--The Status of S p i r i t i s m —

i "U js
A a-
faipfrt whirlre ago one of our lo c a l papers c a r r ie d a U n ite d P r e s s dis p atc h from
'■? *•
London which sheds new and e-^^-s s t a r t l i n g l ig h t upon the old controversy

whether Shakespeare was +he author of the p lay s and poems a s s o c ia t e d w it h h i s

name. drama c r i t i c ,P e r c y A lle n ,a n n o u n c e s that Shakespeare was not the sole

author of h i s famous plays and poems."^e had a c o l l a b o r a t o r , and h is c o lla b o r a ­

t o r was Edward ©e ^ e r e , 1 7 t h . E a r l o f O x fo r d .T h e a uth o r ity fo r t h i s announcement

comes from the very high est source^, from Shakespeare h i m s e l f . LIr.Allen has been

t a l k i n g with S ha k e sp e ar e ,th e 1 7 t h .E a r l o f O x fo r d ,a n d w ith S i r ^'rancis Bacon.

He has been t a l k i n g w ith them through a M r s .H e s t e r Dowden,an automatic s p i r i t

w rite r ,w h o s e pen is guided by the s p i r i t s . M r . A l l e n ha,s gathered these t a lk s

together in a book e n t i t l e d "T a l k s With Blizabethans^./sfot only does he record

S ha kesp eare1s admission of c o lla b o r a tio n , but he prefaces +he book w ith a

sonnet which he says was w ritte n e s p e c i a l l y fo r him by Shakespeare.

The Psychic O b s e r v e r , o r g a n / of the S p i r i t u a l i s t A s s o c i a t i o n , informs us in a

recemt issue that Grace Moore,who lost her l i f e in a plane crash just a year

ago tomorrow,is s t i l l carry in g on her s i n g i n g career in the a f t e r - l i f e . Speak­

ing through a medium in D e t r o i t , Miss Moore sends t h i s message: "Hello everybo­

d y . ! have neVer spoken in t h i s manner before from t h i s w orld of s p i r i t fbut I

have appeared before many a u d ie n c e s , such as this,perh#fcs even l a r g e r . T h i s is

C r&c e Moore. Out here in +h i s world of s o u l , I have learn ed + o know and under-^

stand t h is great truth that 370U s p i r i t u a l i s t s know and are s t u d y in g and l e a r n ­

in g . . . I t is indeed a p leasure for m e . . . t o c:me to grett you earthj)lane f r i e n d s

t h is afternoon and + o t e l l you tha+ I am- c a r r y in g on my concert work even in

t h i s land of the s o u l. Madame Sbhumann Heink has sponsored me and has d i r e c t e d

my musical program in t h is land h e r e . "

The la te s t book by J . B . B h i n e of the Parapsychology Laboratory of ^uke U n i v e r ­

s i t y , condensed in the current is s ue of h e a d e r ’ s ^ i g e s t , c a r r ie s on the d is c u s

sion of work in extra-sensory p erc e p tio n and a r r iv e s at the co n clu s io n that

there i s 'n o w experimen+al evidence fo r b e l i e v i n g inrhe r e a l i t y of the s o u l .

"The discovery of evidence that man is something more than a p h y s i c a l b e in g

says Rhine "supp o r+s +he mos+ basic of a l l r e l i g i o u s d o c t r i n e s , namely +ha* man

h as a s p i r i + u a l n a + u r e . " And we are assured +ha+ e x * r a sensory perc e p +ion re ­

search " o f f e r s a p o s i+ iv e sugges+ion in favor of s u r v i v a l " of the soul a f t e r

death. "Even i f +here had bever been a p r e . i o u s concep+ o f s u r v i v a l ” says B M n e

" i t would have emerged from the ESP r e s e a r c h .*1

These three examples, to which many more might be added, in d ic a t e that s p i r ­

itualism , or more properly speaking s p i r i t i s m , is s t i l l a l i v e l y i s s u e . _ ojr_

verv sincere
ma n y Apeople it is a r e l i g i o n , g i v i n g comfort and co n so la tio n in tiw\e o f b e r e a v e ­

ment and sorrow.The loss of loved ones in the war has brought about a r e v i v a l

of inheres- +ha+ p a r a l l e l s +he s i+ u a t io n af+er the f i r s t world war.

\

Then S ir O l i v e r lodge was only one of many who found in s p i r i t i s m +he assurance

+ha+ ■
‘■heir loved ones were s t i l l a l i v e * , in the s p i r i t realm. S o t many

p e o p l e ^ V ^ i s a r a c k e t ,a fraud p ra c +ic e d by f o r t u n e + e l l e r s , c r y s ta l g a z e r s ,a n d

mediums upon g u l l i b l e and credulous groups of i n d i v i d u a l s . M is a h ig h l y l u ­

crative racket,ne+tinjr m il l i o n s and m illio ns of d o lla r s y e a r l y . And fo r many

o + h e r s , who are s k e p tic a l about +he claims of s p i r i + i s m . i t s * i l l remains a

fa s c i n a + i n g and absorbing f i e l d of in+eres+ and exp erim en tation . P e r s o n a l l y ,

I am h ig h ly ske p+ ic a l abou+ +he whole ma++er. j U p p e c+ +he s in c e re b e l i e f of

