Chapter IV: Part 4

“_Seventh_, To stimulate the mind to the largest investigation ...
that we may be qualified to _judge for ourselves_ what is right
and true. _Eighth_, To deliver from _all bondage to authority_,
whether vested in _creed_, _book_, or _church_, except that of
received truth.”

This is the same principle of man’s responsibility to no one but himself, authoritatively adopted. What a picture have we now before us! Destroy man’s belief in, and reverence for, God and Christ, as they do; lead him to ridicule the atonement, the only remedy for sin; make him disbelieve the Bible; take away from his mind all distinction between right and wrong, and assure him that he is accountable to no one but himself; and how better could one prepare the way to turn men into demons. All this the spirits, by their teaching, seek to do. And can any one fail to foresee the result? Comparatively a small proportion of the inhabitants of this country have committed themselves to these views; consequently but little of the legitimate fruit as yet appears; but take human nature as it is and suppose all the inhabitants of this land to act on these principles, and then what would we have?—A pandemonium, a scene of anarchy, riot, bloodshed, and all depths of rottenness and corruption—in short, a hell so much worse than that to which the Devil is popularly assigned, that he would at once change his location and here take up his abode.

That this statement is none too strong, will appear as we look a moment at some of the results which have already developed themselves among the friends of such views, and as their inevitable fruit. The tendency can by no possibility be otherwise than to atheism and all immorality. As has been already remarked, the repulsive features were made much more prominent in the early stages of Spiritualism than at the present time. They are now held in the background. The literature touching these points has been remodeled, and an air of respectability and religion assumed. Most of the quotations therefore date some years back, and would be charitably withheld were there any evidence of reform either present or prospective. But where or when have these principles ever been officially repudiated, and evidence given that the consequent practices had been abandoned? That there are many Spiritualists of upright and moral lives, and honorable members of society, in the best sense of that term, we gladly believe; but is not this because they are living above their principles; and due, not to the influence, but rather to the non-influence of real Spiritualism upon their lives? The quotations given are from those who have been prominent among Spiritualists as authors and speakers. If they overdraw the picture, the responsibility is with them. Dr. B. P. Randolph, author of a work “Dealings with the Dead,” was eight years a medium, then renounced Spiritualism long enough to expose its character, then returned to it again, unable to break entirely away from the spell it has fastened upon him. He gives his opinion of it in the following scathing words:—

“I enter the arena as the champion of common sense, against what
in my soul I believe to be the most tremendous enemy of God,
morals, and religion, that ever found foothold on the earth;—the
most seductive, hence the most dangerous, form of sensualism that
ever cursed a nation, age, or people. I was a medium about eight
years, during which time I made three thousand speeches, and
traveled over several different countries, proclaiming its new
gospel. I now regret that so much excellent breath was wasted, and
that my health of mind and body was well nigh ruined. I have only
begun to regain both since I totally abandoned it, and to-day had
rather see the cholera in my house, than be a spiritual medium.

“As a trance speaker, I became widely known; and now aver that
during the entire eight years of my mediumship, I firmly and
sacredly confess that I had not the control of my own mind, as I
now have, one twentieth of the time; and before man and high
heaven I most solemnly declare that I do not now believe that
during the whole eight years, I was sane for thirty-six
consecutive hours, in consequence of the trance and the
susceptibility thereto.

“For seven years I held daily intercourse with what purported to
be my mother’s spirit. I am now fully persuaded that it was
nothing but an evil spirit, an infernal demon, who, in that guise,
gained my soul’s confidence, and led me to the very brink of ruin.
We read in Scripture of demoniac possession, as well as abnormal
spiritual action. Both facts exist, provable to-day; I am positive
the former does. A. J. Davis and his clique of Harmonialists say
there are no evil spirits. I emphatically deny the statement. Five
of my friends destroyed themselves, and I attempted it, by direct
spiritual influences. Every crime in the calendar has been
committed by mortal movers of viewless beings. Adultery,
fornication, suicides, desertions, unjust divorces, prostitution,
abortion, insanity, are not evils, I suppose. I charge all these
to this scientific Spiritualism. It has also broken up families,
squandered fortunes, tempted and destroyed the weak. It has
banished peace from happy families, separated husbands and wives,
and shattered the intellect of thousands.”

The following is an extract from the writings of J. F. Whitney, editor of the New York _Pathfinder_. His view of the subject accords with that of Dr. Randolph:—

“Now, after a long and constant watchfulness, seeing for months
and for years its progress and its practical workings upon its
devotees, its believers, and its mediums, we are compelled to
speak our honest conviction, which is, that the manifestations
coming through the acknowledged mediums, who are designated as
rapping, tipping, writing, and entranced mediums, have a baneful
influence upon believers, and create discord and confusion; that
the generality of these teachings inculcate false ideas, approve
of selfish individual acts, and endorse theories and principles,
which, when carried out, debase and make men little better than
the brute. These are among the fruits of Modern Spiritualism, and
we do not hesitate to say that we believe if these manifestations
are continued to be received, and to be as little understood as
they are, and have been since they made their appearance at
Rochester, and mortals are to be deceived by their false,
fascinating, and snakelike charming powers, which go with them,
the day will come when the world will require the appearance of
another Saviour to redeem the world from its departing from
Christ’s warnings.... Seeing, as we have, the gradual progress it
makes with its believers, particularly its mediums, from lives of
morality to those of sensuality and immorality, gradually and
cautiously undermining the foundation of good principles, we look
back with amazement to the radical change which a few months will
bring about in individuals; for its tendency is to approve and
endorse each individual act and character, however good or bad
these acts may be....

