Banquet offered to Mr. Allan Kardec by the Spiritists of Bordeaux Speech and Toast Proposed
by Mr. Lacoste, Businessman
“Ladies and gentlemen,
I beg the youngsters in particular who hear me now to pay much
attention to the few words of fraternal affection that I wrote specially to
them. The lack of experience, the conformity of our ages and the communion
of our ideas give me assurances of your indulgence.
Friends, none of us has received the revelation of this sacred Doctrine
with indifference, Doctrine whose new elements were compiled by our
venerable Master in a wise book. Never has such a vast field been open to
our imaginations. Never has such grandiose horizon been unveiled to our
intelligences. It is with the enthusiasm of youth and never looking backwards
that we become followers of the faith in the future and the pioneers
of future civilizations. God forbid that I may say any word of discouragement!
I know your beliefs very well, ladies and gentlemen, and I know
them to be very solid to be shaken by mockery or the reasoning of some adversaries. Youth is full of privileges; an easy access to noble emotions;
eagerness in their undertakings. Youth also counts on the enthusiasm of
faith, that moral lever that lifts worlds. But if imagination drags it beyond
the obstacles it will sometimes take it beyond the objective as well. It is
against such deviations that I exhort you to be forearmed. Attracted by
the excitement of the novelty, lifting the veil that hid the unknown from
you, almost touching the solution of the problem of the primary causes,
be careful not to be overwhelmed by the joys of triumph. Few paths are
free from cliffs. Greater confidence always follows easy paths, and there
is nothing more difficult to have out of young soldiers and young intelligences
than moderation in victory. That is what I am afraid in you as in
myself also.
Fortunately the remedy stands side by side with the illness. There
are some here among us that unite the maturity of age with talent, the
fortunate advantage of having been the enlightened propagators of the
spiritist teachings in our town. It is to those more settled and thoughtful
spiritists that you must submit the direction of your studies and
thanks to that continual reverence and moral subordination you will
be given the opportunity of bringing an unshakable stone to the common
edifice. Let us learn, ladies and gentlemen, to defeat the puerile
issues of self-love. Isn’t that nice the part that touches our youth? The
future effectively belongs to us. When our parents in Spiritism are reborn
in another world we will be able to watch the splendid irradiation
of this truth, full of life and faith, a truth that they would have only
foreseen in its mysterious dawn on Earth. Hence, ladies and gentlemen
give me assurances that you can say with me from the bottom of your
heart: To all our elders; to every known or unknown person; wealthy
or simple worker from Bordeaux that became followers of the Spiritist
Doctrine! To the prosperity of the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies
and of this Society here that strongly holds the flag before which we
all aspire to align! May Mr. Allan Kardec, master of all of us, receive
the assurance of a profound sympathy towards our Parisian brothers!
May he tell them that our young hearts beat in unison with theirs and
although we walk with a not so firm a stride we don’t concur less to
the universal regeneration, here encouraged by your examples and your
accomplishments!
Toast Proposed by Mr. Sabò
“Dear Sir,
The spiritists also wanted to assure us once more that your
sympathy has been conquered by us when we joined our wishes to
yours regarding the prosperity of this sacred Doctrine, the result
of your work. The spirit Ferdinand, one of our guardian spirits,
spontaneously dictated the following teaching that I gladly
transmit to you: ‘The great spiritist family to which you belong daily
sees the number of its children grow and soon there will no longer
be in your beautiful homeland cities or neighborhoods where there
will not be a tent that has not been set up by the members of this
God blessed tribe. It would be already impossible to determine the
numerous centers gravitating around the luminous focus located in
Paris since we know only the centers of the large cities. Among those
the Spiritist Society of Metz deserves distinction for their knowledge,
intelligence and fraternal union. That Society is destined to provide
abundant fruits and seeking a friendly relationship with them based on a reciprocal respect you will fill with joy the paternal heart of
their chief, present here today. The eminent spirit Erastus told you
yesterday: - Be united, for union is power. You then must endeavor,
all of you, to do it so that all French centers, united by the links of
fraternity, stride at gigantic steps on the designed avenue.
Ferdinand,
spiritual guide of the medium.’
