp osed in h is a d d ress t h a t e v e n in g t o sh ow , as far a s h e w a s ab le, from h is ow n e x p e r i­ en ce, an d h is own p o in t of v iew , how th e g r e a t m o v em en t w h ich w e called S p iritu a lism w as d ir ec tly a sso cia ted w ith cer ta in g r e a t sp ir itu a l law s. M a n y o f h is h ea rers had dou b tless Tead D rum m on d’s g r e a t w ork, ‘‘N a tu r a l L aw in th e S p iritu a l W o rld .” f i e w as g o in g to reverse t h a t order o f th o u g h t, and look a t n a tu re from th e h e ig h t o f th e sp iritu a l. W e w ere liv in g h ere and now in a n a tu r a l w orld. T o th e ordinary observer th e r e w as n o th in g su p ern a tu ra l abou t i t . N a tu re w as orderly. M any o f th e law s a n d ru les th a t d irected her processes w ere know n. S cien ce d e a lt w ith a n a tu ra l world. H ith er to Scien ce had been alm ost e n tir e ly m a teria listic in her ten d en cies. S h e had p ra ctica lly ign ored sp iritu al affairs. T he Church, on th e o th er h an d , r eg a rd in g sp iritu al affairs as m atters of fa ith , resen ted th is a ttitu d e o f S cien ce, and had consequ en tly, in th e p a s t, fo u g h t tooth and n ail alm ost every new discovery S cien ce h a d brou gh t forward. B etw een th e tw o, how ever, h ad en tered o f la te years w hat some of them regarded as S p iritu a l S cien ce. I t w as his absolute con viction th a t S p iritu alism w as th e th in end of th e w edge w hich, d riven hom e, would finally sep arate tru th from fallacy in both Scien ce an d R elig io n — a separa­ tion which would u ltim ately resu lt in u n itin g th e tw o in to one grand Science, one g r ea t harm onic order. T he laws of th e spheres w ould, h e ven tu red to say, be found to be th e fun dam ental law s o f th is n a tu ra l world in which we lived. W hat w ere th ese law s? H e could only speak of those o f w hich h e had had exp erien ce, and had b etter, therefore, te ll a t th e o u tset how he cam e to h ave th a t experien ce. H e found th a t he knew n o th in g e x c e p t by experience, and when he. said “ I k n ow ” he m ea n t th a t he w as personally certain about it . T hey m ig h t ask w hether, 'when he spoke of sp iritu al law s, h e could affirm th a t h e really knew of them , or w hether th e ir ex isten ce was only an assum ption on h is p art. W ell, h e would ex p lain how he cam e to feel so certain . Som e of h is audience m ight have heard th e story of th e prisoner who sp en t his tim e in devising elaborate plans of escape t ill i t occurred to him one day to turn th e h a n d le of h is cell-door, when it opened a t once, and he walked ou t, a free m an. T h at was exactly the position in which he (the speaker) found him ­ self. H e had been a prisoner shut in by dogm as of which he was n ot certain, prison walls b u ilt of the m any th in g s th a t are n o t so. For m any years he was ever ask in g ques­ tions. L ittle children were always asking questions, and some people w ent on all th eir lives asking questions. B u t one day it occurred to him , as i t did to th e prisoner in th e story, to try a very sim ple th in g which had n o t entered his mind before; namely, to ask him self questions, and so find out what he really did know for certain . H e tried it , and was free.

W ithout going to any authoritv he had been asking him ­ self, “ W hat do you really know?” F o r th e first tim e he asked himself, “ Is there a God? Do you know—n o t w hat have you been told ?” He asked question a fte r question on m atters fundam ental to the faith in which he had been brought up. H e went through the creeds step by step, for ne had to find out by himself whether he really did know the th in g s' th a t he had been tau g h t, whether th a t which he believed be really knew. He found th a t he bad been hypnotised by the creeds. The repetition of Teligious formulae was like the Coud system of suggestion. H e had gone on year after year saying the same things till he had taken them for granted. Then he suddenly realised through Spiritualism th a t in getting down to bedrock he was placing himself in the position he would be .in when he passed out of his physical body, for when th a t change took place with any one of us, a great spiritual law came into operation, and we were known for what we were. Wo faced the reality,of our true status. Many of those who had gone over had told him what a shock it was to , discover th a t much of what they had been taught to believe was not true. The position in which one found oneself when one began to ask oneself questions, was exactly th a t of a child parting with toys.,that it hod outgrown. For. a while it looked back with regret, and was not sure whether it ought not to have still clung to them,. Mr. Engholm went on to point out that,, like himself, the Church as well as the people were beginning to ask questions. He gave some examples, showing the results of

se lf-e x a m in a tio n o n t h e p a r t o f gom e o f it s ,®n< q u o te d , a m o n g o th e r s, fr o m C a n o n B a r n e s, and ‘‘The Modeq C h u r ch m a n .” T h e se m e n n o lo n g e r c a red to stand up and sa y th in g s o f w h ic h t h e y w e r e u n c e r ta in . I t was this play, in g f a s t a n d lo o se w i t h , o n e ’s b e lie f t h a t w as causing the d e c lin e in r e lig io n in t h i s c o u n tr y . S p iritu a lism had come t o c o m p e n sa te fo r t h e s h a k in g o f m a n y o f th e old beliefs. T h ere w a s a w ord c r e a te d b y t h e g r e a t Roman Empire — th e w ord “ in f a llib le .” T h a t w ord described something w h ich e x is t e d o n ly j n h u m a n im a g in a tio n . The Caesan c la im ed t o b e in fa llib le , a n d t h a t tr a d itio n 'of infallibility, w ith i t s a c c o m p a n y in g p o m p a n d s t a t e , was taken over by th e R o m a n C h u rch . A s t h e R o m a n E m p ire declined and fe ll, so e v e n tu a lly w o u ld ,p r ie s t c r a f t , w ith all its man-msde a u th o r ity . S p ir itu a l S c ie n c e w o u ld ta k e its place, and a n ob ler r e lig io n w o u ld b e e v o lv e d w h ich would deal the d eath -b low t o a ll s u p e r s titio n , a n d d isp erse for ever those fo rm s a n d r itu a l b orn in m a n ’s im a g in a tio n and reared in t h e cra d le o f erro r. A sk in g h im se lf th e q u e s tio n , “ D o I b eliv e in a spiritual w o r ld ? ” M r. E n g h o lm s a id t h a t h e w a s able to reply posi­ tiv e ly “ I d o .” H e h a d a r r iv e d a t t h is firm conviction from j th e stu d y o f s p ir itu a l la w s in th e n a tu r a l world. Amongst th e ev id en ce s, h e c ite d th e p h en o m en a and philosophy of S p ir itu a lis m . O f t h e s p ir itu a l la w s t h a t had come within I h is k n ow led ge h e em p h a sised th e la w o f consequences—tbit I a m an reap ed w h a t h e h a d sow n — an d th e law of spiritual j progress as ex em p lified in th e sp ir a l p rin cip le of evolution. I T h e law o f con seq u en ces a ffected u s ev ery hour of the day. I E v e ry th in g w e d id d e lib e r a te ly ad d ed . t o , t h e sum total of I ou r ch aracter w h en w e sto o d o n th e o th er sid e. No ordinaty I m an or w om an could p o ssib ly g o d ir e c t from this world to I th e h ig h e st sp h eres. A ll m u st p a ss th rou gh the customs, I as it w ere. N o t e v en th e ir sp ir itu a l g u id e could take them L an yw h ere b u t to th e ir tr u e sp ir itu a l environm ent. W ith regard to th e g r e a t s p ir itu a l law th a t the path of I progress took th e form o f a sp ir a l ascen t, i t was one that I ne nim self h ad e x p e r ie n c e d , an d could see in operation; ! I I n th is co n n ectio n M r. E n g h o lm q u oted Oliver Wendell I H olm es, Sw edenborg. A rnel (in V a le O wen’s “ Life Beyond I th e V e il” ), and S ir O liver L od ge. I n h is book entitled "Life I and M a tter’ ’ S ir O liver w r o t e : —

“ The progress of th e U niverse m ay be represented as a spiral. Superficially th e changes, recorded in histoty seen I to recu r in cycles, a n d a c e rta in e x te n t th e cyclical or I c ircular change is r e a l ; b u t th e a p p a re n t circle is never s I closed curve. No period is a n e x a c t re petition of another, I all m ust be spires o r tu rn s in some g re a t and progressin II spiral a spiral being th e com bination of circular with pro- [( gressive m otion. T he sp ira l of destiny is upward-tending.” S To him (the speaker) S piritualism represented the herald of the fourth dispensation in th e s p ira l of progress. Sum­ m arising the d istinctive fe atu res of th e first three dispensa­ tions, he said t h a t in th e first stage the Divine Spars, toe J presence of God in m an, showed itself in merely erode emotional form s. I n th e second grade of expression, ii I m ade itself m anifest in outw ard types and in the- appearance I of divinely-inspired men and th e awakening of the sense of -1 conscience. In th e th ird dispensation God was manifested I in the flesh—th e Logos. Since th en the Central Figun I had evolved to celestial heights, as shown by the influonbo I of the “ C hrist sp h ere.” Those on e arth who responded to I the influence and teaching of th a t sphere had become the I dom inant races of the world, th e Jesus of history had be- I come the C hrist of the Heavens. B ut a g re at deal of e rro r had been creeping into tin I .pure teachings originally given, the teachings that had I heralded in the th ird dispensation, error had become saw- I d a te d w ith the thought of the Church founded to carry on ■ those early principles. To-day we were witnessing the I dawn of the fourth dispensation—th a t of the unfolding ol I spiritual principles in the life of hum anity. , Professor fl Jam es Simpson said the other d a y :—“ There is little doubt ■ th a t human evolution as a whole, ,even in its terrestrial f l phase, will become increasingly spiritual.” From this recent statem ent Mr. Engholm took his lioeren ■ hack to the winter of 1845, when the following remarkable H prediction was uttered in the tra n c e , condition by an no- ■ educated youth, Andrew Jackson Davis: — “ I t is a tru th th a t spirits commune with,one another while one is in the body and the other in the higher sphere —and this, too, when the person in the body is unconsciotu of the influx, and hence cannot be convinced of the foot; ( C o n tin u e d a t fo o t o f n e x t page.)

March S4, 1923.]

LIGHT

SPIRIT COMMUNICATION AND THE EGYPTIAN DISCOVERIES. By W. H. Motes. The following is taken from messages given by a spirit communicator who claims to have lived on earth in Ancient Egypt) and whose message with reference to the discoveries hi tho Valley of the Kings at Luxor was recorded in Lighi recently:— When we were on earth we understood and expressed tho meaning of life in symbols. To-day we are permitted to come and express it in words which seem to fail to enable us to explain it. The great mystery of light is that which has enlightened the spirit of each one of us throughout the ages. The Great Spirit of Light, which is Wisdom and Truth, will be revealed in good time to all who will seek for Him. Seek, then, 0 friends of earth, for that Spirit which will enable you to do the Will of God. You will then be given power to reoeive greater manifestations. Men have only to come into recognition of this higher force and mystery to find the Kingdom of Spirit. Seek and ye shall find, not only the treasures of the earth, but that which shall give the key to your Divine inheritance—that which shall carry you onward and upward. In past ages things were not as they are to-day, when we sought for spirit manifestations, and were given power to demonstrate. The Spirit cornea to you now with greater foroe. Be ye then ready to reoeive it, and cleanse yourselves, inwardly and outwardly, of impurities, that ye may breathe in the breath of lire—the manifestation of the Divine Light, that shall come to you. Make your­ selves fit for the blessings of the Kingdom of Spirit, for, if you do not give the conditions, we should not be able to demonstrate and give you pur message. This Truth shall be made manifest, and shall be given to the one who shall pass through much to stand for the Truth; Do. not be cast down by the trials and troubles of the earth, for they will be the means to link together those who have passed into the Spirit Realms, and those who are still in the flesh. Make yourselves responsive to the higher influences, and the greater light will pour down its radiancO' upon you. and you will he lifted hoove the Conditions which would hind you down. You will then be able to express the light, and you will take to yourselves wings and fly, and the mysteries will be unlocked by the key of knowledge of Divine in­ spiration.. The message of love and light is being poured down upon you, from the Spheres of God, where one day is as a thousand years, ana a thousand years are hut as a day. Questions were put to the manifesting spirit by the re­ corder in order to obtain further enlightenment with refer­ ence to the discoveries that were yet to he made in the Volley of the Kings at Luxor. Replying to the first onnuiry, the control said:—“What I have to say, friend ana brother, is that it is not the treasures of the earth which matter, but the treasures of this Kingdom of Spirit. . There will be many spirits helping those who are trying to find treasures in the King's., tomb. In seeking for them they will not disturb the spirit of the King, or affect it in any way. “They have only commenced the work of discovering hieroglyphics of the Truth. More will be found when they get further in. . But, as I said before, man will not be able to discover all that has been hidden in the sands. ’’

(Continued from previous page.)

and this truth will ere long present itself in the form of a living demonstration. Ana the world will hail with delight the ushering in of that ora when the interiors of men will be opened, and the spiritual communion will be established, inch as is now being enjoyed by the inhabitants of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.” Eight months after _the publication _ of the _ book, “Nature’s Divine Revelations,” in which this prediction was recorded, the much maligned Fox sisters brought to the knowledge of tho small community in whioh they lived the fact that they were obtaining communications from the other side. From that day Spiritualism spread the world ovor. Some wore inolined to turn from it with a sneer because of its crude and lowly origin, but other great movements had had lowly origins. Let them look rather at the wonderful men and women who had arisen out of it. Its appearance, with the phenomena that accompanied it, was no irresponsi­ ble series of happenings due to accident or a breach of natural laws, but the result of a great spiritual design. The dawn of Spiritualism, then, was the dawn of the fourth dispensation of which he had been speaking, and tho Spiritualists of to-day were the parents of future generations of that dispensation. He found in Spiritua­ lism tho purest Christianity. A roligiqn of experience, fact, and knowledge, it contained nothing whatever contrary to the beautiful, teachings of Jesus It presented the strictest moral code in the world—based on the inescapable law of

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After giving an interesting sketch of the meanings of the symbols of the hieroglyphics, word by word, and or the great meaning sometimes expressed in one symbol only, the control added:— Through you we want to bring forth those messages to prove the truth to the world. There are many mes­ sages that lie behind those tombs, and many are the tales that oould be told about them. There were persecu­ tions in those earlier days, when men in the flesh tried to find out that which the men of your days are now try­ ing to discover. _ We refer now to the time of Ramoses II., and from that time onward. It has given us much pleasure to know that your race of people are seeking for further knowledge of the Truth. We see now beyond the sun that we used to worship, and we know of the Greater Power whioh enables us to manifest to-day—the power that comes from the Supreme Being, the Centre of all Light, and the great force that links us not only with those mysteries, but also, in spirit, with you. The recorder then put further questions to the Egyptian, to ascertain whether there was a possibility of discovering in the Valley of the Kings hieroglyphs inscriptions, or papyri records, that would verify the belief that Pharaoh Aknaton, the father-in-law of King Tutankhamen evolved a system of religion so remarkable that it would have been interesting to compare it with Christianity and Spiritua
Sib ,—With regard to the letter on this subject from “Tertium Quid,” on page 140 of L ight, the reason why

Raphael painted child-faces in his religious subjects is simply, in my opinion, because he had in his mind the Hebrew Cherub (the cherubim are a oertain category of angels presented to us in the Hebrew mythology of the Old Testament). ' But the child faces on Alexander Martin’s psychic photo­ graphs were due to a promise made to him by a Californian medium as a consolation for the loss_ of his child. They may have been due to auto-suggestion, resulting from extraneous suggestion acting on a mediumistic subcon­ sciousness. Yours faithfully, C. J. H ans Hamilton. (Corresponding Member of the Society for the Study of Supernormal Pictures). Bordeaux. March 14th, 1923. consequences. It would herald in what the Church had sometimes called “the Second Coming,” but this would be no pictorial and objective display of a King coming down through the clouds, surrounded by myriads of angels. The clouds that would disappear would be the clouds that had so long obscured the inner realities, and the second Resur­ rection that would accompany this “coming1’ would be the re-establishment of the long suspended relations of arisen spirits with the earthly sphere of being—the absolute con­ tact -of this world with the next, from which we had so long been shut out by the prison walls of our own self-built materialistic thought. The Kingdom of God came not to outward but to inward observation. The ohject of life was to render to God and man the best servioe of which we were capable. Before us lay the ascending spiral path of an endless progress, the path that loads to unity and brotherhood. He was proud to be called a Spiritualist—a child of the fourth dispensation. (Ap­ plause.) The C hairman, in proposing a voto of thanks to Mr. Engholm, remarked that his address was a call to all Spiritualists to take their part in tho endeavour to bring to all men a realisation of the great truths of human sur­ vival and spirit intercourse.Effective action in this direction was only possible by organised effort, and there was no moans by which that organised effort could be better exerted than by the London Spiritualist Alliance, which surely merited the sustained and liberal support of all true Spiritualists. The vote was carried with acclamation.

L I G H T

180 evC

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[M arch 24, 1923.

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CONCERNING SPIRITUALISM. f

AN ADDRESS BY GERALD MASSEY, DELIVERED AT ST. GEORGE’S HALL, LONDON, ON JULY 28th, 1871.

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1 I t is reported that when the Devil first read the Ten Commandments, he remarked, “ Well, they are a nun lo t!” And such will be the exclamation of numbers of people when they hear of the doings of Spiritualism. Such has been the oxdamation of many who nave, as they believe, had dealings with the spirits themselves Things are said and done quite unbefitting our notions of the spiritual dignities, and whatever the amount of truth there may be on our side, I feel pretty sure there is a good deal of im­ posture on the other. And why not? A large number of impostors have left our world to go somewhere, and possibly they still find us more easily imposed upon than their new acquaintances, who are able to see through them, whereas we are so often left literally in the dark. Grant the fact of actual spirit- communication, the difficulty is, what to make of it. The spirits can say what they like—assume to be what they please. And it seems to happen pretty often that the case is similar to that of the. skunk in the racoon’s hole. “ Who is there P” says the 'coon.. “A ’coon,” replies the skunk. “ Well,” says the ’coon outside, “ you don’t act like a ’coon, you don’t speak like a ’coon, and T il be darned if you sm ell like one!” So with the spirits. They often say they are this person or the other, but they don’t act like them, don’t speak like them, and very frequently don’t spell like them. I t would seem th at the Poes and the Byrons are plentiful in the other world by the numbers that come to table in this. As for Shakespeare, he muss be able to play as many parts as his mulbdrry tree cut up into snuff-boxes. I t is not all plain sailing, then, in this profound Un­ known. You have to go sounding on a “ dim and perilous way,” if you once start on your voyage of discovery. This spirit-ocean, like other deep waters, has its mud a t bottom, and many' frightful forms of' life and startlingly strange inhabitants. Quite enough occurs a t times to make any ergon,.however reasonable and unprejudiced, think th at ell has broken loose, or th at the other world has opened -just a t the plaoe in which the insane asylums are kept. Guilty spirits abound: lying spirits are common. At times you are met with a “ blast From hell” in language, and the fetid breath of spiritual corruption is as a whiff from the*' mouth of the very den of uncleanness. I am purposely stating the m atter a t its very worst, and then I say the question whether spirits or invisible intel­ ligences do communicate with man is one of fact not to be in the least invalidated by the quality of the spirit or the kind of response. The man who onoe had the honour of being spoken to by George the Fourth was quite positive about it. He was obliged to admit th a t the King only said, “ D----- n you, fellow, get out of my way!” still he knew that royalty had addressed him, humble individual as he was. I t would have been useless for you to urge the un­ likelihood of the circumstance because the expression was so unkingly. The question was not one of taste but of fact, and the man would have stuck to his fact, and been in the right too. If it be only rats, as has been suggested by the term “ this rat-hole revelation”—if i t be only rats th a t have gnawed through the partition betwixt this world and the next, never mind—rats have often worked tooth and nail at the rotten foundations of things. Hats have let in many a deluge where it was badly wanted. Hats have sunk many a crazy bark th at was utterly unseaworthy. And if tne rats have let in the other world in a flood, the present value may lie in the fact rather than in what they have to say • the fact is the revelation. If i t bb theD evil himself th a t has made the opening, doubtless God will take advantage ot it and turn it to account. The Devil is generally exalted into a kind of vice-dieu of the Dark, but in no sense is he absolute lord of the Unknown. Strange things are asserted, said, and done, but, witn all their cleverness or their folly, our modern mediums have not quite equalled; the performance of Balaam’s ass. nor has there been any spirit-writing of so luminous a character as that which was exhibited a t Belshazzar’s feast. Mr. Home’s levitations are poor when compared with those of Enoch and Elijah. In point of strength he has not yet rivalled Sam­ son, or given reason to suppose th at the Israelite has been exhumed in him. (By-the-by, could not Mr. Crookes get him tested, if only for sport, a t the Royal Institution? H i might possibly pull down a pillar or two.) Our lying spirits would nave no chance as yet beside him who- promised to become a lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab’s prophets, which numbered tour hundred, on purpose to persuade the King to go up to the battle of Ramoth-Gilead and-meet his death; and certainly no cases of possession or obsession in pqr time cap be more real or repulsive than those recorded

in the New Testament. “Ah, but those things don’t occur nowadays, if they occurred in the p a s t!” That is the whole question. We say they do—you say they do not. We have tne facts of personal experience on our side, and you have the intrepidity of assertion. I t really is almost tearfully funny to think th a t the whole inspiration of the Bible, all that is extra-human or supernatural, was given to men through the same abnormal mediumship, as is shown in its degree by any trance-medium of to-day, and then to hear the Bibliolater denounce the phenomena as devils’ work and " imposture! This is indeed the very cradle of Divine revela* tion from its earliest infancy. But so little have these things been apprehended as realities by the P rotestant mind, th a t i t may fairly be doubted whether there is one person amongst those who are about to revise our translation of the Bible, fitted to deal with the language in whicn these spiritualistio >facts are expressed. They need to be studied and underlined by a personal experience of the phenomena before they can he equivalently worded.* There are many kinds of mediums, and, broadly speak, ing, there are two kinds of mediumship—the abnormal and the- n o rm a l. There have always been, and |are now, bom into this life persons of a peculiar organisation who become the unconscious mediums of spiritual manifestation. They can be easily put into the magnetic trance by other people, and i t looks as if they could be as easily entranced by spirits on the other aide. The w riter of the books of Esdras evidently regarded the prophetic trance condition as effected in the mesmeric man* ner. He asks:—“ Where is Gabriel, the angel who came unto me a t the first? for'he hath caused me to fall into many trances.” “ And as I was speaking these words, behold, he came unto me, and looked upon me, and lo ! I lay as one th at had been dead.” (Esdras II., x., 28.) The process is similarly described by D aniel: “ Now as he (the spirit ‘as the a p p earance of a m an’—note th a t expression) was speak* ing with me, -I was in a deep sleep (comatose) on my face toward the ground, but he touched me and set me upright.” (Daniel viii.. 18.) .J These mediums of whom I speak are so constituted that spirits can magnetise them and take possession of their physical organism, make use of th eir nervous system, speak with their tongues, and become for the time being tne con­ scious and directing soul of their bodies. This, I repeat, seems to depend on the physical constitution—they are, as we say, “.born so.” I t is through such mediums, mainly, th a t our modern phenomena are produced, and tne spirit* world is brought visibly, audibly, tangibly present to your senses with a force sufficient to overcome some of the most ordinary laws of m atter, and a power which is in itself a vivid revelation from the hidden life. I myself have had the most positive and convincing proof th a t such organisa­ tions do exist, and can be taken absolute possession of by other intelligences higher or lower, for I lived face to face with the fact for fifteen years, and did a bit of work by the help of it which I m aintain would not have been done in any other way. (I do not here allude to poetry.) But there are other mediums whom we call normal mediums because they are acted on by spirits without any suspension of or visible interference with known laws, and we are all more or less mediums of this kind, although we may not know it. The Creator is for evermore acting by mediumship, and carries on the work of all His worlds by means of the varied forms of life and mental consciousness th a t receive and transmit His influence. I think it was Pythagoras who said th a t no true word has ever been uttered about God but what was said by God, and this of course would be through, spiritual and human media. In this kind of mediumship the spirits work e n r a p p o r t with us. and do not need our ordinary faculties to be in trance—they quicken the life of the usual faculties, and, as we say, inspire us. They have power to guard us, warn us, comfort us, illumine our mind, *Take the following os an illustration:—“ The Word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” The meaning is th a t the Word, i.e ., God express­ ing Himself directly, was exceeding ra r e in those days bocause there was no open vision. ^ God could make- no new revelation for lack or mediumship. Of course “ precious” is very good Elizabethan for “ ra re .” But the modern reader is likely to read 'the_ passage as though i t exulted over the fact th a t the Word, i.e., tne Bible, not then written, had superseded all abnormal faculty or need of it, whereas it bewails the want of it I (C o n tin u e # a t fo o t o f n e x t page.)

March 24, 1923.]

- L I G H T

“ AN INDIAN JUGGLER’S PERFORMANCE.” To th e E d ito r o f L ig h t . S ib ,— During the present transitional stage of religious

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gotten. The family for three generations has devoted its energies in India in vain to rediscover the missing link. 7. In the Andes, rounded stones from an adjoining mountain stream were flung through a closed and boarded window night after night, until tho house was evacuated. I t was four miles from any other building. The only pos­ sible explanation was a poltergeist, an Indian servant, who, for pilfering, had been suspended over a bridge above a fall, and had been drowned by tho breaking of the rope, three days prior to the commencement of the stone-throwing1. The future extension of science will show the simple and natural character of such phenomena, which for many seem at present incredible or supernatural. Indeed, these are trivial in comparison with many which occur, and which vers do not care to subject to publio ridicule. Yours, etc., P. H. P.

ideas, dependent yet awhile for many upon physical phenojnena, destructive criticism upon even the powers of Indian ‘‘jugglers,” in a sweeping form, is mischievous. Many “Holy Men- in India and others elsewhere possess super­ normal powers; but they are not often met by Europeans, and are always ohary of giving any exhibition. The im ita ­ tio n of many of these phenomena is a lucrative profession all over the East. Here are seven distinct classes of phenomena, whose truth the writer can guarantee, and which may reassure some of your readers th a t such things- do occur, in spite oi sceptics and the attitude of modem science. 1. The growth of a mango tree, from a seed placed in a pot of ordinary earth, covered with a cloth in the first instance, after which the Yogi was not within six feet of the object. The tree grew visibly to four or five feet, and finally produced miniature fruit, sweet and agreeable to the palate. 2. On the upper floor of' a mess bungalow in Bengal -another Yogi produced the hypnagogic illusion of two smallish elephants, with every appearance of being alive. Six officers present were not permitted in the room prior to the presence of the animals, nor were they witnesses oil_ their disappearance. The floor joists would certainly not have stood the weight of the elephants, had they been real. * 3. In a bungalow inside a fortification and a quarter of a mile from the entrance protected by a guard and sentry, with the intervening space patrolled by two flying sentries, a Yogi, previously encountered in the jungle, spent over an ' hour, together with two attendants, in conversation with the writer They were not seen by either guard, sentries, or anyone in a large and populous village, through whose streets they would normally be obliged to pass in order to reach the fortification. 4. The indisputable observation by a lady a n d a stra n g er, in the midst or the traffic of the City of Los Angeles, of the former’s" son riding a Sunbeam Motor Cycle (the only one in California), with the perceptible noise of its peculiar exhaust, scanning the passers-by in the obvious desire to find his mother; whilst in tru th he was a t home nine miles away wondering why she was late in returning 1 5. In the unknown wilds amongst aborigines, stilt strangers to civilised man, a spiritualistic ceremony took place in the writer’s presence to induce the disembodied individuality of a deceased member of the community to leave the village in peace, when the vaguely visible departure of he “spook” from its section of a communal dwelling was seen. 6 . At Delhi, during the Indian Mutiny, a party of grateful Holy Men took the Commandant, a Colonel T---- -, into the jungle, and showed him how to produce synthetic gold, binding him riot to indulge this knowledge for un­ necessary personal aggrandisement, and to insist upon a similar guarantee from his son to whom the secret could bo passed. The writer has seen some of this gold. Possibly the honesty of the father was not purposed by the Bon; but whatever the cause, one item or the process was for-

To th e E d ito r of L ight . S ib , —Mr. Hardcastle relates in “ Chambers’ Journal” how he was handed a penknife and told to cut a hole in a man’s side, and how he did so, and pulled out the end of a coloured string from the hole, which string bad been fur­ nished from his place of business, and was of a special kind, and which the man (a “juggler”) had previously swallowed in the sight of them all. When Mr. Hardcastle pulled the end of the string from the hole which he. had cut in the juggler’s side, the man seized it, and pulled out several yards of the string, arid handed it to the spectators. Mr. llardcastlc’s unfailing answer as to how this and other marvels he and others relate occur, is, that the “ juggler” hypnotises all the spectators, and makes them believe that the events happened, but they really never did happen. This is a very convenient method of explaining away any happenings one does not wish to admit, but it has ita disadvantages and limitations. For instance, how does Mr. Hardcastle know for certain that he ever saw that “juggler” a t all, or that the man ever came into his garden or near his bungalow? He may have been “hypnotised.” Again. Mr. Hardcastle talks of giving another juggler a rupee, and th at the man forgot to give it back to him. How does he xeallv know this to be true? He may have been hypnotised all the time, and only imagined that he gave the man a rupee. I am afraid Mr. Hardcastle has unconsciously beoome a believer in the absurd Hindoo doctrine of Maya, or Illu­ sion, which inculcates the notion that nothing really is. but th a t everything is an illusion; than which notion nothing more unsatisfactory to the mind of man can be conceived. I t is the negation of everything practical, and of all pro­ gress and research. Many psychic phenomena are proved by the camera, and registered upon the photographic plate. According to this “ hypnotism” theory, the camera with its lens and plate must be hypnotised likewise 1 Isn’t it about time th at we heard the last of this theory of the “ hypno­ tism” of a crowd of people, said people being totally un­ conscious of the “ hypnotism, and not knowing either when the state begins or ends. Such a theory pushed to its logical conclusion might be used to cast doubt on nearly every phase of Indian life. Yours, etc., C harles L. T weedalE.