“We desire to send forth our warning voice, and if our humble
position as the head of a public journal, our known advocacy of
Spiritualism, our experience, and the conspicuous part we have
played among its believers, the honesty and the fearlessness with
which we have defended the subject, will weigh anything in our
favor, we desire that our opinions may be received, and those who
are moving passively down the rushing rapids to destruction should
pause, ere it be too late, and save themselves from the blasting
influence which those manifestations are causing.”

Every one who knows anything about Spiritualism has heard of Cora Hatch, who traveled extensively, and manifested her powers as an extemporaneous lecturer before astonished multitudes. One of her husbands, Dr. Hatch, renounced Spiritualism, and the following is from the testimony he bore concerning it:—

“The most damning iniquities are everywhere perpetrated in
spiritual circles, a very small percentage of which ever comes to
public attention. I care not whether it be spiritual or mundane,
the facts exist, and should demand the attention and condemnation
of an intelligent community.... The abrogation of marriage,
bigamy, accompanied by robbery, theft, rape, are all chargeable
upon Spiritualism. I most solemnly affirm that I do not believe
that there has, during the last five hundred years, arisen any
people who are guilty of so great a variety of crimes and
indecencies as the Spiritualists of America.

“For a long time I was swallowed up in its whirlpool of
excitement, and comparatively paid but little attention to its
evils, believing that much good might result from the opening of
the avenues of Spiritual intercourse. But during the past eight
months I have devoted my attention to critical investigation of
its moral, social, and religious bearing, and I stand appalled
before the revelations of its awful and damning realities.”

Much testimony of this nature might be given from those who have had similar experiences and equally favorable facilities for judging of the character of Spiritualism. We present only a few extracts more.

Dr. Wm. B. Potter of New York, in an article under the head of “Astounding Facts,” and also in a tract entitled, “Spiritualism as It Is,” gives the result of his experience and observations. His testimony is the more valuable, since he writes not from the standpoint of one who has renounced Spiritualism, whose feelings may for the time be overwrought, and his language stronger than would be used in calmer moments. When he wrote, he was still an advocate of Spiritualism, and spoke as a friend who would, if possible, induce Spiritualists to reform their faith and their manner of living. He says:—

“Fifteen years of critical study of Spiritual literature, an
extensive acquaintance with the leading Spiritualists, and a
patient, systematic, and thorough examination of the
manifestations for many years, enable us to speak from actual
knowledge, definitely and positively, of ‘Spiritualism as It Is.’
Spiritual literature is full of the most insidious and seductive
doctrines, calculated to undermine the very foundations of
morality and virtue, and lead to the most unbridled
licentiousness.

“We are told that ‘we must have charity,’ that it is wrong to
blame any one, that we must not expose iniquity, as ‘it will
harden the guilty,’ that ‘none should be punished,’ that ‘man is a
machine, and not to blame for his conduct,’ that ‘there is no
high, no low, no good, no bad,’ that ‘sin is a lesser degree of
righteousness,’ that ‘nothing we can do can injure the soul or
retard its progress,’ that ‘those who act the worst will progress
the fastest,’ that ‘lying is right, slavery is right, murder is
right, adultery is right,’ that ‘whatever is, is right.’

“Hardly can you find a Spiritualist book, paper, lecture, or
communication that does not contain some of these pernicious
doctrines; in disguise, if not openly. Hundreds of families have
been broken up, and many affectionate wives deserted by
‘affinity-seeking’ husbands. Many once devoted wives have been
seduced, and left their husbands and tender, helpless children, to
follow some ‘higher attraction.’ Many well-disposed but
simple-minded girls have been deluded by ‘affinity’ notions, and
led off by ‘affinity hunters,’ to be deserted in a few months,
with blasted reputations, or led to deeds still more dark and
criminal, to hide their shame.”

The same writer also mentions a fact which shows where the responsibility of all this looseness of morals belongs. He says:—

“At the National Spiritual Convention at Chicago, called to
consider the question of a national organization, the only plan
approved by the committee, especially provided that no charge
should ever be entertained against any member, and that any
person, without any regard to his or her moral character, might
become a member.”

The fact that no plan could find approval which did not provide that they should never be blamed nor called to account for any of their deeds, shows on what points they felt the most anxious, and plainly proves that they belong to the class of which Christ spoke, who loved darkness rather than light, and who would not come to the light lest their deeds should be reproved. John 3:19-21.

It is unpleasant to wade through pools of filth, and we therefore spare the reader quotations from those Spiritualists who have not only avowed the most revolting practices of free love, but openly advocated the same, and endeavored to induce others to come out likewise, on the ground that they were only honestly and publicly admitting what the others believed and practiced in secret. For the same reason we pass by the notorious Woodhull and Claflin, and Hull and Jamieson episodes, in this field, which, in the illustration and language of another, “burst upon the country like a rotten egg three thousand miles in diameter!”

