A Journal o f Psychical, Occult, and Mystican Research." L ig h t ! More Light [“—Goethe. “ Whatever doth make manifest is uan r.”—Pm l.

No. 678 —Vo l . XIV. ■ R ^ Z dPor8 a] SATURDAY, JA N U A R Y 6, 1894. P k ice T w opence.

Notes by the Way . . . . . . . . . . .Immortality..............................How it is Done .......................Saints and Mediums...............The Sadness of Development! The Artist and the Gbost . . .

CONTENTS....A . 1801........................ M ..........0. . . .2 Rev. M inot .T, Savage................... , . . ,7. . . .2 The Higher Ego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. . . . 3 ■Mrs.jBesant’s Autobiography..........9. . .4 Case of S tisrm atisation..................... .11

. . . . 5 L etters to the Editor ......... 11-12

NOTES BY THE WAY.

Ghosts generally mustfor the bear upon them. He is•taJfeipg about them e^^HsvJi^^HA)ne would almost think thaft he also has Ms unconfessed “ Julia,” who is HRmp$iiii& him in ever so deliojite a fashion to talk and herfriends. We, too, a re^^^^ H b ^^^^^ ^R \^^ ra j^H n e> h as driven another nail in to 1 the coffin of common-sense in BBS paper on Date,” in the current number of/ ‘P A kw ^^re Magazine.” in that airyfcjpH which is perhaps best suited for his purpose. He

answer the question, “ Do you belie ve in ghosts ? ’’ until the leads to ^A in­structive series of paragraphs in which “ ghosts to be different for different people, from the very material ghost of the old-fashioned i^ ^ ^ ^ H b A u p to the h a l ln [ nations Research Society.

What Mr.. LanAK Sg^AH a^H is' the uniformity of the phenomena ;—•

In other .^evinces of the abnofiHaa t such as smit-rappingB, and noisy hauntings, the e^M«^^l|^noidj^ft^since'^S (when a rap­ping goblin disturbed a ^ A e n t, as we read in the Chronicles of Richard of Fulda), have been very much akin “ spiritualistic manifestations. ” atonce monotonous and interesting, proving either the reality of strange occurrences, or unanimity in imposture or in imagina­tion. All this agreement of evidence—in fact, all the evidence

^p is habitually sceptic,I t is by no means ; hut an opinion

founded on confessed and contemptuous nesciencevalue as regpips apparitions than as A g a r d s ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ HBiblical criticism H

This jp good argument, aind puts o4$ aspect £$ the case in a very eleas and concise form. And Mr. Lang goes on A m say what twenty years ago tgAl^hasH ^H Bh^Balm pst as & when itpronounces v y l | A based on ignorance.” As to the a^p^gancefeeoSbic^l.ing' .wrais death and &gfwr crises, Mr. Jiang says they ap^ too numerous to b.e fortuitous.

;. Telepathy, it does not cover thedogs and horses see ghosts before |EA man or wCSgjian suspects the presence of anything unusual. This disposes df the n# i§n that the howse becomes r^^h ten ed in sympathy with its master’s fear. The 'i |R |g req^red to prove that a ghost is a real bond fide ghost, is that m s|oi!ild wh% visible do somethpag whjpf only an embodied entity is supposed to be able Idido

Hallucinations (which are all in one’s eye) cannot draw curtains, or open doors, or pick up books, of tuck in bed­

clothes, or cause thumps — not real thumps, hallucinatory thumps are different. Consequently, if the stories are true,

real pjbjective entities, filling space.The senses of a hallv^inated person may be deceived as to touch, and asHHfejjiilH^HBreath of a phantasm (a likely story), as weflas in sight" and hearing. But a visible ghost which pro­duces changes in the visible world cannot be a hallucination.On the: A ierA sn^, a Dr. Binns, quoted by Mr. Charles Q & J^ B te lls us of Ha gentleman who, in a dream, pushed against a door in a distarfl house, so thsBthose in the room were

resist the pressure.” Now, if this rather stag- gering anecdote be JsrUe.Hhe spirit ,of a living man, being able

Ho affect matter., is also, so to spea^f material, and is an actual ^Hfity, an astral, body.

On the whole Mr. Lang concludes th a A if the evidence is anything there are real objective ghosts, andthere are also telepathic hallucinations.” Referring to Mr.

says:—Mr. Podmore takes the gilt <S*’(he spectral gingerbread in

a very ruthless manner. For example, a lady retfjp a house.footsteps in her room and on the

and all the regular noises. “ Bats, or wind, o r^A a%'Aher /real noise A says the philosopher H Then shHsees a pale woman inH jE fc^^^H she hears of a recent 8uftBfiifMCil ho use.-Alien she leaves. The phantasm, we are a s^ ^ B jb e lie ^ lis a hallucination suggested^* the noises. A year later some ladies wiifh*^fflilrHH take*tfiie house; they

the late A nanA They instantly hear moans,‘ A2HH^Bpgive me !” thumps, tramplingSjf'ljmavy

boxes They see Hdreadfh'l white faces,” a man^ H i freckles, a figu^H^abrpwn, their beds are moved, “ a beautiful hand ” is visible—in fafeA^ey have “ manifestations ” till they RSfveyj^^^Huse, after finding that the poliA can do

this is caused, pf^Mr. Podmore’s theory, by j ' l B w tenant, at a distance, thinking over the bad times

has had.^ ■ ^ H H ^ ^ A A d m o r i a n philosophy very neatly.

M. Alfred Erny, writing from Paris, wishes to know is remarks made in “ L ight”

of December 16th, in which the region just outside this state not Ag^tker perfect, seeing that can be nothing worse than this

earth, - Retort might easily be madAby asking for the reasons whloh support th is^ ^ t smpposi^psK Surelk* if evil

ftie Anfined, to ta ls earthBnly, we can eradicate it by com- paratively simple means; but does not the experience of every­one w l^ A ^ the sm$@fcsf insight ig^Hhe world beyond tell

that the powers w^ffl rge him to do wrong are always about him ? Wka$‘else is the meaning of the word “ tempta­

tio n ” % Who are the tempters 1 To live |a the belief that all mfisAhe better when the change comes is as disastrous as t o R e without any faith in a future life at all. To the spiistual man there is’ a fiA t always going oil1 and with whom does the fighting take place, if not with the unseen

:advereaTafep; ; '

The H St, James’s Gazette ” for December 30th has the fe A w in g :—

The London Thirteen Club is to hold its New Year’s Dinner on January IStgj, Mr, W, H. Blanel^ of Camberwell., who has

LIGHT.been elected president of the club for 1894, is tho original pro­moter of an organised protest against popular superstition which led to the formation of tho Thirteen Club some four years ago, Mr, Harry Furniss, one of the honorary members of the club, will preside at this dinner, which is announced to take place at the Holborn Restaurant and in Room No. 13, The members and their frionaa will occupy thirteen tables, with thirteen at each table. Peacock feathers will abound, whilst the knives and forks will bo crossed, and any quantity of salt will be spilt. During the evening the toastmaster, instead of informing the assembled company that the chairman will be happy to take wine with them, will vary this stereotyped declaration by announcing that the ohairman will bo happy to spill salt with them. Tho club salt-cellars, it is stated, are coffin-shaped, while the “ dim religious ligh t” obtain­able from skull-shaped lamps will light up the banqueting hall, before entering which the company will pass under the club ladder.

This is very amusing, very strong-minded, and very full of common-sense, without any doubt. B ut what do these people suppose they will do by it all ? They may succeed where there has been no belief in these omens in fortifying the unbelievers in their lack of faith, but w ill they affect those to whom all these things are significant ? As was pointed out recently in “ L ight,” omens are only omens according as they are believed in, Friday, which is an unlucky day for some, is a lucky day for others. The convenience which attaches to sailing on Friday has done away with the “ superstition” in the case of certain lines of ocean-going steamers. But if Friday is an unlucky day for a particular individual, he won’t sail by such a line if he can help it.

IMMORTALITY.

We extract the following from an article in the “ Religio- Philosophical Journal ”

A friend asks 1 “ What, in your opinion, is the strongest proof of the immortality of the soul 1 On what ground » o y ( affirm the most reasonably the probability that the life com^ menced here will endure for ever 1

Thinkers will answer this question from different points of view. There are those who, not distinguishing between future life and immortality, will say that the manifestation of those that have passed to spirit-life is the strongest proof of immor­tality, but, as we pointed out in an article some weeks ago, the fact of continuance after physical dissolution ewes not that continuance will be for ever. There^are those Ithat the strongest proof of immortality of the soul is the resur­rection of Jesus Christ. There are people who still believe than He rose bodily, “ the firatfruits of them that slejB” and than His resurrection was the promise of the resurrection and immon* - tality of every human being I but the belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus depends upon narratives, the genuine­ness and authenticity of which have been questioned by some of the greatest scholars of the world, and have been discredited by many. The view held by more rationalised Christians ghat Jesus rose spiritually and not physically is certainly more in harmony with the conception of the essential spiritual nature of man; but there are multitudes who cannot be satisfied of the immortal life with no other basis than that, of the alleged physical or spiritual resurrection of a being who lived nearly two thousand years ago, in an age of general superstition, when the scientific spirit and method were scarcely known, and when similar miraculous stories were related of many personages.

Oar reply to the question the friend asks is this : that the doctrine of the immortality of man finds its strongest warrant and support in the fact that the universe is a cosmos, that there has been a gradual development and improvement of conditions through millions of years, that there are indications that the universe at some time in the remote future will return to the elements and that all evidences of progress, so far as they will be presented by the material globe itself, will be obliterated ; that, therefore, if there is not something permanent, as the result of all theso millions of years of progressive development, then the struggle through centuries and mom, with all the suffer­ing it has involved, would seem to be utterly without meaning.

[January 0, 1894,

HOW IT 18 DONE.

Wo do not know w hether the “ F ree th inker ” has much of a circulation, bu t we suppose some people do read urxcl, after the manner of their k ind who patronise such papers, show their freedom of thought b y reading nothing else, Hence such rubbish as th is '—

Mr. A. Roterberg, an inventor of conjurers’ tricks, says: “ The spirit medium has a great advantage over the conjurer, for while the latter usually gives his performance before a large audience, with tho glare of the footlights upon him, the medium has but a limited number of sitters, usually not more than one. Added to this is the fact that while the audience of the conjurer know that they are being deceived and are on the alert to discover the method, the sitter with the medium is open to conviction, and the ordinary individual is quite willing to be deceived, and gets mad when you tell him otherwise. If he believes in the phenomena of slate-writing, ho goes to the so-called medium in a ‘ passive oonditionlthat makes it all the more possible to gull him. If the investigator proves too sharp, the medium can fall back on ‘ inharmonious conditions.’ 'H

When asked about Slade,and if he thought Professor Zollner was deceived in his experiments, Mr. Roterberg rem arked! “ I do not hesitate to sayAhatMI could explain every trick Slade produced in the way of slate-writing that I ever heard of, and that each could be produced by trickery. Whether Slade used pickery or n o l i do not say, hut he had no need to call upon any other power. Slade was a remarkably quick and clever performer, and was very e x p e l in the use of his feet. Those who know fim say that he never wore socks pn his toes, and during a sdance slipped off his shoes, and had the use of his toes to perform many things while his hands were placed on the table,

Most of the Spiritist medium tricks, says Mr. Roterberg, are so simple that a regular conjurer would consider them beneath his notice.

Slate-writing is done in different ways, but it involves sleight-of-hand, a knowledge of chemistry, and of a few simple law slf physics. The tricks that succeed best are the boldest ones. ^K ie more common metS^jd is by the use of prepared slates that are dexterously lh an g ed for the sitters. There are different ways I f prepaririglhe slates,- but the same principle is involved—affinity of^Bemicals—the universal law of attraction between certafl elements. OAourse the desirable thing was to find a chemiggjthat would appear and disappear as required. One method is by writing with a gold or quill pen in a solution made by dissolving pure zinc shavings in muriatic acid. The writing, when dry, will resemble writing done with a slate- pencil. The sitter is allowed to. wash the slate, and when he is convinced I is perfectly clean the slate is put under the table, the sitter A ids it by one hanfjj and the medium with one of his, and In&the due course of time the writing appearsrj?

I t would have been in teresting to see Slade get that ring on to ^h e table fjsg by using bis toes, even w ithout the socks. To the un in itia ted , too, bow well i t all sounds— “ a knowledge of C hem istry, and of a few simple laws of physics.’I "What, may one ask, is the simple law of physics which has made the “ so u n d ” of w riting in a closed slate, one hand of the medium being held by th e observer, and the other being underjqjhe slate, pressing “ upw ards ” against a table in the full ligh t of a lam p 1 Suppose we allow that the “ m uriatic acid and zinc shav ings” d id th e writing in a language unknown to th e medium, w hat simple physical law helped out the “ sounds S3? There are frauds, no doubt, and in the case of slate w riting more, perhaps, than in any other phenomenon, b u t i t is no t all fraud, nor is it all explicable by the exhibition of pseudo-learned trash.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

“ Qu.*8Tob YiTiE.”—H eld over through press of m atter.

Speech is b u t broken light upon th e depth of the unspoken- —Gbobge E liot.

Two men please God—who serves H im with all his heart because he knows Him, who seeks Him with all his heart because he knows Him not.—P anin .

January 6, 1894.] LIGHT. 3SAINTS AND MEDIUMS

By C. A. P arry, B.A.

V. St. F rancesca o r R ome.*We now approach the record of a singularly beautiful life,

cast in one of the most troubled epochs that history makes known to us. Francesca, daughter of Paul Bussa, was born in Rome in 1384, in the papacy of Urban VI. Both her parents had connections among the powerful aristocratic families of Rome ; thus, both by birth and by her marriage with a noble eminent both by family and fortune, she belonged to the higher strata of society.

Young Francesca showed her vocation for the religious life at an almost incredibly early age. Her mother was a very devout woman ; and the child’s only pleasure seemed to be to accompany her in her exercises, or to steal away into solitude to pray or read religious books or repeat hymns. “ At six years,’’ we are told, “ the practices of the saints were already familiar to her. She had left off eating meat, eggs, or sweets of any sort, and lived on vegetables and bread. The necessity of eating at all seemed irksome to her, and she drank nothing but water. ” This precocious piety, which strikes an English mind as astonish­ing and revoltingly unnatural, was much less strange in an age when religion filled and absorbed daily life in a way wholly unknown, and almost inconceivable, to nineteenth-cen­tury Protestants, and when the tendency to religious observances became almost an instinct. It is impossible that the deep meaning underlying asceticism could have entered the mind of so young a child ; but here, as throughout her life, Francesca appears to us as ene wholly guided by a higher will, the true nature of which became clear to her later on.

At the age of twelve she was married to a wealthy young noble, Lorenzo Ponziano. She had already decided to become a nun ; and she referred the matter to her confessor, Antonio Savello, who urged her to consent, representing that this sur­render of her dearest desire for the highest life she could con­ceive was itself an act of sacrifice whose merit in the eyes of God would be proportioned to its difficulty. After a hard struggle with herself, she yielded to her parents’ wishes. In her new home, the young bride found a helpful friend in Vanozza, the wife of an elder brother of Lorenzo, who shared her devout inclinations. She continued faithful to all her former habits of piety, and attended Communion with such devotion “ that all who saw her at the altar, absorbed in adoration, foresaw that God would ere long bestow extraordinary graces on her soul.” Meanwhile, she fulfilled the necessary duties of her station, and sought only to conceal the austerity of her life. So singular a character in one so young could not, however, escape censorious tongues, and there were plenty of friends of the family, no doubt, who did what they could to make Francesca’s life bitter for her, and to persuade her husband to put a stop to her eccentricities. But meanwhile Lorenzo had studied his young wife, and come to his own conclusions. “ She was much too precious to him, too perfect in his sight, her whole life bore too visibly the stamp of God’s dealings with her, for him to dream of interfering with the course she had taken.” On the contrary, he regarded her with an affectionate respect which all shared who knew her intimately.

The happiness of the Ponziano family was interrupted by a sudden and dangerous illness of our saint. No remedies gave her any relief ; she was unable to retain any nourishment and her strength daily declined. But when on the verge of death, we are told, she recovered in a sudden and miraculous manner. “ It was the eve of the festival of St. Alexis—that noble Roman penitent—who passed so many years at the threshold of his own palace, unpitied, unrecognised by his own relations, who went in and out and stopped not to question the silent, lonely, patient beggar, who lay there with his face hid in a poor cloak, finding peace in the midst of bitterness.”

The Ponziani had all withdrawn to rest for a few hours; the women who attended on the dying Francesca had fallen asleep. She was lying notionless, after sharp suffering. The whole city was wrapt in slumber ; not a sound marred the stillness of the hour—that stillness so trying to those who watch and suffer. Suddenly on the darkness of the room a light broke, bright as day. In the midst stood a radiant figure, majestic in form and gracious in countenance. He wore a pilgrim’s robe, but it

* ** Life of St. Frances of Rome.” By Lady Georgiana F ullerton. .London: Burns and Oates.)

shone like burnished gold. Drawing near the lied, he said : “ I am Alexis, and am sent from God to inquire of thee if thou choonest to be healed ?” Thrice he repeated the words ; then the dying one faintly murmured : “ I have no choice but the good pleasure of God. Be it done unto me according to His will, fo r myself, I would prefer to die and for my soul to fly to Him at once ; but I accept all at His hands, be it life, be it death,” “ Life,then, it is to be ; for He chooses thou shalt remain in the world to glorify His name.” With these words he spread his mantle over Francesca and disappeared, leaving her perfectly recovered,

“ Confounded at this extraordinary favour, Francesca rose in haste and, prostrate on the floor, made a silent, fervent thanksgiving; then, without awaking her nurses, slipped out and went to the bedside of her friend and sister. Putting her arm round her neck and her cheek against hers, she exclaimed ‘ Vanozza cara! Vanozza m iu l’ The bewildered Vanozza, suddenly waked, could not believe her senses. Then Francesca, sitting on her bed, related her vision and instantaneous recovezy, and, as the light was beginning to break into the room,ehe added eagerly: ‘ The day is come ; let us not delay a moment but haste with me to Santa Mana Nuova and then to the church of St. Alexis. I must venerate his relics ar.d return him my thanks before others learn what God has done for me.’ ”

Francesca’s family received her back as one risen from the dead, and marked henceforward with the miraculous stamp of sanctity; and for herself, her illness and recovery seem to have brought about a deepening of her spiritual life, and, as has been noticed in the cases of several mediums, a marked unfoldment of the psychic faculty. “ From this time forward,” we are told, “ Francesca avoided all unnecessary conversations, and became habitually silent, though there was no moroseness in this silence. Vanozza inquired one day what was the reason of this, and she answered : ‘ God expects more of us than heretofore ’ ; and then she proposed a still stricter mode of life than they had yet adopted. Vanozza willingly assented, and they agreed to give up all useless amusements, fashionable drives and diversions, and to devote to prayer and good works the hours thus withdrawn from the service of the world.” “ They arranged for themselves a place of retreat, whither they could withdraw to pray at any hour of the day or night. This was not easy in a palace inhabited by a large family and numerous servants; but in a sort of rave at an end of the garden, and in a little unoccupied garret, they established two oratories and furnished them with objects of devotion and instruments of penance. These two little cells became their comfort and delight; whenever household duties or their re­ligious observances out of doors left them liberty, they would retire to them. At night, they often spent whole hours in prayer in the upper chamber, and the first dawn often found them at their orisons. The hours still unemployed were devoted to works of charity. Almost every day they went to the hospital of San Spirito and nursed the sick with kindest atten­tion.” “ Francesca was at this time very anxious to lay aside the insignia, of wealth and rank and to dress as simply as the poor she so loved; but her director Antonio Savello negatived this, fearing it would annoy her husband or might savour of affectation. Their fasts and abstinences became more rigid than ever; but were carried on with such simplicity and absence of display that the very persons who habitually took their meals with them scarcely remarked their mortifications. Disciplines and other bodily penances of a very severe nature were by this time habitual to Francesca, and she persevered in them to the end of her life.” Such a course of life has perils and hardships of its own, quite apart from the weaknesses of the flesh or the sneers of men : namely, the revelation of the powers that work for evil in the world beyond; not the “ malice of Satan,” but the host of men-created demons from our sorrowful planet of expiation ; a “ Power of Darkness ” whose reality will not be denied by any one whose spiritual perceptions have been opened. Here, of course, we find it attributed to the old orthodox Devil who, chafing especially at seeing that several noble ladies of Rome were beginning to emulate the virtues of our saint, thought fit to apply (much overworked as he must otherwise have been) for a special permit to torment Francesca.

“ He was allowed to throw temptations in her way, to cause her strange suffering, to persecute her by fearful manifestations of his visible presence, to haunt her under various shapes, some seductive, others repulsive and terrific; but he was not per­mitted to deceive or injure the faithful servant of God, who for every trial of the sort received some divine compensation, for

LIGHT. fja-niiary 0, UM.

every vision of diabohoal horror was allowed a glimpse into the world of glory; and to whom at a later period was appointed ft heavenly guardian to defend her against the violence of he r infernal foe.”

“ The first time he appeared to her in visible form he was under the guise of an old hermit; his intention was, by some artful words, to inspire Francesca with aversion for that hidden life which she practised so zealously in the midst of the world. He was shown into a large room, whore the family was assembled, No sooner had Francesca set her eyes on him than she was supernaturally enlightened as to his character ; and, suddenly changing colour, she rose and left the room. Vanozza followed in alarm, and found her in the oratory, kneeling before the crucifix and as j»lo as death. She asked the cause of her emotion ; Francesca simply desired her to return and request Lorenzo to dismiss the hermit. As soon as he had departed, she re-appeared, as serene as usual® and to no one but her con­fessor did she mention the circumstance. Yet it was a most awful moment, that first initiation into the supernatural world, that first contact with the powers of darkness, that opening of the visible war between her and the great enemy® No wonder she was habitually silent; her soul must have lived in very close communion with the invisible world, and the presence of God must have been realised in an extraordinary degree by one whose spiritual discernment was so miraculously keen. H .

“ One day Yanozza and she were in their garden oratory and conversing on the life the early fathers were wont to lead in the deserts, and of the happiness of thus living exclusively fon communion with God, away from the distracting cares , 'of Sffl world. They went on picturing the manner in whioh they would have divided their time under similar circumstances, and together made out a complete rule of life.., Vanozza, absor^H in the subject, exclaimed : ‘ But what should we have to eat J sister ?' Francesca replied : * We should search for fruits in the desert; and God could surely not let us seek in vain.’ As she 6poke they rose to go indoors, when from a tree which grew out of a ruined wall fcher8 fell at her feet a ripe quince of the largest size, and another such was lying in Yanozza’s path. The sisters looked at each other in silent astonishment; for it was April, and nothing but a miracle could have brought. these apples to maturity at this unwonted season. The fruits were divided among the family, who wondered at the marvels that! seemed continually to attend the steps ofB'rancesca. She was profoundly grateful for such favours, but probably marvelled less than others at their o^^Bre^^^Bie simplicity of her faitKl her total abstraction from wor^^^Kmghbs,mer continual stray of the Scriptures and [the lives of the saint?® mus® have familiarised her mind with sucfi ideas.

“ About this time also a supernatural favour of the most extraordinary nature was vouchsafed to Francesca. Her guardian angel, who was one day to ag&ompany her, not by an invisible presence only, as in the case of all^hristians, but® by a rare privilege, in a form always visible to her spirit^® sight, now began to reveal himself to her by the most watchful observance of her conduct. At all times and places, by day and night, herslightestfaults were noticed and punished by this still HvisibSH but now evidently present monitor. the least imperaectioH in her conduct, before she had time to accuse and condemn her self, she felt the blow of a mysterious hand, the warning of an ever-attentive guardian® and fjie sound of that mysteBfous chastisement was audible to others ala ipGreat was the astonish? ment of those who could thus discern something of God’s deal­ings with this chosen so Once, when through human respect she had abstained from interrupting a very frivolous and use­less conversation, the blow indicted was so severe that she bore the mark of it for several days.

“ Such a rapid advance in holiness was the result'of this supernatural tuition that Satan now attempted to seduce her by the wiliest of bis artifices, his favourite sin, * the pride that apes humility/'. So many miracles wrought in her favour, such strange revelations of God’s peculiar love for her soul, awakened in Francesca’s mind, or rather the devil suggested, .the though# that it might be better to conceal them from her director, or at least some of them; accordingly, at her next confession, she refrained from mentioning the signal grace that had been vouchsafed her. At the very instant, she was thrown pros­trate on the ground, and recognised the hand of her heavenly monitor, who warned her thus of the grievous error into which she was falling. With intense contrition Bhe confessed the false humility which had beguiled her into a dangerous reserve, revealed to him the whole of God’s dealings with her soul,

and explained what had just taken place, Hon Antonio heard her with astonishment and gratitude, and said: ‘You have just escaped a great danger, my daughter. By your mistaken silence you were complying with the suggestions of Satan, who, under the semblance of humility, sought to awaken in you a secret pride. You would have been led by degrees to overestimate these supernatural favours, to deem them not merely means of grace, but rewards due to your merits; to despise those to whom God does not grant them, and to give yourself up to ex- travagant and unauthorised austerities in order to secure their continuance and to distinguish yourself in your own and others’ sight. I should have forbidden you to practise them; you would have been tempted to renounce my guidance, to take one confessor after another till you found one weak or blind enough to approve your self-will ; and then the arch-enemy would have made you the prey of his delusions, till at last you might have fallen from one error into another and made shipwreck of your faith. Such has been the downward course of many a soul that has begun by yielding to a false humility, th3 offspring of pride, and has ended in sin and perdition.’ ”

THE SADNESS OF DEVELOPMENT.

In the “ Humanitarian ” for January—a very good number-H-Sir James Crichton Browne deals with “ Biology and Ethics® in a paper which was originally read by him a t Sheffield. Sir James begins by showing how the mecBMprofession is fighting against the “ survival of the fittest ” in the old sense of the expression, and in some

helping towards the deterioratio® of the species, ‘BS^palt numbers of wfeaikSy infant® who would formerly

^^^Bpqrished in th^Binfancyj vaitgjj^pw reared to a weakly matu^Br and enabled to propagate thejjjifMweakliness, whilst they take p art in the life battle on terms made unduly

BavArable to them by the commiseration that their weak- liness demands,” and, says James, “ this fact ought not to be l f i t sight of when we are coij^oatulating ourselves on our great® diminished death-rat^H A n observation of [immense import, for, as is shown in the paper, neurotic afi^^Bns are on the increase. A sound mind in a sound body means also ,&f better vehicle for the spirit which ^ H le s that sound Min®

The mi to treat Hflihe moral development,( Hd®whic®4£his care ffer othenS^has giSswn, and shows how

■hereifira much more widely spread pabplum of love and the world t^^Hmig®®be expected. “ I t is im-

possible B>*doubt th a t in the action of the walrus or tiger Bn des«Ba:lM« defending its young, even when wounded and suffering, and a t the expense of its own life, there is an 4t®aent of 'djisinterested: feve.” From that Sir James

-to the fSg^M ion of the family and the moral obligations wha®'£$he family produces; and then he says

BhisBJeThe evolution of morality in all its stages is controlled by

H^uceiK^ts and penalties wlj^nh are.- called sanctions,and which are physical, social, legal, or rehpous in their nature, but whioh all appeal tk£*one endowment of living beings, and that is sen­tiency. There is no good or evil in the unconscious cosmos, but in the evolutic® of living beaiigs there arises—where, when, how, we know not, for beginnings and endings are alike hidden from us-—sentiency, or the capability of feeling pleasure and pain. Some vague consciousness is perhaps co-extensive with life itself, but we can only speak with confidence of a psychical state like sentiency, when a central nervous system has been definitely established ; but, whatever its beginning, sentiency, when established, becomes the steersman of future evolution.

Here, notwithstanding the ability and breadth of thought exhibited in the paper, we think the author has gone a little far. The assumption th a t the “ cosmos " .Is unconscious is immediately fallowed by the assertion th a t “ the evolution of liBng beings there arises,” and “ sentiency ” is the result.

That is, the ** conscious ” is a result of tho “ uncon­scious;^, we know that, even though the “ when and hoff” are not known to us and the “ beginnings and ending9 are hidden from us.” Also, is i t not an assumption th»(

January 6, 1894} l ig h t . flthis “ sentiency ” always becomes the Isteersman of the future evolution ” 9 Moreover, who or what is it that hides these things from us 9

But what has this “ sentiency^ which comes out of the “uncoiWiciousH done for us 9 Surely there can be no more dreadful picture of the present state of society than the following:—

Pessimism or pessimistic tendencies are widely diffused, and ; many thj&tejhtful persons in^Hese days, surveying the misery that exists under the sun, eol^Bhe opinion of Schopenhauer that it would have been muim >h'ettcr if that luminary had never been able to evoke the ^Hnomena of life on the earth. The old faiths have lost their hold-. Life is no longer a probation, but an end in itself, and the passion for wealtfl I possesses the Society is almost destitute of realgladness, permeated b ^^R # a tid h and jealousy^ Art is

literature poetry negle<G 9,< enthusiasm,discredited, and largely materialpossessions, dffaaJWble wonder,then, that melancholy abounds, and epidemic.The type of asylums contain farfewer raving ex inan^t^^^R es than they used to, but a far largervEHjpifeer of miserable melancholics; and Q B tde our asylt*^, as general medical practitioners well know, there is B enormous amount of melancholy of ashort of is perhaps capable of concealment

existenceand converts its Bid ashes.the n&juj|||^ of the mind, hypochondriasis in its and n ^ ^ fl^ ^ B a , with which dejection is associated,are Widely i<msiHHfced finest intellectsbe most prone to succumb to these. Suicides increase in

portentously, and have risenand per million living in the five years1861^Hj^a$ato$s^^B)'4 per million living in the 1886-90, the main increasethe mean annual rate is 81 '6 per million, against 65 -0 per million in rural districts. The consumption of anodynes or pain-killers ^qfialblanefe grows apace, and amongst anodynes we mUtpi^BiAe not ©»Iy stimulants, narcotics,amusements in which we wallow, and the incessant locomotion andia^ia^Bw um r^i which we expend so much time and money. Men plunge into dissipation or rush restlessly about in order to

“ the malady of thought.”: : Referring then to the speculations of Mr. Pearson, in

which that able writer predicts course ofevolution must come to a dead-levelism which is as bad as For my own part Ioannot help hoping, seeing that history is full of surprises, that something will happen before his conjectures are ful­filled and we again“ Something will a,b^Bh aiMpomIs not this the new form ofMessiah? Perhaps so ; for just at the close of the paper jwe are told that .

Our w orl^^B g i^ feus that K a n iB a large extent, controls h'i«< own destiny, and may, if he will, rise out of the prevailing ^essjaStlaia a^iS^mab to ain e d.Playing a. man’s part we %ee that suffering is jSn acci­dent and not the substance of life ; that evil is a shadow, ha ^ H ing portions jaf a pathway' ..t J ^ ^veiwwEere fServadadby a kindly

THE ART18T AND THE GH08T,

Sir Charles Isham sends the following :—The account which appeared in L ight * of December

23rd of the ghost seen by Mr. Reginald Easton, the noted miniature artist, and as reported in f rith's “ Reminiscences,” is correct so far as it goes, but the most important points havebeen Sotted.

The following is the account as it was told me by Mr. Easton himself.

Menai Bridge, December 24th, 1893. C. E. I sham.Mr. Easton was staying at Thurstaston Hall, Cheshire, in

July, 1872, when he was awoke about*three o’clock in the morn­ing after his arrival by hearing and seeing what appeared to be a lady moving about the room. He told her she had made a mistake. After a little while she left, glancing at him as she passed, Mr. Easton mentioned this next day, when the owner,

apologised for having inadvertently given him the room, as ifl that mot^fla figure answering to his description had been frBuenj^r seen Biere, bult his room should be changed,Mr. Easton, with great credit toBrmself,- begged to be allowed to remain where he was, $3 hopes of having f urther opportunity to observe more leisurely a phenopehjn to him as new as it was interesting. His excellent intention was rewarded. He reiBimedffiiere for the next six nights, when the same form, on each morning, at abofl the same hour appeared to emerge from towards the b^Lwhich Mr. E. had secured by lock. The figure remained a quarter of an hour or more, during which time Mr. E. avpfaS^Rm&e?lf of the oppo^t^n^y' given by the

water colour wwffffeg^of six or seven a rough bit of paper for which he has been offered £50.

^^^B fl^ffiH ^ared as if havB& a desperate struggle^ it did the artist, wKp also avoided touching

it. The room andRil window are accurately drawn ; also the I'ftrB of the bed, ^taByonceals the lower portion of the figure,

mouth is represented open, was not so seen. The whole has a most dreadful appearance,

are, w were, to bo had of Messrs. Debenham, 158, Regent-streetR]$^>2s| 6d.

The ow na of the house partially revealed a sad! story of a member of the family (I believe she was,called the wicked MrsH Leigh) who died in the room in 1792, after having confessed to

I the murder of SHfefeqj^" through which she obtained possession of the property and ruined it. The room is now

| ^ H | up, and p ^A ifse has been let. The form had been seen by fifty or^^rar persons,and as none of the servants would enter the room d^in& MSaEaston’s visit i t was necessary to |s§ep;^^e services of a person in the neighbourhood to make

I submitted the above account to Mr. Easton for correction. The following is his repl^W-^

35, Bedbury-road, Bayswater.' Dear3 ir K!harles, ^ I think your written account very

I 'ffg<3 ;'Bferif*pu to name that,; immediately one ofthe family looked at my drawing she exclaimedfl “ If you had

B d j^ ^fflwl^tuages from the original picture hi one of the other hj|§a83 it could not have been more like.fl I painted the draw- ing principally while the apparition was passing before me.— Believe yours faitMhllyB*: R eginald E aston.

P.S.—Mr. E. died in 1892, aged 8@fl

: A WARSAW SPIRlfjJALIST SENSATION.

The going the round of tire Press :—

1%1jIi

The Messiah in th e 1 development man’s | | ^ t p a l nature, .--jijlkft climbing to heights of sentien.cy Af e -yei

ss .: happen ” andsomething. . Ifc is pleasant^prfind. m e ^ ^ |e Sit; James Oriel.- top. Browne taking up^fe&^ud&els. % j® l pessimismth a t is ever brooding overt's.

Hot only pipes every^ision of God proceed from the same spiritual longing, but behind the vai^B'gT'isions s< ne central thoughts ahibear. Thus, every thought of God sqgipgms that lie is above us in power, IfaatBe depfefia uppa^Hinj, and that^lp* some way, He can Jo us good. These three central universal thoughts may be mixed with baser matter, bufwhere they are, from Juggernaut td Jesus, from Baal to Father^ 'from Jehovah to*{ the Altogether BeautiM’of the Universe ? ; and here we find the thought of the universal God.---John P age H opps.

A'singular B spiritualistic^ manifestation is reported from Warsaw. A medium named Palladino gets some one to tie him Ip a chair in a lighted rooip, and is instantly lifted by an unseen agency on to a table. A professor of Warsaw University, feeling'^eredmous, asked to be admitted to the stance, %order that he migh^ if possible, conv^t the performer of triekeryBA periormanoe was arranged, at which the proceedings began with- a dark s^ancefl All of a sudden, as the professor sat in eager expectation, he received a [terrific blow on the nose. Covered with blood, he wasmelped into a cab and taken home. The matter is expected to be heard of again in the law courts.

Tan dominions which the spirit conquers for itself among unrealities become a thousand times more real than the earth whereon they stamp their feet, saying,. “ This is solid and sub* stantial; this may be called a faot.”—*N athaniel Hawthorne.

6 l ig h t . [JaOML-y 6, 1894.

OSJTICE O P “L IG H T ,”9 , D U K E HTRKKT,

A D E L P H I, LONDON, IT.©.

S*flM:E D I T E D b y “ M . A . , L okd. ”

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6th, i w HTO COATXBIflU TG .H ti,~Com m unicatiotis in tended to be p r in te d

sh o u ld bo addressed to the E d ito r , 9 , D uke-street, A d e lp h i, L o n d o n , I Y.C. I t w ill m uch fa c ilita te the in se r tio n o f su ita b le artic le* i f they are tinder two co lu m n » In leng th . L o n g com- tn u n iea tio n * a re a lw ay s in d a n g er of being d e la yed , a n d a rc fre q u e n tly deolined on account o f w a n t of apace, th ough

o ther respect* good a n d desirable. Lettera should be con fined to the 9pc*0o of h a lf a co lu m n to en su re in se r tio n .

B u sin ess co m m unica tion* shou ld i n a ll cases be addressed to M r. JB. O. G odfrey, 9 , D u ke-stree t, A d e lp h i, L ondon , W.O., a n d n o t to th e E d ito r.

is reasonable ground for anticipating something which jU not of the vague nature usually accepted j that the shadows through which men are passing are there because they cannot see the realities which produce these shadows but that if they gave half the thought they give to the clearing away of the difficulties they seem to encounter to the investigation of the proofs, in their abundance, of the existence of another world which impinges pn this, these difficulties would be seen as the things they really are.

I t is too much to hope that all this will be accomplished in this year of grace 1894, but there, perhaps, has never been a time when men’s hearts have so failed them for fear, and so there never has been a time when they should be so glad to receive the knowledge that waits only for their acceptance.

1 8 9 4 . LONDON SPIRITUALIST ALLIANCE.

-Dust week we looked back to find what hope there was tof the future. This week we look forward in anticipation of what that hope may bring.

Never, perhaps, in recent times has the general out-? look been more gloomy, that is, if one pierces a little below thesurfaoe. The attitude of all men, except such as know nothing beyond their own selfish gratification, is one of painful expectancy! On the Exchange, in the Senate, in the pulpit, all is sadness—all is apprehension,, There is a prevalent feeling that the old landmarks are disappear^® I and that the road is no longer plotted <®. The ^® - ventional systems which have grow n^H of exlg^fence are beginning to be no longer of any account, and neifi system* of conduct are not at present clearly defined, if even th^B exist at alL Men are thinking more broadly, certainlyyjjbut more indefinitely! The world is crying outBriB&srtunger for food, and it is given a syllabub, when it is r^B presented with the ashes of a dead superst^Ht. for it is real.

Nor are the causes difficult H d is s ^ ^ ^ B rh b ;^ ^ ^ ^ ® part of man’s nature has been ignored. The jffibB thing which has done duly for religion has failed^Bmnded as i t was upon false assumptions, and having faS^^^aen I know not where to turn for h<Spe£ Science tells everything must come to a dead level of l^^fless mediocrity, where aspirations cannot exis^^Huse aspirations will noH be wanted, and that notMiailfa can exist which is not wanted. And the Churches try to balance this with visionary beliEH in unsubstantial creeds. the world no hope,and the rest is a dream.

Here, then, comes in the ohancem ^^® w ^^^® v^^H there is a life beyond,actions are not to be measured BBpmB apparent and unreal effects, but by their unseen and real resulta3j®?ej know th a t this life, if led properly-B-if its cP^ftuts troubles, i f l pains, its joys, are rightly apprecial^Khas no ultimate end in a pitiless m e d i o c r i t y , i n a great increase of the happiness which comes to those w h < ^9 l^^^H £ ; for the increase of permanent good is that wlgcb is brought a i |^ H by right action, and this is a very diffeffnt thingBrom ftie joylessness of a mechanical and hopeless evolp&^^H

The world, however, does neff see I t—vp^^Bit has any notion at all beyond geneim feeling bffl prevalent discomfort—has stiH a vague belief'"in a hazy heaven, and, perhaps through its intellectual inertia as m u H as through anything else, it refuses to accept any of a clearer and more reasonable state of matters. ThgBthiB hazy heaven is a thing of codices and collated manusolipts is not within its ken. Science, which: is called in at every moment for all other purposes, is ignored when it might be asked to demonstrate the existence of a state which fs^&i this.

Hence there is a wide field of work for the coming year. Not, perhaps, in the way of proselytising, but in the quiet demonstration wherever it. is possible that there

We again remind our readers that Mr. Richard Harte has kindly consented to give an address to the members and friends of the Alliance, at 2, Duke-street, Adelphi, at 7 o’clock on Monday evening next,on“ The Proper Function of Spiritualism.I

CONVERSAZIONE.

A Conversazione of the members and friends of the London Spisitnalisli^g^Mice wiE^be held; n Monday evening, January 22nd,^m;-i|ie BarfluetMg Hall! St. James’s Hall, Regent-street, wh^^ttp.F.’B’.H.Myers wifi read, andvfffer some remarks upon, BnHpBMShbd-’ manuscBpt by Mr, W. Stainton Moses, on “The Identity of No ticket will admit more than one person,

visitor ; and in the case of visitors the ticket must bear the name of the person using it, and also the name of

member^B whom he is introduced.

A SH;ORi WAY WITH THE GHOSTS®

The “ Literary Digest ” gives a piece ©f translation from “ Die Flamme’’ of Berlin, which, is very amusing. I t J would appear g ® even in Berlin there are some people Brhose information is curiously scanty. Some of the passages ! are yB y^^^fl:—-

Superstition holds an aljl-powerfuds sway over a large part of the finnan race, a^^ fo sts ,|j^^& n y apparitions, are regarded ; as children and ifhose who never die—

The country people take especially good care that the belief H ghosts shall notgyanish. They tell of the appearance of the dead, an^B'en .une most courageous are frightened at the howl­ing objoiie^windsBlgJj cry of a l^H^or the uncertain shadows of the Although we may laugh at this fear* because we

ghMtAer was pp§of against a thorough investiga- tion, we quite understand iw The churchyard explains it all —the churchyard, w |^B$suncanny solitude, its unsavoury

i contents ; and i^H natural for jBhe ignorant to believe that the dead flfre forth from their graves.^^^^B w hom we saw in he beauty of vigorous life are

a mode ©J destruction wtiii&h causes indefe- nable horror to the ignorant. As long as the body is slowly wasting away in the it will be difficult to overcome the»^a;^^^®stis, for there is a belief that the body may assist the spiarfior ghost in appeariiigiiiPus.

The ^E g ig b d cheerful columbarium, with its urns open Q viewMs materially opposed to. the churchyard. There is no- thing to mystify us in the columbarium, nothing dark, nothing sinister. Those pure ashes^d©, indeed, speak to us of the ’shd^ess of accompanied by Aose horrors whichate*-’ associated* witm decomposition in the grave. We may imagine hundreds of thousands of urns around us, containing

Rghe last unchanged and unchangeable vestiges of our departed friends aythese artistic vessels cannot be made to force horrid afESSTticais upon our imagination. Even the most ignorant gfiderstands that fire iaysurifying, and it will not be difficult to creatj^ae bel.id£ that everything wicked has been destroyed by the cleansing flame.

gagerstiipuB persons are able to imagine an apparition of a horrid skeleton half clothed in flesh, shrouded in a tattered, m<aKipn^ipM 4 because this corresponds with the actual state And appearance oi the body in the grave. But it is impossible

T tq coffiBfrg up such an apparition from the little heap of ashes caused by fire.

frgglffiThe bright and cheerful columbarium ” is distinctly good. >

January 6, 18i)4.] LIGHT.t h e r e v . MINOT J . SAVAGE.

A man like Minot J . Savage ia more possible, and it may be more appreciated, in America than in England. Despite all the apparent socialistic and democratic ten­dencies of the day, we are essentially a conservative people, espeoiallyjyin matters of religion. I f a man breaks away from the special sect in which he has been brought up and in whose services he has been ordained to minister, he may be admired for his courage, and some people may follow him into the wilderness, but he is nevertheless an '‘ outsider.” If he is daring enough to u tter and teach heterodoxy while Still remaining in the church—whatever thaBchurch may be —his honesty becomes a m atter of doubB and “ loaves and fishes ” are hinted ata In one or other of these categories Mr. Minot Savage wo&ld have found himself had he been an Englishman; but as he is an Affl§$jaun, nflwithstanding the fact of his daring to think for himself he is a t theBtead of the liberal clergy in America, the legitimate successor and representative of Theodore Parker iiBth&t position.

j1 V1fBddJg 2 boby

: a■ateblehee

2tly

eighteen years these investigations have been carried on. The outcome of this protracted inquiry has recently been published under the title, “ Psychics, Pacts and Theories.”

Mr. Savage was not one of the least important persons present a t the Chicago Congress, a position to which he was entitled not only for his work, but because he had been one of the most earnest members of the old American Society for Psychical Research, now the American branch of the English society.

J. SAVAGE.(From a photograph by G.

Minot Savage was bom afo ISTorridgewock, in the State of Maine, in 1841, of good New England stock. Aiherlbe

preparation he entered the Congregational ministry, he soon £§und that his love of truth was incompatible

witlfc his belief afetpasatgraf the tenets of Con-■ gregationalism; notably, the doctrine of everlasting punish­

ment afejjjjfced his innapepsense of justice. The inevitable to a strong man ensued, the result being that he

‘ ’ quitted a Unitarian pulpit.In 1874 film him presiding over the Church

Unity in Boston.like that of Minot Savage, taking cognisance

K fe currents of thought circulating! the world, could not be with pulpit utterances only,thg^ih those utterances themselves are full of - sugges^ii often presented in terms of rarelpgatity and pathos; such a man must find ttBrk outside; andJBfE has Psychical'research has natqhaljy found- in Mr. Savage a devoted worker, W e have ojkgn. given extracts fc^m, and summai|MJ of, some of the results of Hbat work as they have appeared In A rena”,. a n d ^ th e r American jorgfnals. Always! maintaining an . .[judicial suspense, there hasnever been absent a generous recognition of the wjgjrk done by others with whose conclusions he may not agree. For

THE HIGHER EGO, &c.

Mr. Charles Strange has at last succeeded in doing what the Press, the pulpit, numberless committees, associations, and thousands of persons, severally and singly, have utterly failed to accomplisMduring a forty-five years’ ceaseless warfare directed against Spiritualism : namely, resolved it all into “suggestion,”“ telepathy,Band such “ assumption” as I, Emma Britten, have been guilty of, when I presumed to say that the uncounted J r !millions of America, Australia, and Europe, including Kings, jpPrinces, professors, lawyers, doctors, and every grade of life and class,fromjthe highest to the lowest,of many lands, have been con­vinced of spifltpafflbnmuj^on through every conceivable variety <5f test^BMIndered through both physical and psychical pheno­mena. How very much obliged these same countless millions oughH to Be Mr. Strange ! even though his superlatively wise explan^Katfs*must resolve the aforesaid millions of so-called igj&iritualists fools who did not know enough to provewhat tkfey Hjmeved o p knaves who entered into a world-wide

H isp iB ^ r to delude all nations.Rmjre Mr. Strange can consistently call for an expression of

^Bmanity’s gratitudm however, for his marvellous unveiling,I must beg nd&fcfossionfif the courteous Editor of “ L ig h t ” to ad^^Htstg^ former “ hopeless tangle of facts and deductions ” a few corrections of staflments on the part of my critic, which

be cleared humble I (for one) and deludedbelievers the world over, can recognise Mr. Charles Strange as thBr deliverer from what he denominates “ the hopeless ta^^^B jae ts arB|jl^^^R>nsflcalled " Spiritualism”

Mrs. Britten refers us to the evidence of some thirty or w n _ tb (^B it may have constituted what

was understood as evidence at tha$£ period, is in the light of to-day worthless as possessing any evidential value,because since that I ^ B ^ H knowledge and lanes of thought hav^RtendBB$»jmow know the.^BafibilitaeSiof “ telepathy ” and early days of Spiritualismwere in one sense of the teBismSknewnB Moreover, in those

days people were not so critical or exact in their methods as t^^^og^^^H itbeingfeonfrented by what was apparently an array of miraculous occurrences they at once jumped to the

^^^H w jsf^nK zthe ir source was equally miraculous.of thirty or forty years ago, I

beg most distinctly to staffe l did not forget the very" superior intelligence” prevails aiflthe present day, of which Mr.

the disismguished representative B 3 nor did I forget that I have y fl foiind a dozen persons of mind,

or- reputation who under tha |J$ superior intelligence ” of the_J®e®e^Bday have TenBRed [‘their erroneous belief in

Besides this, I beg add, and I am in a posi- tion to prove tjgp fact by that^ despite that same“ superior intelligOhfeq}" the acceptance of,^!piritualis^ proper has been growing every day, and ikgrowing still.

As ffitha assertion-—-I should say assumptionj^that in the early Bays,of the movement people were not as critical or exact in their methods as they are now, and “ jumpedat cmipi&ons/M

I simply, but emphatically, deny its tisith, and I can only excijfflrauch an allegation on the ground that Mr.

&§8?ange has not deigned to read the publications of such antique writers as the Howitts, the Halls, Thomas Shorter, Benjamih-^Heman, Staintoh Moses, the BDialectical Society’s R e p o r t s , e a r l y experiences of such men as Judge Edmonds* Professor Hare, and even my own ponderous volumes r©f B M odem ^ ^ r i c a n Spiritualism” and “ Nineteenth Cen­tury M i r a c l e s , s a y nothing, of the less dark-ages

^literature of Robert Dale Owen, H . Junor Browne, Epes .Sargent, Alfred Russel Wallace* Crookes, and about five or ape. hundred different S.pjlitual papersB published

[in different languages and differeg:^©untries of the earth week by week. To descend from generalities, however, andtheth^si.^ sands of vjijum.es and periodicals in w hif^the nature of the tests given and the modes of investigation practised are minutely

8 LIGHT [January 6, 1804,

described, I assort, and can summon hosts of witnesses to prove, that the modes of early investigation into alleged spiritual com­munications were far more searching, critical, and generally crucial than they are now. In the early days there wag not the slightest tendency to believe in spirit' communion • on the contrary, the generality of the investigators approached the subject, as I did myself, for the express purpose of exposing what seemed to a materialistic and priest-ridden age a most barefaced and impious system of frauds, pub forth under the name of Spiritualism. I have sat again and yet again with Judge Edmonds, and none who ever witnessed his keen, crucial methods of examining every physical movemenH or sound, and testing every communication, would any longer marvel to find that grand jui’ist renouncing fortune and station as Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States sooner than deny the absolutely proven fact of spirit communion. I myself was born a medium ; have seen what the superstitious called “ ghosts ” and “ visions," and heard voices of Invisible people

from infancy—yet in the orass ignorance in which Tgpology kept the popular mind, I could, and did, believe ih demons and spectres, <fec,, &o., but repudiated the idea of Spiritualism as taught and practised by Spiritualists.

