The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1863

The study behind the phenomena of Morzine, in a way, shall not present any difficulty as we are well aware of the facts and considerations deduced from them after careful study. It is just a matter of reporting them so that anybody can reach those conclusions by analogy on their own. The two events below will still help us further to guide the reader on the right path. The first one was transmitted by Dr. Chaigneau, honorary member of the Parisian Society, president of the Spiritist Society of Saint-Jean d’Angély.

“A family used to make evocations with an unbridled passion, provocted by a Spirit that, as we learned, was very dangerous. It was one of their relatives who had died after bad life as well as mental problems. Under a fictitious name and by providing several proofs, he made beautiful promises and gave advices to fascinate those unsuspecting people, submitting them to his demands and forcing them to the most eccentric actions. Since they were no longer able to satisfy his wishes they came to me asking for advice making it really difficult to us to dissuade them and demonstrate to them that it was a Spirit of the worst kind. We were successful though to the point of having them abstain from the evocations from some time. Since then the obsession changed character: the Spirit would completely control the youngest son, a fourteen year old young man, bringing him to a cataleptic state after which he verbally requested to be entertained, gave orders and threatened people. We advised them to keep absolute silence, which was rigorously observed. The parents would pray and come to us for assistance. Reverence and will power have always given us the upper hand in a matter of minutes. In practical terms it has all ended now. We hope that order may follow disorder in that home. Far from being upset with Spiritism, they believe more than ever before but believe more seriously. They now understand the objective and moral consequences of Spiritism. They all understand that it was a lesson to them. Some believe it was perhaps a deserved punishment.”

This example demonstrates, once more, the inconveniences of carrying out evocations without knowledge of causes and without a serious objective. Thanks to the advice of experience heard by those persons they were able to get rid of a perhaps a terrible enemy. Another not less important teaching stems out of this. To the eyes of people ignorant of Spiritism, the young man would have been seen as a mad person. He would not go without the corresponding treatment which in turn could have developed real insanity in him. With the help of a Spiritist doctor the disease was attacked in its true cause without leaving sequels. The same did not happen in the next event.

An acquaintance that resides in a country town, knowingly hostile to the spiritist ideas, was suddenly taken by a kind of delirium that resulted in him absurd things. Since he was involved with Spiritism, he used to talk about spirits. Those around him were scared, alarmed, and without further investigation called in the doctors who soon declared the man to be mad for the satisfaction of the enemies of Spiritism who wanted to have him taken to a mental health institution.

Everything that we were able to collect about the event demonstrates that the person was momentarily submitted to subjugation perhaps enhanced by certain physical conditions. It was what he thought. He sent us a letter to which we responded. Unfortunately, our letter did not arrive in time and he only much later had he learned about it. “I am so very sorry for not having received your reassuring letter”, he said later. “At the moment it would have helped me a great deal, confirming my thoughts that I was a toy in the hands of an obsession and that would have brought me peace of mind whereas what I constantly heard around me was that I was crazy and I ended up believing in that. Those thoughts tortured me to such an extent that I don’t know what could have happened had they stayed with me any longer.”

Once consulted about it a Spirit responded: – A. This person is not mad but by the way he is being medically treated he could become mad. Even more: they could have him killed. The remedy to his disease is in Spiritism.”

Similar cases have happened and many were arrested as insane without knowing it. It is only an experienced observer in this kind of matter that can appreciate it. Since there are many spiritist doctors these days, it is recommended that people refer to them in such cases. Obsession will one day be listed among pathological causes as it is today just as the action of microscopic organisms whose existence was ignored before the invention of the microscope. People will then realize that neither the showers nor the bloodletting can cure them. A doctor that does not admit it and that only seeks purely material causes is as much inadequate to treat such affections as a blind person is to identify colors.

The second case was reported by one of our corresponding members from Boulogne-Sur-Mer.

“A forty-five-year-old woman, wife of a sailor from this town, has been subjected to the sad domain of subjugation for almost fifteen years. Almost every evening and without exception to the periods of pregnancy she is woken up around midnight, her limbs trembling as if taken by the action of a galvanic battery. She feels her stomach compressed and burning; her brains in furious exaltation, feeling as if pulled from bed and sometimes dragged semi naked outside of the house, forced to run through the fields. She wanders around for two or three hours, only realizing her condition and location at the end of the episode. She cannot pray. When she kneels and try her thoughts are mixed with bizarre and dirty things. She cannot go to any church. She strongly feels like doing it but she is stopped at the door by a barrier that blocks her. Four men unsuccessfully tried to take her inside a church. She screamed that they were killing her, that her chest was smashed. The poor woman fruitlessly tried to commit suicide several times to escape that horrible situation. She drank coffee with dissolved phosphorous; she drank detergent suffering nothing; she threw herself in the waters but every time she would surface again until someone rescued her. Beyond those moments of crisis she is entirely normal and even in those moments she is perfectly aware of her actions and the superior force that acts upon her. The whole neighborhood believes that she is the victim of a curse.”

Subjugation could not be better characterized but through the phenomena that are undoubtedly the works of a Spirit of the worst kind. Will some say that it was Spiritism that attracted the Spirit to her or that disturbed her brains? But nobody spoke of Spiritism fifteen years ago. As a matter of fact, the woman is not mad and what she experiences is not an illusion. Ordinary medicine will only see in these symptoms one of those diseases called “nervous” whose cause is still a mystery. The disease is real but there is always a cause to any effect. Now, what is the first cause? This is a field that can count on the contribution of Spiritism by demonstrating the existence of a new agent in the perispirit and the action of the invisible upon the visible world. We do not generalize and do recognize that in certain cases the cause may be entirely material but there are other cases in which the intervention of a hidden intelligence is evident since by fighting that intelligence the illness is abated while by nothing happens when the supposedly unique material cause is attacked.

The evil spirits show a common characteristic trait, namely their aversion to anything that is related to religion. The majority of the non-obsessed mediums who have received communications from bad spirits have often witnessed their desecration against most sacred things, including laughing at and avoiding prayer as well as showing irritation when God is mentioned.

In the subjugated medium, the Spirit controls about one third of the body and can express thoughts not only through writing but also through gestures and words forced through the medium. Since no spiritist phenomenon may be produced without the mediumistic concurrence we can say that the woman’s experienced mentioned above is a spontaneous, unconscious and involuntary medium. The impossibility of praying and attending a church service comes from the rejection of the Spirit that took control of her because he knows that prayer will set her free.

Instead of one person suppose that we now have ten, twenty, thirty or more in the same region, the same state and there you have the reproduction of what happened in Morzine.

Isn’t that proof positive that these spirits are demons? Call them demons if you want as that label would not surprise them. Don’t you frequently see, however, people that are really bad and that could be called incarnate demons in their own right? Aren’t those who say blasphemous things, deny God, and find pleasure in evilness? Those who rejoice before the suffering of their neighbors? Why then would you expect to have them suddenly transformed in the world of the spirits? The ones you call demons, we call bad spirits with all the bad traits that you wish them to have. The difference, however, is that, in your opinion, demons are fallen angels, perfect beings that became bad and are now eternally devoted to evil and suffering. In our opinion, these are members of a primitive humanity, a kind of underdeveloped savages but to whom the future is not blocked and who will improve as their moral sense develops on them through a series of successive existences, something that seems much more in line with God’s law of progress and justice. Besides we have experience in our favor demonstrating the possibility of betterment and regret of the lowest kind of Spirits and those who are placed in the category of demons. Let us look into a special stage of those Spirits whose study is highly relevant to the current subject matter.

It is well-known that the inferior spirits are under the influence of matter, carrying all kinds of vices and passions from their time on Earth. As a result, these spirits will use these imperfections in subsequent reincarnation to misdirect others. Experience demonstrates that some show sexual deviances which are obscene and lead to or orgies and other mockeries that feed on these imperfections. Here is a question: after death what could have been the category of spirits such as Tiberius, Nero, Claudius, Messalina, Caligula and Heliogabalus? Which kind of obsession could have provoked them? In order to explain such obsession do we need to refer to special creatures that God would have created specially to drive people to evilness?