(C o n tin u e d fr o m p re vio u s page.)\ __ kindle our feelings, and add a precious seeing to our spiritual vision: and all this is done in a most natural way. In the case of the abnormal mediums, you have spirits .consciously making use of them, but the normal medium un­ consciously makes use of the influence th a t spirits bring to bear on the mind. Now, the primal value o i the ab­ normal mediumship lies,' for me, not in its startling inter­ ferences with known physical laws—rapping of tables, play­ ing of music or floating of bodies, but in the light it throws on that normal mediumship which is tho common inheri­ tance. . 1 believe th a t this abnormal mediumship is unnatural, und will be unnatural to the end. I t may be a necessity— a stage of progress. I t is a rift through which ^strango gleams of revelation flash, and but for those gleams we could I not see as a t present. I t lightens on those who have no light. Wo may study it as physicians do disease with a viow of reaching higher laws of health. But I know of the brain sapped and racked—the heart arrested or furiously quickened in its movement—the health overthrown. In many constitutions th isc a n hardly be otherwise, for pass­ ing into the trance condition is a sort of dying evory time— dying to be quickened by and into other life. I am not aware th at the idea has ever been broached, but I think it would bear arguing th a t St. Paul’s mysterious “thorn in tho flesh,” which has caused the commentators so much perplexity, had to do with abnormal mediumship, and wan the tendency he had to fall into the trance condi­ tion. There can be no question but th a t he was struck

Weston, Vicarage, Otley, Yorks. March 9th, 1923. down in trance when his conversion occurred. Ho remained in trance three days, and whilst in it saw the man who was to restore him to bodily sight, and whom he recognised when his eyes were open. Alluding to this he says: “ Ye know how, through infirmity of the flesh. £ preached the Gospel unto you a t the first, and my tempta­ tion which was in my flesh ye despised not nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God.” There can be no question th at the abnormal condition was so common to him th at he could not remember whether certain things took place when he was in the body or out of the body. Moreover, it was an infirmity th at he gloried in. And he makes use of these remarkable words: “ And lost I should he exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations (evidently _received in the trance), there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, tho messenger of Satan to buffet me. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, th at it might depart from me. And he said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ ” I venture to say th a t can never be inter­ preted so satisfactorily as by the Spiritualist, who knows how active the messengers of Satan are m troubling mediums to-day. > That there may be no doubt about this interfering sntanic agency, here we have the same thing represented as in a picture, and in perfect accordance with our niodorn experience. “And he showed mo Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing a t his right hand to resist him.” (Zech., in., 1 .) (To he continued.)

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RUSKIN AND SPIRITUALISM.

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By NORMAN HUNT.

" N o n a tio n h a s over a tta in e d or p ersevered in great* ness, e x c e p t in reach in g an d m a in ta in in g a p a ssio n a te im a g in a tio n of a sp ir itu a l e sta te h ig h er th a n t h a t of m e n ; and of sp ir itu a l oreatu res nobler th a n m en , h a v in g a q u ite real a n a p erson al e x isten ce , how ever im p erfectly ap p re­ hended by u s ." F ew p eople, I th in k , rea lise how fu n d a m en ta l to th e whole te a ch in g of H u sain is h is con cep tion of m a n as prim arily a sp ir itu a l b ein g , and of h is b e st in te r e sts as concerned in th e recogn ition of sp ir itu a l pow ers around and above him . T he q u otation g iv en above forcib ly exp resses th is a ttitu d e of h is m ind. I t is an a ttitu d e which is im p lic it in th e w hole o f t h a t " love of N atu re" w hich e v en h is en em ies conced e to him as a virtu e. There is in all R u sk in ’s w r itin g s on B o ta n y , on G eology, ou " N atu ral H isto ry " an un u su al an d curiously d istin ctiv e note—w h at is it ? T he "m an of sc ien ce.” for tho m ost p art, is found an alysin g, d istin g u ish in g p arts and organs, cou n tin g scales, n u m bering riffs and vertebrae. R uskin chooses rather to s a y : "Bee— h ere is th e w ork of a S p iritu al power, in n ocen t and g e n tle in th e D ove, b alefu l and m alevolent in th e S erp en t, fa n ta stio and incom pre­ hensible in th e Crystal—b u t alw ays m a n ifestly related to th e S p iritual power in m an him self and therefore— an d only roforo— in terestin g and profitable for h is stu d y ." there A gain, in h is stu dies in h istory—to o lit t le known, alas, to th e general reader—i t is th e h istory of th e hum an sp irit th a t alone is of im portance. Of th is h istorical w ork a very large part was devoted to “ M yth s.” Now a m yth is the b in te re st in and clearest expression we 'have I of a orces con trollin g th eir com prehension of th e S p iritu al lives. L astly, th e d istin ctiv e n ote by w hich h is P o litica l Economy i t rem oved from th e oommonplaoe Schools of th a t science, is the lea n in g on m an’s S p iritu a l needs as even more vital than h is m aterial ones, however im p ortan t th ese may b e also. T ub I nmost L im it .

B r ig h t v isio n s, from r ig h t m a n a g e m e n t o f body and mind, T h ere are e n tir e ly sa n o an d p u re perso n s who can tell yon, “ H e a r th is o f t h e p u re s o u l: — ‘ A th o u sa n d liv e r ie d a n g e ls la ck ey her, A n d in clea r dream a n d so lem n v isio n , T e ll h er o f th in g s t h a t n o g ro ss e a r can hear, T ill o f t co n v erse w ith h e a v e n ly h a b ita n ts B e g in to c o st a beam o n th e ou tw a rd shape,’ (Comui. 453.) or t h is — ‘T h ey w a tc h , an d d u ly ward, A n d th e ir fa ir sq u ad ron s ro u n d a b o u t u s p la n t : A n d a ll for lo v e, a n d n o th in g fo r rew a rd ; Oh, w hy sh ou ld h ea v e n ly G od t o m en h a v e such regard ?’ (F a e r ie Q ueen e. ii., 8, 2;)!

T he D iv in it y or I magination . “ Do you th in k th e m en w h o t e ll y o u th ese things didn’t b elieve i t ? T h ey m u ch m ore th a n b eliev e it—they knov i t . Y ou m ay k n ow i t a lso , i f y o u w ill and if you want to. “ C onsider w h a t y ou a re to ld by H esio d , by Homer,' by M oses, by D a v id , by Solom on, by D a n te , by Plato, by St. P a u l, by S t . F r a n c is, by a ll th e sa in ts and their Mailer. A nd th ese persons, I assu re y o u , are o f respectable a u th o rity . W ell, all th e se t e ll y o u tw o th in g s—that there is real presence, an d v isio n a ry or dream presence. ! T he com m on c ritic ism of th e “ im a g in a tiv e" states of m ind of w hich R u sk in in th e se p a ssa g es is thinking is that we ca n n o t in th ese m a tter s know how far we are aoceivise ourselves. A frien d recen tly rem arked to me—speaking ol certa in “ sp ir itu a l e x p e r ie n c e s " : “ I alw ays keep a sevenpound w eig h t tied to m y fe e t, in th ese questions IV Y e t, even g r a n tin g t h a t ou r im a g in a tio n may, like ill oth er h u m an fa c u ltie s, h a v e been g iv e n it s freedom to "w ork o u t its own sa lv a tio n " and m ay h a re been submitted to no "Thou sh a lt," o r "T h ou sh a lt n o t," there is yet i stra n g e tru stw orth in ess (p ercep tib le to th e candid mind), in a n y sincerely-held belief. R u sk in n o tes th is and quotes P in d a r : “ G race, w h ich cre a tes e v er y th in g th a t is kindly and sooth in g for m ortals, a d d in g honour, has often made th in g s, a t first u n tru stw o rth y , become trustworthy through love"— “ "Which," sa y s R u sk in , “ ex a ctly describes the ten. per of religiou s persons a t th e p resen t day, who are kindly and sincere, in clin g in g to th e form s o f fa ith which either have long been p recio u s to them selves, or which they fed to have b e e n w ith ou t q u estio n in stru m en tal in advancing th e d ig n ity o f m ank in d. A nd i t is-p a r t o f the constitution of hum anity— a part w hich, above others, you are in danger of unw isely con tem n in g under th o ex istin g conditions of our knowledge— th a t th e th in g s th u s sought for belief with eager passion, do, indeed, becom e trustw orthy to us; that, to each of us, th ey verily become w h at we would have them . . pow erful to us for actu a l good or e v il.”

In various places he defines his e x a ct m eaning in u sin g and dw elling on th e term s " s p ir it’’ and “ sp iritu al life. “ I t is of great consequence, he says, “ th a t you should fix in your minds—and h old , again st th e baseness of m ere materialism on tho one hand, and a gain st th e fallacies of controversial speculation on th e other—th e certain and practical sense of th is word sp irit; th e sense in which you . may all know th a t its reality e x ists as th e Power which .shaped you into your shape, and by which you love, and hate, when you have received th a t sh ape.” i— ‘■By th e W ord, or Voice, or B reath , or S p irit, tho heavens and earth and all th e host of them were m o d e ; and in i t they exist. I t is your life ; and speaks to you always, so long os you live nobly—dies o u t of you as you refuse to obey it ; leaves you to hear, and be slain by. the Word of an Evil Bpirit, instead of it. “ I t may come to you in books—com e to you in clouds— come to you in the voices of m en—come to you in the stillness of deserts." There aro few of us, I suppose, who have n ot recog­ nised, a t somo moments of their lives, the profound truth of the last quoted passage. W e have all a t some tim e felt the actual presence of th a t B pirit in o u t hearts—have tried perhaps some of us to liv e under its constant inspiration, nave perhaps failed. The “ stillness of deserts’ ’ is not so easily attainablo to-day as i t was once for lsnglish people, and th e'“ clouds" must bo the true vapours th at pass away, not tho clouds of smoko or steam th a t stay and do not pass l Now tho niontal power, Ruskin goes on to say, which opens to us this World of the s p ir it is what he everywhere calls “ Im agination.” The first of the great truths, he says, which ho has endeavoured to teach is: “ That the power of Im agination—that it to say of seeing images which are not substantial—is not a morbid faculty to be played with, hut tho healthiest and highest of all human faculties, to be most solemnly cultivated. That it is irith that 10c see the highest and most important, namely, the epiritual truths of the universe. "W e seo them, observe. Now first, be sure of this, that Im agination Is a distinct sight, and distin ct hearing, only of things which other people don't see, and which aro, therefore, aocording to the notions of other people, not there.

Tins Shining P uesknokb. Elsewhero he carries th is th o u g h t further and says:—

“ You will always find th a t, in proportion to the earneet* nesa of our own fa ith , its tendency to accept a spiritual personality increases: and th a t th e most vital and beautiful C hristian tem per rests joyfully in its conviction of the multi­ tudinous m inistry of living Angels, infinitely varied in rank and power. You all know one expression of the purest null happiest form of such fa ith as i t exists in modern times, in R ichter's lovely illustrations of the Lord’s Prayer. Tho real and living D eath Angel, g ir t as a pilgrim for tho journey, and softly crowned w ith flowers, beckons at the dying m other's d oor; child angola a it talking face to face with m ortal children, among the flowers-—hold them by their little boats, lest they fall on th e stairs—whispor dreams of Heaven to them , leaning over their pillows; cany tho sound of th e churoli bells for them fa r through the air; and, even descending lower in service, fill little oupi with honey to hold out to tho weary bee." Suggested by the reference to child-lifo a passage recurs to the memory well worth quoting hero as also for its con­ clusive summary of the "virtue of innocent imagination , “ No line of modern poetry has been oftener quoted With thoughtless acceptance th an W ordsworth’s ; ‘Honvon lies about ub in our infancy.' I t is wholly u ntrue in th e im p lie d lim ita tio n ; if lifu bo led under Heaven's law, the sonso of Heaven's^ nearness only deepens with advancing years, and is assurod in death. But “ Now this power of visionary sight and hearing is absothe saying is indeod tru e thus far. th a t in the dawn of lutely healthy, when the flesh through which it works is virtuous H fe every enthusiasm , and every perception mol healthy; and absolutely diseased, when the flesh is diseased. be trusted as of divine appointm ent; and the marins , “ W hat is the kind of thing an entirely sane mind eeeeP

March 24, 1923.]

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reverentia is due not only to the innocence of children but

to their inspiration. And it follows th a t through the ordinary course of mortal failure and misfortune in the career of nations no less th an of men, the error of their intellect, and the hardening of their hearts, may be accurately measured by their denial of Spiritual Power.” T h e R eality of I n spir a tio n .

Husk in, then, believed in the reality , and the nearness of a World of Spirit and in the possibility, the n ec e ssity , in fact, of every man’s life being governed primarily by that belief. This we may perhaps call the ‘‘norm al” interaction of the two worlds of our experience. We have now to find out how far Ruskin adm itted, and again how far he trusted in. a relationship which, because it is n o t open, or not at all times open, to ordinary men, should be distinguished as ‘‘abnormal.” He was himself careful always to m ark the difference between states of mind which, whilst abnormal, were yet perfectly “ sane,” from those which were due to any diseased condition of the imagination. The great problem of “ inspiration” fascinated him. \How far can we reasonably look upon certain imaginative work which is unquestionably often produced'in a state of the emotions and intellect bordering on the “ autom atic.” as “inspired” by other spiritual forces than those dwelling in our own bodies? The first quotation I shall give as throwing light on this is of rather earlier date th an most of those here printed —written a t a tim e of great reserve and caution in wuese matters:— “What ground have we for thinking th a t A rt has ever been inspired as a.message or revelation? W hat internal evidence is there in the work of g reat artists of their having been under the authoritative guidance of supernatural powers? I t is tr u e th e a n sw e r to so m y s te r io u s a q u e s tio n cannot r e s t alo n e o n in te r n a l e v id e n c e : h u t i t is w ell th a t you should kn o w w h a t m i g h t , fr o m th a t evid en ce a lo n e , be concluded .

“ And the more im partially you examine the pheno­ mena of imagination the more firmly you will be led to conclude th a t they are the result of the influence of the common and vital, h u t n o t. th e r e fo re , less D iv in e , Spirit, of which some portion is given to all living creatures in such manner as may be adapted to their rank in Creation; and that everything which men rightly accomplish is indeed done by Divine nelp. but under a consistent law which is n e v e r departed from. v*> “ The strength of this spiritual life within us may be increased or lessened by our own conduct; .it varies from time to time, as physical strength varies; and it is sum ­ moned on different occasions by our will, and dejeoted by our distress, or our sin; b u t i t iB always eq u a lly h u m a n and equally D iv in e .” Beside this statem ent we must, however, place another, written a t about the same period, giving an equally impor­ tant aspect of the problem. “All the greatest myths have been seen by men who toll them, involuntarily and passively—seen by them with a great distinctness (and in some respects,though not in ' all, under conditions as far beyond the control of their *will ah a dream sent to any of us by night when we dream clearest); and it is this veracity of vision th a t could not bo refused, and of moral th a t could not be foreseen, which in modern historical inquiry has been left wholly out of account; being indeed the thing which no merely historical investigator can understand or even believej for it belongs exclusively to the creative or artistio group of men, and can only he interpreted by those of their race, who themsolves in some measure also see visions and dream dreams.” T h e P sy ch ic R eg io n .

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From the certain ground of these conclusions, Ruskin went on to enquire what m ight be surely held in the more shadowy regions of thought which deal with miracles, visions, omens, warnings by dream and so forth. I t must be explained first th a t so far Ruskin had had (with one exception to be referred to later) no experience whatever, so far as I am able to ascertain, of the “phenomenal” side of Spiritualism as we know i t to-day. In 1804—a t his friend, Mrs.a Cowper-Temple’s wish, he attended some seances then boing held by D. D. Home, the most celebrated medium of th a t day. He was taken with Home’s personality^ and two friendly but not impor­ tant letters from Ruskin to Home have been preserved. Ruskin wrote, shortly after, to his friend, Mrs. Cowper:— “I am very grateful to you for having set me in the sight and hearing of this now world. I don’t see why one should bo unhappy about anything, if all this is indeed so. . . T hat story of tho grapes pleased me best of all. I believe it on Captain Drayton’s word—and it is all I want—a pure and absolute miracle, suoh as th a t of the loaves. I was always ready to accept miracles—if only^ I could get clear and straightforward human evidence of it. It was not tho New or Old Testament th a t staggered me, but tho (to my mind) absurd and improbable way of relating them. I could believe th a t Jesus stood on the

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shore and caused a miraculous draught of fishes, but I could not beliove that the disciples thereupon would im­ mediately have begun dining on the broiled fish.” In another letter we find the usual attitude of astonish­ ment at the apparent lim ita tio n s of spirit power which is so natural to anyone encountering for the first time the phenomena of a stance:— “Dear Mrs. Cowper,—I am too much astonished to be able to think, or speak yet—yet observe, this surprise is a normal state with m e; and has been so this many a day. I am not now more surprised a t perceiving spiritual presence than I have been since I was a youth, a t not perceiving it. The wonder lay always to me, not in miracle but in the want of it; and now it is more the manner and triviality of manifestation than the fact that amazes me. “ On the whole I am much happier for it, and very anxious for next time *, but there is something almost pro­ foundly pitiful, it seems to me, in all that we can conceive of spirits who can’t lift a ring without more trouble than Aladdin took to carry his palace, and I suppose you felt th a t their artistical powers appear decidedly limited. I mean to ask, next time{ for the spirit of Paul Veronese, and see whether it, if it comes, can hold a pencil more than an inch long. . . My mind has been for months so entirely numb with, pain, and so weary, that I am capable of no violent surprise even from all this, and I go about my usual work as if nothing had happened—but with a pleasant thrill of puzzlement and expectation breaking into my thoughts every now and tnen. R u sk in as P sychical R esearcher .

At this point in his life, then, Ruskin could not come to any decision on such “ psychio manifestations” as he had become aware of. I referred above to one early experience of this nature. I t is worth quoting here in full as it is probably unknown to many students of Ruskin. I t seems th a t a t Chamonix, in 1849,aa “ ghost” had been seen by a number of children. Ruskin went to investigate. “ I sent for the children who had seen ner and was really delighted by their gentle and simple manner; really these Chamonix cnildren are very charming creatures, ana it is a pleasure to have any subject of conversation with them. 1 don’t depend on their veracity, however, so much as on their simplicity; all I can say is th at if there be any deception now , they are very much improved in their manner of getting it up since I was last here.” He then describes the children—four little girls and two little boys—and continues: “ All these children had seen for some hours, during Saturday and Sunday last, the figure of a woman in a black dress, with something white across the bosom, a white band across the forehead, and a black round bonnet or cap. _ I t t leaned with its arms folded against the trunk of a pine within two hundred yards of Couttot’s house, and was only visible a t a certain dis­ tance; the children went with me to the place and showed me how far—‘deja ici on oommenca de la voir,’ Constance said, when about ten yards from the tree—a young pine, beside the fence of tho usual cattle path from the Arve bridge. I cross-examined them as to the appearanoe^ of tho phantom, but could get no more details satisfactorily. “They seemed not to liave observed it accurately, but there was no appearance of any understanding among thorn. . . “ The answers were given with the most perfect quiet­ ness and simplicity, as also Elizabeth Balmat’s : the latter child said, 'Ca m’a fait trembler beaucoup’ ; but the others said it had not frightened them, except a little boy who saw it first with Constanoe. and who ran home in a great fright. Couttet went to tne place with them on Sunday lost while the phantom was visible. The first thing he did was to out the branches of the tree, thinking some accidental shadow might deceive the children: a but thisa made no difference. Then he went and stood himself beside the tree tru n k ; the figure was then seen by the children beside him ; he moved away, and it returned to its place. aMonsieur l’Abbo was next sent for, but could make no impression on the Black Lady. I am just going to see what he will say about it. “ (Evening.) I have seen the Abbe, and been down again to tne haunted tree, and repeated Couttet’s experiments,' the apparition being ‘a t ahome’ with the same negative results. The younger priest was down there alsoa and exceedingly puzzled; tho strongest point of the case is the thorough fright sustained by three of the children. It appears th at lost Sunday night one of them could hardly bo kept in his bed, ana was continually crying out that he saw tho figure again; and to day Judith Couttet brought a little boy from tne next village and told him when at the place to look and tell her if he saw anything— “The blood ran into his face, and she saw (she told me) th at ‘Ca lui fit une resolution.’ She asked him, by way of trial, whether it was not a ‘poupet’ that some one had put there. ‘Oe n ’est pas un poupet—c’est grand.’ the child answered. ‘Ca est tout liabilld en rouge r’ asked Judith. ‘Non—c’est habillo tout en noir.’ ‘Mais 9a os joli a voir, n ’est oe pas?’ ‘Non, ca n’est pas joli du toutvdu tout—c’est bien laid.’ The child then turned aside his head, put it against Judith’s side, and would not look any more.” (To he continued.)

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LIGHT, Editorial Offloes, 5, QUEEN SQUARE, LONDON, W.0,1 Ti l . : Muaearn 5100. T il i o Ra i i i : “Survival, Wofltoent, London.” ALL COMMUNICATIONS JNTKNDKD FOR THK EDITOR should be iddrasied to the E d ito r o f “ L ioiit ,” 5, Qiiggii•quire, London, W.C.I. BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS and “ LIGHT” SUB­ SCRIPTIONS should in all cases be addressed to Hutchinson and Co.. 34, Paternoster Row, London, E.C. Cheques and Postal Orders should be made pay­ able to “ L ight.” SUBSCRIPTION RATES.—Twelve months, 22/-; six months, II/-. Payments must be made in advance. ADVERTISEMENTS. AH applications respecting these must bo made to “ L ioht” Advertisem ent. Dept., Hutchinson and Co., 84, Paternoster Row, Lonuon, E.C. T el.; 1462 Central. RATES.—£10 per page; 10s. per inch single column; societies, 8s. per inch; classified advertisements, 9d. per

[March 24, 1928.

much a question of finding spirit*—it may be rather a question of discovering man himself. T hat we shall n ot so easily transcend the btnnii factor, we have the phenomenon of ideoplasticity to assure us. Substance is shaped by Will, or Thought or Idea. M atter is moulded by Mind. That nothing , comes into the material world th a t does not at once assume the appearance and conform to the laws of m atter surprises us n ot a t all. We rather wonder to hear some scientific psychical investigators complain about it. I t seems they, are looking for Spirit. If they do not find it in them selves or in Nature their quest is likely to be endless and hopeless. If man is n ot a spirit here and now we expect no future miracle to moke him one. The miracle has already been worked. The Substance has conform;) to the Great Idea—a supreme example of Ideoplasticity, • Neither Science alone nor Religion alone will prove it Together they assuredly cod and will.

line.

IDEOPLASTIC. I t was, we think, Mias Felioia Scatcherd whs developed, if she did n ot originate, the ideoplaetio theory in connection with some of the perplexing reunite in psychical phenomena.—psychic photography in especial. As a working hypothesis it has a much larger application than to merely supernormal effects. All forms of matter (or substance) appear to be moulded by idea, or shaped by thought, or perhaps we should say by Will, for thought in iteelf has no power. I t is only as the foam on the wave. For the doctrine that all the force (or Will) in Nature that is not humanly directed is blind, mechanical and soulless we have no room in our philosophy. To reduce the proposition to the consideration (for example) of psychic photography, we have seen evidence enough that the jdeopJastic theory is strongly boaeck Have we not beheld, amongst other instances, the photographs of things of which the medium was in­ tently thinking, or the sight of which had impressed itself on his, or her, mind 7 We could quote several coses familiar to all who have carefully studied the subject, where the effects emerged spontaneously and were not, os in the case of Commandant D arget’s examples of thought-photography, the results of experi­ ment in determining whether ''thought form s" would impress themselves on sensitive plates. Tho principle is clear enough to our thinking. When it is generally grasped the facte will fall readily into their true places. We shall then hold the master-key. At present the field seems to be held for the most part by two partios of exactly opposite views. There is the faction, very noisy and rather foolish, who attribute everything to "fraud,’’ and who use the word so frequently that we have become heartily sick of it, and wish them a larger vocabulary. Then there is the side—a rapidly diminishing one—to which- it is a case of spirit agency or nothing. Between the two extremes lies the golden mean of probable truth, and an everincreasing number of thinkers is adopting it. When we talk of spirit-agency wo do not cease to remember that the term may cover a much wider field than that generally assigned to it. We can think of no powers exercised by discamate spirits which man. as a spirit Incarnate may not possess, active or latent. This line of arbitrary distinction between spirits em­ bodied and thoso (Unbodied does not exist in Nature. It is the result of false thinking, the heritage of genera­ tions of theological and scientific ignorance—a great ignorance, marked, as usual, by great arrogance. Let uh put aside for the moment tho idea of human survival, and ask a question. Suppose it is all only a matter of forces hitherto unknown to Science and of substances more ductile to thought or mentul impression than any wo know of in the world of every­ day, is it not even then a matter worthy of serious study 7 Many of the finest minds amongst the Con­ tinental lavanti have found it so. I t may not be so

MORE

“ STORIES OP SUPERNORMAL." To the Editor of

THE CJ

L io n s.