+hose who fin d eomfot+ and consola+ ion in i t ,b u + I am no+ co n vin ced. I can

work +he q u ij a board,but i+ never produces any s + a r t l i n g m es s age s ,a n d when it

does spBll ou+ something I have +o exp lain it in terms of my own u nconscious

muscular m o v e m e n t s , * ^ £ ^ A f c & n in +erms of +he working^ of +he s p i r i t s .I have

never seen a g h o s f .o r heard disembodied v o i c e s . I have l i s t e n e d *o p er s o n a l

a^ountT^oTTndividuals f l o a + i n g in +he a i r , b u t I have never w it n e s s e d the

even* fo r m yself. I have seen s p i r i t photographs,bu+ I know that so-called

s p ir it pho+ogarphy is a + r ic k e a S l i y performed. I have a m e n d e d many s e a n c e s ,

some of which were d is a p p o in t in g , some of w\ich were impressive w i * h b e l l s

ringing, + ab le s r i s i n g , +rumpe+s blow ing, v o ic e s speakin g, and ectoplasm f l o w ­

in g ou* of + he medium's nose and mou+h.I s+ i l l b e lie v e +here is a n a+ u r al

e xp la na tio n for a l l +hese hap pen in gs. I + es+ed myse l f on^Pr o f . B h i n e ' s +wen+y

fiv e c a r d s .P u r e l^ick average is fiv e h i t s ou+ of +wen+y f i v e . O n my oB

only a ++ e m p *,I made + en h i + s . B u + even i f X were +o make an average of +en over

a, r u n , I would B p f i n d i+ d i f f i u c l * +o see any r e l a t i o n be+ween + hat fact

and the assurance of immortality.

h a l l my s k e p + i c i m s .I + r u s + .h o w e v e r .t h a * I do no* haVe a clo sed mind

about + he m a + +e r.P sy c hica l research is a legi+im a+e f i e l d of ih q u ir y +o which

many h ig h ly r e s p o n sib le in v es+ ig a+ o rs have given + h e ir l i v e s . They have clear-

ea the ground of much rubbish,windowed some for p sy c h o lo gy ,

and +hey qui+e p o s s ib ly can add something to m a n 's knoledge of h i m s e l f . In

view of new discovery +ha+ is always p o s s i b l e , i + is only common sense to real-

iz e that we along w ith everyone else can be mistaken.

Meanwhile ,we can make the f o ll o w in g p o i n t s . l ^ i r s t , s p i r i t ism is a very old

d o c t r in e .T h a t in i t s e l f does not d is c r e d it i t , b u t when we see som ething of i + s

h i s t o r i c a l development we are forced +o d i s c o u n t e r s claim s, ^he story of

interest in psychic and occult phemonomena runs f a r back into infcient I n d i a ,

•^gypt, Greece and many other p la c e s . I n +he book o f F ir st Samuel we have the

famous s+ory of King S a u l ,w o r k in g t h o u g h a medium from E n d o r , c a l l i n g up -Hwr

the prophet Sam*€l from the realm of the d e a d ,i n order that Saul might r e c e iv e

d e s ir e d information as to the outcome o f h i s c o n f lic t with the P h i l i s t i n e s .

In most instances +he interest in p sychic phemonmena has fl u c t u a t e d in aa-oor.

and r e l ig io u s
wi^-h perio d s of phil^ o s o p h ic a l *d o u b t . 1 + has been a k in d of satisfying

s u b s t it u + e ” when people have been l e f t s p i r i t u a l l y cold and hungry by a s h i f t

in the climate of opinion and knowledge. During the e ig h t e e n th and +he f i r s t

h a l f of the nineteenth century^there was l i t t l e in t e r e s t in s p i r i t i a m . Sweden­

borg, it is t r u e , had switched from important s c i e n t i f i c work and had begun

t a l k i n g with a n g e l s ,a n d had founded the Church of " h e New Jerusalem .B u t it

was in the l a t t e r part o f the n in ete en th century that s p i r i t u a l i s m , a s we know

it r e a l l y began t 0 f l o u r i s h . Then we had not only +he growth of the E n g l i s h ^

I (fl
and American s p i r i + u a l i s + movemen+s bu+ also f siuch r e l a + e d movements

as Madmae B l a v a + s k y 's Theosophical Movement, and M rs.M ary Baker E d d y ' s "Ch-

ris+ian Science A s s o c i a t i o n " ,a n d W a r r e n 'F e l t &vans " l e w Th ought" movement.

i • v,~ Aexrr-r>oo wprp answers to a s u c c e s s io n of

A l l of these movements,in v a r y in g degree, H H H
 4
disqui+ing discoveri&s +ha+ 'h a d been made in the f i r s t h a l f o f &he c e n t u r y .

The impact of Copernican astronomy was +hen r e a l l y b e g in n in g + o be f e l t in

religion; German sc holars were s t r i p p i n g +he l i f e of ^esus down to a bare out­

l i n e , and even advancing the theory +ha* +he whole story of h is l i f e was a

myth; in 1 8 4 2 , + he eminent g e o lo g is t L y e l l had made a study of N ia g a r a ^ a l l s

and advanced his f i n d i n g that +he Niagara -^iver had been w earin g away the

rock on e i t h e i ^ i d e for no4* less than 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 y e a r s .T h i s f i n d i n g demolished

the notion ^ha4, the earth. was s i x thousand years old acc o rdin g + o B i b l i c a l

c a l c u l a t i o n ; in 1 8 5 9 'Darwin publish ed "The O r ig in of S p e i c i e s " which c o m p i l e

ly upset -**he u su a l notions about man*s o r i g i n ; and d u r in g t his same p e i o r d

there was in. the work of M a r x,a n d many of the s c i e n t i s t s , a dec ide d emphasis

on the side of p h il o s o p h ic a l m aterialism .

