What Is Spiritualism?

 

By common consent Modern Spiritualism dates from the 31st of March, 1848. It was then that questions were first asked and intelligent answers given by means of rappings. The Fox family living in an humble house in the obscure village of Hydesville, N. Y., had been disturbed by strange noises for successive nights, but on the evening of the 31st, after they had retired, the disturbances became excessively annoying. At length it was found by the children that the sounds would respond to their request. This was a new order of things, for ghosts usually stand and silently gaze on the beholder, and disappear at the first word addressed to them.

 

The anniversary which is now celebrated by Spiritualists throughout the world, was first suggested by Mr. James Lawrence, of Cleveland, Ohio, who received a communication purporting to come from a spirit once eminent in earth life, suggesting that the day be thus set apart. The following year, 1870, the anniversary was almost universally observed by the societies of the city and country.

 

A. J. Davis may be said to have been the John the Baptist of Spiritualism, having prophesied its coming in his "Nature's Divine Revelations," which was finished one year before the Hydesville manifestations.

 

Of the many so-called exposures, and theories explaining the phenomena, they have only exposed the ignorance of those who have put them forth. The most acute and vigilant committee, after thorough investigation pronounced the phenomena occurring in the presence of the Fox children to be independent of them, and from that day to the present every one who has honestly and patiently investigated, has become convinced of the genuineness of the manifestations.

 

Such was the beginning of what has been called "Modern Spiritualism," as distinguished from "Spiritualism," which is as old as the race. It marks an epoch in time and the commencement of a reaction against materialism, which, with the new phase of scientific thought, was sweeping away the old beliefs in the supernatural.

 

What is Spiritualism? It is a religion and a science. Science the classification of facts, the co-ordination of cause and effect, ultimating in broad generalizations. It is the search after truth. Religion is devotion to and for the truth for its own sake; the abnegation of self for the good of others. Spiritualism, spanning the gulf between this present and the future life, is a religion dominant in both. It forms the golden strands permeating through all religious systems and binding them with common bonds. You may take the sacred books of the world—Shasta, Zend Avesta, the Kings, Koran, Talmud, and the Old and New Testaments—and you have brought together the spiritual history, ideas, emotions, superstitions and spiritual life of the early ages of man; but you have not Spiritualism—you have only a part. You may take the sciences—the terrestrial intimately connected with our telluric domain, teaching the construction and organization of our globe—and the cosmical, treating of the infinite realm of the stars—and you have not Spiritualism; you have only part. To represent it in its completeness, the truth must be extracted from all sciences and religions, and blended into harmony. It takes man by the hand and assures him that he is heir of immortal life; owning all things, for whom all things exist, and capable of understanding all. He is for eternity.

 

What a position he occupies! On one hand are the lower forms of nature, the brutes of the field; on the other the angels of light, towards whom he is hastening, one of whom he will become after death casts from his spirit its earthly garments. The end and aim of evolution is the individualization of a spiritual being. As man is the greatest fact of nature, so individualized spirit is the greatest fact of man. The travail of the ages—as bringing forth higher and higher forms, prophesying even from the Silurian mollusk the coming of man—in this light have a meaning; while they have not, if death is the end, bringing to naught the accumulated fruitage of life's vast tree. Spiritualism is leaderless. It is a singularity of the Spiritual movement that it has spread with a rapidity unparalleled in the history of any other cause, yet no one has stood at the head of its believers to direct their movements. Its teachings, on the contrary, denounce leadership, the worship of the individual, and demand every believer to rely solely on himself. It is a great, universal movement diffused throughout all ranks and classes of society, and from myriad sources the little streams flow into its vast channel. Other systems have had great and talented men to present and vindicate their claims to the world; they have had leaders who were considered infallible; but Spiritualism has none. It has never had. No leader, no pope, no final appeal; every one working out his own salvation; every one his own high priest.

 

The objections urged against Spiritualism are generally based on manifestations which Spiritualists themselves reject or hold as of questionable value. Dark circles are ridiculed and excite skepticism. Unless such circles are held under strictly test conditions they are of doubtful value. The mediums who hold them may be honest, but the darkness casts a shadow over the most genuine manifestations. These manifestations have occurred in the light, and hence darkness is not absolutely essential. Every honest medium, as a safeguard, should demand such conditions as will give value as tests to whatever may occur in the seances.

 

Our facts now may be divided into two distinct classes—physical and psychic—the first embracing those relating to the moving of matter, the second to those influencing the mind.