It may be said that these things are in the past and the situation has now greatly changed. For the benefit of those who thus flatter themselves we introduce one more quotation. It is from “The Law of Psychic Phenomena,” by T. J. Hudson (A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1894). The language is candid and conciliatory, and the author cannot be accused of any undue prejudice on the question of which he speaks. On page 335, he says:—

“I do not charge Spiritualists as a class with being advocates of
the doctrines of free love. On the contrary, I am aware that, as a
class, they hold the marriage relation in sacred regard. I cannot
forget, however, that but a few years ago some of their leading
advocates and mediums proclaimed the doctrine of free love in all
its hideous deformity from every platform in the land. Nor do I
fail to remember that the better class of Spiritualists everywhere
repudiated the doctrine, and denounced its advocates and
exemplars. Nevertheless the moral virus took effect here and there
all over the country, and it is doing its deadly work in secret in
many an otherwise happy home. And _I charge a large and constantly
growing class of professional mediums with being the leading
propagandists_ of the doctrine of _free love_. They infest every
community in the land, and it is well known to all men and women
who are dissatisfied or unhappy in their marriage relations, that
they can always find sympathy by consulting the average medium,
and can, moreover, find justification for illicit love by invoking
the spirits of the dead through such mediums.”

We have italicized that passage in the foregoing which shows that the deadly evil is still working in secret, and that a large and constantly growing number of professionals are aiding and abetting the iniquity.

Dangers Of Mediumship.

A few testimonies will show that when one gives himself or herself up to the control of the spirits, such ones take a most perilous position. The spirits insist on their victims becoming passive, ceasing to resist, and yielding their whole wills to them. Some of their persuasive words are these: “Come in confidence to us;” “Let our teachings deeply impress you;” “You must not doubt what we say;” “Learn of us;” “Obey our directions and you will be benefited;” “Seek to obtain knowledge of us;” “Have faith in us;” “Fear not to obey;” “Obey us and you will be greatly blessed;” etc., etc. Mesmerists operate in the same way. They gain control of their subjects in the same way that the spirits mesmerize their mediums, and when under their control, the spirits cause them to see whatever they bring before them, and hear according to their wills, and do as they bid. And the things they suppose they see and hear, and what they are to do, are only such things as exist in the mind of the mesmerizing power. The subject is completely at the mercy of the invisible agency; and to put one’s self there is a most heaven-daring and hazardous act. Mr. Hudson (“Law of Psychic Phenomena,” p. 336) says:—

“To the young whose characters are not formed, and to those whose
notions of morality are loose, the dangers of mediumship are
_appalling_.”

To further gain the confidence of mortals, the spirits claim to be the ones who answer their prayers. In “Automatic Writing,” p. 142, we have this:—

“_Ques._—Will our friends tell us whether from their point of
view, there is any real efficacy in prayer?

“_Ans._ [by spirits].—Shall not ‘a soul’s sincere desire’ arouse
in discarnate and free spirits effort to make that sincere desire
a reality? What good can come from aspirations on mortal planes,
save through the efforts to make those aspirations realized on
spiritual planes, by the will of freed spirits?”

Mediums are unable to resist the powers of the unseen world when once under their control. Professor Brittan (“Telegraphic Answer to Mahan,” p. 10), concerning mediumship, says:—

“We may further add in this connection that the trance mediums for
spirit intercourse are equally irresponsible. Many of them are
totally unable to resist the powers which come to them from the
invisible and unknown realms.”

Dr. Randolph (“Dealings with the Dead,” p. 150) shows the dangers of mediumship, as follows:—

“I saw that one great cause of the moral looseness of thousands of
sensitive-nerved people on earth, resulted from the infernal
possessions and obsessions of their persons by delegations from
those realms of darkness and (to all but themselves) unmitigated
horror. A sensitive man or woman—no matter how virtuously
inclined—may, unless by constant prayer and watchfulness they
prevent it and keep the will active and the sphere entire, be led
into the most abominable practices and habits.”

This same writer, in the same work, pp. 108, 109, says:—

“Those ill-meaning ones who live just beyond the threshold, often
obtain their ends by subtly infusing a semi-sense of volitional
power into the minds of their intended victims, so that at last
they come to believe themselves to be self-acting, when in fact
they are the merest shuttlecocks bandied about between the
battledores of knavish devils on one side, and devilish knaves
upon the other, and between the two the poor fallen wretches are
nearly heart-reft and destroyed.”

A work by A. J. Davis called “The Diakka, and their Earthly Victims,” mentions the nature of these denizens of the spirit world, and their wonderful location. The country (to speak after the manner of men) which they inhabit, is so large that it would require not less than 1,803,026 diameters of the earth to span its longitudinal extent. This he had from a spirit he calls James Victor Wilson, a profound mathematician! This space is occupied by spirits who have passed from earth, who are “morally deficient, and affectionally unclean.”—_Page_ 7. The same spirit, Wilson, describes the diakka as those “who take insane delight in playing parts, in juggling tricks, in personating opposite characters to whom prayers and profane utterances are of equi-value; surcharged with a passion for lyrical narrations; one whose every attitude is instinct with the schemes of specious reasoning, sophistry, pride, pleasure, wit, subtle convivialities; a boundless disbeliever, one who thinks that all private life will end in the all-consuming self-love of God.”—_Page 13._ On page 13 he says further of them, that they are “never resting, never satisfied with life, often amusing themselves with jugglery and tricky witticisms, invariably victimizing others; secretly tormenting mediums, causing them to exaggerate in speech, and to falsify in acts; unlocking and unbolting the street doors of your bosom and memory; pointing your feet into wrong paths, and far more.”

What this “far more” is, we are left to conjecture. The advertisement of this book says that it is “an explanation of much that is false and repulsive in Spiritualism.” W. F. Jamieson, in a Spiritualist paper, called these diakka “a troop of devils,” and quoted Judge Carter as saying: “There is one thing clear, that these diakka, or fantastic or mixed spirits, are very numerous and abundant, and take any and every opportunity of obtruding themselves.”