Entering upon the investigation only to expose it, I was equally animated by antagonism and scepticism, and 1 soon found my associates investigating after a fashio^Rterly un­known in these highly enlightened days. Physical mediums were bound and fettered deception.Tests through rapping writing, and all sorts of methods wore repudiated, nmless proven tj^ subsequent examinations. pheeies of future events were given, which invariably came true. Facts were B a t e d , d e s c r i p t i o n s of spirits, visions, &c., were fljtipgny^^H ^N >ften by children. Diseases weredirections from Indian spirits. My own life, Iik others, was saved byithe spirits, who could communicate with us, again and again! Good Mr. StraxBB and Psychical Researchers generally, I insist that of thefuture—of distant evenB—anefl matters unknown to any of the sitters in spirit Efldes were given proportion S S ihundred to one, h^Be early investigations,as compared with the careless, ap^jlBpgi and indifferent of the prese«naa§| Mr. Strange says :—

Then we impera­tive necessity_/7t£o^H H a distinction inferences, 1 constitutesevidence may be conside^P as such.

Again, Mrs. speaks about “ tests ” sBji as“ names, dates, and unknown to anyonepresen tE a t pr esunB^Bs. to any­one present dates, &c.,appealed as

: the as sta,ifcdffi^ Yg f e t B B a conclusive prooffchatfifijse communicating intelligence is what it professes to

f be— viz., aevidence in favour of thought-transference and telepathy

it rather rafimts^o Bsff»^Bgfusions g^^^^Hjavise.

To all this I say emphatically^.Nofl Those may be, ^B^too often are,- the methods of this v,ery enlightened decade were I insist, and I can, and will, bring, if necessary,at least to prove they were not

J qur methods ani|j®jf days of from thirty to forty yearsago. I shrink offeringthat of wM(b»I write ; but as I regard the statements of spirits

Ml&&ee0ityf the life hereafter (statements utterly opposed to the teachings of the last thousand years) as the only .i

hope m reducing the awful reign of crime and wrong that now prevails on earth, a©S|hMeep and sotfl-felt aness, I have searched Hie wide world oyer M^try Jaese

to rem ark-rmg that the spirits’ descriptions of the life heidlfEm arejSffi'jlfi B selves a direct evidence that it is not the thought-transference, belief, or telepftBjS of oneaB the earlier t%i(j§egical or jna|e^talB igtifc'jglffieswg&tore. .

I—who h a ^ received the same class of communications from separate sources all E world and through thou­sands o§ others besides my own medfumsh®—venture to say jn deep earnestness '"to merely careless* apathetic believers in

■09 phenomena, or would-be aetiHBM, carping critics, who try to refer those phenomena to human causes, that during th'e last two years I have been engaged m collectlpg from |he most! authentic sources the histories, Byes, and fortunes of several

hundreds of the antique forty years ago investigators as well as those of the present day. In all these, the tests, proofs, and; evidences, such at least as I have recorded after careful research, are far beyond “ telepathy,” “ mind-reading,” inference, or suggestion.

They are wonderful and thrilling, it is true, but multitudes of the witnesses are still living, and in such positions of reliability as even the great spiritual detective, Mr. Charles Strange, cannot discredit. With the slavish theological world or the mate­rialistic portion of it, whose motto might well be, “ What I don’t know cannot be true,” combined against us, our poor writers on Spiritualism have been obliged, at any sacrifice, to publish their own works. My preseiB resources in this direction are utterly exhausted ; consequently, it is unlikely in my waning lifetime that I can publish my w<B<Jerf ul and unanswerable “Spiritualists’ Encyclopaedia ” B f undeniable fact and testimony to this cold, apathetic age. But I shall leave it to another and a better generation! and ^herein will be found in characters of burning truB, wBx.no i&jtial names or ve^ed personalities, that many hundreds of Be Bravest, best, and well-known workers have been captured by the world and compelled to gof(Bth and do its bidding ; that their lives haiije* been saved, as

mine has, scores of times, by guardianship, p ro J^ Hwarnings, and wise that the accounts of the lifehereafter are totally different to any that have been, heretofore

and in are too new, strange, and incredible, toH e ordinary class of believers or ^Bi-believers, ever to have originated in “ suggestion,” “ telepathy, ” or easy credulity,from a J B f the recipients.

'Oh&ithat no unprejudiced: or hjB fiB riBaiB readers will jjpjpse without recognising that the power H sustained the poor human workers amidst trial, obloquy, temptation, and toil, was something more than mortal; that its vast consensus of pr«§pf , proceeded from the sou-rc* which it e M » f a l e i ;: —-namiekvT_ the spirits of the^Hcalled dead, who are and in a higher and better stateof existence. prd^Bgthoae conditions of life hereafter against wM lpihe anathema 3$f the priest, the scorn of the Press, or

|thp- gobble about ^ higher EgoB “ telepathy,” &c , &c., falls harmless into disrepute.

.It, may bb®|^%Qme extracts from the above-named wonder­ful record I shall offer i^ th e intelligent conductors of your able jBjrnal, as an offset against the trashy, schoolboy tales of fiction \ ^^B 5 l‘iup some of those papers which ought to be devoted to riolm&purposea }.toeanfcne I conclude this long article, firstly alleging that the mightiest of all knowledge which man can receive is a correct and graphic aocount of whither he is bound hereafter, and how to prepare for it here ; and this, I ag»i*» insist, and by ten thousand witnesses can prove, is only to bo truly attained through Spiritualism,

January 6, ,1804-3' LIGHT, iAs a single representative 0480 ©f the kind of test by which

during, and a$r,through, the last forty-fiVe years,Spiritualists, all over the world, JUve been convinced, I quote the flow ing case, well known to many still giving witnesses, although related to me by the chief actor in the scene (tha late Professor Robert Hare, of Philadelphia) many years agoB Dr»-Hare investigated Spiritualism, l ik e countless others, only for tire purpose VS®" exposing what he determined, on a priori grounds, to be pro­found humbug* After Sjj&ijg months of searching and investiga­tion he came to the conclusion that the phenomena testified to the disooyery of a hitherto unknown force, whilst the intelfi

MRS. BE8ANTS AUTOBIOGRAPHY*

This is a fascinating book, and though we recognise much of it as having already appeared in the “ Weekly Sun,” yet the charm, is still there, and is even increased, so much better is it to toll a story in a edipmuous form than in the spasmodic para­graphs of a weekly journal. The journey from Evangelical orthodoxy through materialism to the new Theosophy is a strange one and its history has been admirably done.

Reference has already been made in “ L ig h t ” to certain passages in the autobiography, and to them we must refer our

gence received was all derived from mind, or thought-trans­ference, now claimed as a modfern discovery, and ..christened “ telepathy. ” I

To baffle thisilpjdj Professor in%pated a sort of tipping dial, the movements of which were actuated by physidalg^mums, -j whilst an alphabetical, plate w ^fl a pointer moved by medium power was turned away side of the table whore tillmedium sat, v l had thus nS- the slightest power ofBirecting the pointer to tfib letter, and who consequently never saw knew what jj ftie communications were that were Si-felt out. Thufa; thotfgWit was the mediu-flR power that influenced the dial, ftnr iiind could ncB c c ^ B ^ th e Worel sp«|b, neither could fihe witnesses direct the force which moved the dial.

ItS was during h,e series of experiments iffitjs conducted vthatt a spirit claiming to be the Professor’s first-born son, a little fellow who passed away 'an the A e of two yea^HKCpti constantly

Although the communicator now insisted that he had grown to manhood, as A^^BeTarley ’’—the lisping child’s rendering of his name of Charley,

that he gave this for the purposes of identification, a certain day

the hand of a strong “ Little Tarley” pur­ported to communicate : A ^ ^ B ‘ Little T a r le y ” said the

indeed you, and know somuch, tell me my vest A

“ You carry, wrapped up in faded yellow paper, father,” Bpelt out the spiritj “ a still more faded yellow lace veil from my dead face as

“ Little Tarley,” said the Professor mockingly, know much, I find ; sort.”turning to the several persons sitting around the eircle, the

“ You work ofwhen there is no ^ ^ ^ B

to read from. I took it fromcoffin was closed. For nearly

of a century I have kept it carefully wrapped up in a drawei, sacred to myother mementoes ; now see what this mockingso-called spirit sagj^^fl

after the other a number of faded, yellow paper wrappings, until he esiaae at last^e an ^>®!osS|^ of paper!$ P g |p ||| dead mother h a d ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H as from her little

dead ragjgfl!The Professor had mistaken the package, but the Spirit had

E mma H . Britten.

The Spiritualists’ I nternational Corresponding Society. —Information and assistancsT^^sn toLiterature on the of be senrfrBreceipt of stamped g^v,,e|ppe by any of the J^g® ^^^E|eBna|ional Committee :—America, Mrs. M. R. Palmer,3101, North Broad- street, Philadelphia; Australia, Mr. H .Junor Brown,“ TheGrand xl fcffoffigr Melbourne ; France, P. G. Ley marie, 1, Rue Chabanais, Par-is t,

; Berlin, N.; Holland, F. W. H. Yan Straaten, Apeldoorn, Middellaan, 682; India, Mr. State Cotton Mills, Baroda ;New Zealand, Mr. 'i^kidhiM|M^ai«^ . ^ ^ k»teB Norway, B. Torestonson, Advocate,Grande Belozerski, No. 7, Lod. 6, St. Petersburg ; England, J . Allen, Hon. Sec., 13, Pa^^anei. Manor$ * & M a e x ; or,Kill fifewnaat]ft-on=* liE^he\U-ffhrTMa-noT Park branch 'willHRdffil following meetings S ^ ^ R ^ e i& ^ te n ra e e , White Post-lane, Manor Fa-i&:—Sundays, R and 8|u.dents,andthe lasti^ p day 7 p.m.,receptionAlso each Friday* 4* 9 p.m., prompt, for Spiritualists timBthe stu&jr of l^ritualism . And at 1, Winifred-road, Manor Park, the first wupday in each months at 7 p.M., reception fo* In­quirers. Also each Tuesday, aB7.S$ P-w***inquirers’ meet­ing.--,!. A .spy

readers. The matter which concerns us most is the curious and very sudden step made by Mrs. Besanb—nob from agnosticism to Theosophy—the chasm whipn separates “ not knowing ” from

knowing Bis not very wide—but from positive “ unbelief ” to “ unchallonging belief.” For this is what was done.

I t is true that from 1886 onwards Mrs. Besant, being of an active nature, had ^BHed the current which was Betting in the dtrectftn of t‘he new psjraBdbgyB She had, indeed, investigated Spiritualism and was not satisfied with the Spiritualistic

■^pSt^esisVan^' had finally convinced herself that there was some^Rden thingBsome hidden power, and resolved to seek

’■ujHil she found—yet ifhe •' ‘ conversiofiA was as startling as it was sudden^B

The account of this change we give in Mrs. Besant’s own wipfe, .B h I .tp-ffie understood that she had been‘asked by Mr. Stead prev iew “ The Secret Doctrine” fofchim

". Home I carried my burden and sat me down to read. As I fiur^Sfc over page after page the interest became absorbing ;

I but how seemed ; how Bw mind leapt forward >t/opresage the conclusions ; how natural it was, how coherent, how BsHH&n^ijmhow intelligible fl I was dazzled, blpided by the light in which disjointed facts were seen as parts of a mighty whole, and all my puzzles, riddles, problems, seemed

I to disappear. was partially illusory in one sense,in that they all had to be slowly unravelled later, the brain gradually assimilating that wiias)® the swift inbui'tfefl had

; grasped as truth. had been seen, and in thatt\ I knew that the weary search was over

very Truth was fcBnfk?Now, this finding of the “ very !® fA R is of the exact

nature of “ In another form we meet with it con-stantly in religious tracts and biographies. Storm-tossed and

I weary, the excited sinner at last finds peace,” am*d henceforth I kno that he too fist' very truth,” it may be inI the materialistic creed of the eoffientidle, or it may be in the | sensuous certainties But .henceforth there isI J y e r y And the parallelI goes on. Mrs. Besant met M adame. Blavatsky as a result of

Secret Doctrine.” There was some natural { reluctance, of course, in leaving one “ A'ery truth ’’ for another

“ very truth ”B a»d .sp^brel^ftg 'with her old friends, therefore, I Mrs. Besant went again to Madame Blavatsky

.I£fP . %lavatsky 1;bok<ed at me piercingly for a moment. I Have you read ^he report ab^at '^B v of the Society for

Psychical Research ?” “ No ; I never heard o fin t so far as “ Go and read it, arid if, after reading it, you

H B n>ack—w ^B ’ And. nothing more would she say on the subject, but branched offjpgher experiences in many lan d sH

I borrowed a copy of the R epas^'read and re-read % Quickly I saw l^w^Iend^Kwas the foundation on which the

structure was bH I '; the ^flntinual assumptions , on which conclusions were based flthe incredible character of

the allegations ; and—most dancing fact ;of all—the foul scBrce Minai whBah the evidence was derived. Everything turned ofjiBh'e veracity of the O^Bbrnhs. and ^ e y were self^ stamped as partners in the alleged frauds.

one of the^most amazing passages ever written,; and remember that it is wri|teh by a woman who had

.years for^^B righ|ifof p ir a te judgment‘ Could I put such against the frank, fearless nature that I

had ca ip lij a .glimpse of, against the proud fiery truthfulness shone a t^L lh o m ^ .e clear blue eyes, honest and fear­

less as tmose qi a noble eftlM ?No reasoning here—sinipl0 surrender, that is all-ir But the

account goes on :—Was the writer of B The Secret Doctrine Bthis miserable

impostor, this accomplice of tricksters, this foul and loath­some deceiver, this conjurer with trap-door and sliding panels ? I laughed aloud at the absurdity and flung the Report aside with the righteous scorn of an honest nature .that knew its own kin when it met them, and shrank from the foulness of a Be.

* * Annie Besant.” An Autobiography* (London M T. FisherI Unwin, 1893.)

10 [January 6, 1894.LIGHT.

It la hardly necessary to say that Mrs. Besant immediately joined the Thoosophioal Sooiety. H.P.B. soon * erwards put her haud on Mrs. Besant’s head and said, “ Y°u ai° a n°hle woman. May Master bloas you,11 T h is occurred on io 10th of May 188U.

Now, we have no desire to enter into the Coulomb con­troversy, It is the reasons given for Mrs. Besant s change of front that are so remarkable. There is a word sometimes used of late to describe an aot of fascination, where “ fascinated would not be strong enough, and that is “ psyohologised. Mrs. Besant was undoubtedly “ psyohologisod ” by H.P.B. and that was what was quite likely to happon. No one can road the delightful opening chapters of this autobiography withoui being struck by the spiritual sensitiveness developed in the child Annie, That sensitiveness never left the girl nor the woman, who was ready, notwithstanding all her apparent revolt from it, to accept authority the moment it was impressed on her by a will stronger than her own,

A CASE OF STIGMATISATION,

In connection with the comparison between saints and mediums and with reference to the stigmatisation of St. Francis, it is interesting to learn that there is atHhe present time a genuine example of this phenomenon in the person Hf Anna Houle, a girl twenty-two years of age, living at inWurtemberg. Dr. Hiibbe-Schleiden went Heifl on pu j^^S to investigate the matter, and communicated Hie result^H his interesting visit to the “ Sphinx.” Being in<SBduced tothe family by a friend, he was specially fortunate in being allowed opportunities of seeing and speaking to the girl undisturbed, and he found all that he had heard of ffirftx be tr u e, an d the truth to be still more wonderful than anytlffig that he had heard of her.

She was thirteen years old when she first fell state ofecstasy, speaking for three hours f t a way sheftoi^^^B have learnt in the village school ; she is fle daughter of humtft parents, her father being a baker and day labourer. Hhe was only recalled to consciousness by the priest, who addressed her inLatin, whereupon f te declared she had been fetched a way by an angel, had been in Paradise, through her. I t was atshe would be stigmatised, and1 in 1887 accordingly this was ful­filled, as Dr. Hiibbe-Schleiden iffijd at the time. Anna Henle lies now almost the in a state of ecstasy, from eightin the morning till late afternoon, and K v’Fft|jn3 andholy days, when the ecstasy is intensified, till late ^^B i.ev lefl mg, often toll ten or Seven at nighf^^H’. Hiibbe-Schleiden was taken to her room by h f t mother and their mutual and found her alone, lying in bed. I t was£a Frida® and on flat] day she always lives through, Ki a supernatural manner, the w ]^D Passion of Christ as it is d'eseribed in the Gospels. I t was between two and three o’clock in the afternoon. F rom j.£w el^^^^^^H three she suffers all the death agony (fta crucifixion; it was a very painful sight; from her gestures fro m t f lCross,” which she f tte re d ftm e ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ K w what w a s ^ ^ ^ ^ B in her soul. Not till threeHffiadljgWhen she sa id ^ H is finished ” and was at peace, did Dr. her face was. He took advantage of thepresenting the hanging Head upon the Cross) to look at the stig­mata on Anna’s feet. Both feet and across with narro w strips of linen. The onfeet were only on the epp, not under the sras,''whiisftt}®i»^M the hands were only on the palms. Some watery fluid fresh blood had issued from the woimft, which, in the Doctor’s opinion, woftd have long since festeredmade and kept ope nfrfafty ears. Soon folio wed the “ Descent from the Cross.” WniM; Anna laySjm^H perfectly still, stiff, almost cataleptic,Spnee loud knocks were suddenly heafl in the room apparently near the bed, as ^Hugh somebody wergl^odk-1 ing an iron nail ou^B a wooden beam wifft a heavy hammer. After this the body of Me ecstatic moved a ^ftle again, and after another interval her body^SUed over from side ft) side as though it were being swathed in a long cloth (such as an

, Eastern gravecloth) by persons unspep. Especially reri®c&Me was the Communion, whi<5!p followed atfto.ur o’clock, when shji receives the Sacrament*^ a supernatural manner. “ Iffiftg ; prepared for wliat was now to happen,'? says Dr. E ^fiB B Schleiden, “ I had previously satisfied myself, the help of a lamp, while Anna’s iffffijjjy during the death agony was repeatedly wide open for long at a time; that it was

perfectly empty, both over and under the tongue, and I did not I let her out of my sight afterwards. As she now opened her l w< mouth in a oonvulsion, there suddenly appeared on her tongue - it* a whitish mass whi<J» looked like a large w tferftabout four .j centimetres in diameter, and bore the usual I.H.S. stamped * °*upon it. This soon curled up, and, mixing with the saliva, ; th became a lump. She hold her mouthvfbpen, and after five to ten minutes the lump of wafer transformed itself before my 1®eyes into' ft bleeding piece of flesh, out of wfeiffl the blood w

; lowed in su^Ruantities that it partly streamed from the acmouth and had to be staunched by her mother with cotton wool. |. "The ecstasy was uninterrupted, only intensified, and reached “its highest ]^B t when, after another five or ten minutes, she ™swallowed tj&p piece of flesh whole with evident effort. Shortly 'after receiving the Sacrament, Anna raised herself in bed and jsaid that Jesus was offering her the chalice, and that she was ^permitted txpdip her finger tips in ftfe As she made this gesture, ,{ ^it began ttwdrip from her fingers so tb ft I quickly held my hand | -underRiem and caught this fluid. I convinced myself that it | obpld not possibly be perspiration, both from the quantity and i because her stigmatised hands were wrapped up in linen all but f the tipsftf the fingers.”

Dr. Htibbe-Scftei'den speaks in the highest terms of the ; spirituality and beautiful character of the girl, and it is largely [ owing to B e spiritual atmosphere wflph he foj^,'pervading the | 8place that his c ftii^^H B tfff‘|emarkabH occurrences is such a favourable one.

. ■ - ' - - — €

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. ][The 'tEdftor ts not responsible for opinions expressed by correspondents,

and sometimes publishes what he does not agree with for the purpos j of presenting views that may elicit discussion.]

An Explanation. ^Sir ,—I t has ^^B poin ted out to me, by my excellent friend f Edward Maitland, that a passage in my address published I

in 1 B w^ ^ H “ L i(B:tB may misconstruction. The ipassage is the following :■—

The “ Thouis transformed into a “ great cloud of witnesses.”— “ L ight,”

H f l 622.This, thhllBbftAfis .uftft

God, He being superseded by the cloud of witnesses. I t is,that was not my meaning! "1

What I wished to impress upon my audience was that the 1 vague fear Anthropomorphic God was

we aie; never alone. The ; existence of the Eternal Spirit of all things was 'aft-in question 1

! ■■ >'■ ; W. P aice.

Astrology.

Sir ,—The Zodiac is divided, arbitrarily I take it, into twelve equal ij 11 f ~lflp 11 j|j?iMn Jis said to affect or Again.,.®the signs are distributed or allotted to the but as therei®are more signs than planets some planets have two signs allotted

some of your readers kindly inform me—(a) How the connection between the individual signs and the

by them is ascer-- 9tained ; and (b) on what grounds the signs are allotted to the J respective planets 1 .: , ; N eophyte. -

“ An Alternative View of Re-incarnation.” - Sie ,—Under the above heading, in your issue of November-ft

11th, there appears a very excellent article, and. which to many advanced thinkers in our movement appears to be a very reason­able theory for the y i& j. many Theosophists (Iam a Christo-, or Western, Theosophist) believe is literally a ; succession of rd tr^ ^ 6 s |v e e n t i r e reversal •of the ordinary course of nature. Spirit, soul, or intelligence * when passing through its unfoldment or erc^ition^l any epochs I or Stages has to clothe itself with m atter in Various forms and N u a litn at eaefiftnslj^ft >itage, Jjhe material of every successive development b fe g more refined or sublimated than the previous SjBfc Recording teaBte digestive oiAssimilative apparatus of each form of Being, mineral, vegetable, and animal. Minerals, although having no digestive apparatus,nevertheless do gradually change j^ ^ ^ ^ ^ w n fs ig te g ra t^ H and affinity, which is, I think, analogous to digestive assimilation* W hether Be-incarnation bo true or not, it appears t® b® very difficult of verification, and whether sq niakes very Mifefcte difference to me, for ft.

January 6, 1894.] ^ LIGHT. Hwould seemBhat eaffik *?®9lleefcs absolutely npttSrng of

eei§fe©s the age of reason or init'SHigehce, great1 tti5?g: thifct each one anxious to spread '

d$f spirit intercourse should to oonvyieo^UOplo that'there is post-mortoin existence, .'. SliisBSe aceepileH as scienti­fically demonstrated would give Church a far there powerful lever with which to workHB the ru^ds of its ine®b«Hi. Swell. Workers and thinkers as^®€.M.” and^&Ward Maitland I groatH admire and respect, but in spite of tlKejfeir erudite letters on Re-incarnation I faipto see .that havej^u any way pt&ved their theory. I fully believe in the evolution of fojal, spirit, or .intelligence through the mineral, vogeijBle, animal, and human, kingdoms, thence onward through the new b^B, death, through

Mmiayiritual or ’friBBmwtaEfcnu realms uatfljff is in'J§SCTiiMS^Bde of space. r Spiritualists, Theosophists, and Occultists are much about the san^^^B eforekS us sink potty differences and work one,aim R spread the glad- tidmgs'ofimmortality.

Capetown. B erks T.

An E 1Sib,—Evidently you^^B^grs do not iE ^R to enter into con­

troversy with ansimply ofv#Mnaud$Rgg>’„I that some due toIF* psychic inter-action, ” and that no true progress can be made

branch of Spiritualism investigated in have learned to differentiate subjMeanwhile, I wish to endorse the claim made for the Theosophie Adepts, “ that they have the power to send voices.

dangerous menace to our liberties and lives ;a natural phenomH^N^^D

compel medicine to take up the whole question of s^Ht entities.

J . Barker Smith, L.R.C.P. (Lond.)

“ The Mystery of Ancient Egypt.”

Sir ,—Whileof Mr. W. Marsham Adams, to whose article under the above title you refer in the current issue ofout what I cannot help regarding as the fundamental fallacy H that gentleman’s position. It may appear somewhat startling,

of Egyptology, tosay bIhB of the Dead,” i.e., in the sense Hfc Bible,” “ TheKoran.”differ in the widest manner as to their of

as the fancy of the scribe and the wealth of the BbBBwBagg all these papyri together

|j*Hd(er, the name ‘‘Book of the Dead,” because Mey deal with the experiences of the deceased in

in fact, in­tended to teach

dwell ‘‘ in the presence of Osiris,’ And, of course, any two

But if there was no fixed number of chapters which a papyrus

could not have ihad an organic unity, and ifunity, could not have been embodied in a definite series ofchambers in the Great Pyramid.

But a more important question remains. What particular mjpj of the ’ ’ is it with which the Great

wonderful correspondence ? I t is that known as the Papyrus H Suriry . and a few words as to this copy will enable us to inherent

the^fhaBLaB^M Dead ” known, consisting of the

number of 165 i iljgjj.'rjni I t isout, and d/s written in a .iifejBsfc a tu ^^p ^ ^ anyk a i m a common HeMdtt' papyri. These faets,- together with a mistaken Bpa as Sli^ipEtrem e antiquity, caused it to receive the attention of ^tg1 of Lepsius. The latterpublished a fac simile of it in 1842, just before starting j&4^H famous expedition to Egypt to y |>ragi we owe the twelve greit volumes of the “ Denkmaler.” Being p ^ M ^^^BnatUtalfef, becamo/or Egyptologists the standard copy. But was it so to the Egyptians? I t is Suite certain thafSw as qpf. I t belongs to

the Saito recension, so named from the Saita or Twonty-Bixth Dynasty (n.o. 606-527), and cannot ha a day tlder than that dyhaety, w|-lfe» in all ptobawlty, q| i* Jfteh mo*® recent. In this reoe»«io»i the dhler of the chapter* was for the's first time n^ffl aucffiMi^y of iSiiose Mtffipt in it do not occur at allHsi the earlier Theban.' recension.

It can, inoHbver, he shown examination of theTuririi-Papyrus itself tnaJ^H chapters are not logically related Eo each othor in the proem order in which they are written. Many ehs^Bre are mere repetitions of earlier ones, and even

are jB soHle same idea is constantly repeated in differsnti irTns, The great subject of the ^Book of the Dead” is the per cm.h'u, or, coming forth, in the day, i.e I triumphing with

Hhe sun-god, Osiris or Ra. (That such is its meaning, and not B W ^Rf'Tlluflnp^Bas Mr. Adams has it^pould be amply demonstrated did space allow,) Now,in-the Erst sixteen chapters, which are clearly marked off from the rest iff Jha Turin copy,

: this process is complete ; and further on we meemp more than ono occasion, ‘ per cm /ww in one chapter,” Again, thelast three chapters are distinctly separated from the body of the work said to form a hook “Mpctthe per emhru.” I must not take up y<Hr spac||)yBrsiJfetlis question further. ’’V have said enough to siqn that the Turin copy of the “ Book of the Dead” is ,fl|il#t^^HchaB& belonging to and was nut attemptedto be put b.c. 666, . And y® Mr. Adams

work, new andBid, in the order in which it now stands, was “ masoni&ed” inthe Great Pyramid of Khufu (b.c. 3733—3700)!

E. % Read.

The “ Higher E g ^ - ^

Sir ,—Mr. Charles Strange in last week’s issue seems to iip* troduce logic c h o p ] ^ R r jB ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ f lH destruction rather th an of the ^ ^ H B o n discovery offor certain inco i^^^^B esr^^H ^^S psychology imply no relative Mrs.Britten in your issue of December 9th. -proceed by observation and experiment. Induction with them cannot be assumption, consciousnessand generalities which constitute exact science. ' Is Mr. Strange a medium himself 1 Has he in his hours of retirement listened to still small voice”? orciation with ministering men and woman ? If dogmatism

arereally necessary, hut let usKant, who maintained that ex^^^Re alonefor all knowledge,which are necessary that experience itself m« j/ he possiWe. ” Now - briefly let me test the statements of Mrs. Br^tffihvhj^Bl philosophers:—

suggests the liketroops in files, The complete induction is the only strictly scientific

The essentia^^^^^^^^^^^K)y^feoniB'<fcfeej wasaccurate

When the appropriate concep­tion, he then colligates the facts to bind these into

Given events obey certain unknown laws ; we hawQ^roM cover the laws obeyed. 'the deciphering of the

There are such things as parallel cases that what happensof circum­

stance, happen again, as a w U y iBsame circumstances occur.—Mill.

Thisprincipleisinvolvedinthewordsofthe'WiseMan:— “ The thing that hath beennB iJ^at which shall he ; and

"which is done is that which shall be done." In nature there same causes prpdjigp fe© same ■

In conclusion, (fe M ’ohservestfhafe there exist four rules asvfcg|®K— '

1st. Induction is certain in ft^ jjnw ^n^to number and i , diversity of the A^^^hMoi^eB] 2nd. J6a proportion to the

vram. V fenj^ ^obk^Fy.atiH. beenconducted. 3keHm iafteenvent ecta

j is clear and precise. 4th. In proportion an it has eipiq|o^,J£*Not only the world-wide collection of facts and experiences

i of Mrs, Britten ( but the .myriad*,^ facts by myriads -of trained1

12 LIGHT. January fl, 1894.

investigators in ail portions of the globe, long sinoe classified patiently, and plaoed in the category of oertainty, prove dis­tinctly that a bridge of light intertwines tire world of matter and the world of Spirit.

Newcastla-on-Tyne. W, H. B-obikson.

Eminette Coleman and the Theosophioal Society.Sin,—“ R.C., F .T .S.” writes a letter which might seem to

outsiders very unsatisfactory. He will no doubt thank a fellow F.T.S. (not a member of the “ Esoteric Section") for giving him an opportunity of explaining himself on the following points

Has he any authority for saying that no 6uch three “ papers of instructions ” as he mentions were issued by the heads of the Esoteric Section 1 If so, what authority 1

If three such papers were not issued, were <100, or one i If no such papers were issued, were any papers bearing on

the subject issued 1When he has answered these questions he may try his

hand at this one ;—

SOCIETY WORK.

102, CAMBERWBi/i<-tt.OAD. — On Sunday next Mrs. Ashton ! Bingham will take the meeting for Mrs. Clark. Recitation “ Words and Deeds," by Mrs, Bingham. Address, the subject to be ohosen.—E.B.

14, Orchard-road, Askbw-road, Shepherd’s B ush, W .— At our service on Sunday last short but instructive addresses wero delivered by the inspirers of Mr. Wyndoe, Mr. Mason, and Mr. Drake,upon “ Jesus, His Life and His Teachings.^ Sunday, at 7 p.m,, Mr, Humphries ; investigators welcomed. Tuesday, at 8 p.m., stance, Mrs. Mason. — Hon. Sec.

311, Camberwell - road. — Wednesday, meeting tor inquirers, at 8.15 p.m. Sunday, stance, at 11.30 a.m. ; address, “ Doctrine of Demons,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 9th, Tem­perance branch,; sub ject* “ Should Mediums be Total Abstainers ?” at 8.15 p.m. General meeting (half-yearly), January 14th, at 8.30 p.m .—C. M. P ayne, Hon. Sec.

SpR itual M all, 88 H igh-street, M arylebone, 'W.l We had a very pleasant fine on Sunday evening. Mr. Wallace, the respected pioneer medium, gave a very excellent address and was fallowed by Miss Rowan Vincent whose remarks were

M R I .......... f l greatly appreciatH M Bur energetiH worker, Mr. J . EdwardsI ™ B were not Messrs. Edge and Old suspended from (treasurer), concluded the meeting with some appropriate the Esoteric Section for publishing a certain footnote in the ' ^ ---■ - - v* - t“ Theosophist ” of J u ly last 1 Mr. Judge had stated in * ‘ Lujoifer ’ ’:—“ As to ‘ Master’s seal, ’

about which you put me the question, I do not know. Whether he has a seal or uses one is something on which I am ignorantf’jl Whereon Messrs. Edge and Cud observe ‘ R regard ^ R h is statement we can only remark that irfuflbe seriously defective. We must therefore reminc^Rm that a very important step in connection with the reorganisa^^Rof the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society was taken affcM the death of H.P.B. on wie authority ^R a certain message, purporting to come from andas Mr. Judge will now remem^R a seal-impression, said by B to be that of ‘ the Master.jtRjo doubt MrRTudge will take the opportunity of either rectifying his staR bR iti^fl ofBhowingl how his acting upon authority the Master’s ’ seal at RpTe time, and professing at another, may be regardedas consistent.”

I am not sure is the proper technicalterm, so Si will add question,

I t is a truly Roman CathdEhj way topunish the asker of a question instead of But dayby day the “ Esoteric ^ e c t i o i S K s f r o m the original path of the Th eosoAmaR) oc way more questionable—at least, asR seems to yours,

f .t .s .

Maya and the “ Ri<PJe* of R | Universe.”

Sir ,—In the “ Riddle^® the ^^ 1Fawcett says, in alluding raK^fagnetanl|^^^BiSg^gari!y^^^HW have first to noteRe^^h&nmakeshiftan inexplicable siqs|lj Maya Mctoside of the One Reality Brahman.” g? am notkara’s metaphysic ^B h e Adwaitee Vedantists, but taking Maya (illusion), as we define i ^ ^ K |j ^ ^ ^ n |! namely, as belonging to all that is conditiRiedRt seems to me th a t^^^^^B teso p B aal truth is very much in evidence even gn^Mr. Fawcett’s own dedu^^ns. Let us, ^ R -ra ^ tn c n take & g i|According to him everything which we see and know is lation of that Subject. For instance, an object is perceived as a state of consciousness of the Subject itself, and the character of this percepj&on is dfae toceiving. Thus, to take his i ^ i ^ ^ P ^ H a man short­sighted and a man who is Iong -^ litM&fci^Rg at the samej^^B from the same distancef^ill see itis the same for one andwja? the other. In his words, ^ B objective real reveals -shapes for differenthuman peffiptepts, and “ the fatffjjgiir world wfigH surrounds us may be a to tally different ‘sj&aee '^^B m er animals.” What is this btntja clear affirmation that Maya whanis true for oi^percim gnt must evidentlCbe false tot another, what is true fjpf man must evidently be non-existent for those

animals wl^j see (Mffiereg^^ Each view in fact is.igraH relatively true, and relative Truth is to Truth what Maya or Illusion is^Krafie Reality. If out the idea cfltheMibjggt as given by Mr. Fawcett we see how thjh rela^M ^ omeal about. I t is because eatfh relative Truth is a revelation of the Subject. B a t a revelation which- it, and by adipg soconsults the Subjept which is R ub revealed into an appearance or Maya. Am I right in saying that what we call Maya Mr. Fawcett calls v cradle of R eality”7? If so,^cordially agree with him,for $ is only Sy'^te.’@5p^Pncied tha t the uncondiMqned learns to know itself. ^ hos. W'illiams, F.T.S,

suggestions. Next Sunday evening, January 7th, at 7, Mr. J. i J . Morse on “ Human Dikies jj |r»us Heavenly Joys. ” Clairvoy* -j ance at the close by Miss MgpreadieR— L.H.R.

The Stratford Society of Spiritualists,.. Workman’s ; H ale, West H am-lane, Stratford, E .—©a Sunday last Mr.H. Veitch reviewed the past year-, ably dealing, wibh many social .5 and political questions. H a^H tended that the grand question of religious toleration would be realised in the very near future. pRefer&ngR^Bfe Parliament of Religions at Chicago, he showed that Christians aRjfbegiiB^^BI to s^eRthat all religions stand pi upon the sa^e.^fid^ls? and that each has its own value to L those w R adopt it with sincerity. The present liberality of thought is tending towards ^R R ualism , and R u r fresh \ successes encourage ^ ^ R R ^ ^ ^ Io ^ w a rd in ffhe coming year. BpeakefqBRiext Sunday, Mr. H. J . Leader (of Plymouth).—J. 1 R ainbow, Sec.B ^ ^ ^ R ^ B p i / r Society. —A i ^ f l n g will shortly he held -

to reorganise the This society since I1885 has been doing have held many sessionsof Sunday lectures, bu t purpose is .Jtois institute

The not started Sunday leeRtcea this winter is >that we h ^R been engaged in such experiments, ami4 I am fc leasecl^^^^^^^^^B harae had good BHuJibs. Some of our ; records ar& Rw in the hands of the S.P.R. But we wish to en- large our operations, and I am willing t^B v e my services one evening per to give fittings at their own^B ies ,]^ ^^ ^^ ^H lad ^ B ^^ ^^^ ^ |H ^ ^B eH < 9 R ^ ijth e -use of a room, my spirit guide a series of i aiH&e dis-courses on Occultism and Esoteric Religion. ' Bfejeke! I wish to g iB B private and not in a public hall. Friends who wish foy- 1 further information H^^^^^H H w W vRoaae address the secre­tary, tj S j a ^ W a le J^ ^ B hyi%^™*R^A- F.Tyndall, A.T.C.L., President.

F loral Baptism.— £New Year’s Eve, though ushering in the young year with ik .J customary frost and fog, was nevertheless the occasion of an auspicious event in the annals of the South London Spiritualists.A goodly assemblage arrived (manyto an excellent tea) and by seven o’clock the rooms were packed, j Despite the sparseness of flowers atr3pfei«easen, there was a charming ivy,which decorated1 theniches abd walls,-1 The presented a pretty appearance, 'white blossoms Standfflg R®t, conspicuously, the whole sur­mounted by a t a s t^ ^ ^ ^ ^ B ^ christening cake, bearing an 9 H scription, and presented to the little one by Mrs. Bliss, wh^in

^H apany li^raS^Sfather^M r.RJ.Yango, conducted the interest* ing ceremony. Suitable hymns were aubg,and one of Mr.Yango’s guides (Mrs. Main, great granARoffaier of t?he^cbild)rte,pened the

ew suitable after w$fiii the control ofjiMTS£,R^£n®^Re. babe gave to it the spiritual

of “ Snowdrop,” fcRowed by ime material one by P : ^ R & e n B n f l k i i o v | . Flowers were placed upon the IgfiMaV! and aRonsecra^M -lprayer offered. Other controls mfRpBed, speaking eloquently of the of great cause ” and pre­dicting - jha t’ jS* event was but the prelude to many others wM fEwould be as R ^w and as ^ d i n g as tha t of any in the

fij®riatian churches. Another, speaking through Mr. Yango, -dwelt lipon the instriJiaiyfc- of S p i r i tu a l Funerals,” (to all true y |,p iipup lfts a most necessary function), which met with a hearty response from the whole congregation. At the close of the eeremotiy an excellently designed certificate was given by M*> Apohib&ld Gray, upon whicji all present affixed their signa­tures. W t hav^l now to record five years of successful spiritual w t|gi| and only wan£-©,ur numbers to sweHl and more workers in-tjie field, i. Sunday next, a t 7 p.m ., Mr. Duggan ; Thursday, circle.—L.C.

O u r D£es, Qet.<merely in some points or relations,; but in all points and relatibfis, must be near to God.

A Journal o f Psychical, Occult, and Mystical Research.Light! Mown Light !"—Qoethe. W doth m a ke m anifest is p o u t .”—P aul.

N o. 679 .— V o l BXXY., [Registered as a l Newspaper J SA TU R D A Y , JA N U A R Y Reice T w opence.

: CONTENTS,Notes by the Way . . . . . . . . . . 20Astrology ....................... Saints in Morocco .................. . . . . . 20R ein ca rn a tio n ......... ..... . . . . 21Saints and Mediums . . . . Learning: from th e H eathen . ___21Mrs. Besant’s Address . a Ghost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28“ The Veil ^fitted ” ..........

NOTES BY T H E W AY,

M r. Stead much interview ed in Chicago. ‘O ns ffl-terview is reported by the “ Religio-Philosophical Jo u rn a l.” The interview er did noting* much out of M r. Stead, for

I t was Very m i® ! as if a H^HiJform hoy had been. Vsked w hat opinion ^ 1 had fdjiflfti of “ b inary or ofFresnel’s wave-surface. Such a boy though, being clever, m ight h it upon som ething good, and so did M r. Stead. ‘A ) was asked w hat he though t was “ the strongest and m ost convincing proof of th e m ind’s survival of th e body.” A nd this is ithe report

Mr. Stead hesitated some time before giving an andthen said that did nolMHftk he decidewapK was the strongest proof, but so far as he had gone he

strongest proof in humanwas supplied by the evidences thathuman communicating with

(HU1 agencies w ^^ H are independent of i‘-pie body. said Mr. ^ 9 d , “ thatif my iscomplex than the fragment H flt of I am conscious,a n ^ n T am aqfe.to prove the existence and functioning of my own personality independently senses of the body, it seems rational towhich o p @ ^ ^ ^ ^ B |p e n j^ ^ ^ D ^ K i> ^ H )d y lw in ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ B x is t^ ing after the body has dissolved. was possible toimagin Jljfofc human intelligence a product of thebraifewhioh H ^ sjj&lLa t death, but are confronted at everya man’s Tftjmfflafw can functionare ^ ^ ru s f f i^ ^ ^ p p d to you exist when

dies imfej#that you pass out of existence when lay and ring it off.”

- W hich is certa in ly good— if there is so much evidence.

prominent eyes, leaning on your left shoulder. I do not like her. She uses strong language, and she smokes. Don’t let her Rune near me.’ I asked, ‘ Does she look like an Englishwoman or a forlgrTer V IS h e is foreign, I think.’ I inquired! Is she FreMl^Hpanish, or Italian %’ To each of these interrogatories a legative reply was g iven* She puts on some furs,’ said the lady. .

Is she Russian ? ’ ‘ Yes, yesypes.’ ‘ Is it Madame Blavatsky V The jfeply was a s t i l mbre emphatic ‘ Yes.’ The lady then went off a *dfflgjV|faaroe, and was taken possession of by

w^ ° brought her hand down on the table vehemently, a n ls a id : I - ■--- it, I will speak. I don’t like to bear women, quibbling over a subject they don’t understand.’ X said,‘ Haye you altered ^ffir opinion about the spirits wbo speak to

mere sfills /Jr spl>ks I ‘ I am bere and speaking to 3 1 ’ she replied, in a very-Jtogitive and! peremptory tone, ‘ and

answer to y l i r question. 1 am very often with ycffl.’ ‘ H a^Brou ever m et witb any Mahatmas in the spirit-world ? ’ * I bave^^oken to somqjjgreat and noble spirits

H ire ,’ was.the evasive reply. W hat followed is unim portant; but it^R iy b e ^ B n til le d tha t tbe lady on coming out of trance

^ ^ ^ Hja^jrafflof a very uncomfortable feeling, as if her frame had b < S | suddenly expanded into one of large bulk, and she was

what had taken

One of spirit re tu rn is theW hen John

themuch. ismight Bilk nonsense under provocation, though the doubt is verywe none of knew either the The

Blavatsky isxliffi^H t . "We knew somethin® about her, so th a t tt®.'tiWO following accounts admit of comparison with what we ,^ ^ '^ o w ^ J iM r. t h e first is from

jjg |u 9 :H a d j |f l^ r of L ^ w tlfc H N ^ R fik ltr 1 s t: —A contributor, upon wh^fe veracity and accuracy we can

i a ^ H r o r^y» 'sends us m jb lb w in g :—‘-‘ h ® esd ay afternpon, Cfejber 10th, I w alone of nine

persons composing a cjjim which met in Collins-street for the purpose of assisting in>%e development of a writing mediurjh T was dWcussit^the suM&<§|$m re-incarnattion with ladies on the <$her side qk, the table, w m are opposed to when a lady seated next to me, who is not a professional medium, went off all of a sudden into a condition of semi-trance&and became clairvoyant. She said : ‘ There is a very stout lady, with large

in a small paper of no importance “ Occultism,” published a t Dorchester, Mass. * The

editor, and general factotum is a certain Joseph M>. W(a«$e, Ivho is very an lay because we do not believe th a t he is the one true pffi>phet. I t w ill be seen, th a t “ H ellena ” Blavatsky is d i f fe ^ H in M assachusetts from w hat she is in

Melbourne. I t is possible th a t there are H S r a l of Hjp, To the E d ito r of “ Occultism ” Hellena ” said, ^ ^ ^ ^ B > th e r^ h in g s : —-

They tell me I^ ^ K g a in as a l i t t l l child, born into spirit spheres, but with the powers I longed to be master of in the pffig aiffkJ^flnever givejup tp defeat, - you may expect to see me a tis ln e hour whekx y<l are least prepared to greet Hellena BlMatjsky, andwbur LondoXi frien'd, tbe Editor of “ L ight,” n see or hear from as l i e not dead, nor sleeping.

He shall see me floating downward ■; ‘.d i a flame cif w^toth and light,

. CbnHI to ask bis-doubting S u it Why he Hons the1 robe of night;

Why he lives in splendid mansion,Made:c| wood, 3 glass and stone,

While the h(lest poor are starving,HHne icy streets their only home ;;Why ryHp&rs when mega of wisgbm

Seek afe^find the rising stars,A B H b n K M i proud kingdom

Close besi d e t he prison bars ; ,, Why he thinks a hero

Because his pen has won renown In the r&nlSjLpf cruel critics,

On earfflly camping grounds ^W hyBs paper lacks true beauty.

. And progressive thbyrghts are few,He perchance will quickly answer,MB W'hat I heaven is this to you ? ”

H ellena Blavatsky.We aj R>g.ise to our Thleosopliic friends .jfiaijr publishing

” doggerel , is illustrative o| the cu*i®Qs mental state of some possible mediums. And so is instruc-

4 i i ^ H

Dr. Louis- Robinson, in the “ North Amei’ican Review,” speaks of dreams in this wise :—

Speaking very generally, one may say that, during sleep, the brain does an immense amount of sorting and pigeon-holing

14 [January 13, 1894.l i g h t

of impressions* It would also appear thafc sonio process, akin to stock-taking, and the rummaging of out-of-the-way corners, also goes on when the judgment and the will are taking a holiday. In considering the raw material of dreams,, wo roust take into account a certain amount of cerebral activity during the whole period of sleep—the unbroken current of ideas that passes through the sleeping brain, and which reveals itself to the unconscious Ego only when some disturbing element inter­venes Wo may compare it to an invisible and silent river, flowing by without betraying its presence, save when there is a splash of a fish or a falling stone or some foaming eddy when a rook breaks the smooth auvfaoo,

A nd pray, what is the “ brnin ” th a t does all this 1 and what is meant by the unbroken current of ideas which passes through the sleeping brain, th a t same brain being wide awake ? W hat nonsense i t all is !

ASTROLOGY.*

I t is difficult for one not initiated in the a r t and science of Astrology to trea t a book of this kind properly. A t the most he can only say how it appears to himself. A t once, then, it may be said, th a t the book appears on the whole to be fair, and tha t the accounts given are generally adapted to the lay reader. I t is, of course, impossible to verify all the asserted facts quoted hy the au tho r, so th a t reference can only be made to some of them. On p .jl5 the b righ t sta r seen by Tycho Brahe is mentioned, and Mr. Old says :—

I t has been determined that this star appeared in Cassiopeia at the reputed time of the birth of Jesus of Bethlehem. Aries rules over Judea, aud Cassiopeia with her child, Andromeda, will be found mentioned in the Apocalypse under the figure of the “ woman clothed with the sun,” who brought forth a man- child, which, like Andromeda, was exposed to the danger of being devoured by a hydra or sea-serpent. I think it not unlikely that the birth of Christ was predicted from the astrological indications concurrent with the appearance of this bright star.

How, pu tting aside the fact of the tim e of C hrist’s b irth being probably not th a t usually assigned to f l is it no t a little stretching the argum ent to make the “ man- child ” the apocalyptic equivalent of Androm eda 1

The facts which are seen in the lives of certain tw ins are used to expose the doctrine of planetary influence a t b irth . The following is an iterance ;—

Joseph and Samuel <£j|ough^^Hi at at8 a.m., June 28th, 1824. Those twins had scarlet fever together at the age of four years ; and were e&^geqjH^Bie^^H^^Kt the same time. Both the women whom they c c ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H la t the same time, when the twins were nearly ninetoon yeai’s of ago. They both died within tw entB fojE^B rs of Bob another, and of the same complaint, consumptftlibnyrand were buried in the same grave, August 2nd, 1842.—(“ Leeds N ew sB g^H pflfi|^H !42 .H

How the only thing here th a t is rgjjBrkatfc. B vthaB the two sweethearts of the two boys died a t ^ ^ f lsa m e time. T hat these should both have had scpg^jfever togdl^^H uyuj both die of consumption about the same jSrne^B w ha^H ie would expect without bringing in the stars. T hat they should both be buried in the same grave ite alfewmot a t all unusual. But how about all the twins th a t cgm’t die a t the same time ?

