[Image]  [Hi-Res Image]

Page 52

sist of communications of varied character. She

first became a medium in 1885, and soon after came

under the observation of Professor William James of

Harvard and of Dr. Richard Hodgson, secretary of

the American branch of the Society for Psychical

Research. The various sets of phenomena, an out

line merely of which is given above, aroused scien

tific interest, and have been under consideration

by various learned or scientific bodies. One of the

year 1884 From the University of Pennsylvania

achieved little because of inability to come to an

understanding with the mediums. In 1882 the So

ciety for Psychical Research was formed in Eng

land for the accumulation and investigation of data

upon this and related subjects. Parts of the results

of the work of this organization are presented and

reviewed by F. W. H. Myers in his Human Person

ality and its Survival of Bodily Death (London, 1903),

while the whole range of alleged spiritistic phenom

ena is reviewed by F. Podmore in Modern Spiritual

ism (London, 1902). The general trend of opinion

among scientists, when considering phenomena of

the sort under consideration, from which the ele

ment or possibility of fraud has been eliminated, is

that the manifestations are not those of spirits, but

are to be referred to powers of the human mind

which are beginning to be the objects of systematic

study, such as the " subliminal consciousness "

and various other phenomena, many of these com

ing in the domain of abnormal psychology. One

of the characteristics of most of the " communicar

dons," the inherent unimportance, has thus re

ceived explanation. The way is probably being

prepared for a scientific explanation of other kinds

of manifestation, which have been supposed to show

the interference of spirits, by profounder and patient

study of the lower regions of psychology. The ex

posure of those " mediums " who resorted to fraud

and the formulation of tests by which to assure the

reality of the manifestations presented have reduced

the field to be covered, while they have also greatly

diminished the number of adherents of spiritualism.

The belief in the actuality of communication be

tween discarnated spirits and the living drew to

gether in various places those of like mind, and led

in the course of time to the formation of bodies

corresponding to congregations and

Organized churches in other Christian denomina

Form. tions, and utimately to the formation

of a national organization, through

which a statement of belief and platform of prac

tises have been issued. Thus determined, the belief

of Spiritualists involves the actuality of communica

tions, as stated above; they reject the doctrine of

the Trinity and of the deity of Christ, and also that of

the supreme authority of the Scriptures; they hold

to the existence of an infinite intelligence expressed

by the physical and spiritual phenomena of nature,

a correct understanding of which and a following of

which in life constitute the true religion; the con

tinued conscious existence of the spirit after death

is a postulate, and with this goes belief in progress

as the universal law of nature. All legislation re

specting the observance of Sunday as a holy day is

opposed by the National Spiritualists' Association,

as also all attempts to unite Church and State,

sectarian instruction in the public schools, the granting of special favors to the clergy, and the appointment of paid chaplains in the public service; the organization favors equal taxation of all secular and ecclesiastical property, an educational qualification for all voters, and the elimination of sex as a criterion of availability for civil office and the suffrage. The Association has offices in Washington, D. C., holds annual conventions (nineteenth held in Wichita, Kan., 1911), maintains a free library at Washington, employs salaried missionaries, an editor at large, arranges for lectures and campmeetings, carries on correspondence with organizations in other lands, and has at Whitewater, Wis., the Morris Pratt Institute with a two-years' course of instruction. 7t reports twenty-two state associations, 437 active local societies with 216 others meeting irregularly, 32 camp-meeting associations, 120 churches and temples with a valuation of $2,000,000; 75,000 avowed adherents with a constituency of nearly 2,000,000; 370 ordained ministers, and 1,500 public mediums. W. H. LARRABEE.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: J. W. Edmonds and G. T. Dexter, Spiritualism, New York, 1854-55; E. W. Capron, Modern Spiritualism; its Facts, Boston, 1855; R. Ware, Experimental Investigations of the Spirit Manifestations, New York, 1856; R. D. Owen, Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World, Philadelphia, 1859; idem, The Debatable-Land between this World and the Next, New York, 1872; W. Howitt, The Hiat. of the Supernatural in All Ages and Nations, London, 1863; A. De Morgan, From Matter to Spirit, ib. 1883; H. Tuttle, Philosophy of Spiritual Existence and of the Spirit World, 2d ed., Boston, 1864; idem, Arcana of Nature, new ed., London, 1908; W. McDonald, Spiritualism Identical with Ancient Sorcery, New Testament Demonology and Modern Witchcraft, New York, 1866; E. Sargent, Planchette, or the Despair of Science, Boston, 1889; H. S. Oleott, People from the Other World; wonderful Doings of the " Eddy Brothers," Hartford, n. d.; E. W. Cox, Spiritualism Answered by Science, London, 1872; M. Hull, Contrast: Evangelism and Spiritualism compared, Boston, 1874; J. M. Peebles, Seers of the Apes; ancient, medieval, and modern Spiritualism, 6th ed., Boston, 1874; idem, Spiritualism Defined and Defended, ib. 1875; F. G. Lee, The Other World, London, 1875; idem, Sights and Shadows; Examples of the Supernatural, ib. 1894; A. Mahan, Phenomena of Spiritualism scientifically Explained and Exposed, New York, 1876; W. B. Carpenter, Mesmerism, Spiritualism. . . historically and scientifically Considered, London, 1877; D. D. Home, Lights and Shadows of Spiritualism, ib. 1878; T. B. Hall, Modern Spiritualism, Boston, 1883; J. W. Truesdell, Bottom Facts concerning Spiritualism, New York, 1883; J. Cheater Earthly Watchers at the Heavenly Gates; the false and true Spiritualism, Philadelphia, 1888; E. Gurney and F. W. Meyers, Phantasms of the Living, 2 vole., London, 1887; F. Johnson, The New Psychic Studies in their Relationto Christian Thought, New York, 1887; J. C. Street, The Hidden Way across the Threshold, Boston, 1887; Sir W. Crook, Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism, London, 1891; A. R. Wallace, Miracles and·Modern Spiritualism, new ad., London, 1895; J. Jastrow, Fact and Fable in Psychology, Boston, 1901 (adverse to spiritualistic claims); F. Podmore, Modern Spiritualism, 2 vets., London, 1902 (history of the movement in England and America); idem, The Newer Spiritualism, ib., 1910: E. W. Cook and F. Podmore, Spiritualism; is Communication with the Spirit World an accomplished Fact 7 ib, 1903 (gives both sides of the argument); F. W. H. Myers, Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death, ib. 1903 (important); E. T. Bennett, Physical Phenomena popularly Classed under the Head of Spiritualism, ib. 1908; J. H. Hyslop, Borderland o) Psychical Research, Boston, 1906; idem, Enigmas of Psychical Research, ib. 1908; J. G. Raupert, Modern Spiritism, London, 1904 (critical examination of the alleged phenomena); idem, The Dangers of Spiritualism, ib. 1906; D. P. Abbott, Behind the Scenes with Mediums, Chicago, 1907; C. Flammarion, Mysterious