There are some kinds of obsessions that leave no doubt as to the type of Spirits that produce them. Obsession of those kind gave rise to fables of the incubus and succubus firmly believed by St. Augustine. More than one example could be cited to support this statement.

When the multiple corporeal impressions were studied and the perceptible touches sometimes produced by certain Spirits; when the tastes and tendencies of some of them are known and when the character of certain hysterical phenomena are analyzed, we ask ourselves if they would not play a role in that disease as they do in the obsessive insanity. We have seen it several times followed by unequivocal signs of subjugation.

Let’s now take a look at what happened in Morzine. To begin with let’s start with the location, which is important to the overall story.

Morzine is a commune of Chablais, High Savoy, located eight miles away from Thonon, at one end of the Durance Valley, in the remote Valais of Switzerland, separated by a mountain. Its population counts on about 2,500 souls and besides the main village there are several others spread in the high planes around. It is mostly surrounded by the Alps range but the majority is covered by forests and planted fields up to a considerable height. As a matter of fact, one cannot see permanent ice or snow anywhere there. We were told that the snow persists less there than in the Jura Mountains.

Dr. Constant was sent there by the French government in 1861 and stayed for three months. He portrayed a very unfavorable situation occurring in the region and, based on the assumption that the disease was purely physical, he only sought physical causes for the issues he observed. This was probably the reason that gave him an unfavorable impression of the people and the events.

The illness was a nervous affliction in his opinion, whose primary cause was the physical constitution of the inhabitants, caused by the inhospitable environment and the poor diet and food quality. This situation manifested itself more immediately in the hysterical state of the majority of female patients. Not disputing the existence of the disease, which greatly affect the women, one must say that it also caught men and women at an advanced age. One could not pinpoint the exact cause in the hysteria. What was the cause of hysteria?

We went to visit Morzine and we must say that our observations and the data collected from the local authorities and doctor are somewhat different from those collected by Dr. Constant.

In general , the main village was well built. The houses in the surrounding villages are not exactly hotels but they are not as bad as some of the poorer regions found in France, like in Britany for example, where the peasants live in real shacks.

The population did not seem weakened, in particular, did not seem to have goiter either, as indicated by Dr. Constant. We saw some elementary goiter but nothing pronounced as found in all Marianne women. It is rare to find mentally challenged people there, despite what Dr. Constant said, where on the other side of the mountain in the Valais region there are many of them. With respect to food the region produces more than enough for their own consumption. Although there is no abundance there is no misery either in particular the horrible one found in other regions. There are some places where the peasant population is infinitely worse fed. A remarkable fact is that we did not see a single beggar around. The region offers important resources of wood and rocks but that remains unused due to the lack of logistical transportation. The difficulty in communication is the Achillesheel of the region without which it would be one of the richest of the country. This difficulty can be exemplified by the fact that the postal service of Thonon cannot reach more than 2 miles out of town. Beyond that there is no road but only a trail to the top of the mountain and down to the banks of the Durance River with its furious torrents that cascades down through huge walls of granite, precipitating to its bed in the narrow gorge. For several miles the area is inhospitable. After transposing that stretch the valley becomes calm until Morzine, where it ends. it is difficult to get there, though, and it keeps the visitors away so much so that the region is only visited by hunters, which are strong enough to climb the rocks.

The paths have improved since its annexation. Before that they were only able to be traversed on horseback. People say that the government has plans to extend the road from Thonon to Morzine by the river. It is a difficult job but that will change the region, allowing for the export of their goods.

That is the general description of this region, which is not as unhealthy as pointed out by Dr. Constant. Admitting that the main village of Morzine, located at the end of the valley by the river, is humid. , We must, however, emphasize that the majority of those affected by the disease were from the neighboring villages, located in the higher planes where it is less humid.

If the disease was due to local causes, as pretended by Dr. Constant, such permanent causes should produce permanent effects and the illness would be endemic. just like the intermittent fever of Camargue and the Pontine marshes. If cretinism and goiter are endemic in the Rodano valley and not in the bordering Durance valley, the fact is that there is a permanent cause in one that does not exist in the other. If what is called possession of Morzine is only temporary then its cause is accidental.

Dr. Constant says that his observations did not reveal any supernatural cause. Since he only believes in material causes, it would seem to reason that he can only judge the effects based on the physical rather than an extra-material force? Has he studied the effects of such a force? Does he know its consistence and what are the symptoms that may allow its recognition? No, and since then to him they seem to be what they are not, believing that they are undoubtedly miracles and fantastic apparitions. He saw and described those symptoms but since he does not admit their cause the sought it elsewhere, in the material world where he could not find it.

The patients reported to be tormented by invisible creatures but since he did not see any of these, he concluded that the patients were mad, confirmed by the fact that they sometimes used to say absurd things even to the eyes of the most eager believer in Spirits. To him it was all absurd, though. As a doctor, however, he should know himself that even amidst crazy divagations of insanity there are sometimes glimpses of truth.

He assumed that the population, in general, was taken by superstitious ideas. But what was the surprise in an ignorant and rural population, isolated in the midst of the mountains? What more natural than having a terrified people amplifying the phenomena? Due to the fact that among the reports there were ridiculous comments he concluded that, from his point of view, everything should be ridiculous, not to mention the fact that to the eyes of any one that does not admit the action of the invisible world, all the effects resulting from that action are doomed to be classified as superstitious beliefs.

In order to support his thesis, Dr. Constant supported the reports in the media that asserted that every patient climbed trees that were forty yards tall with the agility of a cat; walked on unyielding branches; lied down with their feet in the air, coming down head first and unharmed. He discussed that at length to demonstrated the impossibility of the phenomenon and to demonstrate that the trees could not be seen from the houses where people supposedly saw the events. [jcm – this sentence does not make sense – need to discuss]

All the effort proved useless as we were told when we were there at the location was that it was not true. It was just a young man who had climbed a tree of normal dimensions and without tricks.

That is how Dr. Constant describes the history and the effects of the disease.

(to be continued in our next issue).

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[1] Refer to the December 1862 and January 1863 issues of the Spiritist Review

A letter from Lyon, dated December 7^th, 1862 contains the following passage verbally confirmed to us by a witness:

“We had the presence here of the Bishop of Texas, USA, who preached on Tuesday, 8^th December, at 8pm at Saint-Nizier Church, before an auditorium of about two thousand people and a large number of Spiritists. Ah! He does not seem to be well informed about our Doctrine. One can judge from this summary: - The Spiritists do not admit hell or prayer in church. They lock themselves in their bedrooms and pray to God there, who knows which prayers! There are only two types of Spirits: the perfect ones and the thieves; the murderers and the villains…I come from America where these blasphemies began. I can assure you, though, that for a couple of years now nobody is involved with these things there any more…I was told here in this famous city of Lyon that there was a lot of Spiritists here. This cannot be true. I don’t believe it. I am positive, brothers and sisters, that there isn’t a single medium among you for behold the Spirits do not accept marriage or baptism and every Spiritist separates from their spouses, etc.

“Those few statements give you an idea of the rest. What would the preacher say if he had known that a quarter of the audience was made-up of Spiritists? As for his eloquence, I can only say this: at certain times he was frantic; he seemed to have lost his train of thoughts and did not know what he wanted to say. If I was not afraid of using an disrepectful expression, I would say that he floundered. I do believe that he was led to say such absurd things by some Spirits and, so much so, that I assure you that we even forgot that we were in a sacred place. Everybody was laughing. Some of his followers came outside to observe the effect produced by the sermon but may not have been very happy since each person laughed and said what they thought. Several of his friends deplored his attitude and understood that he had not achieved his objective. This is what happened in the next session. A lady that was sitting by a very kind Spiritist friend of mine asked: - What is this Spiritism and these mediums that people speak so much about it and what are these men so furious about? She thought about the explanation and said: - Ah! When I get home I will try to acquire the books and understand.

“I assure you that it is thanks to some of these sermons that there are so many Spiritists in Lyon. Keep in mind that only three years ago we were only a few hundred when I wrote to you about a wrathful sermon against the Doctrine that had excellent results. I surmised that a few sermons more like this one and, in a year, the number of followers would double. Well, as predicted, the number is a hundred fold today thanks also to the false attacks from the press.