In t h is s i t u a t i o n , w ith one a f t e r anothei/of the f a m i l i a l r e l i g i o u s landmarks

b e in g wiped out,+he various modern psychic movfi/tfa*/ts "arose t 0 stem the * i d e

of s c e p t ic is m ,t o check the growth of p h ilo s o u s o p h ic a l m aterialism ",an d. t0

provide a source o f comfort and assurance outside of the e s t a b l i s h e d r e ligio u s

groups. As for modern Amer ic a n spiri-^ualism it had i + s b ir t h in 1 848 at Hydes-

vilIe,£Tew York,with the mysterious rappings of the l i +tie ^ox s is t e r s . These

raps in a humble cottage were in a short t i m© r in g in g a c la r io n p e a l that

sounded out +o m illio n s both here and a bro a d.T h e spirit WOr l d was r e a l and

the immortal/ty of the soul was ass u re d . Among the amazing claims made were
that s p i r i t s .
had A^ o w n houses in + o d is o r d e r , x hat +he s p i t i 4- of Mozart had

seised people and enabled them to play music that they had never p la y e d b e f o r e ,

+hat the shsde of Benjamin f r a n k l i n had appeared and "e x p l a i n e d that he was

now at the head of a college of s p i r i t s which w ould a i d h u m a n i t y to restore

its f a i t h in the d i v i n e " ; the Auburn A po sto lic C ir c le was v i s i t e d by a s e le c t

grov-p. of spirits--among them Moses, P a u l , D a n i e l , and John; i 4- was claimed

that *he s p i r i t s even went so f a r as + o edit and compose magazira s : +h is was

claimed for The S p ir it Messenger ana The Star of T r u t h ,b o t h p u b l i s h e d in

Surine- field.Massachusetts;and the Northwestern O r ie n t contain* 6 communications

ijp - C * , _ n—...... , r—--n.,ut|-n»r r— f

from such s p i r i t s as John Adams, ^dga r A i l a e n Poe,Thomas Paine and John W e s l e y 9

M
M r .P e r c y A l l e n , the drama c r i t i c , i s
5
not alone in h is
I
cM im
T L ,h a v in
. .
g been m

contact w ith S hakespeare. In 3+ . L o u i s , a Seance Club had speakers from the

s p i r i t world at every m eeting,and in 1922 it p u b l i s h e d a book e n t i t l e d 71Jesus*

Te a c h in g By S ha k e sp e a r e ’ s S p i r i t " . S h a k e s p e a r e , it seems, has turned th e o lo g ia n

in *he s p ir it world and t h is book "was taken by the d ir e c t d i c t a t i o n of the

s p r i t 1s v o ic e ” . As w ith M r . A l l e n , Shakespeare also has a sonnet fo r t h i s book,

a sonaet e n t i t l e d "i?or my Lord",lVrit+en by S h a k e s p e a r e 1 s Soul.

I
cj
Tv ese preposterous claims are haddly the kin d of t h i n g that can be in tro uced

in to any court o f ev ide n c e .Th e y represent a f l ig h t of imagi n a 4'io n that is

i n t e r e s t i n g ,b u t c e r t a in ly cannot be accepted as a d e s c r itp io n o f a c tu a l e-

v e n ts . A fter forty years o f s i l e n c e , imposed upon her through fe a r o f her s i s ­

t e r , Margaret •‘■
‘’ox not only admitted that the whole matter of the s p i r i t raps

in the l i t + i e co+ tage was a hoax and a t r i c k ,but at a p u b l i c performance in

New York Ci+y in 1888 showed how the mysterious rappings had been produced.

She and her s i s t e r had been fo o lin g the p u b l i c for years through c lev er manip­

u l a t i o n of th#rl{ b ig t o e s .T h a t ws$ the o r ig in of the mysterious r a p p i n g s . The

subsequent h isto ry o f Margaret ^ 0 x-aias-rather t r a g i c . She broke with S p i r i t u a l

ism, entered the Catholic Church, took to drinkajfr was i l l and p e n n i l e s s , final­

ly was forced back into s p i r i t u a l is m through +he need o f g e t t i n g some money, ^

was accepted by *h e s p i r i t u a l i s t s as one who had recanted h e r r e c a n t a t i o n , and

toward the close of the century she died in obscurity and p overty.

The admission o f fraud by the e ld e r J?ox s i s t e r created hardly a r ip p l e on

the wave of interest in s p i r i t i s m . By 1 8&8 the movement had spread w id e ly and

had gone fa r beyond simple s p i r i t r a p p in g s .B y then D a n i e l Douglas Hwme,who

for a p erio d l iv e d naar my home + w m in Con n ecticu t, was amazing the courts

of Europe w ith h i s marvelous f e a t s , and on one accasion was re po rte d *o have

fl o a t e d ou+ of one window and in through ano th er. l i v e d for weeksLt a time

in the palace of the G z a r ,a n d while he was never exposed as a f r a u d ,h e

was once found to have some of the royal j e w ijs in h i s h ip p o c k e t. Spiritual­

ism w it h some ups and downs has continued i t s c o u r s e ,a b le to brush a s i d e ex­

posure and proven f r a u d ,o v e r r i d i n g them w ith a r e l i g i o u s fa it h ,a n d holding

 b
t h a + i + s c en tral a ffir m a t io n o f comrauniGabion wiHrhe s p i r i t world is not
/
touched by c r i t i c i s m and ^he expsorue of fraud in + he p r a c t ic e s o f some i n d i ­

viduals, The rec an tation o f Margaret Pox did not prevent the S p i t u a l i s t Assem­

bly moving the l i t + i e cot+age of the Sox s i s t e r s + o l i l y D a l e ,N e w Y o rk,w h e re

as fa r as I know it is s+ i l l -**he shrine and headquarters of s p i r i t u a l i s m in

America.

