Monomania
An issue of the Gazette de Mons publishes the following:
“An individual afflicted by religious monomania, taken to the institution of Mr. Stuart since seven years ago, presenting himself very calm up to now, was able to deceive security and get hold of a knife. Because the guards were unable to recover the weapon the director of the institution was informed.”
“Mr. Stuart then immediately approached the furious man and, armed only with his courage, attempted to unarm the man. Mr. Stuart had hardly moved a few steps when the mad man dashed like a lightning towards him, stabbing him multiple times. The murderer was dominated with great difficulty. From the seven stabbing wounds inflicted on Mr. Stuart one was mortal: the one that reached his lower belly. He succumbed as a consequence of a hemorrhage from that cavity wound on Monday, at three thirty.”
What wouldn’t be said if that individual had been troubled by a spirit’s monomania, or if he had, in his madness, spoken of spirits? However, this would be possible considering that there are several religious monomanias and that all sciences have already given their contribution. What could rationally be concluded against Spiritism other than the fact that man, as a consequence of the fragility of his own organization, can exalt himself in that particular aspect as with others? The way by which one can prevent such exaltation is not by combating the idea, otherwise we would take the risk of seen the prodigies of Cévennes renovated. We would see Spiritism propagating remarkably had no campaign been organized against it. How to oppose a phenomenon that has neither favorite time nor place; that can happen everywhere, in all families, in the intimacy, under the most absolute secrecy, even better than in public? We have indicated the means to prevent the inconvenience in our Practical Instruction: Make Spiritism so much understood that one can see only a natural phenomenon, even with events that seem most extraordinary.