Hudson Tuttle, author of “Life in Two Spheres” and other Spiritualistic works, speaks of “a communication, through a noted medium, to Gerald Massey from his ‘dog Pip,’ the said Pip ‘licking the slate and writing with a good degree of intelligence.’ ” He adds, “Mr. Davis would say that ‘Pip’ was a ‘diakka,’ and to-morrow he will communicate as George Washington, Theodore Parker, or Balaam’s ass. This diakka is flesh, fish, or fowl, as you may desire.”

Some idea of how the spirits sometimes torment the mediums, as hinted at above, may be gained from the following instance. In “Astounding Facts from the Spirit World,” pp. 253, 254, Dr. Gridley describes the case of a medium sixty years of age, living near him in Southampton, Mass. The sufferings inflicted upon him “in two months at the hands of evil spirits would fill a volume of five hundred pages.” Of these sufferings, the following are specimens:—

“They forbade his eating, to the very point of starvation. He was
a perfect skeleton; they compelled him to walk day and night, with
intermissions, to be sure, as their avowed object was to torment
him as much and as long as possible. They swore by everything
sacred and profane, that they would knock his brains out, always
accompanying their threats with blows on the forehead or temples,
like that of a mallet in the hands of a powerful man, with this
difference, however; the latter would have made him unconscious,
while in full consciousness he now endured the indescribable agony
of those heavy and oft-repeated blows; they declared they would
skin him alive; that he must go to New York and be dissected by
inches, all of which he fully believed. They declared that they
would bore holes into his brain, when he instantly felt the action
suited to the word, as though a dozen augers were being turned at
once into his very skull; this done, they would fill his brain
with bugs and worms to eat it out, when their gnawing would
instantly commence. These spirits would pinch and pound him,
twitch him up and throw him down, yell and blaspheme, and use the
most obscene language that mortals can conceive; they would
declare that they were Christ in one breath, and devils in the
next; they would tie him head to foot for a long time together in
a most excruciating posture; declare they would wring his neck off
because he doubted or refused obedience.”

Who can doubt that such spirits are the angels of the evil one himself? Dr. Gridley in the same work, p. 19, gives the experience of another medium, for the truthfulness of which he offers the fullest proof:—

“We have seen the medium evidently possessed by Irishmen and
Dutchmen of the lowest grade—heard him repeat Joshua’s drunken
prayers [Joshua was a strong but brutish man he had known in
life], exactly like the original,—imitate his drunkenness in word
and deed—try to repeat, or rather act over his most brutal deeds
(from which for decency’s sake, he was instantly restrained by
extraordinary exertion and severe rebuke)—snap and grate his teeth
most furiously, strike and swear, while his eyes flashed like the
fires of an orthodox perdition. We have heard him hiss, and seen
him writhe his body like the serpent when crawling, and dart out
his tongue, and play it exactly like that reptile. These
exhibitions were intermingled with the most wrangling and horrible
convulsions.”

These descriptions, it would seem, ought to be enough to strike terror to any heart at the thought of being a medium. But there is yet another phase of the subject that should not be passed by. These fallen spirits who are engineering the work of Spiritualism, to maintain their “assumed characters,” and “play their parts” like the aforesaid diakka, represent that disembodied spirits “just over the threshold,” still retain the characteristics they bore in life, such as a disposition to sensuality and licentiousness, love of rum, tobacco, and other vices, and that they can, by causing the medium to plunge excessively into these things, thereby still gratify their own propensities to indulge in them. The following sketch by Hudson Tuttle, a very popular author among Spiritualists, is somewhat lengthy, but the idea could not better be presented than by giving it entire. In “Life in Two Spheres,” pp. 35-37, he says:—

“Reader, have you ever entered the respectable saloon? Have you
ever watched the stupid stare of the inebriate when the eye grew
less and less lustrous, slowly closing, the muscles relaxing, and
the victim of appetite sinking over on the floor in beastly
drunkenness? Oh, how dense the fumes of mingled tobacco and
alcohol! Oh, what misery confined in those walls! If you have
witnessed such scenes, then we need describe no further. If you
have not, then you had not better hear the tale of woe. Imagine to
yourselves a bar-room with all its sots, and their number
multiplied indefinitely, while conscience-seared and bloated
fiends stand behind the bar, from whence they deal out death and
damnation, and the picture is complete. _One has just arrived from
earth._ He is yet uninitiated in the mysteries and miseries of
those which, like hungry lions, await him. He died while
intoxicated—was frozen while lying in the gutter, and consequently
is attracted toward this society. He possessed a good intellect,
but it was shattered beyond repair by his debauches.

“ ‘Ye ar’ a fresh one, aint ye?’ coarsely queried a sot, just then
particularly communicative.

“ ‘Why, yes, I have just died, as they call it, and ’taint so bad
a change after all; only I suppose there’ll be dry times here for
the want of something stimulant.’

“ ‘Not so dry; lots of that all the time, and jolly times too.’

“ ‘Drink! Can you drink, then?’

“ ‘Yes, we just can, and feel as nice as you please. But all
can’t, not unless they find one on earth just like them. You go to
earth, and mix with your chums; and when you find one whose
thoughts you can read, he’s your man. Form a connection with him,
and when he gets to feeling _good_, you’ll feel so too.—There, do
you understand me? I always tell all fresh ones the glorious news,
for how they would suffer if it wasn’t for this blessed thing.’

“ ‘I’ll try, no mistake.’