Everybody has more common sense than one may think when something is attached with such emphasis. As a result, these individuals wanted to investigate the merits of Spiritism themselves. They soon recognized the untruths of certain ignoallegations that denoted ignorance or malevolence, discrediting the critics and bringing more followers to Spiritism instead of keeping them away. The same happens, we hope, to the Bishop of Texas whose greatest mistake was to say that ‘every Spiritist is separated from their wives’, when we have here before our eyes many couples that were separated before and that found union and concord in Spiritism.

Everyone naturally tells themselves that if the adversaries of Spiritism give it false teachings but yet the the results demonstrated by the facts and by the reading of the books show the opposite, there is then nothing to confirm the truthfulness of their criticism. I do believe that if the Spiritists of Lyon were not afraid of what how the Bishop of Texas would react, they would have sent him and thank you letter. Spiritism, however, makes us charitable, even to our enemies.”

Another letter from a witness contains the following passage:

“The preacher from Saint-Nizier assumed that Spiritism had had its time in the USA and that for two years now nobody talks about it. Hence in his opinion it was a matter of fashion. The phenomena had no consistence and did not deserve further studies. He sought to see and saw nothing. However, he added that the new doctrine was destructive to the links of family, to the property and to the constitution of Society thus he denounced it to the authorities.

The adversaries expected a more shocking effect and not a simple denial presented in such a ridiculous way as the people are not oblivious to what happens in town, to the march of progress, and to the nature of the manifestations. The issue resumed on Sunday 14^th in Saint-Jean, this time handled a little bit better. The preacher of Saint-Nizier denied the phenomena. In Saint-Jean he acknowledged them and said: - People hear raps on the walls, in the air, mysterious voices; in reality these are from Spirits but which Spirits? They cannot be good since the good ones are kind and obedient to God’s orders which prohibits the evocation of Spirits. Hence the ones that come can only be the bad ones.

There was about three thousand people in Saint-Jean. Among those at least three hundred will seek the discovery. What will certainly contribute to the thoughts of honest and intelligent people that made the audience are the singular statements of the preacher – I say that out of education. – Spiritism, he said, comes to destroy the family, to degrade women, to preach suicide, adultery and abortion, to promote communism and dissolve society.

He then invited the parishioners who eventually had Spiritist books to come forward and give it to them so that they could be burnt like St. Paul did to the heretic books in Ephesus. I don’t know if those gentlemen will find people eager enough to take their money and empty our bookshelves. Some Spiritists were furious; the majority rejoiced for understanding that it was a great day.

Hence, from the top of the second cathedra of France they have just proclaimed that the phenomena are true. The whole issue then is reduced to knowing that if these are good or bad Spirits and if the bad ones have God’s permission to come.”







The preacher of Saint-Jean affirms that it can only be the bad ones. He modified a little bit the solution.

We got a letter from Angouleme last Thursday, December 5^th telling us that a preacher expressed himself in this way during his sermon: “We all knew that the Spirits could be evoked and since long ago but it can only be done by the Church. Other people are not allowed to try to correspond with them by material means. To me it is a heresy.” The effect it had on people was entirely contrary to the expected.

Thus, it is obvious that the good ones and the bad ones can communicate since if only the bad ones had such a power it is not reasonable that only the Church had the privilege of calling them.

We doubt that two sermons given in Bordeaux in the last October had served better to the cause of our antagonists. Below follows the analysis done by one listener. The Spiritists will be able to see if under this disguise they recognize their Doctrine and if the arguments opposed to them can smother their faith. As for ourselves, we repeat what we have already said somewhere else: While Spiritism is not attacked with better weapons it has nothing to fear.

“I will always regret”, says the narrator, “the fact that I missed the first of these sermons at Margaux Chapel, on October 15^th last, if I am not mistaken. According to what I heard from trustworthy witnesses the thesis that was developed was the following: - the Spirits may communicate with mankind. The good ones only communicate with the Church. All those who manifest outside Church are bad because there is no salvation outside Church. The mediums are miserable people who established a pact with the devil obtaining from him manifestations of all sorts at the price of their soul, extraordinary if not miraculous manifestations.”

I give below other citations still stranger than that one. Since I did not hear them I suspect these statements could be exaggerated.

“The following Sunday, October 19^th I was lucky enough to hear the sermon below. I tried to learn the name of the preacher and I was told that it was Father Lapeyre.

Father Lapeyre offered insights to his critics of The Spirits’ Book. In order to do so, he certainly tried to raise issues from this remarkable piece of work. I will restrain myself to point out the arguments that were more shocking to me, choosing to stay below the truth rather than assigning to our adversary something that he might not have said or that I might have misunderstood.

According to Father Lapeyre, The Spirits’ Book preaches communism; sharing of assets; divorce; equality among all peoples and in particular between men and women; equality between man and his God since man aspires nothing less than become similar to Jesus Christ taken by a pride that was the loss of the angels. The book drags people to materialism and to sensual pleasures since the works of progress may take place without God’s support and despite God, through the effect of this force that wishes the betterment of everything gradually, promoting the metempsychosis, this insanity of antiquity, etc. Then moving on to the speed with which the new ideas propagate he attests horrified how skillful and smart the devil is, by bringing them about; how well and artfully he was able to elaborate them to strongly vibrate in the perverted hearts of this century of incredulity and heresies. He then states: - this century loves freedom so much and offer him free examination, freedom of choice, freedom of conscience! This century loves equality so much and shows him mankind at the same level of God! This century loves light so much and with a movement of the hand tears off the veil that hid the sacred mysteries.

He then attacks the subject of the eternal penalties and gave magnificent pieces of oratory embedded in emotions. – Believe me, my dear friends; believe me when I tell you where the imprudence of these new philosophers taken them thinking that they have dismantled the sacred religion of Jesus Christ before the weight of their deceptive assertions. Ah! Disgraceful! There is no hell, no purgatory, they say! To them no more blessed relationships connecting the living ones to the souls of those who they lost. No more the sacred sacrifice of the mass! Why would they celebrate it? Wouldn’t their souls purify by themselves without any work and just by the efficacy of that irresistible force that attracts them to perfection non-stop? And do you know who the authorities are that come to proclaim these impious doctrines stamped on their foreheads by the indelible sign of hell that they wanted to annihilate? Ah! Brothers! These are the strongest columns of the Church: St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Luke, St. Vincent de Paul, Bossuet, Fénelon, Lamennais, and all renowned men, true saints that fought for the establishment of the unmovable truth in their time and upon which the Church built its foundations, coming now to declare that their Spirits, detached from matter and more clairvoyant realized that their former opinions were wrong and that people should believe in the opposite.

Then, moving on to a question that the author of a Letter from a Catholic addressed to a Spirit to know if one commits heresy by practicing Spiritism, the preacher adds: - Here is the answer, brothers: - it is curious that despite the devil’s astuteness and skills he always shows his claws by the name of the Spirit that gave this answer. I will tell you in a little while.

“This is followed by the citation of that answer that goes like this: - Are you in agreement with all truths of the Church that empower you in the good that boosts the love for God in your soul and the devotion to your brothers? Yes; hence, you are a Catholic. He then adds: - Signed… Zenon... Zenon! A Greek philosopher, a pagan, an idolater that from the flames of hell where he burns for over twenty centuries comes to tell us that one can be a Catholic and not believe in that very hell that tortures him, waiting for all those who do not die humble and obedient in the heart of the Church… But senseless and blind you are! With all your philosophy you will not have but this proof, this only proof that the doctrine that you promote comes from the devil and that shall be a thousand times enough!

After a lengthy explanation about this and the exclusive privileges of the Church to expel the devil, he adds: - Insensible people that have fun by talking to the Spirits pretending to have any influence upon them! Have no fear like with the one mentioned by St. Luke these rapping and noisy Spirits – and they are very well classified my brothers – will not ask you: Who are you? Who are you to disturb us? Do you really believe that we are going to submit to your sacrilegious caprices? And that taking the tables and chairs that you turn around wouldn’t they take you over like the son of Sceva, bringing pain upon you to the point that you have to run away, harmed and naked, too late to acknowledge the true abomination that is like playing with the dead?

