The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1864

Allan Kardec

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We got this from St. Petersburg:


Venerable master, after I read about the case of a rapping Spirit of the sixteenth century in the first issue of the Spiritist Review 1864 I remembered another one that you may perhaps consider proper for publication in a small section of your journal. I refer to the life and character of Tasso, written by Mr. Suard, perpetual secretary of the French and Literature classes and included in the translation of Freed Jerusalem, published in 1803.



-After saying that Tasso’s religions feelings, exalted as a result of a broken heart and the unfortunate consequences of that, seriously persuaded him that he was the object of a persecution by a Spirit that would knock everything down in his house; that stole his money and removed everything he needed from the table, before his eyes… The historian then adds: Here is how Tasso himself reports that persecution:

-Brother R… (he asks him to tell a friend) brought me two letters from you but one of them disappeared just after I read it and I believe that it was the elf that took it away particularly for the reason that you were talking about him in that one. It is one of those prodigies that happened so many times in hospital not given space for any doubt about the magical powers of which I have so many other proofs. On this very day a piece of bread was taken away from me and the other day a plate with fruits.

-He then regrets the books and papers that were taken from him adding: the stuff that was taken from me while I was not here could have been taken by people that had keys to all of my boxes so much so that I feel defenseless against my enemies or the devil with the exception of my own will that would not learn anything from them or their followers or make friends with them or their magicians.

-In another letter he says: It is all very bad. That demon that was always on my neck whenever I was resting or strolling around and that knew that he would never get to good terms with me made the decision of openly stealing my money.

-On other occasions, continues the writer of the article, he believed to have seen Holy Mary and Father Sevassi tells us that in a period when he was ill in prison Tasso devoted himself so much to the Holy Virgin that she came to him and had him cured. Tasso payed tribute to that act in a sonnet.

- Moving on, the elf transformed into someone more malleable and with whom Tasso could speak friendly and from whom he learned marvelous things. Nonetheless, dissatisfied with that strange exchange Tasso attributed its origin to some evildoings of youngster when he composed a dialogue in which he was supposedly talking to a Spirit. “…something that I would not have seriously wanted to do”, he adds, “even if that was at all possible”.



Mr. Suard finishes his report saying: “One cannot avoid the thought that at the age of thirty years old and after having written an immortal piece the miserable man was chosen to give the most pathetic example of weakness of the mind.



As for you, Sir, however, thanks to the lights of Spiritism you can assess it differently and I am sure that you will see in those phenomena one more link in the chain of the Spiritist phenomena that connect the past to the present days.”



There is no doubt that the events that take place today and that are perfectly verified and explained demonstrate that Tasso could have been dominated by one of those obsessions that we see daily and that have nothing of supernatural.



Had he known the true cause and he would not have been more impressed than people are in our days but then the idea of the devil, of witches and magicians was widespread and since instead of combating people actually entertained such idea it could then interact badly with weak minds. It is then more than likely that Tasso was not crazier than the obsessed of our days to whom we must give moral support rather than medication.



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