“ ‘Here’s a covey,’ spoke an ulcerous-looking being; ‘he’s of our
stripe. Tim, did you hear what an infernal scrape I got into last
night? No, you didn’t. Well, I went to our friend Fred’s; he
didn’t want to drink when I found him; his dimes looked so
extremely large. Well, I _destroyed that feeling_, and made him
think he was dry. He drank, and drank, more than I wanted him to,
until I was so drunk that I could not break my connection with
him, or control his mind. He undertook to go home, fell into the
snow, and came near freezing to death. I suffered awfully, ten
times as much as when I died.’... Reader, we draw the curtain over
scenes like these, such as are daily occurring in this society.”

In these cases the whole evil of the indulgences of course falls upon the mediums; and who would wish to assume personal relation with such a world, and be forced to bear in their own bodies the evils of the unhallowed indulgences of unseen spirits, against their will?

Other scenes represented as taking place in the spirit land, are most grotesque and silly and would be taken as a burlesque upon Spiritualism, were they not put forth in all gravity by the friends and advocates of that so-called new revelation. Thus Judge Edmunds, giving an account of what he had seen in the spirit world, mentions the case of an old woman busy churning, who promised him, if he would call again, a drink of buttermilk; he speaks of men fighting, of courtezans trying to continue their lewd conduct; of a mischievous boy who split a dog’s tail open, and put a stick in it, just to witness its misery; of the owner of the dog, who, attracted by its cries, discovered the cause, and beat the boy, who fled, but was pursued and beaten and kicked far up the road. See Edmund’s “Spiritualism,” Vol. II, pp. 135-144, 181, 182, 186, 189. Surely here are the diakka playing their pranks in all their glory.

Miscellaneous Teaching.

On the leading points of faith as held by Christians generally, quotations have been given to show sufficiently what the spirits teach, and the object they are trying to effect. But the reader will be interested to learn what they teach on some other points which incidentally appear in their communications.

Spiritualists object most strenuously to the idea of unconsciousness in death, or to the Bible declaration, “The dead know not anything.” But the spirits themselves teach this very thing. Thus Judge Edmunds, Vol. II, Appendix B, p. 524, quotes the confession of a spirit that he was totally unconscious for a time, he could not tell how long, and awoke to consciousness gradually; and that the state of unconsciousness differs with different persons, depending on circumstances. A. J. Davis admits that Professor Webster was eight days and a half unconscious.—_“__Death and the After Life,__”__ pp. 18, 19._

Through Mrs. Conant, medium, in _Banner of Light_, June 3, 1865, we have this information: “It is said that some spirits require a thousand years to awake to consciousness. Is this true?—Yes, this is true.” In “Automatic Writing,” p. 93, the spirits teach the same thing to-day. If others deny such statements, it only shows that their testimony is contradictory and therefore unreliable.

Again, the Bible doctrine that the incorrigibly wicked must cease from conscious existence, is denounced by Spiritualists; but on this point the spirits confess also:—

“_Ques._—Do I understand you to say that a diakka is one who
believes in ultimate annihilation?

“_Ans._—Only yesterday one said to a lady medium, signing himself
‘Swedenborg,’ this: ‘Whatsoever is, has been, will be, or may be,
_that_ I AM, and private life is but the aggregative phantasms of
thinking throblets rushing in their rising onward to the central
heart of eternal death.’—_“__Diakka__”__ p. 11._

“_Q._—Does every human being continue life on higher planes?

“_A._—Shall not all who are abortions die?”

“_Q._—Do you mean that some born on this plane may spiritually die
from lack of force to persist?

“_A._—Yes—both women and men are born into the divine humanity who
must necessarily perish, because they have not sufficient soul
strength to persist.”—_“__Automatic Writing,__”__ pp. 101, 102._

There is, it seems, a purgatory in the spirit world. In answer to a question, a spirit replied:—

“There is a sphere in spirit life allotted to those who leave the
earthly plane in spiritual ignorance, which is _not pleasing_ to
dwell upon, yet which is absolutely necessary to spiritual soul
growth.”—_Id., p. 90._

Spiritualism is claimed to settle the question of immortality; but the spirits confess themselves ignorant of it:—

“_Ques._—On your plane do you arrive at certainty in regard to
immortality?

“_Ans._—We here are as _ignorant as you are_ as to the ultimate of
existence. Immortality is still an _undetermined issue_. One life
at a time seems as pertinent with us as with you.”—_Id., p. 103._

The spirits’ heaven, it seems, is not so desirable a place that it prevents their being homesick.

“_Ques._—Why are you homesick?

“_Ans._—Have not found out the real reason; things are so
different from former ideas.”—_Id., p. 111._

Spirits are not allowed to tell too much about their condition, as the following question and answer show:—

“_Ques._—Can’t you tell us what makes it pleasanter,—describe so
we can understand?

“_Ans._—You’ll find out as I did—_’gainst the rules here to
tell_.... Just be patient—it’s all easy enough when you learn how.
I was puzzled, but it all seems straight enough now.”—_Id., p.
115._

They teach the pre-existence of souls, and the old pagan doctrines of the reincarnation of souls, and the final absorption of all into Nirvana. A spirit having answered that all had been asserted in some other form, questions and answers followed from which we quote:—

“_Q._—Is that statement an intimation of the truth of
reincarnation?

“_A._—Souls of all who have preceded you are centered in you in
spite of your childish protests. Ask not of those predecessors;
for they yet live in you, and you in them.... Long ago you and I
went over the ground under eminent names.... Were not we together
when Socrates and Aspasia talked?”—_Id., pp. 151, 152._

“_Q._—Can you tell us, at least, whether spirit, as a whole or in
its individual atoms, exists eternally?