Of the triangle and square, the trine a n p quaycate, Mr. Old says :—

In review of these divisions of the zodiacal signs' 'it wHj^be observed that the threefold constitutional and distribution of them gives us two n\^Rers,A$i!^R^ar^^9 groat Importance in M magical philosophy, tho numbers soven and twelvo, the lattdr boingseomposiS of 3 x 4, the former consisting of 3 -f 4, These figures, reRo8entoB5>|fe the tom^Hand the square in the world®f ideas, ^ ^ B y the pyramid and the cube in tho world of objects,have a special signification,and in allages and countries have been held in sacred reputation as B e symbolsBf spirit and matter, subjectively and objectively; of light and dark­ness, of good and evil. Hence it results that all the signs wMaB■ /‘ Astrology,?’ A Series of Lectures delivered before flo Mylapur

L iterary Society, Madras. By W alter R. Old, I\T.S> BM adroa: Office of the “ Theosophist,” Adyav.J

behold one another by a trine aspect are considered as, and may beBlmwn to bo, favourable to ono another ; while those related by tho square aspect are evil. The reason of which is, as wo learn from the teachings of Pythagoras, tha t tho world is founded upon numbers, and that all spiritual forces, with their corresponding material forms, are bound to follow this law.So that everything which makes for harmony and union is of tho nature of the divine, which is one and indivisible, is of the nature of light, is good ; whereas all that makes for discord and heterogeneity is of the nature of tho material, which is differ­entiated and full of strife, is of the nature of darkness, is ev ilH When, therefore, we find the triangle superposed upon the cross, we know that wo are dealing with the symbol of all that is of tho nature of Venus, the lightbearer, the harbinger of poaoe, and the spiritual nature of man ; bu t when, as in the symbol of tho planet Mars, we find the cross of m atter above the reversed triangle of spirit, we have to deal with the lower material nature of man, with the source of strife and discord, and with the state of liberty in its unrestrained and selfish aspect.

This is very interesting, throw ing some light, as i t does, on m atters which are very puzzling to the outsider. B u t is i t righ t to say th a t th e world is founded upon “ num bers ” 1 or should i t be “ th ings of which num bers are the symbols 1 One gets in to difficulties here, though M r. Old may be B ght.

In favour of th e science Sir D avid Brewster* is referred to. B u t i t should be noted th a t he lived some time ago. One rem ark of Sir D avid’s is w orth q iB tin g :—

Is it not conceivable tha t these anpayently minute luminaries whoso numbers defy human calculationB may have been appointed to regulate tire destinies of the numberless individuals whflinhabit this earth 1

This is very near, if no t quite, nonsense. I t is not w orthy of B rew ster’s repu ta tio n to confound ‘j apparent size w itB “ r e a l” m agnitude, an d to ta lk about the “ num berless individuals ” on th e earth , who are simply numberless because they have n o t beeiB counted. Such argum ent as th is would b e tte r have been withheld.

W ith M r. O ld’s appeal toBbhe sBentific world we quite agree. A fte r th e account of some fulfilled predictions, he says

Such predictions and fulfilments as the above are usually referred to as “^ B k y hits ” and ‘B tray shots ”4foy the opponents of astrology. I will only say this, that our^^gutics should sbsSy: that these predflbions are nob m ^e^ ^^ B S h g to the rules of Ptolemy,

^^flc tB us,M atm us,A rati^K ’aj^^.Cardajn, Itamescy,and others,and almost whollflrejgmB^ru^ed in the

votaries of this art. But ha*®j^Been con­vinced of the who try todiscredit astrology can even construct a figure of the heavens for as^^Hyical purposes, I despair of ^ B r seeing ^ R r sceptical '^ ^B era^^^^H tifiec^R '' an appeal to facts. I maintain, how­ever, t?h® the prediction of a single evB ^V -h^k could not

^^StnarilyH e foreseen;,warrants usH K ^9^§ ig the attention of aliylli^Hssid^ato lovers ©fgtf^Iith, K aro especially since we do

Knot contend fogJtlB employment of normal faculty of thesuch as RgBb disqualify certain in<^^^H ls for research

in this departwrHt of expetj^Ratal^afencH^ The ground is open Hr. ill who have faisg kB^wled&fl -gift marotemaBcs and astronomy, in a d d ^ ^ ^ B an average faculty of^^B pariso^iand judgment. If astrology is to bo finally c|Es|Gr(B^ed, Bhere is only one way ^ do B—viz., by proving tho principles of the scienR to he false

H y experiment. But this a method 'RjRtoiires; more apj#-cation than our OjsgbBntg are ; and it is so

^&uBi easier to disparage than to disprove. HeR>b it happens tha t tho most serious argument tha t has Bver been lodged against tho science, when stripped of its “ glittering generalities” and insfijffisus vermsjge, amounts to this : ►y Astrology cannot be true, beiause, because—well, jbecaujSi.il is false " l .

T his W orld.—I do not hesitate to say that the first and paramount aim of religioruis not to prepare for another worlpJ bu t to make the best of B s wojfBF or< more ^orrectly stated, to make this wojld bettor, wiser;, !$$$: hapBer. I t is to bo good, and do the most good we can, now and here, anthto help others t o ‘be and do the same. I t is to seaaBwiifeli all our might, the ‘ffiighost welfare of the world we live in, and the realisation of its ideal greqbqess, and nobleness, and blessedness.—Caird.

15AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF REINCARNATION.

. IV.—P jsksonauei'v {Continued).Man’s organism is a locus in 'jwhicbflihe descending life of

spiwual degree meets the ascending life ^HanimalHogree and ; transmutes the latter from the mode of sensation to the next higher mode, the astral. The ascen&in'g.:BptWift of life continues on its ascending circuit aifl is carried by the of its coin version <to its related plane—viz., the astral; where it goes to constitute the/onus of the entities living in that mode or plane. In their forms i t ’Semes under the influence of desceQdi.hg>Me which, has come directly from the sdii^Hane, and is eflisequently _ thus imbued with higher spirij&al qualities, converted W a higher mode, and wh^^Rtjp'wnflff as , i s a g a i n carried to itsrelated successi.'iS^^^^H^^^^^H.es life in the degree. ascending life is always integrated in ^^^^H isof fBteg entities. I t cannot be said, thereforo, that such ascending substantial^Be attains self-consciousness or self- identification. Self-consciousness is ofly attained when such life^^^eSS^utegfereon^Wiriiod. in spirit source whence it was drawfl is r® |etfed in asifleiftf^fl with wisdoih^hd love i'de$9bfip^^^^^H a!^H eady explained. Self- identification is. Man stands at thenegative pole of the circuit, in the centre of the chain of foci, or

' links, between the source of life and its return to its fountain head. As he receives ascending life from inferior modes arfl transmits it to superior modes, so similarly, but

, receive descending life from superior modes and inferiors. The transmitted intifeMWaMiRd heat of the sun’s rays, has in b^H ui^^^^flp ijei^^B (correspondentially) by angels and outbreathed, bearing some of

1 From thence it descended through theastral, giving out

inWhen received by us, these qualities a^^R lecfld as thought. Thrown off by us again as aura and carrying somewhat of our

plants and minerals ; represent and reflect human

correlatively with man’s evolution. Thusspirit

f l find, living.

meets the more spiritual life descending inthe sun by man from atniosphere. The

»■■ ftefewS inferior degree or mode’ is liberated, as flame

to a higher mode, the astral, and p ^ ^ H : off the emanations and

excretionsofthebodyareatom soflife,andcarryawaywiththem some of when descend­ing into nature. That matter thus gains a vivifying

^ fM ity is wp^Rnldi^H in WhileK £fl spiritual state dependent

integrated from life on the ascending curve. Hence our spiritual life has to descend to us through the entities on the intermediary astral and we are thus dependent on their unfoldmentfor our evolution. But equally on

‘ us for the of necessary to constitute

and carries somewhat of B e human qualities with it, when thrcf|nH)ff by uetuSI the astral mode. Thus are the two

The sa^m. law appliesconverse direction, as inter-dependence of the human lower degrees of ^ 9

Elite; descending life receive from higher statesinto tlfl- physical plane, and jMcgB

form in objective representations of the qualities transmitted, under certain correspondential laws ; while we again on the life teas H ad flg from that plane, for the life which goss-t^ ^ ^ B H o i i ^ M B Thus is every plane and state inter­dependent and inter-related \ H t p l a n e f l either direc­tion in tho circuit of Tdftyfef. Thus is the constituted jdfMffligg a t j c j r n e spirit with that of matter. Thus are the planets negative to the flpu receive their | |e . Thus, f lH H M $ ra |jinterconnected, m l B p whole universe linked nfl> one living TJnity,& which the progress of each unit is state of the o tl^ f f lB ik sB tho in ter conn ec I ing chains, Iwhich the y ^ ^ e is dependent on relative state of eacff|®lf its participant units.

; Ja i^ary 13 _ ■ L IG H t I

It is these descending an® ascending currents of life, through : man’s organism, that are referred to in the alchemical axioms 'i‘Dissolve and coagulate," and ‘-Fix the volatile and volatile ’tfe41|ixed.M*

I t is suggestive in this respect to note Ah at the astral mind !• ptffijwple Hainan is called Bum! in-the Kabbala. This word is also used to connote sp irit; it also signifies air. I t is easy to read the occult significaSfon, that maes mentalif jprirBple or degree of a B M i carried in the air, and if is probably because of this fla t the astral, light is also called the Universal Mind. Epjiere is in!She aifflt, says an alchemist, ‘‘ a secret fund of life, whoso cBicealed spirit is better than (jEfife wlfle world, . . .

I Tho Universal spirit is a middle substance* passive, undeter­mined, susceptible of conversion, purifying and to bo gur-ified, itself by itself; in turn agent and patient. . . . The

‘’.pure,- ^passive expanse ; the mirror, of the reason of nature and sublime experience of m an! . . . When

I solved and and wisei^^Hai^fllatedl^T becomesthe s tf f i of the wise. The mysteries were

! ceremonies Fo^fflo pulflcation of life, of the Vital Spirit, in its T . . . Mr. a recent Scture, said ;

“Beings, like 'we^fl»ar^Kj|le fro in 1 ight polarised, and represent £■■ : an evolution from inorganic to organic, and Assess jf lis faculties " themselves and '^fl substance of whichI they consist, f l . . ” The grade of any^aftlivklual would thei^BI depend on hisr&^^^TO appftji}iabe;'»nd assimilate the substance

of his Being in its pjjqeib modes ; he wgo|i ^ B b reconstitute I himself and ^B orate a Hew self, compared with that made

of m at^^Bad circumferential states.”‘ ‘ M anis the laboratory of the Hermetic art ; his life the process of distillation and whereby he shallk ncfl/g Jll^^^B

The animal qualities inherent in the life distilled from food* I express their tendencies through us, usuall‘y^tiflnscA ^|^ttfM

the man. He i&^^^^Biygi^a^^^Bpliwi) cruelty, selfishness,sensuality, thus emanating from animals and reacting him,.through the astral nexus, the vital web conSjtrtuti^H^^flrson-

I alifcy- But, as shown, there is also sj^^^fln t influx ipfco him of I life from above, of spiritual degree, carrying spiritual I thoughts According to ’f l e potency fl>f

this spiritual life carrying illuminating t^flgh t, inflowing i n ^ h im ; source his origin and

descent, of the links betweenhim and h i s ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H ^ B will be the apparent

I ( B f e principle or degree, expressed in his person­ality, the field in which these manifold energies meet. Ibis

varying brought intothis focus of ascending and descending life, that

I B I B B apparently inexplicable contradictory aspects in the I same personality ; as also which give rise to the appearance of

of free will.^ B i e astral nexus bfL. vortex, is

at physic^^^B ep tflnK y the Bntuall interaction of the masculine anfl feminine, or positive and

1 ’’ a vortex of astralaura. (T his a ura is v isibl e to cl airv oyants as 1 mninous. L i gli t is

^ ^ B l by modern physics to be This> nexus or v i^^^flB ^-*^B se^aM |v irfllled by flhe spirit-Ego, the “ v ^^ ^^ ^^ ^B w fl^ U ^B m g h descending intofl, is real^j antecedent to it ; itself havB:,Been polarised fjfeqn ; homoge­neous eternal spirit on the plane RBhe Elohirn and descended thence, through intermediary states, in elemental the astro-human vortex (below which ^R'oes not descend), and comes thus into relation with the sensefliBjSKgijRl .plane of self- consciousness.

In that state the spirit-Ego is siafl ;parents, the by dual magnetic currents, which tlielatter propel and continue thus to act upon i t ; to guide ancl1 direct it through its process and1 becoming. He,t^^KndoinAFoj^Gtsdlte ligli^.and life baaergies p » M w i g r thought and She, the Spiritual Love, propels thecurrent that resumes, red^Hs,^B 'raws. It Isthese smi^^^M ren^flfe'ese *fiflts of Being, made by the Elohim (a dual masculii^-$fl|k|de plural B Lq^ in their own i m a g e t h e imago of God,” and projected into extflaal

*Seo 8iSBwive In<Bfay flito Hermetic Mysteries” ;B®£cffirs ‘ 'Kabhala Unveiled ” ; Dowd’s “ Tomp'e of the Rosy Cross Eliphas Levi’s JPf t y B B and its Manifoatntions ” : Sinnett’« “Human Aura” ; Elixir ramifb.’iH |a Chela ; Hartmann’s u Paracelsus” and “ Magic, Black and White” ; “ Clothed with the Sun,” ami “ Perfect Way f l by lCiiig»'fi&rd and Mainland1; Swedenborg’s “ iDiflne Love and Wisdom.”

16 [January 13, 1894>l i g h t .existence, th a t tho Elohim < “ the* spirits of God,’- are related to external states. B ut these children of God are pure spirit, and do no t descend below the astral mind of man, which they infill w ith luminous radiation, and from there build up |©s body, in accord with A rchetypal law ; which body beco'fnes an objective representation ° f the life stream acting through the astral nexus, and, as will be shown later, serves as the m atrix from which the perm anent spiritual body is built.

The personality pertains to the circumferential astral p rin ­ciple, the nexus polarised a t conception, and into which the life distilled from food during physical life is integrated. This nexus stands as a vital bridge between the ascending life in sensation degree, and the spirit-Ego in its soul vehicle, or focus of de­scending spiritual life. The radiation of tho soul-focus acting on the ascending life from food transm utes this to the astral Hegree, The astral degree of life carries a rational mode or prBr- oiple as its mode of consciousness. This is "^bplarised in to a focus by a ray from the superior soul. I t is through this ray tha t the soul takes.^he spa^jal re ­lations of the external world into its cognittwB; it is th rough th is ray th a t the sense ?lmedBEJ)d experflnces of th e personality are presented to and taken cognisance of by the inner soul. S p iritual thought is presented to the mind by radiation, by a v ibrating luinjjgSus ray from Rjj&e soHl. Bational thought is presen ted to the spiritual from the circumferential B nd by soul ray , whichpenetrates it. Sensation is againba lower mode, taken cognis- ance of by the mind and by it to the soul. I t is thusevident th a t the fe>wer or raRe external m ind cannot compass or penetrate, or gain accSsjto, its transcendent principle, the soul, nor can it ever cognise in that ranseendljB mode. may be guided and directed by soul, b ^ ^ ^ B personality (astral) is the effect, and cannot® oRdj^he B erating Hj^Re^B

W hile the transm utiifg^nergy em anating from the source oH Being is un in terrup^B and continuous, i t has been i t does no t act directly frog^^R? centre to circumference,b u t mediately, by These d c ^ ^ ^ ^ Breflection are ^^Burreijte with the discrete degrees or modes of consciousness, which, w M eB ^^^^B is’lidl^H, are inseparable. These interm ediate m oc^H w hilB cc^ftnii^^B orifcher^^^^fta^^H are discrete to the cirohinferential modes of the particularised determ inationSpn the eachproxim ate transcendentinferior ou^ekrcumf^^^Ril^^^B. While the Ground-of-Being or ultim ate or UniversalConsciousness, is iny e t i t is obscured by superposingof vehicles related to these modes in the inte descent. H ence i t in self-reference, toth e W hile the

f ^ejSlity, or isness of Being, is present in experience, it is 01J H m ediately present, and not immedi­ately present, as affirmed in philosophy, flherational m ind |a the ^B de of the principle ; them ost circumferential aspect of Being. The outer cannot ^ ^ B - tra te or s u b i n n e r , bu t isillum inated by the radiation of its relatively central or tran s­cendent mode.the reptrding mind. KSf-ery effort rational mind to cog­nise its proximate Universal eoads relative trans-cendental must ever ^Mnsii^saejoi^^^^BH speculative ceptions. I t can never^paraM e^^tha^^^^^B^B^^^Kifeaie^^B that mode of Being. As those interior modes unfold , whether here or Bt>he ascending planes, they interpenetrate their cir- i cumferential modes, and thus bring Bie experience into more ^pjpeB' more immediate 1Being. Th e unfolding of the central principle within the Ego, its subj ectivgm lenlp^ enfea^'adj^^p^w^iiB3pdj!^Bx^i ^ .alflPffi. ing in the whole of experience, in that ftaRjj^H

The Egfa' wpjajn nobMsM fromt^MaSgeneouseternal spirit-life, by the action of the ’ffilpfim , is an*jsg§hfereal„, nucleus of ligh t and. life, buMflE^tainS'^Etherently: the P i f f le A rchetypal f&agife. In She-process of beeommg.fifc deaoetfds th rough th e planes in th e U niverse, Its iph*ereri^m/!>des of sciousness unfolding and relating it accordingly. In the descend­ing, outw ard, centrifugal curve of m anifestation, it reflects its self-determ inatiifm ^nto objectivity, or vehicles, which re-presegjB its, content. In th e physical,Cor m ost external of these bodies, th e centripetal o r indraw ing force comes int® prominence and th e re tu rn Inwards, or reascending curvej'i commences.^ The indraw ing force builds by accretion, beginning from the physical

■ m atrix, more and more ethereal forms successively as the Ego indraws from jSlane to ^jtane of substance in modes related

| thereto ; till th is becomes,' as fulfilment, a divine dual-angel ' made in the image of Greek I t is tifeese incarnations ii> the successive states Or modes of Being, to which the Ego carries in h e re * relation, th a t ar© probably the true interpretation ©f th© theory of re-incarnation.

. I t is taught in some schools th a t m an’s soul, or his higher triad of principles, impels a num ber of consecutive, imper­m anent personalities into external ultim ation, and gathers up into itself, as perm anent elem entB the experiences of these personalities, which have no reality in themselves. I f this higher triad be taken as equivalent to the here referred'to, w $h the spirit-liife acting thrtfbgh them , then this interpre­tation differs from those schools to the ex ten^ihatR he -children of tho Elohim are real in tfcgfnsej$,e&. Their personality aspect is oq^pB ie in the claai-fi^f', successive* .modes, $|proug.h whiii&i the Reality within them “ becomes ” in the stature- of the dual- Eloliim, who made m at^^^B ie^^flge of God.

T-haveBow endeavoured to show tliat'theB rocess of becoyifitig b ro ce^d » n tHe Barm of ^^^B uit; similar tcBthat of electriAy,. from positive pole to negatjtf^B and thence returning to its- source, w fii no retx-ogression on its pathB that-1 i t is life B suib- conscious states, as B abs^^^fl which ftritmafiffltes by being in­tegrated by entities . into a ih ^^ ft’hsY-ddiBs,'df forms, related to

and planes ; thatin a series of hum an bodies, ^^9db!es have successive existence

related thereto;which it accretes R m life as s |ub 'sflB 9 above B ia s e d toy in

^ ^ K d | related such planes ; f |ia t :$|$eh planes or states, while inseparable, are distinguishable and % htaifl modes of

the relatively inferior mode,being cognisable to its

th a t each mode of consciousness carries a related -igiiode objectivity or nature ; th a t personality is one of these modes ofBeing : the astral, which andcarries relation with the physical sense-related jj^Me and wfeih the astral pBnB ; these two b^^^^B|Dt™ iii*isBjt^#!B(^®B inter­penetrating the la tter. next deal withand then w ith ; and e<ndeaw fcBw^BiKfcir

m an’s occult constitution may perm it change and conscious each unit, in the^^^B ienct^^H those by whom it is surrounded in the state of

; consequently th a t i t thewhole of experience, w ithout having had to acquire all Alach experience itself, b y ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^m tJMn'iajj|E^^B)n.Pearth.

Q lI/E S T O R V lT iE .

HEALING W O U N D S THROUGH MENTAL SUGGESTION.

Many of us a r e a c c o u n t s of the 'vwusHid'a inflicted by African dervishes B themselves g bu t the state­ments T^flch the narrators make, th a t they d » )w t inflameK^i- may be their

Delboeuf’s observations, made two or three years ago, make these stories more plausible. I t is ea-fejiMishedth a t if, in suggestion is made dur-

a cautery or a blister ia applied to a part of the body, i t due lapse ofactual reddening of skin. The feeling of

M. Delbceuf argued from this, ^ B t f ^ B feeling of pai$, however respects, m ust itself be a n J[m ta n £ and goes on

to infer abolition of it fr<gpa an actual wound ought- to*ei ytafag ifo m an j whom he eould

make insensible by he two correspondingspots, one on made on' each an id& np^l burn

a* while in trance, thatrig lp should no t l)e felt. The suggestfen took

■ d ffecH an d ^ ie nex t day, When theBandages were taken off, end th e l^ft an n presented a sore wMi ^ inflammatory area ®ree

rig^» arin s^ iw ed only a clean scorch of the th© exact size of the iron, without red-

j m flm m alf e i . On another subject, similar results woreobtained wifch'Tmrns and blisters, the Bppts chosen being near together on th e same arm or on the neck.—“ Journal of H ygiene,” Hew York.

A wful thought as the glory of God is, so soon as the soultf turned into the light of the Divine love, that glory is evor i at hand, and not afar off to it.

January 13, ___________

SAINTS AND MEDIUMS!

By C. A. P arity B.A.

l i g h t .I

17

VI. —St. F rancesca of R ome. (ConUnwd.) IFrancesca’s outer life was about this time (1400) marked by j

three events, the birth of her first son and the deaths of her father and of her husband’s mother. Placed by this last in sole management of a very wealthy household, she enlarged her charities, herself living in even an austerer manner than before. Her devoted care of her sister-in-law Vanozza during a serious illness is said to have been rewarded by the following miracle : Vanozza had for days been unable to take food; the very sight of it was nauseous to her, and it seemed as if she was doomed to perish of exhaustion. Francesca 1 dowed with the gift of prophecy and the

regarded her now deepened into a religious awe and veneration “•nd they no longer ventured to inquire into her motives or cfitieise her actions. Lorenzo left her entirely free to spend her time and order her life in any way she pleased ; and she took this occasion to carry out a long cherished desire, by selling all her rieh dresses and personal adornments, and distributing the Woney among some needy families ; and henceforward she her­self wore no other gown than one of coarse, dark-green cloth.

Francesca had just attained the age of twenty when her second son was born. He was named Giovanni Evangelista; and the contemporary biographer of the saint says that he was endowed with wonderful gifts, and quaintly describes him as

1 “ old in sense, small in body, great, in soul,resplendent in beauty, angel-like in all his ways.” At the age of three, he was en-

asked her to try and think of something she could eat, on which she named a certain fish not then in season. The servants scoured the market, but of course returned empty- handed. Francesca, almost in despair, betook herself in simple and ardent faith to prayer, kneeling at her sister’s bedside. When she raised her head, the much-desired afficle lay before her; Yanozza was able to eaxl it arm was s6©n restored. She had been about a year at^he head of her fa tlft’-H-law’s house when Rome fell under the scourge of famine andlpestilence. The Pqpziani were ex^^K fV rich ^Francesca for­bade her servants to send away a single poor person without r e l i e f his wants ; wljjjjjp she \&is fcjtBgfaftable- in visiHng the hospitals and purlieus of the^-city and seeking out the most p i t i a b l p y H e r father-in-law, to bealarmed at her cftessivBliberalBfa and §j®ed it might even­tuate in a famine iq his own house. He deprivedher of the key of the granary,'land thenj.ipgfhaps afraid f ta ^ B e would be u^Bjte^to B ist their entreaties, he sold all the corn he possessed s®y§ what the family for daily use,and all his wine except one cask. Meanwhile B e famine continued and supplicants at the M sof the hospitable became stillnumerous and clamoKus. Francesca andVanozza could no^M B B relieve could send them a way unaided.Only^ie-resoigiMi was le f t : they false pride and

respectability ” and go a f t beg for the those two noble and lovely women standing at the of the

vhurches, knocking at the gates of _£h the

K g the [aj&ifete&ft ‘gladly receiving ^ f t abundant alms sOnft times bestow^d^Kd not less gladly t|ie sneers, repulses, insults that often share. At last the famine reached

Bts height. side, on the pavements, at the sti^S-corners, lay starving half-clad people, h^gai^B^' falling on d|jSai|&;T*^EK heart of our saint broken ; the moanings of the dying, their ghastly faces, were

her ears and. before her eyes Rjsy and night. (Me- day it occupied !|jp her to they could not

soiUie gra^e^sf coiH among the straw.By dint of some hours’ ‘at^^^MSeasur.e-, which they ^ ^ 9

bearing away, when the granary, and beh'olH !in place of the sjj Saw on which theylay foBty measures of bright, yellow corn, so full,says Francesca’s ‘‘thatbeen and reaped by ! A similar

with iB^garcBto th e wine. Francesca had given away even to the last drop. A b l^ B H ^ ^ B » eredIthis, he fell in^h-a fury and poB ed H nK gr wie bitterest

Reproaches. The s a a g a i n been ,5§peiended‘ & a supernatural way, merely replied : “ Do not he

angry ; let us go to the ce lla r; maybe, through God’s mercy, the cask matj^be 'fijfljif ;'by "thisBjsne. i'■ fcjjy w.'ed vig^BelH went and JpundLi/t full of w iK ^ ^ K ^ ^ B h e by­standers acknowledged to be the best they had e&eg tasted.

If professing to be a Spiritualist is inclinedsneer at l Sse stories as mere ^Bonkish legends, ’K |f tS m read the accopits of Mrs. Guppy’s seances, Bn Miss HoYglffli’s yiEvenings alt Ho|he in Spiritual S^anc.e,” and elstSyhere, and ponder especially th e ; detailed account of flie instantaneous .(transport of this medit|b£ her home in Highbui^ to a sdance-room in Lamb’s Cobduit-*fcresi!tt‘A.more than ^ u r miles distant, on the evening of 3td,iit871’—-one most

: ‘‘ incrediblej^Pbut also one oBH*® host attested ^ c ta ^ .th e literature of Spiritualism.

These repeated miracles vanquished "jfche last scruples of Francesca’s relatives. The esteem with which they had always

faculty of readinjithoughts. Singular instances of this power are on record. He was in his mother’s arms one day when two mendicant friars approached the Ponziano palace. .Stretching out bis little hands, Evangelista took from Francesca the alms she was wont to bestow on such visitors, and held it out to them; but at the

j same time, looking steadfastly atone of them, said : “ Why will you put off-tibk holy habit 1—you will wear a finer one; but woe to you who forget your vow of poverty.” The friar coloured and. turned away. The words were prophetic; for within a short time, and after obtaining a bishopric through a simoniacal act, he died a violent death. That same year, Evangelista, being on his father’s knees, who was playing with him and kissing him, sucHenl^ turned pale, and taking up a dagger which lay on the table, placed th ^^ H n t of it against Lorenzo’s side and said,

^H kihg up ir^Biis face with a strange, melancholy smile, “ Thu3 they f t l d f t t r i^ M m y fatherB The prophecy found fulfil-

1 ment about a year later.I The following few years were to be full of troubles for

F g ^ ^ftc fl spiritually and materially. “‘The warfare which Satan w aftfermitted to carry on against her became more and

violent, aplthis period. In actual outrages, in terrific v is i ts , in m yst^B but real sufferings, which afflicted every

nerve, the an im ftty of the evil spirit evinced i t s f l | and Almighty God permitted it, for she was

muf t , , tribulation to aseftd the steep path which is paved with thftns and compassed with darkness, b B on whi<|Mhe ray of an uneaaitlBv sunshine breaks at times.

gifts of the saints ; to win m en B so u ls^^^ fth p r a y e r , r e a d the secrets of their hearts, K e n angels w all^R B y her side, to healftiseases by her touch,

the when they thought to injure thebodies of wage war with her own spirit. But suchheights of Hlory are not attained w ithftt; proportionate suffer^B ing ; the cup of which Jesus drank to the dregs in his agony she was to drink of, A e baptism of horror with which he was baptfeeB was to be hers also in a measure; and that myi^Hpus weakness, tM t divine helplessness of his

Satan to c a rry B ^ ^ ^ ^ K the., pinnacle of the ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ B w ^ ^ P % K |b y his servant. Strange and bewildering

Kfre ^^B assaults she endured, but still more wonderful the befeatsBf the evil o ft- Of her triumph, as of those of hfcfr Lord, it may he '.saiffli‘‘tha t when the der^ftfHberBanjgels came and ministered to her.’ iftfwHsre that those who believe the history

tu rn incredulously away from that of his M in ts B or did he plot expressly say that what he suffered, they slBuldSuffer-g that whereme had o^ercom'Kfehey would triumph ;

land t f t t £ |f t Works tha t .he" perTtjfeped, aye and greater works 1 still, they should accomplish ? On when settingout for tho Bcist|ro«.- oBSaint Peter’s*, Yanozza was violently precipitated downstairs l ^ the powe^of the evil spirit, andfd® at lijer ^ster^jf,|fepfe, w| l'0 iB.tk®t- instant heai:®»a ‘Woice w.liisper- ing ,‘ I ' 'would kill thy sister and' drive thee todgspair.B AncSher time our saint was lifted up by her hair arid susrtpnded over a preRbice; but, on calling on the name of J ctus, was pu t back in safety by the invisible power. Her first

oh; returning home was to cut off her beautiful hair and offer it as a thank-offering to him ’she had Invoked.”

There are few things more beautiful than the calm and re­solute progress of anj earnest spirit. ’

T he h istory’S>f‘ the reformer, whether iman or woman, on any line of action is bu t this : when he sees it all alone he is a fanatic : when a good many see B with him he is an. enthusiast; when all see it he is a hero, Tdje gradations are as clearly marked by which he ascends from zero to herds aa lmcs of

, latitude from the North Pole to the Equator.

18 LIGHT, [January 13, 1894.

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you alter the matrix these physical molecules must take on the form into which they run.” There is a little looseness here, for there should be some distinction made between the cells and the molecules which by their separate vitalities the cells have arranged. B ut the word “ molecule” is too often confounded w ith “ par- tid e ,” a word used iu a somewhat aimless way to signify something small. W hat Mrs. Besant means, however, is obvious enough, and, moreover, the lecture was a popular one. And here we m ust use Mrs. Besant’s own words. The “ astral body of astral m atter,” she says :—

E D I T E D B Y “ M . A . , L o n d . ” SA TURD A T, JA N U A R Y 13tk. 1894.

TO CO X T J J /J f UXORS*—C o m m u n ic a tio n # in te n d e d to be p r in te d should be a d d re sse d f© th e E d ito r v 2 , D u k e -s tr e e t , A d e l p h i , L m d o n , W .C. I t tr i l l m u c h fa c i l i ta te th e in s e r t i o n o f su i ta b le a rtic le s i f th e y a r e u n d e r tw o c o lu m n s i n le n g th . L o n g c o m ­m u n ic a tio n s a r e a ltc a y s i n d a n g e r o f b e in g d e la y e d , a n d a re fr e q u e n tly d e c lin e d o n a c c o u n t o f w a n t o f sp a c e , th o u g h i n o ther re spects g ood a n d d e s ir a b le . L e tte r s s h o u ld be c o n fin e d to th e sp a ce o f h a l f a c o lu m n to e n s u r e in s e r t io n .

B u sin ess c o m m u n ic a tio n s s h o u ld i n a l l ca ses be a d d re s s e d to M r. B . V . G o d fre y 9 2 , D u k e - s tr e e t , A d e l p h i . L o n d o n , W .C,s a n d n o t to th e E d ito r .

MRS. BESANT’S ADDRESS ON “ MAN, H IS NATURE AND H IS POW ERS.”

This address, admirable in itself, is rendered even more interesting through the circumstances under which i t was delivered, as i t was given on board the Kaisar-i-IIind, in the Red Sea, on October 30th, 1S93, during Mrs. Besant’s voyage to India. Portunately there was on board a well- known shorthand writer, Mr. T. A. Reed, who was going out with the Opium Commission, so a verbatim report Was possible.

Mrs Besant began by telling her audience th a t what she was about to propound to them was simply a m atter of reasonable hypothesis. “ All that the speaker can do, or has the right to do, is to put the tru th as he sees it, leaving it to each individual to accept or to reject, the right and the duty being on each, and not on the one who speaks.” W ith this proviso we proceed to give some account of the lecture. Mrs. Besant stated a t the outset that the Eastern and W estern notions of man a£e fundamentally different, man in the Eastern esoteric philosophy being a soul, while in the W estern jR is more or less a body having a mind. I t is needless to say th a t the lecturer accepted the Eastern definition, a definition which i t would be well for the W est to adopt, as until i t is adopted there can be little hope of spiritual regeneration.

To show how man is a soul, i t was pointed out th a t the body is composed of innumerable minute lives, f ie “ m an ” being the entity which guides, rules, hurts, or helps these lives. I t would hardly seem th a t Mrs. Besant had seen Professor Burdon Sanderson’s address to the B ritish Asso- ciation,which would have materially helped her, and perhaps have a little modified her illustrations of th is p a r t of her subject. The vitality of each one of the cells of which the body is composed, these cells being constantly throw n off, is perhaps a better way of pu tting the m atte r th an to speak of the body being built up of bacteria. The argument, however, is exactly the same. The organisms which form bodily man are sent out from him poisoned or benefited, to be built up in tu rn in to the bodies of others. Hence the im­portance of purity and reasonableness in physical life?*

Mrs. Besant then passed on to the n ex t stage in man, the “ astra l body.” This she defined as the stable p art of man, ‘‘ which preserves the form, only slowly and gradually modified, which is more directly acted upon by the mind than the physical molecules, which affects the

physical molecules in th e ir arrangem ent, in th a t as

Not only envelops every physical molecule, but spreads out around the body, making a kind of atmosphere around each of us, extending some tew feet away on every side, so that a clair­voyant looking at the body sees the physical body surrounded by what is called an aura^sthab is, a vibrating mass of delicate matter, visible to anyone who is sensitive under special con­ditions, but visible normally to the clairvoyant, and differing in appearance according to the state of health, physical, psychical, or mental, of the person whom it concerns. Now, that aura, or atmosphere, surrounding the body, which is in a sense an expansion of astral matter, is very closely connected especially with the mind ; it is very easily affected by the mind of the person to whom it belongs, and also by the minds of others. These magnetic atmospheres that surround us (for in astral matter all magnetic forces play) bring us into contact one with the other, so that we affect each other unconsciously, as we sometimes say. Have you never felt on meeting a person for the first time an attraction or a repulsion which had nothing in it of in tellectual j udgment, nothing in it of previous knowledge or experience 1 You like a person—-you cannot tell why ; you dislike another—you have no reason for your dislike. Esoteric philosophy explains to you the very simple reason tha t causes these strange antipathies and attractions. I t is that every human being has his own rate of vibration—the vibration of this astral m at^H so tha t it is always quivering backwards and forwards. Hb is one of the H;haracteristics of this ethereal matter to be thrown easily into waves Hand just as light is nothing more than waves of ether set in very rapid motion by a rapidly vibrating body, which we call luminous, because of the effectH has upon the eye, so this ethereal matter, which is part of our own bodies, is thrown into waves of definitelfength and definite frequency; and theH ^vibrate always in us and around us, and are part of ourselves, modified by our own characteristics J u s t as striking two strings on a piano you may have.eitper harmony or discord, according to the length of the sound waves se t up by these vibrating strings, so you may have e ith fl harmony or discord between th e vibrating auras of two different ( j® pie ; and if tfje vibrations fall into harm onyH H that is, if they bear a certain definite relation of wave length to each o t^ ^ ^ R m re is an attraction betw een th e two : whereas, if they bear a different relation you get discord—th a t is, friction and janglH—and you are repelled, w ithout understanding the reason.

This, obviously, is again only the popular way of putting the ease. Everyone who is a t a ll sensitive must he conscious of the existence of th is aura, and the vibration theory has vei’y strong argum ents to back it , b u t that vibration H n o t necessarily a moving backw ards and for­wards of or in th e a s tra l m a tte r. The vibrations of ordinary ligh t a re no t sim ply th a t; th e re a re such things as “ spherical harm onies,” and th e v ibrations of th is astral m atte r can hard ly be less sim ple th a n those of light. There is l i tt le doubt nevertheless th a t th is v ib ra tio n theory is a good one, th e characteristic personal v ib ra tio n starting the “ super-ethereal ” waves around us. B u t if th e vibrations be there , th e use of th e term “ m ag n e tism ” seems superfluous.

I t is in te re stin g to g e t a t la s t a clear idea of m ind and i ts connection w ith th e soul from th e theosophic standpoint, and, theosophic or not, i t is perhaps n o t v e ry fa r wrong

I have spoken of the soul as the man. T hat soul when it works through astral m atter on the brain is known as mind, for the mind is the lower manifestation of the soul—it is the soul embodied and active in the body, not the soul in its own nature, no t the soul in its own sphere, not the soul which uses miuu 43 well as body as instrum ent, bu t only the soul as i t is seen manifested in the brain—intellect, reason, judgm ent, memory •

January 13, 1894. ] l ig h t . 19all those characteristics of the mind are qualities of the soul as the soul works through the brain. In q s own sphere it works in matter of a much subtler kind, and there each thought is a thing. Every thought is a form ; every thought has its shape

. in the subtler matter which is the matter of the soul-sphere. But when that shape is to makoHtsclf manifest to others who are living in the body, it must clothe itself in astral matter to begin with, and take a shape in which, in the trance or clairvoyant state, ib can be seen as a form ; then it may be projected further into physical manifestation.

That thoughts are ‘'th in g s ,” and more really things than those material forms we call “ things,” is undoubtedly true. If reasoning were worth nothing, all experience would show it. The importance of this i t is noDeasy to over-estimate. The vibrations which produce discord may be started by an evilly Disposed man, and lie may do as much harm as, say, a m a r in e r or a thief, or even morel though he may be in all apparent respects a very worthy person.

Bub even our careless thinking gives rise to forms Band this is a practical point of importance to us. As we think -^^Beate forms, and those forms are accordii^Dto ffche nature of our thought, good or bad accorcjjmg as the thought is evil aiB evil- warkfejjrbr good and s&^Bworking. The motive which under­lies theLthought governs « D nature B the form to whicD we give birth ; and that W m , when it passes out from us, passes into the astral world as a living tflng, exists in that astral world influencing other and farming part of the com­mon stock of thoughts in the world.

Thus M H B e s a n t ; and she is right. A nd agaB i:—

“ THE VEIL LIFTED”*

I spoke of our gbwer^B physical B eat^B : far more ikipo^J tans is our power of moral creation ; for as w Rgive out thoughts good or evil so we affectso we build e&r present anj| our we make -the w o rflof to-day andE& teSm o^B lj^^^^^^B the^^B iinal ? You and I think weso much better than he, aRsi E Mresponsible for his crimes. Are you ^ ^ B r B A criminal is avery receptive organism—passive, negative, with all the soil 1 , 8, H f l I _made by his own past thinking, that makes him easily

This book consists of Mr.TraLU Taylor’s address delivered before the London and Provincial Photographic Associa­tion on March 9th, 1893,"--to which ample reference was made in “ L ig h t” at the time,—a collection of other papers, and extracts from several journals, There are also some reproductions of spirit-photographs taken a t various times, one of a very beautiful female face which was obtained by Mr. Glendinuing himself, Mr. Duguid being the medinra.

I t is hardly necessary to go over the old ground, as the addresses of Mr. Traill Taylor and of Mr. Glendinning have both been given in “ L ight yet there are one or two things in the book, that call for more than passing notice.A n extract is given from “ The Practical Photographer ” for April, 1893. In it we And as follows :—-

We are almost surprised at Mr. Taylor’s temerity in bringing forward such a subject before such an audience, when he knows

Bull well the unreasoning prejudice with which the subject is metB Like the bBjjctfers of Dives, “ they would not be per­suaded, though One rose from the dead.’B We do not imagine Bgat Mr. TaylcB wished to convince his hearers of anything, but surely he was over-sanguine if he even expected fair investi- gatiHBjnff.cViftfeism. Before he came forward in this matter he have been taken as a competent investigator—in fact,the me^Big in question passed a resolution to the effect that he was a ‘‘reliable person, and a gentleman well qualified to con- diicBsuch an experiment as had been described.” Yet, when h B ta te ftk aR rau d was impossillfe, he is at once condemned as eiSjBr an incompetent or an impostor—preferably the former. A comi^Bee was appointed to investigate the matter. Will

B f ly bjetb^iiev^lif they givBa report similar to that of Mr. pllaylor ?*!; Or wiRsB&jMv be believed if they give the report ^ ^ H is expected 1

This describes t h i a ttitude of b u t too many people still. W e toU%o,w the results obtained by the com-

I m ittee ref erred to t^ ,The book contains an account- of a photograph taken

and nourish every which is evil %iid cruel. B n thesoil will not bear bad fruit uni ess evil seed falls into iff How mueh of that- Dvil Seed Jb you and I contribute ? Perhaps some passing thought momentinto ithB mind. That has gone ^ ^ ^ B to the n^Btalatmosphere, be^^^flg a living thing, a force for ^ iflBforce of aiBBr going into the mental atmosphere oB the Criminal, falling into thefl soil prepared yB r it, willS^Mm#«ate as a seed and theregrow, by his own which is murder,and is then condemned by thp-. criminal law of man. A n'thBj jlister law of tlm universe tlm 'genei^B r of tme angry thought shares the fa-j^SBf the crime. Everyone w ^ B h ^ B s ^ ^ H ^ B pollute his brother is guilty b fllifl brother’s sin. So also with gpod,thoTE$p3 Every noble thought that we think goes out into the world ^ Ig fcB fo r good, and nassiB i . whose soil is full of all gB>d impulses, is nourished there into

P&iSp action, and go5Bp.es forth as noble BejM QuD sainfi and martyrs, our h||fflas and ou^ thinkeifl are ours in mind as well as by virtueBjf iO-ur common hum ^^B . Our hep goea-to^Rgir maMng; otttmobleB goes to their nm^fcng. They are ours as we have helped to form th^jn, and every th o iB c yr4- jE ffig B good goes to the making of the saint.

All th i^m ay , indeed, be the teaching of 'the E so terfl philosophy, sur,@ly the underlying meaning mall the teaching in th e world ths^ is w o^H inythhi^ . . lB is essentially th a t of a pure Christianity, as well as th a t of a perfect Buddhism, bu& n<s® often hasj^ t been so clearly set out as Mrs. Besant set i t out on th a t day to the passengers of the Kaisar-i-IIind in the R ed ’Sea.

The experiment was made in July with a lady who is not knowrM«|jprLtualisticiOr Occult circles—albeit she is a good inediu^tand clairvoyante. A dry plate from my packet of unused ^ ^ H w a s pl|HjfflaBahSa[gany slide*? The lady then held the

paluis of her hands. She was under con- tinuous anajMose observatipp; in a welldighted room, and one Bad of^theBlide was held by myselfB On putting the plate in th ed ev e lo p B . the picture of a child appeared on it. The ^Efcp^was not fe m |ire d with by anyonB nor was there any

given to id ^b jjn o r was -it exposed to light until B was developed and fixed.

A <Dpy of the photograph so strangely obtained is given By Mr. Glendinning.

C O N V E R S A Z IO N I^

A Conversazione of the meBbers and friends of the London Sftritualist Alliance will he held on Monday evening, January

tljte B af& eting Hall, St, James’s Hall, Begent-street, when M r.F.W .H.M yers will read, and offer some remarks upon, an unpublished manuscript by Mr. W. Stainton Moses, on “ The Identity-of SpiriB” No ticket will adnBt more than one person, whether member or visitor ; and in the case of visitors the ticket must bear the name of the person Using it, and also the name of $he member by whom he is introduced.

As a countenance is made beautiful by the soul’s shining through it, so the world is beautif ul by the shining through it of a God.—J acobiM

The arguments to bo derived from the light of nature in favour of the immortality of the soul amount to a strong prob-j ability ; all the probability is on this side, and there is none on the other j and it ought to influence our conduot.—T. Dwight.

The annunciation of life and immortality by the Gospel, did it contain no other truth, were sufficient to cast all the discoveries of science Bvto shade, and to reduce the highest improvements of reason to the comparative nothingness which the!.flight of a moment bears to eternity.—B. H all.

D oes this soul within me, this spirit of thought, and love, and infinite desire, dissolve as well as the body 1 Has nature, who "quenches our bodily thirst, who rests our weariness, and perpetually encourages us to endeavour onwards, prepared no food for this appetite of immortality ?—L eigh H unt.

* “ The Veil Lifted.” Modem Developments of Spirit Photo" graph y / Edited by Andrew Glendinning. (London; Whittaker

[ and Co., White Hart-street, E.OB 1894.)

[January 13, 1894.t o l i g h t .

tH E CONFUCT PAST,

t v w * . » W k « i ta * " U gh . irf r a( M M f c , S O * » a m u .« ' f ' ‘t*«k»w b i M e «»»*■ I M » » “ ;»•b m m A m ****.* lft Hpwtfw* l4 K ,e 11 . • - * w\ .w « * ,* > «.«*«,,.« *» «« .< >> » whuh.

B m m &*■ m m wluch »roi,w* MW>' 40J f l j f t r h n tlu v n t o K itg U v u tl:

Tw,mty y«*r* ago it i» doubtful if Po.fvwor M W r could bav* t*wm induced to iw*b» the »ul>jcH-fr at all. 1 4o nut kuuvv % b.«mm**** m judging by the general trend* nguvlM then and no*, and classing him With the great bodyel w « M N i « » *** u* ^ umf thatMat he would have thought Spmmahmn beneath 1m tun tee. U ^£ fc* m** write* on the subject is liberal, though critical,

iM*i m the nature of hi* mental training it could hardly bo ♦*$»c*«d that he should discount his long-trusted standards to feve}* the, to him, incredible claims of a system predicated uj»- Oti phenomena and experiences to which ho has all his life beenaatewasger,

As ffriwlijep.t of the 'Society for Psychical Research ho ^apples with the problems that ctmfront him in the same spirit of hjarless questioning and careful sifting of theories presented %Y Spiritualists^ that has served him so well in his eminent achievements as a physicist ; and, while some of his objections are not, apparently, well taken, and some of his reasonings on psychical subjects may *pl,®*vr to Spiritualists superhcial, if not absurd, he presents many points in a light that Spiritualists can­not afford to ignore. We need more of the scientific spirit among ua, and mere exact and thorough methods, as well as more care in reporting phenomena upon which the world is to Jndge os. A few cates of loosely reported experiments and exaggerated statements, sifted and analysed by competent critics, exposing the random and unreliable habits of our •nrjtiniOTrittn, initiate a contagious distrust of all we report, and the m,>st pains-taking and thoroughly accurate scribes are thus discredited by common consent, because of the company they Veep.. If the. sceptical criticisms of trained scientists should serve to check such exaggerated statements as are often found tu be untrustworthy, the cause of Spiritualism will W the gainer. If all witnesses are put upon thair mettle^ and all inaccuracies eliminated from the testi­mony upon which we build the science of sciences, the objections of critics will become obsolete, and instead of a“ bitter contest with the materialism of the scientists ” we shall find a happy agreement and co-operation. Of course, there are pig­headed negationists who stubbornly refuse to vary their dog­matic denials, and these are often noisy denunciations of every­thing spiritual. But they are not scientists. They may havo a smattering of science and in a general way be quite clever ; but they are always narrow and one-sided. In splendid contrast with such mental strabismus and moral weakness stand such men as Professor Oliver Lodge, of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. In his address before the section <sf Mathematics and Physics at Cardiff, August, 1891, he struck the key-note of a new dispensation in science, by urging upon

... that body the importance of a forward movement in the direc­tion of psychical investigations, IFe urges that “ the doctrine of ultimate intelligibility should be pressed into other departments

and adds, ¥ At present we hang back from whole regions of inquiry ami say they are not for us.” , , , “ Facts so strange that they have been called miraculous are now no longer regarded as entirely incredible.” This address from such a wum-delivered in such a place, to such an audience, is a sig­nificant sign of the times. I t is an index of radical changes now rapidly enlisting the ablest men in the world in the study of Spiritualism ; for, call it by what name they will, and handle it

m they please, talk around it, use evasive language, it in antique attire, obscure it in the shadow of scientific

antecedents and graveyard classics, it still remains that all studies involving the mysteries of life and the possibilities and potencies of the human mind, apart from tho normal, sensuous, mechanical aspects of the body, are Spiritualism pure and simple. But we need not quarrel with them in the use of terms, nor trouble ourselves about the. varying conclusions they reach. The whole drift of tendency is towards a scientific recognition of Spiritualism, by the acknowledged leaders of scientific thought, and the establishment of its central claims upon an enduring basis that will compel the respect and final acceptance of the whole civilised world.

SAINTS IN MOROCCO.