S ib ,—I was very much interested in “ Stories of the Supernorm al’’ in L ight of M arch 10th. Perhaps two of my personal experiences may intent your renders. I m ust preface my accounts by saying tbit I am not a sp iritu a list; th a t is to say, whilst believing in tho possibility of the spirits of tho departing or departed communicating with the sp iritu a l p a rt of our being, I do not believe in departed sp irits being able to communicate with our physical senses. As a very young m an I found myself in Bombay, occupy, ing a junior's post in a n im p o rtan t European firm. As we, the European staff, were all unm arried, we messed together, and as the junior I was given the unenviable post of men president. On one occasion we gave a small dinner-party to our individual chums. My friend, Johnny It----- , ns the guest of the evening, sa t a t my rig h t hand. We set down some twelve, hosts and guests, and i t was a very merry party, but I should like to say th a t we were all or a very tem perate disposition, so inebriety could in no way account for w hat happened. I Towards the end of the dinner my chum J . R. suddenly 3 “ crumpled u p .’’ I can describe i t in no other way, I immediately feared cholera, as it was raging in Bombay it the time. W ith the help of his “ boy" I got him onto my bed, and sent for. a stilt' “ to t" of brandy and soda, after taking which my chum pulled himself together, although I could feel him (till shaking. On my asking him what was the m atter, was ho in pain, did he feel ill P he replied, “ I ’m all rig h t now, old chap; but—well—my brother hai just died I’’ Tho next m orning a telegram came to say his brother had died, promising details by letter. My friend’s brother fa twin brother) was in the same firm, but in the Shanghai branch. On the arrival of the China Mail, he received s letter giving ell details, cause of death, date, and hour. On working out the difference of Bombay and Shanghai time, it was found th a t my poor friend’s brother died whilst we were a t dinner, and just when J . A. collapsed* Tho other case I will give happened to mo when travel­ ling up to London, and in a railway carriage. I may here say th a t my mother had “ second sig h t," and my sister and I were the only ones of a large family who occasionally had “ visions"—the only term wo-could find to fit our peculiar nnd unfortunate “g ift.” Oil this oooasion I on torod a rail­ way compartment, and sat opposite a girl J happened to know, an slio had often sang n t and acted in performances I organised for various charities. Wo chatted on and oil, and then I had ouo of my “supernormal visions,” in which I saw this girl lying on a bed in a poorly-furnished bed­ room with her throat cut 1 The gruesomenesi of it thoroughly woke me up, and I smiled a t myself and thought no more of it. On reaching London I parted with the girl in the ordinnry way, My business detained mo a day or two in London, but when I got homo T was horrified to learn th a t the girl I had mot in the train had run away from homo, and had committed suicide, and been found exactly ns I had seen her in my “ vision." I must leave it to you, Sir, and your psychic readers to account for these "supernorm nlities." Yours, 'ole., C. N. H arocastw. Elinbnnk, Paignton. H r drew a circle th a t shut me out— Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout; But Love and T hod the wit to w in: We drew a circle th a t took him in. — M aukdah.

LIGHT

March 24, 1923 ]

THE OBSERVATORY. LIGHT

ON T H IN G S

IN

GENERAL.

“ Whatever ia found to be objectionable in Spiritualism, let it be rejected by all means; and whatever good is found, let it be held fast; it may prove as the light of the rising sun, which shineth more and more unto tne perfect day." —Written by a clergyman in 1879. # • # # Recently the Chief Constable of Sunderland, Mr. F. J. Crawley, a keen student of psychic and social questions, delivered an address to the members of the Rotary Club of Sunderland on "Some Phases of Crime Psychology." In the course of his remarks Mr. Crawley said:— ' “ It is wrong for a morally disciplined person to con­ demn the filth, sloth, and ineptitude of the slum dweller. The latter is so submerged that he is incapable of rais­ ing himself without assistance. Instead, therefore, of occasionally herding him for industrial, military, or Parliamentary purposes, in respect of which be puts forth but feeble effort, he should be offered ain exchange for improved housing conditions, security 'of employment, sickness, and old-age benefits, a social disciplinary code which would have the effect of compulsorily requiring domestic cleanliness, orderliness, care of family, and the development of self-pride, thrift and industry. Too much freedom is not good for anyone, but much less is that so in the case or people of weak mentalities, the products of nial-nourisbment, disease, and degeneracy; control is positively necessary in their own interest as well as that of the rest of the community. What actually sets up that peculiar mental condition which directs a •person to take his life, or, for that matter, any spas­ modic criminal act, is largely in the realm of conjecture, but which might ultimately receive further solution. through the new science of metapsychics." In concluding his address, Mr. Crawley said that he was satisfied that a continuance of this life was now scientifically provable, and when this was fully understood and appre­ ciated, man would be stimulated by such a desire for upHftment of his fellows that slums and oppression generally would disappear. # # • • Sir Oliver Lodge lectured at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, on the evening of March 14th, his subect being, “ The Possibilities for Future Research iu Physics." According to the report in the “ Evening Standard" the following day. Sir Oliver, in the course or a reference to ectoplasm, said: “ The strange organic material so much studied or late on the Continent and called ecto­ plasm (a term generally applied to a 'Substance which Spiritualist mediums are said to produce from their bodies) or bioplasm, which seemed to exhibit the tendency or power of organic matter to take definite form in a rapid manner capable of observation, was curiously sensitive to ultraviolet light, which seemed to disintegrate it. But apart from that rather troublesome peculiarity, and though tne difficulties of its investigation at the present time seemed almost insuperable, yet certain physiologists on the Continent were investigating it, and he felt sure that in its properties would be fauna much helpful information as regarded the mechanism of the construction of organised forms generally. For it surely must be admitted that the way in which a mass of protoplasm was controlled or guided or constrained to form itself into, a definite shape by the controlling entity,'which, so to speak, got hold of it was essentially mysterious and unknown. _Then it was not altogether out of harmony with other biological knowledge concerning larval and pupal stages in development; and it was in Accordance with the fact that the same identical food could result in a chicken, a pig, or a man, or ulti­ mately might contribute to an oak, apple, or a rose, accord­ ing to the dominating vital principle in each cose. If we can find some substance which rapidly goes through forma­ tive changes and yields results which can be photographed and of which prominent plaster casts con be taken we ought to welcome such opportunities for investigation; and if wo have not the opportunity of conducting those researches ourselves we should surely welcome and encourage those who are encountering these difficulties in a patient and scientific manner for the first time. Strange to say, however, orthodox science does not encourage them. The inquirers in Paris, for instance, are aencountering ^much hostility, and I anticipate ^some outcries at my daring to mention so outcast a subject in these august precincts. However, there it is. Tlio last word has not been said, and whatever the outcry may be and however unpopular it is 1 shall continuet to advocate keeping the door open to inquiry and examining even the most unlikely and capricious facts, which perhaps not we, but certainly our posterity, will realise to lie full of interest and importance. • • • • In our issue of March 10th, on page 168, we had occasion to give two lottors, one from the Rev. Charles L. Twoodale, and the other in which the Rev. Edward Rust replied; hotil letters appeared in the “ Church Family_News­ paper" of February 9th and 16th respectively. In the tamo journal, in its issue for March 16th, Mr. Tweedal©

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replies to Mr. Rust’s comments and opinions on the subject of popular hymns, describing after death states as follows:— My attention has been drawn to the letter of the Rev. E. Rust. I can only repeat that the statements and doctrines set forth in the hymn verses I quoted are false from beginning to end. I do n o t say that “ the Scriptures are false from beginning to end as Mr. Rust alleges. That is a very different thing. Mr. Rust says: “ Granting these premises," etc., etc. Just so: but we do not grant these premises, because they are fundamentally false. The Church’s belief that at the Resurrection the goal is re-united to the mortal body is absolutely contrary to the facts of human experience, both ancient and modern. There is an extraordinary similarity between the Church’s belief and that of the ancient Egyptians, as touching resurrection. Both systems in­ sist on the reunion of body and soul in the resurrection; but while the Egyptian says this will occur in three thou­ sand years after death, the Christian says it will at the Last Day, and does not know when that will be. The Egyptian carefully preserved the body, the Christian allows it to decay. Both systems embody the same error, and their teaching concerning the resurrection of the* mortal body is totally false. A careful examination of the account of Christ’s personal demonstration of resur­ rection during the great forty days, in the light of modem knowledge and experience, shows conclusively that these were materialisations of the spiritual body, exactly similar to those seen in modern times. The facts with which my pamphlet and book deal are “ new" to the vast majority of Cnarch-people, who are almost entirely ignorant of the real facts. Many of these facts were un­ known both to Apostles and Prophets, and represent the advance of knowledge due to the application of scientific methods and discoveries, utterly unknown in their day. They are part of the “ greater things" of John xiv. 12. Mr. Rust will probably be sorry to near that my “ penny pamphlet’ ’— this, by the way, is not its price—is now at the dose of its nineteenth edition, and has circulated all over the world, and is eagerly read wherever available. • • • • Two houses in the little town of Pontardawe, in the Swansea Valley, are said to be haunted. At one, occupied by a well-known metal broker, telegraphs the “ Daily Chronicle" correspondent, the charwoman is said to have met and recognised her late master, the previous occu­ pant of the house, and to have fallen prone in terror. Two servants successively have since given n o tice to leave the house, stating that they had seen the late occupier of the house digging in the garden. Whilst very reticent about the ghost or her late master, the charwoman joined her husband in making the remarkable statement that in her own house in the same town an old violin persistently plays in the night. She says she has awakened her husband and gone downstairs, when they found the case of the violin open and sounds emanating from it, the violin lifting it­ self sideways. They have pulled off the strings, but still the sounds are heard. None of the children will go into the parlour, where the fiddle is now resting in a cupboard. The fiddle bears the date 1624. • • • • We will again return this week to the subject of those who see in Spiritualism and its phenomena evidences that it is all untrue or that the “ cult," as they call it, is utterly bad. It is important to study these opinions sometimes as they are occasionally applauded by large audiences of devout* Church people, whose thinking is done for them, though we cannot discern much thinking in operation on the part of those who claim to know. But here and there the horns and tail of an ulterior motive show up very plainly in the immediate surroundings of those “ ex­ perts" in Psychic Science and Spiritualism. The “ Tablet ' of March 10th reports:— Under the auspices, of the Glasgow Branch of the Catholic Truth Society of Scotland a lecture on “ Spirit­ ualism" was delivered, in the MacLellan Galleries, Glas­ gow, on March 5th, by the Rev. Herbert Thurston, S.J;, who said: “ They never received through sp iritualistic channels any communication which, from a lite ra ry or scientific point of view, was of any value whatever or worthy of the genius of those who had passed over. The result of the failures of Spiritualism had been in a great many cases to disappoint and sadden the lives of some of those who had been very earnest in the creed." The “ Sheffield Independent" of March 12th reports:— Mr. A. T. Gray, the well-known Hillsbro’ revivalist, addressed a large audience at the Hillsbro’ Tabernacle on March 11th on “ Death— What After?” He was going to show, he daid, by quotations from five books or the Scriptures what did really happen after death. He de­ scribed Spiritualism as the work of the devil, and asked if it was necessary to “ pierce the veil" when all the in­ formation could be found in the Bible. Mr. Algernon Ashton, in the course of a letter to the 'Pall Mall and Globe” of March 13th. writes:— All sensible poopl* know that “ astrology" is _sheer humbug, and can only be compared with that idiotic creed called “ Spiritualism."

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[March 24, 1923,

S S ^ ___________________ _____________________________________

_•'V’r

SPIRITUALISM ANDIUTS MISSION, i

SOME SPRING TIME REFLECTIONS. BY B. M. GODSAL.

With the arrival of the vernal equinox Spiritualists should recall that at this time the spirit .world commenced the demonstrations which finally broke through the barrier of human insensibility, and opened up for mortals and spirits of every degree a natural way o f communication be­ tween the two worlds.**. These events did not come unannounced. Dr. J. M. Peebles has told us that during an irruption of spirit in­ fluence among the Shakers at Mt. Lebanon, N.Y., a prophecy was recorded that before long the spirit-workers would withdraw from their more congenial, because more spiritual, friends, and wonld go forth into the highways and byways of the world and broadcast the gospel of spirit com­ munion to all mankind; a prophecy fulfilled shortly after­ wards at the outlying collection of houses known as Hydesrille. Moreover, among the numerous memoranda or im­ pressions and visions that A. J. Davis, the prophet and forerunner of Spiritualism, recorded and subsequently printed as “ Events in the Life of a Seer,” we find an entity dated March 31st, 1848. as follows: “ About daylight this ' morning a warm breathing passed oyer my face, and I heard a voice, tender anu yet peculiarly strong, saying, 'Brother! The good work is begun— behold, a living de­ monstration is born!’ . . The breathing and the voice ceased immediately, and I was left wondering what could be meant by such a message.” And in a footnote, A. J. D. adds: “ Afterward I learned that, at this time, spirit communication was established at Hydesvillo, N.Y.* Tm L iv in g D emonstration . The story of that day. when Spiritualism was brought into the world, is too well known to be repeated here. The viUago chosen as the birthplace of .this “ Jiving demonstra­ tion” was situated at a safe distance from the centres of learned obscurantism, and was the home of a simple and intelligent people who had gained independence of spirit through lives spent in direct contact with nature. The message which these plain folks received and forthwith bravely proclaimed to the world is now, on this seventyfifth anniversary of its utterance, securely established. And when the burden of this message has gained world-wide acceptance, and spirit communion is recognised as a fact in nature, mankind will be in possession of a formula under which the world’s innumerable religions may come together, and reason together, and worship together, _until their separate identities Become lost in universal religion. This much desired consummation is hindered by the pride of intellect that rejects the#only conditions under which spiritual truth may lie received. And the condi­ tions that bring about this “ receptivity” consist, as of old, in faith and humhle-mindedness. But there are many scientists who begin an investigation by arraying their mental forces in opposition to the spiritual forces.^ Afraid of being classed as credulous believers, they fall into the more hopeless category of credulous doubters. With such materially-minded mortals, intrenched in a material world, the gods contend in vain. For if the angels remain in their heavens and attempt to com­ municate by means of impression, as spirit to spirit, their existence is denied, and their spirit-emanations are assigned to some kind of efflorescence of chemical activity; and if the angels come down to earth and take on mortal habili­ ments. with consequent restrictions, in order to thrust palpable material proof under the noses of these purblind scientists, then the latter jeer at the character of the pheno­ mena. and express a hope that their own intellects may perish rather than be reduced to so low an ebb. They are like blind men in a dark night, jeering at the helplessness of those who possess eyesight, and praying that they may never survive the loss of their blindness. Based as it is upon intuition as well as upon intellect. Spiritualism touches both religion and science, and is very generally condemned by each. For the intellect and the intuition are at variance, and Spiritualism comes to harmonise them by demanding the services of each. The purpose of the intellect is to examine, and analyse, and give definite shape to the general truths received by intuition. Nevertheless Spiritualism is frequently denounced as want­ ing in spirituality, liecause it inculcates scant reverence for sacred places and symbols and services that change with changing human opinion. But qur Faith is rich in the spirituality from which it takes its pame—-that spiritual quality which lies within the reach of all men. aud which has been defined by the spirit speaking through a worthy medium, Mrs. M. M. King, as “ fitness to comprehend principles concealed from sensuous observation; an opening of the perceptions to catch the full significance of truth.”

f i

T he S piritual P rogramme.

In the early days of Spiritualism, the controlling angels on several occasions divulged their plans for the new dis­ pensation, plans to which they have sinoe adhered. For instanoe, we are told by Judge Edmonds, in his “Tract No. 13,” that after some ten years of the physical manifesta­ tions the spirits informed him that in future they would provide less of these, and more of the mental manifesta­ tions, giving as their reason that* the former pandered to love of the marvellous, without bringing any conviction of a real intercourse with the spirit-world. This accounts, no doubt, for the strict economy with which “ signs ana wonders” are dealt out to-day. For it is still true that unthinking people derive little else than entertainment from such marvels: and men of science are able to dispose of them by stretching the materialistic conception of life until it serves to take in the phenomena— very much as the science of a former age extended the geocentric theory to include all the apparent movements of the heavenly bodies. Hcnoe we see that the progress of Spiritualism is not to be gauged by the abundance of startling phenomena. The amount of real progress is better indicated by the degree in which Spiritualism has succeeded in shifting the centre of gravity of our daily lives from a material to a spiritual basis, and by its success in transforming our rigid systems of science and religion into living organisms in conscious touch with spirit. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that minds steeped in materialism do at first need the abnormal physical manifestations, to guide them through the “No Man’s Land” which lies between the material -and the spiritual worlds. On another occasion Judge Edmonds was informed by the spirits that they intended to “ diffuse their powers among many people, and broadcast all over the world; and in order to avoid the formation of sects, which had for ages been a curse to mankind, they would now take care that no one person should, under any circumstances, hare an undue pre-eminence over his fellows in the work, and thereby give to one mind a rule over many.” During the fifty years that have elapsed sinoe this message was received, the angels have adhered strictly to the plans therein laid down; and we all know how completely they have succeeded ia preserving our movement from becoming a sect, or from falling into the hands of any one person, or of any one nation. So far from being a _sect Spiritualism does not invite a man to change his religion—except to broaden it. Spiritualism, the foundation of all the religions, bears to­ ward them a relationship similar to that which humanity bears toward the different nations; and a man can serve humanity best through the nation to which he belongs. In regard to leadership, many people would welcomes' Moses to lead them out of t h e war-made wilderness; and many people are looking for the Christ to return in some expected and recognisable manner. But does God repeat himself? Is thoro such a thing as a rehearsal of Divine events? A new revelation must, in the nature of things, come in an unrecognised form, and be subversive of estab­ lished systems; otherwise it would not lie new, and would serve rather to narrow, than to broaden, our outlook. It is because Spiritualism is free of all leadership imposed from without, and relies for support upon a natural human quality found scattered throughout every community that it bids fair to overspread the earth. T h e T ask B e fo r e U s .

But this world-wide inelusiveness is not agreeable to the churches, whose tendency is rather towards exclusiveness. 1 he churches, rooted in the past, and resting their authority upon a bodv of doctrine that has been handed down through many generations, are naturally disturbed when Spiritualism breaks the entail, as it were, and declares that the means of salvation are vested in each man individually, that the past lives in and is explained by the present, that prophets still prophesy, angels still minister to our needs, marvels are still offered in evidence of spirit existence. The Pro­ testant Churches have for so long held that prophets and wonder-working saints no longer exist outside of( Bible history, that the faithful have acquired a fanciful impres­ sion respecting prophets and apostles, an impression en­ gendered during long rermons by gazing at the luminous pictures in church windows. Consequently, if we would enable the public mind to harmonise the facts of to-day with Bible facts it is necessary either to cut out the aureoles and halos from the^sacaed scenes— a depressing task_or else to stir up the Imaginations of plain people until the drab events of their duly lives appear transin-

March 24,1928.] . | I

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cent and haloed, with the light of heaven shining through— together, in the only feasible manner, by internal rapproche­ a more difficult task truly, but a task which Spiritualism is ment. Is Spiritualism, then, never to enjoy a triumph of performing to-day. its own? Let us admit th at our Faith is neither more nor less than the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth. And Nevertheless oertain churches accuse Spiritualism , of let us remember th a t this Heavenly Kingdom has been trafficking with the devil! This is perhaps the earliest likened, by Him who knew it best, to leaven, and that leaven \ charge that our pioneers had to face. E. W. Capron, who attains its perfect expression—its “ triumph”—by losing was intimately connected with the beginnings of “ Modern its identity in the making of good bread. Spiritualism,” tells us in this excellent book, printed in • Although Spiritualism was greatly favoured at its in­ 1855, which every Spiritualist, should read, th a t in ’48 the ception by the fact th a t it appeared in a newly established Fox family “ were charged with being in league with the community, and among minas actuated by keen curiosity devil.” And we read th a t when Mrs. Fox had been “ re­ quired to give up th a t over which she had no control,” and unhampered by the restraints th at tradition imposes, and had. been soundly lectured by her pastor “ whose chief nevertheless, when opposition had once arisen, the first 1 arguments were impudence and arrogance,” she and her mediums had anything but an easy time among a people, th a t has never been noted for its generous treatment or husband “pursued by the relentless slanders of th e minister defenceless minorities. Capron testifies, “I have seen j and the church. . . . withdrew from the congregation.” men’s business prospects blighted, and their families made Similar “arguments” are having a similar effect on Spirit­ to suffer, because tney would not deny the facts they had ualists to-day. witnessed. . . . I have heard the character of persons, Do our critics ever consider what is the essential male and female, traduoed in the pulpit, the lecturecharacteristic of devil-worship? “ W ebster’s International room, and the drawing-room, because they could give a I Dictionary” defines it as “ . . . th e animism or desubstantial reason for tne hope th at was in them. . . ,. monism of tribes and peoples whose rites are mainly pro­ Women have been declared insane, and taken from their pitiatory and magical.” B ut as Spiritualism is the very homes, when their insanity consisted in a knowledge beyond antithesis of this, “ our withers are unwrung.” Spirit­ the majority around them, etc.” ualism teaches “ personal responsibility,” under a “ law of consequenoe,” and denies th e efficacy, or th e need, of every A M emorial to the F ox S isters. kind of propitiation, expiatory^ rite, or ,vicarious sacrifice. At any rate Webster’s definition supplies us with a dis­ A movement is on foot to-day to raise funds, for a tinguishing m ark, by which we may recognise a so-called memorial to the three Fox sisters, whose courage in bear­ devil—as any spirit (or supposed spirit) th a t has to be pro­ ing open witness to the tru th which had been revealed to pitiated or appeased in any way whatsoever. In a very real them has earned the gratitude of all Spiritualists., Capron sense the devil is worshipped to-day, though innocently be­ emphasises the devotion of the eldest of the sisters,, as cause ignorantl^ by th e people who ascribe to his will the follows: “ If ever Spiritualism proves a permanent blessing splendid gifts of hope, and of encouragement in well-doing, to all mankind, the name of Ann Leah Brown (Fox) should and of incitements to love and purity, and tru th , which stand conspicuous as one of the heroines of history who Spiritualism is daily bringing for mankind. B ut perhaps fought th e battle against a world, of opposition, while her this cry of “devils” does some good, inasmuch as it warns younger sisters were the onlv media, ana after she became off irresponsible persons, who from lack of use have not one herself.” Let us by all means make what amends we had “their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” : can for the falsehoods and indignities th at our first mediums just as little children are sometimes warned against all have had to endure, and to a limited extent are still en­ strangers,,because some of them m ight be bad men. And during, in so far as immortal souls may be vexed by human this warning is more especially needed, perhaps, by the perversity. And let us remember th a t in giving gladly we ultra-religious, of whom Capron wrote th a t “ fanaticism on give tw ice; for not only do we thus erect an outward symbol the subject of Spiritualism was exhibited mostly by persons of esteem and gratitude, but we also set up its ethereal who had been over-zealous in religious enthusiasm.” This counterpart in tne spirit home of the sisters whose stead­ crazy fanaticism has now swung to its opposite extreme. fastness in maintaining the tru th th at had been confided to them it is our privilege to commemorate. A P ermeating I n f l u e n c e . Our Faith has never, not even in its earliest days, wanted for adherents among the best minds of the times, It was not long after th e first real message -from the although to superficial minds the phenomena, have ever Beyond had been slowly spelled o u t: “ We are all your dear seemed trivial and worthless. Let us close, with the wise friends and relatives” —th a t contradictory statem ents be­ words of Sarah H . Whitman, the poet, written when the gan to* cause some confusion among th e pioneers. They new Spiritualism was but, four years old, and was a matter had yet to learn th a t th e 'successful conveyance of tru tn “everywhere spoken against.” • Referring to the messages - depends as much, upon th e receiving mind as upon the as “ tne strange and beautiful truths which have so en­ mind that would, impart. B u t they were not left without larged the perspective of the future, and made the present ^guidance. From one of th e early messages we read, rich with significance and hope” she declares that, “The "Spirits are anxious for all m ankind to be convinced of the manifestations of our day are not fortuitous and abnormal. truth of spiritual communication. B ut if persons come to They indicate a law to which, by patient research, we shall A the investigation of i t determined to prove i t deception, yet attain. God has not introduced phantasms into His we will take no pains to satisfy them in their answers; for universe to mislead and beguile us. . . . We must a person possessing -such a disposition is not prepared to endeavour to distinguish between the use and the abuse of reoeive our instruction. H e m ust go through some prethese mysterious agencies. An, enlargement of the, domain aratory process before he can receive our teachings.” of thought, or action, always implies new responsibilities, 'rom this we may learn th a t th e veil between t h e , two and demands higher virtues from nim who would use them worlds is designed both to conceal and to reveal spiritual wisely and beneficently. . . We await the unfolding things. For we -seem to d e te c t, a spiritual osm osis a t of God’s benignaitt purpose in serenity and hope.” work, by means of which th e spiritual influences of either world freely intermingle through the thin partition, th a t San Diego, Cal. proves an impenetrable b arrier to intellectual pride. Be­ January 23rd, 1923. lief in direct communication with Omniscience, whether by means of Bible te x t or through spirit-message, has ever proved a stronghold for bigotry ana intolerance. Spirit­ T here is a selfishness beneficial to th e individual and to ualists, at any rate, are delivered from this gross error, those around him —th e selfishness th a t knows .its own and from all bondage to the word, by the very contradic­ desires, an d in th e joy of attain in g , spills superfluous joy tions they so often deplore. B ut notwithstanding the around so th a t those who lack through inability to a ttra c t f frequent discrepancies, th ere flows a wonderful consistency joy to themselves receive happiness through th a t other’s of teaching throughout spirit messages which, taken as a selfishness.—E. K. G. • whole, may truly be said to represent the voice of God to M aeterlinck and P sychic F orces.—Many people say mankind—though not,* of course, each* message taken “ W hat is the use of seeking? You will find nothing. separately. Such tilings are God’s secrets. He will keep them to Him­ Capron, writing in th e early ’fifties, foresees th a t “The self?” These are the people who like ignorance better only enemy Spiritualism need have , to dread will be the than knowledge. By this sort of reasoning, had men disposition to se cta risc it, and to bind the minds of its acted upon it, the world would have been steeped in dark­ recipients to'some supposed authority or creed.” And T. B. Hall, another early w riter on Spiritualism, gives warn­ness to-day. I t is the mode of reasoning used by those who are too lazy or too careless to think themselves. They are ing that 1‘Walls which to-day may shut out evil, may to­ like the simple-hearted ancient geographers who wrote on morrow prove barriers to th e approach, of good.’,’ So far, their maps or the world beside tne Pillars of Hercules (re­ Spiritualists have resisted any tem ptation to gain an im­ presenting the Straits of Gibraltar) hie deficit omm.es—here mediate and local advantage a t the cost of their birthright ends the world!, Setting aside superstitions, errors, hoaxes of universal dominion; nor does i t appear likely th a t they and base deceptions, we must acknowledge th at there re­ will attempt to compress their, ever expanding revelation main , psychic forces worthy the study or him who would into any sort of creedal definition whatever. Our move­ investigate them. These forces reveal to us th at we live in ment, baaed as i t is on natural law, is not a subject for the midst of an invisible world—a world in which forces, copyright; and it is a noticeable fact th a t the beautiful invisible to the average eye, and of which we as yet know . teachings we receive are never addressed to us, as to_ a little, are ever a t work. We have entered into an investi­ 11 separate people, but are given through us to all humanity. gation of a world as ancient as th e human race, new to An the same, a complaint is sometimes heard th a t the experim ental science. Only recently, comparatively, has Churches are adopting Spiritualistic views without due t h i s , subject occupied the minds of men. Within an in­ acknowledgment. B ut surely this is no great cause for credibly short space of years .it has created an interest for dissatisfaction. I t is thus th a t the tru th we stand for will itself in all countries.—“ L ’I nconotj” (The Unknown). permeate all the Churches, and eventually will bring them

J

!

S

188

L IG H T ECTO PLASM . T o th e E d ito r o f L ight .