In conclusion and as a loyal interpreter of the feelings expressed by this
good spirit, I propose a toast to our spiritist brothers of Metz in particular
and to all French spiritists in general.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Persuaded that the kind words pronounced yesterday by our right
honorable spiritist chief here have not fallen onto rocks and thorn bushes,
but on your hearts now prepared to strengthen the links of fraternity, I
would like to propose a toast to our spiritist brothers of Lyon. They started
their tasks before we did and in order to organize themselves they also
suffered the same attacks that made us suffer so much. However, thanks
to the impulse that our beloved master gave them last year they moved
a huge step forward on the blessed path delineated by the good spirits to
humanity. Let us imitate them ladies and gentlemen. May a praiseworthy
emulation unite the spiritists of Bordeaux and Lyon so that their communion
of thoughts and feelings allow everyone to say that the spiritists
of Bordeaux and Lyon are brothers! I propose a toast to the union of our
brothers from Bordeaux and Lyon.
Speech by Mr. Desqueyroux,
Mechanic, representing
a group of workers
“Mr. Allan Kardec, our dear Master:
In the name of every spiritist worker of Bordeaux, my friends,
my brothers, I allow myself to propose a toast to your prosperity. Although
you have already an elevated perfection, may God help you to grow even
more in the good feelings that have animated you so far and in particular
help you grow to the eyes of the universe and in the hearts of those who
follow your Doctrine thus getting closer to God! We who take part in the
group that professes it we praise you from the bottom of our hearts and
pray to our divine Creator to allow you to stay much longer among us so
that once your mission is over we are strong enough in our faith to stand
up on our own feet and not to veer off from the good path. For us it is a
reason for ineffable happiness the fact that we are able to be enlightened by Spiritism. However, our knowledge and satisfaction are not enough.
With the Doctrine we take on four different duties, as follows: submission
that makes us hear with meekness; affection that makes us love with tenderness;
enthusiasm to eagerly defend its interests and practice that allows
us to honor it with our work.
We are in the heart of Spiritism and Spiritism is for us a solid consolation
in our penalties. Because – we need to confess – there are moments
in life when reason might be able to sustain us but there are others when
we have the need of all the faith that we can get from Spiritism, to avoid
failure. It is useless that the Philosophers come to us preaching a stoic
resilience, repeating their pompous maxims; it is useless to tell us that
nothing can disturb the wise person and that people were built to own
themselves and dominate the events of life. Sad consolation! Far from
mitigating my pain you make it worse; we only find emptiness and dryness
in your words. But Spiritism comes to rescue us demonstrating that
our pain may contribute to our happiness. Yes, master. You must continue
you august mission, showing us this Science that is brought to you by
the will of God, our consolation during this life and that will sustain our
thoughts at the time of death. Receive, dear Master, these few words from
the bottom of the heart of your children, since you are this paternal figure
to all of us, the father of the working class and the afflicted ones. You
know that progress and pain walk side by side, but when our hearts were
invaded by despair you brought us strength and courage. Yes, by bringing
us Spiritism you said: Courage, brothers and sisters! Bear the trials that
are sent to you with no complaints and God will bless you. You must then
know that we are devoted apostles and that in this century as in future
centuries your name will be praised by our children and by our workers
friends.”
Speech and Toast by
Mr. Allan Kardec
“My dear brothers and sisters in Spiritism,
I have no words to express my emotions after your warm and
benevolent reception. Allow me to say a few words and not long sentences
which would not say more that I will place my first visit to Bordeaux
among the happiest in my life and from which I will keep eternal memory.
Nevertheless I will not forget either, ladies and gentlemen, that this
reception imposes a great task on my shoulders that is to justify it, something
that I intend to do with the help of God and the good spirits. It
also imposes, in addition, important obligations not only towards you
but also with the spiritists of all regions, represented by you, as members
of the large family, as also with Spiritism in general, that you have just
acclaimed in these two solemn meetings that, have no doubt, will recruit
in your town a new force to fight against the obstacles that may stand on
your way.