2(J) The second point has to do w it h +he fact +hat i n d i v i d u a l s and s o c i e t i e s

have been i n v e s t i g a t i n g p s y c h ic a l phenomena for years and thefrft gen eral con­

sensus of opinion is that there is no evidence of s p i r i t s a+ w ork.T he y do not

claim to have the exact exp lanatio n fo r every h ap pe n in g, but they are c e r t a in

+ljat there is a natural e x p la n a tio n , and in countless cases they do know the

t r i c k s that are used to produce c ertain e f f e c t s . One o f the e a r l i e s t bodies

to make such an in v e s t ig a t io n was the Seybert Commission appointed by the U n i ­

v e r s it y of P e n n s y l v a n i a .l t made iA s report on modern s p i r i t u a l i s m in 1 8 8 7 .

Some of +he members of the eomit-fee, in c lu d in g the c hairm an,had a s+rong bia s

towards s p i r i t u a l i s m ,b u t i+ wag -*-he uniaimous verdict of the committee that

a l l the mediums examined were proven to be fr a u d s . As one example, D r . K n e r r , a

member of the commission, a m e n d e d a seance a + which the s p i r i t of an I n d ia n

was + o appear and a drum was to be played by him. D r .K n e r r managed to get

some p r i n t e r ' s ink on the drum s t i c k s jus+ before' the l i g h t s were low-red^^wa^

drum was p l a y e d ,b u + when the lig h t s came on|),the hands of the medium were

covered with p r i n t e r ’ s ink. W il lia m James of Harvard was tremendously i n t e r ­

ested in s p i r i t u a l is m and spent many hours i n v e s t i g a t i n g mediums.He would

r e a d i l y have been a s p i r i t u a l i s t i f he couTd have found any e v i d e n c e ,b u t he

could on]y remain s k e p t ic a l . P r o f .H e n r y S idgw ick of Cambridge U n i v e r i t y f on*«~

t in e p re s ide n t of the Bri + ish Society for P s y c h ic a l R e s e a rc h , inlclose touch

fajpl S ir O l i v e r lodge and other s p i r i t u a l i s t s of the day, was w i l l i n g to be

convinced but he could ntver fin d any evidence s u f f i c i e n t J-o convince him.

And P r o f . E s t a b r o o k s , of CQlgate U n i v e r s i t y ^ who admit+edly le a n s towards s p i r ­

itualism , in h i s recent book on the s u b j e c t , a f te r p o i n t i n g out how e a s i l y

people are f o o l e d by a m a gic ia n ,an d how much more e a s i l y they are fo o le d by

mediums because in most ease.s they are desiro us of being f o o l e d , goes on to

 7 .
sa y t h a + "not a s i n g l e p h y s ic a l m ediunfwi^h the exception of a ta in to n Moses

and P .D ,H o m e who were never satisfactorily in v e s t i g a t e d ) has not fjf|+her been

caught in open fraud or hap no+ been the object of grave s u s p i c i o n . Regard­

ing D .D.H om e,w ho was indeed a clever p erson, Robert -^rowing in h i s poem Mr.

S l u d g e , 1The Medium *, declared him an impostor. Tha+ was a p o e t ' s o p i n o i n , howdver

and no4- a proven f a c t . Years ago, George Bernard Shaw gave h i s op in on, in a

review of a book on s p i r i t u a l is m when he wrote T,It is u s e l e s s t 0 mince mat + ers

in d e a l i n g with ghost s t o r i e s — the existence of a l i a r is more probable than

the existence of a g h o s t . "

Most famous of a l l mediums in recent years was "Margery",trhe w ife of a Bos-

ton s u r g e o n ,D r . Crandon. While ^ v e r , with one p o s s ib le excep i o n , M * « f

detected in open fr au d, s+ i l l it was the considered opinion of H o u din i,Din gw a ll

of the B r i t i s h Society fo r P s y c h ic a l Research ,an d some Harvard P r o fe s s o r s

who made in v e s t ig a t io n s in the case , +ha t no supernormal happenings had taken

place. This is a l s o t h e opinion of P ^ o f .E s t a b r o o k s . mhe case has advocates for

bo+h s i d e s , however, and probably w i l l never be d e f i n i t e l y settled one way or

the other. But ■

‘■here is plenty of l i t e r a t u r e by such men as Podmore, H o u d i n i ,

Carrington and many others w^ich r e ve a ls the numerous very clever t r i c k s by

which seeming supernormal 6 f**fects can be and are produced by mediums, hese

range a ll the way from reading seated messages, do in g mind-reading, t e] i i n g

fo r t u n e s , moving, o b j e c t s , w r i t i n g on s i x * sealed s l a t e s , e s c a p in g from ropes

and h a n d c u f f s ,t o s p i t i t photography and the p ro duction of ectoplasm. Mos4- of

these t r ic k s anyone can learn in a short + ±me,&Y)(l it was the opinion of H o u d i­

ni that he could re-produce anything produced by a medium. Many of h is escapes

an d magical perfomrances were fa r more mystif- ing and marvelous than any­

t h i n g produced by /£ mediumS,

Undoubtedly there are mediums who a re the soul o ih o n o r ,a n d undoubtedly

s p i r i t u a l i s m as a r e l i g i o n gives comfort t 0 many p e o p l e , but if' must always

be remembered thgt no f i e l d is more r id d le d with fraud and t r i c k e r y , ? £ e han-

\

k e r in g a f t e r +he superna+u s l l which s + i l l seems +o a++rao+ feo many -people is

reafiily preyed upon by a l l k in d s o f + r i c k s + e r s . Ou* in C a l i f o r n i a *he widow