A writer in tho “ Christian W orld” thus descants uponthose “ buiuls ”

It is impossible to travel very far in Morocco without coining across “ saints’ tombs.” The Moors do as big a trade in saints as do t he Romanists. In the towns and cities these erections are separate buildings crowned with domes ; in the country they vary in shape and sjxo, hut are almost always surrounded by a grove of trees. Devotees havo several methods of paying their respects to the departed “ saints.” Of course there are pilgrim­ages and prostrations an i personal intercessions, but many of tho natives have recourse to “ rag offerings.” Attached to the boughs of neighbouring trees, or tied to a window of the tomb,I saw a number of fluttering rags. These rags represent p ra y e r s , ami the theory is that so long as the rag remains on tree or tomb the offerer obtains benefit from the saint. In addition to tinsthere are “ stone offerings.” In th e vicinity of every countryshrine we find a heap of small stones ; the stone being placed there by the Moor to represent his personal presence. Some of these “ stone offerings *’ havo lost their virtue by this time, 1 am afraid, for on several occasions necessity drove me to use them as swift and hard messengers after exceptionally obnoxious dogs. Many of these saints’ tombs are imposing structures, for whatever arts the Moors have lost, they still retain tho art of beautiful building. The tombs are usually whitewashed twice a year, about pilgrimage time. Often when passing them was I reminded of our Lord’s striking and scathing words about ‘ whited sepulchres.’ Beneath the apparent purity of the outside there lurks inner corruption, Striking emblem of a hypocrite !

But who aro these ‘ saints ’ that they should be thus honoured “l Fortunately or unfortunately, I know nothing of tho dead ones, but I happened to meet some scores of living ones, and if the dead aro to be judged by the living—well, let us have tho Litany. To designate the creatures I met ‘ saints’ seems the very perfection of satire. They wander along town and country scantly clad, and where sanctity overflows, they go absolutely naked. Their hair is like filthy ravelled rope, and their ga/.o is vacant and ‘ creepy.’ For the most part they are insane men, and for that reason are saints. The Moorish explanation of this apparent absurdity is charmingly simple. They say that God has taken their brains to heaven : eryo, their bodies are certain to follow, and the mail who is certain of Paradise is a saint. I t is a fine piece of reasoning. That mad­men are saints, was a new idea to me, and upon reflection it is surprising how many saints we have in England. We ought to think of lunatic asylums With chastened feelings after this revelation.

This sounds very well, bub i t is quite obvious that the writer has not understood the meaning of wliat lie saw. These people may not he of savoury habits—there are plenty of people not claiming to he saints who leave much to be desired in th a t respect—but th a t has nothing to do with the case. A nd is this observer sure th a t the Moors said that their “ brains ” had been taken to heaven ? May not the word have been “ soul ” or “ spirit ” 1 The terms are often jumbled together w ithout distinction by certain people. The Dancing Dervishes and all such as get into hypnotic states; are of interest to the student of hum anity. That the observations made were not of much value seems clear from; the following :—

There are many religious sects among the Moslem Moors, some of which are intensely fanatical. The cities and towns of these fanatics are entirely closed to Europeans, Christians and Jews. One or two daring men. have ventured, at various times, to penetrate within the walls, but when discovered the adven­turers have either had to flee for tlieir lives or death lias speedily met them. At their festivals the most horrible prac­tices are indulged in. During my second week’s stay in Tangier some thirty or more men of the Uamacha and Hamduchia sects suddenly appeared in the Soko, and to the accompanimont of most weird music they slowly advanced into the town. Tlmy yelled and made shocking grimaces. Suddenly they commenced to throw into the air axes and daggers, which fell down up0" their faces and bodies, wounding them and causing the blood flow freely. They entered the town streaming with blood, h'1** behaving generally like demons. This exhibition was intends

m LIGHT. Rto pi,ov0 , w0r o f ° £ agalghooki’Mg

iliftt, after their pilgrimage fc0 the saint’s tomb, they nst lethal weapons. A missionai’y told me that

par

„ ftS was this particular prooession, it was nothing as oom- ied with the Assottfi {I a-m nob 8l,1?e of spelling), whose

lance strikes terror into Jews and Europeans.ann«»l performiSTow? be i t notetBbhat the writer simply asserts th a t

Aesu fanatics wound’ themselves to show th a t they are if* nof against lef&vl weapons. They wounded themselvespit/*-'** O *

variously, and yet no means seem to have been, taken to discover whether the wounds healed quickly, wherein fay tho whole gist of the ®K|ng. A vtfpable opportunity

Kas losts for w itnesses~ »^^M ^4onaries-~ o f great credi­b ility assert th a t'^ R sf healing does take place among certain of the Arabs.

'LEARNING FROM THE HEATHEN.

The following a ^ ^ flrs in the “ lleligio-Philosophicul Journal I for B e c e f l i 23rd,I s 9 3

DEVIL DANCING.

W-e copy th e folBwing from the U^heoeopfefet?;' fcw December, I ts importance seems to justify its le n g th ;

While op tour in the South of India I had an opportunity of witnessing that remarkable psychological phenomenon known as ■d'/cars/ictn.aw or Invocation, by which a pi nucha or demon is drawn into a body, whether that of a human being, an idol, Qiligy, or other lay figure. In the present case the patient was a I R of soHo 14 years, respectably connected, and pursuing ins studies under the guardianship of an uncle, who holds a high position in his profession.

I t was reported to me by a member of the T. S. that an invocation was to be performed on the morrow with a view to determine the cause of the boy’s affliction. I t appears that he had suddenly lost ljis moral balance and had several times attempted suicrao while under some strange influence, his

suepj times undergoing an entire reversal. Ordi- n a rB he was a shy. amdRtiet boy, very desirous of succeeding in his studiesR nd bearing himself with proper dignity while paying due respect to his elders and teachers. But when seized

The natives R n d ia , Japan, China, and Siam w hR ppeared at the Parliament of RejUBons must have been impressed with the colossal egotism of thffi^^BidflB al peoples. For contiffles we have the A ^ ^ R | as p^fl,benighted, ignorant idolaters, bo wing down to in ^ ^ R of wood I and stone, id% ^^R at^^R r own have m;Be ; we haveregarded of u ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ R ii^ R h a t the works oftheir own h&S^R were not veritable gods braving control o\B£ ‘ human destinies and to be worshipped asevil; we have thought of them as having no conception of the

of the uni verse, no uRli^^^^RliB of ^ S R a - - tion of soul to body, mind to matter, or God to either.

all,believed that a great and good God from all pro­ceed had selected us as the favoured recipients of His tru th and His toknowledge of Himself. Nor was this quite all placency so great that it is indescribable, and pride so d eep ^^M it is bottomless, we have thought tha t ^ ^ R B lm if l^ ^ ^ R h e i^ R men had for their ignorance i ^ R l ^ R t o d ^ ^ ^ B r Orientals to an eternal hell, and for His glory to

Perhaps sq®aewh(R?in history or fable there may be a story p i a barbaric lord or of an imagined monster w h^B idea of his o w n J i^ ^ ^ R e rose sank lower : manydeemed mankind fit only to be their slaves, that the sun shone and the haveBjipeds solaced themselves with ^ ^ ^ ^ R t h a b the Jehovah ordained thetheir gratification, w ^^ R p ^^ R b the major ]S R io n ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ B ii:R to suffer indescribable woe for unending time.R ^R g sm is not uncommon. because hehad he th o u ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Rentitled, killed the mayor of this ;so, threw a -ber of Deputies is an example of those who imagine their view of things so im portant that the world does them great w f o n & E ^ R R M W H ^ ^ ^ M n to their declamation.

O th^^^^H opuffed up u i i R their opinionsasij& g&fsk^R t all whodo conclusions. l ^ f l y R ^ ^ R i a t theyflktye great talents for writing or speaking and firS ly believe

in not paying felem well for Spfcw 'p^. Humility is R e : of the greatest of virtues. flB,- truth is that no man’s presence, work, or tliought is of > tran­scendent importance. MaSlftl^RjsnQ.wn and understood ^ ^ R iy of us were born, and much w il^^ ^^ ^R v h en Jve are gone. The pnd ltS ie whose opinions and ways we think so inferior to t e g own may really be in the possession of cfleper tru th than we ken.

The d e s M R j ^ R in our midst as a teacher, b R a comprehension of of ^H R^relful attention, o g lin g am e4^^ihionfl^^R leim s^H w 9^^pp been*fflHa>Me1 ,o^elve-.

Is it not well for all mmlrorri ask if the theologians are the eg® psqjl^wHm have been mistaken as to the laws and commons, under which men live and as ^RwjSJ is best or sloiffl be or can be d&ne in a i$R |j§£ ftf kqovv solittle and whose laws are beyond our contijoW

by this unknown influence he at once became crafty and subtle, irBolent, obstinate, and capable of all kinds of mischief and ^ ^ R y iR n c e .

r ^ B p s e I did nR Jose the opportunity of seeing the invo­cation, and accordingly I to the bouse of the boy’s

HBBinted time. Arrived there, we found tbe boy in conversation wiBWlis guardian,and we formed a circle in one of the.^^^^RicingRjiLe street. I had opportunity for eon- v^^Rion with the boy and" fcBnd him fairly intelligent. H e sRkB English very well iflBed. I drew him out upon the sub­ject R iis “ illness,” whiBi he lamented very much, as he said

B tih iB ^^R his s tu J ^ R In answer to my question, he told me when a s R u re camBupon^iim he first of all saw the gigantic

R g R e H g a black and h ^ R man, with red fiery eyes appearing R ^ n ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ R a mass of matted black hair which fell over the

and then a g iS R n^R would come upon ' d ^ R g v e . r v t h i i R , p ^ R lck JR H . after the last glimmer of n igh t had gone, he would pass into an i^R&sfble state.

noticed tha t his eyes began to roll in an ^ ^ ^ R e n s i v ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H d th a t h^R peated ly cast a suspicious glance over his s h o a p p r o a c h of an enemy. After R h ^ ^ ^ ^ R v f lT R H English began to break down, bis answers became m ore^R |ded , and even equivocal ; he began to

signs of re^^R^B^Hamu frequently half rose from his seat ^ ^ R ^ ^ R of leaving us.

A tH iis point my friend asked me to eshow him a Yantra which I had prepared brought wi^h me. I drew M from

and passed ^^^R liim , telling R im not to le t it be The b ^ ^ ^ R e s were riveted on the paper as it passed .

from hand to hand ; he was absorbed in i t with a hungry and i ^ H H i R which expressed itself in every feature:^ The

brows were wore a B n R ^ § tlook, of an at bay, the face visibly paled and

as ^ R R w ere B Q pain. Suddenly he rose k e ^ ^ R '.^ B eyes on the paper,

he and would have, been ;j5o|iein another moment, had I W : ; t s ^ R p M commanded him to

I^^R ^w n ,^^R km H vm g that his exci^Hjwas only a foil.J u ^ ^ ^ R th e i^ R a s a stir outside, and l.bhe boy immediately

arc^B a| j R went to Bie further sidfl of tlifl room, crouching raifehe? than walkMg, and spfoleMliimself upon a chair, where he ree^^ ^^ ^B d d led in a half-recumbent position, trem bling from

i head to fooR In % io th e r^ ^ ^ ^ n t, the M;1 ntrika, who was to I conduct ftHe ceremon}' of A'karshanam, entered the room, and

w^fleriat furhlrfer cetite^Riy advaiBm tcBards- the boy and untied I his hair, w hi^fl fell 'to the wai'sfiR’ g lo^y black ripples. The

Milntrika then tooB s o * white chalk and inscribed a Yantm m 'j&n the floor in the following form '

Sjfor parallm ^H es Tfere ]|M;tehftsversely upon six others. The twenty-five squares thus formed were filled with thoTamil letters arranged in the fR m of a 'Mantram. . The en d s^ f .t^ R ^ e s pro- j ected upon the four sides of t m lettered and werebarbed like tr^ q iits . Upon tbe REr- diagonal squares nearest

\ the cent^^^Bne, some red r a r a 'A t powder was placed, and i upon the four corner squares and the central one some camphor.: In front of the sqBare was set a sirfalRranier of ^ R n g incense,; and upon either t^e- of it the two halves of a broken eocoanut.

The Mdntrika then seated Mimself R ^ ^ the ground1 a t the front corner of hlhe YciMtmy and, taking some holy

2 2 LIGHT. [January

in h a u l , h^hkni eh&nfcmg b n M w isttt,

tW five {titter «f cami'bor and began l turned my attention to the boy, , U

sat upright »ww and Hi* expwaakuv was savage atu uvughty, his eyes ajlesamvng with a kind of malteiottS enjoyment, uddenly, be rushed, forward and threw W»>»M upu** tl*e groom , mating

light* with b » hands » tbw» throwing utixse into a .the centre of the einie, he drew tip J

about thirty seconds, and ! the Mintrika, he

■’ dancing." I t may ”S* explained that this *‘ dancing’’ 0(T extends to the head and reminds one somewhat of the “ whi 1

dervish.” subject is seated on the ground in M

Jamxf

ingp a d aid mam, the arm s a re folded an d th e b o d y b e n t down' 6

A I- fL a o u ts e t th e head ^. OU.t lights With

idling . hi tiro centrehts ksfpi and spun round and round fawestdig suddenly W a halt in front of the «»'*«")». no gave forth a scries of diabolical howls like those of an m tum tod bsast, ; smd then sitting bolt upright he stated defiantly at the M&ntrika j 4ad said m Tumi, what do you want with me 1"

* \v ho arc you f 1 said the Mantrika.“■My luiue is Kidli. ’ vi W h ere do you some from i <-* From (the burning ground).”V \Vha£ » yone class f"44 { am a Tamil Korati** (a class of elemental demons).

VV by do you ceiue here 1M ‘‘ I have been bound to possess this boy.”** Why do you come to the boy at times when you are not

called t ”!* Because I am commanded to do so.” a Who commanded you 1 "“ On« Kurupati Kauiaswami, a magician, sent me to the bov ” “ Why'f”44 To induce love.14 “ With whom l “« ----**■* Have you seen me before ? ”“ Yes* at Maljaram.”At this point the Mantrika kindly handed over the interroga­

tion to me, and I commenced by asking why the commands of the magician to obsess the boy were obeyed. My friend trans­lated both question and answer for me.

The intelligence said that it was agreeable to his nature to do 8e, but he needed help from the magician. The following dialogue then ensued :—

“ Who am I '? ” I asked..‘‘ You are one like him ” (pointing to the Mantrika).** Ho you know I have come to help the boy 1 ”

Yes, but please do not beat me.”It must be explained that the invocation of a pisdeha is '

referred to by that intelligence as “ beating.” At times when the Milafcrika, who all the while continued his recitations in a subdued tone, threw some holy ashes on the head of the obsessed, the pvnicha would howl as if struck with a stick.

Suddenly the boy looked up and said, “ Why do they make me dance now ? ” I said,“ Because they say you uttered false­hood last time and so made you dance again.”

44 Well,” he said, “ ara they truthful people ? They promised to feed me with a fowl and a sheep.” By “ feeding ” he mean] having the blood of these creatures spilt on the ground, a pro­cess sometimes used by the Mantrikas in order to give the ph u ich m the necessary strength to respond to their calls.

I asked if such things had been promised, and on learning that it was so, I told them that the promise would have to be fulfilled if the pisdeha was to be exorcised and expelled. It was then arranged that at 8 o’clock in the evening the “ foodfl should be given, and I gave the intelligence notice that it would be the last meal that he would get in that place ; for, at rrfifl night, be would have to leave the boy and never return agaiij: He said that he was boun 1 to go at twelve, but that if he were expelled he would either kill the magician or the boy^T

“ You cannot kill the magician and you shall not kill the boy,”I said.

“ Why cannot I kill the magician 1 ” was the reply, u Because he is yout master.”” He is not my master! ”“ Why, then, do you do his bidding 1 ”“ Because it is agreeable to my nature, and I gain power by

■:-.' it.” 'Finally, I told the intelligence that after twelve o’clock the

boy would sleep, and in the morning, after his Sandhy&mndha- nam X should give him a Yantra which would effectually prevent,

t 1 him from molesting the boy any more. This was answered by one of those unearthly howls to which I think no amount of

-■ experience would entirely accustom one, and which, I fancy, owes its thrilling and horrifying nature to its demoniacal source,

Then, with an imperious snap of the fingers in the face of the M&ntrika and a toss of the head, the devil resumed hiB

that the arms rest upon the legs. At the outset swum* round and round, its velocity increasing until the

BBH by The

a pioce of s tr in g ra th e r thriqe■a

9

seems attached to theset' of fleshy muscles. The long black hair, whirling in tjj form of a cuniot’s tail, sweeps the ground at every revolution scattering cocoanuts, powder, camphor, and brazier in turn (J various parts of the room, the smoke from the incense followin, the swish of the hair, and escaping from the little cyclone tloiit leisurely in the stiller atmosphere of our own circle.

Tho u dancing ” ceases at one moment to permit of a question being put, and at another for the demon to give vent to his feel, ings in the manner already described. After each question ' the Mantrika, uttering his Mantrams the while, throws a littl(, powdor upon the head of the subject, who thereupon resume* his “ dancing ” and suddenly sits erect and answers tho question put to him.

The sdance was brought to a close in a manner I was hardly prepared for. The Miintrika changed his Mantram, and itn. mediately the boy began to whirl round and round with hi* legs in the air ; then, sitting erect, he raised three successive

| and deafening howls, sprang to his feet, and half turning as if to depart, fell a t full length upon the ground, insensible. He remained so for some minutes, apparently lifeless, and then raised his head slowly while the M antrika sprinkled some watet upon him.

On the following morning the boy came to me with hi*' guardian, who is a member of the Theosophical Society, and 1 attached a little silver cylinder containing a YM&m to his holy ! thread. He expressed his gratitude, with tears.i|a. his eyes, in a quiet way natural to him in hi3 normal condition, and said that! he felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his head during the night. Shave since seen his guardian, andBalthough several months have elapsed, the boy has not had a; .seizurej ;s in ] the day that the scene I have been recording took ^ace .

W . H 0 .

WeJatiuaiSociety

In itown iipupils.

TWO MAGAZINES.

on the assign! jjiaids. room,comfoi the sh that e with t

Th the wi in beeby tlibrack night, most to be

l . of a 1 the s diate the f drow glam mg terri my of < reco man fessi app: spel mid pah

ver;anddeshaiup<fernsidthi

The “ Id le ]” is amusir^Rs u su a l] the supernatural is not laid under co n tr ib u tio n ]h ] month, bu t dBhfejfe; is a d^ec®ij]wit: story caJL]d “ The Greenstone God,” which is oddly enough dedicated to the glorfficaSin of Chance. No w,^]pposingl-7the circumstances to hatje been agllM writer im a g ^ S them, chance was exactly the thing which had n o th ]g to d ] with them. Those who read the s]>ry t t l l judge for jfeem]lves. The ‘ ‘ K ingR f Schnorrers has reached its* sixth chapter, and Dr. Joseph l] rk e r ,o f the City Temple, is the 3 |L i 9 B his Den,?] desc^]ed with his wife, his study, and nS. forth, by RaymMfl] Blathwayt.

The “ English I l l^ ^ ^ ^ n . Magazine ” for January iis ] good n u m l:^ ]^ ^ ^ n one engravings of an eaipioJperiod. I t is l ^ f e r p ^ ^ ^ H t we are concerned,once again we are re m itte d how the Tj]seen side ’etf our hunian^^K3perme!a®ng allBiterature, esp9^11y' th<e literature of One story in this number is called “ Over tMEdge Bflthe W orld,” and tells bow a sitrAig affinity earMCT between a woman and a man whom she nii^Bd through an ill­ness ; so strong that when t liMnan ]rfs a second time so ill that he died, or apparently diedjithe spirit fef thH^dunan, itself just] released,-restored him. T h ^ a i s , too, in the t a l« a case of a telegram whBq-was conveyed by unseen hands. But be u^]iriuR tell the story, it The aukbjgr isFlora Annie Steel. same number there is- anothernarrative, that of a politician who dies, sc&j»ej.%nn<luncemei#.9 his death placarded, jgfflvei^] with Phltn^ K tenM Disraeli, and others, who are wandeu&^ about th is eg rth ; and so forth. It N a case of trance, however^ the spirit bejfeig for the time released] The title g iv en ^ lijth e story ^ 9 Aii Im ppr-l^jFM an,” and it is very w, ] done. p la n ^ N S y lv a ’a M ryliale, “ The Castle J is delightful.

imm<f tspchh(stleScAsisi

1cat

N ever wit® impunity can the light of conscience be obscure®'.! nor its scruples overbalancfedvpP

WEfftfish for im m ortality ; the thought of annihilating I horrible ; even to conceive i t is almost impossible ; the wish i8 kind of argum enj^Bsis likely th a t God would have all men s t ^ a feeling i t H e had no t m eant to gratify ic<F . W. R obertson,

H

1

‘ho° V■P Jto

i.1894.] LIGHT. 23

We take the following account from the “ Sun ” of January 2nd. I t is asserted to be by a member of the

| Society for Psychical R esearchJii the year 1881 I was governess in a boarding school in a

I town in the North of England. The house was very full of I pupils, and, to acoommodato the lady principal, I agreed to sleep I on the attic-storey. There were two rooms in front, the one

assigned to me, and a larger one oocupied by the two house* maids. At the back were also two bed rooms aim a lumber- room, which do not concern my narrative. My room was comfortable and well-furnished, and for several weeks I slept

I the sleep of the j ust and hard worked teacher. Then occurred ; that extraordinary series of phenomena which at first filled me I with terror, and then aroused the keenest ouriosity.

The bed in which I slept was placed with the back against the wall opposite to the two windows, and on my right, as I lay in bed, was the wall separating my rqS^Rrom the one oocupied by the housemaids. Between the two windows was a gas­bracket, and I was in the habiHof leaving on a spark of gas all night. And now to the strange oqjHn-ences whichmost people will refuse to believe, b^R vhieh I solemnly affirm to be exactly and literally true.

I awoke one night, a ^ H t the end of March, with the clah9 of a bell in ear. I S my first waking moment I recognised

; the sound as the bell of a neighbouring cHuHh, and diately I was ^ ^ H llu H tha t the “ d in g -d o n g w a s first ofl the four ^ R g s which precede the striking of the hour. I was drowsily speculating K what the hour was l ik n r to be glancing'towardsBhe windows, I saw the form of a man stand­ing between the windows and facing me. S ta rre d and terrifiedM I was abewfl to call when, tomy amazementB and horror, jB clear^B perceived the spark of gas shining behind Hhe head figure. A t oncerecognising that the a flp ea ran H H b ef^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^H b e a real man, my fear was in tensified; for though I Had always pro-

| fessed not to believe % ghosts, HHwas as Hu^Ha^Hcf. of thifl apparition as if I had ™ ^H aB tig§ rH it^^B p^^H i. I gazed

1: spellbound a t the thing. I t ^M ear^H like a young m a n H | middle hfc& t, clad dark clothes, with long black hair, a very

J t ; pale face, a high white forehead, and eyes thatwith unqtterajble sadness. I could not Hhen see featuHs p ry clearly, asand very little IfgjjfjRcame in at the windows. Bub I cc^R. now describe them to Hie d e ta il ; for, th a t night, Ihave often looked upon t l^ f l face -^R n bright moonlight fell upoajp an R were I afe^Iiujl pain tR . I could put in every line and shade on iH The nose wM long, but not Isgh, and R . each side of ftfatmere curled up th in fe l^ ^ ^ ^ K H c h e . B ut

I those eyes ! '-Oh, the sadn^H bhat filleR thWhat I have descHbed above jSbsaw in a moment, before,

indeed, the chime had dRR away. ^E^^Rl^RfigifflI moved towards me, still gazing afr^me fii^Hly an^R rrou^H ly ., I t reached the foot of the lips moved as if to; speak,, but no sound issued from them. By this time the t h H R m e had sounded. I could no t speaH or move, andj-yet the Hp^ror begun tfl die down. I could| study d p apparition more C O o U ^^R w j now jjj|!|ceived in the

what seemed an open letter, right hand Isaw in the dim ligMHfaje glimmer barrel R»ja revolver.

; Again locking at the face, I caught siRR of a small dark spot situaald in the left temple. The H h j^ ^ H ia d now finished striking, there was a pause ofRfro^H three seRmds, and the

; clock with a heavy boom struck one. The Rwer part of the apparition grew in d is ||k ^ H “ Boom I went the bell a second time. The wmile figure had faded into a dim cHud, which entirely vanished as a third a p last stfgske fell.

I had seen what the w o » calls What could thisR ing be ? I had heard of halluHnflt>Lpns. I knew that in certaib states of the brain figpggs will body themselves out of the in^ visible, and I had of teH explained to myself' in this way many a ghost story I had read. But i t was nob so easy to hold to my hypothesis when the actual ghost^had appeared to my bodily vision, The thing seemed too real to be theHreation of my ow l nervous system. Whitfe I was thus speculating I fell asleep, and I did not awake until my usual time.

■ I did not at first tell nay principal what I had seen, as I thought she would only ridicule me, and several weeks passed without any repetition of the phenomena. B ut one nigl]t,about

a month from the first appearance, I was again awoke by the striking of the three o’olock chimes, again the figure waB seen between the windows, the movement to the bed was repeated, and tho disappearance took place as before during the striking of tho hour. On this occasion I felt little terror, and I was able to examine the apparition deliberately. I was deeply impressed that it wanted to communicate something to mo, and I resolved, if it aguin appeared, to address it. About a fortnight later I haflthe opportunity. The chime had commenced, and as the “ ghost ” was approaching me I said, “ Who are you 1 Can I do anything for you t ” The lips moved, the face seemed convulsed with eager desire to express something, but there was no voice, and the figure vanished as before.

The “ ghost ” often repeated its visit. I became quite familiar with it, I would often address i t ; but I could never get a reply.I was deeply interested in my visitor, and I longed to solve the mystery of its appearance. One night I said : “ Can you make yourself apparent to any of my senses besides the sense of sight 1 ” I hardly expected a result, and it was therefore with mingled satisfaction and terror that I saw the figure eome to the side of the bed and hold out its hand. I put forth my own hand and torched fearfully the white fingers that held the letter. They felH like soft cool down, not clammy or icy. A t tha t moment the vanishing began. I resolved to try another test, ^rellje next appearance, I said : “ Can you make yourself visible to anyone else 1 ’H The chimes were about half-way through, and the figu^ was a t the foot 'of my bed. I t seemed to acquiesce; rfivxtRved to the wall on my right, and passed into it. The next moment I heard a scream, and the sound of voices. Then the c lS k struck th re e H^ H i^ S x g q io rn io g , one of the housemaids brought me my

hot water. R thought she looked pale, and I asked if anything was the Injjiiffler. w hen she said that she had awoke just before the strikHig of thHfaojM had see^the figure, and had cried o u t ; her com paiS^^^Rp added, had awoke ju s t in time to Bee the gpje^R before it disappeared.

“ g host” more than once after this occasion, bu t could obtain no further phenomena of in te re s t; and, in a few m ^ ^ ^ ^ B l^ B d ^ ^ r e ’as removed to another part of the town, for what reason I could no t Icle&rly ascertain. A fter the rem ov^R diH Bsed the affair to the principal. She seemed to

it ; but adm itt^H with some reluctance, tha t sometimes, as s R lay awake, she had heard footsteps overhead —he^^^^H v as immediately under m ine—and th a t the sounds came justRef(^H t^e;,<^H k^H p% three.

^ B h e house R which I had these strange experiences was soon l e t ; bu t R was vacant again in six months. I t was again

B tf l and again the R nan t departed in a few months. Then the house was vacant for two or th ree years. A t last i t was pulled do iw B H d two smaller houses were erected in its place.H have made inquiries as to whether there is any tale attached

to the houseH AMi I could ascertain was th a t about a generation agoR. young man h ^^H m m itted suicide in an upper bedroom,

Ib u t .j l could g|H®. no details of the alleged tragedy. I t will probgfjBv fee saitHbhat th e result of my narrative is vague and

I t may be scgHHt I cannot Ifelp that. I haveThew ritten n o t^ B prove a theoryRbub to describe facts.

was not a figment of iny own brain* as by the two sorvants. I t is this fact which gives my

BHo considerable evideftial value. — P . S. T.

it was narra-

LETTERSTO TH E EDITOR.

[The Editor is not responsible for 02>inions expressed bp correspondents, and sometimes publishes what he does not agree with for the purpose of presenting mews that mag elicit discussion.]

Emmette Coleman and the Theosophioal Society.S i r ,— In reply to “ R .h B f .T .S .,” I have nothing to add to

w h W h av e already said. R.C., F.ToiS.; r

Mrs. Besant’s Autobiography.

Sir ,—As a constant reader of ‘‘ Light,H and admiring its usually candid aiR cautious tone, I ami R oved tjarsay that I find some unfairness£iu the review of “ Annie Besant ” in your last issue. TRe"c^eSffling paragraph appears to assuike that the account of her “ change of f ro n t” from Athoism to Theosophy points to her having beenR psychologised ” by Madame Blavat- sky. But what are the facts of her narrative 1 She is given the “ Secret Doctrine ” to review, and the perusal of that work causes the great change in. her, before ahe sought the interview

24 LIGHT. [January 13, iff94

with H. P.B., whoso personal presence profound y* ' , _ -n with a sense of genuineness and sincerity. I* ‘. 11A. B. herself, for it appears to mo that no honest n,v'11 oansee or hear her without, in htu- own words, “ knowing 1 8 n in>1 think this was the only ‘‘ fascination" oxovoised, via.. n,i .uiaaffinity of two genuine, eager souls; hut that Annie C'H,U* 00,1 have ao surrendertHl herself to personal magnetism as o accept authority" without the fullest exorcise of her pii'H 0 ju gment, would contradict the whole touour of her life.

The « change of front »* was perhaps more marked on the surface than in reality. She was over eager to believe, had she earlior found a system which she could accept, and it is a fact that to some natures the teachings of Theosophy come like native food and drink, when they have long hungered and thirsted after they knew not what, till it was placed before them. Henco the rapid assimilation, and in Annie Bosants case the apparent sudden change, to which, however, her previous severe mental and moral training had gradually led her up, so that when the “ psychological moment ” came she had only to take the one final step from “ Storm to Peace.”

2i>, Dartmouth Park Hill, N. W. E llen M. H ind.J a n u a r y 7 th , IS 94.

[We publish the above with much pleasure.—Ed. “ L ight.”]

<r The Higher Ego,” Ac.

Sir,—Mrs. Britten in her article in “ Light” of the 6® inst., in which she so kindly notices my letter of the 23rd ult., mentions a list of authors, most of whose works I have read and have on my shelves, and it was the reading of these “ antique writers ” that led me to form the opinions expressed in the second paragraph of my former letter. Moreover, I have never said that Spiritualism was “ a hopeless tangle of facte an® deductions.”

Before we proceed any further there are one or two points which must be made clear, and it is here that Mrs. Britten has mistaken my position. First, that certain phenomena called Spiritualistic are undoubtedly genuine, i.e., they are n o l produced by trickery on the part of the medium or any of the witnesses, but by the agency of some force w®ch at present.we but dimly perceive. Secondly, that the Spiritual!^® solution of the riddle forms but one of the many liypotljlses put forward to explain the occurrence of the phenomena. This is where ■ challenged the accuracy of the concHisions arrived at thirty or forty years ago. To be more distinct, it is not the evidence the phenomena that I contest, but that the phenomena are evidence of the existence of spirits and our communication with them. This also applies to the closing paragraph of Mr. W. H. Robinson's letter in the same issue.

In reference to the instance which Mrs. Britten mentions ®B •connection with Professor Hare, valuable as it is, my dull wits are incapable of comprehending how it can be held to demonstrate that the communicating intelB B nce called “ Little Tarley ” was the spirit of the professor’s son. This case presents to us the far deeper problem of memory, and pa^^fl still further afield into the little known^raots darkly hinted at in the editorial in “ Light ” of December 2nd, and alsotoglined in Camille Flammarion’s “ Urania.” The question now is, what is the nature and character of the cause of these Hpirit® ualistic manifestations? The simple reiteration of “ spirits o£i the departed, ” with increasing; emphasis each time, brings its no nearer the truth. One word more. The main argume^^^^B tained in the articles on th e* 4 Higher E^®Pin “ Light ” of December 9th and January 6th has the appearance of being “ no case, abuse the plaintiff’s attorney. ”

How to turn to Mr. W. H. Robinson, who says in his letter •“ based upon . , . . in your issue of December 9th.”I have yet to learn that Mrs. Britten’s recorded facts are in .any way phenomenal, i.e., remarkable or unusual, or tha^fiey are beyond the pale of psychology. In reference to his .q,Muta­tions from certain philosophers, they form, I should say, the major premiss, but the dispute is in the fitting together of the''; minor premiss and the necessary definitions attendant thereon.

Lastly, in regard to this discussion theftnly pretensions . that are advanced in favour of the hypothesis of the human origin of these manifestations are (1) Like &fe Smjatualisti,® solution, it is an inference claimed to be basedMpon tge nature of the facts themselves 1(2) that it is quite as raflRal as its fellow, if not more so ; (3) the delusiv e and contradictory character of the communications and phe nomena point to it as being the theory Ripje compatible with res ison.

' v ;Charles Strange.,

SOCIETY WORK.

p EVONSHruE-R.0Ai), F orest H ill , S .E .—Sunday next, aJ I j ' Voitch, an address. Thursday, a t 8 p.m., stance 1 Mrs! Bliss 8 admission by ticket.—J . B ., Sec.

H M H M j —“ Bossie Williams ” (Mrs. Russell Davies) i$ | announced to lecture and give clairvoyance, &c., next month! (February). Local correspondents wishing to make fixture*! will oblige' by writing direot to M rs® Davies, Sunnysidel Lodrington-road, U pper Norwood.

3.11 Camsis it w tor.r,-uoati.—Our numerous friends will b® <dad to hear that the balanoe sheet presented a t the half yearly! meebiri'' of the S.L.S.M’. showed the following satisfactory! inniros:—Total receipts for half year, £70 10s. (>£<1.# total ex-f ponditure, £46 14s» 4d. ; balance in hand, £23 16s, 2 |d .—C. P a y n e .

Tiie Stratford Society of Spiritualists, W orkman’s! H all, West H am-lane, Stratford, E .—Owing to the severe! weather we had a small attendance on Sunday to greet M r,! Loeder, but those present were well rewarded for venturing o u f l The first subjeeHgiven by the audience)dealt with byM r.Leeder’s® control was “ Intuition, "which was very ably and clearly defined® The second subject was founded on the suggestion :-® Som e say! it is not right to converse with spirits, we should le t them rest® as it is righ t they should® This was ably and eloquently treated.!; We were in hope of being able to secure the services of M r,!: Leeder for next Sunday, bu t unfortunately he is due in Halifax® on that clay ; but wo hope to have the pleasure of having hin® again, and trust we shall then have a mqph larger gathering. F a® next Sunday there will be several speakers. — J . R ainbow, Hon.® Sec.

Spiritual H all, 86, H igh-street, M aryleboneM W.—® On Sunday evening last, the guid® of Mr. J . J . Morse discourse,*® on “ Human Duties versus H eave^H Jo ys.” As no report of j this able lecture epuld be obtained it m ust suffice to say that ■great satisfaction was expressed a t the close by strangers, as w ® as by^^K^vwho are i|<®ist(^®d to hear lectures from the

We find j®Maj^ylffbone (and dcK&tless the same igMund elsewhere) tha t thc^^Bl^ff^He once heard any of these lectures always.come again ®ien«ji like oppHfcgaifcy is afforded. A t the close <lf" the lecture, Mise M’Creadie® from Manchester* gave clairvoyant descriptions anB f c vchometric readings, soma of which were particularly successful, one gent® nan having h ii mother m S | minutely described as standing by life w if® Wei look forward ® having Miss M ’Creadie with us*,^®in soon. Miss Moij$jS'fl®e an effec tiv tendering of Bertfeiold Tours’ sona “ The New K ^ ^ ^ B n ,” adding greatly to the enjoyment of all present. Next !^^®ay evening, Mrs. May Mozart ® f roml California) trance address, f® ow ed by \clairx?oyaSi0ft a t r i punchually.-®H.H.R.

M ors® s L ibrary.—On Friday^BH iing, the oth inst-, at Mr. H J . Morse’s libr|^^®26, Osnaburgh-street, Regent’s P a rk a the m em b w and general public assembled in large-num be® t® listen to the ® t a ® wisdom of the “ Strolling P layer,” one t® the invisible fi^K ^s associated with the medfcu.T®iftip of M r.I Morse, and al£(^^® w itne® th«®:&tebition of clairvoyance anal psych® ietry announced to 1 ® givbn afbe%var«|s ® y Mic® M'Creadie, of Manchester, who has within the lasfefew day® taken up her abode in London. A fter.‘some vocal music, an® in®)du®ory Bm arks by Mr. Morse, the “ Strolling P lay e r® effected ®nbrolpand for over a® hour kept t-be audience spell® bound by a q ua^H series of humorous remarks and philosff® phical observations on things" in j^^K ral and S^iritJutBfeeSv>i® particular. J e ® aphorism, anecdote, e^% r^® fo ll® ed each

Hbher in ® n® u® us stream, ®he “ Strolling Player ” appearing to be a kind^H spiritual J . L. T®Jfe or Artemus W ard, and the! entertainmentRfi'en by Mr. Morse maybe fairly R nsidered unique! of its kind. W ® are afraifc® ow ® er, tha t our Theosophij® friends would) not have felt flattered by the m o® ant satire oaf the “ Sbrolli® Player ” when with the ‘Jlspook ” theory®The sp® t® im self exhibits a w^l^defined in d® duality thag® goes far to establi^® tlxe plea for a reasonable and natural existence after deat® Miss M’Creadie followed with ^®rvcjyant and psycho metrical delineations, whi^h® although strikiiigljx'’ accurate here an® there, did not exhibi® the uniform lew® of success ® ually associated with th a t lady’s® powers. I t was then tha t a fact wa3 mentioned;®! explanation, which may be commended to the attention of ’Ssjiritualistsfl anxious to b ^H n e familHr w SH the intricacies of spirit control.i By some ® !rsig l® Miss M’Creadie had been sitting in juxta-l position to Mr. Morse during thH control by S tro llin®Player,” and it was at once^ffi^gnijjygd th a t this would have the! effect of largely depleting the “ power ” ,required by the clair® voyant for her part of the proceedings. Some suitablel observations^® Mr, Morse' brovfght to a close one of the® pleasantest evejBfgs spent a t® is .lihfciry since its establish-! m eg® I t n\ay be mentioned that the gathering was direcfclj® under the auSmhes of fee Marylebone AsscMation of SpiTitun^® isfcs, 36, Hig®-street, M a r y le lx o n e ,a id of whqse funds the® ^Blection made a t the close of the meeting was set apart.I — D .<R* ■ I

Nothing which is real dies in God’s world but to experience! a better resurrection.

■

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bf>■«M§■

p h iMoutbe Stie*sat

rest,ted-MriH

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S Jrsedfrt oji' that| iiyasl thJ:

a a l hestf led. raer f otn J ; hi#w l>on.:

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A Jo u rn al o f Psychical, Occult, and Mystical Research.“ Whatever doth make »uwragi is ught.”—Pcmi.‘L ig h t ! M oke Lig h t !”—Goetfte.

No. 6 8 0 .— V o l . X IV . [Registered as &*1 Newspaper J SA TU R D A Y , JA NU ARY 20, 1894,.

I : UONTEHSKL XKotea by the Way . . . . . . ..25 1 Mr. Harte’s Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 0The Thirteen Club . . . . . * * *.^ . . . . . . 26 The Proper Function of Spiritual-A ** Spirit-Teachina” .......... * *,, .27 ism.......................................... 31A Letter of Stainton M oses.. . . . . . .2 8 Religion of the Ancient Chinese . .SIThe Ascent of L ife ............. ............. ,23 Foreign Papers................. ..35A Book on Hypnotism .. *, > ..........29 1 Letters to the Editor 86-6

NOTES ; BY TR E WAY.

of 10th contains the usual shortsummary of H^eijiitRc w ork done in the previous year Speaking of Physiology, i t says -

The has beencharacterised by andattempts to supply the missing links in the chain of knowledge rather than by tsfe formulation, of an­nouncement of brilliant discoveries. I t is becoming more and monefc«®^nt tha t the mechanical and physical explanations of

ftjjital phenomena w u H seemed entirely satisfactory not n very many years only partial truths, aud must bemodified by the ^^ffieriou^R m dffinthat we allthe varfeSgs- parts the ^ ^ ^ R ii ty of

y, even the apparently si rmpl est vital processes are being more >^HP^R\a result, elaborate researches are

composition the body, with the view of deter

mining the conditions of vital action, and to learn the chemicaliW a r e ^ ^ B ; up and into what

simple substances they are re s o 1 v e cl, living phenomena.

remarkable one; though , in th e face of recent research, th a t confession w as b o und to come. One has only to co^R ire the p resen t s ta te of tothat is m ean t tw enty

L e j a s s t m i g h t y s tructure of a supposed im pregnab le f ina lity has crum bled into dust.

B ut if m an , as we know him, is a bundle of orderly

go a step onw ard a n d a t once recognise th a t such a man, as we know h im , o r th in k we know him , is no t the real man

w hich keeps all these th a t is th e real m an—a t present tha t

is—for we m ay s till h ave to go on and eventually have toB u t th a t being so, “ there is no

d e a th ” becomes a tru ism , th e lapsing v italities do not fe p e ^feja^BMelr d irec to r as th e y fall away, they do no t even B p e '^ P ^ K e l^ e s . T he d irec to r, call i t soul or what you will

remains. ;:

• And this leads t o - m p m t a / n o ^ B l Spiritualists. Spiritualists, like other people, have generally

taken the body to be ||.0»bod©' sf£ the spirit, which spirit escapes at death #nd may, or may not, be incarnated again. In these cetftorans, how es^K ^ has been urged that what we call tfhe bod^|a a presentmentofthe spirit. How it^could be'-so, it has H ^ s say> especially as our, ordinary words 'are but 'symbols expressive of external impressionsi B uO iere have,

K any rate in part,■'loth a corroboration and an explanation, jfhl'ljfflS!.of man-—thR by meaning, without feeing further all the ethereal part of him—presents itself on the so-called material plane rp terns of an orderly arrange- ment of Riangement ’oofllveying the im­pression of a body to other men.

These things l i e i H o ^ ^ H a n he nothing in nature which i s H ^ ^ ^ H ^ ^ H h a being. All things, both - open and hidden, must be of interest to an entity which gathers the material of its mundane existence out of the

alBerny, bothancient and modern astrology, palmistry, whatever, indeed,

on owlives,must be welcomed by man when he becomes the student of Some, for whom one has much respect, seemto its one centralfact and there is an end of it. But that is not so. There is no more finality in Spiritualism than in anythiog else. For instance, if this theory up of thehuman Jxody out of innumerable other lives he the true’ one, the re-incarnationassumes a new character. And who shall say that the macrocosm of the universe may not find its counterpart in

sueb acongeries of lives may not register or even predicate their

^ ^ ^ ^ H u r on so human hand ?

Life of DeanStanley,” and isDean towards Spkitualism in its then development:—

Into the question of modern Spiritualism I have not entered. - Bub it seems to me that people somewhat complicate the

may be that in some degree—are

a sort of magnetic power which causes, or enables them to cause, these impressions, no mbl«npreter-natural or religious than the power of music, or scent, icf; poetry, and any other natural though extraordinary gift. The only point of view fro m w ^ ^ ^ ^ R |R ^ S e e ll^ ' interesting is

been the c^Baf d Eu.mai or natural*'n#taK, ment through which in former times revelations from a higher ;

W e extract this from the London “ Figaro” for January 4th :—

The ^meffitng. teart’B fe secretary - :ef Des Moines ^ H fc ly worth reproducing :—

s Desi-Moines, Iowa,December 19th, 1893. ,

Editor “ Figaro,” London, England. 'Dear Siu,—You make great sport of Mr. Stead, and doing

Uo of intuition. He has only disco^ercd thatwhich millions—not thousands—of others have learned, H that mental forces are as persiatent as other forms of energy for' m atter); and in proclaiming the truth has caused to.T^rate harmonious chords in the hearts-'qfmany, here and elsewhere. I ^ t b do you eonaprehend his power.

The names, SUin&Moees (Editor .of'BLiGKT,'’ a®il» journal publiahed ^ your -t<5wn—a paper you probably hare

2 6 LIGHT. [January 20, 1894,

never hoard of)-«nd \V, T. Stead, will bo cherished when u Figaro ” is forgotten,

If Agnostic, or Materialist, yoo should be njodoRt and content yourself with knowing not; if “ orthodox," bide your ignorance of the fact that oil. tho so called “ mivaolos" recorded in the Bible, Vedas, and ocher “ sacrod writings " are baking place right under yonr nose, aye, even in London town. In your insularity you forget, soeiuingly, that tho journalistic) world of London does not engulf tho univorso.

M Tho truth shall make ye free. ’*Yours truly, J ab. T. II. GhEbn .

Whatever may be the value of this letter in other respects, it shows that “ L ight ” travels a good deal.

THE THIRTEEN CLUB.

We have already referred to this club. I ts annual dinner took place on Saturday, the 13th, in Room 13 of the Holborn Restaurant, Mr. H arry Furniss presiding. The club is founded for the purpose of breaking down certain super­stitions, A n account of the dinner as given in the “ lim es ” is very amusing. There are obviously many ways in which men can make themselves ridiculous.

The organiser of the dinner was not able to make the 13th fall on a Friday, hut, says the I Times ” :—

Everything else that could well be done to shock timorous was done. A large nlimber of the memb^^Hid w ests had acted on a suggestion that they sh^H l wear bright green neckties, which proved a novel accompanirr^B to and all of them on arrival were preaen^H with a “ button-hole” in the form of a small Japanese skeleton, wifc ^ H addition, in some instances, of an imitation cofhn-^B to form a background. The signal that dinner was ready was gflen by throwing down on the door, in the assembly ^flm, of a large ^ B e of looking-glass, the smashing of which int(H |pr^H)f fragments was evidently regarded without HB slightest onlookers. Then the chairman of the evenimjH Mr. Harr® Furniss, followed by the guests, went into theBffimg-'i^^H; but in order to do this every one had first to pas^Wund^Ha ladder, thus acquiring still anotheflinst&lment^H ‘ ‘ bad dining-room every table was arranged with ■ ■ seat® and, as several expected guests did not put in an adgearanjjB (one well- known writer sent word that atBae last momenljfU^stKic^^R had failed him, while others pleaded that their wives not letthem come), the vacant seats were Bled by some of the waiters, who were turned into diners andj’Xat with the company so as to make up the desired number of jrapn each an s tW ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H e laying of the tables a free rein had been given to the fancies of the club. I t need hardly be said that allflhe knives were crossed. That was only to be expected ; but it was rawer startling to find fairy lights casting their nleasaffiMgl^^^^^^^B top of life-size skulls, modeUedjm plaster of Paris. Then before every guest there stood a salt-cellar, also of Paris, in the form of a coffin, with a tombstone the latter having on one side a skull and cross-bones, flr-l mounted by the word “ Salt, ’- and c m the other a^^H tedl paper, bearing the foAwing words underneath another skull and cross-bones :—“ To Hie Memory of many Senseless BOper- stitions Killed by the London Thirteen Club. 1894^ The sa in spoons had been made in the form of sextons’ spades.- Every guest, too, found before him a peacock’s featfmr, and also a small circular mirror set in a slight frame of lead,Hp^u|pcfe&l of which was ascertained later on. Here and-HareSic^^ffiiWfts. standing against the eandef ^ r ajjwere Japanese skel^^^M ^sy large as e»o'd-fe e a i^llsj^ ^ P m g H'ana.. bottles, and other things in their hands. Behind the chairman a brass peacock spread out a voluminous tail B real feature , and against the^ireplaCe was displayed aHffiireepy ” /locking ^ H q re ^ n green paper, representing a witch, with a cauldron placed!®er a firff; and a black cat prowling around, while over them jjn gleaming letters, were the words, *“ Life would be intolerable but for its Super­stitions." ,

The design of the memmwhich was atiribut^^bo “ Lika Joko,” was well worthy of the artis® powers of ;® chairman of the evening. It represented a most attractive young witch sweeping mrough the’dlouds on a besom, underneath beiifl such objects as an owl, a spider, a horse shoe, an overturned salt cellar, a pair of knives crossed, a crowing cock, a wild cat, and a hideous imp running under a ladder. The m ew was printed

on bright red cardboard. The names of the dishes (thirteen in I number) wore in keeping with the designH They wero M follows : Potagoa—langue de serpent, cochon effray6 ; poisson i—pieuvre sauce vendredi, esoi’aquer sauce treize; entries—c6te. | lettes de veau h. la pleine lune,poulets au.cbatnBr, jambon sauco * Hablotin ; rdtia—moufcon sauce corbeau, boeuf sauce fer \ | ehovftl; entremets—poudin au spectre, crapauds gdlds, rnerin- I guos k 1'eohelle, compote sorcibro. To give a still further air of l realism to the feast the viands thus so curiously named were, as i far as possible, served by cross-eyed waiters ; though it seems ' that the number of such individuals obtainable had been found ( insufficient to allow of every table in the room being so favoured. !