What is left to be done before such positive facts that shout at us? What to do? Ah dear brothers! Watch out and be careful not to be contaminated. Repel all the outrageous attempts of evil to drag you along towards the abyss. However, it is too late for such recommendations. Evilness has progressed rapidly. Those infamous books dictated by the prince of darkness to attract a multitude of ignorant people to his kingdom have spread out so much that like in Ephesus in former times if we added the price of those that circulate in Bordeaux alone it would amount to more than fifty thousand silver denarius (170,000 francs in our currency, repeating the citation made elsewhere in the sermon). I would not be surprised if among the believers that hear me now there wouldn’t be some who have already fallen for the reading of those books. We can only say to these ones: Hurry up! Approach the tribunal of penitence. Hurry up! Come and open your hearts to the spiritual guides. Full of benevolence and kindness and always following the magnificent example of Paul we shall forgive you right away. As with Paul, however, forgiveness shall not be given to you if you do not bring us those books of sorcery that have almost destroyed you. What shall we do to those books, dear brothers? Yes, what shall we do? As St. Paul did we will build a mountain at the main square and we ourselves will set them on fire.”

Just a quick observation about this sermon: the author is mistaken about the date and perhaps, like a new Epimenides of Knossos, he has been asleep since the fourteenth century. Another fact that sticks out is the rapid development of Spiritism. The enemies of another school also attest it in despair, such is the great love that they have for human reason.

The Moniteur de Moselle on November 7^th, 1862 reads: “Spiritism makes dangerous progress. It invades the upper, middle and lower classes of society. Magistrates, doctors, serious people also fall in that trap.”

This statement is repeatedly found in the majority of current critics. In the presence of such a positive fact it was necessary to come from the middle of Texas and enter an auditorium with over a thousand Spiritists who have not been practicing for two years. Then, why such a rage if Spiritism is dead and buried? At least Father Lepeyre has no illusions. Given his horror he even exaggerates the extension of the supposed evil for he estimates the Spiritist books in Bordeaux alone to be worth a fortune. Nevertheless, he acknowledges that the idea has a great power and nobody will say that we exaggerate when we speak of the fast progress of the Doctrine. Some may attribute this to the devil fighting in a struggle against God, others may say that this is a fit of insanity invading all social classes so much so that the circle of shewed people narrows down continuously to the point that it will soon count on only a few, Others may deplore these things and each one from their own standpoint, asking themselves: - What is going to be, God? It is their own right. The result is that Spiritism wins over every barrier that is placed on its path. Hence, if it is insanity then soon there will only be mad people on Earth. It is a well-known proverb. If it is the work of the devil, then soon there will only be deranged people around and if those only speak in the name of God cannot stop them then the devil is stronger than God.

The Spiritists are more respectful of the Divinity. They do not believe that there is someone capable of fighting God on a level plan and even more to defeat God. Otherwise the roles would be upside-down and the devil would be the true lord of the universe. The Spiritists say that since God is sovereign there is no sharing there and that nothing happens without God’s permission. Consequently, if Spiritism propagates with a lightning speed it does so by the will of God regardless. Since God is sovereignly fair and good he must not expect that his creatures will be lost or allow them to be tempted knowing from his foresight that they will succumb and precipitate in the never ending torments.

The dilemma still stands now. It is submitted to everybody’s conscience and the conclusion is up to the future. If we mention all that there is to demonstrate the position of the adversaries of Spiritism when attacking it. In fact, one does need may excuses to criticize Spiritism by preaching the breakdown of family, adultery, abortion, communism and the destruction of social order. Do we need to rebuff those things? No. It is simply enough to guide them to the Doctrine and its teachings, something that is done all over the place.

Who would believe that we preach communism after the lessons given about the speech published in full in the report of our journey in 1862? Who could see an incitement to anarchy in the same brochure, page 58: “In any case the Spiritists must be the first ones to give the example of submission to the law in case they are drawn.”

Proposing such things in a distant region where Spiritism was totally unknown, where there was no means of controlling that could produce some effect. But saying it from the top of the cathedra of truth, amidst a whole population of Spiritists who permanently contradict it by their teachings and examples, that is real inability and one cannot help it but say that someone must be deluded to the point of not understanding that such speech can only serve the cause of Spiritism. It would be a mistake, however, to believe that that opinion is shared by the entire clergy. Much to the contrary, there are several priests who don’t think that way and we even know some who deplore such deviations that more harmful to religion than to the Spiritist Doctrine. These are personal opinions that do not make law. A proof of the personal appreciations is their contradiction. While one says that all Spirits that manifest are necessarily bad for disobeying God, another one acknowledges that some are good and some are bad but only the good ones go to Church and the bad ones to the masses. One accuses Spiritism of degrading women, another one criticizes it for elevating women to the same level as men. One pretends that Spiritism “drags people to materialism and sensuality” and the other, Mr. Cure of Marouzeau, recognizes that it destroys materialism.

Father Marouzeau says the following in his brochure: “In reality, according to the followers of the communications from beyond the grave, it would be the deliberate intention of the clergy to fight Spiritism at any price. Let us suppose that the clergy has so little intelligence and common sense and a stupid mind? Why believe that the Church that has given so much demonstration of prudence, wisdom and high intelligence to discern the truth from the false at all times would be now incapable of understanding the interest of its children? Why condemning without listening to the Church. If the Church refuses to hold your flag it means that it is not its flag whose colors are essentially hostile; fact is that side by side with the good that you do by fighting materialism the Church sees a real danger to souls and Society.” And in another passage: “Let us conclude from all that that Spiritism must limit itself to fighting materialism and giving people tangible proofs of immortality by means of well-established manifestations from beyond the grave.”

An essential point that results from all of this is the fact that all those gentlemen are in agreement with respect to the reality of the manifestations. The only difference is in the way each one appreciates them. As a matter of fact, denying them would be the same as denying the truth of the Scriptures and the facts themselves upon which the dogmas are founded.

As for the way people look at the thing, it is already possible to verify how the unity is established and how public opinion manifests itself, an opinion that also has its power of vetoing. Another fact sticks out: the Spiritist Doctrine touches profoundly the masses; while some see in the doctrine a terrible ghost others see an angel of consolation and freedom and a new era of moral progress to humanity.

Since we mentioned Father Marouzeau’s brochure we may perhaps be asked why we have not responded to that once it was addressed to us, personally. The reason may be found in the report of our journey we have traveled to refute these assertions. When we discuss a subject, we do so from the general point of view, abstracting from personalities that to our eyes are just individuals attached to their principles.

We shall talk about Mr. Marouzeau and others when the time is right to discuss the ensemble of objections. It was necessary to wait until each one would speak – bragging or not – in order to appreciate the strength of the opposition. Individual and particular responses would have been premature and repeated incessantly.

Mr. Marouzeau’s brochure was a rifle shot. Our apologies for placing him in the category of the rifleman but his Christian modesty shall not be offended.

Protected by a number of shields it seemed convenient to us to let them unload their guns, even the heavy ones, like the one that has just arrived, so that we could assess their power. Well, up until now we cannot lament the clearings in our ranks. On the contrary, their shots ricocheted. On another hand it was not less useful to allow the situation develop and people should appreciate the fact that over the last two years instead of worsening the general state of things we have gathered new strengths every day. Hence we will respond when we understand that the time is right. So far, there has been no waste of time for we have gained terrain constantly and the adversaries themselves facilitate our job. All we have to do is to let them act.

The small periodical Presse from January 8^th, 1863 brings the following article, extracted from the Salut Public de Lyon, quickly used by the Gironde of Bordeaux, believing to have scored against Spiritism.

Sciences

“Mr. Philibert Burlet, an intern in the hospitals of Lyon, recently read an interesting piece of work about Spiritism at that Society of Medical Sciences in that city, Spiritism that was considered as a cause of mental illness. Given the current epidemic that sweeps French society, it will be useful to reproduce the facts contained in the memories of Mr. Burlet.