Sib ,—As many inquirers into the physical phenomena of Spiritualism seem to be sceptical of the reality of ecto­ plasm, perhaps these few words may help to dispel their doubts. The word “ ectoplasm " is frequently used in tq*u senses: ( 1 ) as the substance or m aterial which exudes from the medium, and (2 ) according to its derivation ( ectos and p la sm a ), as th e th in g fo r m e d o u ts id e him. In both senses the word may be applied to the sp id e r, who from th e exuda­ tion of a viscid m atter from his frail body weaves the beautiful and imprisoning web for the unwary fly destined for his larder. Subject to the good and stable condition of his leafy surroundings, his work will be extremely delicate, symmetrical and beautiful, but if helpful conditions are lacking, then his 'dainty stru ctu re will reveal broken threads and irregularities. This viscid substance we may call ectoplasm, and the same word may be used to express the w eb of the spider, since the weaving process is carried on o u tsid e of him self: and he is the w e a v e r. B u t the simile of the medium to the spider can only refer to the e x u d e d su b sta n ce. The web of the spider is always the same pattern, always stationary, always lifeless, the quality of its substance is always the sam e: and so, in all these par­ ticulars it differs from the phenomenon of m aterialisation. It is therefore reasonable to suppose th a t these last are n o t produced by the m e d iu m , but are th in g s formed o u ts id e him by some agency not himself. The m aterial of ecto­ plasm may be unpleasant, or even repulsive, to the casual observer, but the processes employed for the construction of many things are not attractive in the early stages of their development, whilst in their final accomplishment they are both agreeable and beautiful. W ith reference to the rela­ tion of spiders and mediums to ectoplasm i t may be noted th a t probably all who have frequently assisted a t dark seances have experienced, a t one tim e or another, the sen­ sation of coming in contact with something exactly resemb­ ling in texture a s p id e r 's w e b . I am not a scientist, but i t needs no science to perceive the immense im portance :of the discovery of the ectoplasm ; and the Spiritualistic ex­ planation or the causes which m o u ld ana use i t in the phenomena of mediumship, seems the only reasonable one. —Yours, etc., - Alice -A. -K imbht . Eagle Lodge, Ramsgate. March 17th, 1923.

M r s . R oberts J ohnson will be in London from April 13th to ISth (inclusive). L etters should be addressed c /o L ight , 5, Queen-square, W.C. P ropagating S piritualism .—On Sunday afternoon a well-attended meeting was held a t the Stanley H all, Tufnell Park, London, N., under the auspices of the N orth London Spiritualist Propaganda Committee, of which body M r. R .. Ellis is Hon. Secretary. The chair was occupied by M r. George E. W right, Secretary of the L.S.A., Who in intro­ ducing the speaker, referred to the fact th a t these m eetings had been specially organised for propaganda purposes. F or the benefit of those new to the subject, he wished to empha­ sise the fact th a t Spiritualists only asked the public to consider the evidence for sp irit communication in a free and open spirit. They did not desire th a t anyone should accept the subject on th eir a u th o rity ; but they appealed to facts. A very stim ulating address was given by Mr. Ernest Meads, entitled “ W hat Spiritualism M eans." The speaker commenced by alluding to some personal experiences of his own in regard to sp irit communications. As a man accustomed to look facts in the face, he could have no doubt as to w hat these experiences m eant. _H e did not believe th a t anyone who investigated the siibject carefully and sincerely could fail to reach the same conclusions as he had. He emphasised the fact th a t his knowledge of S pirit­ ualism had onlv strengthened and confirmed his belief in the fundamental C hristian verities. A t the conclusion of the address, clairvoyance was given by Mrs. E. Neville, who j had some remarkable successes. D uring the proceedings a by__Miss A. Willcox. The solo was a d m i r a b• l rendered y _____ H Q meeting was the first under the auspices of the Committee, and was undoubtedly most successful. I t is hoped to hold further meetings of the same kind monthly during May* and June. O bituary : M b . D. L kkchman.— The Lewisham Spirit-, ualist Church has suffered a severe loss in the passing over of its Vice-President, Mr. D. Leeclnnan. H e was operated upon on Saturday, March 17th, for the removal of an abdominal abscess, *but unfortunately passed away on Sun-1 day morning. Our love and sympathy go out to Mrs. Leechman in the g reat loss she has sustained. Mr. Leechman bad endeared himself to the membership during his associa­ tion with us, first as President, and then as Vice-President, liis sincerity, earnestness and good humour did much foi the success of our church, jind we are hopeful th a t his counsel and help may be continued from the other side.— IT. J . S ykes .

[M arch 24, 1923

RAYS AND REFLECTIONS.

T h at the Photographic F a ir a t Holland Park should hare n section devoted _ to “ sp irit photographs" has a signjjj I canoe of its own. To use an ancient and moss-grown phrase I 1 it is a sign of the times. I t is worth noting, for instance' th a t this feature of the F a ir was not originated by 8pii^, ualists. The in vitation to m ake the exhibit came fromiL promoters of the F a ir, and was ta rrie d out under the diret tion of M r. H . W. Engholm, whose talents as an organiser 1 . | found profitable scope in th is direction. On my visit to the E xhibition, I gathered that tin “ ghostly" photographs had an attractio n which was vari. on sly expressed. I t seemed to be in some cases the “attn* tion of repulsion." I t drew n o t only serious enquirers and thoughtless sensation-seekers, b u t also contemptuous Sad. ducees, and w rathful “ religious" fanatics. An hour in the room provided q uite a comedy. The representative of i daily paper found the display interesting and impressive, b u t not quite convincing. One of the visitors informed me th a t the whole th in g was an obvious imposture. He could have faked the whole exhibition himself, he said, knowing som ething of photography. There was a pleasing modesty about this statem ent, which I g reatly enjoyed. One vocifer­ ous person found in the exhibition a menace to religion, and an offence to the san ctity of deaths (I wish, by the way. th a t some of these people would pay more attention to tne need for regarding life w ith a t least the same rever­ ence, and doing som ething to “ sanctify" that.) On the whole, i t was a fru itfu l ho u r; one gathered so much of the kind of reactions which the exhibition is eliciting from the public m ind. The m ain th in g is to know that an im­ pression has been m ade. We can leave the course of time and the teachings of experience to clarify the impression, and bring it into its tru e proportions with the phenomena of daily life, which are not less worthy of consideration because they are not purely psychic phenomena. A fter these serious reflections on the Fair, one may be perm itted a flippancy or two. There was an orchestra, and i t occurred to me th a t th e “ M arch of the Camera Men1' m ight have been one of th e m usical items. And after an inspection of some of the m ore beautiful examples of photo, graphy, it seemed th a t th e cam era is not really a roe to graphic a rt. L ig h t travels and makes its impression far afield. It is • frequently quoted by th e foreign and colonial Press. The j last exam ple before me is the Buenos Aires “ Standard,” of F ebruary 2nd, which, am ougst other items of psychic | interest, quotes from L ig h t the whole of the article on j “ C apital P unishm ent: Its E thical and Psychical Aspects' by ft. H , F .

Someone suggested recently th a t the hostile activities of a certain branch of Psychical Research are due to the presence of “ young blood"—youth and inexperience. We. can hardly accept th a t explanation. As a distinguished contributor to L ig h t rem arked th e other day, one looks to youth for initiative, originality and the progressive; spirit. The desire to “ c rab " advance and to hold back a movement ra th e r belongs to cautious old age than to youth. Unless i t is th a t kind of youth which Sir W. 8 . Gilbert satirised in “ Bab B allads" in th e case of the child who died “ an enfeebled old d o tard " a t five. A correspondent, A. E. Cook, sends me the following:; “ A friend told m e he visited last year an Army Record* Office in Scotland, to inquire about his son, missing since 1915, and th e colonel th ere told him his only chance was to join a Spiritualistic Society. H e warmly objected, say­ ing th a t he had a conscience. The reply came at once, “ Well, it is eith er your son or your conscience—whichever you like I" A daily paper p rin ts an account of the “ Ghost Music of a V iolin." Doubtless the music consisted of “haunting” melodies. D. 0. TH E

VISION

SPLEN D ID .

How strange and wonderful Life gleams 1 *Tis darkest night when brightest beams Are flashed from yonder d istan t stars, So in “ the soul's dark n ig h t" no bars Of cloud can keep us from t h e . rays T hat stream from B right Ones to whoso gase Unveiled Creation’s m ystery stands, N or shut us from the healing hands Of those who loved us in the spheres, Whence we emerged to m ortal years, And, loving still, their radiance cast, Till e a rth ’s grey pilgrimage is past, And like a rone of shining gold The petals of the Soul unfold. F. R. S.

L I G H T

March 24, 1923.]

189

REV. O. VA LE O W E N 'S L E C T U R E TO U R. To th e E d ito r o f L ight .

Sib,—H aving now re c e iv e d a p p lic a tio n s fro m t h e l i s t o f owns enum erated below , w h ic h I h a v e a r r a n g e d a s f a r as Possible for th e follo w in g m o n th s , s t a r t i n g fr o m A u g u s t next u n til M ay, 1924, s h o u ld a n y . S o c ie tie s o r P s y c h ic groups which h ave n o t y e t a p p lie d c a r e t o d o so b e fo re th e list March, a rra n g e m e n ts w o u ld b e m a d e t o in c lu d e th e m , prior to fixing d a te s, e tc . Full replies a n d p a r tic u la r s w ill b e s e n t t o e v e ry a p p li­ cant by the first wees: i n A p ril. Thanking you fo r y o u r h i n d a s s is ta n c e .— Y o u rs, e tc ., A l b er t J . S t u a rt , H o n . O rg a n is in g S e c r e ta r y . 19, A lbert-road, S o u th p o r t. M arch 16th, 1923. July, 1923.—L o n d o n ; s p e c ia l w elcom e m e e tin g o n ly ; Queen’8 H a ll. August.—S t. L e o n a rd s, B r ig h to n , W o r th in g , P o r ts m o u th , B ournem outh, E x e te r , T o r q u a y , P ly m o u th , B rid g w a te r . September.—B ris to l, B a t h , N e w p o r t, B la ck w o o d , C a rd iff, Ferndale, M e rth y r-T y d fil, P o r t T a lb o t, P o n ty p r id d , Swansea, B rid g e n d , B r y n a m m a n , October.—R ichm ond, K in g s to n , W im b le d o n . C la p h a m , Tufnell P a rk , H o lla n d P a r k , F o r e s t ‘G a te , P lu m s te a d , Bowes P a r k , M a ry le b o n e , S t . A lb a n s, N o rw ic h , G r e a t Y armouth, L u to n . November.—N o ttin g h a m , B ir m in g h a m , C o v e n try , W o r­ cester, D a rla sto n , S to u r b r id g e , N u n e a to n . Deoember,—M a n c h e ste r, M o ss S id e , C o n g le to n , H a n le y , Shrewsbury, L iv e rp o o l, S t. H e le n s , B ir k e n h e a d . Chester.

THE BUIE ISLAND T he Experiences of a new arrival “ beyond the Veil.” Communicated by

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— I m QUES TI ONS A N D

ftM

191

■— WT AN S WE RS . 1

iTT- 5

Conducted by the Editor.

1 1

!D EADERS are invited to write to us with any questions arising out of their inquiries into Spiritualism and Psychical Research, and we will reply to them on this page. If it is a question of wide general interest we may, however, deal with it in another partjof the paper. We will also send personal replies where this is desirable. We do not hold ourselves responsible for manuscripts, photographs, or other enclosures, unless they are forwarded in registered covers and accompanied by stamped, addressed envelopes for return. We are always glad of comments or of information that may usefully supplement the answers given.

i ■f t ”.

-

--------- 2 S

: =

Nora.—In future we propose to make our replies of a more general character, as many of the questions asked are such as occur to others than the original inquirer. Our replies therefore will be no longer addressed to some particular correspondent but will deal not only with personal inquiries but with subjects under discussion and the problems of Spiritualism generally. Less im­ portant questions will be answered under “ Answers to Correspondents.” ANDREW JA C K S O N D A V IS A N D M E D IU M S H IP .

The frequent mention lately of the name of this great clairvoyant, sometimes known as the “ Poughkeepsie Seer,” has led to requests for more information regarding him. But there are several books on the subject, including his own autobiography and his many volumes of teachings, so that we do not feel it necessary to give much here. We have published a great deal concerning him in L i g h t , and shall later have more to say. For th e present we need only refer to the magnificent range of his teachings and the splendid lucidity of his vision of life. He is a philo­ sopher who has not yet come into his own. In one of his books, “The Present Age and Inner Life,” he gives a “Table of Mediumship” and a close analysis of all its phases. That souroe of information, if it had been consulted and followed by Spiritualists, would have been invaluable. I t would have enabled them to avoid the pitfalls and misunderstand­ ings into which many investigators have fallen, and which have led to so much of humiliation and perplexity. It would have shown how carefully the results o f mediumship need to be tested in order to distinguish between worthless vapourings {the product of “ psychological states” ) and the true, clear utterances of real inspiration and real control. M IS LE A D IN G

MESSAGES.

We have said a good deal on this subject before, but it (eems from recent correspondence th a t we shall have to refer to it onoe again. To begin with, it would be un­ natural if everything in connection with messages from the beyond proved to be simple, easy and accurate. I t is true that some few people seem always to secure messages that are clear, sensible, and trustworthy. But the fact re­ mains that others receive very mixed communications, some true' and some false. The causes of nonsensical or mislead­ ing messages are various. There are mistakes in trans­ mission just as in ordinary telegraphy: there is a fertile cause of much nonsense in the state of “dream conscious­ ness” which frequently accompanies mediumship; and, further, there is the possibility of deoeption and mischievous interference from monflly undeveloped spirit agencies.

AN

IM P O R T A N T

NEW

X

n

IS M A N “ D E - N A T U R E D ” ?

We said in a recent answer to a question relating to the proper diet of the human species th at man has become “de-natured.” That was a deliberate statement based on our perception of the fact th a t man is not a purely animal being, although he is so regarded for scientific . purposes. But his departure from natural laws which follows on his gift of free-will is, to our thinking, temporary and transitional. That his diet is often inappropriate we .have examples hy the thousand to prove. I t is stated by a physician th a t “ ignoranoe of food and feeding . . . is a t the bottom of the vast majority of human ills.” There is little doubt of that. Man is said to be closely related to the apes in the physical order. One of th e _great differences, however, is th a t the apes live in warm climates and the race'of man is spread all over the globe. He is not restricted like the lower creatures to particular regions, so th a t it is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules for him, whether in diet or other matters. He is on the ascent from ape to angel—“de-natured” on one level to be “renatured” on another and higher one. “ S P E A K IN G IN T O N G U E S .”

Quite a large book could be filled with examples of this psychic gift, but it would have to be compiled from a wide j variety of sources. For the present it will be sufficient to mention some of the examples dealt with by 'Judge Edmonds, of the New York Supreme Court, during the ’sixties and ’seventies ■of the last century. He enumerates, amongst languages spoken under spirit control, Spanish, French, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Latin, Hungarian, and some Indian dialects. In some instances his daughter was the medium, and he states of her th at although she knew no language hut her own, “and a little smattering of board­ ing-school French,” yet she had spoken in nine or ten dif­ ferent tongues, “sometimes for an hour at a time lyith the ease and fluency of a native.” Foreigners conversed with their spirit friends through her, each in his own language. I t is clear th at in such instances the power at work is of a special and rare kind, as in the case of direct voice mediumship, where, likewise, many languages are heard— a phenomenon so incredible to most persons th at the mere recital of the fact makes little or no impression on their minds.

BOOK

IN

A M B A S S A D O R ’S

G REAT

DEMAND,

M EM O IR S

(July 3rd, 1914-June 2nd, 1915)

By

MAURICE

PALEOLOGUE

Last French Ambassador to the Russian Court A large volum e , cloth g ilt, w ith m any beautiful exclusive drawings and other illustrations ,

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Monnieur Paldologue's account of his stewar Ikhip and the men, women and events of his time is a document of the fltst historical importance. In the form of a richly commented diary. Monsieur Paleologue reveals the inner happenings a t the Russian Court and Camp and in Government circles. His exalted position br Might him into intim ate contact with the greatest of the great, and the leading figures of a departed era—the late Tzar and Tsaritxa. the Grand Duke Nicholas, SazonofT, Count Witte, Sir George Buchanan and, a t the other end of the scale, the sinister and infamous Rasputin—come to life as the author sets down the conversations with him on topics of th e roost vital importance and interost. There* will be surprises, many pleasant and some 1 ainful, to the English readt r who desires to know the truth about Imperial Russia, official and unofficial.

L on don :

J )T

How are investigators to prooeed in these cases? Generally speaking, just as they would in ordinary life, using vigil­ ance, testing the communications, taking nothing on trust and cutting off communication altogether where there is anything doubtful or suspicious! I t is always an advant­ age in such m atters to nave the presence and advice of someone experienced in psychic investigation.

“No one can read the brilliantpages o f M . Maurice Paleologue w ithout obtaining a clearer insight into the complexforces that brought about the dow nfall o f R ussia?— E xtra ctfrom leading article in “The Times."

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SUNDAY’S SOCIBTY MEETINGS. T h e s e notices a r e c o n fin e d t o a n n o u n c e m e n ts o f m e e t i n g s o n t h e c o m in g 8u nd m r. w ith t h e a d d itio n o n ly o f o t h e r e n g a g e m e n t s In t h e s a m e w e e k . T h e y a r e c h a r g e d a t t h e r a t e o f I s . f o r t w o l i n e s ( I n c lu d in g t h e n a m e o f t h e s o c ie t y ) a n d 0 d . f o r ev e ry a d d itio n a l lin e .

[M arch 24, 1923.

A N SW E R S

TO

T h e B r it is h C ollege of P sychic S cience .—Mr. Evan Powell, whose excellent m aterialising and voice powers are widely known, has concluded a visit to the College, when under the most careful conditions, insisted on by the medium, appearances of faces, of lights, of voices, and movements of objects, independent o f the medium, have been produced. F u rth e r visits are promised in April, May and Ju n e , and a n account of his work, with an excellent p o rtrait, will appear in th e new num ber of “Psychic Science. ’ The Crewe Circle have ju st finished a week of excellent w ork; i t is good to note th a t the heavy strain th a t has- been upon them for m onths p ast seems to be passing. The phenomena have been very clear and have given much satisfaction to sitters. Another visit is ex­ pected d uring May. H e rr Melzer, the Dresden medium, who is now a t th e College, has been able since his arriVal, through his rem arkable gift, to show in good light the “ a p p o rts” of flowers and stones for which his mediumship is noted. This is probably the first tim e a public medium has been able to produce these un d er th is condition of light and suitable dress. The seances are somewhat long, before the apports arrive, b u t the rem arkably varied trance “ controls,” and the apposite clairvoyance which is given, is a featu re in itself.

EA STER L e w ish a m . —L im e s H a ll. L im e s G rove. —Sunday, March

25th, 11.15, open circle: 2.45, Lyceum; 6.30, D r. W. J . Vanstone. Wednesday, March 28th; 8 , social. C ro yd o n .—H a rcw o o d H a ll, 96, H ig h - s tr e e t. —M arch 25th, 11, Mr. Percy Scholey; 6.30, Mr. J . Harold C arpenter. B r ig h to n . —A the naeum H a ll. —March 25th, 11.15 and 7, Mrs. Ormerod; 3, Lyceum. Wednesday, 8.15, M r. F . Curry. C am berw ell. 8.E.— T he G u a rd ia n O ffices , P e c k h a m -r o a d . —March 25th, 11. Mrs. Mellov; 6.30, Miss F . Scatcherd; subject: “After Death Conditions.” H o llo w a y.— G rovedale H a ll, G ro ved a le-ro a d (n e a r H ig h g a te tu b e s ta tio n ). —Saturday. 7.30, whist drive in aid of

Building Fund. Sunday. 11, Mrs. V. Redfern, address and clairvoyance; 7. Mrs. E. Neville; 3, Lyceum. Monday, 8 , developing circle (members only). Wednesday. 8 , lecturer and clairvoyant. Good Friday, public circle; all welcome; silver collection. E aster Monday, grand social and tea, with attractive programme; tea served, 5.30; price 1 / - : children, 6 d. 8 t . John*s S p ir itu a lis t M issio n , W o o d b e rry -g ro v e , N o r th F in c h le y (o p p o site tr a m d e p o t). —March 25th. 7, Rev. G.

Ward. Thursday, March 29th. 8 , Mrs. Annie Johnson. Shep h erd *s B u sh . —73, B e c k lo v -r o a d . —March 25th, 11, public circle; 7, Mrs. Bloodworth. Thursday, March 29th, Mr. J . H arrell. P e c k h a m . —L a u sa n n e -r o a d . —March 25th, 7. Mrs. A. Boddington. Thursday. 8.15, Mr. E. Abethell. # B ow es P a rk .-^ -S h a fte s b u r y H a ll, a d jo in in g B ow es P a r k S ta tio n (d o w n sid e ). —Sunday, March 25th, 11, Mr. and

Mrs. A. W. Jones: 7, Mrs. E dith Clements. Wednesday, March 28th. Mrs. Laura Lewis. W o r th in g S p ir itu a lis t M issio n , A n n -s tr e e t. —March 25th, 6.30, Mrs. A. Boddington. March 29th, 8 , service. C e n tr a l. —144, H ig h H o lb o rn (B u r y -s tr e e t e n tr a n c e ). __ March 23rd. 7.30, Mrs, Neville. March 25th, 7, Mrs. Beaumoht-Sigall. F o re s t H ill C h r istia n S p ir itu a lis t S o c ie ty .—-F oresters* H a ll, B a g la n -s tr e e t, D a r t m o u th -ro a d .—March 25th, 6.30. Wednesday, M arch 2 8 th , 8. B ic h m o n d S p ir itu a lis t C hurch, 0 r m o n d - r o a d .— Sunday.

March 26tb, 7.30. Mrs. W orthington. ’Wednesday. March £8 tb, address ana clairvoyance.

CORRESPONDENTS.

C. V, T., A. J . W .. and C. D.—Thank you for the various contributions, which are receiving- attention. M. A. (Cologne).—I t is impossible for us, not being on the spot, to decide on the tru e nature of the phenomenon you describe. I t seems to have been a real experience, but whether it has a symbolical m eaning you alone can decide by a comparison or experiences. A. W. S tables.—Thanks for your letter. We are sorry not to have had an opportunity of giving you a personal farewell on your re tu rn to New Zealand. We are at least glad th a t your visit to the Old Country was pleasnrable and hope to hear of you a fter your return hmne. C. S.—We th in k it is a question on which every indi­ vidual should form his own opinion after study and investi. gat ion. I t has been d ealt w ith innumerable times in L ight and elsewhere, and to us is no longer a live issue. You are q uite entitled to th in k otherwise, but yon are quite m istaken in supposing th a t our a ttitu d e on the matter is an evidence of discourtesy towards you. S. R . C.—Thank you. We q uite agree, and the sonnet expresses th e idea in an effective way. - E. R. D arrow (Ohio).—The verses are passable, but the ab ru p t alteration of the m etre in the middle of the poem is a serious flaw. There are also certain other irregularities so th a t the lines do n o t “ scan.” G. E. P idcoce :.—We recommend you to communicate w ith the Organising Secretary of the L.S.A. a t 5, Queen Square, W.O.1.

H O L ID A Y S .

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this century. Well, the world has lasted some millions of years already, and its people having blundered into many a “ blind alley,” have always contrived to blunder “ LIG H T” proclaims a belief in the existence and life their way out again. The resources of Nature are never of the spirit apart from, and independent of, the exhausted, and concurrently with the passing of disease material organism, and in the reality and value of in­ into more subtle forms, we have seen the rise of psycho­ telligent intercourse between spirits embodied a n i spirits discarnate. This position it firmly and consis­ therapeutic healing, with its application of remedies tently maintains. Its columns are open to a full and equally subtle. This is a consideration which offers a free discussion— conducted in the spirit of honest, cour­ solution to many problems which beset the minds of teous and reverent inquiry— its only aim being, in the those who have not seen that behind the blind gropwords of its motto, “ Light! More Light!” ings of mankind towards a better state of life is an Infinite Intelligence which carries the race' forward gradually but irresistibly. Nature's work in human NOTES BY T H E W AY. evolution is not simply to produce a perfect animal, physically faultless, h u t a complete m dn, rounded in “ Sons of the Mystery, high sons of Song,” Hard seems the way for ye. and very long: every expression of his being, spirit, mind, and body. Endure, be p atient, those upon the height We sometimes see people of splendid physique but Tell of the splendour of the dawning light. mentally diseased and spiritually stunted; we see also —G. fine minds and noble spirits with sick bodies. Truly there is a great deal for all of us to do, and if it PiESURRECTIOX. depended on man alone it would be a hopeless task Let us put aside, if only for the sake of brevity,what B ut our destiny is being shaped for us as well as by us. Origen thought, what St. Augustine said, w hat was the • • * * opinion of Duns Scotus, w hat the early Egyptians T owards S implicity . believed, or what Tertullian taught. Many books have been filled with these things and their like. They have I t is apparently very difficult for some investigators t fascination for many people, and in some of them to realise the fact th at in their inquiries they are deal­ deep interior truths are discernible. B u t to us they ing with the most subtle and sensitive of all forces— remain chiefly as illustration of the extent to which the forces of mind and will. A needle poised on the man-made theologies obscure the primal sanities and point of another needle is not more delicately balanced simplicities of Nature. If we took th e subject of than the conditions which occasionally prevail at some 'Besurrectinn for a general text we could find examples circles. The merest breath is sufficient to derange the innumerable in nature and in human life. B ut we true direction of things. If we had been swayed by a • are thinking now of b u t a single example and th a t the superficial observation of some of the things we have greatest, so far as human life in the common order is witnessed in stance we might long ago have given concerned We have made ourselves masters of the up our quest in despair of arriving at any abiding con­ fact that there is in man an immortal principle which clusions. B ut one perseveres, is patient, and in time nuring his career on earth constructs for itself a finer __so infinite are the resources of truth—the direct evi­ body which lies Ja io n t in the grosser form, and at dences become overwhelming, while the very things death liberates itself and becomes organised on the that at the outset were causes of doubt and perplexity, succeeding plane of existence. I t is earth's greatest fall into their places and become themselves proofs of miracle. It is the secret of human resurrection. I t the reality, and so assurance is more doubly sure. The b coming within range of Science, having been scouted m atter becomes coherent. The dividing line between for the most part by Theology. There is infinite poetry men and spirits disappears. One realises th at the in it, unending food for philosophy. B u t the fact re­ spiritual forces which operate between man and man mains that the Besurrection of Man is as simple and are exactly the same in kind—if not in degree—as those as natural as the rising of the sun. th a t act and react between man incarnate and plan dis• • * * c am ate. The underlying unity of all things is made clear and so life becomes simplified. Tire E volutios o r Max It may sound an audacious thing to say, but we RESURRECTION. have sometimes thought th a t the modern phenomenon of widespread nervous diseases—neurasthenia, for The weary winter wrapped the world, example—which is so prevalent in all highly civilised The bees and birds were dumb; Deep in its breast the Bowers lay curled— communities, is really a hopeful sign. I t marks i Would summer never come? bigber state of evolution, a removal from the stage of The Know Jay cold on weald and wold; physical grossness. To the superficial observer it may The frost bit like a knife; seem a dark and ominous m atter, and there are gloomy But still oar quivering hands laid bold prophets abroad who predict that at the present rate of Upon the hope of life. "progress” all the world will be insane by the end of

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LIGHT

194

THE

[M arch 81, 1923,

VALUE OF CUMULATIVE EVIDENCE. BY MISS H. A. DALLAS.