In my message yesterday I spoke about your irresistible force. Aren’t
you the evident proof of that? Isn’t that something remarkable that the
inauguration of a Spiritist Society like yours starting with the spontaneous
gathering of three hundred persons, attracted not by a vain curiosity
but by conviction and a unique desire to gather around a single focus? Yes,
ladies and gentlemen, the fact is not only remarkable but providential.
Here is what my spiritual guide, the Spirit of Truth, said yesterday about
the subject and before the session:
‘God has stamped with the immutable seal of His resolve the time for
the regeneration of the children of this great city. Hence, hands on
with confidence and courage! Tonight the destinies of its inhabitants
begin to leave behind the routine of passions that used to germinate
from its wealth and luxury like the weed growing together with the
good grain, then reaching the heights of its eternal destiny through the
moral progress entailed by Spiritism. You can see that Bordeaux is a
city loved by the spirits as you encounter the most sublime devotions of
charity of all kinds multiplying within its walls. Hence they were afflicted
for seeing this city falling behind in the progressive movement
that Spiritism has just imposed onto humanity. However, the progress
will be so fast that the spirits will praise the Lord for having inspired
in you the wishes to come and help them in this sacred route.’
As you see, ladies and gentlemen, the impulse that pushes you comes
from above and it would be a real temerity to try to stop it since it would
be knocked down like the rebellious angels that wanted to fight against
God’s power.
Thus you must have no fear for the opposition brought up by
some self-serving adversaries or the strutting materialistic incredulity.
Materialism gets to its final hour and it is Spiritism that rings the bell
since Spiritism is the dawn that dissipates the darkness of night. And here
is something Providential! It is materialism itself that unwillingly serves as
support to the propagation of Spiritism. Materialism calls the attention of
the indifferent through its attacks. People want to know what it is about
and since they find it interesting they adopt it. You have the proof of that
before your eyes; without the articles of a given newspaper of your town
perhaps the number of spiritists in Bordeaux would be half of what they
are. That article has certainly excited curiosity because people generally
say: this is been attacked then there must be something. They assessed the
importance of the subject by the extension of the article. Then they asked:
Is it good? Is it bad? Is it true? Is it false? In any case, let us see. They saw it
and you know the result.
Then, far from having any hard feeling towards the author of the
article we must be grateful for the free propaganda. And if there is any
friend of his here we ask you to please stimulate him to restart so that instead
of the 300 of today we will be 600 next year. I could mention to you
other curious cases of propaganda carried out in certain cities by choleric
sermons against Spiritism. Like Lyon, Bordeaux has just proudly planted
the flag of Spiritism and what I see here gives me guarantees that it will
not be removed. Bordeaux and Lyon! Two of the greatest cities in France!
Focal points of light! And some say that the spiritists are mad! Praise
the mad of such a kind! Let us not forget Metz that has just founded its
Society where one finds officers of all ranks, claiming entry into the great
family. I hope that Toulouse, Marseille and other cities where the new
seed is already germinating will soon join their elder sisters, providing the
signs of regeneration in their respective regions.
Ladies and gentlemen, in the name of the Parisian Society of Spiritist
Studies I propose a toast to the spiritists of Bordeaux; to their fraternal
union to resist the enemy that may want to divide it, thus facilitating their
influence. I add to this toast and from the bottom of my heart with the
liveliest sympathy the Spiritist Group of the Workers of Bordeaux that,
like those of Lyon, give us a remarkable example of enthusiasm, devotion,
abnegation and moral transformation.
I assure you that I am happy, very happy for seeing your delegates
fraternally united around this table with the highest social ranks, demonstrating
the influence of Spiritism upon social prejudices. It could not be different when we learn that the one who has the best social position
in this world may have perhaps been a modest worker and that shaking
hands with the last worker one may perhaps shake hands with a brother, a
father or friend. In the name of the spiritists of Metz and Lyon, of whom I
make myself the interpreter, I thank you for having included them in your
expression of fraternal feelings.
To the spiritists of Bordeaux!
Ladies and gentlemen, the spiritist must not be ungrateful. I believe
it to be our duty to acknowledge those who serve our cause even unwillingly.
Thus, I propose a toast to the author of the article in the Courrier
de la Gironde for his services, wishing that from time to time he may
renovate his witty articles. And God willing very soon he will be the only
sensible person in Bordeaux.