The author carefully describes six cases of acute insanity observed by him at the Antiquaille Hospital. In this description, he attested to the direct relationship between mental alienation and Spiritist practices. Dr. Carrier, he says, not long ago treated and cured three women maddened by Spiritism. In fact, there isn’t a single doctor that treats mental diseases that has not observed similar cases to a greater or lesser degree, not to mention of course the cases of intellectual or emotional disturbances that may not reach the level conventionally described as mental alienation but that still alter patient’s logic and lead them to bizarre behavior.

Such influence of the pretense Spiritist Doctrine is now well demonstrated by science. There are thousands of observations to substantiate it. Mr. Burlet says that “if elsewhere in France the cases of insanity caused by the doctrine of the mediums are as common as they are in our county – and there is no reason to be different – there seems to be no doubt that Spiritism may enlist the most fecund causes of mental alienation.”

The author finishes by calling on parents, supervisors, etc. to be on the lookout so that their children and employees will never attend “those Spiritist gatherings, called groups, in which danger to reason is not the only one to fear.”

Therefore, it is an incontestable utility to give publicity to facts of such a kind, facts collected conscientiously, like those of the interns of Lyon hospitals. This does not mean that there is less chance of success to treat individual already affected by this epidemic. A hallmark of their insanity is exactly the strong conviction of owning the truth. In their humility they believe to bear the gift of communicating with the Spirits, considering proud the science that doubts their powers. Victimized by hallucination that drives them, once their premise is accepted they reason with a stern logic that only empowers them in their aberration. However, there is still hope to act upon the still healthy minds and that would be tempted to the seduction of Spiritism by showing them the dangers and keeping them away from it.

It is good to know that the Spiritist practices and the socialization with the mediums – truly hallucinated – is necessarily harmful to reason. Only strong personalities can resist. The others always leave behind a greater or lesser chunk of their commonsense.”

A.Sanson

This article may counter the sermons reported in the previous article. One can see that if there isn’t a common origin on one hand there is an identity of intentions on the other: that of raising public opinion against Spiritism through means that aim at good-faith or ignorance of things.

Notice the evolution of the attacks since the famous and awkward article in the Gazette de Lyon (Spiritist Review, October 1860). It was not more than simple mockery through which the workers of that town were ridiculed and their looms compared to the gallows. Wasn’t that lack of elegance to scorn the workers and their instruments of work, people that create the wealth in a city like Lyon? Aggression has since then taken another turn. Given the impotence of ridicule and the evidence of new gains conquered by the Spiritist ideas on a daily basis, it now takes a more regrettable tune. It is now in the name of humanity before the epidemic that now devastates the French society that it comes to point out the dangers of the pretense doctrine that turns the relationship with those who follow such ideas disgusting and bizarre, a not very nice reference to the ladies of all classes, including princesses, who believe in the Spirits.

It seems to us that violent and irascible people that became good and kind through Spiritism are not demonstrations of a very bad thing and are less repulsive than before and besides one does not find only kind and benevolent people among the non-Spiritists. Considering that there are many families to whom Spiritism reestablished peace and concord it is in the name of their interest that the workers are invited not to attend “those gatherings, so called groups, where they can lose reason and other things”, no doubt believing that they would do better by visiting the cabarets rather than staying at home.

Unsuccessful in their insults they now recourse to science for support but no longer the comic science represented by the muscle that cracks of Mr. Jobert de Lamballe (see Spiritist Review, June 1859) but serious science, condemning Spiritism as vehemently as it did in the past to the steam engine and so many other utopias that later it had to forcibly accept as true.

And who is its representative in such a serious matter? Is that the Institute of Sciences of France? No. It is Mr. Philibert Burlet, an intern from Lyon’s hospital, that is to say, a medical student who builds his first weapons by writing a dissertation against Spiritism. He said, in his name and in Mr. Sanson’s name from the Presse, that science has given its sentence, a sentence that cannot likely be more appealed than that of the condemened Harvey’s theory about the circulation of the blood and whose author had to face “more or less vicious and gross attacks” (Dictionnaire des Origines). It must be said that a monography about the mistakes of the scientists would be a curious publication.

Mr. Burlet says that he observed six cases of insanity produced by Spiritism but since that is too little in a population of 300,000 souls from which at least a tenth is formed by Spiritists, he is careful enough to add that ‘there are thousands of observations to substantiate it if elsewhere in France the cases of insanity caused by the doctrine of the mediums are as common as they are in our county – and there is no reason to be different…’.

One can go far with hypotheses as we can see. Well, we go further than he did and will say not hypothetically but by affirmation that in a given time there will only be mad people amongst the Spiritists. Insanity is in fact one of the diseases of mankind. A thousand accidental causes may produce it and the proof is that there was mad people before even speaking of Spiritism and that not all mad people are Spiritists, Mr. Burlet must agree. There has always been and there will always be mad people. Then if all inhabitants of Lyon were Spiritists there would only be mad people amid Spiritists in the same way that in an entirely Catholic region there would only be mad people among them. Observing the progress of the doctrine from a few years back to our days up to a certain extent one could forecast the time for that. Let us concentrate, however, in the present.

The mad ones talk about what concerns them. It is true that someone who had never heard anything about Spiritism would talk about it whereas if the opposite were true the person would talk as they would do about religion, love, etc. Regardless of the cause of insanity the number of mad persons talking about Spirits will naturally increase with the number of followers. The question is to determine if Spiritism is an efficient cause of insanity. Mr. Burlet says so from the top of his authority as intern by saying ‘such influence is well demonstrated by science these days.’ Inflamed he then appeals to the rigor of the authorities as if an authority could hinder the progress of an idea and without considering that the ideas do not propagate better than when under the empire of persecution. Does he take his personal opinion and those who share his view as decrees of science? He seems to ignore that Spiritism counts on a large number of renowned doctors in its ranks; that may groups and societies are presided by doctors who are also men of science who have arrived to opposite conclusions when compare to his own. Who is right: he or the others? Who shall pronounce the final verdict out of this conflict between affirmation and denial? Time, opinion and conscience of the majority and science itself that will surrender before the evidence as done on other occasions.

We ask Mr. Burlet, who is against the simplest precepts of logic, to deduce a general consequence of some isolated events that can be belied by others. A different body of work would be needed to support his thesis. You said that six cases were observed. I believe in you but what does it prove? Had you observed twice or three times as many and it would not prove further if the total would still be below average. Suppose there were a thousand mad people, to use a round number. Given that the causes of insanity are the same then if Spiritism can lead to insanity, it is a new cause that added to the other ones must increase the mean. If this mean had moved from 1,000 to 1,200 since the introduction of Spiritism, for example, and the difference were precisely due to the cases of Spiritist insanity then it would be a different story. However, while one cannot prove that the average number of cases has increased under the influence of Spiritism, the sample of a few isolated cases proves nothing other than the intention of casting discredit upon the Spiritist ideas and scaring the public.

Given the current state of affairs, all we need is to question the value of the isolated cases that are presented to us and learn if every patient that speaks about the Spirits attribute their insanity to Spiritism. But for that, we would need an uninterested and impartial judge. Suppose Mr. Burlet became mad, something that can happen to him or to anybody else, would there be any surprise if, in his insanity, he spoke of Spiritism, an idea that he fought against? We could mention several cases that would make a lot of noise where the individuals effected had little or nothing to do with Spiritism. We must add to that the cases of obsession and subjugation that are confused and treated as insanity with great harm to peoples’ health as explained in our articles about Morzine. At first sight, these are the only ones that should be assigned to the Spirits since it has been demonstrated that there are a large number of persons strange to Spiritism but who are mistreated due to the ignorance of causes. It is really curious to see certain adversaries that do not believe in the Spirits or in their manifestations pretending that Spiritism is a cause of insanity. If the Spirits don’t exist or they cannot communicate with mankind then all those beliefs are fantasies, far from the truth. We then ask how they can cause anything. It is the idea, they will say; the idea is false; well now, everyone that professes a false idea betrays oneself. What is that idea, so detrimental to reason? Here it is: we have a soul that outlives the body. That soul preserves the affections of earthly life and can communicate with the living ones.