 §
of an arms manufacturer bu ilt a house on + he advice of a smart m e d i u m .nHe i n ­

s i s t e d that the ghost of persons k i l l e d by that p a r t i u c l a r brand o f friearm s

would a rr iv e + o occupy and haunt +he house as soon as its b u i l d i n g was comple^

t e d . S o the lady o f *he house decided never to complete i t . D a y and n i g h t fas

months ^blended into y e a r s , carp enters, masons, construction men, were always

at w ork ,w ith a r c h it e c t s d r y i n g up plan s to keep them con stan tly b u s y .C o n tiin -

ing scores of rooms, the house sprawled i t s e l f over s’e veral a c r e s , and today
{ Prosfeauer.}
r e s i n s a memorial to gulli&il-**y that was t h i r t y eight years in d u r a t i o n . "

During the war years and in recent months + here has been a r e v i v a l o f the old

s p i r i t phonography r a c k e t , with p ic t u r e s of war dead b e in g sold to sad­

dened parents and r e l a t i v e s . A s t r o l o g e r s , f o r t u n e t e l l e r s ; and c r y s t a l gazers

are s t i l l p l y in g t h e ir trade. P roskauer, who hae been in v e s t i g a t i n g +hese

a c t i v i t i e s for y e a r s , summarizes h is conlcusions in a recent book as f o l l o w s :

Communication between the l i v i n g and +he dead is not yet e s t a b l i s h e d . A l l </.f

the s p i r i t messages +hat he has ever read or seen given to someone; have been

based on s le ig h t of hand of one kin d or another. There is no e v i d e nce to i n d i ­

cate that the fu tures of in d iv id u a ls may be p r e d i c t e d in any manner whatsoever

I f +hey c o u l d ,a g i f t e d f o r t u n e t e e ll e r would not waste t i me g i v i n g two d o l l a r

readings but would take an o ff ic e on W a ll Street and make a fortune by p r e d i c -

t i n g which s+ ocks would go up and down. A nd,no one p ossesses s up e r na tu ra l

powers o f any k i n & whatsoever.

3 )T ^ e t h ird point has to do with immortality. Such a book as Prof.-Hhine 1 s

"T h e Reach of the M ind1* I am sure that a good num­

ber of people w i l l s e iz e upon it as they have s e iz e d uuon h i s p re v io u s books

and a r t i c l e s pus ,...aa j-

j-H? ■
■.«fc.n + he r e a l i t y of the soul

and t h e i r c e r ta in ty o f immortality. But p e r s o n a lly I am unable to see seksntsx

H i .
how-his-results prove the existe n c e of t h e . s o u l l or lead x o the l o g i c a l con­

c lusion that there is a s u r v iv a l o f the s o ^ l beyond the de a th of the body.

H© is d e a lin g w ith some i n t e r e s t i n g material' and it may be that he is on the

way to showing some unsuspected "powers o f the mind” .Th e mind is open to much

further in v estigatio n , and t h e r e is no t e l l i n g whore me may go in s t u d i e s of

 8
hypnotism,mult iple p e r s o n a l i t y , and +he working of + he subconscious m ind.But

Shin e makes an unwarranted leap from c e r tain w a k i n g s of the m ind^in a l i v i n g

b e in g to conclusions abou+ the soulEt and imm ortality.He claims r e s u l t s

in r e adin g cards and throw ing dice that a r e "u n e x p la i n a b l e in terms o f known ph ■*
But
y s i c a l p r i n c i p l e s " . Tha'- does not preclude the p o s s i b i l i t y of yet f i n d i n g an
I
explanation in + erms of p h y s ic a l p r i n c i t e s . Most p s y c h o l o g i s t s , as fa r as I

know, do not yet accept t e l e p a +hy and c lairvoyance as proven f a c t s , although

Rhine b e lie v e s they are e s t a b li s h e d by h is t e s t s . Even g r a n t in g that he has

produced some r e s u lt s t h a + are not r e a d il y e x p l a i n a b l e , there is no necessary

reason to believe that sjxm supernormal forces are at work. In one case which

he gives of a g i r l nine years of a g e , a l l +hat was necessary to induce h e r to

make a p erfect score of twenty fiv e on +he cards was p ro m isin g her a weward

of f i f t y cents. " I t seems c le a r "h e writ e s , ,,4*hat in L i l l i a n fs case we have an

example of an atitude b u i l + up to a high K&imjc p it c h c e n t e rin g in the w in n in g

of +he re'ward." P o s s ib l y s o ,a n d remarkable enough,but -

‘•here is no ev iden c e of

p er s o n al s u r v iv a l beyond death in that procedure. Du ring +he War Years was

not S ir Hubert W i l k i n s , +he no+ ed e xp lo re r, u t i l i z e d by the War Department

in Washington t 0 send +e le pa +h ic messages to a colleague in +he fr o ze n north?

As f a r as we know, he f a i l e d to g e A any messages through. P o s s i b l y i f he had

been b u i l 4* up to a higbjenough p i + ch centered in the w in n in g of fcks a reward,

he might have been as s u c c e ssful as l i t t l e Lillian.

When Rhine t a l k s about p ro v in g tha* manT,is something more than a p h y s ic a l

b e i n g " one can go along with him i f he is t a l k i n g about *he p e r s o n a l i t y

and +he mind. Bu+ even here there ai^e debatable poin+s about +he mind-body

relation. Wv en he s l id e s over k@*£D£&r and talksj^ abo ut” +he s p i r i t u a l n a t u r e "

of man then we are d e a lin g w i+h a tenuous and s lip p e r y term.And when he f u r ­

t h er holds that t h i s s p i r t i u a l na+ure o f man , +he mind of man, can + o some

degree act independent o f time and space, and can p e r s i s t beyond death of

the b o d y ,+hen we are on h ig h l y co n jec tu ra l ground and are d e a l i n g w i Ah a

matter of f a i + h . t may be so. As yet science can n e t ih e r prove nor disprove

the questio n of immor+ality, 1 + i s do u btful i f it w i l l ever be able to giv e

a f i n a l answer one way o f the other. i f one wishes +o b e l i e v e in the p e r s i s ­

tence of p e r s o n a lit y and mind beyond +he dea+h of-‘■he body, he m*y dojso.but ..

he s t i l l must b eliev e it on f a i t h and not on conclusive e v id e n c e . neither

s p i r i t u a l i s m nor expra-sensory perception o f f e r evidence for that b e l i e f

fa.r as science goes, we simply do no^ know#

Moreover, it is not a matter of l e v i t y ‘ o point out th a t the evidence p r e ­

sented by mediums in support 0f a s p i r i t existe n c e is a c t u a l l y rather fright-

the s p i r i t s seem t 0 be do in g w i t h t h e i r tim e .