“_A._—Yes; spirit as a whole is eternal—exists—did exist—by force
of Powers you cannot understand. But you as individual,
self-conscious, atomistic particles of spirit wholeness, are not
eternal, and must return to the Primal Source.”—_Id., p. 133._

Spirits Cannot Be Identified.

Having now sufficiently examined the teaching of the spirits, a final question arises in regard to them, whether it is possible to identify them, and determine with any absolute certainty whether they are the spirits of the particular individuals they claim to be, or even spirits of the dead at all, or not. It should be distinctly borne in mind, always, that evil angels, whose existence has been proved from the Bible, whose nature and delight is to deceive, can walk the earth unseen, imitate and personate any individual, and reveal their characteristics of thought, writing, acts, form, and features, and make so perfect a counterfeit as to defy detection. How, then, can it be told what spirit it is, even though it shows the face and features of some well-known friend? On this topic, as on preceding questions, Spiritualists themselves may produce the evidence. President Mahan (“Discussion with Tiffany and Rhen,” p. 13) remarks:—

“Certain experiments have been made, in order to determine whether
spirits are present. Individuals go in as inquirers, and get
definite answers—in the first place, from _departed spirits_ of
persons _yet living_; in the second place, from departed spirits
of persons who _never existed_ here or anywhere else; in the third
place, from the departed spirits of brute beasts.”

When it is considered, as already noted, that spirits do their work through mesmeric power, it is easy to understand how the medium is made to believe that such and such a spirit is communicating when it is not so at all. This question of identity came up in the very early stages of Spiritualism, and is no nearer settled, on their own confession, now than then. A Mr. Hobart, in 1856, who claimed to be the first Spiritualist in Michigan, made the following admission:—

“The spirit sometimes _assumes_ the name of an individual
belonging to the same church, to induce them to hear. This is
necessary with some who are so bigoted they would not believe
unless a name was assumed which they respected.”

An article in the _Spiritual Telegraph_, of July 11, 1857, begins as follows:—

“The question is continually being asked, especially by novitiates
in spiritual investigations, How shall we know that the spirits
who communicate with us are really the ones whom they purport to
be?... In giving the results of our own experience and observation
upon this subject, we would premise that spirits unquestionably
can, and often do, personate other spirits, and that, too, often
with such perfection as, for the time being, to defy every effort
to detect the deception.... If direct tests are demanded at all,
we would recommend that they be asked for the purpose of proving
that the manifesting influence is that of _a spirit_, rather than
to prove what _particular_ spirit is the agent of its production.”

This is an entire begging of the whole matter in question; for it is not denied that it is _a_ spirit; we want to know what _particular_ spirit it is; but for that we must not ask; for it cannot be ascertained. The same article states that other and lower spirits often crowd in and take the place of the spirit communicating, without the knowledge of the medium. We might also quote “Spiritualism as It Is,” p. 14, that “not one per cent. of the manifestations have had a higher origin than the first and second spheres, which are filled with low, ignorant, deceptive, mischievous, selfish, egotistical spirits;” and “Dealings with the Dead,” p. 225, that “the fact is, good spirits do not appear one tenth as often as imagined.”

Jan. 7, 1888, the following appeared in the _Banner of Light_:—

“_Ques._—What is the cause of our receiving inconsistent and
untruthful communications? Does the blame, if any there is, rest
with us or the controlling intelligence?

“_Ans._—There are spirits who delight in imposing upon mortals;
they realize their power outside of material things, and that
those who seek knowledge from them _cannot see nor get hold of
them_; therefore to an extent they exercise a certain power over
those mortals who approach; and if the mortals are themselves
tricky by nature, insincere, ready to take advantage of others,
whether it be at the time of sitting or in their daily life, rest
assured they may be imposed upon by spirits from the other side
who occupy a like plane of existence with themselves.”

Mediums themselves will not trust the spirits, according to statements made as late as 1896. Mrs. S. A. Underwood, medium, in “Automatic Writing,” p. 55, says:—

“With all my experience in it, I would not to-day venture upon any
change, business venture, friendship, or line of conduct, advised
from this source, unless my own common material sense endorsed it.
Indeed, I would not take as fact any of its even reasonable advice
without question, because it is not reliable as a guide in earthly
affairs.”

Spirit communication, then, certainly does not amount to much as a heavenly instructor, a celestial guide to enlighten the ignorance of men. Whatever we know ourselves, we may rely upon; all else is uncertain. Again, on p. 56, she says:—

“Then the assumption of great names by apparently common-place
minds is a very strange thing. I was horrified and annoyed when
this occurred under my own hand, because that is one of the things
which disgusted me with spiritual messages before this writing
came to me, as I had occasionally glanced over such messages. When
I protested against such assumption, I was told that ‘Elaine and
Guinevere’ were not real beings, but types. So somewhere in our
sphere are spirits who embody cleverness in creations of their own
fancy, and adopt names suited to that fancy.”

Thus the spirits themselves confess that the names they often assume are not those of real beings, but typical and fanciful. Nothing more, it would seem, is necessary to complete the condemnation of Spiritualism, so far as its own nature is concerned. When in addition to all else, it appears that the spirits cannot be identified; that the whole underlying claim that the spirits are the spirits of the dead, must itself be assumed; and that, too, in the face of the numberless known falsehoods and deceptions that are constantly issuing from the unseen realm,—there is nothing left for it to stand upon.

Chapter Six.

ITS PROMISES: HOW FULFILLED.