The follow ing important paper, by Miss -H. A. Dallas-— rich alike in valuable evidential m atter and in useful sug­ gestion fo r th e student and inquirer—was read before the London Spiritualist Alliance, on the 22nd inst., by the Society’s Organising Secretary, Mr. George E. W right, Miss Dallas being, to the great re g re t o f all present, unfortu­ nately unable, through indisposition, to attend the meet­ ing. I t is my desire in the following address to profit by my studies and experience during the th irty years in which I have been a student of psychical subjects, in order to help those who may be a t the outset of their inquiry into these subjects, and those who, having gained considerable ac­ quaintance with the phenomena, still feel themselves un­ able to arrive a t any definite conclusion as to the interpre­ tation of the facts they have verified. We have often met with persons who are so bewildered by the variety of the phenomena and of* the theories which have been formulated to account for them th a t they are unable to reach any strong conviction o f the reality or com­ munication from the Departed. Telepathy from the incarnate,' cosmic memory, mind-reading, ete.^ etc., seem to hamper their judgment and befog their vision. My object in this addrets is to give such persons oOme help in clearing their vision. I t is my own study, and my own conclusions drawn from study and experience, th a t I now propose to make use of for the benefit of those who may be travelling the same sort of mental path, and in order to help them to co-ordinate the evidence which lies before them. # b . , T h e Brat suggestion I desire to make is th a t it is wise a t the outset o fth is study to limit attention to well estab­ lished fa c ts. ' When I first became acquainted with th e sub­ ject about thirty years ogo. I found myself so surprised and bewildered th at I realised th a t if I hoped to reach any solid conviction as to the significant e of these (to me) new phenomena, I must begin by gaining assurance th a t they actually occurred. So I devoted my attention to books which related well-authenticated facts on testimony which I recognised to be unequivocally strong, and in this way I became convinced, beyond possibility of doubt, th a t what­ ever might be the explanation, these strange phenomena actually did occur. Upon this assured conviction I could build with some sense of security and I knew th a t if my building should have to be taken down or altered, as it well might, the foundation would still be solid; and upon th at I could build again and builda better. When the facts have been sufficiently studied to satisfy reason, and to justify conviction th at they are genuine— th at they happen—another obstacle impedes the mind in its progress towards an attempt, to draw conclusions from the facts. This impediment has been pointed out by pioneers like Sir William B arrett and Professor Charles Richet. _ I t has been dealt with by the_ la tte r in an admir­ able article, “ On Conditions of Certainty,” published in “Proceedings of the 8 .P.R .,” Vol. XVI. In this article he refers to “ the resistance which the human mind can sometimes oppose to proofs which the reason cannot but admit are complete.” He is referring to experimentally proved facts, not to the conclusions which may be drawn from the facts. He says:— “ As the moment of the experiment becomes more re­ mote. th at experiment which once seemed so conclusive gets to seem more and more uncertain aitd we end by letting ourselves be persuaded th a t we have been the victims of a trick.” Although Professor Richet is speaking of experimental phenomena, not of their interpretation, the same thing may occur in connection with the conclusions we draw from the study of evidence. At the time th a t this evidence is under consideration certain conclusions may appear entirely con­ vincing; after the lapse of tim e there is a tendency in the human mind to revert to previous opinions and to lose grasp of the reasoning, which, although it has lost none of its intrinsic cogency, nevertheless seems less convincing. Professor Richet continues:— “ I t is quite possible th a t my friends and I may lose the vigour of conviction which recent experience gives, we mav return to th at curious state of mind of which I have already spoken. The real world which surrounds us with its prejudices, wel] or ill-founded, its scheme of habitual opinions, holds us in so strong a grasp th a t we can scarcely free ourselves completely. Certainty does not follow on demonstration, it follows on habit. But the duty of the savant is precisely not to allow himself to follow the routine

of unreasoning respect for what Bacon termed idols. Oar mission is to seek tru th .” “Certainty,” he says, “ follows on habit.” These vise words should be borne in mind. When certain convictions have been reached b y reasoning based on well-attested facts, such convictions ought to be permanent unless disturbed b y fr e s h e v id e n c e ; often they are not so because “habits” of thought supervene and weaken the grasp of the mind on reasonable convictions. Reasonable beings should never consent to be the slaves o f habit, and this tendency may be overcome. We need not yield to what Professor Richet de­ scribes as “the inexorable ^strength of prepossessions” which hold us back from “adopting a _conclusion” which is novel, but w hich is attested by sufficient evidence. ■ Another reason why conviction as to survival and the reality of communication from the departed is not sooner arrived a t by students is th a t they are apt to seek for con­ vincing evidence on mistaken lines. Frequently the objec­ tion is raised th a t . crucial proof cannot be' obtained. Serious students devise tests which they think would bo decisive bub which prove abortive and they are field up by the failure of some particular test. If we ask scientific men on what sort of evidence th e conclusions of science are reached, we shall find th a t they attach little or no import­ ance to so-called c ru cia l tests; th a t in their opinion no scientific fact ought to rest merely on evidence of this kind; they will tell us th a t i t is by careful study of a large variety of facts, by sifting and comparing many phenomena that they reach what amounts, practically, to scientific certainty. I t is in this way th a t evidence for survival and communica­ tion should be sought. The effect of cumulative evidence when it is sufficiently studied is overwhelmingly strong. Truths deduced from evidence of this sort gain a firm and lasting hold on the mind of th e student, G. K . Chesterton says: “ A man is not really convinced of a philosophic theory when he finds th a t something proves it. H e is only really convinced when be finds that every­ thing proves it.” And, he adds very tru ly : “And the more converging reasons, he finds pointing to this conviction the more bewildered he is if asked suddenly to sum them up.” Yet we must, as far as may be, be “ ready to give a reason for the hope th a t is in us” : and we must be careful as to the quality of th e evidence we build on, and not sup­ pose th a t because th e value is cumulative, quantity can supply the place of quality. When we try to estim ate the value of cumulative evi­ dence we should bear in mind Professor Wm. James’ sug­ gestion th a t “ th e decisive vote has t o be cast by what I | may call one’s general sense of dram atic probability . . . of what th e whole mass may signify.” ( “ Proc.,” Vol. XXIII., p . 33), and also remember another sapient remark of this impartial student, namely, th a t one who takes part in a good sitting has usually a far livelier sense, both of the reality and of th e importance of the communication than one who merely reads the record. ‘Active relations with a thing are required to bring th e reality of it home to us.’ ( I b id , p. 32.) Of course it may be objected th a t the experience is j therefore likely to be less carefully weighed and( its evi­ dential worth may be over-rated. _T hat is sometimes the case, and careful subsequent examination is necessary in order to form a just estim ate; b u t on the other hand weight should be attached to the spontaneous effect of recognition which is experienced a t the tim e : th a t is an important j factor of real evidential value, which is liable to ne un­ der-rated. If we want to estim ate fairly the mass of facts^ which claim to attest communication from those who have died, w should particularly note:— 1. Characterisation, i.c., tire tokens whereby the com­ municating intelligences are recognised and identified by those who knew them well on earth. 2. Indications of knowledge possessed bv the communi­ cator lint unknown to anyone present, until verified later. 3. Indications of a selective mind in the choice of the m atter communicated, and of a d e lib e r a te p lan on the part of the same. 4. S p o n ta n e o u s and a p p r o p r ia te manifestations. I t is cases of this kind which have convinced me of the reality of communication from those who have died. I will now cite a few typical cases of this—to me—-evidential and convincing kind. Time will not permit me to rite csseasf spontaneous apparitions or visions of the dying, but they afford valuable contributory evidence in determining cos- !

March 31, 192S.J

L I G H T

195

viction, and any complete survey of the importance of cumu­ As an example of cumulative evidence in a single case, lative evidence should include these experiences. I will cite an instance which has this year boon reported In dealing with the characteristic quality in the com­ to me. I t is impossible to present it fully, time only per­ munications (wo must bear in mind th a t this can only bo mits mo to indicate its most salient features. These are fully*appreciated by those who wore familiar with th e de­ like strands of a rope, together they are strong to support parted person. In a report on communications received weighty conclusion. By request of those concerned I use from Dr, Richard Hodgson through Mrs. Piper, Professor pseudonyms. Mrs. Naylor, however, permits me to use her W. James writes: “If the Richard Hodgson who appeared name. (i.e., communicated) . . . bo only a fragment or Mrs. 1. F ra n k E d w a rd (an only son), was killed during the War, whilst flying with a follow airman, whom I will call Pipor’s play-acting subconscious soIf . . . we must Robert’s mother visited Mrs. Osborne llo b c r t K e n n e th . credit that self with a real genius for accumulating the ap­ Leonard, and in the course of ' the interview a group of propriate in the way of items, and not getting out of the wrong personal key.” ( “Proc.” X X III., p. 8 .) seven men in k h a k i were described to her; in some cases the names were mentioned, and, amongst others, a Dr. Newbold, an intim ate friend of Dr. Hodgson, Mrs. Kenneth said that she writes: “The evidence of R. H .’s identity, as for th a t or ♦ “ Frank” was mentioned. other communicators, seems to me very strong indeed. It knew all the others, but inquired who “ Frank” was. She is not absolutely conclusive; but the only alternative theory, was told th a t he had passed over with her son in the plane. the telepathic, seems to me to explain the facts not as well Mrs. Kenneth knew Mrs. Edwards by correspondence, but as the spiritualistic.” But, he adds, th a t as he is not pre­ she only knew her son by his surname. Frank was then pared to accept all the implication involved in such a con­ described to her, dressed in mufti (all the other men were seen in khaki). Mrs. Kenneth reported this experience to clusion, he feels compelled to suspend his judgment, as also F ra n k ’s mother. The fact th a t he was the only one in did Professor William James. the group in mufti was significant to her, because Frank’s Here is the testimony of Mr. Piddington. After study­ parents were convinced pacifists of long standing, and ing the long series of communications th a t came from although their son felt it his duty to join the Army, out Frederic Myers during Mrs. Piper’s profound condition of of delicate consideration for the feelings of his parents ho tranoe, he said: “The only opinion th a t I hold with confi­ had worn m ufti when spending his last evening with them dence is this: th a t if it was not the mind of Frederic Mvers before going to the front. The sympathy between him and (i.e., which manifested through these communications) it his mother was particularly intim ate; filial devotion was a was one w hich deliberated and artistically imitated his marked characteristic in bis nature. This is the first strand mental characteristics.” ( “ Proc.,” Vol. X X I., p. 243.) in the evidence I wish to present. Very many could corroborate the convincing effect of -similar characteristic qualities in communications received; 2. After long hesitation Mrs. Edwards was at last perbat the effect cannot be transferred with equal force to suaded to visit Mrs. Osborne Leonard. The interview was those who have not known the communicator. The Rev. impressive. In the course of it her control said:— Drayton Thomas in his valuable record of communications “ Billy, Billy. Someone they knew a good while ago, through Mrs. Osborne Leonard, “ Some New Evidence for who passed over before they did.” ; s . Human Survival,” says, “ They include a wide range of Mrs. Edwards did not know who this might be, but she elusive touches which are unproducible in cold print, but reported the m atter tq Mr. Arthur Hill, who had made the in which I see my father’s personality ringing tru e to th a t appointment with Mrs. Leonard for her, introducing her which I knew so well during his life on e arth ” (page 190). under a pseudonym. Did* time permit I should like to speak a t length on this Mr. Hill is acquainted with a lady, Mrs. Naylor (who point because often it is not sufficiently recognised, and is also a friend of mine), whose only son, called Billy, was its import is belittled. Professor William Jam es suspended killed in the W ar previous to the death of F ra n k ; so he his judgment as to whether these communications really wrote to her and asked her where her son had been edu­ came from the departed or not, b ut he adm itted the diffi­ cated. He learned th a t the two young men had been culty of withholding belief. H e s a id :—“ The notion th a t educated a t the same school. Mrs. Edwards and Billy’s men and women in all other respects honest enough should mother, Mrs. Naylor, were not acquainted with each other, have this preposterous monkeying self annexed to then neither did Mrs. Naylor remember to have heard h er son personality spems to me so weird .that the spirit theory mention F rank; how ever, as Frank and B illy bad mutual immediately takes on a more probable appearance.” In ­ school friends whose names were recognised by both parents, vestigators should carefully note characteristic touches in it is highly probable th a t they knew each other. This is their own experiences and realise how difficult they are to the second strand in the rope of evidence. account for by any theory which does not include the 3. Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Naylor corresponded after operation of the spirits of the departed. making this discovery, which of course, interested them in each other. Subsequently Mrs. Naylor, who lives in the North There are many strong cases in which communications of England, visited London, and attended one of Mr. have been made giving information unknown to any living Craddock’s seances. She told me th a t she never thought of person. The following is an experience of my own which Frank th a t afternoon. On this occasion a voice addressed is of this nature. I m ust condense it, but all the details have her as “ Mother” ; later a t the end of the seance a loud firm been printed from notes taken a t the time: September 8 th, voice sa id :—“ Mrs. Naylor, here’s Frank. He has come 1917. r. . with Billy; he wants you to help his mother. Tell her she I accompanied a friend (S. G.) to Mrs. Osborne Leonard must believe; he has tried so hard to let her know.” She for a “ table sittin g .” Mrs. Leonard repeated the alpha­ promised earnestly to try and help her, and asked both lads bet and the communication was spelt out by tilts of the to be a t the home of Mrs. Osborne Leonard, with whom she table. I kept one hand only on the table, with the other I had an appointment a few days la te r, and to try and took notes. Relatives of S. G. intim ated th a t they had a answer a question Mrs. Edwards wished to ask. message to give, one was her mother. We were told to 4. Five days later Mrs. Naylor had this interview with count from the right hand corner of a bookcase in S. G.’s Mrs. Osborne Leonard. house, and find book fourth on third shelf, page 1 2 , half­ Mrs. Edwards had sent her a question in a closed en­ way down. This was then spelt out, “ I t is a message from velope and had asked her to open it in Airs. Leonard's pre­ mother referring to past.” S. G. asked, was it one of her sence and to try to get a reply from her son Frank. This father’s books? and was told th a t it was her m other’s; the Mrs. Naylor did. Both the question and the reply have first two letters of her m other’s name being added. been confided to me, and I can testify th a t there was Mrs. Leonard had never entered my friend’s house, which nothing in the form of the question which could give a hint was some miles distant in another county. My friend haa ao to what an^ appropriate reply should be. The answer no notion how the books were arranged on these shelves,aas given was not intelligible to Mrs. Naylor, who told me th a t she did not herself replace them after the annual spring she forwarded it to Mrs. Edwards with some anxiety, know­ cleaning. The fourth book proved.to be an old hymn book ing how valuable this bit of evidence might be to Frank’s of her mother’s, which she did not remember was in that mother if the reply was appropriate. case at all, as her mother’s books were usually kept in her I t was indeed a rem a rka b le one, it was th e k in d o f own room. On page 12 was a hymn, which in the “ past,” answer th a t could onlv come from one who knew the cir­ i.e.. in her childhood, she used to repeat to her mother, cumstances which had prompted the question. T hese cir­ ana half-way down was the following verse: — cumstances are of a private nature, and I am not at lilierty E ’en the hour th a t darkest seemeth to go into detail on this point, but I can affirm th a t they Will His change*loss goodness prove, were not of a quite ordinary kind, such as an illness or a From the m ist H is brightness stream eth: death which must occur a t times in any family. * God is wisdom, God is love. This is the fourth strand in the evidence. This message seemed particularly appropriate^ and com-, W hat are the chances th a t four such bits of evidential fortin* to us during the dark and troubled period of 1917, experience should occur in one case? Are we not com­ when the W ar was raging fiercely, and the end not yet in pelled to recognise th a t chance coincidence cannot account view. For the complete fulfilment of this te st many con­ for them ? > Do thov not afford, convincing tokens of in­ telligent minds a t work to effect a particular result? And ditions bad to be m e t: — i*9 not the experience, as a whole, quite in appropriate accord 1. The book m ust be on a particular shelf. with the circumstances? An only son, deeply loved; and 2. In a particular place on th a t shelf. who, all his life, had kept in close and tender relation with 3. I t must bo her m other’s book. his mother, if he found, after death, th a t ft is possible to 4. On a specified page there must bo something “ re­ console her, would he not eagerly seize any opportunity ferring to past.” th a t might offer itself P 5. And on the same page there must be words which If I do not add more- to this narrative i t is not because Would be an appropriate message. there is no more th a t could lie added. There is a good deal Design, not chance, is obvious in this. ITic Rpv. Dray­ more: but this must suffice now. ton Thomas’s interesting book is packed with similar coses, (To be continued.) some more surprising than this th a t I have cited.

196

L I G H T

CONCERNING

[March 81, 1923

SPIRITUALISM .

AN A D D R E SS BY GERALD M ASSEY. DELIVERED AT ST. GEORGE’S HALL. LONDON, ON JULY 28th, 1871.

( C o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 181T Perhaps it is necessary that these should suffer as they do. on account of the blindness and unbelief of men. Every cause demands its victims, and will have its martyrs. The liomish Church prides itself greatly on the >sufferings of its abnormals, and looks upon them as precious proofs of Divine favour. I t is only through the abnormal medium, apparently, th at we can obtain such physical phenomena as will arrest the attention of the most unspiritual, and sometimes upset the conoeit of the most scientific. There are multitudes who oould not be laid hold of in any other way. Doubtless the abnormal manifestations had more effect on the Jewish multitude than either the divine life or the inspired words of Christ Jesus. There are minds as much shut out from the innei spiritual perception, as there are others shut in from the natural relationship by loss of external faculties of sensa­ tion. But the blindest will listen when the other world knocks a t our doors, and so the spirits find they will answer that kind of appeal when higher forms of phenomena and more spiritual modes of communication fan to arrest the world *8 attention. Also these strange things serve to show that God does not not only by known laws of unvarying uniform ity. They let in the abnormal as an inclusive part of the Divine economy. They have the look of "asiaea" in the regular course of things that keep open the spiracles of expecta­ tion to the everlasting "W h a t n ex t ? ' 1 Apparently it is only through the abnormal medium that our science can grasp anything sufficiently tangible for its crucial tests. Whether it be worth while tryin g to convince our men of science that there is a force they can never fathom is another matter. I f they be really sincere and mediums do not mind being tortured and tried, well and good. L et the Royal Society ask for a Government gran t to pay mediums and experimenters handsomely; I can promise them it would be quite worth their while. They would fish Sip as odd things as ever they w ill in dredging the A tlan tic Ocean. B u t I doubt if they want to face the facts, or the world to believe in them. Perhaps the great Extinguishers are afraid of not only burning their fingers, but of being set on fire altogether if they did attem pt to put out this now light. We have lately h a d a specimen of the scientific way of dealing with these phenomena. M r. Crookes testifies fairly enough to the actual facts that transpired in his presence. He calls upon Mr. Huggins to say if he has done so oorrectly. Mr. Huggins replies, “ You said the accordion was floated after M r. Homers hand was withdrawn, but I did not see i t . " One naturally replies to that, " B u t you ought to have seen it— what were you there for else ? # You ought to have been looking on the table, or under it, so as to corroborate or correct Mr. Crookes's statem ent." W ith such indifference of observation M r. Huggins would neves have measured the rate a t which Sirius is. receding from our earth. M r. Crookes testifies that the accordion was floated and played without human contact, and a tune per­ formed without a key being touched by M r. Home, or any­ body else. "Supposing th at fact established," says another scientific authority, ‘ ‘there is little in it more wonderful than the power of w riting by telegraph." W hy, there can be no analogy, unless the operator by telegraph had to transm it his message by merely laying one hand on the battery box, whilst the keys— th at is, the handles of the machine— were safely shut up away from him in a cage. And so thev nibble at what must he admitted, intend­ ing to gnaw it away. And thus they reason! They know, by all the laws of physical science, that tunes cannot be played ’ without the keys being operated on. They know that M r. Home was not permitted to touch the keys, and yet they profess to believe th at a'm in d could get into the accordion and play a tune when the physical link--the touch on the keys— was wanting. Truly, they swallow their camel easily. A mind is necessary for the purpose oi playing a tune, and as they cannot believe in the dis­ embodied preseiice of mind, they are prepared to assert th at the mind was Mr. Home's which performed thin miracle, and so the wonder ceases to be wonderful. Behold the credulity of those who hnvo no b e lie f! Again, it must havo taken some of us years of personal experience before we could dotermine that this force had its fulcrum in the spiritual world, but it hardly takes these men ten minutes to determine that it has not. The truth is, that many of them cannot believe in mind without the visible physical basis. The medium is present when the pheno­ mena occur— no other mind is visibly embodied: therefore, the mind preset}! can only belong to the medium. You

cannot cross the sen on dry land, and that is what they want to do. You cannot walk into the other world on the same physical pair of legs as have served you in this. That is what they insist upon doing, or else they won’t go at all. It appears to me that you might as well ask the inseot th at eats its way through one of Turner'x paintings to give you its idea of the picture, as to look tor any spiritual conception of these facts from our typical scientific mind of the present. Science has a brow broad and luminous, but as y et the "foolish senses crown her head," and her eyes are vacant of spiritual light. I think that Spiritualism has infinitely more important work to do than converting those Physicists to a belief in the existence of things spiritual who can only apprehend the presence of force in that domain where it ceases co appear spiritual because it has been transmuted, os will* force is transmuted into muscular force; and who do not acknowledge that the origin of all force must bo spiritual. Still, it is as well not to be too sure. Advance is rapid in our day. There is no telling what change Mr. Crookes may effect. I t is only some 200 years since the formation of the Royal Society itself was opposed by the nation at large, on the ground that men had better not go poking and prying into the mysteries of Nature, but be content and let God alone. But to return to our abnormal media. These are the first who are seised on and made use of to arrest the atten­ tion of the world. Still, the ultim ate object of this human suffering, and all these ourious and seemingly absurd phenomena that tako place, is not to lift tables or bodies, or make fools or wiso men gape, with their hair standing on end. W ith many persons these physical manifestations are looked upon as an end in themselves, to be followed for their own sake, in stead,of a means to an end— an incen­ tive to growth in spiritual life. Numbers of curiositymongers ruu about with their foolish eyebrows lifted m restless search after repeated appeals to their barren wonder, victims to an idle curiosity that uses the eyeglass to scrutinise instead of the eye to comprehend. This is the Materialism of Spiritualism— gross and God* less as any other kind of Materialism. I t sets up as sheer an idol of the sense as anything in Paganism.* Where the phenomena tend to lead the soul into the inner presencechamber of God and enrich the spiritual life, the lowliest means may be sanctified; but where the meal is everything, mid the miracle goes for nothing except to evoke an encore of the miracle for the sake or another meal, then it is degrading, and of the earth earthy. The phenomena were intended to lift up the eyelids or the mind, and elevate the soul to a perception of the fact that there is a spiritworld about us, close to us, and in communion with us, and not to keep on cultivating the acquaintance of the blackguard and the light-fingered gentry of the other world, just as the fine ladies of Paris used to take an interest in their condemned criminals who had been unusually mon­ strous enough to excite even their languid ouriosity. This is conforming the mind to the image of the abnormal in its lowest, most revolting form. Here we may note that St. Paul wisely distinguishes the two kinds of phenomena. He tells us that "tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying Berveth not for them that believe not, but for them that believe." Again, the mediumship which depends on physical con­ stitution must, I think, or necessity be a l i m i t in n condition on t h e o t h e r s i d e , and so determine the range of Communi­ cation. Hence, as a rule, l believe the greatest manifesta­ tions of a physical-force nature are produced by beings on the lowest plane of spiritual existence- earth-spirits; dwellers on the threshold ; unhappy rou Is that hnvo boon foully thrust out of this lif e ; spirits that have not passed far into the interior life, but who remain materialised and ponderable, dense, dark as the mere dregs of this life that nave sunk to the bottom, compared with the happier, higher souls that ascend and rarely, even ns matter does in proportion as it rises towards the light. These spirits dominate with the physical-force medium, and possibly thus supply, visibly, the missing link betwixt the two lives, and so are of service in enabling many minds to tako hold of that which was before intangible. _ Wliat they can do may assist tho observers in climbing higher, as tho bean-sticks help the bean-vines on their upward way; hut I look upon their actions as abnormal in tho spirit world ns is the kind of mediumship possessed by the abnormals on our side; the

{Continued at foot of9next page.)

LIGHT

March 81, 1923 ] CONCERNING T H E

AURA.

B y tu b R h v . F . F ir l d in o -O u m ).

At a recent stance it spirit said, "W hen 1 am controlling the medium I cannot soo th e sitters, but while one of my friends is doing so I go round and scrutinise their auras. Tho aura is a barometer to us, and we seo in it the character and disposition, and what sins you have com­ mitted during the day.” Someone asked, "Can you also seo the sins of the past life?” and the control replied, "Not if you have the habit of evening confession.” "Does confession (or rather repentance) of sin cleanse th e au ra?” "It mokes it very beautiful,” replied the spirit. This luminous cloud or corona round the spiritual body, in which every quality and deed of the soul, with every passing wave of emotion, is represented by some appropriate •ray or band of colour, shows to the discarnate eye the spiritual grade of his little bro th er1and the complex "m ake up” of his unique personality. I t is a spectrum in which each element betrays its presence by its characteristic hue. Such an involuntary externalising of the most intim ate thought makes on** disguise out of the question^ and a m an ' may protest as he will, perhaps with self-deceiving sincerity, but his character is w ritten large for all to read. Beauty specialists in London and P aris are much sought after bv fair women, who begin to show signs of fatigue or of ad­ vancing age, and would a t any cost conserve th eir charms a little longer. B u t w hat about th eir auras? Con Bondstreet produce these lovely blends of rosy radiance, these rings or soft gold, th e m elting mauves and azure of aspiring devotion? A control a t the same stance said in effect, "You bury the wrong people in W estm inster Abbey; the valorous captains and anointed kings are seldom really the great ones of the race.” So perhaps we are sometimes de­ ceived bv th a t fair face and clustering golden hair and the more ole&r-sighted angels look w ith pleasure and admira­ tion on some other whom we should pass w ithout a glance. "The Spirit of m an is the lamp of God,” but i t is a dark lantern and in this world th e sh u tte r is closed. The diseases, accidents, and weary years dinge and deface the outer case, but "fear not them which destroy the body, and after th a t have no more th a t they can do.”

“THE SECRET OF GRAVITATION.” T o th e E d it o r o f L i g h t .

Sir ,—The article upon th e subject of gravitation, and the correspondence bearing thereon have proved exceedingly interesting and thought provoking, a n a it is with some temerity th a t I ven tu re to add to w hat has already ap­ peared. The suggestion th a t an external agency produces an effect akin to "pressure” would not seem to answer, in a logical manner, to much of th e phenomena of gravitation, were this uniformly distributed effect of gravity only traceable around o n e mass of m atter ( e .g .t the earth), the "pressure” theory m ight possibly a d ap t itself. But, as exemplified in the " p ith Dali” and other experiments, gravitation is in herent in a ll mosses of m atter, irrespec­ tive of sizo or density, and i t is difficult to conceive or an external "pressure” resulting in a tendency for m atter to be "pushed” towards m a tte r in direct proportion to tho density of the mass, to the centre of which th a t tendency always exerts itself. It a mass of m a tte r displaying the effect of gravity be split in half, and the halves isolated, th e effect would still be found in each half, though of proportionally less in­ tensity, and it would be logical to assume th a t the effect Would still be manifesto when, by splittin g and re-splitting the mass, nothing b u t individual molecules remained, each isolated from each other, each possessing its own gravita(C o n tin u e d

fr o m

p r e v io u s p a g e .)

ono necessitating, producing, and lim iting tho operations of the other. To still fu rth e r illustrate, my m ea n in g :—A g reat living poet, who is a personal friend of mine, had a wife who was a Spiritualist. She had passed away when I first m et him, and talking over thoso things with him one day, I asked if he had never heard her ra p near him. H e said, No, and of course th a t was q uite enough to convince him th a t spirits do not rap a t all 1 Nevertheless, he was w rong; it is pos­ sible th at the abnorm al conditions for audible communica­ tion were w anting on both sides. Possibly she could not have rapped in his presence: if you ask me why not, I will tell you the m oment you tell me why iron is tne favourite medium for conducting electricity, and not the more pre­ cious metals, silver a n d gold. Also, as the husband was a sceptic, and as sp irits are not always such fools as people sill take them for, she probably saw th a t if she got someono to make the sounds for her they would not have demonstrated her presence to him. I do not doubt th a t in a 80)180 she was fa r away from tho region of physical communication, for she was ono of the purest, loftiest spirits whilst here—one of the ra re st th a t ever wore flesh. But, for all th a t. I never doubted of her nearness to him, spirit to spirit, nor affection for him nestling in his heart oi hearts, life of his life, or of her presence and power to help him when he was w riting his next poem. In this life

197

tional field, and equally logical to suggest that the source ot tho effect must, therefore lie behind the molecule, and again behind the atom. Turning to what sqienco has taught us of the strueburo of the atom , minute charges of electricity—electrons— exhibiting a mutual attraction to each other, and rotating in an orbit around a "nucleus,” it is possible that the inherent a ttr a c tiv e forco of each electron is slightly "under­ compensated” by the centrifugal force developed in the rotation, so building up in the aggregate a field of attrac­ tion directly proportional to the quantity of electrons con­ stituting ultimato matter. Such an attractive forco might act, not upon m atter as we conceive it. but upon the electrical charges of .which the matter is composed—an attractive force th at would be m u tu a l between all bodies of m atter, and in h e re n t in all bodies of matter for the same reason; a resultant condition, as it were, of the unex­ pended portion of the energy innate in each individual u n i t of m atter, after effecting tho cohesion of the mass? Yours, etc., 119, Isledon-road, Holloway, N.7.