I f t h e ^ s p i r i t s have no b e t t e r occupation than ±OT±*F + i p p i « g + a b l e s .h a u n t i n g

h ouses, blowing trumpets, ringing b e lls, and speaking in broken down p h r as es

through some medium,then "-hey would be fa r better o ff in the t r a a i t i f ^ ^ ^ ^ H | |

yen o f C h r is t in a i t y where at le ast they could make heavenly music. It i s good

to know tha t Grace MOore is s t i l carrying on with her sinfcgcng in / h e spirit

realm ,but one wonders why she has to be sponsored by Schuman H e i n k .a n d as one

reads her E n g l i s h one wonders whathas happened t 0 h e r grammar. It is also

pood t 0 know tha- Shakespeare is s t i l l p ro du cin g in the s p i r i t realm ,but when

one reads the sonnet he is supposed t 0 have sent the S t iL o u is Seance C lu b ,o n e

wonders what has happened t 0 the author of Hamlet.Maybe it was r e a l l y the

E a r l of Oxford who wrote these l i n e s :

Lord of my soul,my par* for ^ e e ^ I br in g

To better here +he part Thou say st of Thee
Who gave me Thy ete rna l .b r e a t h l e s s -ime
To praise and worship as Thou gavest me.

Men s p i r i t u a l i s t s assure us *hat l i f e "o n the other s i d e " i X " f i n e r " and

" h i g h e r " than on t his s i d e , one can only wonder at "the remarkeable s t u p i d i t y

of z*z\ f f why a ft e r they have worked so h ard

t 0 get through t 0 a medium,do they spend t h e i r t ime w it h such t r i f l i n g o bje c ts

and i n c i d e n t s ,a n d why do they show such a complete breakdown o f p e r s o n a l i t y

in i n c o h e r e n t ,h a l + in g ,C o n fu s e d u t te r a n c e s !t h a t -Hsrey-**w. I f human person-

| a i r t y breaks down in p e r s o n a l ly see very l i t t l e on -he other

side that is a tt r a c t i v e That I am not alone is ev iden ced by the words

of John 2?iske,written years ago, when h e ’remarked about the evidence of medi*

1 .. value as evidence were *0 b . c o r d e d , 1* . m i d «em *0 j | j g *0

 11 4.
co nclusio n +ha+ +he grade o f i n t e l l i g e n c e w M c h surv iv es +he grave is about

on a par with +ha+ which in +he present l i f e we are accustomed to shut up in

asylums fo r i d i o t s . "

4) A fourth. and f i n a l p o i n t . S P i r i t ie m may gfve some measure of comfort and

assurance t 0 i+s adheren ts,bu t it is a form o f o th e r w o r ldlin e s s +hat is h a r d ly

conducive + o +he development of inner s t r e n g t h ,a n d the g a t h e r in g o f courage,

and the growth of character, if *c a n be a very morbid k in d of t h i n g ,c a u s i n g

people to yearn fo r those whtfare g o n e , +he i r r e a l i z a t i o n of the beauty

and value of + he present l i f e and a l l i +s + ie s .i n s t e a d of broadening r e l i g i o u s

f a i t h , h e i ^ f e n i n g a sense of law and order, deepening ewer nature w it h la rg e

and e n n o i l i n g conceptions, it o ftentim es, gives only g r o t e s ^ u e , b e l i t + l i n g ,

and u s e l e s s ide a s . In somewhat the same way that P r o f , £ h i n e 1s a s s e r t io n s

would p lay havoc the conceptual framework of +he world^ , so

s p i r i t i s m throws the idea of law and order into a cocked h a t . It overturns the

moral and i n t e l l e c t u a l world view. It makes people dependent upon medium*,

fortunetellers, a s t r o lo g e r s , and cr y st a l g a z e r s , when they need + o be self-

r e l i a n t and strong in t h e i r own mind and w i l l . It gives them vague broken

u t+erances when they need t 0 gain in s p i r a t i o n from *he world round about
’ through the
them and from the great and good men and women who have marched taxrrxtks:

pages o f h is t o r y , flj '■urns t h e ir minds and t h e i r en ergies^narro w s e lf- c en te r e d

chan n els, when they need +o get outside of themselves and need to jo in in

some fight fo r p erso n al and s o c ia l r ig h T S o u s n e s s .

Back in 1 8 5 2 Thoreau in a l e t t e r to his s i s t e r made the f o l l o w i n g observa­

tions s''concord^he wrote ' i s just as i d i o t i c as ever in r e l a t i o n t 0 the s p i r i t s

and t h e i r k n o c k i n g s .^ o s x people here believe in a s p i r i t u a l w o r ld which no

respectable junk b o t t l e . . .would condescend to contain fo r even a m o m e n t . . . .

The hoo tin g of owls, the l ^ o a k ^ S of frogs is c e l e s t i a l wisdom in comparison.