The “ Times ” is responsible for the French in the menu.Then the chairman “ asked first those on his right, and

then those on his left, to do him the honour, not to drink wine, bu t to spill salt with him ; and this was done, the salt being lifted by means of the sextons’ spades out of the coffin salt-cellars, and then throw n on the table.” L ater on :—

peiMignutta c

The chairman proposed “ Enemies of superstitious ignor- | ance and humbug, we drink success to the Thirteen Club.” In ’ doing so he expressed sympathy with thB r still “ suffering super- | stitious friends ” outside, and spoke of various foolish delusions I which still controlled, and seriously contnojled, the ordinary f actions of men and womeifl Among other things he mentioned 1 thaHit would be considered very unlB ky to send a knife to I Lord Salisbury unless one rfleived a coin in return, yet people »r could send the shaflest hatchet to Mr. Btladstone, and Ethey ■ would bo delighted if they hafla postcard in acknowledgment^! From MJ. Oscar Wide, he mentionedflhe Bowing letter had ! been received : “ B hw e to ^ ^ B k t^Bmemhers of your club for their kind invitation, for w ffth^^R e^^H ffiem , I beg you, | my sincere thanks. But iflove superstitions. They are the ! colour elemenH of I m H i g h H T h e y are the opponents of comffl^Hsense. Common-sense is the enemy of • romance. The a^H of your ^ ^ H y seems to be dreadful ; Leave us some unreali®. Do not make B i o offensively sane, ■I love dii^^Hmt,D>ut with a ^B d ty with so wicked an object as yours I cannot dine. I re g re ^ H I am sure you will all be : charming, but I could nob come, thcflgjfll3 is a lucky number.” |

This is reasonable H l th e party® M r. Oscar "Wilde ; the I worship <H th e great goH ^H o m ^ o n -sen s« is obviously | becoming grotesque. A fter a B p ^ B jt from the president of the clr^Hne ^H ipm an “ expu^^ed his desire Ho ‘ shivqrdook- f ing-glasses ’ w ith the company, whereupon the floking- glasses previously were and smashedto pieces w ith anything tbe fc m ight be hahd’jf f l^ -

Shortly after tf ls Mr. Furniss rose agai^ and Htid : “ I beg to present the Biairman of each table with a pocket-knife, on f l the distinct Kgdye me anything in f l^ n . ” These presentations having taken place, one of the company askec3|h'e chairman if he H H i dispel a horrible super- H stition which had arisen ^flhis quarter or « room—that the knives had To this Mr. Furniss

laughter, “ I know these kuives ; they oomefrae ShefluT.”

A variety W. other wedb-a subscription was made on Ibehalf of the Peckham and Old KmWiqad Pension Society flue of the objepiyBf the c^Hfoesides the1 crying down of superstitions ‘ being to “ assist those Hho have « p n bar the way ”) ;-and »i number of songs were given by a choir, chief among them beiug one specially composed Mr. BlHBlr“ The Superstitious M an,” set to music by Mr. G. Le Brun, and sold at tlie appropriate price ^^Brojte^Hpenee. BHe singing 1 of “ The National Anthem to 'close,and the members and proceeded to remove and canflaway the plaster of the coffin salt-cellars, thoskei^Bns, he peacock featheiSL and obiter movables belonging to the bfub, as Hemer&es of H e occasion.

O n eB ^^p '- this ^ ^ K ^ d ^ f l t certainly done, it has collected together in a small compass a catalogue of most

^ ^ p s i |y m im r '“ supersi^ons ” which are ; still prevalent. But whMi one would very m uehJike to know is, how many of those who sat down to dinner would care to let his wife or daughter set sail^Rs; to A u s t r i a , on Friday, the 13th of any mont&Hin a ship c a lle d ^ H “ Skuljfb’ with a captain named* Coffin. H e would probably say i t was Unpleasant b u t he would not be superstitious. Certainly n o t!

a]illSjmreSfaTath<

January 20. _____________

A “ SPIRiT-TEACHING.’27

The following “ spJBteaejhing ”)i»k£as mven b y B Im- pepator * at Mrs, i f Januar^»873, •j^r. Stein ton Moafe£ being ih | m dSppB I t \\^«re seen to give a somewhat different interpretation of the vapid utterances '^ ap j^ ^ u iflB p g great thaBisuallyjaccepted:—

We are glad i s i r a i H K ijjoHJwey to you, friends, a message fro i^ ’the Most High—to be you ja Harbinger l&^d^(iodn<fl a brighter light which ^ ^ ^ m m ti^ ^ fl illuminate the v tflK j For this flam sent f i

£ Spheres, from the tomedium ; and when my wo$k has ^^^K ^^^^p sh b 'd R n a il return with joy to tmjise still higher spheres from which no apilfe?iS»S&iB9Calais 'to earth. Until his earth-life is complete I am iansand ministers, toattend hiiijB and to inspire his thoughts. Know ye—know ye— how solemn a thing it is have

earth-life many of years, as ye counttim e! Know ye how that we are to you the links between the

l i o f f and the "l^B'-plra*,denize ns of a sphere to which ye are travelling, bearers of a Revelation of the secrets of that unknown land, and of its unknown inhabitants ! flfi those will receive it, how solemnising our message! To those to it is given, how grfeit^he responsibility !the- discretion, the wisdom required ye howan tdlp word, or careless deed, may mar, or at least may retard,

P y e are indeed fellow- workers with Him and His Holy Angels ! your privileges; how vast your responsibility! Know

should B knowshall know f^^^S §jJ^*^jfl^^a?eE ne whom A has chosen that He has confided his secrets. We would we could assist you more, and guMBjfrfflip|j3|ra^ a y jiB e i^ ^ B B < B ^ ^ B ^ ^ ^ B lu c h we can do, much we are daily enabled to effect for good, but we are, even as ye, groping in the dark till an open communication

i be and set up between the Beatified and theearth. Eternal Father, hasten the season ! Mean­

while ye too, consistent be them

P P e grand truths made fl>y.TiW f lB tJ B w v J M K I K lI W ll instruct, to elevate, to ennoble ; yours to receive in honesty and humility the to take root in the soil ofa faithful iN^jLitteKjl^^filkwhe children crying after truth and Kghg- partakers of your bl essedness. Great the cautionnecessary. I t is c t given to all, or even to many, to stand fSfflth as the th , and proclaim

Nor to many is it given to cast off the trammels of superstition, the swaddling-clothes of infancy, and receive 11

11 There is much in the formless chaos that enshrouds the truth ’g*f-t>he hereaftertha tisun in te llig ib le toyou . Itm ust needs be

so. There is mwhsjSp^ the early of a B r^ ^ B n d un­developed movement andcultivated intellect. W e would not speak h a rsfly ^ fl any ^ B

I are inclined to speak disparagingly of spirit manif estations in '<.< their ,j^ser#t\^Be. This is

ready, alllight of .daijv'.. m'jro pj full l:^ ^ f^ ^ H ^ ^ ^ K :d a y sun. But this

o would trample themunderfoot. W e 4§®e!$ §

. dare not, we to go further. -strange arid contradictory in our communications must be atfcrI P l I M false notions and to errors on b ^M B les. We, like yourselves, are M » tohave rafljteflBiflifesL We <law ^ ^ i ^ B v believed f®® we are communicating with^^Hg'Bap^^SadiCo^B have only found out

afterwards. We have marvelled at the gilMMbhs^^fl and our replies have seemed doubtless -idle or untrue. It has been caused by i l « W erro r! And you too have wondered, doubtless of ten, that M i5SBcfenm d|^B § given by Bp- spirits

- of your illustrious departed have been so crude and worthless, so lit%f®pthy the great names they bore bn.eartH. Iiflas been a stumbling b®pk to many that names wh'icffl they have been accustomed to hold in. reverence have beenBinked to messages which their intellects canf|g| respect, This, too, is

•< natural bub arises from mitconeeptigm wm g is man I■ Verily, ho is but the vehicle of Inspiration. And what is intel­lectual worth 1 What but the transmission! pure and

unadulterated, of the Ahtflghts originated in the mind by the pnapiratioii of spiBs^aiaters, The highest and noblest intel­lects which ye i&verence were but the means by which God puadeknown to man thatBortion of his mind which he saw fit. AH^^Rtaey did of great and noble was but the influence of the guardian angel. The & s^fm is selected for special qualities, buBhey are not those which ye are wont to hold in reverence.

rHw suitable instrument is chosen and to Kim is confided the doB»it of RevolatioB Hi® 1® 1101 the glory, nor does the faith- ful servant claim it. Ho is the vehicleltho honoured instru- menfl.ef l)B ue Revelation, honoured amongst angels, but not a s^ ^ B g s tf^ h . He is honoured with us as God’s medium ; the chosen recipient of the Divine message. Bo it was with Jjjraj; Baptist, so in days with Elijah and Elisha.In proportion as l e work is rigflly done, doeB the medium

^erivfl^^^R.;,and^beeome fitted to be in his turn the mes­senger man in the future. The vessel is im­pregnated with the B r ^ ^ ^ B hasj^a® ied, and is nobler for the use it has subserved ; worthy of hoiqjur from men and

tfahgels as a casket which has w c^^B enshrined the Jewel of But if there be falsity, or cowardice,

or idleness in ^ f l selected Instrument; or if he be unduly is given to him, if he afSogate to ifcim-

self the glory that belongs to God alone, if t^ere be time- serving or pride or M u re ^ M v e , then, so far | H | being benefited by the H e if lH ^ K j|^ B B Has been selected,

H ^ ^ ^ H w o r s e for Be abu|p|if rh i s |^ K ^ ^ i e s . I tgreat responsi-™

bilities. I t has A p ^ h e who has greatto use, or wrongly uses, them

in of H servant^ whoknew his Lord’s will and did it not. He sinks as surely as

The t^ ^ K i^ ^ B ^ B w if l t l f l favour <3f', God morally and intellec.

tually deteriorated. He has law of Gefl whichshall do him

and themselves be Ib^eB ed by the serviceHe cast away

p ^ S ^ B and behold ! a curse rn s te ^ ^ ^ fl a blessing rests upon him. So that should such tothe earth ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ n p U n ic ^ ^ ^ B th rH ig h him will

expectreputation whilst in earth-life. and morally

For no gift of God can he misused without moral deterioration ensuing. Intellectual and moral gifts areBrrela- tive. No man can leave B s a l gifts uncultivated

worse. No man^^B giiS^^^M B im i^^ ^ B id impure h fltfe without bffloming

mentally as well as morally worse.may-see' how ^fls-ul^^^H high intellectual

a bility which has been in very truth a scintillation from Divine mind has been degraded b y \ensua^fl by pride, by folly,

apRis no longer the pure and holy thingas the pure

a n d ^ ^ B e rise Beatified. On earth heHim who sent hdm-^

the word of Inspiration. But the-S.^HE'of the %>rd has been now he speaks the ^Bferances bf

the society ftp? h e Siaa be^B dr-awn. With us as lik e t attracts like. The lias fitted itself

state, a n l ^ B i s t ^ d ^ ^ the consequences, soul born wj^M wii^Breatf-hpport^ities at its

disposal—the recipient of angelic the vehicle of;DeDgsit^a' ;- of the Spirit of the Most

either it progresses towards f e h ^ f ratBgradesr towards darkness. That retrogressive soul is in perilous state. - I t has cut itself off foundations^ f i B g h n t has withdrawn iteelf from angel guidance,. kq$ too

has ceased M ra ^ v e in the infiuence of God’s minM^mg angels ; and by force of association, the evil which ghasB osen becomes congenial, .whiM-tho good rejected becomes Kstaste. ful. Aspirations after good are ^uo||hed and the downwardcourse is rapp%and too frequ^gy terminates in an almost liopo-

. less darknessBThank converse is true. The soul' that has been

weighed downjbjffiae ®dy^jhatJhaiS it^jiggled after pudgy an<S truth in spite of much temptation, rises and soars when the

. dog is removed. In , ^ e mysterious Evidence of God p has been decreed that every soul carries with it aspirations after H in t the source o f.-all that is go 4< l^hese aspirations are

l frequently obscured by cofiporeal influehce, even as the w $ssed

•ttti'Ujjhfc ia intercepted by the mint* and f°g* ***” ** these aspiratkuw never die uidc**, a la s! they have been *u petsiatenUy quetiehod that tho dickering ember dio« out. But th is ia rare, ami must be the deli Innate voluntary act itf the intelligence, the oonacioua choice ot evil in preference to goody the utter rejection of angel guidance, Take the Jowly, simple, child like soul which him been j*ttr« in spite of wwociatduna of impurity,^ which ban yearned tor light amidst the gloom of earth, which has over fixed it* aspirations upon God ; ruleuac that soul from the bonds of the body, and it rises with angel escort to its congenial »p he re, Ve cannot hold it back. I t Hioa to its home, to its heaven, and to its God.

W® Have endeavoured to put before you those salient poinls of Divine teaching in the hope that they may bo bentdicinl. Farewell, May Ho, the all holy, ail-wise, all-pure God, load you up to the Fount of Truth and Love— even to His own Throne. May He pour into your faithful hcarta tho spirit of truth and righteousness and peace. May Jiis holy angels guard and guide you hero, and hereafter receive you into the spheres of biias.—Imi'skatoh Skuvis Dei,

J(«HT.But;

[January 20, iHtH,

Igethor. For a day '‘ ‘"gut t uvea m *dimly conscious of material surroundings, the house, the room, the landscape, but dimly walked and went about as usual, but through clearly, I saw my spiritual surroundings, the woll, and many 1 had never seen before, Tho than the material landscape, yet blended w way. 1 did not wish to talk. I was content amongst such surroundings, I t was as X hai horg’s visions described,

THE ASCENT OF LIFE,

Tn the “ Arena. ” for })< series of papers by Blinson Jarvis wjt Ho far it is an account of various hyp which, according to the writer, prove

A LETTER OF STAINTON MOSES.

i t t the “ Theosoplnst ” Colonel Olcott has finished his attempt at showing that Madame Blavatsky and Stuinton Moses were inspired by the same Intelligence. Into that discussion we do not wish to enter: i t can be easily seen in the journal referred to. Incidentally, however, there is introduced a letter from Htainton Moses, which we reprint here. I t is necessary, however, to correct an error which has somehow crept in with regard to our late friend. He was never a “professor.” The “ lectures ” were lessons given to a class of boys in University College School, London, With this proviso we give the letter, with Colonel Olcott’s introductory words:—

S. M. wrote us a most interesting account of what sometimes happened to him in his professorial line*of duty. I now quote from his letter of September 4th, 1870, from Loch Inver, Sutherlandshire : it is about the self individuality, the Ego. He says:—

I have followed out the train of thought myself of late. Myself, what is it ? I do things one day, and especially say things, of which I have no remembrance. I find myself absorbed in thought in the evening, and go to bed with no lecture for the morrow prepared. In the morning I get up, go about my work as usual, lecture a little .more fluently than usual, do all my business, converse with my friends, and yet know absolutely nothing of what I have done. One person alone, who knows me very intimately, can tell by a far-off look in the eyes that I am in an abnormal state. The notes of my lectures so delivered —as I read them in the books of those who attend my lectures— read to me precise, accurate, clear, and fit into their place exactly. My friends find me absent, short in manner, brusque and rude of speech. Else there is no difference. When I * come to myself ’ I know nothing of what has taken place, but sometimes memory recurs to me, and I gradually recollect. This is becoming a very much more frequent thing with me, so that I hardly know when I am (what I call) my proper self, and when I am the vehicle of another intelligence. My spirit friends give hints, hut do not sa/ij much, I am beginnings however, to realise far more than I once could how completely, a man may he a “ gas-pipe ”—a mere vehicle for another spirit. Is it possible that a man may lead the life I do, and have no Individuality a t all 1 I lead three distinct lives, and I often think that each is separate. Is it possible for a man, to ordinary eyes a common human being, to be a vehicle for Intelligences from above, and to have no separate personality [used here a a synonym for individuality.—0.]? Can it be that my spirit may be away, learning perhaps, leading a separate spiritual life, whilst my body is going about and is animated by other Intelli­gences 1 Can it he that instruction is so ministered to my soul, and that growth ia knowledge becomes manifest to me as now and again I return from my spirit life and occupy my body again ? And is it possible that I may one day become conscious of these wanderings, and lead a conscious spiritual existence alongside of my corporeal existence ?

Once or twice—once very lately in the Isle of Wight—my Interior dormant faculties awoke, and I lost the external alto-

saw my friends, shiI talked, and do,

all, and far more ' jmriends I know wi (fttcetie was clearer Ttth it in a certain ■ Atto look and live > heard Sweden- \

foi

8Csahih«

in the first of a itthe above title, \ ir•Jo experiments, jtat rnan is now • tt. Among the v tparagraph ]ldemand that its ; 0

course of nature, ■ Xonly appreciable f

preliminary remarks we get this excelli:lie who knows of no soul has a right

existence be proved. But, in the ordim soul (meaning its sympathies and range by soul. The difficulty has been to make soul appreciable | to intellect. This can, to some limited extent, be done. The | existence of the soul, and also some of its powers, can be proved | with all the certainty which science requires. For the material t intellect to understand, when unassisted, the range, sympathies, }. and peculiarities of a higher plane of nature is not to be expected, i I t would be like expecting a fish to understand an amphibian, j The amphibian, being partly fish, might explain as best he could, but his land experiences must remain a complete blank to the fish, except in the form of almost incredible hearsay.

Of one clairvoyante Mr, Stinson Jarvis tells the following :—

With her, in her extreme purity and refinement, the reliance on soul intuitions seemed to be an every-day occurrence; though, apparently, she thought no more of it than I would of taking an umbrella with me when the atmosphere promised rain. For instance, several times when I was proceeding * towards her home to make an unexpected call I have met her on the way. When I spoke of the meeting being lucky, she saw no i element of chance about it. She would say, “ I knew you were coming, so I put on my hat to come out and meet you,”

“ But how did you know 1 ” I would ask.“ I cannot explain. I t came to me that you were just

crossing-----------Square, and that you were coming to call,I knew just because I knew ! ”

On which these pertinent observations are made:—■Now, these last words, which thousands of men have heard

from thousands of women, contain the truth of the soul know­ledge. She “ knew just because she knew.” This is the Vind of statement that science abominates, and which makes men look blankly interrogative, and which women appreciate. Unless their animal nature has been built up till their souls are, as it were, walled in, women use their soul knowledge more frequently than they use their teeth for eating. I t is so simple, so correct, so entirely independent of education ; it makes so many who are called common women so beautiful.

After narrating some remarkable experiments in clair voyance, which, though in all probability true, would be none the worse for a little more accuracy of detail, the writer observes:—

The next question which arises is this : Is the soul, when ac­quiring knowledge at a distance, projected through space by the will of the actuator! Or is it a faculty,unexplained, for “ knowing simply because it knows,” similar to that which we were taught to regard as the omniscience possessed by the Deity 'i In other words : Does the faculty travel, or is it continuously resident in the patient t Some results of my experiments seem to answer affirmatively to the first question, and others to the latter. The abilities suggested in the second question would, if present, dispense with those referred to in the first. There were several peculiarities which suggested that the seeing quality travelled. For instance, when great distances were re­quired to be overcome there was always a delay of one, two, three, or perhaps more minutes, during which the patient would be apparently making efforts of her own. During these tiroes

January. 20, 1894] l ig h t . 29she would converse in a contemplative sort of way: “ N o lldon’t see him [or her]. I can only see faces, Btrange faces, many of them—strange shape3jhtermingling.” ■> At ® s period of search the patient often expressed her dA b t and inability. Then, suddenly, she woulfl say, V Oh, yes, now I see her.” And from that moment allradubt ended, and the person searched for was described with certainty, rapidity, and precision.

Now, notwithstanding all the writer says about his scientific proof of the existence of a soul, the above pas­sage shows that the ways jp i science are so far not used by him. Had he truly recognised the soul as a separate entity he would not have talked about the “ seeing faculty ” and its travelling powers, This1! simply to apply ordinary material arguments to what is not mateipVL A sepaRte seeing faculty as such has not been shown by him to exist. Using a new term is noKBf much use without an explana­tion of that term. But, as it stands, the method employed looks very like that fd®* applying the spatial limitations of our general knowledge to lw & t^H ijiflependjpt of those limitations. However, there is more t® come, and that “more ” we aw ai^^^^^^^^es^H

A BOOK ON HyK oTISM*

F irst Notice. •

Vincent’s book is n n e of considerable SMBs. I t is carefully the ^^ ^ H t of hypno­tism in a calm and j udicial spirit. TMKs saying much, for books on subjects so ordinaryexperl^p^fibf men, are not always conceived on these lines.

Mr. Vincent begins with a short“j^B very readable and fair accsteW^f the science through its various stages, from quaokpjjvj and imnostuB^^Hnfrnanied. nei|®fhelessRll the time by real p b e ^ S p ^ B up when its

is JaSt last beginning to be acknow­ledged. And here it is very interesting to n^B bow liffle England did in the injatWier at first. The native ^Rserva- tism of the out in contras t with thewild en^ja^asm of our m^^R-xcitable neighbours. And yet it is to an Englishman, Braid of Manchester, that the beginning,,of a reas^pb’6^app^ci^,tion B)f the va^B and

hypnotism is due. Up to the time of Braid, Mesmer and others were

generally said to be th§Ag0eo| of magnetism; to Braid, indeed, is due'ilp.-new termB?Hypnotism.”

Braid foltasjB that verbal suggestion was sufficient to produce hallucination, but he had not the^^B&t yof which Q been so wonderfully developed inmore recent times by Dr. Liebault, of Nancy. Yet Braid

the old phrenology, which m ^^^^R ut the skull asipnit were a geogfliapbiGgl^puzzle

pressing on the pirei^Bgical^Borgans,” he found he could induce the emotions belt^^^H to each; thuigby pressing on the “ organ of veneratioji,” the subject wKTd Jtneel in the a toM e of prayer ; if the “ organ of ^ ^ ^ B tiveness ” were totBied subject would: sjLtBBaid so forth.

We know now notnecesffijaay any pR °P^^B the brain c o r r^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ R o the presumed characteristics supposed to belftmp^Hthem, the brain npt generally -:^Hng up the skullfdRR l®fc the Nancy theory ofRuggestfelft. gives a fan explanation. Braid was right m his facts, w |o |« |^R his interpretation of them. The work of fhe. Psychical ‘Research Society receives ^B praise,' Maugh the the of thatsociety’s ^ p rk “ can ^^^Hy behaving regard to all the circumstances,’I and, B|Beed| that the Society has not yet claimed that its experiments can be considered as at all conclusive ; which is sufficiently obvious from the fact that it is now organising a new set on experiments.

* “ The Elements of HypSpdsm.” By R. Harry VijrqjikT. (London:. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Go., Limitru.^aternost®’ House, Charing Cross-road. 1893.) May also be had from the office of “Liu©1,” 2, Duke-street, Adelphi. Price 6s.

In order to explain the meaning of hypnosis, Mr, Vincent predicates of the human mind :—

1.—-That the logical faculty of the brain is chiefly the result of traimang and education.^!

2—That this logical faculty, even in the spheres where it • aBHa^be most used, is always modified by the senses of emotion and affection ; whilst, in the predisposition towards certain inodes of thought and action, heredity plays an important part.

Here, by the way, it is not a little instructive to note how the cut-and-dried science known as Political Economy has almost disappeared from the scene, owing to the non- , observance of' jjhis second proposition. The hard and fast degij^HSns of logic are, according to Mr. Vincent, con­stantly bein’g put aside, and so “ the belief or disbelief of any proposition is an act in which the logical and the emotional are combined, but the cause of such intellectual action is purely emotional.” That any thoughts are purely

is denied, or said to be at least improbable, and the la m e ra iy be said of the emotional action. Nothing can

human mind which is “ purely reason­able, emotional, or ideational.” And this is a right con­clusion, because of the ^complex action of the brain, in

Ivirtue of which an impression JOTsived by a single sense is Iconverteffllbv the persist^ . tefflency of the brain to

its perceptions and emotions, into an im- pression received and endorsed by the whole of the

fra 'Sprdng and peiRej^Be facultigp.”The author, having propounded these propositions, paves

a larger appreciation of mental action tlaan the ordinary barpn psych o lgyj would allows a psychology which, because it does not Acknowledge the second of the pron^^Rns, is bewildered I n the face of, and so largely ^Boj^BthenBcts of, hypRtism.

The preliminary investigation is Continued by an meaning of the “ draining state,” and a

fairly Hcecessful attempt&prnade to show that the ordinary dream ^^Ro^^lon is the in S lid as that produced by hypno^ismRnstan^^^Rhg given where it was obvious that^^Restion affected ijffl dreaming subject. But this is notr^Bough^^^Be must something obtainable from the waking sta&^^^^Rre Mr. Vincent gives a valuable and care- ful account of some of the various ways in wb|i« the mind influences the body. . .Sx>meR|| the instan ls given are such as are within the knowledge of m o l people, and the writer

can addlne more. He was lying in a state B f^^R phys^^^H D stra^R —indeed, only j i t ’passing out E f a crisis R. which life was stru^RbH with deathl Bronchitis of a ^ ^ ^ H p ere kind had hardly left him, the deliri^^^fl some days k ^s hardly gone. : Suddenly there

Bame apparently^! terrible a pain about the region of the heart that he tko^^B his last hour was nearly come. NothfBg would stay it. Hfihe doctor was sent for, and the patient was told thatRiere could not be aiiy pain, for all was

^ffittgffn' well. The pain ceased, and assured convalescence .b eg & ^ H p r and numberless R ther instances show th^ value of “ suggestion,” even in the waking state.

Many of the influence of mind on body areand the hysteEinSfl^-CJindtoons produced by such

preaching as that of Sjohn Wesley are insisted on, con- ditions brought: about by the suspension of the proper

U^adBKns of the. rational centres. In this category, also, Shakdrism is 'bleed. Syggestion is the key to it all.-,

There may be those beings^thinking beings, near or surr.ouinBSg us, which we do not perceive, which we cannot imagine ; we know very lirale, but we know enough to hope for the immortality, the individual immortality, of the better part of man.—Sir H. Davy.

The only conclusive evidence of a man’s sincerity is that he gives himself,for a principle. Words, money, all things else, are comparatively easy to give away ; hut when a man makes a gift tflh is daily life and;' practice^M is plain that the truth, whatever it may be, has taken possession of him.

so LIGHT. [January 20, }89i

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E D I T E D B Y “ M. A . , L o u d . "

SATURDAY, JA N U A R Y 20th, 1894,

TO C O N T R IB U T O R S ,—C om m u n ica tio n * in tr u d e d to be p r in te d should be a d d re sse d to th e E d ito r , 8 , D u k e -s tr e e t, A d e lp h i, L o n d o n , IP. C. I t w ill m u c h fa c il i ta te the in s e r t io n o f su ita b le artic les i f th e y a re u n d e r tw o co lu m n s i n le n g th . L o n g com ­m u n ic a tio n s a r e a lw a y s i n d a n g e r o f b e in g d e la y e d , a n d a re fre q u e n tly d e c lin e d o n a c c o u n t o f w a n t o f sp a ce , th o u g h i n o ther respects good a n d d es ira b le . L e tte rs sh o u ld be co n fin ed to th e space o f h a lf a c o lu m n to e n s u r e s ja se r tf»$», f

B u sin ess c o m m u n ic a tio n s s h o u ld i n a ll cases be a d d re ssed to M r, B . D . G od frey , 8 , D u k e -s tr e e t , A d e lp h i, L o n d o n , W .C., a n d n o t to the E d ito r .

So far wo are with Mr. Harbe, whose address from t k I point of view is admirable. On one point, however, we j with all respect differ from him. I t is possible not only to | have a Science hut also a Philosophy of the same « ■ And it is submitted that this is pre-eminently so y J j Spiritualism.'

Political economy was for a time a science. Ixpe^. I ment had shown that there was an apparent law of supply l and demand. There were laws founded on statistics, and f many other fine things. But one day a wave of emotion 1 swept over the land, and then it was found that men f were not to be totted up like' stars or even sheep, and f this hard and unbending science merged into the wide sea of I speculative philosophy. This happened with regard to |

Alien; what, then, must we expect when we have to do with I intelligences whose capacities we di> not know or dream ofjij We may observe, and observe for ever, and be none the j wiser for alf’.our observatHns, unless we recognise that' there are intelligent beings in the Unseen to whom our spientiw meBHds are noH adapted, but with whom our phHIs^phy, in its spBulafflbns and spiritual development, may bring us into closer rapport than tabulated observe-

RionsBowBer excejlenjt they may be.Y ^ B ^ g r a H t o Mr. Harte. He haslet daylight

in on the day^^it shows us th#<dust thathad been accumulating, whRh dust must now be swept

MR. HARTE’S ADDSfESS. away,

The paper read by M in Harte fe^fore the London Spiritualist Alliance on January 8th, and which is printed in the current number oftakes up clear issues and poSrpj certainthings which seriously n e ^ H pointing i ^ H ^ ^ B t Spiritualism is n e ili |r a Religion nor a Philosophy was shown by Mr. Harte with considerable ingenuity, and though we may take some ekcepjj^B to TlB appa^Htly necessary conclusion that thereforBSpiritualism in i Science, Mr. Harte’s argument tends to place Spi^^^B m in a more tangible, and therefore a moreftnable,!|^ ^ B )n than it has yet held. Spiritualism, a c c o ^ ^ ^ H Mr. H a ^ S is the science “ which investigates the inJH fie universe.” This, however, is a long way beyond tffi mew determinat^H of spirit return wl^B satisfied pioneers, extent, even eontracHHthe assertion made by Mr. Harte himself atSpiritualism that “man’spost-mortem life is its first and chief consideration . . . and forms almost the whole subject-matter of inve$$g!*on.” We accept this larger which is, if Harte would ^ B |« \

Starting fi om the definifcBnishat Spi^RaBm is the science which investigates t H w e a universe, the ^ ^ B ness of its scope i& at once apparent, and the utfflr impossi­bility presents itself to the thiSking man ^V& n& gBBi10 do anything further than as y.et to pick on the shorewjtjie ^ e a n He m a y some day buildships to sail about that mighty sea, but not ye t.

How if we Mr. Harte, allow that Spiritual­ism has this vast field for its operations, it pBows: that the science must be broken up ih p subdfaBions. -^Hthe dawn of modern science we used to bear 'mil stifl Bmgs^hs Natural History and Natural Pkijflophy • tof t h e a t e r wq sometimes unfortunately hear ev e n lM . N eural ffiatory gave way to Zoology, Physiology, Botany, each again sub­dividing; and then there cameFrom Natural Pmosopw in like maml|r flOifb gro^n Mechanics, Heat, Electricity, and so on, each of which pro­duces its own burden of study,j^ough all are parts of one mighty whole. So out of SpMtualism there rnfflkgrow separate bra j ^ i l research. The generalities musf»give way to parjfteulal K r k , , $he:J, fcientific niethod is M* be »|fepted it is tbfily by t |e coilection and collation of facts that general rules can be established)

DR. A. T. MYERSPIt is with much that we hear of the death of Dr.

.W. H. Myers. We offer to Mr. Myers and his family our very sincere sympathy. Dr. Myers was a conscientious and earnest worker BRtlie field of Psychical

CONVERSAZIONE.

A Conversazione ofpthe members and friendsiof the London will be jm^fc'A Monday evening next,

in the Banqueting Hall, ifl. James’s Hall, Regent-street, when Mfr. F H H. Myers will read, and offer some remarks upon, an unpu^^^B manuscript by Mr. W.SStain^on Moses, on “The K le n ^ i of Spirit. ”

A BUDDHIST FABLE.

the Bodhtsat was bom in the family of a powerful Brahmin. became an Isi (ascetic), andretired with five hundred other Isis into the mountain fastnesses, j A terrible drought ^^B Jam K te^B m als of the mountains. suffered great thirst. One of the pious monks cut down a tree,

a trough, and filled it with water from the well.; Many ^R he animals cai^fl so that the monk had no time to

But ipe animals said to each other : “ He gu'$M ^gdrink and suffereth’Mngelf to go without food. Come, M us bring him of the best the contain.; Let each one of#iB when he comes to drink, bring as much fruit as he can find." Thenceforward the animals fruit that it filledtwo hundred and the f^od given to one m&nwas sufficient to feed the whole B e hundred, and yet there was some left Brer. When the BodhKi saw this, he said 11 Let a man do ^^H & and flee from idleness : Behold the result oil labour, for there is frui^Bplentyis—“ IndischeTaalenVolkii| kunde,” Batavia, Java.

I p | TOMB AND THE ROSE.

•The lomb said to Be Rose,“ VTith the dews thy leaves enclose

What dost thou; Love’s own flower 14 J The Rose said to the Tomb,,, “ Tell me what is the, doom

Of hosts depths devour 1 r S p i the Rose, ■“ Of every drop That in my blooms doth stop

Sweet perfume I distil.”Said the Tomb, “ I make the souls My dreaded reign controls

Angels that heaven fill."—Vicrou Huao.

January 20, 1S94. J LIGHT. Hthe proper function OF spirituausmH

'■ V ~Ry R ichard H at fogyp

Address Delivered b endue the Members and F riends ob ■ THE LONDON AELtANGB, 2, DUKE-STREET,

Adelphi, on the evening oe Monday, the 8th inst.

• Mr. Chairman* Ladies and Gentlemen,—I wisl? to submit o your criticism and judgment some ideas that present them'

selves forcibly to my mind wigtl refcgfence to the proper functid™ of ^Pbualisflyand. gBgarded in that light, I trust that what I may LlwB to say willM ^ apfejvr R*|his q^Kesen^fflve assembly of Spiritualists to savour of presumptffin.

There are few answer an inqMryabout the fuaaefipm of spiritualism by de<^&ing that its f^^B on is to prove to tuaink^^Bty actual, tangible, incontrovertible evi­dence that manSly immortal, or at the jglry least* t^^^ffbij|s a conscious and conditioned existence aftdM|teat§BNevertheless,if you asktlrose who are so ready-^m ake this reply, to explain to you the whieh Spiritualism perfonns this ^BJction,you at oftpe encounter a diversity of opinion—a whichmay he people regard Spirit­ualism as a Religion, others look ^ 9 n it as a Philosophy, while a third of the nat ure of a Science.Ko%i> Religion, Philosophy, and Science perform different functions p i the world, and it is necessary to determine to which of gB three Spiritualism properly we ^ B tellwhat^sTi^itimate function really is, s^ ^ R ^ w h a t^ ^ ^ K I it canperform

If we reason dj^Rfs difference wefind, DM* the ^^ y i$fejggA|id of the question, a obstacleto obstacle tomay be remarked,Theosophy also i^^^B ; namely, that Spiritual­ism both the and the freethoughtcamps. everand they bring with them into Spiritualism a quantity of their old . The consequence is that a^^ R p l Afusion of parties does not take place of possible

all the time bet ween the religious and phi^Sgafeal elements in Spiritualism, and between Spiritualists fmjjb incline respectively to the one view of

Now, both Religion and Philosophy f e s s to give an interpretation of the Cosmos. They occupy the same ground, and the whole ground.

to be of the greatest possible interest and importance—is but a secondary a side issue logically, since it is

tions concerning the Universe as A $ |^ f l , and concerning thees it.

contrary, the question of man’s post-mortem life is the first and chief consideration. andfo rm sp i^ ^ ^ B i whole subject-matter of investigation. The me characteristic and distinguishing feature of Spiritualism is

f ; : y from th is ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ re j can and the flesh,and that this intercourse isand benefit to both sides ; and this obviously ^ B n ^ B a ^ ^ ^ ^ Bfrom which alone, however true it m ay^^B anyphilosophical system naturally flows, or can be made logicallyto follow. . St is true, indeed, that the mostReligion is believed by many authorities to haveWorship; w « was, no doubt, a kindmust be "exiled a religion. But I needSpiritualist would now dream of returning to that early form of idolatry, wkgaj a stage of mental development

ajAM. has lioMB since outgrown. ism might as Transcendental Anthropology;

. and it is certainly not in the sense W£i any crude and M olat^A worship g f ip e sp ir ts that Spiritualism la ever called a religion

■ now.. When we i j t e a e w M f ^ f t f e s s #© regard

Spiritualism as a Religion, or as a Philosophy, we find the belief k the actuality of ^ tffin j^^^B w B B ^e spirit fused with religious and philosophical ideas drawnfrom o$|er,sources ; and although the BOSulfji^TCA fusion m a | be a spiritual religion or a spiritual philosophy, there is midMing distinctively Spiritualistic in these, except the belief that the departed can and do return to communicate with those in earth life. We find, on further examination, tlM ^the conceptions

with which the characteristic datum of Spiritualism is fused are generally those of Christianity.

■A considerable ,bqdy of Spiritualists call themselves “ Chris­tian Spftwalists A and beyond these there are great numbers who are stffip professedly in thei.il Churches, but who are not nvudB less Spiritualists than the Christian Spiritualists them­selves. These people are negatively Christian, rather than positively Spiritualistic ; for what are called “ the truths of Spiritualism;” are negative in their expression and in their action as far as they concern the old religions, “ There is no angry Goc^f ‘‘ There is no place of eternal torment,” There is no Vicarious Atonement” ; any form of religious belief which w§P survive iBe iq&usion of these and similar ideas, and which includes the doctrine of Spirit Intercourse, may be considered ajjP;fi5s»f SpfraualismB Now, a little consideration will show that this fusion of S^Btuatism with different forms of religious preconception does ngi.:^P|ve that Spiritualism is in itself a religionj or even necessarily of a religious nature,

has spread in the Churches as an ‘Bmderground ^Bfovement; for the clergy have been its avowed

I t haa^^A efore. not had the opportunity, even had ifl the power, of developing as a confessed and independent creed ; for much of its M r g |, which might have been expended in self-assertiffl| has gone to neutralise the worst of the Chris- tian dogmas. I t is only of late that the clergy have ventured

l^ f f ig B ^ A n Q w n S ^ H tu a lis m ; but tbe movement in that d i ^ ^ ^ H s grov^fi rapidlyB and at present some of America’s

“ pulpit orators,” and a few of our own advanced preachers, are ap^ajfeenTO^begitmmg to suspect that what they ha^wv^ffl^^ffjMken to be an adulterant of their re|igion is

and, as yeB know, t>hH| are now^Openly advocating a vagA belief in the return of the so-called dead.B rajr half-hearted adv^Bcy of Spiritualism, however, is accom^B panied by the injunction to I try the spirits, if they be Bf.'_ God,” which means that they accept only those communications that coincide with their own preconceptions. Now the Bpjrgy are beginning to ^flke friends with Spiritualism, because they have ceased to fear i t ; and having ceased to fear it, their stinctive tendency to injure it has changed B^o a natural desire to make use of it.

to fear SnSfeualismis as significant as it is obvious, an^^M swa mueb light on the

BW»’tvijnjn alism is a religion. jlipme! twenty-liveor thirty years ag^^^^R&ne here will remember, Spiritualists believed themselves to be in a fair way j^B b t A $ a A w and com­plete revelationdestiny of man Bmr ^^ Bi dfeBt h a t v e d ones-” could be ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ B a b c ^ B tfeA gj^Bof the ® j|er world, or that the com- municating intelligences then enteredthe minds of Spiritualists. By-and-bye, discrepancies and con­tradictions in what the spirits said B ^ m reluctantly to be noticed;

aBpoint that bad to be the words Bm the m ^sibles as true even if those wor®^R§|^fl still be

tbe opinions of »^^H>mmuni*H eating intelligences th e A ’elveA.ttifeem^Bclearlv advisable to A^mEte before accepting what those intelligences said in m attes which might be beyond their ken. On this point^eveRypne. is

s a t ^ y ^ H ^ l f ;• bufi’unfortunately, owing 1 the as yet u ^e fin ed posaibil^Bj;B)fB‘ telepaMy^J there* is at present no certain test of t^ fl identity ^ B m B spirits, anflAp: . test at all, that I, at least, know of, >$kat they are a^urately informed about Bh'e subject of their discourse ; and, as the formation of an independent opinion on these• pQjferira. difficult

aB a^S extent a B atter of i p l influenees, geographical ppsiti& , or partisanship, I; and we seo^bat even now Spiritualists are divided almost hostile . camps the basic question of 1Thousands of .genume phenomenal qommuraca^obs, purporting to ^5gBe fro^T human spirits, confidently assert the tru th of re-incarnation ; thousands of vp ^ er communications,a®paK@§|ly e a jy iv a u B p n fe and equally a^ jh^ itapve, as veheifiently deny f t,

4 W0 are wpijso de^y'M bped ■witb.^he old hbe^|ogiqai idea that death from our presei^B^te of ^feorance\fte slia|l; suddenly berime quasi-omniscient, that it seems to us natura|1that those who are A the s p | we^d shBjJ^know the truth about re-incarnation ;r But ^ * refle^^B we perceive that pipbablpno such enormous exten^ffl of knowledge as we are apt to fancy occurs at death, and that, therefore, there is no a pp&tfi reason that those ljj£tthe next stage of existence should

[January 20, 1894.Janr

30 l ig h t .OFtrjltt O f "LIOUT,”

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made for a series of Insertions.

E D I T E D B Y " M , A „ L o s e , ”

SATURD AY, JA N U A R Y m il. 1894.

TO CO X T m u ITTO RH.—C o m m u n ic a tlo n s in te n d e d to be p r in te d sh o u ld be a d d re s s e d to th e E d ito r , 9 , D u k e -s tr e e t , A d e lp h i, L o n d o n , W. C. I t w i l t m uch, fa c i l i ta te th e in s e r t io n o f su ita b le artic les i f th e y a r e u n d e r tw o c o lu m n s i n le n g th , l io n y co m ­m u n ic a tio n s a r e a lw a y s i n d a n g e r o f b e in g d e la y e d , a n d a re f r e q u e n t ly d e c lin e d o n a c c o u n t o f w a n t o f sp a c e , th o u g h i » o*her respects good a n d d e s ira b le . L e tte rs sh o u ld be co n fin e d to th e space o f H alf a c o lu m n to e n s u r e in se r t io n .

B u sin e ss c o m m u n ic a tio n s s h o u ld i n a l l eases be a d d re s s e d to M r. B . X>. G o d fre y , St, D u k e - s t r e e t , A d e lp h i, L o n d o n $ W .C ., a n d n o t to the E d ito r .

MR. HARTE’3 ADDRESS.

So far we surewith Mr, H arte,‘Vh®s® aMresS from. thi8 I point of view is adm irably On one point, however, we must 1 with all respect differ fro in jg n . I t is possible .not only ^ 1 have a Science but also a Philosophy of the same thing, f And it is submitted th a t this is pre-eminently so with 9 Spiritualism,

Political economy was for a time a sclemB.: Expert | merit had shown that there was an apparent law of supply fl and demand. There were laws founded on statistics, ami 9 many other fine things. But one day a wave'of emotion I swept over the land, and then it was found that men f were not to be totted up like stars or even sheep, and I this hard and unbending science merged into the wide sea of | speculative philosophy. This happened with regard to f men; what, then, must we expect when we have toflld with | intelligences whose capacities we do not know or dream of 1 1 We may observe, and iqbserve for eV’er;.1and He none the \ wiser for all our observaiKms, unless we recognise that

[here are intelligent beiftgs in the Unseen t<3'-. w ljW our sBentific^Hthods are not adapted, buBwitidk wBfrffo. our i philosophy, in its speculations and spiritual development, may bring uBinto closer tabulated mbs«va-

ItJons, however excellent they may ^esY et are w ^g ra^B u l^^^^H 'E ^^H H e has$e<t daylight

f l and th a t daylight shows us the dust thatbeen a l|jB m tK |^ B which dust m u i now be swept

away.

Addr ' £ ' £

■ M o- yC

Helve; of Sj may of Sj

Iabou is to

• d?enc cons you you you maj uali a tls J

* fun of wh pei

The paper read by Mr. H arte befor^'fj^MEoi^Bbl Spiritualist Alliance on January 8th, and B l is printed in the current number of “ L i g h t , ” ^Bgiry important. I t takes up clear issues and points oBb distinctly certain things which seriously needed ThatSpiritualism is neither a Religion a Philosophy was shown by Mr. Harte with considerable ingenuity, though we may take some exception r ip his ’ apparenBy necessary conclusion that therefore Spiritualism rij^fciencei| Mr. H arte’s argument tends to place Spiritualism in a more tangible, and therefore a more tenable, Bs?ition than it has yet held. Spiritualism, according to Mr. H arifl is ^ 9 science “ which investigates thehowever, is a long'way beyondj»the ^ Be determination of spirit return which satisfied its pm neer^and ,^fla certain extent, even contradicts the assertion B de ;ny Mr, Hafiffl himself a t the beginning of his tpjgir, where he says of Spiritualism that “ man’spost-mortem life is its first and chief consideration and forms almost the '^^Bs subject-m atter of investigation.” We accept this larger defin i^^H which is, if we mistake not, the One Mr. H arte

S tarting from the definition, that science which investigates the unseen univdrffl, the vasH ness of its scope is a t once apparen^Bincpthe u tter impossi­bility presents itself to the thwikijig man of being able to do anything further than as yet to pick up a few pebbles on the shore of the ocean outsidefl He may some clay l^K ji ships to sail about th a t mighty sea, but not y e t .

Now if we follow Mr. Harte, affl allow that ism has this vast field for its operations®^ folBwsrohat the science must be broken up into subdivisions. In the dawH of modern science we used to hear of such things as Natural History and Natural Philosophy ; of the latter sometimes unfortunately hear even now. Natural History gave way to Zoology, Physiology, Botany, each againJffib- dividing; and then there came Biljogyin all its ramifications. From Natural Philosophy in like manner have grown Mechanics, Heat, Electricity, and so on, each of which,prii duces its own burden of study, though all are parts of one mighty wholel So out of Spiritualism there must grow separate branches of research. The generalities of the pasty must give way to particular work, for if the scientific method is to be adopted it is only by the collection and collation of fects that general rules can be established*

| finDR. A. TrWEftS. w t&

I t is with much regret that we hear of n f l death of Dr.Hi'M^eSs'y W Mr. Myexs | 181

and his family our very sincere sympathy. Dr. Myers was a conscientious and earnest worker in the field of Psychical I Research. 1 - - ■ ■ - --------, ■ ■ — . ■ f ol

C^VER^AZIONE. , . ^

A Conversazione (B the membea^ and; friends of tSje London p ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ p t^ ^ H a n c e will be held ^ B Mon®Sy^" evening next, S in the Banqueting H a ll ,^ ^ n a n |e s ’s Hall, Regent-street, when S Mr. F. AV. H. Myers will read, and offer some remarks upon, an unpublished manuscript by Mr. W .Stainton Moses, on “ The t Identity of Spirit. ”

A pfeEB ia^5 ;FABLE.

Once the Bodhisat was family of a powerfule became an Isi (ascetic), and

^flired with five^H|||^®feher3&iB into the mountain fastnesses. 1 A terrible d ^ ^ B y ,^ ^ ie , and the animals the mepntains suffered great thirst. ^^B of the pious monks cut down a tree, I formed it into a trough, and Wfed3mwiitB water from the we$i | Many of ^B animals eam^^so that the monk had no time to I look for fruit. other : “ Heus drink and suffereth himself Come, letus b ia |^ him of the best the woodsfOontaiiaB Let each one of us,1 when 9 comes to <^^B, bring as much fruit as he.can find.” Thenceforward the animals brought fo. much fruit that it filled Bwo hipSred and fifty w a ^ ^ is , and the food given to one mein., was five hundred, and yet there wass f e When the Bodhiflit saw this, he said: “ Leta man!ra5-.!as best,Bnd flee fr©% idleness : Behold the result of

is fruit in plenty.”—“ IndischeTaal enYolkcn- k u ^ le ,” Batavia, Java,

THE TOMB AND THE ROSE.

The Tomb said to the Rose^vrows thy leaves enclose

What dost thou, Love’s own flower 1 ”The Rose said to the Tomb,“ Tell me what is the doom

Of hosts thy depfks devour 1 ”Said the Rose, “ Of every drop That in my W&offis doth stop

Sweet perfume I distil.”Said the Tomb, “ I make the souls My dreaded reign controls

Angels that heaven fill,1’—'V i c t o r H u g o *

January 20,g894J LIGHT. 31THE PR'OPER FUNCTION OF SPIRITUALISE.

By R iohaB F.T.S.

AfiORBSS SSSlIVERED BEFORE THIS \M!eM TIERS AND FRIENDS OF■ the L ondon Sb o sB awcs® Alliance, 2, D uke-street,

Adelphi, on the ev en iSm H B M onuay, the 8th inst ,

• Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,—I wislf to submit o your critMsm and judgment some ideas that present them­

selves forcibly!®) my mind with reference to the proper function of Sfpiritualism, and, regarded in that light, I trust tlfc$! what T may’have to say will n l appear to this representative assembly of SpirituaKstaffio savour of Jgresumpticm.

• There are few SspirigSjialists who answer ajMtocB ryabout the function of S p ir |M lliBi^^Hdfl^Hng that its function is tK$|ra$e> to uiankh$8 $ s n f la l , . j f ln J j^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ R e r a h B evi-

’ ilenco that mai&afa^^BoB^^B at the very least, that ho has a conscious and conditioned existence after death. .Nevertheless,if you ask those this reply, to 0$dR ^ Hyou the manner in which performs this function,you at once a diversity of opinion—a whichmay be people regan Spirit­ualism as a f$ & S K g others look upon it as a Philosophy, while A third it to be more of a Science.