It is fair to call Spiritualism to account as to the fulfilment of the promises involved in its challenge to the world when it stepped upon the stage of action. No movement ever opened with more magnificent promises. It posed before the world as an angel of heavenly light. It claimed to be the second coming of Christ. It claimed to have been sent to regenerate mankind, and renovate the world. We give herewith a few of its spirit-inspired pretensions. Its “Declaration of Principles,” Article 20, says:—

“The hearty and intelligent convictions of these truths [the
teachings of spirits] tend to energize the soul in all that is
good and elevating, and to restrain from all that is evil and
impure, ... to quicken all philanthropic impulses, stimulating to
enlightened and unselfish labors for universal good.”

In behalf of the cause of woman it says:—

“Spiritualism has done more for the advancement of true womanhood
than the Church or any of its accessories.”—_Dr. Watson, in Banner
of Light, April 16, 1887._

Miss A. L. Lull, in the _Religio-Philosophical Journal_ of Jan. 23, 1886, said:—

“Spiritualism is the saviour of humanity, because it is reaching
out toward the criminal, and in its effort to lift humanity to a
higher plane, it is laying the foundation for future
generations.... Spiritualism comes to cleanse out the dregs and
wretchedness of humanity.”

Mrs. Cora L. V. Richmond, in a mediumistic discourse reported in the _Banner of Light_, April 3, 1886, said:—

“The Great Reformer of the world is Spiritualism.... When modern
Spiritualism made its appearance, it said in so many words, I come
to reform the world.... Spiritualism came to put the ax at the
root of the tree of human evil, it came to decide upon the most
important and vital thing connected with existence; _i. e._, Is
man only an evanescent, material, earthly being, or is he
immortal?... Spiritualism came to reform death, to resolve it into
life; came to reform fear, to resolve it into trust and knowledge;
came to reform the darkness which rests upon humanity concerning
the nature of man’s existence.”

In the same paper, April 6, 1887, was given the following prediction of the future of Spiritualism:—

“Modern Spiritualism will grow, and deepen, and broaden, and
strengthen, until all false creeds and dogmas shall be swept from
the earth—when faith shall be buried in knowledge, when war shall
be known no more, when universal brotherhood shall prevail to
bless mankind.”

In “Nineteenth Century Miracles,” p. 79, M. Jaubert speaks as follows:—

“Affirm to your people that man never dies, that his immortality
is proved, not by books but by material and tangible facts, of
which every one can convince himself; that anon our houses of
correction, and our prisons, will disappear; suicide will be
erased from our mortuary tables; and nobly borne, the calamities
of earth shall no longer produce madness.”

Mrs. R. S. Lillie, in a speech at the Thirty-eighth Anniversary services in Horticultural Hall, Boston, Mass., and reported in the _Banner of Light_, of April, 1886, said:—

“Christianity never had a Pentecost to be compared with modern
Spiritualism. The latter is as far in advance of the former, as
the electric light is in advance of the tallow dip of the past;
for it is nineteen centuries ahead of it.”

These are most astounding claims; and if there is any truth in them, Spiritualism ought to have shown itself as a great uplifting moral power, provided it has been able to get any foothold among the people. We therefore inquire what its success has been. On this point Professor Keck, at the Thirty-ninth Anniversary of Modern Spiritualism, at Bridgeport, Conn. (_Banner of Light_, April 9, 1887), said:—

“It [Spiritualism] has made converts of more scientific men and
profound thinkers than any other sect in the world. In thirty-nine
years it has grown to ten or fifteen millions of believers, with
thousands of mediums, a literature printed in every known
language, and converts in every quarter of the globe.”

With all these facilities and all this success, it surely has been able to make good its claims, and fulfil its promises, if its nature is such as it assumes, and its promises are good for anything; and its course should be marked by a great decrease of crime, by the promotion of virtue and a general improvement in the moral tone of society, wherever it has gone. For nearly fifty years it has now been operating in the world; and with all its glowing professions of what it was able to do, and its millions of converts, “energized to all that is good and elevating,” its impress for good should everywhere be seen.

But what are the facts?—Just the reverse of what has been promised. Free love, which is free lust, has followed in its wake; homes have been ruined, families scattered, characters blighted; while insanity and suicide have been the fate, or the last resort, of too many of its victims. And outside of its own ranks, in the world at large, the fifty years since the advent of Spiritualism have been years of increase of crime and every evil in a fast growing ratio. Liquor drinking, tobacco using, gambling, prostitution, defalcations, robberies, bribery, municipal corruption, divorces, thefts, insanity, suicide, and murder, have increased in far more rapid ratio than the population itself.

The reader will remember the testimony of Dr. Randolph, p. 105, that five of his friends destroyed themselves, and he attempted it for himself, by direct spirit influences. The Philadelphia _Record_, of Feb. 17, 1894, speaks of the suicide of May Brooklyn in San Francisco, Cal.:—

“The letters and papers left by the dead woman show plainly that
in her grief over the death of Lovecraft she had dabbled in
Spiritualism, and had finally reached the conclusion that her only
chance of happiness lay in joining her lover in the other world.”

A few figures, as samples, will be given just to emphasize the general statements. The following is from the Chicago _Tribune_ of Jan. 1, 1893:—

“The number of persons who have committed suicide in the United
States during the year (1892), as gathered from telegraph and mail
report to the _Tribune_, is 3860, as compared with 3331 last year
(1891), 2640 in 1890, and 2224 in 1889. The total is much larger
than that of any of the eleven preceding years.”