I f I could be brought -*-0 believe in the things which they b e l i e v e , I s h o u ld

make hafcte to get r id of my c e r t i f i c a t e of s + ock in t h i s and the next w o r l d ' s

enterprises, and buy a share in the f i r s t Immediate A n n i h i l a t i o n Company that

o f f e r e d . I would exchange my immortality f o r a g l a s s of small beer

 12
w e a t h e r .........Consider +he dawn and the s u n r i s e — +he rainbow and the evening-

the a s p i r a t i o n s o f all + he s a i n t s . S ear music! see, s m e ll, t a s t e ,fe e l,h e a r —

anything-- and then h e a r t h e s e i d i o + s , in s p ir e d by the c r ac k in g of a r e s t l e s s

board, humbly a sk in g , ' P l e a s e , S p i r i t , i f you' canno"** answer by k n o c k s , answer by

t i p s of the t a b l e ' "

Thoreau was somewhat e x c i +ed and a b it h arsh in that l e t t e r , but he knew

what he was t a l k i n g about.-tie knew t>e beauty of the world round about him, the

i n f i n i t e range o f beauty a + Waldnn, on the Merrimac, and down on Gape Cod.

S s un s e t, wv*
i here was the dawn and t he racxujaiaracy ,the rain and the c frau ds^the noble com­

pany of good men that could be known in the pages of books, and there, r ig h t in

ost of people^as heaven could ever command-—

,rson, Hawthorne, Bronson A lc o t t , and Margaret d u l l e r .W h y spend time l i s t e n ­

ing + o unknown Indian chieftains,xrcky when these a u th e n t ic voices had much

more +0 say? W^y poke around in a vague sp irit world, when the "on dro us world

i t s e l f was righ t at hand? ‘^hy worry about what happens a ft e r de ath,w hen l i f e

c a r r ie s i + s own du ties and r e s p o s n b i l i t i e s and o p p o r tu n it ie s ? horeau was

loyal to +hat ouilook un+ il the When at + he end of along i l l n e s s , h e

lay at +he point o f death, one of h is oftd f r ie n d s came to sae him, and a f t e r

some p relim inary rernaks, s a i d , "H e n r y , should we not discuss the next w o r ld ? "

" N o " , answered H e n r y ,"O n e world at a t i m e . "

"One world at a t i m e "— xfcx&fc r*wi +^ e condition imposed upon us by nature

VvJT
.^ S e a ^ L f , for sekxsxkx holds open to out gaze no clear v ie w into the f u t u r e .

P o s s ib l y there is a realm outside of t i ^ e and space, but meanwhile we have to

c i t ...la-AJar ld in whic
l i v e , w o r k ,p l a y , f a i l and s^hieve withi n theA world as we know it.^ There is no

quick easy way to h a p p in e s s , knowledge and calm , but i+ ig a world in

w hich the values of the good l i f e can be a t t a in e d and whether those valu es

la st f o r an hour, fo r a y e a r, fo r e v e r , they carry t h e i r own rew ard, and

they make the stru g g le w orthwhile.

 * ISAAC NEWTON ★ CHARLES DARWIN * HORACE MANN ★

HUMANIST CREDIT UNION AND HUMANIST HEALTH GROUP ANNUAL

THOREAU
LOON
MEETING: The annual business m eeting of the Humanist Credit Union an d
Humanist Health Group will be held tomorrow evening, Monday, January 26, at
8 o'clock p. m. in the Unitarian Center. Members are urged to keep this date FIRST
in mind. Refreshments will be served following the meetings.

UNITARIAN

VAN
t R U M M A G E SALE
Monday, February 9— 304 Marquette Avenue

*
The W omen's Alliance is holding its anntidl rum mage sale on the
above date, with Mrs. O. R. Hermanek in charge. Articles m ay b e brought
S O C I E T Y OF M I N N E A P O L I S

HENDRICK
to the C enter a t any time u p to Sunday, February 8. Your donations

J ULI A
1526 H a rm o n P la c e M in n e a p o lis 3 , M in n e s o ta
will be appreciated.
CARL A. S T O R M
PROMETHEAN CLUB: The Prom ethean Club will join this evening with the Minister
Minnesota Unitarian Conference lecture.

WA R D
TRI-U STUDENT ASSOCIATION: Coffee Hour Forum, Wednesday, January 28
—"Is There a Source of Ultimate Authority in Religion?"—Dr. Mary Shaw, Univer­
sity of Minnesota—Women's Lounge, Coffman Memorial Union, U. of M.

★
PAPER SALE: The current p a p er collection ends today. Your donations of
papers and m agazines .have b een greatly appreciated.

HOWE
HOLMES
INVITATION T O MEMBERSHIP
Joining a Unitarian Church is a simple matter. But it m eans a g reat
deal. It m eans an expressed loyalty to the id eas of right living, sound

*
morals, an open mind, an d a religion of character in daily life. It also
signifies your willingness to - support the work of the Society b y your

JOSEPH
presence and interest and w hatever financial support you are a b le to give.

WENDELL
If you are. not already a member of the FIRST UNITARIAN SOCIETY
OF MINNEAPOLIS, we invite you to becom e a m em ber b y signing a mem­
bership card. The card may be given to the Minister, one of the ushers,
or sent to the church office, 1526 Harmon Place.