® w , Religion, Philosophy, and Scienco perforin different function s in the world, and it is nec essary t o deter mine to w h^H of before we can railwhat its legitimate function really is, and in what manner it can

vSy-r 'abff’vt ^If we ^^Hf^Rtehjpea||Sn of this cMfe^^Kd)f opinion, we

of the question, a natural obstacle unity f r c ^ B v ^ ^ ^ H

may b e remark ed, The os o phyism is recruited from freethoughtcamps. Those entering it from these opposite directions hardly ever quite lose their early bias and previous habits and they bring with them into Spiritualism a quantity of their

K n l gp IB ^u a l baggage. The consequence is that a complete , i r a s E S I B i S a line cleavage remains visible all the time the religious and

i ^ M ^ g i c a l elements in Spiritualism, and Tap i incline

Spiritualism or the other. N o w ^ ^ B fo ^ g ^ ^ ^ B ^ fl Philosophy

the same ground, and each claims the right to the whole ground,

to be of the greatest possiblesecondary issue logically, since f l is

large generalisations or assump­tions concerning the Universe H a whole, and Power that animates and regulates it. In S p i r f l ^ H n f l ^ H

chief consideration. I t is the starting point of theory, and

one characteristic and distinguishing feature of Spiritualism is th gjlaMkf a scan and those in the h ^ Hand that this intercourse is natural, and f raughb with ^ ^ H ir e and benefit to both sides ; ! |p ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H f |p u s ly is f f l a belief

alone, however true it be, any r ^ ^ ^ B ormade logically

ltd indeed, th a t the mostReligion is believed by many authorities to have been Ancestor

doubt, a kind of Spiritualism that |EillKftiBbe called a religion.Spiritualist v^^BM g»affl^Bh^Bli^^^BiRjfc<^flR lB 8B ^ ^ ^ R B idolatry, which is stage of mental development

world has Ba|g since outgro wn. A t present S piritual- ism might almost be described as Transcendental Anthropology;

^|pW H R y ^ i ^ B not in the sense Bfeknv crude and V o l f t t ^ H worship of the spirits th a t Spiritualism is gtog B lled a religion nowR

we Kam ^ g-theydeas of those who prbfess to regard Spiritualism as a Religion, or as a Philosophy, we find the belief > in the actuality of communion with the spi^H world always fused with iMigious drawnfroh^pther .sources £■ and although the iiesu^Hf this fusion may he a spiritual religion or a spiritual philosophy, Hmere is nothing distinctively Spiritualistic in these&exeept the b e ^ S ^ e M th e departed can and do return, to communicate wit^Bhose in earth life. We find, on further examination, that the conceptions

with which the characteristic datum of Spiritualism is fused are generally those of Christianity.

A considerable body of Spiritualists call themselves™ Chris­tian S p i r i t u a l i s t s , ” and beyond these there are great numbers who are stijek professedly in theifqChurches, but who are not muclfllloMs Spiritualists than the Christian Spiritualists them­selves. The&o people are negatively Christian, rather than positively SjBitualistic ; for what are called “ the truths of Sp®tu«,ll»m ” are negative in their expression and in their acton as far as they concern the old religions. “ There is no angry GoMHf‘^Bere is no place of eternal torment,” “ There is no VicarHus Atonement” ; any form of religious belief which will survive tpd> intrusion of these and similar ideas, and which l'^Pfflies the1 doctrine of Spirit Intercourse, may be considered a form of SiMroualism. Now, a little consideration will show

^ ^ R l i s fusicH of Spiritualism with different forms of religious H^e5]mbep$ron does not prove that Spiritualism is in itself a IreligiHi, or even necessarily of a religious nature,

H ith^ to Spiritualism has spread in the Churches as an H undergroundI movement; for the clergy have been its avowed enemies. I t has, therefore, not had the opportunity, even had ifcfthe pow erK f developing as a confessed and independent preeroMor much of its energy, which might have been expended in self~assertioi||has gone to neutralise the worst of the Chris- tian dogmas. I t is only of late that the clergy have ventured tojBj&e friends with Spiritualism ; but the movement in that B re c ^ B is Rowing rajpply, and at present some of America’s most n o ^ ^ B j^ B a it orators,” and a few of our own advanced pg^H ers, are apparently beginning to suspect that what they

taken to be an adulterant of their religion is really a pS®Merf} andkias you know,^.they are now openly advfrajratto'a vague Be^M.iritlt.ha return of the so-called dead,

^ ^ ^ ffi^ a lf-h e^ e d aq^pacy of Spiritualism, however, is accom­panied by injunction to V'try th e spirits, if they be of

R o d f l wlmfeh. means they accept otBv those communications that c ^ ^ R with BKir own preconceptions. Now the clergy are friends with Spiritualism, because theyh a v a n d having ceased to fear it, their in- stinctive tendency to inrare i t has changed into a natural desire

^ ^ B a k e useThe reason why the clergy have ceased to fear Spiritualism

is as significant as i t is ol^B uH and throws much light on the q u ed ^ fl w h^H rapiritualism . is a religion. Some twenty-five

years a f t , as will remember, Spiritualistsa fair way to obtain a new and com-

j>lete revelation concerning things spiritual, including the futurethe loved ones could be

other world, or that the com- municating intelligences ■vgfcHld deceive, had not the®. entered

oies and con­tradictions in what the s ^ ^ f t '8a ^ d |K a n reluctantly to bdpfsticed; and the identity a pcftfe tha t had to be

words of the invdpbles as tteue statements of facts ; f^B even if those v gb might still be

,°f the opinions ofBhe % ^rnm uniR eating intelligences themselves, it s e ^ B d clearly advisable ra) ■* hesitate before accepting what th<§|e intelligences said in matters which irfehb be j^eyo|H their kep. On this point everyone is now 'advise'!»t<Bsatisfy himself jifibut, unfortunately,mowing to

R as yq ^ B ^defined possibilities of B ‘ telepathy,” there is at test of « e identity of the spirits, and no

te§t a t all, that I, at «east, know B f, that they are accurately refefoemed abqut the SaBbje^i of their discourse ; and, as the |fcmm|§i§SgBf an independent opinion on these points is difficimfc and thankless, beptef about them is to a large extent a matter V ^ R f C 6 geographical position, or paF tisans^lk* 'and we n e a ' l f e a t S m S S ^ R i t s are divided into almost hostile camps upon basic question of re-incarnation,f B san d s of genuine p^enogj^^^om m unioations, purporting

spirits, confidently assert the tru tfl of nBncarnation^; and Nt^p.usands of ot^er com^hu^i^iiqns, apparently equally authentic and equally authoritative, as vehemently deny ifc&ij

We are stiill so..deeply imbued wi^ythe old theojogical ^dea that when we pass"at death from our present state of ignorance y< sh^MsMlde^y becoBi'e quasi-ommscient, that it seems to us nateffia j t^at tpos© w B are ilohB spirit woMl slipuld know the tr u tS a S ^ t re-incarnation ; but on retiection we perceive that p r # iW | no such enormous extension of knowledge as we are apt to fancy tours at death.,, and that,, therefore, there is no a priori reason that those in the next stage of existence should

[January 20, 1894.8 2 LIGHT.Vhuw any better what Will happen to them when they pass beyond that stage than that wo should knew what will happen to via when we die. On the contrary, our present ignorance of our future affords a strong presumption for a similar ignorance ©u the part of the spirits. If the spirits have no real knowledge ©a this {mint all that they can give us is their opinions ; and if spirits retain much of their earthly character we need not be surprised if they assert those opinions as confidently as if they were proven facts. Now, it would he a foolish thing to deny that Smith and Brown are real men because Smith is quite sure that when he dies there is an end of him, while Brown is perfectly convinced that he will have an orchestra-stall in Paradise ; and, even so, it seems to me illogical to conclude that a difference of opinion among the spirits about re-incarnation weakens the evideuee for their real existence ; or, that is, disproves that they lead lives as actually real to themselves as the lives of Smith aud Brown on earth are to thorn. But therecam, 1 think, be no doubt that the difference of opinion among the inhabitants of the spirit world on a point which is, philo* I sophiealiy speaking, so elementary and yet so vital as re-incarna­tion, is sufficient to destroy confidence in the mere dicta of the spirits with regard to anything that must be thought to lie beyond their actual experiences ; and, if this be so, it is vain to took to them for any authoritative exposition of the deeper mysteries of existence, such as the great problems with which Philosophy occupies itself, and which Religion has always under­taken to solve off-hand.

The clergy have perceived that it is for these reasons impos­sible to found a now religion to be called “ Spiritualism, ’’ in the same way in which the old religions were foundedRnamely, upon authoritative revelations from “ on higlA’ that is to say, coming, or purporting to come, from the invisibles themselves. When the clergy saw that Spiritualism was not going to seriously compete with their own religion as a revealed system, they breathed freely again, and recovering their courage and mei?* astuteness, they began to look around for mediums whsiS cR- trols showed a theological bias of a serviceable kind ; and, if I am not mistaken, the Churches will ^H n do absorb Spiritualism into themselveafljj^Bthey are beginning to enfold it already in a boa-constrietor-like embrace. The Catho­lic Church, as yet, luckily, I think, fcB Spiritualism;Jffluses to have anything to do with the spirits, exempt to call them bad names; but its policy has always been to monopo^H spiritual phenomena, and a combination H I Spiritualism seems to me not impeSf^Re^Bbhe^^Ke, if the Church of Rome at any time should thinktiMjjIBMc.

We may, I think, say wifch^Rerable certainty, therefore, that Spiritualism founded its claim to beHonsidered a Religion upon its supposed or promised revelation cAcerning the other world, in matters with which religion deals -Riagely, in regard to the divine government of the wtMd j "the character of the Godhead, and the nature and ultimate

. that, as far as it concerns these larger pectations of reliable information havg nobl^een fulfilled, for the revelations of the spirits concerning them are nc^How considered

‘"trustworthy by intelligent Spiritualists'jhemselves. although Spiritualists are numerous, and are growing f a s te n number? still there is nothing sufficiently distinctive in their beliefs to differentiate Spiritualism pracubally from tb s Churches, or from other systems o f philosophical opinion. Instead of crystallising out into a distinctive religious or philo­sophical sect, Spiritualism has becomeforce in the Churches, and in modern ei?£M^Bs|Rthe one hand the Churches are beginHing to a disposition to fall back upon the phenomena of the sdance-Bmn -f3r a proof of a continued existence after death ; and, od the dtsfrer hand, we find that the most ambitious, and in some respects1 the most remarkable, re-statement of the' p^d religio-philo-^ eophical theory of the universe-fenamelA modern Theosoph|fc— sprang originally out of Spiritualism, and is^Bijefly indebted to the phenomena of Spiritualism, for'any attentionjuifl has as yet received from the world. Take out of modern ChristRiiH the speculative elements concerning the future life that are distinctly Spiritualistic, such as the ideafisjSprogressive develop­ment after death, and you have little left excljrefe a miscellaneous collection of discredited dogmas ; take ouyi of TheosJHv R |:e phenomenal element, which distinctly belongs to Spiritualism, and all you have left is an ancient and extremely ingenious, but almost wholly conjectural, system of the Cosmos, which is then utterly without the authoritative character that t h | phenomenal element is claimed to give it.

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C<B

Now since there is nothing that practically differentiates 1 ijirituiUiem from the religious and philosophical systems with f

B H it ]las become fused—since it has no largo cosmic j gonemlisations of its own, which will unify our knowledge, and ! uterpret our experience, either on religious or on philosophic inoH_ it ffoes not seem to me that Spiritualism can legitimately

be considered as,either de fcioto or dc jure, a Religion or a Philo­sophy. But if wo remember that the work which Spiritualism

is done in breaking up men’s prejudices,, enlarging their conceptions, and changing their opinions, is an outcome of the vets that it has brought to light in hitherto neglected or

forbidden fields of knowledge ; and when we remember further lat those facts are the results of intelligent observation, and of

investigations of a purely experimental nature, I do not think that we can hesitate to class Spiritualism among the sciences; for theseBits characteristic methods, are those of Science. It

by experimentally briiHingR light" facts from wlBh impor­tant inferences can be drawn, that Science has overturned the | j. erroneous theories of the past, and established demonstrable t truths in their stead, and that is precisely what Spiritualism has t j done, and is doing, in one cosmically subordinate, but humanly | 1speakingtranscendentally important,field cjrknowledge—namely, | f the future lifeBf man. The abandc^Bent of the claim that j Spiritualism; is in the old sense of the word a revelation seems > to me to b^B n y S one hand, bu^Rg^SHgatory surfcenaer of an | ,untenable position^, while, on B $ otl*San<Bifc' is the necessary preliminary to R e assertion ®th<^H.im that fsRSj&Wfiilisin. is a revelaticfh in the jiew and truly scientifH meaning of that term; § for if Spiritualism be nHther a ReligicH nor a PhiloaoijjJIhy, it | must be considered a Science ; a scienceRpablHof throwing a ‘ search-light ’ B both ren B rns and philosophies that cables |

us their value.are two kinds of revelation. E vH i Christian theoJK.

gians allow that God is revealed in Nature as w ell as in their * Bible. In other words, we can learn the truth by observation and in f^ ^ ^ B is Well a^hrcHgh the assertions of Ithose who pj^^^Hmrnow. Although our kp^^R^S^^Hilisra as a revelation in the$Bfceris^^Hnay^gg«)ur belief in it as a

shaken as long as the

inferences from former kind of revelation—theinf erence—is scientific and prc^^fliaksA

the latter kind of revelation—by t^Bsd|^i^^Bs>flbority of I some tea^c^H— is and final ; aflfp there is this }immense difference between the tw o: that theological rRelations - are accepted on the strength of assertion, and become impressed

exactly resembles hypnotic the revelations of science, being madethrough

inference from observed fact, are matters of reason which enter-R the mind through the understanding. Not only, therefore, are

liable to of merely 1verbally correct propositions that convey no real meaning, but, as

falsehood can be impressed hypnotically on the mind just as easily as a tru th , and is then held just as '% tenaciously, and never afterwards alio wed to be questioned, ox considered in therefore, no

whatever that beliefs arising fi'Bn a revelation the th e b ^ ^ ^ B p ^ ^ ^ ^ B p i^ ^ R e s s the gratuitous assumption ^ ^ ^ R n d of Die infallibility of the rej^^Rer be accepted as a guarantee, in which case plausibility the appearance of

A revelation from, facts, on tbeR$fe&8&rjjj remains open] to correction by further knowledge, and is accepted as actually true only so far as it is verified. revelation kills

kind of revelation stimulates it.is therefore the only one

rofmV,e|m he relied on to give us knowledge of actualities. It is by this k ^ ^ ^ B revelation that modern science has revealed to

Hs ay n jv cBe iff ancients knew nothing, and which^^H erse the o^^RwogicM revelations, and th a theories built on those incompetent to interpret §j]to explain. I t is by means of t^ f l s j^ e kind of revelation —the revelation from fact and inference—that Spiritualism has done tljje great wor^BBt e ^^alrea’ffiyt done ; and it is by It^ 8 that S p i r i t S l c o m ^ ^ B h t® still greyer work thatrffy before it.

try to form |;little i&oreHefinite^Hjf^eptio®* the ibf regardeli, as I think it®?be, as aJ^ranceR Icin? evident M^msefore the phenomen*(

B he umyerse can, be interpreted they must to some a®* extem jM 'know iM and as revealed religions are attempt8 interpret the G.osmos as known to those who institute th°

January 20, 1804.] LIGHT, S3religious, revelations are always found to be limited and con­ditioned by the knowledge and ideas current at the time they were obtained. The peculiarity of this oentury is that during its course the now facts have completely out-grown the old theories ; and in no department of kno wledge is this the case more than in religion. In all branches of secular knowledge, when serious inquiry into the phenomena of nature began, it was found ab­solutely necessary for progress bo ignore old theories, and to set to work, independently of authority and of fancy, to accumulate facts in the new Helds which the telescope, the ffieroscopo, and other helps to knowledge had opened up. I t was found that not only did the attempt to foroe the new facts into the old theories cause those faots to be misconceived and misrepre­sented, through a desire to secure conformity with procon- coptions, but also that many of the new facts were on their very face obviously subversive of the old theories.

Now, Spiritualism has done for us in psychic matters much the same thing that the great discoveries and inventions of ScienceJ^ave done for us in regard to material things—it has put into our hands the moans for investigating a new realm of nature,, and it has pub into our heads the desire to avail our­selves ofythese means. This new realm is^^H indeed, one whose presence was hiflierto unsuspe^^M like trnse reveaMay by the telescope and mS^gSog^He, but a realm which bad been seized upon by ptiifeBs an<fej^BsMpt)ds.for tjljeir own benefitfll^^H .tsfln^H it by seekers after know ledgeflwho were not members of the priestly casto, being repelled with merciless In Ptfjro'Bhjeffls withSpiritualism deals, the new facts H e also outgrown the old theories ; insomuch that instead o£lffee old theories explaining the new facts, the new facts for the existence of the oldtheories ; and by explaining the misconcejH'&rfsBhrough which they arose, the,Jnew facts make belief in theauthoritativeness oflthose old theories impossibhfl More than this: by bringing the factflf spirit intercourse in^fthe field of practical experiment, Spiritualism hgjb virtually made the establishment of a new revelation^HheBieoM’gical kind hence- forth impossible we cannot imagine any autliori-tative revelation, whether by God, cfl^^Hl, |H Mahatma, that Will not have to submit to be ^ H p fl by the canons Hf trust­worthiness, which it is the as

it is sufficiently obvious ^ f lf la re vealer who has to present satisfactory credentials before fling

flit in the religious bufliifc flte scientific sense, PSffiritualismi in faefcoffiaHles us to go ^mrind the scenes and see fl>w religions are made ufland put upon the stage. I t deals witmSthe same ’’(iimmoditflh with wflch theology has made its fortune, only it d(9S with bothmore imffiSi|gently and more Mijnestly. In the stance room to-day, the safejlftkiriB of phent^Hna occur which in various ages have b e e n ^ ^ H ite d to the action of ^^H anc^H vil,^B 5p and angel; and the key to tSfege manifestations must, prove to be a pass-key to all Bl&^fls and Without

E^piritualism to explain them, the relfeflns of mankind are 9 comprehensible farragoes and colossal stupidities, and 4§ie

| mystical speculations of some of the world’s brightest minds are no better thanflveiled lunacy; isexplained, and even, in a cqptain sense, justified.

If Spiritualism be of the and if itsfunction be to iuvestigate the laws of sjflitflnterc^Bse, and H formulate a knowledge of the invisible its inhabi­tants—as seems to ^ ^ ^ f lb e the to wflch the con-siderations I have endeavoured to lay b^pre you lead—then (in becomes of interest ^H onsider how it perform thatfunwion. In the first place, it is necessary to bear in mind that the invisible region and ^ts inhabitants are a d e^^ flien t of nature as completely phenom on^^fflhat in w ^ f lw e find our present lives (ffiflined. The human mind is not so Constituted as to be able to take cognisance of theHMBfifrr, or realities that undeifle She phenomenal universe ; and to suppose that the study of the spiritual region will give us a knowledge of flese

'realities or noumena which lie beyond our power of conception is a contradiction in terms. Both Religion and Philosophy start with the declaration tha t Blre Power that underlies mani­fested universe is unknowSsflei and both of them attempt to

■ comprehend the Power whio^dhey in the safle declare. to be incomprehensible. Science does ndt make thatjVpalpable blunder, and Spiritualism, if it is to claim any scientific authority, must avoid it also. W hat we have leftflwben we eliminate from our knowledge all theories that have been spun in the imagination, are facts, and inferences from those facts, either

particular or general; and it seems to me that Spiritualism cannot by any possibility transcend those limits, although it can indefinitely extend them, and ean include in our knowledge of the universe generalisations from an oxlondod experience which will suffice for all our intellectual and emotional cravings for knowledge of the invisible world. If we still long for more, wo xnay '’Jest assured that it is fancy, and not fact, that will “ fill the aching void,”

Since we cannot draw inferences unless we first have the facts to draw Them from,, it is evident that facts are the all- important things. Still, notwithstanding the immense number of recorded phenomena, so little do we as yet know about tbe real facts of the invisible world, and so few are tbe reliable inferences that as yet we can draw from these, that there exists the greatest difference of opinion, even among Spiritualists, con­cerning the significance of the phenomena themselves. Some maintain that all the phenomena of the sdance-room are produced by human spirits ; others declare that they are occasionally, or generally, if not always, the work of demons, or “ elementals," or “ shells,” or of the “ astral self ” of the medium; but there is no established test, nor any recognised principle for judging in the matter ; and although almost all are certain of the truth

H 't^ ^ f lw n opinions, everyone is obliged to confess that no one knows anything certain about it. No doubt it is a delight­fully simBeVancMBuve|^H way of solving tbe problem to say, as some Spiritualists do, that Jesus was a medium, and the magicians’ were mediums, and the theurgists were mediums,

I and the sorcerers wereme<flims,and the Prophets were mediums, land the witches were mediums, and the initiated. prieBts of

ant^flity mediumsfl^B both the means employed and the results Attained by. these various classes of wonder-workers differed from those of our mediums and from one another, and I see no & priori reason for believing tha t they all dealt with the same clasi^^^fliA les; and if all wonder-workers are mediums, then the nam eH iediuin ” has at present no determinate signifi­cation.

Agafe, there does no,b, seem to be any a priori reason for supposing that theS^B fps who appear in our sdance-rooms^H claiming to b e ^ B s p i r i t s ” of our departed friends, and giving

strong Xfihey are so—are the same entities thatappeared to the a ^ ^ f lts as gods and messengers of gods, to the early ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ f l s saifi&&M angels,to the mediaeval theflogians as devils and to Hie Fire Philosophers as sylphs, undines, gnomes, ah’ ^ ^^ ^^ ^^ B to .tcK n try flo lk jM all ages as fairies, elves, and so j^fl&^^^flttkl&ie^Bt as Devas$Devatas, or Rishis, or e ls e f l t^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ f ls h a s , Gandharvas, and the thousand- and-one elemental creatures of which Eastern occultism tells. I t is, I think, in a6co»dance with the analogies ofnature, and B ^ 'o ra much more probable, that in theC? Fourth D im ensl^^B oi^^B eflfc the unknown region >may be named,

[Mere exist, addition to disembodied humans, an immense Humber of different kinds of entities, any of which is liable to

world when the Spndflons that enable it to do soare f^ ^ ^ H d .

You see that I claim for Spiritualism, as I conceive it, a very ction in the world—namely, the investigation

e universe. The performance^" of that f i i i ^ H , in fact, is what constitutes Spiritualism fland the

of Bg remtflls a Heavy, though very honourable, responsibility. Thus conceived, Spiritualism is a Science, and

B d ^ ^ ^ f l r ^ f lm b e r that what lias made Science great a m thoroughness, and that to be thorough it is necessaiy to be dispasi^Hate and fearless. If ritualism is to perform its

i n f l function, it must follow the example of the physical scflnces in respect to fearlessness and dispassion, as well as immtiig.cl^H; a prime importance to facts. I t was because the earlffi SflaituaB ts advantage of the all-important power of demonstrating by experiment the truth of their assertion, that intercourse with the ftryisibles is possible, that Spiritualism grew as i t did at firsfc; giving a prflnfce of admit health and strength tha t I|d^,not thinlalxa's beeflfulffled. In America,where overy form of Spiritualism is much stronger th in elsewhere, H iifitualists alive Hasp we are to Me^fflportance of■praqtleal' reseaEj^Hrfor^lS^xflrience of fortflfive years in that K g^K y has shown that if almost any family party will sit with pheir hands upon a small t a b ! and their minds in a receptive or passive oondition-^notrRiecessarily a believing Hne-—they are pretty sure., if they persevere, -to get some phenomenon, if even it be a trifling one, that will'prove to them the real existence of the world of the invisibles, and show them that its inhabitants have power to communicate with mortals. I t

34 t j g :it waswerns to mo that the present feeble condition of the Spiritualistic

movement, as compared with the promise of strongth it KfWo at first, is due to the neglect and depi-tuuation of the phenomena which have bocomo fashionable of lata year#, lUul to the substituting of moralising and gentimwotoliaiwg f°r observation and experiment in the sduiotnroum, Anyone can sentimentalise and moralise, and these are not the points on the strength of which Spiritualism can claim, or is likely to command, the attention of the world ; nor are they the means whereby Spiritualism can perform its funotiou of scientific instructor to mankind in a branch of knowledge at once the most interesting and the most roeoudite.

The consequence of this neglect of its obvious responsi­bilities and duties as a revealer of truths in its own particular field is that Spiritualism has been to a large extent emptied of its content. Its religious force—as a living belief in a happy after-life for man, and consequently as a vindication of the good­ness of Providence—has been stolen by the Churches, and is being used by them as a tlame to re kindle the fires of their a lta rs; and the function of practical investigation, which pre­eminently belongs to Spiritualism if any function does so, has begun to be fearlessly and thoroughly performed by Societies for Psychical Research, and by the schools of Hypnotism and ^Magic.” Spiritualism is in my opinion the legitimate heir to the ancient occult wisdom of the E a s t; but its inheritance has been usurped by the latter-day theosophists, who, apparently in the old priestly spirit, now try to warn and frighten free and unpledged inquirers away from the field of which they claim a monopoly. Thus robbed of its content, deprived of its duties, and relieved of its responsibilities, what can Spiritualism be bixtn bloodless and boneless, nerveless and spiritless 1 The astonisM bag thing is that it shows the vitality it does.

If we ask why the practical or experimental side of Spiritualism has been neglected—why, in fact, it has failed to perform its primary function of investigation—we are answered from every side that the intercourse with the invisibles is fraught with danger. Now, if this danger exists, it is a serious thing for those who actually undertak^^^B raX c^H xj^^^B on of the unknown region—just as the canmbal||^HprbpeRities of savages are serious things for those who seek ^B exfflnd efflr knowledge of geography, or the instabimy of ^Brbgejjt; com­pounds is a serious thing for those d e v o te e s S c ie n c e who study explosives. But even if this danger be real, it has to be faced if Spiritualism is to be true to its great mission ; for the refusal to face it is tantamount to a permanent relinquishment to superstition of the whole territory which it is the duty of Spiritualism as a science to reclaim ffonj priestly nes^Bicfl and charlatanism. But is that danger real 1 $Yhen we look f « original source of the warnings of danger we fiffilhaftbey ale] the echoes of the maledictions cast by priests on heads oi^^fl orthodoxandunauthorisedintrudersintoiheir preserves. Whether danger exists or not, it is certain that these monopolists wcfflMl have raised the danger-cry. But of w h ^ ^ H I^ dreaded digger said to consist ? I t is asseSed that with the in­visibles leads to “ immorality Band insanity ; but that this is so, nothing but an extended experience can prove ; for at present experience is all against it. Were it true, Spirituali^H would form a criminal and lunatic class, clearly marked off Brom the virtuous and the sane ; but such is certainly not the case.I t may be true that like attracts like in spim ^Barcourse, as in human intercourse, but who would prohibit jjuman inter­course because the world is,unfortunately, full cBbad characters? There is probably this unavoidable risk ; but any other danger from spirit intercourse has not been proved, and until it is proved the assertion of such danger ought, in my opinion,Bo be re-

. garded as gross exaggeration, if not downright lying,Bin the part of those who have theories or pjsaptices that will nsBfeear.1

A the light, of investigation—me interested statements of mono­polists which have been thoughtlessly repeated by tffiffld and imaginative Spiritualists, nujdh. to the detriment of Spiritualism.

‘ • There remains one very important p$intSfo which I wish bo d , call your attention. If Spiritualism ho a Se'afepe, and the fear- I /'■■leas, dispassionate, and thoroughgoing methods of Scigme be

those proper t.> it, it is no less necessary for Spiritualism to follow the example of Science in another way also, You know that Science took its birth in the observation of exceptional phenomena, and that it was only by seeking to account for those

‘. exceptional phenomena in another way than the primrave one of the arbitrary will of God and Devil that a conception arose in men’s minds of the existence all around us of continuously acting, uniform, and all-pervading forces ; arid, moreover, that

only when this idea of a law-abiding universe had hhabitual that it was recognised that the real function of Sci lU(1 was not to account for the abnormahbut to explain the t i o ^

Jami

Viposaible to explain the exceptions to law i

Qvr ?jb

iti.

and that it is unpw»—— w lu,w urm wo understand the usual and regular working of law. hitherto research into the occult, at least in the West, has almost wholly confined to the exceptional. But the 8uspici0l. beginning to arise in some quarters that occull&or spiritual] (luencos are playing upon us all the time, as a part of our norm ! and natural condition of existence ; and that there is not a * action of our lives, and perhaps not even a thought, that ^ absolutely free from some degree of suggestion from the invisi l ble world. This is but an ancient religio-philosophical i<u \ revived in a scientific form ; and it is this supposed fact of normal inter-relation with the invisibles that gives Spiritualism I supreme importance, and seems to me to more than justify any 1 possible danger, or any probable sacrifice, entailed by as thorough I an investigation of the invisible region whence those influence* i come as it is in our power to make.

In conclusion I have only to say th is—and, however little I you may agree with the reasoning by which I have reachedBhi* | conclusion, I hope yoiBwilB endorse the conclusion itself— Spiritualism should spread its mantley^Ker all theBobbers that I' have emptied it of so much of its content, an # forggJe them I their trespasses. There is now no other way to get back it* X stolen property than by making common cause with the robbers; | and by so doing Spiritualism may also hope to convert those I robbers to the way of grace. Let Spiritualists accumulate facts, I collate, co^Elinatfl and ^flssify^Bem , and help all those, I whether Brofessedly Spiritualists or not, who are trying to - ^ l the sameB and ^^Hh^fflialists endeavour to enteqdlito the idea*; of those in ancient or in modern timeSV have formed itheories ^^Rhe invisible region, ^B order to understand those I ideas and R etries, and to judge of their value. If Spiritualism I does this, it wU»m‘soon find that in enemies have b eccm ^^H only its fr^Bds, but ^B jZ/. ^Spiritualism then will have recovered i^ ^ ^ R e n t, and will Bros be masteBof the situation,

voirhasDr.bycatiGaoncuiHireithw<hiei

THE RELIGION OF BHE ANCIENT CHINESE.

aiO'tlS’

The foRwing is from a receBt n u m b ^ & « H e^ LiteraryD ig est’

The popular^Sigion of the Chinese has been the subject of Bumero^flwritings, but scarcely anything has been written! regarfftg the re l^ ^ ^ f l beliefs of those races who peopled/ the country be^fle the introduction of Bucpjp^iiP. Professor !0 . de Harlez, of the University of Bjotre^R'. Belgium, con­tributes a most i n s t r u c t i v e o n uhe subject to “ The New World,” for December. I t is generally people established on the bank^flf the J S u a ^ n H o , in the

^twenty-third century before Chfifec^ carnfe, frc§®dfe^ral Asia, !; and that ^ ^ B had a very advanced c^^Rafrion, both from moral an^Ro^Bcal point of view. B ut they w'esre surrounded on all language they did not understands®These early Chinese were, however, not slow bo enter into

countries, and ani^expedftGjn of the Emp^Br Mu Wang to €»tra>L Asia broi^^fl them into contact wBh BactRm a and Assyria. About 600 bBc. numerous vessels cauB to visit Hie • ports of the Empire and brouiM® there, together iflth precious [freight^ the missionaries of th f l religion of the stars, of fire, and^of the stem ragods and their myths. Still la ter^D ie Buddhists Bntroduced into China, several of the Indian Devas, and espeeie^B -i^^Rslief in the

I infernaSre|Bm s, and %heir sombre divinizes. In the ,®ean- time, thc^^Bies^fhad r e e v e d the teaching of their tWbigreatest philosophers, Confucius and Iia lBze. whose doctrines exercised a decisive influence u p o n l ie religious bBiefs of their felgfcfl citizens. The first teacher, in re-establishing tfle aneient usages* considerably weakened the faith of in a persen&lG od ; «fc||B second teajRer, - in creating Btee system of “ Ta®t’

F p M a Brahmanic |mfluence, opened S ie way tj^all kinds m B n n R a tio ^ ^ and gave rise, though involuntarily, to that poty' ■theistifj and superstitious character which dishonours tl10 I Chinese religion to-day. B ut the beliefs of tbe earliest races of China were of .the simplest k indB They believed in °n° personal God, the sovereign over heaven and mankind, »n the master of empires, although tbe books of the Chinese d°not MM us that they regarded God as the creator of the 'v°r' jThey do no£ seem to have been concerned with tho orig*n.J| things. This God they called “ supreme emperor ” or “ Sbm’g11'

January 20, 1894.] l ig h t . 35and considered his position in heaven similar to that of the Sovereign-master on earth. They believed, likewise, in spirits of an intellectual nature inhabiting heaven or earth, and in oharge of the different elements. These spirits, they said,** watched over the moral law, and observed the actions of men, penetrating even to the depths of the hearts, seeing everything, even the invisible, and aiding in the recompense of the good and the punishment of the wicked. I t was not fear that gave rise to the conception of the divinity among these ancient people, for they represented God to themselves with all the traits of a good and compassionate father, and in their eyes the Emperor, who represented the divinity, should be to them the “ Fa Mu,” or the “ father-mother,” of his people. I t was gratitude which inspired their early conceptions of God, and their offerings and sacrifices were those of gratitude rather than those of propitiation.

GLEANINGS FROM THE FOREIGN PRESS.

A P remonition.The Dutch “ Sphjfix,” which has just completed its first

volume, and whose success seems to be an accomplished factl has among others an interesting article from the German by Dr. Carl du Prel, and one on Magnetism, as a basis of physiology, by the Editor. I t quotes what appears to be a well authentirf* cated case of premo^Hont In Berlin an old couple named Gartner had two sonsfone of whom was in business, and while on a journey had stayed at Halle. While there he had a curious feeling) on a Saturday evening regarding his mother. He had to telegraph asking about her health. He did .jxot receive the reply HentSlo him, and he anxiously returned by the first available train to B a lm , When he arrived there and went to his father’s house he found the old lady quite well, but his brother told him of a Bmilar feeling having been experi­enced by himself. His parent® were at supper when he arrived, and after wait^D and chattinBhalf-an-hour he departed f l r his own home. Ten minutes lateBj a messenger followed him with the news that gis mother, whom he had left quite well, had been suddenly stricken and was dead.

M b& M E sperance in F inland. .

Professor Max Seiling, of the Polytechnic in Helsingfors® gives an account of som Jseances with this lady in that town. Mrs. d’Esperance favoured the circle of inquirers there with eight, sittings, of which on^K ilf were held in an apartment hired for the purpose, and the other half in privai^ houses. In what, for the sake of distinction, might be called the public seances, about two dozen sitters took part, while in those of a semi-private character the number of those who assisted did not exceed fifteen. In jpe firg&named the conditions were not very favourable® The meetings were compoBd almost exclusively of persons w h |p y unkiBwn toHhe medium, and to whom she was equally unknown—except, of course, by reputation—and although everyos^ present enjoyed the privilege of questB nl mg Mrs. d’Esperance in the fullest manner n'oncKyableMhey did not in retugp reispBp. K p e r earnest requests foi®‘’ singing^ exBafijfoin a weak and perfunctory fashion. In addition to this drawback the opinions of the sceptical were frequently volun­

teered in forms of expression which coATd not always be called refinedc^SySit^ lady must pofless not only considerable courage but a large spirit of forbearance to be enabled to face '•these crude outbursts of egotism on the part of people who are invited to observe, without money and without price, some of the extraordiM ry phenomena which attend her mediumship. Three of the semi-private seances were held in Professor Selling’s own spuse, and of these the following, genei^l account is taken from his report in “ DieUebersinnliche Welt." At the request of Mrs. d’Esperance and the spirits—with whom communication was maintained by means of raps ^ the lighting of the hired apartm ent had been so weak that those Bitting farthest from the medium—who was placed in front of a cabinet—must have experienced considerable difficulty in seeing h e r^ On the oilier hand, those nearest her found it to be almost always sufficient to enable them to recognise her. Speaking generally, they observed the same phenomena and phantoms as characterised the Berlin stances, although the former were comparatively less numerous, and the latter mostly so shy and timorous that they either only showed themselves in the cabinet when the curtain was drawn a s id e o r , a t the farthest, manifested only two or three feet in front of it. To the appearances which, according to the Professor’s judgment, could

not possibly originate with the medium, belonged those which he saw while he simultaneously perceived the presence of that lady in her place, and especially those forms which—or who— possessed altogether different bodily dimensions, such as little children and some gigantic shapes, as well as that which, before all their eyes, gradually developed in front of the cabinet from a luminous body about the size of a place. On one occasion a child emerged from a small cloud which came from the upper part of the cabinet and moved along some distance horizontally, finally sinking to the floor. I t repeatedly happened that two forms were concurrently visible, and the Professor emphasises this circumstance for the consideration of sceptics. All suspicion of trick is excluded from his own mind. Three of the stances occurred in his own house, and since hia acquaintance with Mrs. d’Esperance he has recognised in her the traits of a high-minded and good-hearted woman. He asserts that there was no illusion whatever about these forms. They were realities. They shook hands with several people, and one cbild- shape, after knocking a matchbox from an adjoining table, gave a light tap on the hand of one lady, embraced and kissed another, and kissed General S. on the brow and cheek. Several of the forms shook hands with the Professor himself, although somewhat coyly, and he naturally grasped the fingers held out to him. He states that they were quite human­like, two of the hands being rather cold and other two fairly warm. His wife’s hands were also heartily shaken by a mascu­line shape whose fingers are described as large, fleshy, and quite warm, and the reality of these existences was brought home to Professor Seiling in another practical way. He was sitting in the immediate vicinity of the medium, and therefore in front of the cabinet, not dreaming tha t he could in this position impede in any degree the progress of an apparition making its way from the opening of the curtain, as he supposed that “ matter,” including of course th a t of his own body, was no hindrance to them. This does not, however, appear to be always the case. For a time he had heard sounds as if some­one was busy with the curtains, and at last he was rather roughly hustled on his right shoulder—the shoulder furthest from the medium—and in such fashion as to make him under­stand that he was in the path of someone who was coming. He drew aside, and immediately received by way of thanks the out­stretched hand of a perfectly developed shape standing in the space between the now parted bangings. After be had grasped and felt this hand it was withdrawn. Another striking incident which he relates is that of a child-shape observed by him to creep up into a lady’s lap. Its little hands were cold and emaciated.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

[The Editor is not responsible for oinnicns expressed by correspondents, and sometimes publishes what he does not agree tcith for the purpose of presenting views that may elicit discussion.]

An Explanation.

Sib ,—I n your issue of January 6th, you attribute to me opinions which are not mine—(1) That evil is confined to earth. (2) That the next world is necessarily a perfect one.

I think exactly the contrary.Paris. Alfred E rny.

January 19th, 1894.

The Higher Ego.

S ir ,—May I courteously obtrude a last word upon your corre­spondent, Mr. Charles Strange ? Emerson in his Essay on Swedenborg wisely says “ Our instincts teach that the problem of essence must take precedence of all others.” From universal portents I am sure we are now verging not alone on the discovery of soul, bu t perhaps towards a higher fact—the Culture of Soul—and an inter-communion with areanas more perfect still. As the microscope has discovered the bioplasts so as certainly will the higher attributes of soul navigate un­explored currents of human consciousness. Mr. S. sets small value by “ phenomena,” or even methods of logic,in search

| of occult truths. Nevertheless, this severely scientific age demands definitions and inductions. Are not such the clear guide-posts to axiomatic results ? If such fail, in Mr. Strange’s opinion, the only resort is to obtain the golden key— experimental knowledge; but a new difficulty confronts us here. W e can neither translate nor interfuse our abnormal absorptions—the conveyance of such reciprocations can only command ordinary credence, such as obtains in business or

so ttGHT. [January 20, 1804.

Am \ ^moo«fat© Irl sUtingJthak our »oul»’ roposi- S . 5 “W" T 1 oHm * '§ ' Uglit I. B»u»mlly hulivl-

1 AlU ) III 0V«l-y .Win, llOW«y®*,attew m eul! aad j {irutoun^art mystery of *11* those

will atstora are eiuitiugm it upon primary outHUfclotW* which wo may tw in organic fitno**. *rhi* in Spirihialiam, lob m«hn.proM Upon Mr, Strange, is th e m il Rubicon which numb be crossed ora dogmatism can obtain . Reasoning in default of the more perfect knowledge lies in the roar of neoeanary scientific aeoumoy,

Nowcaatlonjii’T yuo. W. H . R obinson.

Spirit Photographs, do.

Sin,—"The production of photographic portraits by apirifc- powor without the employment of u camera, as testified by Mr. UlencUnnmg, is not altogether new. During my residence in Boston, D.kS,, I occasionally met a gentleman who belonged to the spiritual brotherhood. He was an artist, and was credited with painting very tine full-sized portraits in oil of deceased persons whom he had never seen, whoso likenesses were coeogmsod by friends and considered excellent as works of art. One day I asked him how he managed to get those likenesses— whether he was spiritually impressed or whether he worked from a photograph. Ho told mo in reply th a t he wont to Mrs. Boothby, a materialising medium, taking with him a small sheet of glass, and when “ Jo h n King ” emerged from the cabinet lie hauded tho glass to the spirit-form, which gently waved it in the air for a short time and thou handed it back. On the glass was visible a portrait, which the artis t now intently gassed upon as long as i t lasted. In the course of a few minutes it faded away. H e then returned home, and from recollection and by the aid of spirit impression was onabl ed to reproduce in a very successful manner the portrait he had seen, ha an enlarged form. Of course I cannot guarantee the tru th of this, bat as my informant was an earnest and devoted Spiritualist, and could have had no object in deceiving me, I see no reason to doubt the fact, especially as analogous phenomena have occurred in our English experience.

I occasionally attended Mrs. Boothby’s stances, and was well assured of the genuineness of her mediumship, very remarkable phenomena taking place. On entering the cabinet, the medium was hardly out of sight before a figure in white appeared, and spirit-forms would walk to the further end of the room between the company,who were seated on each side of it, leaving a passage in the middle. The spirits were accustomed to talk and sing in very loud voices, and hold conversation with the com pag^H

While I am writing I may mention a circumstance that has ju st occurred, which is in the nature of a coincidence. I have had several of these in the course of my life, which I may some day make a note of. Yesterday I had been reaJSSg^fl the “ Banner of Light ” an article on Servetus, showing how liH suffered martyrdom at the hands of John Calvin. I t occurred to me that this article would be of interest to an old friend who

SOCIETY WORK.

fflor respondent it who send us notices of tho work of the Societies with whi^ I they are associated will oblige by writing as distinctly as possii | and by appending their signatures to their communications, Inai. ; t cation to these requirements often compels us to reject their oon(r(, | ballons. No notice received later than the first post on Tuesday {t : sure of admission.1

14, OiiottAan-ROAo, Abkiw -road, S iibmimrd’h Bw h , W.-*v At our service on Bunrlay, many strangers were prosent. Mr. |It. W. Cable nave an account of the great success of Spirit, $ ualisin in the North of England, followed by very successful | Psychometry, Bunday a t 7 p.m ., open circle, with organ 1/ recitals ; inquirers invited. Tuesday at 8 p.m., stance, Mrs. \ Mason 8 January 28bh, Mb’s. Spring.—.1. II . B,, Hon. Sec,

T ub Stratford Booikty of S itiutualikts, W orkman1* H am,, W est H am-lank, Stratford, E .—•Meetings free, every | Bunday at, 7 o’clock ; Fridays at 7.30 for Inquirers, and at 8.30 L for Members, On Sunday last we bad an experience meeting, when several members gave their testimonies. Many stranger* l wore among thoaudionco, and the interest evinced by them was l particularly noticeable by their staying behind to ask questions. | These services are, to our minds, amongst the best institutions | commoted with a society.—-J. R ainbow, Hon. Sec.

S piritual H alt,, 86,. H iuh-stkkkt, M arylebone, W .~-: On Sunday evening last Mrs. May Mozart, although suffer. I ing from a weak throat, answered many written questions! from a crowdod audience, her replies giving general satisfaction, 1 Wo thank M rs^ Mozart very much for so kindly giving her I services to our Association. N ext Bunday evening, January §. 2 tst, a t 7 p.m., Mr. Wallace (the pioneer medium) will relate | some of his many experiences. We hope for a full hall on this ; occasion. On Sunday evening, January 28th, Mr. W. T, Cooper. February 4th, Mr. J . J . Morse.—L .H .R .

311, Camberwell N ew-roab.—At tho half-yearly general I meeting of the South London Spiritualists, the work during • the past half-year was shown to have been well sustained. Our increase in membership hasjpeen twenty. Cash balance has | increased from .-£9 to £30, The following were elected officers J of the mission for the .ensuing half-year :—Messrs. Long, Part- | ner, Payne, LI. and It. Boddingtotw" W arden, Coleman, and | J e r ry ; Mcsdarnes Ryder, Sherwo®«M . Mackay, and Crump f On S«uB y, February 11th, the new premises of the South f London Spiritualists’ Mission, a t Camberwell Green, will be ;

■ opened, when many well-known mediums and leading Sjj[rit­ualists will attend and take part in the proceedings. Full I particulars next week. Will our friends please note that no ! further meetings will be held a t 311, Camberwell New-road,-, and that pending the opening a teve annerancedH our usual

: meetings m il be M spendS^B -C , M. PAYN^Bllon. See.S piritualists’ I nternational Corresponding Society.

—Inform ation and assistance given to inquirers into Spiritualism.. L iterature on subject and list of members will be sent on receipt of stamped envelope by a y of the following International Committee :—America, M rs^M , R . Palm er,3101, North Broad- streo t,Philadelphia; Australia, Mr. H .Ju n o r Brown, “ ThoGrand

: H otel,” M elboB ajH France, P . G. Ley marie, 1, Rue C h a | ^ ^ M | £ p e r m a n y , E . Spalocliajffier, 1, Mipiabij ou-place, Bpi&il N .; bl^Ktnd, F . W. H .V |jp S brazen,, Ap eldo orn, Middellaanl 682 ; India, Mr. T. H atton, S ta te ^ ® tto n MifflH B a id a ;

holds the office of deaoon in our principal CaU^Bstio tabernacle. H e is very much concerned about my Spiritual procli^ffies, and whenever we meet they always become the subject of con­versation. Through being away from home and other causes, I had not seen this disciple of Calvin for some time—aboi^ftwo years, I should judge. About midday, yesterday, I posted the said “ B anner” to my friend, and about five o’clock was sun-1 prised to bear his name announced as a visitor. I thought he had called in consequence of my sending him the paper, bu t I found his object was to get me to road a pamphlet, e rM tle |l “ E ternity ,” which, as i t was in its twenty-fifth thousand, was evidently regarded as an important publication by the fa® |fu l of his denomination. The author is “ A Bankers^* I thanked him and told him I would look at it. I then asked him if he had received anything from me, and he said he had not. I told him th a t most likely ho would find something when he got home. How are these coincidences to be explained 1 The chances are very many against their happening fortuitously, 1

Eastbourne. R o b e r t C o o p e r JM

So sometimes comes to soul and sense The feeling which is evidence

That very near about ns lies The realm of spiritual mysteries.—W h it t i e r .

\ Man must be to a certain degree the artificer of hi§ own happiness. The tools and materials may be put into his hands by the bounty of Providence, but the workmanship rauBt be his own. —Cumberlan i>.

New Zealand, M r. G rB ^ H H untley, Waikato ; Norway, B. S Torestonson, Advocate, Christiania ; Russia, Etienne Geispifcz, Grande B elttersk i, No. 7, Lod. 6, Stv Petersburg ; England, J. ' Allen, Horn See., 13, B erkl<^B ||pac JW h ilfe Post-lane, Manor Park,Essex ; or, W. C. Frei^Hco-rreSponGl&i|t, 166,RyeHill, Newcastle-on-Tyne.—The M anor P ark branch n ip hold the followin^Lmeetings a t 13{R Berkley-terrace, W hite Manor P a rk :—Sundays, 11 a.m ., for inquirers and students,and »the last Sunday in each moijpfc, a t 7 p.m .,reception for inquirersl Also each FrMay, a t 9 p.UA* prom pt, for Spiritualists only, tjffl study of Spiritualism. A nd a t Manor Park,the first Su^Hiy in ea& jm onth, a t 7 p .m ., reception quirers. Also each Tuesday, a t 7.30 p.m ., kiquire^^ii^et- ing.— A.

THE LONDON SPIRITUALIST ALLIANCE.2, Duke-street, Adelfhx, W.C.

rpliis Society of Spiritualists, founded for theX purpose, primarily, of uniting those who share a common faith, and then of giving ^ feirmation respeaw g thatt ifeith to those seek for it, occupies Chambers a t the above address. There k'ffl be found an ex tS siv e Library of works especially attractive W Spiritualists, the various Jo u rn a ls of Spiritualism published in tte* and- W&pt eoui^ries; and opportunities of converse with friends w minded. The Alliance hobfej periodical meetings at which papers j |

Jm ^resting phases of the suisSct are read* and discussion is invited. Donations solicited. , .

Mim-Mim Anmial Subscription of Members and Associates, Guinea, payable in advance, and on the 1st January in each Further particulars may be obtained from B. D. GODl'llEY, Litoraria >

| pn the premises.

A Journal o f Psychical, Occult, and Mystical Research,“ iiiom H More light [ " — Q o e th e . “ Whatever doth make manivkst is light,”—P m l .

No. 6 8 1 VolI x IV. a] SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1894, P r ic e T w o pe n c e .

NOTES BY TH E W AY.Lord Wolseley strikes a very important note in the

above letter when, he says that these “ superstitions" linkIn the current number of <|^eB Contemporary Review,”

M&Haweis begins a series of papers on^^H Mormons. The story of this strange and Mr. Haweis’s defenceof them are equally outsfle our purvid'S^B nevertheless certain iSfa-ims a^ponade for Bgi^AEormons wh^KrshoulH interest readers of S L ight.” Mr. H a B f e s ^ f i that “ the Mormons we?3 advanced Spiritualists, believing in mani­festations and m^K&es from the dead a t a time when ‘all th a t sqm of thing B was tabooed tfs H n r i b u a or denounced as

A fter referrimMtfo* th e modern interest in, and increase of k&owlffdge as

n of J as&i^fllla^h o f s a y s :^9I am myself disposed to believe that Smith, finding himself

I subject topowers which he dfcfflFIfifcB understand, and could fV control, soih^Haes attempted n & ^ n n l failed, w h f t at

r other times he upon* bis visions, land the real powers he exercised, i^ ^ B

■f him tlhat he was an ano%0 fej. prophet, and possessiondivine gifts, and being convinced himself, he not^^BMurallfl convinced phenomenon is by no means rare ; itindeed, *Pi®&§jry-day occurrence. The phenomenal foundations of Mormonisaii.', in fact, differ, if at

, degree from the ps^iclpfl phenomena which aDreligious revivals, days oftists of Irvingite tongues.