According to them it is better to believe in the void after death or that the soul loses its individuality and blends with the universal whole, like a drop in the ocean. In fact, with such a belief, there is no need to worry about our neighbors and it is enough to think only about ourselves, to eat and drink well and just feed our selfishness.

If the opposite belief is a cause for insanity, then why are there so many people who believe in nothing? Some will say that this is not the only cause. We agree. But then why wouldn’t those causes affect a Spiritist as much as anybody else? Why would you like to blame Spiritism for a high temperature or insolation?

You demand measures against the Spiritist ideas from the authorities because in your opinion those ideas test your thinking. However, why don’t you call attention of the authorities against other causes? In your defense of human reason, of which you consider yourself to be the prototype, have you looked into the statistics behind the number of cases involving love? Why don’t you appeal to the authorities to have the feeling of love investigated? It has been demonstrated that all revolutions are marked by a remarkable recurrence of mental illnesses. There you have an efficient cause that is well established for it increases the average number. Why don’t you advise the governments to block revolutions since they are evil things?

Considering that Mr. Burlet brought about the large report of six cases of the so called Spiritist insanity in a population of 300,000 souls, we advise the Spiritist doctors to do the same with all cases of insanity, epilepsy and other diseases caused by the fear of the devil, by the terrible images of the inferno and the asceticism of the cloister.

Far from admitting Spiritism as a cause of increase of insanity, we say that it is a mitigating cause that must reduce the number produced by ordinary causes. In fact, among these causes we must consider the several causes of broken hearts, deception, the setbacks of fortune and frustrated ambitions. The effect of such causes is proportional to the susceptibility of the individual. If we had the means of attenuating that susceptibility it would no doubt give us the best antidote. Well, that antidote is in Spiritism that mitigates the moral blow and makes us withstand the vicissitudes of life with resignation. A person prone to committing suicide due to a setback acquires the moral strength that gives patience before the misfortune. That person will not only not kill herself but will also keep a cool reason given her unbreakable faith in the future.

Will you give that person the same calmness with the perspective of the void? No, because the person cannot foresee any compensation and, in case there is nothing to eat, you could have ended up starving. Hunger is a terrible consoler to anyone who believes that it all ends with death. Spiritism can help to support hunger through the understanding and the expectation of a life that succeeds death. That is its madness.

The way through which a true Spiritist sees things from this and the other world lead him/her to tame the most violent passions, even rage and revenge.

After the insulting article published by the Gazette de Lyon, mentioned above, a group of about a dozen workers said to us: “If we were not Spiritists we would teach the author a lesson to teach him how to live and if we were in the times of revolution we would have burned down the editorial room of his paper. But we are Spiritists. We are sorry for him and ask God to forgive him.”

What do you say about this madness, Mr. Burlet? What would you have preferred in such circumstances to either deal with mad people of this kind or with those who fear nothing? Consider that they count on more than 20,000 in Lyon these days. You pretend to serve the interest of humanity and you don’t understand yours? Ask God so that you may never have to one-day regret that not everybody is Spiritist. That is what you and the others alike work for with all your strength. By sowing disbelief, you undermine the foundations of the social order, stimulating anarchy and bloody reactions.

We work to give faith to those who believe in nothing; to spread a belief that makes people better to one another; that teaches them to forgive their enemies; to see one another as brothers without any prejudice of race, cast, sect, color, political or religious opinion, a belief that in a word gives rise to the true feelings of charity, fraternity and social duties.

Check with all military chiefs who have Spiritist soldiers under their command who are the ones conducted with more easiness, who better observe discipline without coercion. Check with the magistrates, with law enforcement agents who have Spiritist auxiliaries in their lower ranks who are the kindest and the most orderly of all; upon whom the law is applied the least and where there is less turmoil and disorderly conduct to repress.

A police commissioner from a southern town said to me: “Since Spiritism has spread in my jurisdiction I have to attend ten times less cases than before.”

Finally ask the Spiritist doctors who are the patients who present less diseases caused by the excesses of all kinds. Thse are statistics that seem to be more relevant to me than your six cases of mental alienation. If such results constitute madness, then I have the honor of propagating it.

Where were such results collected? In the books that some wanted to burn at the stake. In the groups that you recommend the workers to stay away from. What is it that can be seen in those groups that you paint as the grave of reason? Men, ladies, children that respectfully listen to a kind and reassuring moral instead of going to cabarets to lose their money and their health or to make noise in public squares; that exit those gathering with love towards the neighbor in their hearts instead of hatred and vengeance.

Here an amazing confession by the author of the above article: “Victimized by hallucination that drives them, once their premise is accepted they reason with a stern logic that only empowers them in their aberration.” That is a truly remarkable madness since it reasons with an irreproachable logic!

Well, what is the premise? We said that not long ago: The soul outlives the body, preserves its individuality and likings and can communicate with the living ones. What is it that can demonstrate the logic of a premise other than the irreproachable logic of deductions? The one that says irreproachable also say unbending and irrefutable. Hence if the deductions of a premise are unimpeachable it means that everything is satisfied and that nothing can oppose it. Therefore, if the deductions are true the premise is true since false cannot be the foundation of truth. Apparently logical consequences can, no doubt, be deduced from a false principle but they will be an apparent logic only, that is, sophisms and not an irreproachable logic since there will always be an open door to contradiction. True logic is the one that thoroughly satisfies reason; the one that cannot be contested. False logic is no more than false reasoning, always refutable. The deductions of our premises are characterized, in principle, by its foundation on the observation of facts; second, that they explain rationally what would go inexplicable without them. Replace our premise by the denial and you shall face insoluble difficulties every step of the way.

The Spiritist theory, we were saying, is based on facts, arguably thousands of facts, that repeat every day and are observed by millions of people. Yours is based on half a dozen observed by you. That is a premise that everybody can make their own conclusion.

Tuesday, November 12^th 1862



Ladies and gentlemen,

First I must thank the Spirits of our small, newly created society the nomination of my name to its presidency. I shall justify the honor of such a choice by executing meetings and activities so that they always have a serious and moral character. We must never forget or be prepared to to many challenges.

Why did we come here, ladies and gentlemen, away from the normal activities? It is because we believe in the knowledge about our destiny. Yes, all of us in this modest circle that will grow and elevate, as I hope, by the greatness and elevation of the objective that we target, we yield to a very natural desire of tearing off the thick veil that hides from the poor humans the scaring secret of death and to determine if it is true, according to the teachings of a false science and as believed by so many unfortunate souls, that the tomb shuts the door to the book of man’s destiny.

I know well that God has placed a spark in the hearts of everyone so that it can illuminate our steps through the rough paths of life: reason and a scale to balance everything in their just value – justice. However, when the pure and vivid light of that driving beam is progressively weakened before the impure draft of negatively influenced passions it fades away. When the scale of justice is contaminated by inaccuracies and lies; when the ulcer of materialism invades everything, even the religions, threatening to devour everything, it is necessary that the Supreme Judge may finally come through the prodigies of his omnipotence and through powerful manifestations capable of drawing everybody’s attention straighten up the paths of humanity to avoid the abyss.

At the point of moral degradation that modern societies have fallen under the influence of pernicious but tolerated doctrines, if not encouraged by those whose mission is exactly to reproach them; amidst the general indifference towards anything that is not material; before that extreme and selfish sensuality; that formerly unknown fierce battle for wealth at any price; the boundless cult to the golden calf; the messy search for profit that drives egotism, hardens all hearts, deceiving intelligences and moving towards the destruction of social links, the revelations from beyond the grave may be considered as a divine revelation, needed by the Providence to call order and that cannot allow its favorite creature to perish.

Given the speed at which the teachings of the Spiritist Doctrine expand to every corner of the globe it is easy to predict that the time for humanity to transpose a new stage is near, after a stationary period it will reach a new level in its intermittent progression through the centuries.

As for ourselves, ladies and gentlemen, we thank Providence for having chosen us to spread and make the Spiritist seed grow in this corner of the world, thus cooperating to the limit of our strength with the great work of regeneration of humanity that is in preparation.

