September 23rd, 1863
Chronicles of Paris
Regarding the ghosts in the theaters that is how our correspondent concludes after having given his report:
- In the next winter everyone will be able to take their friends for a fun time in the now made popular shows with some ghosts and other supernatural curiosities. After the meal the candles will be put out and modern ghosts will be seen dressed up in their shrouds, replacing the funny songs that we used to hear from our grandparents in the old days. Instead of refreshments people will see ghosts parading at dance parties. What a charming distraction! It gives us the goose bumps just by thinking of that.”
The author then moves on to Spiritism:
Since we are talking about supernatural things we cannot but mention The Spirits’ Book. What an attractive title! How many mysteries behind it? Now, if we take into account its starting point how many paths were covered by such ideas in recent years? In the beginning, those not yet explained phenomena consisted on a simple table that would move by the imposition of hands. Today the tables are not satisfied by turning around only or by jumping or stand on a single foot or somersaults. They go further: They speak! When I say “speak” it means that they have their own alphabet and even several of them. All they need is a question addressed to them followed by an answer through knocks with the foot or even by a pencil that starts doodling signs, words or even full sentences on a piece of paper held by someone’s hand; all that coming from an unknown and strange mind. The hand then becomes a simple instrument, a pencil-holder, and the person remains foreign to anything that takes place.
Spiritism – that is how the science of such phenomena is called – has made great progresses in facts and events in just a few years but the theory, in my opinion, has not followed suit since it remained stationary and here is why: it is undisputable, unless the persons involved with such a matter want to deceive us and themselves, it is undisputable that the facts do exist. They are not only revealed by the turning tables. They take place every day at all times. They excite everybody’s imagination but it stops there. Let us exemplify: two persons share the same thought or say the same word; we think of someone that we do not see often and that person shows up unexpectedly; someone knocks at the door and although outside we guess correctly who the person is; a letter with funds get to our hands in times of need; that and so many other events so frequent and so much known by everybody. Can all that be attributed to chance? No, there is no way that such events can be attributed to chance. Now, why wouldn’t that be some sort of fluidic communication that goes undetected by our physical organization, like a sixth sense of a more elevated nature? Nobody knows the dwelling of the soul that is invisible, imponderable and intangible, however given our significant conviction we can attest its existence. What is the essence of electricity? Magnetism? Nonetheless the effects of electricity and magnetism are continually present before our eyes. I am persuaded that the same will one day apply to Spiritism or whatever the name that science will definitely find convenient to give it.
Some time ago I saw several cases of catalepsy, magnetization and Spiritism and I cannot have any doubt about it but what seems more difficult to me is to explain them and have them attributed to one cause or another. It is therefore necessary to proceed with caution and reservation, abstaining from falling by one extreme or the other: denial of everything or having them all assigned to a premature theory.
The existence of the phenomena is incontestable; its theory is still to be revealed, and that is the current state of affairs. One cannot deny that there is something singular and dignified to be examined in this idea that has agitated the whole world and that resurges stronger than ever in periodicals that operate like archives of observation; ideas that have moved minds in Austria, Italy and America, that give rise to meetings in France, a country in which such things are rarely found and where the government do not tolerate them very much. Such a general invasion produces a marked impression and has high relevance. It is then necessary to verify the phenomena with prudence and without preconceived ideas, in good faith up until they can be explained, something that will one day happen if God decides to reveal to us the nature of that mysterious agent.”
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As one can see the author is not much advanced but at least he does not judge something that he does not know. He acknowledges the existence of the phenomena but has not recognized the mode of production. He ignores the progresses of the theoretical part of the science and goes on to provide a very wise advice that is the avoidance of adventurous theories, like each one was trying to do, for that was the reason why each one of those premature systems failed before future events that stood against them.
Today we have the rational theory in which not a single point was admitted as hypothetical for everything is deduced from experience and from the attentive observation of the facts. One can say that in that regards Spiritism has been studied like the exact sciences.
Denied in the past this science has not yet told us everything and there is still a lot for us to learn but it has said enough to establish the fundamental basis and to know that those phenomena are not outside the scope of the natural phenomena. They were qualified as supernatural and wonderful for a lack of knowledge of the laws that govern them as has also happened to the majority of the physical phenomena. By revealing that law Spiritism restricts the circle of the supernatural instead of enlarging that. We say more: Spiritism swings the final blow onto the supernatural. Those who say otherwise demonstrate that they have not studied Spiritism. We have the pleasure to attest the progress of the Spiritist idea in Rio de Janeiro where it counts on a large number of keen and devoted representatives. The little book “Spiritism in its simplest expression” has contributed significantly to spread the true principles of the doctrine there.