' The folio wing the press.We congratulate L ord Wolseley on having the courage of ,;Ms opinions, a courage som etim es qu ite as great as that needed' 'on. the field of battle . Lord Wolseley had been invited to the T hirteen Club is to Ithe of th a t

The Royal Hospital, Dublin.

Dear Sir ,—I have $ | ackno wledge the letterqf ult., and to request that you will be good enough tocoiisTO^g^theirap^ ^ f t e of the cere theimp. I wish I could aejS^Bhis flattering invitation and become an bdSbrpy member, honestly do so. l^ ^ Bonly believe many superstitions, b d t f $ m g them with Jfte w a rm e sf They link cfinBif not with a spiritual

which I k # w nothing, at least with a glorious !Rndi^i&fe.and picturesque past,H w W p | history has told me much. I believe in gho§t$‘ahd in amulets ; I have worn out the rims cjf several hats qjiiee I have been in Dublin BhrqugK^my salutations <j| #%gjjp magpies—that mystic bird abounds, jfc Ireland—and f'#oul<$ not on any account walk under a ladder, &e. $ in fact, I am.t>*ene to adopt any superstj|B& t am tbid o f, which I find <S§|ers believe ip . How, therefore, could I express sympathy witii, th e B btects of your clubdl I^® ild can thank you and all the m fib e rs most ©gplially^for your kind invitation, and wish you-many very peasantjsieetings, I am sure they will be so, although you all have the misfortune to reject superstitions which are the salt of life to yours very gratefully, W qlseley.

him, if not with a spiritual world of which he knows ■nothing, at least with a gkBous and artistic and pictur­esque past, But that past is glorious and artistic because Biere was an underlying spiritipf which “ superstition ” is the outward and visible sign.

The “ Sun,” in^^iimadverting on certain asserted appearances of Madame Blavatsky, refers to “ professors of the Occult ” as not losing each other, and mentions the fact that “ L ight ” has spoken with scanflrespect of a Bagtain Massachusetts Journal. Now, our good friend the “ Sun ” makes here the usual mistake of confounding all OcBBi?tB T^fe^b^hists, and Spiritualists as being o n e B B ad therefore jg j^B ly indivisible. But that is not so,‘anffl f t !VBs assure the e^^H^Sf th a t pap^p that we desire B u^B a^^^B ii tp maintain what we consider the truth jegftnst the insidious i^acksBjEBharlatans as he does to k e^^ ie .s im g ^ icH o f a pure Radicalism untainted even by tB ^B ,dow iS |T °ry evil,

B e r we published last week, is angry because he thinks we misunderstood him. I t appears that

M prB ious remark, #bat “ nothing could be worse than intended for a jokB We submit, however, that it

a i r B ask a question with apparent seriousness, ^^ ^ B ^ J^ B e n ^ fla n sw e B iB attempted to turn round and

I I t was only furB Such jokes are too elaborate to be

The “ followingWe wislBvery much to say a few words on the subject of time

I as measured on the lines of the hands. I t is a most difficult subject, a tf^^R e are s’efflom the exact age of their years. By

one person of thirty years of age and another of the aaMmjihbugBthev have lived the same number of years on DBvharth, ,a.re not^f* the Same age, either mentally orphysi- M L ; ^ h c . <?me who lives a qtftet, tranquil existence, uBfefHlfeSjjfoy. '•j^B dfr conditions of lif^ 1 will be found to b.e^Bara ■ younger than the other, who: has been spend- , i f his tino^B a constant 'mental strain, anxiety, and excite-

teenfe with possibly bad circumstances and feeble health to cK |flid with. The only happiness, chirologically speaking,is that we # B S & ftg all this on a glance at the hands and measure our time accord f i f e . But it is a fact that should carefully be borne in m ina Then there is the difference of age commgiB

temperaments, as made by climate and nationality, .wlmm also requires to be carefully considered, hot climates and so&hero blood making people, as well as plants, grow up quickly and grow old sooner than those of temperate climes.

W I S m# en&orsing the details of the above, it is pleasaniito th a t 'th e idea that time should not be rfieasured w ab^lute years is held by others as well as ourl s e l f e A t the same time it is possible for that struggle which the writer thinks may age people to do just the opposite, and keep them young, with the strength that comes from the arena.

T h e greatest m isfortunes m en fall into arise from them­se lv e s .— Steele.

l i g h t[January 27, laiq

CONVERSAZIONE OF THE LONDON S P IR IT U A L IS T

ALLIANCE,

A C\®vwsiuuHw tvf uhhuIku's rtIU| fi'iemjs of tlift L tiid o ji % 4riU <U kt A U ianw wan buhl in the B anqueting H a ll, S t, Jaiu<r,*ds* H all, on tW oveuivig of M onday hist, when M r. V , W i If M yers k in d ly &m| oflfuml sumo rem arksujxav, an uu|>ftl>Vtsht'il m an u scrip t hy Mr. W. S ta in ton Messes* on th e ^ Id e n tity of S p irit,1’ T here waa a largoaitom lanco, th e com pany in c lu d in g ;.. -

K IHwsoMk.Mr*, Ptvrkvr AUea Mr. AttW-rtotiMe. Y- A. 4WM Mrs. 4«h»Miss IWskiujs Alilruige i Mw* Uruv>»M r T H Vagvi'wt'Mrs. B«%.Oii|>£ .it’- Hiss.tiiMr. trta..iiAi»A Mess. ft Bullsr t'a.jj*. C ft itev siaU Miss M. IWI.«Me. W". ft KtvwhMrs. BTvwtfcis Mr.Mrs. SertwsSwyMiss Bettesiey Miss. Bisteop Mrs, BvU Mrs. H- R. Bwtt M iss Bell Mr. 4. BreuisA Mrs. Briakl*¥Mtes BriakteJT Mr. IVatAMr. W. it . Blackasaa • Mr. &. ISwtfista&w Mrs, Baai4«r Mr K. X. Beaayft Mr, Buutw*Mrs, Buieifcer

Uiica. ns, f'rmtvlenl. iiviu-rvi! *ud Mrs. Cjoniunj Mrs. R&tiugtan NelsonO r, 4 . Uo.lv'Mt. B M. Uorrsns flue Mis-v's i * it'MH Miss itrseu Mrs. iUtx'n,*Vt.i.i.vuiv U riiM r Mr. suit Mrs. (). Ursul Mr. A. U lc'iuiinm nx Missss J .( N., K., siiU B,

Ul-OHiUuniui;Miss M. W. iiUuivillo Mr. ft. t>. tUKiury Mrs. met Miss K. OculfreyM r. snul M is. K. H «aveu Mr. L. 1’i t t

Miss NoIj i Miss Now ! i'olvilU'l OfKKlgh&W

Mr. VV. I'ai.e f Mr. G. A. 1'iirry i Mr. W. II. 1‘srker j Mrs, ftirbor ( Miss S. ftirkst l Mrs.Brnyiui hnUllcsnibs ; Mr, 1*. Hroyss ! Mrs. Hitman j Mr. Frank 1 *ui{li

Mrs. l'assiughaiuMr. H. Vivian Hyde Mrs. Viviiiu Hv«lo Kev J. liopusMr. 1 . D. .Ilaimay Mr. Leigh Hunt Uuptain Holland Mr K. Haunah

S Madame Poppuiarher ! Miss Helene Poupmaoher

Miss Porter Hr. \V. T. Reynolds

j Mrs. and Miss Revnolita Mrs. Murray Rolkind Miss Murray Holland

Mr. C. J.H histlerH anson Mr. ('. It. Rnsliton . Miss Uiinsou Mrs. Kuslitou

Mr. Ru hiusi lta rteMr, T. Hey wood Mrs. H art Lady lanes Mr. H. P. K. Ireland Miss IrelandMiss Blanche D. Jerome Mr. J.D..V. Johnson, LL.D

Mrs. Bhss and Miss Bliss Miss Beatrice Jones Mr. Edwin Booth Mss. J . Booth -Mrs. l*. Booth Mrs. firadfey Hon. Mrs. Cewper Mr. J, F. Collingwood Airs. CoBiasrwisoil

j Mr. A. W, Jones Mrs. Jones Mrs. and Miss Johnson Mrs. K re user Madame K abler Mr. W. Keiller Mr. F. W. Levander

S h e A. M.lSoUingwood j Mrs. Lev&nderMrs. Hamer Cape Mr Allan Campbell Mrs. Campbell Aliss Cartisser Mr. K. O. Crews Mr. ¥ . Clarke Mr. Cooper Miss B. Cooper Mrs. Chaplin Mr. H. J . Chadd Mrs. Ch-usd Dr. BUea Colver Miss Charlton Miss Clara Coqaille Mr. Hjr. Carter Mrs. Coffison Mr: and Mrs. A. Cole Mr, and Mrs. 6 . Cole Mias Dillon Mr and Miss A. Dyne The Muses Dixon Mrs D-ansoa Mrs. Dennis Mr. ftosseil Danes Mrs. Russell Danes Mr. R. Draysen Airs, and Miss Darling Mr. J .M . Dale Mrs. Doorie Mr. T. IL Edmonds Mr. H. R. Edmands M is. Edmonds Miss Kefcford Mi s. Bang Elder Mr. Gilbert Elliot Mrs. H. Ellis Miss Hides

I Mr. Eilwards Mr. R. C. T. Evans

Mr. W. J. Lucking Mrs. Lacking Mrs. W. B. Lewis Mr. and Mrs. C. Lacey Mr. A. E. Lovell Mrs. Lovell Mrs. R. Low Mr. L. Loewenthal Mr. Lea Mrs. landeryn Mr. T. Douglas Murray Mrs. Keith Murray Mr. C. L. Murray Mr. Waldo Morell Mr. Edward Maitland Mr. C. C. Massey Mr. Arthur J . Melhuish Mr. F. W. H. Myers Air. Ernest Meads Mr. CSlynne Morgan Mr. anil Mrs. Mozart Mr. Leonard Milne Mrs. Milne Miss Mack Lady Meux

| Mr. Alan Montgomery j Miss Montgomery

Mr. F. Dare Mordle ! Mrs. MiUetl j Miss Florence Aforse f Dr. T. 0. Marsh I Miss Moffat

Airs. Martinez Mr. and Mrs. F. Mather

j Mr. R. A. March i Mias C. W. McCreadie { Mr.H.A.McGnsty , Miss Macdonald I Mr. and Mrs. McKay

Sir. St. George Lane Fox; Mr. J . McGeary Alisa Gocxirich Freer i Mrs. McCansland Hon. Airs. Forbes j Mr. MacfarlaneMiss K ate Frisbee ‘ Miss A. McKibbin

Miss Dawson Rogers Mr. Herbert Ross Air. E. C. Rawlings Mrs. Rawlings Mr. William Ryley Mrs. RaeMr. and Aliss RumfordMrs. SwanstonMr. Charlton T. SpeerMrs. II. S. O. StreetMr. S. J. ScottMrs. SpearmanMr. H. M. StanleyMr. Percy SmytheMrs. SmytheMrs. and Miss SeatcherdAir. F. W. SouthMiss E. SouthMr. SuttonAirs. E. SwainMiss I. SpencerMr. J . J . SmithAir. and Airs. SmithMr. J. Traill TaylorAliss TaylorAir. J. Hay TaylorAIis. TaylorAir. and Airs. W.Theobald Miss Amy Theobald Aliss AI. B. Theobald Mr. Bertram G.Theobald Aliss F. J. Theobald Dr. C£ Lloyd Tuckey

. Mr. C. Tarrant Air. H. Thacker

j Air. H. Tidbnry I Air. Terry [ Miss TenleI Miss A. Rowan Vincent

I Aliss Vincent Miss Velbusin Airs. Oscar Wilde The Alisses Withall Air. H. Withall Airs. Wiseman Air. H. Wright The Alisses Wright Air. W. Wilson Air. and Airs. E. Westlake Air. C. H. Willsher Airs. R. W. Wileman Mr. B. S. Weston Air. W. West Airs. Whittaker Air. S. J. Whitaker Alias “ X.”Air. Sydney Young Miss Laura Yates

&c., &c.

M l ■ Council of the Alliance, in cletei'minj. I ““ T C M «™ l« « W ro » ,y ™ .c h .r i-h the H H | ate thereby promoting more sym patheticinv i they

The President, in opening the proceedings, s a i d I t would be absurd for me for a single moment to assume th a t M r. Myers, who has kindly consented to address you this evening, needs any introduction to such an assembly as this. B e re ~ a n d wherever an interest exists in psychical research— his name is familiar as th a t of a gentleman who brings great talent and unwearied patience to the endeavour to interpret some of the profoundest mysteries of ou r being. I t may be well, however* that I should briefly tell you how it is that he—the most active worker in the ranks of the Society for Psychical Research —occupies a position to-night on the platform of the London Spiritualist Allianee. I fear it must be admitted that, in the past, the attitude of some of us, who profess and call ourselves Spiritualists, towards the Society for Psychical Research, though i t can hardly be said to have been unfriendly, has certainly not been altogether cordial. I do not stop now to discuss the reason j but I have the satisfaction of being able to

rtt that your reception of M r. Myers will i vt the stop which the Alliance has thus ta l^

fu ture i and I trmsuch as to show tlitihas your hearty concurrence. (Cheers.) B ut, please, do not n,^ understand me. B the course which we have adopted w ehaV(i no ulterior end in view. Wo ave gratified by M r.M yers’ kind ari(1 courteous acceptance of our in v ita tio n -h u t he is committed t<j ; nothing beyond this expression of good will by his appear anee here to-night. N either are we. The two bodies work t different linos, and must continue to do so. But the interest of our common cause —the discovery and dissemination of trutjj ; in relation lo psychical phenom ena—should lead us to cultivate a spirit of harmony, co-operating when we can, and alwayg cheerfully recognising sincerity of purpose, even though w<. ; may be sometimes driven, by the same facts, to opposite ; conclusions. I now invito your a tten tion to Mr. Myers wln]e ; he places before you some selections from an unpublished manuscript by your late revered President, on the Identity of Spirit.

M r, Myers said : I t may probably be known to some of ; those present th a t the Executors of your late President, Mr. Stainton Moses, have entrusted me, a t my own earnest wish, j with the deeply responsible duty of editing his manuscript : remains. These consist of many books of notes and automatic writing, of which an account will be found, together with a mass of the evidence to physical phenomena, in the forthcoming P a rt XX V . of the S .P .R . “ Proceedings.” More m atter is to follow in the same publication. B ut amongst Mr. Moses’ papers was found a type-w ritten lecture, evidently intended to have been delivered to th a t special body of his friends who con­stitu te the Alliance which I am now addressing. I t is my privilege, therefore, to read to you to-day such parts of this lecture as time allows. Much of the m atter contained in it has been already prin ted in “ S pirit Id en tity ,” a book long out of p r in t ; bu t the lecture also contains some im portant matter never before given to the world with equal fulness

T H E ID E N T IT Y O F S P IR IT .B y W . S t a in t o n M o ses .

I am about to present you with a problem. W hat is it that constitutes identity, after the bundle of sensations th a t we call the body is disposed of ? How, for instance, should I, sup­posing th a t I had died yesterday, make i t certain to you that I appeared here to-day ? I t is perhapg-a more complex problem than i t a t first seems, for I do not feel sure th a t I know what consciousness is, and if I do not how can I know what identity is 1

I t may be th a t these things are simple. People tell me th a t they are ; bu t the peopB who th ink most are most dis­posed to regard them as complex. F o r example, we have in the recent researches in hypnotism strong indication of a self which probably does en ter in to our sub consciousness at other than waking times, e.g., in s lf tp and trance. What exactly would prove the identity of a man who could no t place him self in evidence in a witness box ? W hat I w ant to fix your minds on is this. Every form of eviflaa.ee th a t is w orth consideration must in its final analysis be lifted on to the moral plane.

Any intellectual being who is sufficiently clever—and there are ^intellectual beings in and out of the body to whom that term may be applied—can gather up evidence, true or untrue, with very little trouble. B u t a being, in the body or out of the body, who has given me definite and positive proof of his integrity , and who sets himself to produce for me evidence of th e nature of which I am speaking, commands my attention and my respect.

I have had relations extending over nearly twenty years with such a being. I f I am capable of judging a t all of evidence laid before me, he is entirely en titled to belief, to respect, and to reverence. Then comes th is fu rther point : the evidence that he produces rests not only on its own intrinsic merits but on his own guarantee. I f I arn wrong in believing him, I am pro­bably wrong in believing all th e rest of the evidence. And if I am wrong in so believing, I th in k th a t the evidence on which I rely for every act of my daily life, short of that under my eyes, is good for nothing. Therefore i t comes to this : that on which I am relying for the evidence of perpetuated life after death Is as good as th a t on which I rely in most th a t I do and act upon day by day.

39January 27, 189*4 LIGHT,yiie evidence shall be set forth categorically, and if per­

chance any®U desires to ask me any question about it, those questions shall be answered. Here in this place I have no difficulty in answering all questions fully. My inmost soul shall be laid bare to anyone who so desires it. To the public thore are things that 1 may hot say.

The evidence which has been given to me is best, perhaps, presented in this way.

When I first became acquainted with the subject of Spirit­ualism, I cam ^into relations with a spirit who called himself “ Iiuperatorij? Those v l f l are familiar with my book “ Spirit Teachings ” will remember what care I took to make sure that I was not being befooled by any spirit. If the precautions that I took strike anyone as insufficient^ I should much like to know what, in the opinion of my critic, would be considered sufficient. For in the affairs of daily life I am mtjfeh loss careful, and I find

I' usually that people do nj§; go about to deceive me. TheBmger I live the more I am disposed to believe thacTjraE objecBof people on any moral plane, as a rlVle, is not to take in other people—exceptis excipiendis, as will occijf to all. And so with this belief B?my mind, and with tffiese precautions, that I made

| use of, I present the evidence that nowSol^Hs.It was >n August, S&feiBtrhat I first became acquainted with

evidence of Spirit Identity. Dr. and Mrs. Mpeer and I were then sitting angularly almost every evening. A frffflicL of Mrs. I

| Speer’s, of whom I had Rgver' heard, came and wrotB through my hand her n a m e l A. P . K irk la n d l Speer said, “ Isthat our qld friend ? ” I w rot^^^K es. I canm to tellyou that I aiKhapp^fejut I can’t impress Bur friend Jp-night®

I The liandwrifeingjrelen and there cawe unica­st tions from Mr. OallisfeB B ftfcnd of miBB; from- my ownBmsin,

“ T. J. S .” ; and from an<^E i spirit, w ^ ^ ^ B lo not think i t^ f l I importance toS a^ m fe L here.

regard g© thesd?®ommuiucBions,i^B were distinct in 1 style, of importance to notice that the handw riting^^§ Miss Kirkland wasB|i-y ^jmEffiLto her own, whicnJ^fhad n e ^ S 1 seen, and that Mr. being qi^H ion^O as to his1 identity, recalled to a B e t which had escaped it*

and a conversation, the had had wi^Bhim on§ earth. This I do ^R daddi{^ as evidence of iden^^H nor do I f withdraw it as s w u ■ ■ I l f i ?

This wasSma thepapro^B Aulffipff 18'^ ^ t o I on tSe 4th mg 1 September in the same year BBgae a littfp sist® of Dr.

Speer’® particulars respecting which printed in “ Spirit, IdtSMbty,” as |$|ftpvs

I pass to a case in which a spirit who first manifested her presence* on Sep6‘entfipsw4th, g§Eg[ hasH fejained in permanent] communication withwe hav«the' advantage <w intercourse ItPaid us in

BSffjwgg, an opinion a s l f l identity,not only unequivocal proof of h e r i n d i ­viduality, buKlfefg pggsfe noB^Bcl&giBQ1 wa vatjThis is aBem arkable case, too, ascen d in g to prove th a t life once g j k ^ i M a n d that the B H it w p ^B nCx-^IBM animated a human b o d || however b^^B E $tenlire, lives on wit® unimpaired identity.

iJftreuaillsd herself by ra p s ,^ ^ ^ B a message i i l jB ^ ||[ . She said P ie was a sister ^^BDr.pppeeiM and had p&bsej away at Tours, an in ^ ^ flo f seven I had 'heard her mentioned, and h ^ ^ f l^ H in h a d for-

r gotten her exisgenee, for shpBjSpaS and died before his birth. Clairvoyants 'garni*ah^^aa (fe jaMbd a child as being in my company., and I fptd wondered at this, .‘jp&njffihaii§j&had Brtracb of any jffl0Ks§pi|s|j or friend. He^Swa^m ie explanation. FroirJfeae time of" her first appearance she has remained attached and her clear, ^ ^ B f l e rap, perfectlyindividual in jw & p ire , is never-failing eviJB fe of mmSpfe- senceB It never varies, and we all know it ^Bem lg as surely as we shodf$ know thd tone jsf a friend’s She gaveparticulars of herself, and also her four names in full. One (Stanhopp was ifcew to her b ro tb ^ p p ^ h .e yerifijSfl only R reference to ancmer member llrSma~faMllv BMrs. Denis). Fames, and datijjfoy and facts were alike unknown t© mOj* I was absolutely ignorant of the fact of the existence of any such person.

This little sflpB has twice manifested her presence on the photographic plate, One of these cases was attested by direct writing, and bo® will be found clearly detailed in the .course of my researches, in the chapter on Spirit Photography, published in *‘Human Nature,” Vol. VII®, p- 395. (See also “ Spirit* Identity,” Appendix IV .)

So here we have a presence that gives by raps a name Unknown to any person p r e s e n t th a t name afterwards vested U that appears on a photographic plate with her m other, pertain ; distinctive features in the figure of the mother giving further I

‘wiclonce of the identity of the baby-figure ; and lastly, an attes­tation from those whom we had learned to trust of the truth of ifc all. I lay stress on this case. Another case which I think important is this.

On an evening in the month of January, 1874, I repeatedly «aid to Mrs. Speer, “ Who is Emily Coles'! Her name keeps sounding in my ear.” Mrs. Speer replied that she did not know anyone of that name. ®Yes,” I said very emphatically,“ there is someone of that name passed over to the world of spirit.5; She could give me no information, and I was disturbed, in the way in which I always am when such things take place.This is one of the many cases occurring about this time. When

] the evening paper came in we looked (as we frequently did) at the obituary. I may say that our minds were set on this subject of identity. At our daily sittings fact on fact was given to prove it and to remove any doubts. I t became a regular thing for us to receive a message giving such facts as an obituary notice would contain. We therefore looked for them, and we found an annoBicement of the death of ^Em ily, widow of the late Captain Cowper Coles.” On a subsequent evening in the following year, the date of which I can produce, but which I have not by me at the moment, she returned again. Dr. Speer and I had g R e out for a walk in the afternoon—I was then staying with him at Dudley Villa, Shanklin.Isle of Wight,—and at seance in the evening came “ Emily Cowper Coles.” I inquired what brought her, and her answer was rapped out on the table, “ You passed my grave.® Here I should explain -that at this time I never went near a graveyard bu t I attracted some Jjaitjmdentifijgffi,afterwards as one whose body lay there,I sa id , B N o, th a t is Bnpossible?) we have been near no grave- yardB andCpS^Bapeer Bonfirmed my impression. The eom- munSSitrop BjweySi,* was persistent, and we agreed that we worn® take the same walk tlfljhext day. We did so, and a t a c e r ta in I had an impulse to climb up and look over a wall, which cjg^H shin out ja-om the view of the ordinary passer-by what was belBud i& I climbed up and looked over, and my eye

rap l atfapnee the grave of “ Emily Cowper Coles,” and on [ the dates, and particulars given to us, all exactly accurate.

Anwher similar in kindB-though this is, of a per­sonal friend oh M rsBSpeer'BBs the case of Cecilia Eeilden. (See “ SpiriflIden tity ,” p. 58.* We were then at Shanklin, sitting regularly K e r y evening, when on January 1 st, 1874, t ^ H came a f r ^ i sound, a little tic llng sound in the air,

I f ^ ^ ^ t o Mi-s. Speer. We inquired what i t might represent, and were that i t indicated the presence of Cecilia Feilden,

had ^R yseventeep years ago. We asked why she came, and w e i^ ^ ^ S ra ^ s M ^ a d been attracted to her old friend, Mrs.

^ ^ H ^ B h ro u g h me, and in Bmsequence of Dr. Speer’s and B grave a t Bonchureh tha t afternoon. She

p jhsv^R g many questions, and finally rapped^butB “ I must now' depart. Adieu.” This word Miss Feilden always used at

lBr-let@rs. Mrs. Speer tells rrife th a t she seldom HoncMded a phip" ®^frwise. I had never known her, or heard

pointed out her grave. When we rose from the, table we found tha t a piece of marked paper, which we had puf down under the table, had w ritte^ upon it the words

rW passed ^K g n teen years.”

Again, case of H enry Spratley. We were thenthe same l^ f f i |i t t in g in the same way, on January 2nd, 1874, and Bean aver thki; not o n f us had ever heard of this person. H jg S ^ ^ tffl^ d eparted ('Peoemt^B 31873), and it p a s alleged that

^ fe h a d been brought by the mma-ollin<r- spirit “ *Knperat<or,” for nD.urpftes of^pvidence, and pldpursuance of a plan intended to b ^ a k down my persistent scepticisl^J We had from him mes-

® hB u?V ® 'type , myii§.>slnply whfehe was, when he was kbbrar, and wten*m ffied. We found i t mjfficult, I remember, to ■verify tlB'fiacts, but in tlifsend Mrs. Speer succeeded in doing so 4>y wrigihg ( i) to the Post Office, making a general inquiry, to which no ans wer cam e; (2) to the Vicar of Maidenhead, with

1-no reply (w'e afterwards discovered that he was on Iris holi- day) p (3 ) to The ‘‘ present occupant of Moor Cottage,” the addrffls given to us by the sp irit^ (4) to his nearest surviving representativeBwho wrote back with some surprise to say that all things were quite tru e® ‘ My father lived here till he died on December 24th .”

^Hperliaps I may here mention a case in which I endeavoured to [mislead a communicating spirit, bu t without any success. If there be try th in the allegations of the too-clever people that constitute thd. Society for Psychical Research, there should have

4 0 L IG H T .[Jan nary 27,

been conveyed from my brain to that of the Imp** «■««”** ent^y with which I eotnuiuuieated the falsity 1 hail fabric**0 ' "here came a spirit who re preset} toil herself to be my grandmother.I Jtvmembored her well a s a Jwild, and bein g a | thin time p erfectly free f root any abnormal influence, I ©roes-que-aikmed my a lleg ed relative at great length. The answers to my questions were given by raps, different from any we had heard before, and daring the greater jwvrt of the time without any co n ta ct with the table.

I inquired of her minute facta and dates, her birthdayJ the dav of her death, her children's names, and a variety of details such as occurred to me. 1 then asked if she remembered me as a child. She did. I proceeded to detail two imaginary incidents such as might occur in a child’s life. I did it so naturally that my friends were completely deceived. It never occurred to them that I was making up a story as a test- Not so, however, iny w Intelligent Operator at the other end of the fine.” She refused altogether to assent to my story. She stepped me by a simple remark that she remembered nothing of the sort. Nor could I by any means get her to waver, or to admit that she might be mistaken. She repeated that she did not remember anything of the sort. 1 had frequently' been told that spirits would assent to anything ; and my pious fraud had as much for its object to test this allegation generally as to prove identity in this particular case. . . . This spirit, atany rate, refused to assent to what I suggested. I certainly rose from the table convinced that I had been talking to a person that desired to tell the truth, and that was extremely careful to be exact in statement. I verified all the facts, and found them exactly given. (See “ Spirit Identity,” p. 53.)

I remember well that my mother was much surprised at what she thought to be the tenacity of my memory as to long past events.

This narrative is becoming monotonous, hut it is necessary for purposes of argument to bring facts to bear on you as they were brought to bear on me, if only for the same purpose. On January 4th, 1ST4, we had one of our usual meetings. Bright masses of light stood between Mrs. Speer and myself, and there came a gentle rapping directly under my hands. She asked if the spirit wished to communicate, and to her great astonishment the name “ George Eves” was rapped out. Greatly affected, Mrs. Speer said, ‘ * Are you my brother 1 ” “ Yes.” “ Have yon ever manifested your presence before ? ” (This not from uncertainty as to the likeness, but because we wished to ascer­tain in this way .whether it was indeed George Eves whom we had seen and whom his sister had recognised.) “ Yes, I have, but not here ; partly through the medium you visited ” (i.e.,Holmes). “ Then that was your face that I saw ? ” said Mrs. Speer. “ Yes.” Hr. Speer then asked if he had a sister with him. No reply, but a much deeper rap gave through the alphabet the name “ Augustus.” Mrs. Speer, who was always very impres­sionable and generally knew what was wanted, said, “ Are you my father?” “ Yes.” “ And you manifested also a t Holmes’, did you n o t?” - ‘Yes.” After some further con­versation, there came a little tapping again under Mrs. Speer’s hands. I t would be almost impossible to make clear the evident anxiety felt by the spirit to communicate. The quality of the raps represented exactly the inflections of an eager human voice. We called the alphabet, and “ Emma ” was rapped out. Mrs. Speer had a mother and sister of that name—she inquired which. “ Sister.” “ And have you seen our brother William ? ”

No.” Further conversation followed, and the only object in referring to it is to point out that i t is too silly to think that any being should elaborately impose in this way upon people whose one and only desire was tb arrive at the tru thB Nor could any of those present who felt the atmosphere, and saw the light that surrounded us, assent to the doctrine that we were the sport of devils. I never sat under better conditions, nor in a more harmonious state, and I rely on such sensations quite as much as I do on material tests.

Another case that I think important is recorded in my *“ Spirit Identity,” pp. 65, 66, as follows

One more case ot extremely minute evidence given in detail through the means of raps, and corroborated by automatic writing, must be given before I close. About the same time of which I have been speaking, the whole of one of our stances, extending nearly to two hours, was taken up by the communifl cation of a series of facts, names, dates, and minute particulars from a spirit who was apparently able to reply to the most searching questions. The day of his birth, particulars as to his family history, and details of his early life were given at/my request. Then came a perfect autobiography, so far as salient facts were concerned, and embracing some trivial particulars, which, however, fell into their place in the most natural way. Alt questions were answered without the faintest hesitation,

and take

S J 9 precisely given was the produ^ J . f ir(i the fraud of a deceiving spirit, or the vagary of . erranfc brain, than to believe, as I assuredly do, that the inteijj* ; L o t operator was the man himself, with memory unirnp*;,.,, and individuality undestroyed by the change which We death. Resting, as it does, on the same basis w ith other fact* that I have detailed, and with many that I have not, it present* one more link in the chain of evidenced In addition to the lr„,, series of facts thus communicated by means of raps, there stan^ in a book which I used at this time for automatic writing ashen, letter written automatically by me, in a peculiar archaic ham}' writing, phrased in a quaint old-fashioned spelling. I t is signed with the name of the spirit in question, who was a man of rnark in the days of his life ujion earth. I have since obtained a letter in his handwriting, an old yellow document, preserved account of the autograph. The handwriting in my book is fair imitation of this, the signature is exact, and the piece of old-fashioned spelling occurs exactly as it does in my book. This, it was said, was purposely done as a point of evidence.

So much for the quotation. What follows is from my private i records. This same Thomas Wilson came to our circle on January 25th, 1874, and occupied the whole of the evening in giving ; the most minute details with regard to himself and his people I through tilts, or rather levitations, of the table. I got tired to death, but still he went on. H e said that he was bom at Burton, in Cheshire, on December 20th, 1663, and that he died on March 7th, 1755, aged 93. That his mother’s name was Sherlock, and tha t she was born at Orton, in Cheshire. That liis schoolmaster was Mr. Harper, of Chester. That he was ordained by Dr. Morton, Bishop of Kildare, to a curacy of his uncle’s Dr. Sherlock, in 1686. That on January 29th (Rfc. Peter’s Day) he was made Bishop of Sodor and Man : that he married Mary Patten, of Warrington, in 1698, and had four children—Mary, died aged 13 ; Thomas, aged one year ; Alice, aged two year3, and another son, Thomas, who outlived him. He told us that “ Imperator ” had sent him to the circle. His rap was clear and distinct. All these details were quite unknown to the circle, bub were verified afterwards, and an old letter sent by a friend to me verified the hand-writing. The word ‘ ‘ friend” in it is spelt with the e before the i, as in the automatic writing. . . . I ask, if he were not the man he pretended to be. who was he? For it is more difficult to conceive that any being could counterfeit the Intelligence represented than to believe that the Intelligence itself was present.

Another account to which I should like to refer is that of Rosamira Lancaster

On February 28th, 1874, and following evening a spirit came by raps, and gave the name of “ Rosamira.” She said that she died at Torquay on January 10th, 1874, and that she had lived at Kilhnm. She stated tha t her husband’s name was “ Lan­caster. ” At this time I was troubled about details, and so I asked her husband’s Christian name, and I got “ Ben,” and then the power failed. (The obituary showed that the full name was Benjamin.) I then passed under the control of “ Im­perator,” and he said that lie had tried as far as he could to bring this spirit to us. Afterwards the tru th of tthe statements was verified by me, and they were found to be absolutely exact; ; and it is, perhaps, important to say in this connection that not only were they (i.e., the facts) literally true, but that nothing was said that was nob true ; nor was there any surplusage of detail—only plain, definite, positive facts.

On the principle of driving the nail home, I will now give the case of Henry LeMesurier. I had been a pupil of his at Bedford School, and on June 17th, 1874, there came a new rap on the tab le* On inquiry the name of “ LeM esurier” was given. At that time I was entranced, and, therefore, incapable of asking questions. Mrs. Speer inquired what the spirit wanted. “ I have proved,” he said, “ tha t you were right, and that I was wrong.” On what ground is it conceivable that a spirit should come back and tell that lie 1

And here I may refer to an account that has already ap­peared in print in “ Spirit Iden tity ,” pp. 61-63, as follows

On February 10th, 1874, we were attracted by a new and peculiar triple tap on the table, and received a long and most circumstantial account of the death, age (even to the month)* and full names (in two cases four, and in the other three, in number) of three little ones, children of one father, who h»l been tom from him at one fell swoop by the Angel of Den1"- None of us had ever heard the names, which were peeuh»r' They had passed away in a far distant country, India ; and who

January 41January 27. P l f f e LIGHT.M R wfts ^ B D R B B

wVi u«- B B B i u 9 9 B n woi’olBftHi'vnoofciouverified

with ,& » singiibu.’ manger.

Mr.

of conB H H PB H H ew M,fds

Ou March 28th, .1.874, I met, fo r the first time, Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Watts, a t tho house of Mr. Jlbw per Temple, M .P. (afterwards Mc|iii^Teinple). Our conversation whs concerned, chiefly, with evidence ofBho k in d that I am now summarising, I recounted various cases, and among others, the case of WOTso three Mrs.

• Watts '.tr«s ihuoh s tr ife ^ with fjlie recital, which eari\MpRdBS in outline to a very distressing history which she had just heard. On the Monday previous Mr. and Mrs. Watts had dined wBi an old friend, Mrs. Leaf, and from her had hoard a distressing story of^B paveM ent iWMh had befallen the reia ||ve of one of Mrs. Leaf’s acquaintances. A gentleman residing in India had, within a brief sp a c e S ^ m jjo lost his ;y^Big wife and three clmi^'eB Mrs. Leaf entered fully melancholy HBpls,but did not iii^^Hm either names the place of the sad

f I n reciting the imeidenjt ^ f throe young c R h ^ R conununicating with me, I gave thc^^H ies and the place, as they had been furnished to me in the messages. Mi's. Watts

HffiHertoOjk to ascertain from Mrs. particulars of H iecase she had mentioned. She did .so on the very next dayviand the names were the s^Se. Through the IpnaJ^^S or Mrs.

the acquaintance of Mrs. Leaf, and ^ H n n ^ D impressed with the perfect correspondence of every detail given to me with the facts as

I t is not a little on the day on whichmade, Mas. W atts, w o possesses a

very beautiful gift of automatic drawing, which had been Bor some in abeyance, was impelled to draw three cherub

• heads, which, she was afterwards spiri tually info rrned, were drawn insymbolic of the country in which B occurred, and of t lH attraction of the m other’s spirit to her three added. The drawing forms a very striking illustration of the

employed to reach various types of Mrs. unknown to rn e -^ ^ Halways been instructed in the language of symbolism, by poetic

B D tic representation. The voice appealed rather to spirit and to the o the outer

exact demonstration, the con­trary, had not progressed so far. I^ ^ H o n a material plane,

my own fashion, and eravTing hard for ^^ H ffi|jj |g |P |g ^^^^H |j^ flK q ^K ^H n ie hard facts, q R fl^H v en ,

and nothing more. To her came theartistic delineation, the poetry of the incident. T^B fflirce, however, was one. I t was the according to our several needs.

able that have ever fallen within my knowledge. F o r not onlyto me absolutely true, complete, and

importance to definite toin my own way—that is B E lf l in a very positive m anner—were

pictorially, and through the imagination. Now, I should like to say that anyone who postulatesspirit going about to deceive me - 1 pray you, for what purpose ?—has to account for the fact tha t this most deceptive spook has

different people. To me he must have told circumstantial lies ;ha ve made so me I present this

think that if I were a being who you, I should use some more simple and less

words, I should appeal moredirectly to your intelligence.,.. ifc i

public, I ease given in “ Spirit Identity, ”i]f. 193 (Appendix III .) , of a “ Man Crushed by a Steam-roller,”

On the - s met together ac the house of Mrs. Makdougall Gregory, 21,

• sixPotet, and the gentleman D9

whose mediuniship we are indebted for the “ Spirit Teachings ” -wl@ffl have appeared from time to time in your columns. ^ ^ ^ B was no intention of having a seance, af® ordinary topics were the

I by saying that he felt a®a,rou

sat on his r ig h t) ; whether good or bad he could not tell, but Jj£g influenceperceived h j jp P Baron, to whom it conveyed the impression

Zhatl ^ as^B a .state of great distress, and th a t it was the spiritof a p e r j^ Q S e it i l h * Nothing more was said at the B B but the m p .d .ii^ i^ ^ M B cjM fe e l a disagreeable inliuence near him, and spoke of i t to ra^ As soon aswe reached the drawing-jk>oMSSs wa,s iinpGlled to sit down and w rite; and when a pencil P,lPer h ad b een r brougg^ JSsn

ffipiid was moved haekwards and forwards with groat rapidity,BB an (Bject was roughly dmwnBrr the paper whBh resembled a Horse fastened to a kind of cart or truck. Several attempts wereBuade to defflgt it more clearly, and then the following

wore wfficbn I killed myself—I killed myself to- (ky~jKEfcfr.street—fffiBfajBp passed. ” Here the writing became

^HfefcelngmSij as the medium grew more and more agitated, until at length be rose from his seat in a state of trance, and exclainiecl an broken sentences : “ Yes, yes. Killed myself to­day, under a steBn-roller. Yes, yes. Killed myself—-blood, blood, iRmd, ” The control then ceased, but the medium felt

same unpleasant influence for some hours afterwards, and entirely shake it off for some days. In reference to

^^^B$H^ftxix&*tjion, I may statfl thab, although bho medium had passed bhrouglWBaker-streefc in the afternoon, neither he nor anyone present .wfts aware-that a man had committed sxjSeide there in too morning by throwing himself%nder a steaffl-roller.A brief r^Hee^W the occurrence appeared in the “ Pall Mall

in but "fifone of the party liad seen thatpaper. I t is l^^^B B nrark in a that on the front of the steam- rolier which waf^Bed in Baker-street a Birse is represented in hB RH serve to adqBjht for its appear-ance in the medium’s drawing, where we should certainly not

it.4 B r me, in conclusion, to point out a few of the inferences

tha t may fajFly be drawn frodBhe facts I have stated by thoseIn MB first place, they would

seem to prove that no amount of injury done to the body at the H nie of M j ^ n ^ i m t a t e s the spirit for immediate action- In t l ^ ^ B fbe unfortunate man was literally crushed to pieces,

spirit could communicate in writing through the medium, and could also make use of his organs of speech. In the next placB it would appear tha t a

B i i t h e / ^ d y carries with i t something eor- poreal; otherwise, it is difficult to account for the Baron’s im- pression that the spirit he perceived was that of a Kifeim who was then living. Again, we may infer tha t spirits immediately

a medium through whom they ou^ appeal- that

the spirit f o i l w a i t e d for an opportunity of making his presence known. And, lastly, ^ H ^ B B a^^ R ^m ’e R R that the man who accepts the facts I ha ve stated, and seeks R a- solution of theHrttticulbfcs tha t sur- round them, will look in vain for much tasafetancir'fr^HjfevchiB force cfl unconscious

Again, there is the case of Charlotte Buckworth, printed inI I I . (See also “ Spirit

Teachings,” ^ H B ) :—A spirit communicated by means rajps^iJgMjaw par-

ticulars as to her life, which were precise, and entirely unknown to ^flow ing I inquired

c t:i e herCharlotte Buckworth, was rightly given ; tha t she had no

special connection wiHHne or with my friends, but spoke as one H l n ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ K n t . The fact that I had been on the previous day

had a dis­

turbing element.iieMtt-^^Hjfrhe spirit in question,

had been suddenly deprived of bodily existence in 1773, at M B pleasure, at a Jerm yn-street. Furfherinquiry elicited the information tha t she had suffered from a

down dead while dancing. My was apfM ^BNH^K^nBAsay whose HBuse, but

^ ^ ^ H u e l B a k e r ’s,were not able to verify this inf&ciiiaB

tion, and had given no further thought to tli*e matter. Some considerable time after, however, UB Speer had a friend at his

B^HB.w^B^vBKkate^M d^¥J8pn^WWHRtnioiu/ old books. Mre three were talking one e iB ^^g B i a room in w l|H 3/there were

a g ^ H - c s fr.fam floorpro ceiling.

get ait thetopmost shelf, which was filled witli volumes of the “ Annual Register. ” H e one down amid a cloud of dust, andcommented on the publication as a valuable Almost anything, he said, could be found in it. As he said this the BBa hashed into my mind at 'tnatAtlierewas to look for a o f iBlikrlpIfiB Buckworth’sdeath. Thebe found in the obituaryimpression was so strong—it a.^Bee sgok^^^Hmy inner sense—that fhaj^^K ^^R iha volume for h773;j f lMtere “ I found, among the notable jc^^hs-, % record of this occiirrence, which had made a sensation as occurring at an en te rts^^ ^ flt at a fashionable house, and wimyaw'fim suddenness, ‘■^jjfefacts were e x a e ^ The H b c was thickly covered with dust, and

liotj^ffin disturbed since it f e d gned*to -the shBj|. 1 remembered that the books had been arranged five years before ; there they had lain ever toy Mr.A .’s antiquarian taatesjpqm ie would have meddled w iR them. S lie verification was, I* believe, A6 distinctly mHirniuait in its suggestion as was

(Contimied, oiip, m

42LIGHT. [January 27,

VICK o r ••LIOIITt> U K K S T J ttS K T ,

__-* i.n'siHt.y, vr.c.

10®. 104. |>(vf . Godfrey, and

pldrossod "^ ^ '^ T to t aK’1Sir«>r ran>ltta,lc®*> shoul,l b« i

E D I T E D B Y “ m | A . , L o s d . ”

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27th. 189A

T O C 1> X T K t H C T tfR H .—C o m m u n ic a t io n * in te n d e d to be p r in te d s h o u ld be a d d r e s s e d to th e K d i to r , S , H a k e - s tr e e t , A d e tp h f ,

*r. C. Xt tr iU m u c h fa c i l i t a t e th e i n s e r t i o n o f s u i ta b le a r t i c le s i f t h e y a r e u n d e r tiro c o lu m n * i n te n g th . L o n g com - ! m a n , c a t Corn a r e a lw a y s i n d a n g e r o f b e in g d e la y e d , a n d

2 r o g u e n t ty d e c l in e d o n a c c o u n t o f w a n t o f a p a c e , th o u g h ! o th e r re e p c ^ t* g o o d a n d d e e ir a b le . L e tte r* s h o u ld be c o n fin e d

. * * • 'P * ® * o f h a l f a c o lu m n to e n s u r e in s e r t i o n .B u s in e s s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s s h o u ld i n a l l e a se s bo a d d r e s s e d to 1

M r , Jf. JJ. G o d f r e y ~ n o t to th e K d i to r .

G o d fr e y , %, H a k e - s t r e e t , A d e l p h i , L o n d o n , W .C .,a n d

A F T E R T W E L V E Y E A R S .

I n th e changing order of th ings there has rarely been an event of such im portance in connection w ith Spiritual­ism as th a t M r. F . W . H . M yers should read before the London S p iritua list Alliance a p ap er on th e work of S ta in to n Muses. W hen one looks back i t does a t first sight appear th a t such an event ought to have been of the h ighest o rder of the unexpected, h u t a closer view will show how erroneous is such a judgm ent— th a t i t was, indeed, in *"he long run inevitable.

It- w ill be in th e memory of m ost th a t soon after the foundation of the Society for Psychical Research,M r. Moses, believing th a t th a t Society was w orking on lines an-

And while we are indeed grateful for the work it ^ r done, it must lie confessed tha t a t first the Society gaVf, good grounds for the attitude taken up by M r. Htaint,,,' Moses and some of his friends, among whom the pr«.;,.nt writer was one. There was just a little superiority ii> tone, just a little ignoring of the work th a t had already been done, tha t went far towards justifying Mr. Stainu,n Moses, l ie was conscious of the devotion, the time, anj the work he had given, nay, even the obloquy he had suffered ; and being a man of vigorous personality he acted and spoke accordingly. B ut Stainton Moses was also a fair man, and he would, we are sure, have been among the firat of those who cordially welcomed M r. Myers on Monday last.

If the readers of “ L ig h t ” have carefully noted it* bearing with regard to all science, thereby including Psychical Research, they will remember th a t i t has insisted for some long time on the necessary outcome of scientific inquiry along th a t inquiry’s own lines of action. The outcome, we have always held, m ust be the eventual demonstrated belief in the existence of spirit. To th a t we are fast tending now. I t is no t only the presence of Mr. Myers on the platform of St. Jam es’s H all which verifies the prognostication, bu t i t is the deliverances of Oliver Lodge, th e fair treatm ent shown by Andrew Lang, nay, even the confessions of Thomas Huxley, which show th a t we were righ t in saying w hat we have said so often.

The pioneers of Spiritualism, however, still remain the pioneers, and though their methods may have been crude they opened up a country in to which were brought more

[ perfect instrum ents—and the reefs have been found to be full of pure gold, as those pioneers said they would he.

Ja

L(

firstHrievwasata t )theareMemaapiforstaenonsp

an

TH E CONVERSAZIONE OF TH E LONDON SPIRITUALIST ALLIANCE

ofI t was a gathering as of old in the Banqueting-room St. Jam es’s H all on M onday last. And, indeed,

tagom stic to h is own, severed his connection with it. A t ifc was befitting th a t i t should be so, seeing th a t, throughthat- tim e i t seemed to m any th a t there could never be | a n y possib ility of assim ilation between th e S p iritualist and th e Psychical Researcher. W e do not, indeed, say th a t j th e rapprochement is even now complete, but- a t th a t tim e j th e la t te r had tak en up the scientific m ethod, which was I ab h o rren t to th e form er. A nd th a t abhorrence was a t the tim e qu ite n a tu ra l, fo r betw een scientific m ethod and the h ab its of th e then scientific man, th e plain m an may well be forg iven if he d id no t m ake th e necessary distinction. T he m ethods generally in use w ere a t th a t period destruc­tiv e o f every th ing th a t was n o t embodied in th e creed of scientific orthodoxy. A n d even ten years ago th a t creed w as s till a narrow one.

W e th in k i t m ay be said once for all th a t th e m ethod of th e o rd inary S p iritua list is n o t scientific. H e certainly g e ts to g e th er h is facts, b u t he is no t generally too careful { to v erify them , and has thereby often la id him self open to th e sarcasm a n d contem pt of th e Philistine.

th e agency of M r. F . W . H . Myers, the Alliance was once again listen ing to its first P residen t. Once more we heard the crisp English which seemed to clinch an argument almost by tb e very words th a t were used, and once more th e unflinching courage an d determ ination of Stainton Moses were seen as they were during those long years of activity . F o r be i t remembered th a t when th e investiga­tions made by S ta in ton Moses were carried on things were no t running quite so smoothly as now. Of M r. Myers’ tri­b u te to our friend—his friend-i^-the report of the address will tell. The proofs of id en tity were excellently well selected, and th e rem arks made by M r. M yers were clear, sym pathetic, and judicious.

DECEASE OF MR. W. PAICE.

The business m anagers of “ L ig h t ,” ju st before going to press, have heard w ith inexpressible sorrow of the depar-

The early j tu re of th e ir dear friend th e E ditor, M r. W . Paice, M.A. S p iritu a lis ts of th e new e ra were a t once convinced of th e For some tune he had been ou t of health , suffering lately,m ean ing of th e facts they witnessed, and once convinced he believed, from rheum atism of the muscles of the chest.th ey rem ained so, w hatever an unbelieving and a scoffing w orld m ig h t say. A n d th is is, indeed, th e ir g rea t claim to consideration . H ad th ey given way. h ad they a t th a t tim e accepted th e resu lts o f a hostile science, there would have been n o th ing le ft of th e new revelation for fairer and m ore clear-headed scientific people to investigate. The S p ir itu a lis t had th a t b est reason of a ll in m any cases, the w om an’s reason, th e in tu itiv e te lling o u t of the U nseenth a t he was right.