PRIESTLEY
SOCIETY DIRECTORY

OLIVER
Trustees _____ _____ ._____________ F. D. Stone... .......... ...........„.... . ____ GL. 1090
Treasurer .......___________________ Edwin L. Pearson ____ .........................„_WA. 7840 .
Secretary ---- B. A. McClellan ....__...___________________GR. 7858
Women's Alliance --------- Mrs. W . W . Carroll, Acting President___ DR. 9079
Evening Alliance __Mrs. F. E. Lange ...___ i..„._______________ PL. 1012
Church School Superintendent... Mrs. T. S. Castner ______ _______________ GL. 2577
★

*
Channing Club _______ ___ ______ Miss Carol E w a l d ___ ___ __ ___, , V A , 7110
Promethean Club _________ .______.Thomas D. M a n n ___ ____________,________AT. 6022
Laymen's League ______________ ..J. P. O'Connor .........._________ ______ __ _.LO. 2249 U N I T A R I A N P R IN C I P L E S

CHAS.
PAS5EN

Humanist Credit Union ...____ ____ W ym an Smith, President _______ ____ __ ST. 2418
Humanist Health G r o u p ________ Rober* Haagenson' Treasurer ----- .GL. 7873
• Individual freedom of belief.
Mrs. Walter Hoffman_________________ __LOi 7018
• Discipleship to advancing truth.
Adult Discussion Group_________ Vincent Johnson ________________ ,______ KE. 0366

P.
John C. Kidneigh, Co-Chairmen________ KE. 6631 • The democratic process in human relations.
VAN

STEINMETZ
• Universal brotherhood, undivided by nations, race o r creed,
FIRST and allegiance to the cause of a united world community.

UNI TARI AN
PIERRE

SOCIETY OF MINNEAPOLIS
1 5 2 6 H a rm o n P la c e M in n e a p o lis 3 , M in n e s o ta
* LONGFELLOW * LOWELL * HAWTHORNE * EMERSON *

* D istinguished U nitarians
 E N L IG H T E N E D R E A S O N / Our G uide in Religion • M EN T A L F R E E D O M / Our M ethod in Religion » H U M A N S E R V I C t , O ur Aim in R eligion
ORDER OF SERVICE
SUNDAY, JA N U A RY 25, 1948
Preludes: Ukrainian Song
Andante Cantabile
Plaintive Song
Moment Joyeux
Harvest Song
Fugue in Ancient Style
Hymn: Let Faith Be Strong (D u \e Street)
Our tasks are many, and our wills
Are weak beneath the weight of woe;
And often all w e see and know
Seems but the seed of further ills.
The gracious promise of the past.
The living hope that fills us now.
The dreams of love and faith that show
The future kingdom calm and vast.
Reading: From: “Philosophical Essays’
Response
Aspiration
Organ Solo: Phantasie
Announcements
Hymn: He Can Never Die (Posen)
Mem'ries, all too bright for tears.
Crowd around us from the past.
Faithful toiled he to the last,—
Faithful through unflagging years.
All that makes for human good.
Freedom, righteousness, and truth#
Objects of aspiring youth.
Firm to age he still pursued.
Offertory: Panis Angelicus
Sermon: The Status of Spiritism
WE CANNOT FATHOM
Drosdoff.
Alexandroff
Rebi\off
M ias\otus\y
Malcolm Quin
These oft are lost in sudden fear.
That speaks our failures to our hearts.
And makes us shun the nobler parts.
And claim the gladness which is here.
Oh, may our faith be strong, as still
The task of human life is great;
And may we have the strength to wait
Our dreams of gladness to fulfill.
F. C. S. Schiller
Bach
William Gas\ell
Kind and gentle was his soul.
Yet it glowed with glorious might.
Filling clouded minds with light.
Making wounded spirits whole.
Dying, he can never die!
To the dust his dust we give;
In our hearts his heart shall live;
Moving, guiding, working aye.
Franc\
THE I N F I N I T E . , . IT
Hymn: The Heroes of the Past (St. George's) F. W . Bec\ett
Now let grateful praises ring Ever rising from the grave.
To the heroes of the past; Fruits of the long forgotten deeds
With our heart and voice we sing. Of the loving and the brave
As the visions gather fast Minister unto our needs.
Of the men who thought and wrought.
And the women who, 'mid strife, Let us then our lives employ
Hope and inspiration brought In the works of righteousness;
To the work of daily life. W e may no rewards enjoy.
No fair words our work may bless
They are gone, their names unknown Though the world may crucify.
No fair marble shrines display; And our hopes be crushed and slain.
But the seed that they have sown Howsoever deep they liei
Bears the harvest of today. Our good deeds will rise again.
Closing W ords
Postlude: Allegro Gadt
Organist: Ruth Schneewind Rye
ANNOU NCEM EN TS
SERMON SUBJECT: Sunday, February 1—"I See by the Paper "_Mr
Carl A. Storm.
ADULT DISCUSSION: Sunday, February 1, 10 a. m., Unitarian Center—
Continuation of Prof. Mark G raubard's discussion of “Human Goals in the Liaht
of Science."
WOMEN'S ALLIANCE: 10 a. m. to 4 p. m.—Sewing for the Unitarian Service
Committee. Coffee will be served but each person is asked to bring her own
lunch.
M INNESOTA UNITARIAN CONFERENCE LECTURE
This Evening, January 25, 1948
A lecture will be held this evening at 8:15 o'clock at the Unitarian
C enter The subject will be— Minnesota's Mental Health Problems—
A C hallenge to Unitarians. Participants will b e the Rev. Arthur Foote
chairm an of the Minnesota Unitarian Conference Committee on Mental In*
stitutions, an d Mrs. Lawrence D. Steefel, Secretary of the Committee Every­
one is most cordially invited.
EVENING ALLIANCE: The Evening Alliance will m eet this Wednesday
Evening, January 28, a t 8 o clock in the Unitarian Center. Mrs. Eugene Roe
m em ber of the St Anthony Park Antique Club, will speak on "Old Kitchens
an d Recipes. The refreshments will include one of the recipes she m en­
tions. m e n d s a s well as members are most cordially invited.
1$ ENOUGH THAT WE LOVE AND SERVt HUMANITY