When proved genuine, those of the first class are far the most valuable as evidence to those trained in the material school of thought. If it can be proved that matter has been moved without physical contact, that the movements were intelligent, and the intelligence is identified, the chain of proof is complete. The mental phenomena depend on the impressibility of the mind; and, until more is known of their conditions and laws, the evidences drawn therefrom must be taken with reservation. The moving of physical objects without mortal contact, in an intelligent manner, and the concussions or raps, must be accepted as of great importance as scientific evidence. If several witnesses of veracity agree in their statement, it is morally certain that they speak the truth. No judge would set aside evidence on the ground that the organs of sight and hearing were not to be depended on. Where thousands of reliable witnesses testify that they have seen objects moved without human contact, the probabilities are infinite that they have. That a thousand individuals have not seen a table move or heard a rap does not invalidate the testimony of one who has. Besides, if a score of persons subject to illusions or hallucinations were in a circle, no two would be affected alike.

 

The tree is known by its fruit. Spiritualism teaches a faultless code of morality.

 

Electricity, magnetism, od force, have in turn been called to explain the phenomena. It sounds exceedingly learned to refer unexplained phenomena to these forces, and has become quite the fashion. But it must be remembered that the human body cannot charge a table electrically or magnetically, and to the most sensitive test the moving table does not show the least indication of the presence of these forces.

 

Scientific men have not met the subject with the courtesy they give to all other fields of thought. When Robert Hare attempted to introduce it to the attention of the American Association, Prof. Henry so far forget the rules of ordinary politeness as to interrupt him in the midst of his reading, and remarked, it "was a dangerous subject to introduce into the convention," and moved it be laid on the table. And yet Prof. Hare was acknowledged the peer of any member of the association in scientific culture!

 

In the celebrated investigation by the Cambridge committee, the conduct of the members was such as to make it impossible to obtain manifestations. In each of their favorite sciences, these professors would hasten to comply with conditions required, nor expect success unless they did so; but here they persistently destroyed the most essential elements, and then heralded their want of success as evidence of the fallacy of Spiritualism.

 

It appears untimely for the oft-repeated assertion that men of thought stand aloof, when such eminent scientists as Profs. Hare, Mapes, Crookes, Wallace, Varley, Butterof, Barrett, James, Wagner, and scores of others publicly announce their acceptance. All of these, in the words of Judge Edmunds, speaking of himself, "went into the investigation originally thinking it a deception, and intending to make public my exposure of it. Having from my research come to a different conclusion, I feel that the obligation to make known the result is just as strong."

 

A report by Gen. Bullard of a seance held with a little daughter of Mr. Alwood, of Troy, N. Y., is of peculiar interest. He was induced to attend by a clergyman, and the party was joined by four other eminent men. While the little girl sat in her high chair, her tiny feet resting on the footboard, she was lifted and carried about as a feather blown by the wind. The heavy table, around which we were seated rocked, while loud raps resounded from various parts of the room, and spelled out names and dates and messages identifying departed friends of the sitters. And as they were about to adjourn a message was given from Gen. Bullard's deceased brother. Then he thought as a test, "If it is my brother, move the medium in her chair toward me." His idea was to have her moved a little way; but she was carried around the table and sat by his side almost instantaneously. Then Gen. Bullard started up, exclaiming: "By heavens, it is all true!"

 

In contrast with the "exposition" of Faraday, and Huxley, who, when he saw a table move, and was asked if it really did, guardedly replied: "It seems to move," are the researches of Prof. Crookes, Varley and Wallace extending through many years, their adhesion to the cause constantly and the voluminous investigations increasing, a of the English Society of Psychic Research.

 

Judge Edmunds says: "Preparatory to visiting a circle I have sat down alone in my room and carefully prepared a series of questions to be propounded, and I have been surprised to have my questions answered, and in the precise order in which I made them without my even taking my memorandum out of my pocket, and when I knew not a person present even knew I had prepared the questions, much less what they were. * * * I have heard the mediums use Greek, Latin, Spanish and French words, when I knew that they had no knowledge of any language but their own, and it is a fact that can be attested to by many, that often there has been speaking and writing in foreign languages and unknown tongues by those who were unaccustomed with either."

 

Judge Edmunds further says: "When I was absent in Central America my friends in turn heard of my whereabouts and of the state of my health seven times, and on my return, by comparing their information with the entries in my journal, it was found to be invariably correct."

 

The facts I have stated not only indicate intelligence, but identify that intelligence. If a friend should come to our door and rap, if we could not open it or in any way see him; if he could not speak, but only answer by raps, how could we identify him? We would not begin to cavil and prate about the unknown laws of mind, but simply ask such questions as he only could answer, and, if rightly responded to, we should believe that he was present. In this manner do our spirit friends come to us. If I hear rappings on the table, or it is moved, and, by the alphabet, the name of a departed friend is given, I can, by a series of questions, establish his identity as well as I could if he were a mortal standing outside my door.

 

The demonstration of the fact that we exist as the same individuals after death is of utmost importance. It at once sweeps away all the dogmatism, faith and superstitions of the past; all the vain attempts to explain man's origin and destiny on religious grounds, and gives in their place knowledge of the future. It brings a balm to every mourning heart; assurance to the doubter, and a consistent philosophy of life.