0 . D rinkwatkr.

M. Andry Bourgeois, a French mining engineer, writes from Paris to suggest magnetism as the basis of gravitation. His theory is th at the motion of a body through the ether creates a magnetic field, and consemiontlv transforms that body into an actual magnet, with resultant action on other bodies according to their distance. This theory does not, however, appear to explain the result of "velocity” on the "m ass” effect of the magnet, a result which would affect the magnetic power, while, apparently, gravitation depends on the inert “ mass” and is not affected by the velocity.

EASTERN MAGIC. T o th e E d ito r o f L ight . S i r ,— As a contribution to the discussion concerning

Indian jugglers, let me here give a recent experience in Cairo, which I can only attribute .to the agency of a "fam iliar” spirit able to produce the phenomenon of "apports” in the form of water. I saw a fakir-like native barely clothed in a few rags, who stands occasionally in the street of Boulak vociferating incantations rapidly and with­ out a pause (perhaps in order to produce vibrations), while his water-skin, held over his arm, became filled with water. This he dispensed to the crowd round him in cups, while he also scattered it about on the ground, until the skin was empty. Ho then wrung the skin as one would a wet towel, to show th a t it* was empty, and flung it into the air. Then, repeating his incantations, with the empty skin hanging over his arm, it gradually began to receive water from somewhere! I saw this repeated three times after its empty­ ing. I t was only partially filled as he was out to make money, and the process or filling would have been a long one, and a very exhausting one, seemingly, from his appear­ ance after his vibratory efforts. He tola me he would not p art with his secret for a thousand pounds. I spoke to some in the crowd: one of them said it was magic, and that he got the power from grinding up bones of Christians from the cemetery, and making some decoction; no ono else offered any explanation. My countrymen, as is usual, said it was hypnotism! Some of the lion-educated Egyptians have secretly dropped Islam and taken to Bahaism, since the preaching of a missionary some years ago. A few have heard vaguely of Spiritualism. The Theosophical Society has some native adherents.—Yours, etc., (Major) I t. A. M arriott . Cheltenham. March 23rd, 1923. she was the medium of a far higher inspiration, and I doubt not is so in the other. Sho could not take possession of his brain and work the nerve-system, like the telegraph operator using his machine and wires—was not sufficiently fin i ted. but her mind would work with his mind in normal niediumship, and the supernatural would thus become per­ fectly natural. And th a t this is the right and ultimato way of working is illustrated, if not proved, by the t fact that where the writiug is done directly by some spirit in actual possession, it is seldom of much value. I have seen no poetry written in the abnormal condition th at would bear any comparison a ith th a t which is written normally. Both the poetry and the spirit-drawings th a t I have seen may have gleams and glimpses of something far away and fine—a glory ungraspable, but they do not talk the language of this life— — rather, they make signs in a dumb show from another world. The poetry needs translating for us, and the pic* ture wants interpreting. I t may well be that there is somothing so interior, as Swedenborg would say. that wo cannot got nt it under the preseut corporeal conditions —something th at eludes the corporeal signs; something th a t of necessity must be freed from the corporeal con­ ditions before wo can know it absolutely. This applies fm more to tho spirit-drawings than to the poetry; they are tho most unique.

(To be continued.)

LIG H T

108

{C ontinued f r o m page 188.)

N atural and S upernatural. In 1864, after his Spiritualistic experiences with Home, he seems to have asked Carlyle for his opinion on the m atter, and Carlyle, who, as Ruskin said, “ knew a thing or two,” believed th a t they were genuine but were probably “ real w itch craft/’ and so, mischievous. In one very impor­ ta n t respect, however, Ruskin differed from Carlyle. Carlyle had—as we know—come to the -definite conclusion th a t “ Miracles do not happen” ; th a t they indicate a phase of man’s attitude to the ta c ts of N ature no longer tenable by reasonable men, however reverently one m ight regard the beliefs of those who, under this mnuenoe, reported the miraculous happenings. On this point R uskin’s thinking seems to me to be based on wider and surer foundations than his m aster’s. “ Experience c a n n o t prove the Uniform ity of N ature, * he says, “ but even assuming the demonstrable uniform ity of the laws and customs of N ature which a re known to us, it remains a difficult question what m anner of interference with such law or custom we m ight logically hold miraculous, and what, on the contrary, we should tre a t only as proof of the existence of some other law, hitherto undiscovered. “W e may a t any rate, reasonably assert th a t ‘an energy may be n atural without being normal, and Divine w ithout being constant/ ‘The wind bloweth where i t liste th ’ and some of the energies granted to men born of the S p irit may be manifested only on certain conditions and on ra re occasions; and therefore be always wonderful or miraculous, though neither disorderly nor unnatural. “ We have indeed fallen into a careless h a b it of using the words supernatural and superhum an as if equivalent. A hum an act may be super-doggish and a Divine a ct super­ human, yet all three acts absolutely n atu ral. I t is, perhaps, as much the virtue of a S p irit to be inconstant as of a poison to be sure, and therefore always impossible to weigh the elements of moral force in the balance of a h a p o th e c a ry /’ “ We may th in k ,” hie continues, “ th a t recorded miracles appear inconsistent or incomplete, and we may debate how fa r the constant assistance of miracle m ight be for our good or otherwise, but no progress can be m ade and much may be prevented, in the exam ination of any really difficult hum an problem, by thus approaching i t on the hypothetical side. Our modesty and wisdom consist alike in the simple- registry of the facts cognisable by us, and our duty, in making active use of them for th e present, w ithout con­ cerning ourselves as to the possibilities of the fu tu re. And the two main facts we have to deal with are th a t th e his­ torical record of miracle is always of inconstant power, and th a t our own actual energies are inconstant almost in e xaetproportion to th eir worthiness. “ Therefore we can only look for an im perfect and interrupted, but may surely insist on an occasional, m ani­ festation of miraculous credentials by every m inister of religion. . . ‘These signs shall follow them th a t believe/ are words which adm it neither *of qualification nor m isunder­ standings and it is far less a rro g a n t in any m an to look for such Divine attestation of his authority as a teacher th an to claim, without it, any authority to teach. And assuredly it is no proof of any unfitness or unwisdom in such expecta­ tions, th a t, for the last thousand years, miraculous powers seem to have been withdrawn from, or a t least indemonstrably possessed, by a Church which, having been again and again warned by its"M aster th a t Riches are deadly to religion, and Love essential to it, has nevertheless made wealth the reward of Theological learning, and controversy its occupation.” Vision and D ream. He goes on from this to say th a t “ S piritual vision, il actual, whether in dreams, disease or enthusiastically exalted health, is always to be held as real experience—whether it be deceived or not. Homer describes and P lato assumes, a religion of clear and consistent vision. The wisest men who have accepted Christianity have, received i t on the evidence of men who asserted th a t they had seen C hrist a fte r H e rose from the dead. The reason has full power in both Homer and D ante. And the evidence they receive is the best attainable by them on th eir subjects of doubt. Both are, therefore, in the purest sense, religious, not superstitious. “ Over inferior minds less rational fears and less tested ideals mingle continually with what is rightly tenable in th eir creeds, and may always be forgiven to gentleness and sometimes admired by sym pathy: incapability of them is always vulgar, and scorn of them always insolent.”

[March 31, 1923.

R uskin’s own experiences in dream land are of very con­ siderable in terest. Space does n o t allow me to quote his account of these in roll, b u t we m ay profitably read the following sum m ary, very characteristic of his constant tem per in dealing w ith such m atters. Speaking of “ the definite statem ent,, alike bv Greeks and Hebrews, of d r e a m as,one of th e states in which, know­ ledge of th e fn tu re may be distinctly given,” he says that “ the tru th of th is statem en t we m ust again determine for ourselves. Our dream s are p a rtly in our power by manage­ m ent of daily thought and food; partly, involuntary and accidental—very a p t to ru n in contrary lines from those naturally to be expected of th em ; and p a rtly (a t least, so say all th e Hebrew prophets, a n a all g re a t Greek, Latin - and English thinkers), prophetic. t W hether what Moses, Homer, David, D aniel, th e E vangelists and S t. Paul, Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare and Bacon, th in k on this matter, or w hat th e last-whelped little curly-tailed puppy of the New ington U niversity thinks, is m ost likely to he tru e judge as you w ill.” W hen recovering from his first serious illness (in 1871) he had three rem arkable dream s, all of which were of tbs g re atest use to him in a period of profound intellectual "and em otional stress. A gain, a fte r his second terrible a tta c k of brain-fever (in 1880) he w rites to his friend Charles N orton in A m erica: “ The illness was much more definite in its dream ing th a n th e la s t one, and not nearly so frig h tfu l. I t ta u g h t me m uch as these serious dreams do alw ays; and I hope to m anage myself better and not go Argon a n tin g any m ore. B u t b o th these illnesses have been p a r t of one a n d th e same system of constant thought, fa r out of sight to th e people about me, and of course g e ttin g more and m ore sep arated from them as th e y go on in th e ways of th e m odern world, and 1 go ba ck to live With my F a th e r and m y M other a n d my nurse, and one more—all w aiting for me in th e L and of th e Leal.” R uskin and P sychic E vidences . W e come now to a period of R usk in ’s life when he first became convinced—through “ psychic” experience—of the c ertain ty of* the im m ortality of th e soul and the nearness and reality of a n ever-present world of S p iritu a l existences. I t m ust be explained fo r those who a re n o t familiar with th e facts of R u sk in ’s life t h a t th e y e ar 1875 marked the end of a long and pitifully tra g ic a tta ch m en t to the girl who he had hoped would be his wife—in th is y e ar,. after sending for him and a t la s t consenting to m arry him, Rose L a Touche fell ill a n d died. . ^3 In the la st m onths of 1875, R uskin was persuaded by the same friend (M rs. Cowper Temple), who had tried to in te rest him form erly, to a tte n d some fresh seances a t her home. The p a in fu l ebb a n d flow of doubt and belief aroused in R usk in ’s m ind a re well seen in letters of the period to his friend in Am erica. “ I have heard wonderful th in g s th is very afternoon,” he w rites on th e 14th December, “ I have seen a person who has herself had the stig m ata, and lives as completely in th e o ther world as ever S t. F ra n c is did, from her youth up, and—th is is for you—she had th e wounds more than once, b u t on one occasion conveyed in stan tly by a relic of, St. C atherine of Siena. And I am as giddy as if I had been throw n off S trasburg Steeple and stopped in the air; but th in g a fte r th in g o f th is kind is being brought to me. 1 c an ’t w rite more to-night. . .” R uskin was, a t this tim e, w ritin g his monthly letter to the public in “ F ors C lavigera,” and his experiences and thoughts are reflected in th e “ F o rs” he was then preparing for publication a t Christm as. i “ Nor are w e,” he says, “ w ithout g re a t and terrible signi of supernatural calam ity, . . in forms of m ental disease, claiming distinctly to be necrom antic, and. as fa r as I have exam ined th e evidence re la tin g to them , actually manifest* ing themselves as such. F o r observe you, my friends, countrym en, and brothers— e i t h e r , a t th is actual moment of your m erry Christm astim e, th a t has tru ly come to pass in falling London, which your g re a te st Englishm an wrote of falling Rome, “ the sheeted dead do squeak and gibber in your E nglish stre e ts,” —or, such a system of loathsome im­ posture and cretinous blasphemy is c u rre n t among all classes of E ngland and America, as m akes the superstition of all p a st ages divine tru th in comparison. 41O n e of these things i t so—gay friends: have i t which way you w ill: one or o ther of these, to me. alike appalling.'’ To th is passage R uskin appended a footnote—— “ I leave th is passage as i t was w ritte n : though as H passes through the press, i t is ordered by Atropos that I ( C o n tin u e d a t fo o t o f n e x t o o lu m n .)

March SI, 1923.]

LIGHT

LONDON SPIRITUALIST ALLIANCE. Annual General M eeting . The Twenty-seventh Annual General M eeting of the London Spiritualist Alliance took place on th e afternoon of the 20th inst., Mr. H enry W ithall, Senior Vice-Presi­ dent and Chairman of the Alliance, presiding. In moving the adoption of th e rep o rt the Chairm an first alluded to the *considerable losses on C apital Account which were set forth in th e Annual R eport, already cir­ culated to the members. Owing to these losses, the Alli­ ance started the financial year under review -m a com­ paratively impoverished condition. I t was only owing to the generous support received from Sir A rth u r Conan Doyle, and from a member who wishes to rem ain anony­ mous, each of whom had contributed a sum of £300, th a t the Alliance had been able to pay its way during the year 1922. Practically the whole of S ir A rth u r Conan Doyle’s donation had been spent in stru c tu ra l repairs to No. 5, Queen-square, which Were absolutely necessary to secure the stability of the building. The Chairman w ent on to rem ark th a t m any people had ot the idea th a t th e Alliance was a wealthy institution, ut he wished again to emphasise w hat had already been set forth quite clearly in tne A nnual R eport, th a t if this Alliance was to carry on its work i t m ust receive the con­ tinued support of all those who believed in th e tr u th of Spiritualism. Everyone who had received assurance of communication w ith th e departed through Spiritualism ought to consider i t both a d u ty and a privilege to do all they could to bring to others th e g re a t benefits which they themselves had received. This could only be effectually done by organised effort, a n d by supporting th is Alliance in its great work of enabling every serious enquirer to discover for himself the re ality of sp irit comm unication ana spirit survival. Mb . H. E rnest H unt , in seconding the adoption of the Report, remarked t h a t th e A nnual Subscription of one guinea (which am ounts to only 4£d. a week), was ridicu­ lously small for the benefits which membership conferred. So long as the L.S.A. continued to give all th a t i t did for so very small a subscription, i t could n o t be said th a t it was being run on commercial lines. Mb . Thubstan supported th e adoption of the R eport. The motion for th e adoption or th e R ep o rt was p u t from the Chair, and carried unanim ously. The retiring members of th e Council, M r. W ithall and Mr. Thurstan, were th en re-elected. M r. Biden Steele, who also retired by ro tatio n , expressed his inability, owing to pressure of professional work, to continue to serve on the Council. The Chairman n e x t proposed a vote of th an k s to the staff, coupled w ith th e nam e of th e O rganising Secretary. He thought th a t one of th e m ost effective things which M r. Wright had done was th e enlistm ent of so m any earnest and enthusiastic voluntary workers, whose names bad been given in the R eport. Mr. W right, replying on behalf of th e staff, emphasised (C o n tin u e d fr o m p r e v io u s p a g e .) should hear a piece of evidence on th is m a tte r no less clear as to th e p r e s e n t m i n i s t r y o f s u c h p o w e r s a s t h a t w h ic h le a Peter o u t o f p r is o n , th a n all th e form er, or nearly all, former evidence exam ined by me was of th e presence of the legion which ruled among tn e Tombs of G ennesaret.” Had he had the infinitely fuller evidence of to-day to study, ltusk in would undoubtedly have seen in the mys­ terious confusion of voices which reaches us from th e sp irit world, final confirmation of th e ir dual n a tu re , and the no less certain predominance (as i t seems to me) of “ angelic” ovor ’‘diabofic* ’ origin. What the “ piece of evidence” he refers to precisely was, we do not know, b u t in his d iary for this date, he writes:— “December 14th.—H e ard from M rs. A. (in th e draw ing­ room where I was once so happy) th e m ost overwhelming evidence of the other s ta te of th e world th a t has ever come to me; and am th is m orning like a flin t stone suddenly changed into a firefly, a n d ordered to flu tte r ab o u t in a bramble thicket. Y et slept well and sound all n ig h t.” “December 18th.—Increasing anxiety about illness, and more and more wonderful or sad thin g s told me unfit me much for my work. . . Mrs. W . sees me in evening. Pixy throwing her into trance, tells me all things th a t ever I did.” “ December 20th.—A gain, first through Pixy and her friend, then conclusively in evening ta lk a fte r reading, the truth is shown to me, which though blind, I have truly sought—;so long.” He wrote about his experiences to his friend in America, and received words of caution, if n o t of incredulity. He replied on Ja n a a ry 8th, 1876: “ I answ er your kindest letter by return post, tnough only a word. I am m ost thankful for its w arning; and tru ly I need it, for th e forms of dis­ turbance th a t present themselves to me not a t Broadlands only” (where the seances had been held), “ a re terrific in difficulty of dealing w ith, because .you know the Middle

199

the most valuable and loyal assistance th a t he had re­ ceived from the three members thereof. Miss Phillimore, Mrs. Amy Chitty, and Mrs. Knott. He could honestly say th a t no secretary had ever been better served by his staff th an he had been. During his life he had done many hard jobs, but this was in many ways tbe hardest. I t was, however, work of absorbing interest and immense pleasure. The only thorn in tbe rose was .the ever present pressure of the financial question. He often felt discouraged at the absence of the true spirit of .altruism among members of the Alliance. There were members who seined to look upon the Alliance purely as an institution to get something out of. They did not regard it as a great instrument or spiritual progress, which it should be the duty and pleasure of every true Spiritualist to support, quite apart from any special benefit which m ight be derived ^from it. I t could not be too often emphasised th a t Spiritualism was not getting but giving. Mr. W right endorsed all th a t the Chairman said in regard to the invaluable service of the voluntary workers, whose names were given in the Annual Report. The Chairman concluded the meeting with a vote of thanks to “ Our Unseen Helpers.” He knew th a t there were many on the other side of the veil, such as Mr. Stianton Moses, Mr. Dawson Rogers, and Mr. E. W. Wallis, who watched over their progress and helped them in many ways in which they were often ignorant. I t was for them to do th eir p a rt and co-operate with these Unseen Helpers. M rs. Wallis seconded this motion in a few admirably chosen words. She knew from ■her own experience th at there was a g re at company of friends on the other side of the veil who watched over the Alliance, and who gave i t th a t spiritual leadership without which all their efforts would be in vain. D. D. HOM E M EMORIAL. Mr. J . A. Campbell (of Turnalt, by Lochgilphead, A rgyll), referring to his letter on this subject in L ight of th e 17th inst. (page 167), writes, pointing out an error in th e last paragraph of the letter. The grandmother of D. D. Home was a “ MacNeill” not, as printed, a “ Miss Mill.” Mr. Campbell quotes a letter which he received from D. D. Home when th e la tte r was in Russia in 1876, in which Home said, “ I always wear th e MacNeill crest in my bonnet.” MM. Gabbiel D elanne and G. Bourniquel have pro­ duced a new book, “ Ecojitons les Morts” (“ Hear the D ead!” ), giving the testimony .of spirit communicators, and presenting generally the facts or Spiritualism. I t is published bv M. H em i Durville, of P ans, a t the price of 8 francs. “ Our American Adventure,” by Sir A rthur Conan Doyle, ju st issued from th e press (Hodder and Stoughton. 109. 6d. n e t), tells the story of Sir A rthur’s recent tour to the U nited States, and will be noticed a t greater length in these columns in a later issue. Ages are to me the o n ly ages, and what Angelico believed d id p ro d u c e th e b e s t w o rk . T hat I hold to as demonstrated fact. All m odem science and philanthropy produces abor­ tion. T hat miracle-believing faith p ro d u c e d good f r u i t — th e b e s t y e t in th e W o rld . . .” H is perplexity grew. “ Here in England,” he writes a few days later, “ Atheism and Spiritualism mopping and mowing on each side of me. A t Broadlands, e ith e r the most horrible lies were told me, without conceivable motive—or the ghost of R . (Rose La Touche), was seen often beside Mrs. ------ or me. Which is p le a s a n te r of these things I know, b u t cannot intellectually say which is likeliest—and m eantim e tak e to geology.” B ut reflection strengthened his belief. . . I am absolutely certain,” he writes a week la te r2 “ th a t were either St. Louis, St. Francis, or St. Hugo of Lincoln—(all of whose lives he had carefully studied)— here in the' room with me, they would tell me as positively as John. Simon would tej] me the disease of a muscle, th a t my ignorance of w hat they knew was wholly owing to my own lust, apathy, and conceit; and th a t if I chose to live as they lived, I should learn what they knew.” Again, on February 1st, he writes to the same corres­ pondent : “ I am being brought every day now into new work and new thoughts, and whether I will or no, into closer contact with evidence of an altered phase of natural, if not supernatural phenomena, the more helpful to me, because I can compare Row. with d e a r knowledge, the phase of mind in which J.S . (John Simon P) ana other noble Deists or infidels are, and in which I have been for ten years, with th a t whidh I am now analysing in the earlier Florentines, and recognising in some living Catho­ lics. To me personally it is no common sign th a t just after the shade of Rose was asserted to have been seen beside Mrs. T. and beside me, here, I should recover tbe most precious of the letters she ever wrote me, which, returned to her when we parted, she had nevertheless kept. . ‘ .”

’(To be continued.)

L I G H T

200 L I G H T ,

Editorial Offloss, 6, QUEEN SQUARE, LONDON, W.C.1 Tel . : Museum 6106. Telegrams: “ Survival, Westoent, London.” • ALL COMMUNICATIONS INTENDED FOR THE EDITOR should be addressed to the Editor of “ L ight, ” 5, Queensquare, London, W.C.l. BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS and “ LIGHT” SUB, SCRIPTIONS should in all. cases be addressed to , Hutchinson and C o.. 34, Paternoster Row, Londbn, E.C. Cheques and Postal Orders should be made pay­ able to “L ight.” SUBSCRIPTION RATES.— Twelve months, 22/-; six months, 11/-. Payments must be made in advance. ADVERTISEMENTS.— All applications respecting these must be made to “ Light” Advertisement Dept., ' Hutchinson and Co., 34, Paternoster Row, London, E.C. Tel.; 1462 Central. RATES.—-£10 per page; 10s. per inch single column; societies, 8 s. per inch; classified advertisements, 9d. per line.

A

FLOW ER

SERM ON.

In a letter which appeared recently in “ John o London's W eekly/" Mrs. Eustace Miles, referring to an article which had previously .appeared in the same journal by Professor J. Arthur Thomson on “ Plants that U nderstand/' wrote:— 1 have always felt that there is something almost human in the affection and understanding that some of the flowers display. For instance, I once nad a hydrangea whose blossoms were of a beautiful deep pink colour. Strange to say, whenever I went away from home, and could no longer tend it myself, its colour used to turn to a sickly purple; but immediately I returned home and touched ft, , and watered it myself, the colour returned to it. And then, alas! I had to leave it for quite a long time, and it died in' my absence, having turned first mauve and then almost white. It literally pined and faded away.

That is an exceptionally good exam ple of the deli­ cate link of sympathy which may subsist between the human soul and the flower-soul. Doubtless many of our readers could give instances of their own which would illustrate the idea. We have personally ob­ served cases in which flowers seem to derive some of their vitality from the persons who tend them. I t is a quite common observation th at cut flowers worn on the person will with some people fade and die in a few hours, and with others preserve their life and freshness for days. There is a natural principle at work here, the reality of which tlie many examples of sympathetic attach­ ments between men and women and their pet animals and cherished flowers serve to reveal and to prove by these confirmatory tokens. Life is indeed made up of a million blended essences. There is an underlying unity which shows itself here and there in a fragmen­ tary fashion, and which would be revealed more abun­ dantly were it not that, as Burns lamented, “ man a dominion has broken Nature's social union." B ut we can look beyond this regret, and see how, in the course of its evolution, humanity had for a time to break away from Nature to learn certain important lessons, the chief of which might be aptly expressed as being a knowledge of “ how not to do i t / ' Certain austerities hud to be mastered, and floweis and fairies forgotten and even scouted and cast out. In essence, perhaps, it was the mere “ dissembling of love"; certainly the prodigal son will return to the Home of Nature at last with a chastened soul, ready and eager to join th at great community of life from which in the effort to expel some of its humbler denizens he has succeeded only in exiling himself. Hucli examples of flower sympathy os th at described by Mrs. Eustace Miles serve to enforce the lesson we lmvc frequently drown from an observation of life on earth, viz.. that it is tlie best commentary upon and the greatest interpreter of the problems of the life beyond. How such instances illuminate, as cases of observed fact, the stories innumerable which reach iis from the “ Other Side’’ of the sympathy which exists between the inhabitants of the spirit spheres and the flowers

[M arch 31, 1028.

which adorn their “ World Beautiful." We are told of blossoms which seem to reflect all the emotions oi those who tend them, of plants in which the life and thought of those persons in sympathy with them seem to be chronicled as in a floral epitome. So may we see earth as the dim mirror of heaven,and the poet ai the “ clear seer" of its images. Well said Longfellow of the flowers of e a rth :— “ Stars they are wherein we read our history, As astrologers and seers of old.”

Truly, he who can read “ sermons in stones" may likewise read poems in flowers, for here the Great Poet has been a t work writing of the divinitv of Beauty and the magic of Sympathy.

HOPE-PRICE C A SE: PROPOSED NEW TEST. T o th e E d it o r o f L ight . S ir ,— I enclose herewith copy of a letter which I have to-day sent to the Research Officer of the S.P.R., for favour of publication in your columns, as the matter appears to be of public interest. Yours, etc., Georob E. W right , Organising Secretary.

London Spiritualist Alliance, Ltd., 5, Queen-square, Southampton-row, London, W.C.l. March 23rd, 1923. Copy of letter to Erie J. Dingwall, Esq., Research Officer, Society for Psychical Research. M y D ear D ingwall,—Sir William Barrett and other prominent members of the S . P . R . have urged that in view of the unsatisfactory nature of the experiments recorded in the Journal, May, 1922, a re-test of Mr. Hope’s mediumship should be made. The Society is in possession of a sum of money given by Mr. H. W. Pugh for this specific purpose. It will probably be agreed that the test should be made at the earliest convenient moment. It is, however, fruitless to carry out any experiment unless the conditions thereof are such that the results shall not admit of doubt. The experimental conditions must be &uch; that if positive results are obtained, it should not be possible for the usual statement to be made by the general public that the investigators overlooked some artifice em­ ployed by the medium. On the other hand, they must e so conclusive that if results exhibiting fraud are ob­ tained, it shall be impossible that the fraud can have been committed by any person other than the medium. Unless the conditions of the test are exhaustively and rigidly laid down b e fo r e the experiments commence, little useful purpose will be served thereby. The conditions pro­ posed by Mr. Pugh, though excellent as far as they go, are not sufficiently precise and detailed to form more than a basis for the working conditions. The first step to be taken is therefore to form a small Committee whose work should bo restricted to framing the conditions under which the experiments are to be conducted, and the reports thereof compiled and published. This Committee must obviously be representative. It is therefore proposed that it should consist of six members, three nominated by the S.P .R ., and three by this Alliance, on behalf of Mr. Hope. In the event of an agreement being reached, the experi­ ments can proceed in the full confidence that the results will be accepted by all parties. In the event of no agree­ ment being obtained, a fruitless expenditure of time and money will be avoided. The previous experiment with the Crewe Circle published in the Journal S.P.R. has been the subject of great dis­ cussion amongst Spiritualists and students of Psychical Phenomena. You will therefore, I am sure, agree with me that the interested public should be informed 'as to any steps that are taken towards further experiment with the same medium. 1 am therefore sending a copy of this letter ft> the Editor of Light , and would suggest that you would do the same with your reply. Yours very sincerely, George E. W right , Organising Secretary. March 23rd, 1922. Ages have elapsed, and still the world endures. The trumpet has not sounded and the end of the world has not come, but hundreds of millions of souls have passed into the Beyond. Quite evidently something more positive and definite than the idea of an almost infinitely remote resurrection is needed.— From “ Man’s Survival After Death,” b y the R e v . C h a r les L. T weed ale.

L I G H T

March 3 1 , 1 9 2 3 .]

TH E

O BSERVATO RY.

LIGHT ON T H IN G S

IN GENERAL.