The _Christian Reformer_ gives the following figures of murders, suicides, and embezzlements from 1891-1893:—

“Murders in 1893, 6615; increase over 1891 of 709.

“Suicides in 1893, 4436; increase over 1892, 576; 1891, 1105.

“Funds embezzled in 1893, $19,929,692; increase of 100 per cent.
over 1892.”

It may be asked, What has this to do with Spiritualism?—It is a test of the value of its promises. Spiritualism has been posing for fifty years as the “world’s reformer,” the great energizing, uplifting force to elevate mankind, the mighty power which has come to empty our workhouses and prisons, abolish suicides and all crime, the “electric light” compared with the “tallow dip” of the gospel. And yet with all these claims, with its millions of adherents, and the funds and influence at its command, it is allowing, year by year, crime to increase much faster than the population. Now if Spiritualism was the purifying, renovating power which it claims to be, such results could not have been seen. It is very evident, that, as a power in the world in behalf of righteousness and humanity, it has been of no account; and as between the forces of good and evil, its weight has been on the side of evil instead of good. It is thus that the author of Spiritualism, the father of deception, fulfils the promises made through that channel to deceive mankind. What organized, aggressive efforts against evil has Spiritualism ever shown? Where are its schools and colleges? Where are its hospitals and benevolent institutions? Where are its organized charities? and what are its millions of members doing to relieve suffering and distress, and turn men to better ways of living? The very aspect it presents to the world to-day, stamps the brand of Cain upon its brow. The Boston _Herald_ of Dec. 17, 1874, said:—

“Let Spiritualism produce some idea, utter some word, or perform
some deed, which will have novelty, and yet be of manifest value
to the human race, and it will make good its claims to our serious
consideration. But it has not done this. For nearly thirty years
it has been before the world in its present shape, and in all that
time, with all its asserted command of earthly and
superterrestrial knowledge, it has never done an act, or breathed
a syllable, or supplied an idea which had any value as a
contribution to the welfare of the race, or to its stock of
knowledge. Its messages from learned men who are dead, have been
the silliest bosh; its stories about life upon the planets are
wretched guesses, many of which can be proved false by the
astronomer; its visions have frightened scores of people into
madhouses, and made semi-lunatics of hundreds of others.”

If this charge was good as late as 1874, it is equally so at the present time. And thus are we forced to the conclusion that Spiritualism, judged by the light of its fair promises, is one of the most lamentable of delusions, and most stupendous of failures.

Chapter Seven.

SPIRITUALISM A SUBJECT OF PROPHECY.

We come now to one of the most timely and important features of this whole subject; for God in his word has foretold and forewarned the world of the movement here passing under review. He has made known the time when it should appear, the character it would bear, and the work it is to do. He has also connected this with the great event of all-overshadowing importance to this world, of which it is a startling sign and sure precursor; namely, the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask the special attention of the reader to this part of the subject.

A word of digression may be allowed as to the place which prophecy holds in the word of God. Prophecy is that feature of the sacred volume which constitutes it a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Ps. 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19. It is that which enables that word to be a guide to the hosts of Israel through the weary journey and the gloomy shades of time, giving to every era its “present truth,” and showing the progress of the slow-revolving ages toward the great consummation. It is the golden credential which the Bible holds up to the world of its genuineness and authenticity.

Prophecy is peculiar to the Christian Scriptures. No other so-called sacred books contain this feature. It is not found in the Vedas, Shasters, or Puranas of the Hindus, nor the Zend Avestas of the Parsees, nor the Kojiki Nohonki, of the Shintos of Japan, nor the law books of Manu, nor the Koran of the Mohammedans, nor the Kan-Ying-Peen or Tao-Te-King of the Chinese, nor the Tripitakas of the Buddhists. The reason is obvious. Neither the minds of men nor of angels, either good or bad, can read the future. Divine omniscience alone can see the end from the beginning and foretell the great events that shall mark the history of the world, and affect the interests of the church. It is this that stamps the Bible as divine, and lifts it immeasurably above all other books. It is indeed passing strange that all cannot see this. Instead of being a book that grows obsolete and out of date with the passing years, like the productions of men, it is the only book ever seen upon the earth which is ever abreast of the times in every age, and lifts the veil of the future before him who honestly and reverently seeks its pages for a knowledge of the truth. Those who ignore or despise the prophecies, rob the Bible of one of the brightest stars in its crown of glory.

To be entitled to claim credit as divine, any book or system should be able to show that it can correctly foretell the future. The spirits see this, and, knowing that they cannot do it, discountenance and discourage all such efforts. Here is a little of their teaching on the subject:—

“_Ques._—Why are so many predictions made through mediums, which
prove false?

“_Ans._—Wonderful _guesses_ are sometimes made by daring spirits.

“_Q._—Can you tell us anything of the future?

“_A._—Pharos says you must not ask questions of the future—spirits
who _prophesy_ are _not good_ spirits.

“_Q._—Do you mean that it is not best for us to know the future?

“_A._—Souls on your plane are undergoing discipline, and it would
cost more than it is worth to foretell the future of your
state.”—_“__Automatic Writing,__”__ pp. 141, 142._

Spiritualists rail at God for prohibiting from Adam and Eve, in the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, to keep them in ignorance. What will they say to these spirits who coolly answer that “it would cost more than it is worth” to give them any knowledge of future events? This, perhaps, they will consider all right because it isn’t God who says it.

1. Let us then see what God has said of the time and work and significance of Spiritualism. Over seven hundred years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah wrote of our time, as follows: “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter, should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”