H e was present on M onday evening a t th e Conversazione of th e L ondon S p iritua list Alliance, and on Tuesday evening he called a t the p rin ters’ to settle some details in regard to th is w eek’s issue. On th e following evening (Wednesday), abou t 6 o’clock, he suddenly expired. H e -was a good and

| conscientious co-worker, whose services in the cause of j Spiritualism could ill be spared. W e tender to the bereaved

fam ily our deepest sym pathy.

B u t i t was well, and indeed necessary, th a t others should take up the question. A nd those others were found in th e members of th e Society for Psychical Research. H ow th a t Society was founded, and how such Spiritualists as M r. Dawson Rogers and the la te M r, Stainton Moses helped to s ta r t it, has been told in the pages of “ Light.”

MR. J . PAGE H 0P P 8 .

We are pleased to be able to announce that at 7 o’clock os Monday evening, February 5th, at 2, Duke-street, Adelphi, Mr. Page Hopps will give an address to the members and friends of the London Spiritualist Alliance, on “ Professor Tys- dall’s Excursions into Spiritualism.”

43e § LONDON SPIRITUALIST ALLIANCE CONVERSAZIONE.

((fontinued /rom ^ ) ' t ■ -_® H Perhaps striding cases jf can prese1^J|y{||»It | | jjrsfc experiBsifr tha t occurred to inq. I Spirit Ideral|ja|&i pj,. 124 126, Appendix V.jR—l ■ . . 1 inquired where I could see for myself thesel new phenomena, and was informed that Miss Lottie Fowler

I was about to hold a seance tha t very evening (April 2nd, 1872), V w I went, and was greatly astonished

I ; at what I saw and heard. I need t the occurrences of the first part of Spiritualists

I are familiar with the usual routine of Miss Fowler’s stances. B Much hazy nonsense was talked, and many vague statements 13 made, which seemed to me to be of no use whatever as tests of

>. spirit identity. I was rapidly becoming n&Meated. I cravedsomething on which I ^ B ^ ^ B as w&j

I stable piece of evidence. I inquired, therefore, whether I might endeavour to obtain some such proof for myself. LeB e was at

director of 1$g§ circle, and I addressed the 1 sP*rit who controlled the medium.

January 27, ______ L I C

MR. F. W. H. MYERS.

( F r o m a p h o to g r a p h b y M e s s r s . E l l i o t t & F r y . )

voice ca:H as

“ You’ve nothing to do with me. I won’t go. Mo no go."“ Yes, you will.

: After more colloquy the medium shivered again, seemed to be m- pain, and H B rooted to the spot, crouching as if in dread,

After a time tlffit-Vc^H came again, but utterly changed I the voice, this time, of a man, very -calm and unimpassioned, instead of tlid Jm d^^^pspeaM a-t^ M n y ^ ^ ^ ^ i . ;

“ You want me | 9 j“ Yes. What is your name 1 ”

You can ask me |my questions.”^ NoB y-K i^B or d e ^ ^ ^ w ^ ^ ne whom you

seevfffirMBjB I will answer v e s j ^ ^ ^ r o Lmore. ”, “ I Bee a * * W » with a long white beard, and

long hair. B P i Yes?”i' .Wgk) bearclIs very w B indeed,”ElgNo.

f?* He has a very high, broad forehead, and his eyes are drawn down. Why, he’s blind 1 ”

“ Yes?” v y "hA n d r is faoe isJdaefc and bluBE And § ( h e r g i# f ^ d in j i f

shuddered violently)—“^ i I what’s that in -^ |s mouth ? 'S f j | like slime—and m ud—and—oh Bblood.”

“ Y es?”“ And—it’s dark. I can't see*”“ Go on. How is he dressedw”“ He lias a long blue coat. No, not exactly a coat—some*

thing long, I can’t see his fee t.”

“ Where does ho stand ? ”“ Right opposite ; clone by you.”“ Can y® see his* name ? ”

hi troubM Dfefak it’s money. He looks 80 BBeP**' B B 8° ■ ■ Why 4§ you keejffiae here 1"

“ Go, tmQaSf Do know me “ No.” (This veryI shall not attempt to describe the Beene faring the time

l i s t tli^H^VerS^^m w asM ^^^P have^R®K|jlHKa fuTl.and vKKen at the f a , and fhte whole scene is photo*

graphed indelibly Every one seemed petrified andastonished. They would have still more so had they known with what photographic accuracy a scene in my own private experience was being re-enacted before my eyes. I t was,I am sure, as w a < § m as I was myself. I t Was a scene 'Skit passed in a very distant part of Great Britain, and it was repro­duced with a realistic power that bore dow n before it , as w i t f l | torrent force, &u!^^KcdK'£|] hesitation . I felt thatjbhe man was there befo|£9^H himself reproducing th e story of h is death for my conviction.

Heffiore have the cast^H a man who went to a seance witn- absolutely no expectations in his mind ; he did not know what to expect; he did not e i^ B H a i^ ^ H ; and he got what in - any

perfect evi<lfsB^J$^®y®&dthe grave.

There is another case, a very remarkable Rie, which came through m own and in case peH$e should

borne in upon my mind by the I may remark

experience came w w l was alone. It is prefacbd by a fac- simile signature. The lady, Mrs. Dalton, stated that she died

her life. Inanswer to the question where Peachley was, she said thatflt was near to wifeof a brother ^ B Dr. Speer’s, and when Y flought that tliis would not do she explained that it was a “ brother in the art of healing. ” She gave her husband’s name as since verified—and said that she dftd on February 2nd, 187(2*- The “ 2 ” ’B or^S3?The which was accurate. We were also toldthat this was one of thebrought persons for the sake of giving proof of identity.

Mary Hall came on March 29th, 1874, and wrote in a

have ^Rchcfl you.—M ary H all. ” I could iBR®" ofnot ‘ mssiHwpeMtify the

“ M ary” written, I“ Alice.” Then the signature

varied made out “ Mary asSM’’ 1 said : “ I don’tiffls^vpdu BhB at brings you?” The tdopescfeafiullywritten, began : “ I am permitted to manifest.,” and then the

a moment. *3}said, being occupied with a desire for identity : “ Where did yoH live and die ? ” BjE lived near ’Alexandra-road. I passed December 13th, 1872.” I said Rj® am afraid l^ ^ ^ B reeH ity jfro e w i^H L k |B B rgiBKifeal6 it was now On this the writingchanged, and there came a friend who usually ( n ^ when aiiRnem j^^Et difficult to do H'e-safd : “ She says she passed wear here, and 3 attracted to you from .tjhe neigh­bourhood to the circle. . at the age of ninety-6fc*and has been resting from her earthly toils.” J^m ewhat surprised, I inquired : “ Has, sli^^eite leep i& all thisJjtM^? ” for I did is B time.‘ B > ”: the answer came, “ she was full of years w ^ ^ she passed away. She lived most o f, her eartnlife at YarntonBi^i' Oxford. She year andKra^e months of yourtime ; she rested from suffering. ”

This being was absolutely and wholly unknowffij to m e., I inquired, and fo& d that M jffH all had lived -ani^ie'd^ at the age ktatedf. at the address given.

I .fiWjit hard tffi put tog^Re'r all I l a |e wMchmakes me believe id the retu^i qf jiepartJed^piman beings to this life. VK they tfonMhue to live, ilasS&uld expect them to

1‘uturn—for that ww ^ g tekesB B reality of a spirit womd almost ^TOal|i)l^TO^ng back Ixmthe sphere of his int®ests7 I 4k "SfB a spiwiagBjB to fflg' planetMars, Buikw lie hasj^Eties, but I do tj^erstaod his comingbackm M ^B

•Out jo£ » 'Profusion of oases ffire is one of a different kiipiC B © e y0ar 1880, one Thursday afternoon (date D rI,ai^ -Mrs. Speer and I had dotted togetherjS^’icl the party ^B ad ed a lady who had been visiting a connection of Div .

44 LTG [January 27, I894

SirimiB

iKJor'H family in find. spring. There she bad «<>•»»*'ttnrl noon ttuioh attmotod to, a lovely lifcUo girl about woven inontlm oh

IoliiM used to bu brought. hr after dinner, and •*«' question grow very fond „f },or. Dutweeii tho time of leaving hor frieiuls and oonring to London, the child passed away. I in important to notice tlnvt none of those points had over beei inonfcionod to, or were known by. wysolf. On the occasion towhich I rofor this lady had risen her soat and was abouto place herself in another chair when t suddenly called out " D e n t sit down on it, don’t sit down oiBit. T-Htle baby"— None of us know its first namo, and they asked mo, I said, “ Marian j tho grandinothor has brougR it.” I then suddenly came out of the trance in which I had boon, and in my own natural voice—so different to tho voice in which I had boon speaking—said, “ Mrs. Spoor, will you have some ooffeo?” quite ignorant of all that had boon passed. We wrote, and then found out a fact unknown to any of us—tnat«§he child’s name was Marian. I do not put this forth as a oomplote pHce of evidence, for tile lady nifty havo heard and forgotten the name.

Another case. There had eolno at one of our sdanoos some influence—I so oall it for want of a bettor name—which had made us all horribly cold. On December 21si|l874, I inquired j about the sdanco of tho previous evening,-and was told that Die I oddness was caused by the presence of aSrtai-m sfDits who had j manifested^ithoub’fflie knowledge of the Chief (“ Iniperator ”).I mado inquiry with regard to certain statements made by them, saying, “ Can y R pupibhe facts down that I may fflmpare them witli what they said 1 ” (It is important to say that I h a d ^ Q conscious memory of anything that had been said stance.)After my question there was a very long pause, ffiqn :—

The result was to elicit what the “ IHie same inquiry. Q B B B /*®n<*|calls “ one pf the most smgular^and^ w eH attostca e v in c e s (jf|

been our good fortffia * ’’ The matter may best V j writer in the mBannerR I t will be observed th at. the words ” a month an(i |

tho rolDn of H B wIuch lfc ,mH oli 1:01 lido (hiring experience,stated ill the words used HH the L ights of February 13th, 1875.misconception as to the moaning of H D Dseventeen days ” occurs at first, but this is subsequently clean® „p; though, according to the widow’s account, the age should have been eighty-three years, one month, twenty-seven days, This, Bo.wovur, does nbfRaffoet the case of identity. ThJ

roriginM inquirDiii the “ Baf&xer H v ^ -this, and the result k quoted direct froHRae newspaper :—

At a stance in En-glantr|tely, a spirit-communication. wa« oceived by means of the-SHing of a heavy table. The who]#-

table seemed alive, and as Dio ugh it were being disintegrated, in the very fibres of the wood. D ie gist of the communication was Suit the spirit wasHne Abraham Florentine, wli-O died at Brooklyn, N. Y., August otlj., 1874. He said he was in the war

B- 1812,‘-and filter an interval, added, ! 1 a Bapth and!sc von toon day s . ” Can any of our Brooklyn friends inform us whether Mfc'P 'er heard of Abraham

No sooner had that issue of our paper found its way to tM public than we re6eMff<F by Hfie course of mail the jBAilHHB

which speaks for itselffollowing

“ The mother was Euphomia Matilda Death, and she passed from your world at Aldershot on Noveimier 20th at the age twenty-two. The little one was*fBd9| Ellen Deatljy she was only fifteen months when she passed away. namewas William Death, Veterinary Surgeonjjpf ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ B f t Train. These are the chief facts, we know no more.”

These facts U tterly unknown to all quently verified. 1

As evidence Ji'onipiinother may mentionI have had repeated cases of si^^^^^D vliic lD re veritable fac- similes of those used by the persons in life ; such, for example, are the signatures of Beethoven, Mozart, and inconnection with Judge Edmonds. I t is his Hsignature, or rather initials, in f f i book are which heused, and thatRSvedenborg’i^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ R d v e ry peculiar one, is a fac-similc of his - known handwriting; quite unknown, h ^ | ever, to me.

The case wlmh has been coRidered, on the aajfflority of persons who think they are best able to judge, asfi the b ea t evi­dence ever produced for spirit identity, is tB c a se ^ |A b ra h a m Florentine recorded in pp. 105-111, Ap­pendix I I I . ■

CASE OF ABRAHAM F L O R E N T $ N E ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ |To t h e E d it o r or t h e ‘ ‘ S pir itu a list*”

Sir,—In the “ SpiritualistHof December 11th, 1874, you printed a letter from me,. a letter in view of theinformation elicited byR, I will ask you to reproduce.

In the month of Augus^HHjHBms staying with Dr. Speer at Shanklin, Isle of Wight. We had arn^BerTi^BfimiasR^d at one of them a kpir'ft'cffintttdmcatedfevho asl||D5^MMfflBentine.He said that heHWfbeen- conMga^M^RgaMMr of 1812, and that he had lately entered spirit-life at Brooklyn, August 5th, at theage of eighty-three years, one rdontfljand seventeen dpH ||rae had some difficulty at firs# in making out whether the month and days referred to the age or to the length of his R ie s s ; but he returned on the follow­ing evening, and cleared up the difficulty. The manner in which the communication was made wasSSciSs^^ttar. We were seated, three in number, round a heavy loo table, wSflSn two persons could move with difficulty. Instead of the raps to wBfi&we are accustomed, the table commenced to So eager was the^o^MRnicatingfflH.tjthOT’J&ie table rose Borne seconds before tub required letter was arrived at. In order to mark T it would rise, quivering with excitement, in a manner perfectly indescribable, about K, and MfflglescSnd at T with a ’B B B ) that shook the floor. This was repeats® until the whole message ^was complete; but so eager was the spirit and so i m y > e s that he bewildered Dr. and Mrs. Speer was in deej.Sran<^Jand caused the process to be prolonged d H R whole si^^p^-oWtlFmaiy Venture a guess, I shoul& say ^ fet -AWaham (•FlbreofiBC'wSS *, good soldier, a fighting man not nice to meet, an® th a tB reta in s e R B | ^ his old impetuosity to rejoice at his lfheratidn from the body, which (if 1 may guess again) had become a burden* to him IjSirough a painful illness.

Will the American papers copy, and enable me to veriffir my facts .and guesses'!

M.A. (Ox o n ).

M r|E p e s Sargent, to whom. I privately communicated the facte of the case, was kind enough to insert for @0 a paragraph in the “ Banner of L ight" of December 12th, 1874, embodying

To the E ditor o*' the “ Banner of Light.”J^Rijijihe “ Banner ” t^^Hy received heiS is a paragraph concerning a spirit who manifested through the medium of a dining-table at place in England, and gave the name of Abraham Florentine, a^ ^ | B in the war of 1812. You make inquiry whether anyone ever heard of Abraham Florentine. question ; but

f(jftteeiLyears since in auditing the claims of the soldiers of 1812 in the State of New York, 1 am yet & possession of the records eM j^ B ^ B M K B g-w ^ R ^ 1 Inthose r^R ds appears the name f l Abraham Florentine, of B r o o k l^ S N. Y ., and a full record of his service can be obtained in the office of theS Adjutant-General of the State of New York, in Q m No. 11,518, war ot 1812. I think, term of servi<^!than | B ^ gave in England, hie aliowance being 5 ^ | B

■ W ilson M illar, Claim A g e n ^ | Washington, D.C., December 1 3 ^ 1874. ■Pursuant to the Hdwim of; j | r legal correspondent, w e |

addressed a letter to the Adjutant-General, S.N.r*,, asking f o i | the facts, without, however, giving any reason for'Our request, and-wfe^red the

v : General Head-quarters, S tate of New York, <Adjutant-General’s Office, Albany, 25th, 1875, ■

Sms, —In reply to your communication, dated January 22nd, I have to furnish you the following information from the records of thk office :—Abraham Florentine, private in CafflBlfNShole’s Company, ls t9 Regiment New York Mnlmag Colonel Dodge.,^IwjJteered at New YoflStiSR ^Fabou^ September ; served tliree months, and was honourably kdischarged. He received Land W arran |N 6. 03,395, for forty acres I The ab(3Ve is taken froih the soldier’s sworn statement, and not from I official records.—Very respectfully,

F ranklin Townsend, ’Colby and Rich. ' Adjutant-General, I

No. 9, Montgomery* place, Boston.

■ ■ 3 9 4 5

ThoHG ^lV°h 05kuigH'S 'tho B p S uruiSc'circle* wll^boar 1 l®*1 if wha,fc wita,fcI nor- « W* >wl, co»M ih< 1 that the ^ | | H n » 1 ev^ I 1 4 jm | H 1S t y on the H H H B intelligence, H B B j H H unknown to tm. And H a i« < m T j* Z n, n | (liHcrcpancy existing between the length of ser- I H M H toe spirit Florentine and that embodied in the i ^torcl i« easily explainable. [This is a misconception. The I

month, seventeen days, refers to age, _flWrvioe.-*-'VV,S.M.J B ut the main facts are established, Hero lajj spirit, who manifests under the most peculiar circumstances, and in the most forcible manner, to a circle in a foreign land, those members are all strangers to the fact that such a being ns himsolf over trod the p lan e t; a member of the circle asksthrough an English paper that proof (if any exists in America) I Massey, Mr. M, 3. Hood, and I went to try for a spirit photo- may be given him as to the verity of said spirit’s assertions, and I graph at Hudson’s, We had previously tried unsMiceesafully, the same inquiry reaches us by a private letter ; we then ca I eight, phitos having been exposed in vain. On this occasion upon the P « k U c J o r « r f o n ^ I ^ve failures succeeded one another ; then came a plate which

rcya’CHcnted ine sitting alone, and showing l>ehind me a tall

not to length of

they have men- interest. As id facts were

ly unknown to u«. And this is one among many instances B R own ex[icridice which 1 hope to gather up and record iti ds place. *

March. 10th, 1878. M,A, (Oxon).In conclusion, I may remarks tliat this cane has received the

valuable imprimatur of the Society for Psychical Research.One of the cases which are on quite a different plane of

evidence I may record th u s : On May 13th, 1870, Mr. C. C.

have novel' before heard. We receive in reply—from a legal gentleman in Washington, whose acquaintance we have neverhad the pleasure of making—the information which leads us to address the Adjutant General of the State of New York (who is also a total stranger to us), and are assured from data existing at his office that such a soldier did serve in the war of 1812 as claimed. The theory of collusion is untenable here, as the several parties who have given in the testimony are strangers to each other. The chain of evidence is complete. Let those who think they can explain this occurrence on any other hypothesis

figure, tliat of a friend whom I recognised a t once. He had taken his life under melancholy circumstances eight months before, and I bad not heard of him since. But immediately before going to Hudson’s I hail met and talked with his sister, who was passing through London. Our conversation had been much concerned with him. During the experiment I had heard a spirit-voice, telling me that it was successful, and also the

than that m aintained by the Spiritual philosophy m ake th e nam e of the sp irit whose image was to appear on th e plate.attempt. When that statem ent appeared, my friend, Dr. Crowell, was kind enough to take steps to obtain additional verification from Florentine’s widow. I append his letter, published in the “ B anned’ of February 20th, 1875:—.

To the E ditor op the ‘‘ Banner op L ight .”Sib,—Upon reading in the “ Banner ” of the 13th jnst. the article,

headed “ Abraham Florentine: Verification of his Message,” I examined my HBrooklyn Directory,” and there found the name of Abraham Florentine, with the address 119, Kosciusko-street. Being at the moment disengaged, and interested in pursuing the subject, I at once sought the street and number indicated, and my applBKon a t the door was metjjijS an elderly lady, of whom I inquired whether Mr. Abraham Florentine resided there. The reply was : “ He did reside here; but is dead n o w £ q

Qoes.—May I inquire whether you are Mrs. Florentine, his widow ?Ans.—I a m iUpon my here remarking that I would be pleased to obtain some

information about her late_ husband, she invited me to a seat in the parlour, and our conversation was then resumed.

Q.BMay I ask when he died ?A .—Last August.Q.^At what time in the month?A.—On the 5th.Q—What was his age at time of decease?A.—Eighty-three.Q.- Had he passed his eighty-third year?A.—Yes; his eighty-third birthday was on the previous 8th of

June,Q lW as h« engaged in any war?A.—Yes; in the war of 1812.

K Q.—Was he naturally active and self-reliant, or the reverse?A.~He had a will of his own, and was rather impetuous.Q.—Was his last illness of 'long or short duration, and did he suffer

much?A.—He was confined to his bed for a year or more, and suffered a

good deal.I have here given the questing and answers in their relative order

and in their exact words from 'noteiF^iken a t the Hme. During a slight pause following ffiftast answer, MrsRtorenfcine, who appeared to he a very respectable lady e | about sixtjSgfiwe years of age and of American birth, inquired my object in asking these questions, when I read to her the artic le ln |fee HBanneip? w h « B evidently p t* I4d , though it interested, her„ and I then entered into a fufflexplanation of its purport, greatly to l&Mmrprise. She then fully endorsed every line of it, and I left, thanking hdr and promising, a t her request, to send her a copy of the lasMuljbejr of y o l journal.

It will be observed that while the spirit of M r. Florentine states his age to liar® been eighty-fekr.eeg^ears, oi® month, and seventeen days, according t« h i widow’s M w i p t should be twilfcy-seven days; but this discrepancy is hardly worthy of notice, as either he or she may here be equjlHjJ misfelten. As the case stood before l^iis additional con­firmation q£ 4ts truth was obtained, it certainly was a remarkable

; verification of a sjaiffc message ; but as now presented it appears to me the evidence is conclusive.

I would adekthaf I have some acquaintance with “ M. A. (Oxon.),”; the gentleman SPLoltiifii w hqangliM in the ‘'S p iritualist” for in­formation m Abraham Fl®l|ptine ; and I can assure y„our readers that he occupies a very luglxffifce5 &' posrijipB, and liis character is a guarantee against collusion and deception, and I take pleasure in contributing to establish the identity of fee commiinicatj|ng spirit.—Yours truly,,’

, . - E ugene Crowell, M.D.Brooklyn, N.Y., February 15th,'18x5/^To me, personally, i t is extrem ely interesting to find my

queries verified by facts. I never doubted th a t the case would turn out, as so many others have done, to be true ; bu t the in­teresting point of observatioii to me was as to the correctness of the deductions I drew from the singular wagr in wh'jch the I p i ? municatioji was made. The vehemence of §j|S tilts and kn |eks, the (to us) entirely’novel mode oj® communicating, and the evi­dent earnestness of the spirit, and its eagerness in trying to u have its say," were very stjfkm g. Doubjless, what w l strike your readers more is the singularly conclusive nature of the evidence respecting the actual re turn of the departed. Most undoubtedly none of us had ever heard of A braham Florentine, nor had any of us friends in America who could have given us

There is a sequel to this story. The stigrnafcic • mark on my brow, reproducing the cut on W.B.’s head made in his suicidal act, appeared on the anniversary of his death. (This I do not detail here.)

B ut perhaps one of the most remarkable eases th a t I have ever had is th a t of the Bishop of W inchester (Wilberforce, previously Bishop of Oxford), who first of all came to me when I was alone, and afterwards controlled me during one of our stances, speaking in a voice wholly unlike mine, and very like his own. H e wrote through my hand, and signed his com- * munication with the fac-simile of his own signature. Perhaps th a t is an elaborate mystification ’. I f i t be so, i t has a t any rate the m erit of being e labo rate! And I know nobody, or rather no spirit in or out of a body, to whom i t Would be worth while to take such an amount of trouble with such very un­promising results.

I will now proceed to quote the ease in fuller detaiL On Ju ly H ist, 1873, the Bishop of W inchester first came to our seances, although he had been to me when I was alone on the previous evening. On December 6th he came again and controlled me, speaking in a voice which was very like his and unlike mine. I n answer to a question as to who was controlling, th e reply came, ‘ ‘ Samuel Wilberforce ; you have wished for evidence of th e departed. I , Samuel W ilber­force, died. I have come back, I live, the same man, the same spirit. ^ is strange, strange, very strange to come back again, and I find i t difficult to speak. A nother time it will be easier.” The spirit th en described his passage into life as instantaneous, w ithout pain ; a sudden waking into life. H e said th a t with all his shortcomings, and they were many, he could still look back on his earth-life as a life of useful work, honestly done. H e gave his blessing to the circle, and th en departed.

; On Ju ly 24th, 1873, the Bishop wrote through my liand automatically. H e was introduced by H lm pera to r,” who sa id : ‘‘A friend is with you who is able to communicate^,; You will know who has been near you,” My hand then wrote .

“ + S. Oxon ;God guard you dear friend.

: I t is well • + S. O .”

I s a id : “ How very extraordinary ! B ut how am I to knowth a t it i s ---- I t is all so extraordinary. How did the samelien write th is? I t certainly is the very fac-simile of his writing. Can it he* possible th a t he is here now ? Can he write again ? ”

“ No, friend ,” replied ‘ Im perator,’ “ he cannot remain, nor can he write again now. H e came at my request to give you a test. We wish to do what we can.”

“ B u t,” I said, ‘‘ this is no test. I am ju st as far from knowing his iden tity as l a m yours,”,

“ H e rem inds you of the last Sunday you spoke with him in Oxford ■£ how he preached a t the opening of ,a new organ for the praise of the Supreme a t the Church of Carfax in the morning ; now he discoursed before the University in the afternoon ; and how in th e evening he gathered his work-people round him at Cuddesdon, and spoke to them of the love of their God.”

LIGHT'* W ," I replied, ' ‘ami the last sermon was for t,'°

Vo#, that w true. Can y„u ttJj| mo t},0 hu|,j 00(;h of the other sermons ? ”

\ ’tm, friend, tho sovnion before tho University t>f Oxford whh from tho words of J„hn on touching tho abidiuy Hpiiit. " Hodwelleth with you ami »haU bo in you,' xiv. 17. In tho morning discourse tho imperfect views which the orthodox lu»|,i of heaven were developed from tho picture of John tho Hour, in the Apocalypse. * They Mat not day awl night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy.* Rev. iv. 8,"

“ That is tru e ; but l do not romombor tho University sermon."

“ Friend, you heard it not, being overcome with sleep. But you have it. among the published Mormons of your friend; p. K>7 ; you will find it."

“ Yes, that is indeed true, and 1 rornomhor it well. I was very sleepy, and (he Bishop joked about it afterwards. This is indeed remarkable. But he knew nothing of Spiritualism.”

“ Yes, he knew, and was disposed to aecopt its teachings. He would in a less laborious sphoro of work have followed with us.”

,l What,” I said, “ in your opinions?”“ Not in a i l ; but in the essentials. He would not have laid

stress on matters of no import."“ Then I did not know hint. He was the very man who

would have viewed with horror your statements about Christ.” “ With his wider knowledge now he will soon learn to view,

as we do, the questions which perplex you. Hereafter he hopes to tell you more of his spirit experience. He will not remain with you save for a brief while. + Irnperator.”

Then comes a further communication.“ A friend will speak with you through us. S. 0 .—Peace

be with you. List and heed :—“ Our friend has not yet acquired the power of writing with

ease. He has not been able to return to earth since the day on which he wrote for you. He came then at my request and by niy aid. Now he tells you of his experiences in our spirit land. Though the manner of the separation between the spirit and body was rude and sudden, still the spirit woke to con­sciousness far sooner than is usual. The spirit of our friend had lived even in earth-life much amid the realities of the here­after. I t had meditated on its own translation, and had realised the change. So that when it came it was less unexpected, even though sudden. He was wise therein. But I will allow him to speak in his own words ” :—

1 ‘ When my spirit awoke to consciousness of the eternal life and its surroundings, I found myself in company with bright and blessed angels, the ministers to me of the abounding mercy of my God. The shock that severed me from earth had been so sudden that at first I was not conscious that I was in the world of spirits. But my dear father made himself known and convinced me that I was indeed alive and amongst the ranks of the shining ones. With him was my dear mother, and they were joined after by the pure spirit of Keble, and philanthropic souls who delight to gather around him w'ho on earth was a chief amongst men in philanthropy and deeds of love. By them I was conducted to the home where my guardians rest. From them 1 learn that which is requisite for me, and am taught to put aside much that 1 once thought of vital moment. Ah I how easily does the spirit put away the opinions of earth to which it so fondly clung! Through my guardians I received the request that I would put myself into communication with you. It was conveyed to me through your presiding spirit, who now writes for me.” [Not quite so. Irnperator very rarely wrote, and never at this time.] “ I complied with joy, and am now pleased beyond measure that I can touch the plane where so many dear to me still live ; though, alas 1 alas ! I cannot reach them. They know not, and will not learn as yet. Since I left the earth I have been occupied in learning my work, and in preparing myself for the life of progress to which my being is now devoted. Already under the guidance of my guardians I have passed through tho first sphere where are gathered those who are bound to earth by the affections, or are unable to rise as yet. There I saw some whom I had known in the body, and learned from them and from others much tluit I needed to know. My work will bo of a similar sort till I reach my appointed sphere. I have come to give you this brief word of comfort and consolation. Be of good cheer.”

“ One has so much to ask. Are the spheres like this world V

4tt [January 27,

a jn every way similar. I t j« only tho change of that makes the difference.' Flowers and fruits and p ^ N landscapes and animals and birds are with us as with you. the material conditions are changed! Wo do not crave f()I, % as you ; nor do we kill to Jive. Matter, in your sense, ,j with, and wo have no need of sustenance wave that wliick can drew in with the air we breathe, Nor are wo im p o ^^ our movements by matter as you are. Wo move freely ,Hl(j 1,1 volition, I learn by degrees, and as a new-horn bal,,, f accustom myself to the new conditions of my being.” 'I|

“ Are tilings real to you ? ”“ Quite, and very beautiful.”“ You must not detain our friend now,” said ‘ Impunity ,

“ and you yourself have done more than you ought to attemj God, tho All Wise, the All Loving, guard you. + I. S. B.B

And now, passing by more cases than 1 have quoted, not dealing with the evidence as an advocate might, J H content to leave it for the jury. It means something-will y()| tell me what it does mean ?

Mr. Myers, at the conclusion of this paper, made the fol](,w mg remarks

The papor which I have just read suggests many tnoh. reflections than time allows us to follow out to-night. I wi|| dwell on a few points only—points which will remind us of t)it debt of gratitude which all inquirers into these subjects owo t,, your late President. Let us note, then, in the first place,q wliat essential service to our great inquiry has been the Jad that Mr. Moses kept his notebooks of automatic writing in , clear, consecutive fashion, with a date affixed at the time to every entry ; and that his friends supplemented these note, books by a record, also based upon contemporary notes, of all messages given at their stances which bore upon the identity of the intelligences thus communicating. Where it was possible, moreover, the truth of these messages was verified with a good deal of care. All this is now our gain, and enables us to be sum that the cases quoted in the paper just read form a fair sample of the messages bearing on identity which Mr. Moses received, and are given without suppressions or exaggerations. Comparing this series of identifications with two similarly long seriesf obtained through single sensitives, wo may observe that thesef cases are much better recorded than Mr. D. D. Home’s, and are; much freer from admixture of error than Mrs. Piper’s ; although in Mrs. Piper’s case the element of error seems now to be diminishing, and the identifications scent to become more and more numerous and distinct. But whatever evidence may here­after be vouchsafed, this block of testimony given through Mr, Moses must always remain a most important landmark in the history of our research ; a landmark from which we may all of us start afresh, an l with heightened hope, on the next stage of the long, I hope the endless, journey of discovery which lies before us. In that journey it matters little what each man’s per­sonal provision of belief may be to start with. Each of us will find some fellow-travellers more fully equipped in this respect than himself, and some less fully ; but each alike can easily see to it, that so long as he recognises in his comrades the diligence and the candour at which he himself aims, so long will he welcome help and criticism from every side alike, and resolve on an equal respect for each shade of honest opinion —

“ Tros Tyriusque ntilii nullo discriminc agetur.”We all need to get at facts, not at the varying reflections

which facts have cast in the minds of our fellow men. We do not need to ask, “ What do you believe ?” but rather “ Wind have you observed? What experiments have you made! What additional stone can you add to the ever-growing cairn of proven truths ? ” Such are the questions which Science asks of her followers, and surely anyone of us may well prefer to bo tho humblest foot soldier in the scientific host rather than tho chieftain of some guerilla band who neglect her steady dis­cipline and her dispassionate candour. I am speaking, ^ course, of Science in her ideal form ; and I do not forget that with regard to our studies, as with regard to many new studios before ours, some of the votaries of Science have fallen short of her ideal. But if this be so, the moro reason for us to keel’ that ideal before us ; if others are hasty in their negations, th“ more reason for us to be cautious in our affirmations, wo knowing that in the end the victory must rest with those conform most closely to the canons which both sides w" recognise as just and right. And, indeed, the very vastness

January 27, I804-J l ig h t . 47th® v‘sfcas °Pon ^e ore UB must needs inspire a salutarydistrust of our own opinions, or of any man’s opinions, which concern subjects so momentous and are formed upon evidence 0 ncw and sfcrMgo. If ever tlgro were children picking up

shells on the shore of the ocean of truth, such children are we 1 with this special privilege only, that that ooean opens out to us as at once vaster and more voyageablo than ever yet it has

{ op0tietl out to mortal man. Assuredly there is far more to be done than all our efforts, from all our different points of view,

; can possibly accomplish. And sinoe by asking me to speak here \ to-night you have encouraged me to suggest some mode in which

your Alliance may further the life-long work, and increase the posthumous honour of your late President, I will suggest that it is the characteristic of those who have attained a high degree

\ of conviction in any line of thought that they are thus made i willing to attack;'problems wh®|K need a specially vigorous > initial hopejtjin order to enable the inrdfirer to surmount

the discouragements <$f the way. There is one such problem Especially on which additional light is now

' urgently jfneeded before Mr. g^jPjfees’ own records can be satisfactorily discussed. I speak Bf spirityBotography. Mr. Moses’ personal connection with this subject was a some­what peculiar one. I will here speak only of the phonographs which heBbtained through Hudson, to fflme of which allusion has been made §fr1 ;he paper just readB Now, as to Hudson, not only were there strong presumptions of trickery on his part, on various Bpfra&ions. but Mr. Moses records how he him­self caught Hudson ^ ||& S n g aB so gross and e lem enta l^ a fashion that one would think £hag!nHKbut a blind have failed to det&Ilfefefe iraffli Now would thinkthat after this there was Ho more to fee said. heard that Mr. Moses had had fiarther php< iji||® s feom Hudson, which he beliE ed^H be genuine—but VMeh were taken under no expert supdMkion whatever—their co^Hision wou® rather be unfavourable to Mr. Moses’ acumen than favourable to Hudson’s powers. Still further, when it was shown that Mr. Moses’ sp^^-guides vouched for the genuine­ness of these later pfirepires, the coiiglusioBwould naturally be that the automatic messages BeSgly repeated the beliefs of the aufedmart«M himself. And yet I am not myself willing to leave the matter thus. Of course« greatly regret th a t Mr. Moses did hot take witH him to Hudsonfs studio s<frHe expert J;o con­duct, or at> heMrto superintend, the process. But, neverthe- less, having regard to certain internal points of B ||fln ce in these photographs themselves, and having regj«S§ also to the general trugfcjmorthiness of the messages Mr. Moses rec ftv H Mthink the photographs, althoughof course very strong, is no t co n c lu d e . I am especially influenced by the fact tha t these same messages which uphold the Hudson photographs fjjid also on more than one occasion refuse to assent tthH genuineness, or posBvely asserted the fraudulent character, of jwheHphenomena in whidtt Mr. Moses

iRimself had unhedijptfngly b e li# ed , I do not now B en d to discuss the value of g@B evidence already ^ ^ B c te d ,from sources other than 'H udson’s performances, for rare possibility of spirit-photography. B u^ B will be B id t^ ^ ^ B ill that an e d i^ p B i Mr. Moses’ records is placed by these Hudson photographs in a position of great jjp^ftm tyH and that if he is njat willing to surrender them altogether, and with them to surrender much of the trustwofefrjpjieBs of M ^ Moses’

B guides,” he will feel a great need of further and more precise experiments in spir-rt-photography to lay alongside of Mr. Moses’ series*- FM tpn^fely, if sp^ffl-photography be a fact, there should be means df su p p ly ^ ^^n e eviddn§B tbSsC urpSfcly needed. Thanks to M r. Duguid, Mr. Glendinning, and Mr. Traill Taylor, some im portant objective for Mr.Duguid’s powers in th is way Iras b e |n lately-jjyon tH the world. The phonographs, however, to which I allude are in themselves verystrange productions, and suggest many questions which only furflfrejt experiment can solve. F u rth e r experiment, indeed, is in all ways needful to eliminate chances of individual errorE to spread the responsibility for a belief so strange tfe science over a larger num ber of persons of known skill and probity; and to supply, even to persons already con voiced of the general fact, some approach to such comprehension of the modus opemndi as may raise th e ir belief from a blank acquies­cence into a reasoned conviction. There are plenty of pffipM graphic ex p e rt in the world and plenty of men of science who would be interested in such experiments, if conducted with the care and exactness which science rightly demands. To accom­plish such a series of experim ents there would be needed tact

aiul tompor, time and money, trouble and pains. The result might conceivably be of incalculable value as regards the advance of truth in general, and the credit of Mr. Moses’ communications in particular, I will add no more, save that in no way can any of us do truer honour to that friend who has passed from us, whose life was spent in the endeavour to acquire and to disseminate truth, than by ourselves doing all that is in out power to deepen the foundation and to strengthen the fabric of all of truth which he was permitted to discern and to teach, (Applause,)

A t the close of M r, Myers’s remarks a cordial vote of thanks was passed to him on. the motion of the President,

The evening’s proceedings were agreeably diversified by the performance of some excellent music, amongst which we would especially emphasise the admirable violoncello playing ^ 9 Miss Minnie Theobald, whose solos, as on a former occasionBwere rendered in a most Charming and musicianlike manner, and were evidently highly appreciated. Besides these, there were good vocal selections contributed by Miss Jessie Dixon, Miss Glendinning, and Messrs. Tidbury and Hyde, to all of whom the Alliance is much indebted for the ir generous and willing help. The grand piano gjsed oh th e occasion was kindly len t by Messrs. Brinsmead.

8U8TENTAT10N FUND.

We gratefully acknowledge the following contributions, and Hope thafl oHEraends will all give what they can, whether much ^^R tE eB We respectfully suggest that jbpeir remittances should be senCw^B)!^delay © th e Treasurer, M r. H . Withall, Gravel- W e, —y WUUUUWai A, jLJUiiUUU, >3. JL. .--

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THE LONDON SPIRITUALIST ALLIANCE.2, Du k e -s t b e e t , Adblphi, W.C.

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48x m w [January 27,

^ETTERa To THE EDITOR,;«i *#• *«»p**siu* .

<*mi W*4#tUM* *MUiah** A . . *>?»*?“ »* *»pr*ttedH/ n t m (V*, **t,, ** *•* W # * $ ** fi*' »”MV’<w

SOCIETY WORK.

dylivcmi by Mr, it. lUrn,, %u**u*li»»Vn -«#4 if i viUw vm>i

</-— •«*«.»«« rauu w me lui> <11 ituiiiiMiu 01 our -priwstudies on the nature, the powers, amt the possibilities of fhe X useeri l niverse which in Spiritualism comes in co

"M,il dltJUUUJli j^ The Function 0f Spiritualism and Mr. R, Harts,

'yhh great the very able addressf on the “ Proper Function of

,nturo to call in question tho eorrwctness of thy view he takes of Theosophy 1 really hope that t shall not tty held to be animated by open or voiloJ hostility W him or his own convictions. He says ; “ Take out of Theosophy the phenomenal element which distinctly belongs to Spiritualism, and all you have left is an ancient and certainly ingenious*, but wholly conjectural system of the Cosmos, which hr then utterly without the authoritative character which the phenomenal element is churned to give it." Now I take quite a. different view of Theosophy. For it the central object is Mian himself, and not, as in Spiritualism, the spirit guides of the t'useeu Universe ; and our system of the CosmoH becomes conjectural in inverse ratio to the advancement of our practical

manspiritualism comes in contact

with our consciousness from without, in Tlieosophy must be sought for from within each human being by himself. In the hrat ease man submits to the will of the Divine ; in the latter he recognises no other will than his own. Henoo the broad line of distinction between Spiritualism and Theosophy, where in the former we are taught to rely on spirit guides, and in the latter man is taught only self-reliance for the attainment of right knowledge. In that charming book, “ Spirit Teach-I inga," by Stainton Moses, p, 30, we find as follows : “ We [the spirit guides], lead the soul to rest in calm trust in God and His spirit teachers.1* This is the exact opposite of wl^H Theosophy requires of us, which, as I have said, is a trust in our own interior divinity and in the possibility that by o^^^ftiwn efforts we may develop in ourselves a knowledge of spirlf and the unseen world. For Spiritualism, the spiritual realms with­out and around us become the subject of experiment and its external communications the criterion of experimental success. For Theosophy, man’s own physical body and the, effects c l it of his own inner nature form the field of practical observation. We have before us in the Masters living examples of men wljjJ| have raised themselves to human states which JbS^oip coarser natures, seem quasi-divine, and we endeavomp. to follow their example by taking up and practising l i e methods which they themselves teach us as having been f le means 0® their own development, Therefore the word conjecture in reference to Theosophy simply belongs to that earlier state of the Theoaophic aspirant to self-evolvement wherej'jiis mental activity, soaring beyond the slow process of alchemical trans­mutation he has undertaken, and gilded, perhaps, Biy the incipient glow from the interior Light he seeks to unveil within himself, comforts itself with endeavouring to conjectgm at once that which it hopes to realise in all its truth a i^^natu i^^^^9 fection in the fulness of time. Nor can I see bwfc that,allRreffi$l progress is preceded by the expansion of the H nagii^^^K ntfl the realms of the unknown, bearing uponrits wings mm as Hr a tions which, on & lower plane, become actually prodd^Be of real practical work in lifting, and in holding fast when lifted, the struggling soul. That the noble system of Cosmic presented to us under the name of Theosophy Haft™®! conjecture, I by no means will admit,, b ie^H is self evident that proof is wanting at first to the prpgressinl inan, who, in his arduous undertaklgft neveipraeleas feels around for all that is large and elevating in Knag World’s philosophies both new and oldft Are we to be blamed

- because we have sufficient faith in our fragmentary teachings on Cosuvict evolution tliat we take the grandeur Ofi-the ideals they hold as aids to our o wn endeavours to be nobler men and women ? Do we not find in “ The Secret Doctrine ” and'Mflsiai Unveiled ’’ the threads of future proof for our cosmogenesis em­bedded in modern science, so that we who xtfflow on may see where to start those investigations which we believe will end in knitting the Seen to the Unseen ? And finally, is it not a fife's

, Work we have undertaken when we became Theosoplmts—nay,, more-—the work of many lives ; and are we, therefore, to throw

up the sponge because a few short years have not suffiejedten turn the human race from doubt and disorder into a harm^mraj whole ? Indeed, if we take away the “ phenomenalBlement which belongs to Spiritualism,^ I see a very different remnant than the conjectural cosmogenesis which fills the contemplative vision of Mr. Harte. Thomas Williams, F.T.S.

Correspondentsth e y wee a’1 ,, a n d b y a p p e n d e d

who send jf l notices of the work of the SoaieUes with it hi i atsedated V)Ul oblige by writing as distinctly as pogu'Jft unending their signatures to their commtunieatums.

tent ioi; to these requirements often compels us to rejeet their cotal' buttons, No notice received later them the first post on Tuesday':nurd o f adm ission'

SPIRITUALIST SOCIETY, 10, S aNDWKLL PARK, ty|,NlfiW WPlKITUAM"*. .JUl.ii air, iw, i-japi tfT, »w*T * yy,,Hampstead.--On Wednesday, January 31st, at 7.30 p.m., jyp’; \ ndr<5 will deliver a lecture on Hypnotism, with experiment!,'Visitors doHirous of attending should apply, by letter only,t,;n Vincent, lion, sec,, 31, Gowou-plaoa, Endslewa

chard-road, Askkw-road, Shepherd 's B ush, W -ioe on Sunday last Mrs. Mason’s controls gave v .olineations of character, to the manifest satisfact

of all present, Mr. It, W. Cable ably presided!Sunday m at 7 p.m., Mrs,Spring ;Tuesday, at 8 p.m,, stance, Mrs.Mas

Mias Itowan gardens, W

14, OaOMAUD-HOAD, A SKEW-ROAD, SBBVKSIBD’S B uKH, 'W ^ 5;At our survioe on Sunday last Mrs. Mason’s controls gave very successful delineations of character, to the manifest satisfaction %

Sunday next 1* ft “»- fitH 11Sunday, February 4th, Mr, Wyndoo ; February 11th, Mr. ^ ’1 Wallace, the “ Pioneer Medium.”—J.H.B.,Hon. Sec.

T ub Stratford Society of Spiritualists, W orkmas’, | H all, W est H am-lane, Stratford, E .—Meetings free, every! Sunday at 7 o’clock. Speaker for next Sunday, Mr. p Devers-Summers, on “ Spiritualism and Labour." On Sunday! last Mr. J . Veitch spoke very ably on Spiritualism and %. principles on which Spiritualists are in accord. He exhorted all to live up to the highest possible standard.—J. R ainbow. I

23, D evonshire-road, F orest H ill, S.E.—On Thursday,I January 18tHaukrge iHmber of friends attended the open circle,! and the guides of Mrs. Bliss gave clairvoyant descriptions o{H departed relatives and Mends. One control gave some sound • advioe to thoRe wKA attend spirit circles, asking them to give |: more sympathy to the mediums, so as to bring about higher and better conditions. On Sunday Mr. W. Edwards gave a very! interesting lecture on the “ WoH&pf God.” Sunday next, Mr C. Hardingham, at 7 p.m., address on“ Does the Bible Prohibit Spiritualism! ” Thursday, February 1 st, at 8 p.m., Mr.VangoJ clairvoyance.

S^HEojAL H all, ^H H ioh-strekt, M arylkbone, W.-5 On we ifld aj veryHflere^^B evening with Mr.Wallace'ff^H" Pioneer Medium"), who related some of his many i experiences years f t active wl^kr'in Spiritualism,!His appropriate remarks, interspersed betwem tbe'incidents whfth he relfted, were of great value to Spiritualists and inqufters alike. On Sufcay next, at 7 p.m ., MftW. T] Cooper f t ice-presidentftiljgspeak on “ The Uses of followed by claijtfflyance and psychometry by Miss McCreadie.K' February H Mr. J. J . Morse on ft|ra&riK as Interpreted by ^HKualisiiH’- ^ |H . ^ .

South L ondon Spiritualists’ M ission, S piritualists’ H all, 21, Camberwell G reen.—The opening of tbe above hall" will take ^ ^ H i Sunday, February 11th, when Mesdames Weidemeyer, Bliss, Stanley, Mozart, and Messrs. J. A.Butcher, Veitch, and m anK otlR^^p^take part. et the day’sproceedings will be : Seance at 11.30 a.m. ; stance atj O': p.m.; inaugural tea m efliifl at 5 p.m., l& e ts 9d. each ; and E H p.m., dedication service, with.special l a irg^Hprogramme and addresses. AH are invited to aitter^. The nevflhall is c ^ H p ^ situated, being easy <$i access- f®om all London, a n d ^ ^ R iH i for religious worship. aid of t E furnishing fund S H b e gratefully received hon. secretary am^HHI^ftv acknowledged.—Chas. M. P ayne. Hon. Sec.

—Information and assistance given to inquirers into Spiritualism. Literature on the subject and list of members will be sent urH receipt of stamped envelope by any ofCommittee America, Mrs. M. 0 ^ JH H 3 1 (S i:, North Broad- street, Philadelphia; Australia, Mr. H .^H H B r^^ i^^H G ran H Hotel,” P. G. Leymarie, 1, RueChabanais, Paris; Germany, 1, Monbijou-place,

^ ^ ^ H ^ |H c ^ H H B ^ ^ ^ ^ H |^ ^ ^ pA^ipiiHftMiddellaaiH 682 ; India, Mr. T. Hatton, Mills, BarodalNew Zealand, Mr. Graham, Huntley, Waikato ; Norway H Torestonson, Advocate, Christiania ; Russia, Etienne Geispite, Grande Belozerslci, No. 7, Lod. G, St. PejjgrsburglEngland-,iH Allen, Hon. Sec., 13, j^^rl'H-herraceJ^^^^e Post-lane, Mtow Pajk,Essex ; or, W. C. Robson, French correspondent,

Newca ^ f to i^^ ^ S • Manor Park branch wilj^ffltk at 13, Degk^ H fe&r^l^, White Pm iipa

Manor and students,audt l j last Sunday in eaclf^ ^ ^ . at 7 p .^.,r-eceptten for inquiref?J Also ,eacfy ]p'riday. at 9 Sn^itualists on®M|study o O ® B ^ d i8B8. And at 1 Manor PaAtbe first Md.ndayaEjea.cftmQp.th, a t 7 p.m., reception ip 19 quirers. Also ear« ^ Tuesday, at 7.30 p.nnrf inquirers’ me in s .—J. A.

No

Notes) Ur. A.

Ke«ei Mr. Faints “Quid Mrs. D

at tl hapj seen self, aboi was all v and was ing< for cha phe wei not the oai en ev to isiofocina01tlao

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

CjORRESPOt^ENTaM H be ^Ind enough to note that in conseq»eDf of sudden decease ofbf^P Editor, as mentioned % a n ^ lp r (p l ^ ^ g ieommunicatiphs which had been address61 to him nW not be for a time accessible.