Tho Duchess of. Hamilton and Brandon, who addressed a gathering of 2,100 people a t Manchester, .on Spiritualism, recently, contributed an article entitled ‘‘To-morrow’s Beligion” in the “Sunday Express” last Sunday, and in the course of which she wrote:— In the past the religious mind has been considered so unpractical and ethereal th at it could not possibly deal with the affairs of this world. Indeed, Mr. Lloyd George stated on one occasion th a t religion should be kept en­ tirely apart from politics. In reality the opposite is the case. True religion enriches all things, all tnings of this life only become alive when guided and directed by the spirit of true religion. The religion of to-morrow will be, and must be spiritual knowledge of life which recon­ ciles these two types. Spiritualism provides the bridges between religion and science, because it brings ever fresh knowledge of the reality of religious truths. Let us look at what happens to science when it is devoid of spirit, out of touch with spiritual knowledge. You get scientific discoveries turned to inventions for destruction. This is what you get in physics and chemistry, departments of science. Instead of their turning their forces of mind to aiding evolution, making purer, better conditions for people to live in, scientists turn their forces to inventing the most poisonous gas, the most destructive bombs, the most far-reaching devastating guns. Let us look on the other side. What happened to religion entirely divorced from science ? We got religious intolerance, the fear­ ful religious wars of France, as was seen in tne persecu­ tions of the Huguenots by the Koman Catholics, and the persecution of the Roman Catholics by the Protestants, the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, and the burning of witches, in all of which all reason, all human sympathy, all understanding are obliterated by fanatical adhesion . to form. We have complete materialisation of spiritual truth, and ever-increasing insistence on dogma and ritual. Let us see what Spiritualism supplied. I t supplies con­ clusive evidence of the immortality of the human spirit, of life after shedding the body, as against vague ideas of long sleep or monotonous harp-playing. Spiritualism breaks down the old ideas of heaven and hell, substituting knowledge of the infinite variety and possibilities of life in the spheres. I t shows th a t every aspiration, every power' cultivated here, music, art, and all other things, find their fruition ana fulfilment in the discamate life. Spiritualism shows th a t we are spirits here and now, th a t tne body is the instrument and we the players, th a t the body is made End formed by spirit, not only a t the time of birth, but all through life. Spiritualism de­ monstrates the existence of psychic powers and elastic gifts of the highest order, the constant and never ceas­ ing evolution or the human spirit—super-hnmanity in the making. Herein it is a message of nope for everybody. Spiritualism makes religion the most living, interesting .thing in the world instead of a dull, dead creed. I t makes a science of religion and a religion of science. To my mind Spiritualism is the path to the religion of to ­ morrow, whch will give the fullest scope to human striv­ ing for knowledge and perfection, and satisfy every need of the spirit for the light of reason on the obscure mysteries of existence and progressive evolution, and thus make possible the living, breathing unity which Christ foreshadowed when He said: “ Goa is love.”

I

J

An article in the “Church Times,” published in its issue for March 16th, prompted Sir A rthur Conan Doyle to write a letter to that journal, which it published in the current issue. Sir Arthur’s letter reads:-— In your very courteous account of my exhibition of psychic slides to members of the Press you say, “ Not one jot has been added to our knowledge of the grave and all that lies beyond it.” If the writer had said th a t he docs not believe what has been added, then he is, of course, well within his rights. B ut I raise my eyes to the shelf above me and I see standing there Vale OweiPs “Beyond the Veil” (four volumes), “ Raymond,” by Sir Oliver Lodge, “Letters from the Other Side,” “ The Blue bland,” Crowell’s ‘‘Spirit World.” Rev Stainton Moses’ “Spirit Teachings,” “ Claude’s Book,” and ‘‘Claude’s Second Book.” by Mrs. Kelway Bamber. “ Rachel Com­ forted,” “ PrivateDowding,” “ Grenadier Rolf,” and a whole line of other books which claim to be inspired, and which giro most minute descriptions of heaven, of hell, of life in the various spheres, of the glory of Christ, and of the hapnr laud to which w© all, sooner or later attain. These hooks agree very well with each other, they agree with scores of psychic MSS. which I have privately received, they agree roughly with tho scenes depleted by Davis and Swedenborg, a n d ‘finally they agree with the revelations which f get through the hand of my own wife. The remit is enormously consoling and helpful, so much so as utterly to remove all fear of death. I t is possible to dis­

201

believe all this, though it is far the fullest and most authentic revelation which God has sent to man. But it is not possible in the face of it to sav truthfully that Spiritualism taught us nothing about tne hereafter. At Westminster Abbey on Saturday last, Canon Barnes concluded his series of afternoon lectures on the “ Spirit of Modernism,” in the course of which he said: “Our own era has its own peculiar type of Modernism, created by recent developments of thought. The form differs, but the spirit remains the same. For a century now there has been intellectual progress which, save during the golden age of Greece, is without a parallel in human history. Notable advances have been made in scholarship—particularly in literary criticism, and in historical and antiquarian re­ search. There has been much valuable philosophical speculation. But predominantly the last century has been a time of scientific progress. Astronomers, geologists, and biologists have radically changed man’s ideas of the place of the earth in the Universe. They have given us an en­ tirely new view of its origin and past history. The cosmology which Christianity took over from Judaism was intact a t the time of the Reformation. Modern scientific discovery has made it obsolete. We now picture a vast evolutionary process, ‘from nebula to man;’ as the back­ ground against which we must set our religious beliefs. Bo it has become necessary once again to change the form of some elements of Christian theology—once again to re­ adjust Christian belief to secular knowledge. The modernism of to-day has not yet finished its course. At present we can only sav th at it will profoundly affect all types' of English Christianity. We cannot measure either the ex­ te n t or the detailed natnre of its influence. But Modernism is a necessary outcome of the conditions of our time. Great movements have been fruitful of much good, and they who merely fear current Modernism ignore the reassuring wit­ ness of history. The Christian Faith is not static but dynamic. While its foundation remains the teaching and Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, its form continually changes, as men’s modes of thought and secular knowledge alter.” In the March issue of the monthly magazine “The Modern Churchman,” Mr. Stanley de Brath has contributed a deeply interesting essay on “Christianity and Psychical Research.” Considerable publicity has recently been given to a cure of insanity through the mediumship of Mr. R. J. Lees. Among the number of accounts of tne incident we have be­ fore us we select one published on Sunday last in “Reynolds’s News” which reads as follows:— From Paignton, in Devonshire, comes a remarkable story of how a girl of 23, who had been insane for seven years and given up as an hopeless case, was restored to her senses by a Spiritualist author and preacher, Mr. R. J . Lees, of Ilfracombe. The girl is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Petherbridge, of Parish-road, Paignton, nad the latter gave to a “ Reynolds’s” correspondent a graphic description of the effecting of the “cure.” Her daughter Leonie, she said, became afflicted at the age of fifteen, when she was being prepared for confirmation. The girl endeavoured to starve herself, and had to he forcibly fed. Her body recovered, but her mind did not. After some months she became worse and for five years was an inmate of homes at Exeter and Exmouth. “ Then,” continued Mrs. Petherbridge, “ I became interested in Spiritualism and wondered if my daughter was not a sensitive medium—whether it was not a case of demoniacal possession. I took her to Spiritualist friends a t Ex­ month, and for a time she seemed to he better, but they oould not keep the spirits out and she had to be taken to a home at Salisbury. Hearing of the case, Mr. Lees offered to help, and Leonie was brought from Salisbury to the house of Mr. Rabbitch, President of the Paignton Spiritualist Society. My daughter was perfectly dumb when she arrived. For over two hours Mr. Lees fought with her. Then he declared : ‘I t is more than I can do by myself. I must get the aid of a higher spirit.’ Then a very high spirit came. At the end of two hours Mr. Lees, who afterwards said it was the biggest struggle he had ever had, fainted, but soon after the first smile came over my daughter’s face, and in a little time she went into a peaceful sleep. When she awoke a few hours later she was in a normal state. Oij the following morning Leonie, for the first time for eight years, bejgan to do embroidery work. It was a piece she was doing for my birthday at the time her reason left her. The work basket was put in front of her and she picked it up and started as if no time had elapsed. She is now just like a normal girl of fourteen—it seems as if the last seven years of her life have been a blank.” Mr. Pefcherhridge, who is a well-known local dentist and & member of the Church of England, was present when his wife gave her story and endorsed the fact of the wonderful change th at had been wrought in his daughter-

LIGHT

202

(M arch 31, 1923.

EASTER MESSAGE SPIRITUALISTS. FROM H. W. ENGHOLM.

‘'W h y seek ye th e liv in g am ong th e d ea d ? l i e u n o t here, b u t u r i s e n : ”

—St. Luke xxiv., 5-6. T his m essage, th e g re a te s t o f all m essages, is th e gospel o f S p iritu alism . A S p iritu a list is o n e to w hom th e se ti d ­ ings h a re become a n in te g ra l p a r t o f life itse lf. i t is no lo n g er a say in g a m o n g st S p iritu a lists t h a t d e a th is a m y stery , b u t r a t h e r t h a t life is th e m y ste ry of th e u n iv erse seen a n d u nseen. In ev ery hom e w here tw o o r th r e e S p iritu a lists a re g a th e re d to g e th e r i t is alw ays E a s te r fo r th e m , a re s u r­ rectio n m orn w henever some risen loved one g re e ts th e m th ro u g h those p o rta ls t h a t g u a rd th e g r e a te r life . C an th e first E a s te r m o rn in g n av e a n y special significance, o r teach a lesson to th e S p iritu a lis t w ho know s by fa c t, an d n o t by fa ith , t h a t d e a th is b u t a n o th e r n am e fo r re-b irth in to e v e rla stin g life ? 1 th in k i t can. In fa c t th e w ondrous sto ry se ts th e S p iritu a lis t to -d a y th e g re a te s t lesson of a n y t h a t h a v e e v e r been reco rd ed . To m ake th is lesson d e a r , I will go back to o n e e a rly m orning, when In th e stilln ess of t h a t h o u r p re c e d in g th e daw n. I tu r n m y eyes to w a rd s a g a rd e n ly in g a t th e fo o t of a hill called G olgotha. B y th e open e n tr a n c e o f a ro u g h hewn sepulchre sta n d s a w om an. S he is w eeping. M ary M agdalene a t t h a t m o m en t sym bolises h u m a n ity — all who seek th e i r dead in th e to m b . N o w onder she weeps, ju s t a s th e w orld w eeps y e t, know ­ in g no m ore th a n she o f th e fa te o f th e O ne th o u g h t to be lost. Then a s h e r seem ingly hopeless g rie f b in d s h e r fa st, she stoops a n d looks in to th e p lace w herein tw o n ig h ts before th e lifeless body o f h e r F rie n d a n d A d v iser h a d been laid. ' S h e h e a rs a questio n p u t to h e r. A q u e stio n e v e ry arisen one longs to m a k e h e a rd t o th o se w hose h e a r ts a re b reak in g as th e y sta n d b y an e a rth ly to m b . “ W hy w eep est th o u ? ” ■ M ary gives th e answ er, th e sam e an sw e r t h a t is g iven ji< t: “ I know n o t w here th e y h a v e laid H im .” M ary, lik e all w om en, suffered g rie f unselfishly. It w as a sig h t o f H is poor to rn an d to r tu re d body t h a t she longed for an d to w hich she desired to give h e r lo v in g c a re fo r th e la s t tim e , a n d now could n o t do so. I f she h ad th o u g h t o f h e rself she m ig h t h a v e an sw ered th e question by p u ttin g a n o th e r, a sk in g , “ W h a t th e n can you tell m e t h a t will relieve m y g rie f? W h y should y o u question . m y te a r s when th e cause fo r th e m seem s so obvious?” B u t M ary w as answ ered in a n o th e r w ay, a n d in a m ost unexpected a n d d ire c t m a n n e r. S h e h e a rd h e r nam e called, she saw th e O ne she h a d th o u g h t w as lo s t and th e n th e unsp eak ab le joy of i t a ll. D e a th w as d isp ersed by th e risin g sun t h a t h era ld e d in th e first E a s te r m o rn ­ in g ; th e w orld becam e fo r h e r full o f w ak in g life . H er F rien d an d M a ste r w as rev ealed to h e r becau se o f a g re a t tr u th which she h ad n o t realised before— T h e re is no d e a th . M ary M agdalene w as th e first S p iritu a list a n d suffered fo r h e r new found know ledge, fo r w hen sh e h a ste n e d to te ll th e glad new s t h a t h e r beloved F rie n d a n d M aster was alive th o se who still g riev ed believed h e r n o t. I can ju s t p ic tu re th e g e n e ra l e ffect of h e r s to ry in Jeru salem if o u r p re se n t d a y co n d itio n s h a d e x iste d in th o se tim es. I can fancy m yself re a d in g th e Je ru sa le m “ D aily M ail.” th e P a le stin e “ D aily E x p re ss,” or th e S an iied rim “ D aily N ew s,” re c o u n tin g th e sto ry glean ed bv th e re p o rte rs of th o se jo u rn als from th e lips o f th e joyful M ary an d h e r sceptical frie n d s; th e h ead lin es t h a t M onday m o rn in g would h a v e r e a d :— SPO O K O F D EA D P R O P H E T A P P E A R S IN C E M E T E R Y : Sto r y D

is c r e d it e d

by

H

is

F

o llow ers.

I can , w ith v ery little p lay on m y im a g in a tio n , w rite LiI w is i ia ii S p i r i t u a l is t C h u r c h . —T h e fu n e ra l o f M r. D . L ecchm an, V ice-P re sid e n t, a n d form erly P re s id e n t of Lew is­ h am S p ir itu a lis t C hurch, to o k place on T h u rsd a y , M arch 22nd, a t th e c rem ato riu m . W est N orw ood. A serv ice was held a t th e above church a t 11 a .m ., conducted by th e R ev . Tyssul D avis, p a sto r of th e T heistic C hurch (o f w hich M r. Leech m an w as a t . one tim e s e c re ta ry ). M r. D avis re ­ fe rre d to th e ir arisen frie n d as a courageous s p ir it, who* followed fearlessly w here h is co nvictions led h im ; h e h a d le ft th e T heistic C hurch because h e fe lt t h a t h e hod ob­ ta in e d a w ider know ledge, a g re a te r t r u t h . Now he h ad

th e w hole s to ry t h a t w ould p ro b a b ly be given h a lf a c o ju t. I c a n re a d jn m y m in d , o p in io n s p u b lish ed in various inter­ view s, w ith th e c h ie f P rie s ts , th e S cribes, an d the Hdas; t h e P h a rise e s a n d t h e S a d d u eees w ho w ere prom inent mewb e rs o f t h e L e v a n t S o ciety fo r P sy ch ical R esearch offering i t a s th e i r o p in io n t h a t th e w hole s to ry w as th e remit of th e psychological c o n d itio n o f a w om an suffering from So-1 sions d u e t o a n u p h e a v a l o f t h e illu so ry ato m s of the n t conscious m in d . T h e n , a s th e d a y s w e n t b y . m o re s tra n g e happening! are re p o rte d . H e r e a n d th e r e som e w ell-know n an a respected m a n a c c e p ts th i s “ sp o o k ” s to ry as tr u e . Joseph of . A rim ath sea a n d N icodem us, b o th m en of standing a d m em b ers o f t h e S a n h e d rim , th e su p rem e council of the ] J e w s, a re re g a rd e d a s a r e s u lt w ith suspicion and some a m u se m e n t b y t h e i r fello w m em b ers a n d friends.. T h a n k G od, though., t h e P re s s d id n o t ex ist in the din 3 w hen i t w as re v e a le d to a f a ith f u l few th e fa c t th a t pbjacal d e a th d o es n o t s e p a r a te u s fro m th o s e w e love. T h en a s tim e w e n t on a sm all b a n d of men and some fa ith fu l w om en, w ho h a d h id d e n th em selv es in fear and d e sp a ir a f t e r th e y h a d w itn e sse d t h e c e n tr a l figure of ill th e i r ho p es h a n g in g a lifeless co rp se on a felon’s cross of e x e c u tio n , cam e fo r th , a n d f o r t h e i r c e rta in knowledge of j t h e f a c t t h a t t h e i r L o rd a n d M a s te r w as risen indeed, fac e d d e a th a n d t o r t u r e , c o n tu m a c y a n d derision, for the t r u t h th e y k n e w a n d d e c la re d fe arlessly to th eir feOov m en. O ne h u n d re d y e a rs a f t e r t h a t e a r ly m o rn in g rerelahoB t o M a ry o f M a g d a le n e , t h e r e w e re five m illion people wio b e lie v ed h e r s to ry a n d c a lle d th em selv es Christians. Tod a y th e r e a r e o v e r five h u n d r e d millions w ho do the sane. H e re th e n is t h e lesson- fo r n s S p iritu a lis ts to take to I o a r h e a r ts to -d a y . S e v e n ty y e a rs ag o th e tr u th was again rev ealed a s i t w as tw o th o u s a n d y e a r s ag o . Jesus did not | rise a g a in on t h e t h i r d d a y , H e w as re b o rn , on th e Cross. ] in to G od’s h e a v e n ly K in g d o m a s b e bow ed H is bead aad J said , “ I n t o T h y h a n d s , on L o rd , I com m end my spirit." O n t h e t h i r d d a y H e d id n o t a p p e a r t o M ary merely to I p ro v e th e r e w as n o d e a th , H e c a m e t o co m fo rt h er and Hb 1 g rie f-s tric k e n frie n d s a n d re la tiv e s . H e d id n o t' attempt to j p ro v e a t r u t h ; H e re v e a le d i t . Y ou c a n n o t prove a truth 1 — i t is— t h a t is a ll o n e c a n .s a y . To e v e ry S p ir itu a lis t t o w hom th e g r e a t tr u th of human su rv iv al h a s b een re v e a le d , I w o u ld sa y . Go and tell even 8 m an. W e S p ir itu a lis ts h a v e b een e n tr u s te d w ith a refela- j t i o n ; le t u s be t r u e to o u r t r u s t , a n d in t h e telling be fear- j less. I f w e a r e fa ith fu l t o o u r F a t h e r W ho is in Hearn a n d p ro claim th e g ospel, t h e sam e gospel t h a t wiped an y 1 M a ry ’s te a r s , th e n w ill t h e n a m e S p iritu a lis t be claimed b y a ll a s a n a m e o f h o n o u r, e n lig h te n m e n t, and brother-1 hood fo r m en w ill see w e a r e in e a r n e s t and know that ] w h a t w e .s a y is t r u t h . J e s u s o f N a z a re th will help every S p ir itu a lis t to do th is . H e to -d a y rem em b ers th e struggle H is follow ers h a d to p ro c la im t h e gospel o f th e spirit world w hich H e g av e th e m in d eed s a n d w ords. T his Easter the sam e s tru g g le is ta k i n g p la c e t h a t H e w itnessed in davs of o ld . A pply H is sim ple, h o m ely te a c h in g s to Spiritualism: j go fo rth w ith th e c o u ra g e a n d d e te rm in a tio n of Saul of 1 T a rsu s a n d b is co lleag u es, a n d w e w ill w in th e world for j H is K in g d o m . S p iritu a lism s ta n d s fo r s p iritu a lity , s tr ic t morality and ] b ro th e rly lo v e. H e d e sire d n o m o re a n d no. less from Hit follow ers th e n , H e d e m a n d s no m o re th a n th is, to-day from S p iritu a lis ts . H is K in g d o m is h id d e n bv th e m ists of creeds a n d m an -m ad e dogm as. T h e S even P rin cip les of Spirit­ ualism a re H is p rin c ip le s a n d o u r p rin c ip le s. There is no I d o u b t a b o u t t h a t in m y m in d . T hey a re H eaven-sent and 1 will dispel th e m ists a n d disclose th q K ingdom . So let ns I p ro claim o u r gospel as d id t h e m en w ho emerges! from the I u p p e r room , a n d w ith th e h o sts o f h eav en behind us w I c a n m a k e th e lig h t o f E a s te r sh in e e v e ry d ay and night in I th e h e a r ts of G od’s c h ild re n a s th e y pass along life’s high- I w ay on th e i r ro a d hom e. g o n e on b efo re th e m , s till a p io n e e r to p re p a re the tray. I H e w ould n o t be c o n te n t w ith a h e a v e n o f inaction, but his I life w ould be th e r e , os h e re , o n e o f serv ice fo r his fellow. I An e a rn e s t a p p e a l w as m a d e to th o se le f t behind not to 9 g rie v e fo r h im , a s t h a t w ould only w eigh hiip down and I h in d e r h im . A t t h e e n d , w hen t h e R ev. Tyssul Davis I b a d e o u r frie n d “ A u re v o ir,” i t w as fe lt t h a t our sorrows h a d a lre a d y g iv en p la c e to jo y , a n d t h a t wo were in tbs 4 p resence of o n e fo r w hom th e daw n h a d already broke*, I a n d from whom th e shadow s h a d fled aw ay. o

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L I G H T

March 81, 1 9 2 3 .]

“ONE FAR O F F, D IV IN E E V E N T .” Turn R etntobcxmests

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expression, lead us to consider the tiglw r order to which they point?

Tvmr mnXH ov IxxoKTAlJTYof

God .

R e voices of the prophets cry out th a t there dial! be

a new heaven and a new earth. B y C. V . W . Ta sk .

many who soldiered in the G reat W ar th e word “re2 inforoments” h«a often sounded like a bugle calling the ivmile on the morning air. When th e last thing had B been done to stay the enemy, when body and mind were ■ natened beyond the power of words to tell, there is a cry K reinforcements are coming. Reinforcement s—what an ■ iaapinttnc word for tired and broken men! See those I unsh. young men with veterans sprinkled among them, ■ ■arching to battle through th e broken rem nants of an ■ m e . Hark to the blare of trum pets, th e beat of drums, ■ and the solemn fateful sound of m arching! We may be ■ pressed back ana nigh broken altogether; b u t while there is I hope of reinforcements, there is hope of tu rn in g th e tide ■ .1battle. —But the strategy of earthly generals sometimes fails. ■ Beinforcemenis come too late, or n o t a t all, and th e spirits ■ of men shrink with bitterness. In the great spiritual struggle of mankind, which is I lie an eTer-bnming fire, now furiously leaping up in flames ■ of tumult, now gently glowing, it is th e P rophets who reveal I the Plan of the Great S trateg ist o f th e Universe. N ot for ■ os to doubt the destiny of our r a c e : n o t for us to make th e B mystery of things th e very basis of a doubt in th e spiritual B aauim of man. F or our ignorance itself should contain an I ethic of charity, and charity is surely goodness, and goodness fl i the evidence of God in man. The Prophets and Seers are th e Spiritual scouts of ■ humanity. From th e m ounts of vision and intuition they I see the rivers of life flowing in to th e soul of th e world. I They descry the spiritual world like an atm osphere divinely ■ ethfirial. wrapped about th e ea rth .

3

All that is most beauteous im agined th ere, ‘ In happier beauty, m ore pellucid stream s, An ampler ether, a diviner air, And fields invested with p urp u real gleams. Climes which th e sun who sheds the brightest ray Earth knows, is all unworthy to survey. T h e "Sp ir it I n v in c ib l e .

Bnt if they see whither the Great Strategist is moving B tie armies of the e a rth , and it is a world of divine beauty ■ uid holiness, they also see the enemies of man k in d lurking I m the shadows of Time and Space. And so their cry goes I forth above the people, sometimes terrible with the sound I of doom, yet a cry of the great lovers of the people. For I they know man m ust come a t last like a child, willingly ana I Ioringly. to serve and glorify his God. Thev know th a t I in the spiritual conflict of the world there is no such term I I to be applied as a “ war of attrition” to the forces of I humanity. There can be no wearing down of immortal I amis, no lessening of the numbers of spiritual warriors to I be drawn upon hv th e Masters of the Fight. Rather the ¥ reinforcements of God increase with the passage of time. | And out of Death and Decay the Miglity Strategist raises I the ever-increasing hosts of the spirit, who come to re| inforce the wearied battalions of earth. Religion is th e central fact of history. The scientific I and philosophical movement of Mod m Spiritualism reveals the religious base of all knowledge and activity. The crown­ ing work of Scienoe" discovers the existence of Spiritual Man. How many an d ingenious the theories of young ! Science about th e origin and evolution of Man and the Uni. rerse, studiously avoiding the presence of the spirit in creation? And y e t by the work of its own hand, Science anreils the Kingdom of th e Spirit. Surely man, who is found to.be possessed of faculties which annihilate Time and Space, must be a god in embryo. _ And should not faculties so large, so creative and so divine in their highest

The Lucifer

Publishing

INITIATION By

Co,

“ Arise,” nays Isaiah,

“ shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, darkness Axil cover the earth, and gross darkness toe peoples, but toe Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. . . . 1 will also make toy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. . . . Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever.” (Isaiah, lx., 1-21). The scientific visions of a world pro­ gressing in th e arts and sciences yet Godless and unaided by th e powers of th e spirit-world will pass away like a nis^rimare as a natural result of its own logical development. The world th a t has brought forth a Jesus of Nazareth is m eant for something grander than toe cosmic dust heap. The evolution of man, whose nature reveals to e existence of such amazing faculties as clairvoyance, previrion, and th e rest, is already a proof th a t N ature has something other in mind th an th e making of a machine, wound up for a term of m ortal years, and then run down for ever.

The central fact of Religion is God. In God, it is said, there is no variableness nor shadow of turning. The direc­ tion of God’s will is Righteousness, which, in the final analysis, means the right relation of all the facts which make up the animate and inanimate creation. I t may sound startling, but we believe that when man is right with God, then all will be right with Nature. There is a subtle alchemy of spiritual relationship between the wonderful soul of'man and the creation arou d which Science does not yet even suspect. If we doubt this, let us consider the teachings of the higher spirits themselves. The environ­ ments of spiritual communities are the natural expres­ sions of their interior development—as within so with­ out. And even in this mortal world, if a man has beauty in his soul, will he not see beauty and sense mystery in the common things? Perhaps, then, the ancients glimpsed a greater truth than they Knew when they thought that the Golden Age was assuredly a time when Nature was prodigal in gifts of her fruits and beauty because man himself was divine. S cience

and

the

S oul .

Miss Lena Ashwell, the actress, when recently addressing the Oxford S.P.C.K.. said that “she was laughed at by the Press—she was a ‘high-brow,’ because she believed the human race was meant to go up and not down.” The Spirit­ ualist is absolutely at one with Miss Ashwell so far as she goes. But he does not merely believe that mankind is going upward to divinity; he knows it by taking observation of the Spiritual embryo in the carnal man. And more, he has an unfailing faith in the reinforcements of God, a faith based upon first-hand knowledge; that the mighty human forces of the unseen are with man in the heat of Spiritual warfare, and the “ adversaries” of man, must meet the strength of the Master Strategists of the spirit-world. To many of the world’s best intellects, devoid of the know­ ledge and conviction of man’s continuous life beyond the grave, or wilfully blind to the tremendous import of psychic facts, it seems that the spiritual struggle" of man­ kind is & hopeless one against overwhelming odds. _ But for us it cannot be so. From age to age the recruits of earth pass the door of death and join up with the great hosts of the spirit-world. Thus increaseth the army, of the free! For those who have eyes to see, these are mighty in­ calculable forces, pent up behind the barriers of earthly existence. I t is impossible to measure them. They are utterly inaccessible to the ordinary psychologist, yet they are most vital factors in social evolution. And so Science with heavy feet treads in the wake of the soul. In all ages the eyes of the prophets and seers have seen and declared the spirit’s everlasting beauty and holiness. Always with unfaltering gaze they have looked to the divine age th a t is to come. The day is dawning when reason shall take wings with intuition and vision ana find the dwelling place of man's immortal soul.

140,

Cedar

Street,

New York.

HUMAN and SOLAR A L IC E

A.

B A IL E Y .

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204

“ REMARKABLE PHENOM ENA A COUNTRY H O U SE.”

L I G H T AT

[March 31, 1923.