With respect to a medical issue that some of you know about, at this point in time, I am involved with an important philosophical work in which I try to explain rationally the physiological phenomena of Spiritism and connecting them to the general philosophy. Before the publication of this essentially anti-materialist draft work, I propose to submit it to your analysis so that I can receive your advice regarding the opportunity to submit it to the superior Spirits, who are benevolent enough to assist us. Besides we can find in that work the majority of the subjects that must constitute the theme of our Spiritist conversations.

We must never lose sight of the essential objective of Spiritist which is to destroy materialism by illustrating the importance behind the survival of the soul. If the dead respond to our calls, if they communicate with us, it is evident that they are not really dead; the last breath of agony has not marked the final moment of their lives. All sermons of the world are not worth as much as an argument of such a kind.

That is why it is our duty as believers to spread the light around us and not to hide it under the bowl, that is to say in this little room here that much to the contrary shall become a focal point of irradiation through our dedication.

Does it mean that we have to invite everybody to our meetings, receive the first one that shows curiosity wanting to witness our activities as if we were some con artists at work?

This would thoughtlessly expose a very serious thing to ridicule. However, when someone has acquired notions of Spiritism by reading the special books and is in good faith willing to witnesses the facts we must attend his interest. We must regulate such admissions, though, and do not allow strange persons to the meetings unless the society had been consulted previously and had given previous authorization.

Ladies and gentlemen, when we attested just two years ago with one member of our society at the home of a common friend the most remarkable mechanical and intellectual Spiritist phenomena, despite the evidence of the facts and despite a profound conviction that such phenomena were taking place outside the known natural laws, we only dared to timidly expose our own knowledge, such was the fear of having the integrity of our reason exposed.

The Spirits’ Book, then little known in Tours, was still in its first or second edition. It had hardly transposed the limits of the capital city. Behold! What a huge progress in just three years! Spiritism today is everywhere; it counts of followers in all echelons of society; big or small groups are formed in every town, large or small, and coming to the villages. The Spiritist books today are sold in all bookshops which can hardly cope with the demand of a thirsty clientele, willing to initiate into the great mysteries of evocations. Spiritism today is common knowledge, somewhat known by everyone, and is no longer feared, a sign of reproach or indifference. We can dare to attend our meetings and reveal their intent without the fear of being considered mad. We can challenge mockery and sarcasm and tell the jokers: - Before ridiculing at least count and weigh us.

With respect to the anathema of a party, we analyzed its reach very well to be worried about it. They say that we cut a deal with the devil. Be it. One must agree, however, that in such a case not all devils are bad. To their eyes our true crime is our pretension, certainly very legitimate, that we can communicate with God and His saints, without their compulsory intervention.

Let us demonstrate to them that thanks to the teachings of what they call demons we understand the sublime moral of the Gospels that is summarized in the love of God and our neighbors and universal charity. We embrace the whole humanity, without distinction of cult, race, and origin and even with more reason family, fortune and social condition. Let them know that our God, that of the Spiritists, is not a ruthless and revengeful tyrant that punishes a moment of weakness with the eternal punishment but a merciful and good Father who watches His lost children with an endless solicitude, trying to attract them back to Him through a series of tests destined to wash every single stain. Isn’t that written that God does not wish the death of the sinner but his conversion?

Furthermore, we reserve the imprescriptible right of reason here, as everywhere else, a reason that ultimately must analyze and dominate everything. We don’t tell the lighthearted ones: Believe or die; we say believe if your reason wishes.

One word still to finish, ladies and gentlemen, for I do not wish to abuse your attention. Since our society does not have and cannot have any other objective but our instruction and our moral improvement, we must carefully keep every personal issue or matters related to politics and material interests away from our meetings.

Study of mankind with respect to its future destiny, such is the program from which we must never depart.”

Hauvet, Doctor in Medicine



This speech is followed by the spontaneous communication transcribed below, received by one of the mediums of the society:

“My friends, the objective of your society is to instruct you and to bring the lost soul back to the light that has been long obscured by the reigning darkness of this century. You must not look at this institution as if it were here to instruct you about Law and Science. It is here pure and simply to drive you through the new path of regeneration that you must walk fearlessly, trusting the instructions that you shall receive. You must fear nothing for God watches those who do good and He does not leave them on their own.

I overheard you discussing an article about the admission of strange persons to the society. Listen to the advice of a friend on this, or even better of a brother that does not speak from his mouth but from his heart and not physically but spiritually because, believe me, to come to you I transpose all levels of the impure Spirits but the path to cover is not painful when I see your hearts animated by good feelings.

When a stranger asks to attend your sessions bring him to the privacy of your office first before admission and through the conversation probe his feelings and make sure that he understands the foundations of the Doctrine. If you detect the desire for the good and not a simple curiosity; if driven by serious intentions, then you can admit him without concerns. But you must reject whoever may come with the idea of disturbing the session and neglecting your teachings. Be aware that spies sneak everywhere. Even Jesus had them around.

If someone comes along saying that he or she is a Spiritist or a medium do not accept until you know whom you are dealing with. You must not ignore the fact that there are lighthearted and proud mediums that for this very reason only attract insensible Spirits. Similar attracts similar, as they say. A true Spiritist must not have but the feeling of good and charity without which one cannot be assisted by elevated Spirits.

There is no doubt that the loss of a medium may leave a void among us but that does not mean that you will no longer be assisted by us because we shall always be ready to come and support your work whenever allowed by God. If a good medium leaves for whatever reason from you, God certainly has a different and more useful mission to that medium. Who know what is coming? There are things that you cannot understand but must accept.

Yours, my friends, is a difficult step to climb but you shall succeed with the help of your brothers who are above you. I hope to give you instructions on more serious issues on another occasion.”

Fénelon

We received several letters attesting the efficacy of the medication indicated in the November 1862 issue of the Spiritist Review whose prescription was given by a Spirit. A cavalry officer told us that the pharmacist of his battalion had it prepared for the most frequent cases of horse kick. We also know that other pharmacists have done the same in certain towns.

One of our subscribers from Eure-et-Loir describes the following fact of his personal knowledge regarding the origin of the medication:

“Autheusel, November 6^th, 1862

A sick man by the name of Paquine that lives in a nearby commune came to see me about a month ago, walking on crutches. Surprised by his condition I questioned him about the accident. He said that for a long time now his legs were significantly swollen, covered by ulcers that would not yield to any medication. The man is a Spiritist with some mediumship. I told him to pray and address the good Spirits with faith. I saw him at mass on the All Saints Day, now with a simple walking stick. He came to see me on the following day and said: - Sir, since you recommended me to the good Spirits to obtain the cure I invoked them every day and made the point that my condition was making it very difficult for me to work. I did that for five or six days when one evening I fell asleep and saw a man dressed all in white in the middle of the room. He came to my dresser and took a jar with wax that I used to mitigate the pain in my legs. He showed it to me and taking some tobacco that I had on a piece of paper he showed it again. He then fetched a jar with extract of Saturn^[1] then a bottle with essence of turpentine. He showed it all and indicated that I had to mix them up and showed me the dose by dropping it in the jar. After showing signs of friendship he then disappeared. Come the next day and I did what had been indicated by the Spirit and since then my legs have followed an excellent healing path. Today I only have some swelling in the foot that is fading away thanks to the efficacy of the medication. I shall be cured soon.





There you have it, gentlemen. This is a fact that could almost be classified as a miraculous healing and I do believe that one must take the spirit of partisanship too far to see a demoniac action there.

Examining the commonality and almost always the simplicity of the medications indicated by the Spirits in general I ask myself if from that one could not conclude that the medication in itself is a simple formula and that it is the fluidic influence of the Spirit that leads to the cure. I think that this issue should be studied.”

L. de Tarragon



The last question seems truthful to us particularly when one considers the properties that the magnetic action may give to benign substances as for example the water. Well, since the Spirits can also magnetize they can give curative properties to certain substances, according to the circumstances. On one side Spiritism reveals a world of thinking and acting creatures and on another it reveals unknown material forces that one day will be employed by Science.

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[1] Goulard’s extract (NT)

Poitiers. Preparatory meeting of the Spiritist workers. Medium Mr. X



My dear friends, life is short; long is what precedes and succeeds life. Nothing happens but according to the will of God; hence it is all about legitimate and elevated justice. Your hardship, no doubt, is a deserved punishment for your earlier faults. Face them with dignity and raise your eyes to the skies with resignation. You shall be blessed and relieved. Your misery sometimes is the test requested by your own Spirit willing to promptly achieve the final objective, always foreseen in the discarnate state.

At the time when the world agitates and suffers, when societies contort in a laborious struggle searching for the truth God allows Spiritism, this spark of the eternal truth, to come down from the highest regions to enlighten you. Our objective is to show you the direction but allow you to choose, that is the merit or demerit of your actions. Thus, listen to us and rest assured that your happiness is a real concern to us. If you knew how much your bad actions affect us; how much your efforts towards the law of God give us pure joy! The Lord said: - Servers of my empire, devout apostles of my law, take my word to all; explain to them that the eternal life shall be to those who practice the Gospel; make all of them understand that the good, the beautiful and the great are steps of my eternity contained in this word: love. Fast Spiritist attend everyone; from the most unfortunate to the happy ones; from the king to the simplest worker; from the Pharisee to the one who bears a burning faith.

And we go everywhere and scream out loud to the unfortunate ones: resignation, charity, humility. To the kings we say: love the people, the workers. Respect the law!





My friends, when you do more than just listen and practice these teaching, there will no longer be selfishness and envy. Then, there will be no more miseries, no more materialism that destroys society; no more prejudice that has long made you believe in noble families and others that assert they are entitled by blood or some other justification. From that point forward, there will be nothing but happiness then!

Your governments will be good because governors and the governed will have taken advantage of Spiritism. Science and Arts will be taken by the wings of the divine charity, raising to unsuspected heights; your climate cleansed by the works in the field; your harvest more abundant; the profound words of equality and fraternity will finally be interpreted so that nobody will ever dream of disputing other peoples’ properties, then accomplishing the promises of God.

Peace, said Jesus Christ, to those people of good will. You found no peace because you had no good will. The good will towards the rich and the poor shall be called charity. There is moral just as there is material charity and you have showed none and the poor were to blame as much as the rich!

Listen carefully: Believe and love! Love. A lot will be forgiven to the one who had loved a lot.

Believe: Faith moves mountains.

Prudence and kindness in the new apostolate: your best speech shall be your example.

Feel sorry for the blind: the ones who do not wish to see light. Be sorry but do not criticize.

Pray, my friends, and the blessing of God shall be with your souls. The beam of light is on; there is a light house on all sides of the horizon; the storm will perhaps shake and break the boats! But the pilot who keeps an eye on the light house above the fierce waves will get to the end and the Lord will say: “Peace to the men of good will; be blessed, you who has loved; be happy for you have worked for the happiness of others. My son, each one will be repaid according to what they have done!”

F.D., former magistrate

Essay dedicated to Mr. Editor of the Renard, from Bordeaux, by the rapping Spirit of Carcassone.

I can bear no long, doctor, too much in my way!

Said Mr. Rochefort the other day.

Feel my pulse, doctor, I am ill;

The whole world in peril.

It seems that God has lost control.

He is down and I curse it all.

First comes the steam… Is that how we travel?

What happened to the pleasant couch, a marvel

That took us risk free from Paris to Sceaux?

They say it is progress… Doctor it is Ridiculous!

The planet is moving backwards... It is chaos, nothing

More... A cable, a line of steel, from Calais to Beijing.

A tailor sews without needles; there is fire in the water;

From cotton they make gun powder.



An art student armed with one brush alone

Sells portraits made under the sun.

Glory, glory to the past! In this frivolous century

The people speaks! Screams equality.

From Bordeaux Sabò wrote! Look doctor,

It’s all changed. I shall look for

And find the rascals! Hell!

I will warn the head of the Etincelle;

This is where, sword in hand, a skull defends us,

That's not all, Doctor, oh scandal! People fuss

That the good of La Fontaine using the formula,

A true dead, a Spirit gives us the rule. "

- Here Rochefort spat, then he continues:

"Doctor, in good faith, do you believe in the Spirit?

- Bah! Said the doctor! Come on now, it

Is difficult to believe… Spirit? Not even your own. "



NOTE: The text above that is up to the reader to judge was obtained spontaneously by tiptology like other beautiful verses by the same medium regarding a witty article written by Mr. Aug. Bez and published in the Renard that is willing to open its columns to the followers of Spiritism. The Etincelle (Spark) is another newspaper from Bordeaux edited by Mr. de Rattier that throws incendiary darts against Spiritism but that so far was only able to produce a little spark like those of fireworks that fade away before reaching the ground. As for Mr. Rochefort he will certainly find this an unhealthy poetry.

Essay dedicated

Spiritist Society of Paris: 423 fr. - The Prince of Georgia, 20 fr .; MM. Aumont, libr., 5 fr .; Courtois, 2 fr .; Dolé, designer-lith., 5fr .; Roger, 20GB .; Yvose, 10 fr .; Mrs. Hilary, 20GB. 505 fr. 00

Societies and Spiritist groups: Sens, 60 fr. 05; Orleans, 40 fr .; Marennes, 34 fr. 50; Saint-Malo, 15 fr. - MM. Bodin (from Cognac), 20 fr .; Borreau (Niort), 3 fr .; Bitaube (Blaye), 5 fr .; Bourges, Lieut. (Provins), 10 fr .; Blin, cap. (Marseille), 20 fr .; Lausat (Condom), 5 fr .; Viewfinder (Orthez), 10 fr .; Saint-Martin, arqueb. (Maubourguet), 5 fr .; Petitjean, tailor, and his worker (Joinville H.-M.), 7 fr .; Auzanneau (Neuvic), 10 fr .; Lafage (Tarbes), 5 fr .; Jouffroy (Gaillon), 6 fr .; Christmas (Bone), 10 fr .; D ... (Guelma), 2 fr. 50; N ... (Ré Island), 9 fr. - From Poitiers: Barbault Mr. de la Motte, anc. Magistrate 100 fr .; Barbault Madame de la Motte, 100 fr .; Mr. Frothier, sculptor, 20 fr .; Mr. Bonvalet worker, 10 fr. - Spiritist Society of Montreuil-sur-Mer, 74 fr. . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497 fr. 05

Spiritists and French colony of Barcelona (Spain): MM. Henry Vincio François Nerici, Ernest Lalaux, Ed. Hardy Desire Maigrin, Maurice Lachâtre, miss Mary Garette, 100 fr. - MM. Achon, Ziegler, Ed. Bettiz, G. Sins, BC Carpentier, Holder, Muller, J. Arto Devenel, 80 fr .; miss Nerici, 5 fr .; MM. Rovira, father and son, 2 fr. 60 c .; Louis Borel, hatter, 5 fr .; Simonnet, goldsmith, 10 fr .; miss Caroline Vignes, 10 fr .; Mrs. Guizy, 20 fr .; MM. Guizy, 30 fr .; E. B., 5 fr .; Emprin, commission, 10 fr .; Marius Brunos, shoemaker, 5 fr .; Leconte, brothers, 25 fr .; Hardy, father, 5 f .; Snowflake, traveling salesman, 5 fr .; Bonsignori, jeweler, 1 fr .; Louis Pintrau, founder, 1 fr .; Canals and this, neg., 15 fr .; This Cousseau and, upholsterers 10 fr .; Tasimez Bion, 1 fr .; Subernie, 1 fr .; Dupont, 2 fr .; Paul brothers, manufacturers, 50 fr .; Garcerie, novelties, 10 fr .; ladies Curel, fashion, 10 fr .; Antoinette Fournols, fashion, 10 fr .; MM. Emile consoles nurse, 5 fr .; J. Hugon, 10 fr .; Louis Verdereau, novelties, 20 fr .; Torri, hatter, 5 fr .; Joseph Faur, 1 fr .; A. C., 5 fr .; Gustave Fouquel, 1 fr .; Lavallée, 5 fr .; Fournier, 3 fr. 75; JJ Maumus, 3 fr .; Thiebault, 2 fr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489 fr. 35