. J anuary 28th : Same five sitters. A screen had been I before the writing table, so th a t anything token from 4 1 would have to come through or over it. * A rug on the floor I was rolled up, and screen, after several movements, To the Editor of L ight . folded viip and unfolded several times, eventually beb» pushed up before the fire-place. We could distinctly see tfc Sib ,—Since the appearance of my le tte r in L ight of screen being moved against the blind through which \ October 28th, 1922, under the above heading, giving notes moon gave sufficient light. Small Lox on mantelshelf thrownj of seances held here, 1 have had a good many inquiries, into the grate. • Very heavy knocks; table thrown about which indicate the number of small private circles th at and medium separated from rest of circle by screen being exist, and the increasing interest taken generally in the placed between us. Very g reat power exhibited. subject of psychic phenomena. I stated a t the end •of my F ebruary 4th : Usual preliminary raps and movemeagM remarks th a t we intended to continue our sittings, though Eventually right hand and arm of (M .) was made rigid uj I temporarily deprived of the services of our strong medium pressed along the tablo. (M .) asked (Admiral) to noldj*j (X .j^ We hare a ccordingly sat one evening a week hard, but exerting utm ost strength in his left hand to the regularly, and the following record of our experiences may extent of fearing damage to medium’s wrist, he was un. p ro v e interesting, as showing the marvellous development able to hold it back. (Era.) put her hand across table ttj of (M.) as a medium In the short time th a t has elapsed assist b*T pressing back, but th e united efforts could notj (about four months), since my last report. control (M .’s) arm, which then suddenly became absolutelr • Unless otherwise stated, the circle is understood to con­ relaxed and lim p; th en suddenly again rigid, and apparently] sist of (Admiral), (Major), (Em .), and (M .), and for the an attem pt made to h it (Admiral) in the face, which v* information of those who have not seen my previous article, only prevented by bis exerting full strength in left hand. “ Achmed,” an Egyptian priest, is the guide and controller This was repeated several tim es; also (Admiral’s) hand, of the proceedings generally, and the table used is a small, thrown violently off th e table when in contact with that oil round one, weighing seven pounds. the medium. This looked like an attem pt to obtain com-: F irst S itting , October 15t h : A good deal of table plete control of medium. m ovem ent and some disconnected messages, knocks and F ebruary 11t h : Usual movements and some messages.; scratchings about th e room—with hands joined round th e Not so strong as usual. Medium appeared to see things table, b u t n ot touching i t ; table moved tow ards sitte rs as clairvoyantly, as she described several things she saw. j requested. Table did n o t rise com pletely off floor, b ut was ** F ebruary 18th : Several messages from an individual m ade heavy and light and we had ju st sufficient stren g th to announcing himself as “ .Khan,” who referred to Thibet and control it. gave correct descriptions' of several small idols and a joss ii October 22nd : Same kind of movements, and the follow­ (M ajor’s) pocket, of which all were ignorant. A good deal ing:— of touching. (Adm iral) touched several times on head and M essage : “Bertie prest.” Q uestion : “Preston?" Ja o e ; the feeling as of a large moth or" small-bat grazing, A nsw er : “ N o.” (W e had mistaken the last letter which them. (E m .) left her chair to wind gramophone, whenherchair was s instead of t) . Then we got “ Qycoly” ; all ra th e r in­ moved towards (M ajor), about three feet,andamessagecamei distinct, and we gave it up as hopeless. (Major) afterwards, for him from a near relative. P re tty strong on the whole, j however, interpreted it as an attem pted message from F ebruary 25t h : (E m .) left chair to wind gramoohone; Bertie, referring to a cyder press a t Colyford, where her chair immediately moved towards (Major) ana baa | (Major) previously resided. to her again. (E m .) was touched and dress pulled several j October 29 th : Usual table tiltin g ; an old fishing frienu, tim es. (Adm iral) touched on head by “ moth.” and a soft J ., was allowed to come through; very strong, threw tassel brushed lightly over the hands of (Admiral) and table about and gave us some characteristic remarks about (M ajor). Then (E m .’s) chair, which was vacated, slid to fishing. table, tum bling about against it and eventually getting N ovember 5t h : In addition to usual four, a nephew of on the table, (M .’s) hands being on table under (Admiral's) (Major). Table raised high off the floor; moved without wrist, his hand being stretched across the table to feel tb contact, and loud raps on table. chair moving. The table, with chair on it, was now lifted On 1 2 th and 19th November (M.) was unable to attend. from the floor fo r several seconds. . The weight of chair U The other three only obtained very slight movements of table. 14 lbs., table 7 lbs. Any num ber of raps about the room. N ovember 26t h : Usual four, and usual movements and L ight fain t from moon through blind sufficient to see all messages; quite strong. An alphabetical board with movements of medium who was seated with her back to it pointer on planchette principle tried in the light with (X .) has now rejoined us, and we are looking forward with absolutely no result. interest to possible results from the combined mediumship/j N ovember 28t h : (M.) absent, but in her place (Mrs. Yours, etc., L .), a good table medium. Plenty of messages, amongst 6 . E. R ichards. 1 others a warning to (Admiral) to be careful fo rs ix weeks, (R. Admiral, Ret.)*] danger of pneumonia. “ Achmed” urged continuance of regular sittings and promised great results. Alphabetical D E PR O FU N D IS. hoard tried again, but with no result. (M ajor) got informa­ tion from an Italian engineer on a mechanical subject th a t I t was late in the afternoon; so late th at the sun ta had been puzzling him. already descending into the bank of cloud, rose-pink and D ecember 3 r d : (M ajor), (M .), (Mrs. J .) . (Admiral) soft, warm gray, th a t was over the distant moor. Out and (Em.) absent. (Major) reports very good sitting. over the sea the lights and shades were sadder and colder,] Table remained in air nearly a minute, whilst they sang. F or one who watched it the sea was always sad now. . 1 Articles moved about on the floor. (M ajor) considered it As Dorigen stood, her soul was moved to prayer; and the best sitting since (X .) left. the prayer fell from her lips w ith a rhythmic passion off December 17t h : Power very great. Much movement earnestness th a t shook her n a tu re as the west wind wai of table, many raps. Singing appeared to help manifestations. shaking the w hitening grasses a t her feet. Yet she prayed; December 24th : Many loud raps, shuffling of papers on and y e t th e prayer moved, as if inevitably, to an unpre­ writing table. “ Achmed’ announced th a t he could produce m editated measure. So was utterance given. Her first “ apports,” nothing definite, however, occurred. poem was a prayer. December 31s t : (Admiral) absent. Very good results, And as she prayed tho clouds were lifte d : not only that much movement of objects about the floor; shifting of cloud of sorrow Which had lain upon her lire so long; but cushions and other articles. th a t cloud of th e sense of God’s personal displeasure and J anuary 7th , 1923: Medium (M .) moved about in chair, evidently attem pts a t levitation. Many loud raps round awful unapproachableness which had darkened and saddened the room. No messages. her. inner life since before she was conscious of-any inner life a t all., F or tho first tim e the sense of an actual and J anuary 14t h : An additional sitter ( I .) joined circle. Loud raps, th e n 'd concentration of power on (Admiral’s) near, and p a tie n t and tender Fatherhood was with her, chair which was moved forwards and backwards about six folding her about, “ close as the a ir” itself, enshrouding inches. (Admiral) touched several times on back; cushion her with a calm th a t was more th an the calm of forgive­ on which medium
L I G H T

March 31, 1923 ]

RAYS AND REFLECTIO NS.

THE

A correspondent sends me an (alleged) •extract from an (alleged) letter received from someone interested in auto­ matic writings. (I am thup careful in my preliminary statement knowing th at my correspondent, is a humorist.) He had been asked, it appears, to look over a book of auto­ matic messages. There was some delay which was thus explained:— “I am sorry about the autom atic writings, but the fact is we have had influenza in the house, and I will send i t to you next week.” Now if this experience'diad fallen to me, I should be in a state of trepidation.' feeling th a t I was doomed anyway. If I did not get the influenza I should get the automatic writings and if I were very unfortunate I m ight get b o th ! Here is an extract from a letter I recentlv received from a writer of world-wide celebrity. I only withhold his name because I have not permission to m ention i t :— “My attitude towards Spiritualism is natu ral though not quite logical. I admit the force of the evidence, and I wish to be convinced, but I am not convinced. I do not think Anyone can be convinced by vicarious experience. He must have personal proof. I t is the most im portant problem for mankind, and I want to find a solution.” That is a quite intelligible position, although, as my correspondent admits, it is not quite logical. No, the logical method would be to tak e account of the evidences which are not only world-wide b u t almost as old as human life on this planet. I have known many persons who have accepted the Spiritualistic position entirely, on a study of the Evidence and testimony, and w ithout “ personal proof.” One friend of my youth, a philosophic Scot, told me he had always had the intuition or a life a fte r death, which he confirmed by close reasoning on life and its manifestations, i When he took up the study of psychic science, it was not to discover whether there was a future life, but only if there were such things as psychic phenomena! T hat is quite an | unusual attitude, but it iB th e attitu d e of many more I persons than might be supposed.

•

•

•

f

It is certainly a refreshing v a ria n t on the method of the unthinking investigators whose position sometimes may be thus summarised. “ We have seen tables floating in the | air by invisible agency: therefore there is a sp irit w orld!” [ “Winch,” as dear old Euclid would say, “ is ab tu rd .” A correspondent sends me some reflections on the differI ence between the Celts and the Saxons as missioners of the [ “New Revelation.” One could say a good deal on the sub[ jeefc of racial
D, G.

COB SUPERNORMAL IN MODERN T he N ew P sychic P lay

at

DRAMA.

D rury L ane.

Spiritualists and psychical researchers will find especial interest in the new Drury Lane play, “ Angelo,” by Louis N. Parker. I t is based upon the life and adventures of a certain distinguished personage, who was a novelist of note, a painter of considerable talent, a fine musician, and one who held a strong belief in the reality of the super­ normal. The original of “ Angelo” wrote an opera on the subject of “ Undine,” and the play depicts his moral and spiritual development during the years of struggle that preceded its trium phant production. Undine was a water nymph, to whom mortality was to come with the faithful love of a human being. The Abbe Fouque has immortalised the mediaeval legend in a poetical romanoe; the Angelo of real life wedded the tale to music; at Drury Lane it is embodied with much beside, in a striking drama of Love and Art. There is an air of idealism and an atmosphere* of mystery about this play., quite unusual in the drama of commerce. A few years ago we should have described the hero as a man cursed by the artistic temperament and haunted by the ghost of Undine. Nowadays, _ probably, experts -in psychic states would he able to provide us with scientific ex­ planations. Lerov. the Frenchman, doubtless would have accused Angelo of suffering from illusion de fausse recon­ n a issa n ce, or something of th a t sort, when he saw in Giulia and Eufemia and again in the Unknown Singer, who brings him victory, the soul or spirit of his own imaginative and musical creation—the Undine of his opera. Like many other poetically-minded men and a few philosophers, Angelo in his lifetime was disturlied by the conflict in his own nature of many ill-assorted elements; and most of all, perhaps, he was perturbed by his inability to decide which is the real life and which the dream life, or rather the exact point a t which the one is divided from the other. The strangeness and beauty of the music in “ Angelo” is an im portant p a rt of the play—instead of merely incidental t o it as in most theatrical productions not classed as musical. Indeed the music of “ Angelo” may be said to supply the motive of the plav : and materially to influence its action. The fantastic nature of the drama will be emphasised also by novel and curious lighting effects and the new method of presentation which will enable about fifty scenes to be shown within the customary tim e limits for a London pro­ duction.

M. E. B.

THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY A Sequence of Spiritmessages describing Death and the After - world. Selected from Published and Unpublished Automatic Writings (1874 to 1918).

E d ite d by H arold Bayley, w ith an Introduction by S ir A rth u r C onan Doyle. This work will prove a revelation to those who are not familiar with the beautiful and ennobling character of m an; spirit messages. “ The Undiscovered Country ’’ is a standard work of reference concerning the “ Life Beyond the Veil. In board covers, and specially designed two* ooloured wrapper.

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j-. 1 G H T

jjarch 81, 1923.J

207

J 3

Q U E S T IO N S

AND

ANSW ERS.

Conducted by the Editor.

D EADERS are invited to write to us with any questions arising out of their inquiries into Spiritualism and Psychical Research, and we will reply to them on this page. If it is a question of wide general interest we may, however, deal with.it in another partjof the paper.. We will also send personal replies where this is desirable. We do not hold, ourselves responsible for manuscripts, photographs, or other enclosures, unless they are forwarded in registered covers and accompanied by stamped, addressed envelopes for return. We are always glad of comments or of information that may usefully supplement the answers given.

N ote . —In

future we propose to make our replies of a more - general character, as many of th e questions asked are such as occur to others th an th e original inquirer. Our replies therefore will be no longer addressed to some particular correspondent b u t will deal n o t only with .personal inquiries but with subjects under discussion and the problems of Spiritualism generally. Less im­ portant questions will be answered under “ Answers to | Correspondents.’* THE QUESTION OF PROPAGANDA.

We have our own views on th is subject, b u t th ey are binding on no one else. One m an’s p a th of d u ty ' is n o t necessarily th a t of any other m an. W e see around us some who regard the tru th s of Spiritualism as so essential to th e world’s welfare th a t they feel bound to devote all th e ir energy and enthusiasm to th e work of propaganda. A t th e other extreme are those who are wholly disinclined to ta k e any step whatever in this direction. They see no need for it. To some of these people th e ir Spiritualism is m erely a personal hobby. Our own a ttitu d e is simply stated . We will show the war- to any who ask, b u t we will n o t a tte m p t by argument, persuasion or cajolery to influence th e ir judg­ ment. We. do not regard such tr u th as we have gath ered as our truth, the denial or rejection of which inflicts upon us-some personal indignity. W e will te ll w hat we know to those who desire to h ear it. W e have nothing to say to unwilling ears. B ut we can lay down no rule for any­ one else. If any person thinks he should go into th e high­ ways and. by-ways and m ake converts, he can do so w ith o u r hearty goodwill. If, on th e other hand, he would keep his truth hidden—liis lam p under a bushel—well, i t is his affair. I t is not for us to condemn him. MEDIUMS AND MENTAL CONDITIONS. We are asked to -say som ething regarding th e effect upon a medium of th e m ental a ttitu d e of th e investigators by whom he may he visited. Speaking from personal observation we should say th a t it is generally tr u e th a t mediums are affected by th e m ental conditions of those w ith whom they are in contaqt. B u t i t is to be rem embered that the susceptibility of mediums varies considerably,

AN

I M P O R T A N T

N E W

according to th e degree of development, n o t only in th e mediumship, b u t in th e personal character. Some very negative types are affected by th e fain test b reath of sus­ picion o r hostility, especially if th e mediumistic g ift is poor and weak. B u t a strong medium, of strong personal ch aracter, will achieve success in th e face of a good deal of adverse circum stance, although we do n o t subscribe to th e statem en t th a t some mediums a re en tirely unaffected by hostile m ental conditions. They are always affected, although th e y may n o t always show it. I t would, none th e less, be absurd to a ttrib u te all mediumistic failures to th e “ m ental atm osphere” created by th e sitters. There are o th er causes residing frequently in th e medium himself. g_________

T H E QUESTIO N OF FAIRIES.

The existence o r non-existence of fairies is n o t likely to be settled for a very long tim e by science, so th a t i t is im­ possible to form any final conclusion on th e m a tte r. T here are many witnesses and much testim ony to th e existence of an order of beings which is regarded as below th e hum an sta te , although akin to it in possessing a hum an shape. W e have listened to stories told by tru stw o rth y persons, who claim actually to have seen fairies, n o t onoe, b u t on many occasions. The question th e n arises w hether th e elfin race is a reality , and, if n o t, w h a t it is these* people have really seen. T here have been m any theories on th e subject, b u t none which seem to us to cover th e whole -ground; for th e present, th erefore, we hold o u r judgm ent in suspense. I t is n o t a m a tte r of u rg e n t im portance, so th a t we can well afford to w ait, rem em bering th a t th e Universe is full of th in g s of which a t presen t we know little o r nothing. Of course, th e re a re m any persons who deride th e idea on o priori grounds, ju s t as, w ith fa r less justification, th ey deny th e existenoe of hum an spirits. I t is q u ite easy to dispute th e reality of th a t of which you have had no ex­ perience, b u t it* is n o t a wise course. T here are certain impossibilities of course. "We should all be en title d to deny w ithout exam ination such a story, for instance, as th a t a m an had discovered a perfectly equipped chronom eter em­ bedded in a rock of th e earliest ages. B u t in such a ques­ tion as th e existence of fairies th ere is no a p riori impos­ sibility : we have a whole region of kindred discoveries which render any reported new discovery less incredible th a n it would be if i t w ere e n tirely isolated.

B O O K

I N

G R E A T

D E M A N D .

“ No one can read the brilliantpages o f M . Maurice Paleologue w ithout obtaining a dearer insight into the complex forces that brought about the downfall o f R ussia"— E xtra ct from leading article in “The Times."

An

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AMBASSADOR’S (July

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3 rd, 1 9 1 4 -June 2 nd, 1 9 1 5 )

MAURICE

PALEOLOGUE

Last French Ambassador to the Russian Court A large volume, cloth g ilt, with many beautiful exclusive drawings and other illustrations, 1 8 s. net. Monsieur PalSologue's account of his steward hip and the men, women and events of his time is a document of the first historian importance, In the form of a richly commented diary. Monsieur Paleologue reveals the inner happenings at the Russian Court and Camp and in Government circles. His exalted position brought him into Intimate contact with the greatest of the great, and the leading figures of a departed era—the late Tzar And Tsaritza. the Grand Duke Nicholas, Sazonoff, Count Witte, Sir George Buchanan and, at the other end of the scale, the sinister and infamous Rasputin—come to life as the author sets down the conversations with him on topics of the most vital import race and interest. There will be surprises, many pleasapt&nd some 1 ainful, to the English reader who desires to know the truth about Imperial Russia, official and unofficial.

London: HUTCHINSON A

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L I G H T

208

THE VOYAGERS. By

an

Old Marines.

Amid a smother of salt water breaking over a heavyladen craft, in the teeth of an easterly gale, the writer has often stood lashed to the wheel by a loose rope (which gave freedom to walk the narrow steerage), in order to peer anxiously to leeward of the big tanned mainsail, searching for the buoys, sandbanks, obsolete men-of-war, and other vessels that lie anchored in most of the river Medway reaches. The avoidance of these often meant salvation from a watery grave, or the loss of valuable property entrusted to our charge. These are anxious and tense moments in a man’s life. Then, suddenly, a lull, and sunshine, and on an even deck one has again voyaged on, enjoying the exhilaration of the experience. Later, with increased force, the wind has hurled itself upon the little vessel, until on reaching the harbour-mouth, the writer and bis crew have had to cast anchor owing to the sea being too heavy to risk again emerging. After a (to us) delicious if frugal meal, we would leave our cosy cabin to go on deck to find a change to wonderful calm. Then came possibly a musical inter­ lude. in which the banjo and the concertina played their partis. Over side the porpoise, gambolling in and out of the water, would lie seen, or it might be a passenger steamer passing, “youth at the prow and pleasure a t the helm,” the strains of harp, violin, and cornet enlivening those on board. The flood of rich colour from the setting sun would he glowing on the water, and a deep-throated syren heralded the inclining Flushing boat, her gleaming port-lights giving the vessel an eerie beautv only realised when seen. Then came the evening star in solitary splendour, and the rising full-orbed moon flooding land and sea with its mellow radi­ ance; the musical cry of the marine sentry on the near-by gunboat, “All’s well’’: the quiet undulation of the waves, with soothing sound that lulled to rest and peace. The reader may question the relation of such scenes to Spiritualism, but the writer would suggest that if Earth be but the Shadow of Heaven (and it is), all our experi­ ences of sight and sound are “ cinematographed,” so to speak, upon our spiritual nature, and have a close corres­ pondence. We are all mariners on the sea of Life, some­ times buffeted by the storms of adverse circumstance, and continual battlings with doubt and fear, or failure; some­ times enjoying a calm, but mainly passing through stress and struggle, till, under the command of the Master Mari­ ner, we cost anchor in a summer-world, whose scenes transcend those of^ Earth jn their indescribable beauty and peace. “ Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me: And may there be no moaning at the bar When I put out to sea.'* H arry F ielder.

SUNDAY’S SOCIETY

M EETINGS.

Lewisham.—Lim es Hall, Limes Grove.—Sunday, April 1st. 11.15, open circle; 2.45, Lyceum; 6.30, Mr. E. Spencer. Wednesday, April 4th, 8, healing circle. Croydon.—Harewood Hall, 96, High-street.—April 1st, 11, Mr. Percy Scholey; 6.30, Mr. H. Ernest Hunt. Brighton.—Athenaeum Hall. April 1st, 11.15 and 7, "Mrs. Cannock; 3, Lyceum. Wednesday. 8.15, Mrs. Ormerod. Camberwell, S.E.—The Guardians .Offices, Peckhatn-road. —April 1st, 11, Mrs. Red fern: 6.30. Mr. Porteous. North London.—Grovedcde Hall, Grovcdale-road (near Highgate tube station).—Good Friday, 7, public circle; all welcome. Saturday, 7.30. building fund whist drive. Sunday. 11 and 7, Mr. Ben Carter, address and clairvoyance; 3, Lyceum. Easter. Monday, grand tea and social * attrac­ tive programme; tea served 5.30, price 1 /-; children, 6d. Wednesday, 8, Mrs. Annie Boddington, address and clair­ voyance. Friday, free healing circle; 5-7, children; from 7j adults: S t. John's Spiritualist Mission, Woodberry-grove, North Finchley (opposite tram depot.)—April 1st, 7, Mr. H. W. Engholm. Thursday. April 5th. 8, Mrs. Anderson. Shepherd*sBush.—73, Becklow-road.—April 1st, 11, public circle; l y Mr. H. Fielder. Thursday, April 5th, Mr. J . Spiers. Peekham.—Lausanne-woad.—April 1st, 11.30 and 7, Mrs. L. Harvey. Thursday, 8.15. Mr. Will Carlos. Bowes Park.—Shaftesbury Hall, adjoining- Bowes Park Station (down side).—Sunday. April 1st, 11, Mr. W. L. Pattinson; 7, Mr. Horace Leaf. Worthing Spiritualist Mission. Ann-street.—April 1st, 6.30, Mr. Punter. April 6th, 8, Mr. Cope. Central.—144, High Hofborn - (Bury-street entrance).— March 30th; no meeting. April 1st, 7, Mrs. Deane. Forest Hill Christum Spiritualist Society.—Foresters’ Hall, Haglan-strert, Da rtm outh -road.—April 1st, 6.30; Wednesday, April 4th *. Bichmond Spirit urt.^t Ch urcht Qrmond-rocul.—Sunday, April 1st, 7.30, Mrs. Cannock. Wednesday, April 4th, Mrs. Maunder,

March SJ, 1923

S H E F F IE L D MAN’S REG RETS FROM “ O T H ER S ID E .’’ A story of how a well-known Sheffield public man, at* died some months ago, came back and apologised for certain personal references ne had made in figuring speeches, par­ ticularly apologetic about Spiritualism, was related to a “Yorkshire Telegraph and Star” representative recently. The report reads:— When Mr. Walter Appleyard, J.P ., with his usual medium, was pursuing with his customary earnestness in­ vestigations into the unknown, a public man—whose name is known in almost every house in the city—“came over’’ and made a reference to his condemnation of Spirit­ ualism in his earthly life. “ Appleyard, I am heartily ashamed of myself,” he declared. This wonderful state­ ment by a public man of the standing of Mr. Appleyard will again cause the., public to go still further into the bewildering and intriguing mystery of life in the other world. I t certainly cannot he dismissed without serious thought. As indicative of the absorbing interest that is being taken week by week in Spiritualism, the Duchess of Hamilton last Sunday week addressed an audience of over 2,000 people, between 500 and 600 being turned away. “This fact only confirms what I bare said in interviews with ‘Star* inquirers from timq to time,” Mr. Appleyard said. “ I am still continuing to re­ ceive remarkable evidence of life continuity beyond the grave. The other night, a t a meeting held at my home, a number of friends came and spoke from the other world, one observing. T o n are doing a great work.' I replied, ‘For a number of years I have been endeavour­ ing in my small way to spread the truth.’ Then the voice of a man was heard to exclaim distinctly, ‘Appleyard, you make me feel ashamed of myself.’ ‘On, indeed,’ said Mr. Appleyard, ‘who are you?’ ” The reply was promptly forthcoming, and must have been startling to Mr. Appleyard. I t was the name of one whom Mr. Appleyard had crossed many a lance with, but whose name we suppress for obvious reasons, though it is in our posses­ sion. I t may be stated th a t he figured in the City Council for some time, and a t election time had held up Mr. Appleyard to ridicule for his views regarding Spirit­ ualism. Mr. Appleyard told the “ Yorkshire Telegraph and Star” representative th a t daring his investigations he has had over twenty men who have figured pro­ minently in public life of Sheffield hold conversation with him. ______________ ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A. Arnold.—A notable experience, but one the nature of which we are quite unable to explain to you. The diffi­ culty is th a t it seems to have been an isolated case. If such things were frequent with you it would be easier to suggest an explanation. Your other question was answered (in effect) in Notes by the Way in L ight of March 17th. R. A. M.—The kindly humours of the verse you send are appreciated. The ailusion to the “ dog” ^suggests i description of the verses, from which we benevolently re­ frain. We would not “look a g ift horse in the month.” * NEW PUBLICATION “Royal Magazine.”

RECEIVED.

April.

EASTER HOLIDAYS. The editorial offices of L ight , 5, Queen-square, London, W.C.l, will be closed from 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 29th, until 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 3rd. G lasgow A ssociation of S piritualists . —The Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon occupied the platform at the Me* Lellan Galleries on the evening of Sunday, 11th inst., and delivered an address entitled “ The Religion of To-morrow." which followed the lines of the address previously given by her at Manchester. Miss Lind-af-Hageoy presided. T he B raille

and

“ S ervers

op the

B u n d ” League.—

We are asked to announce that a concert in aid of the Braille and “ Servers of the Bl:nd” League will be held on Friday evening, April 13th. a t 8.15, at the Queen’s Hall, in connection with the Ellen Terry National Appeal for Blind Children. Tickets can be obtained from the usual agents, or the Queen’s Hall, and Miss Ellen Terry, 3, Upper Woburn-place, London, W.C.l. “ T he P erfect W ay.” —-A new (fifth) edition of this re­ markable book, by Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland, f* on the ere of publication by Mr. J . M. Watkins. In a reface to the edition. Mr. Samuel Hopgood Hart gives a istoiy of the book, whch was the subject of much discus­ sion in the earlier days of Light , when many letters and articles concerning it appeared in our pages.

C

L I G H T

M archj31, 1 9 2 3 .]

U1

LONDON SPIRITUALIST ALLIANCE LTD., 5.

QUEEN

SQUARE,

SO U TH A M PTO N

Telcphome i

ROW .

W .C . 1.

MUSEUM 5106.

On and after April 1st New Members are admitted for the remainder of tnis year for a subscription of FIFTEEN SHILLINGS. Alternatively the foil subscription of ONE GUINEA may be paid which covers Membership to the corresponding date in 1924. The Summer Session will open with the Special Thursday Evening Meeting on April 12th, when an address will be given by Hb. G. B. S. Mead. Other features of the Summer Programme will be :— MONDAY AFTERNOONS. 3 p.m . Private Clairvoyanoe. TUESDAY AFTERNOONS. 3.15 p.m . Public Clairvoyance, WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS. 2.30 p.m . Special Personal Clairvoyance by Mb. T. E. Austin. „

„

4 p.m . Discussion Gatherings.

THURSDAY EVENINGS. 7.30 p.m . Special Meetings. FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. 3.15 p.m . Lectars-Demonstrationg by Mb. A. Vout P bteeb, on ‘‘The Principles and Practice of Clairvoyance.” Full Programme of Meetings etc., can be obtained from GEORGE E. WRIGHT, Organising Secretary,

The Library and Offices of the Alliance will be closed for the Easter Vacation from Thursday, March 29th, to Hraoday, April 5th. Certain Lady Members have generously undertaken to arrange a dance in aid of the funds of the L.S.A. This will take place on Monday, April 16th (8 to 12 p.m.). Tickets 5s. each including refreshments, can be obtained from Miss P hillimorb, 5, Queen Square.

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