One of our corresponding members from St. Petersburgh sent us the translation of an article published against Spiritism in a religious journal of that city called
Doukhownaia Beceda (religious practices).
It is a report done by two young men from Moscow, Messrs. XX that were introduced to us last November with the appearance of people from the best society, saying that they were sympathetic to Spiritism and that were duly welcomed with the due attention given to foreigners. Nothing in their words and actions betrayed their real intention. This was necessary in their role playing and for the accomplishment of their mission. The adversaries of Spiritism in France have certainly made us used to reports that are not exactly accurate, but truth be said, as far as we know none of them have gone so far with their calumnies. That would have been difficult in a French newspaper given the laws that protect against such abuse and also for the fact that many witnesses would come out with the truth. But hundreds of miles away in a foreign country and in a language that is unknown here it would be easier.
We owe the Russian followers a refutation to that shameful brochure whose authors are much reproachable for having abused people’s trust. They sneaked in in disguise, supposedly sent by a party, into a private home and gathering that is never opened to the general public and that only accepts people with recommendation, then giving publicity to an altered and disgusting report, placing themselves in a lower position when compared to spies because those at least give an accurate account of what they saw.
Besides, it is also regrettable that such things are done in the name of religion and that they are considered to be necessary to the very support of religion. Spiritism shall not be ruined by such means. Their hatred actually helps its growth. That is what happened to Christianity in the beginning. The adversaries worked for its propagation through their persecution. Truth is readily revealed nowadays, and when they maliciously say that something is black everyone can see that it is white and the hatred that is carried by calumny falls upon their own authors. The thoughts in that paper are like those of every detractor that share the same opinion. They have been refuted so many times that it would be useless to go back there. We will, nonetheless, mention the following passage:
“
Are the Spiritists, in fact, in direct communication with the world of the Spirits, so much so that the most renowned personalities and the most sacred ones hear their appeals ad libitum, at the mediums’ will, as if attending the bell’s ringing? Isn’t that charlatanism and gross deception, not from the part of the Spirits that Mr. Allan Kardec teaches to distinguish so well, but from the part of the very chief of this new sect, so attractive to the imagination of its inexperienced followers? The two attached letters from Paris, coming from trustworthy persons that wanted to remain anonymous, may give a thorough answer to such a delicate question.”
Spiritism has never said that the Spirits, whoever they are, attend any mediums’ will. On the contrary, it says that the Spirits are not there to obey anyone’s orders; that they come when they wish and can. Spiritism goes further and explains the material causes that oppose the manifestation of a Spirit through the first one that shows up. If the communication of the Spirits is nothing more than a hopeless idea and a role playing, then only one person would have its monopoly. How come it has been attested by thousands of individuals of all social classes and ages and in all countries? Is everybody then play a role in a comedy, from the prince to the pawn, and all that to the benefit of whom? Something that is even more remarkable is that the comedy redirect nonbelievers to God, making those that laughed at prayers pray. A deception with such serious results has never been seen before. As for the letters of the two envoys, it would be superfluous to respond to their gross lies; it would be enough to mention a couple of material mistakes to show the their report about the rest deserves.
“
At the scheduled time we met Mr. Allan Kardec. He resides at a passage always taken by a multitude of people. A big billboard announces that the great mysteries of Spiritism take place there.”
At the bottom of the stairs there is a small notice that reads:
Spiritist Review, 2nd floor because that is where the office of the journal stays and since it is accessible to the public it must point to its office. Below it reads:
Classroom, because the sessions room was formerly used for several courses that had never taken place since we moved there. That is the first invention of those very trustworthy gentlemen.
“
It was 5pm. It was dark and the Spiritist carried no light. We were led to his office through snaking corridors.”
The visitors were never shown to my office but to a reception room that certainly is not that of a palace, but those that do not find it worthwhile are always free not to return there.
“
After having invited us to sit down he continued to talk to a young man that was unknown to us. The words said by the latter allowed us to conclude that he was an obsessed rookie medium, under the influence of impure forces that gave him answers under the disguise of pure Spirits; in the beginning the answers were masked by a perfect innocence and soon after the devil would betray himself. Everything in that young man showed agitation, from the voice to the scared face. The Spiritist responded that one needed a pure moral life and moderation to communicate with the Spirits and even more: that in the beginning the medium is commonly persecuted by bad Spirits but later the good ones arrive. The speech had a professorial tone. All that was undoubtedly a comic act played before us.”
That young man, we remember, was a simple worker that had come to us for advices, as it frequently happens. We continued our conversation with him because to us the humbler the position of an honest worker the more consideration he deserves from us. It is possible that those gentlemen did not share such an opinion, but they will get there when, in another existence, they find themselves in the same conditions as those that they look down today. As for the comedy that undoubtedly was played by them, it is remarkable that it had been prepared for them since their visit was not expected. When they arrived, the young man was alone; we only continued the conversation because we had it initiated already. The comedy was then played by the two of us. In any case that conversation was not very interesting and when a lot is done something better gets done too.
“
Thanks to an interesting darkness, the teacher was not visible. He asked us something that wanted to probe our belief in Spiritism, its development in Moscow and so forth. He moved with caution until he realized our intent. A lamp was brought in. We then saw a very big man in front of us, elderly, with a very pleasant expression in his face and singular eyes; one could say that his eyes would go through a person; that was his first look; it then showed a certain nostalgia. I observed those outstanding eyes on a common physiognomy for a long time. I don’t know why I got his attention but for several times he asked me if I was not a medium. After demonstrating our knowledge of Spiritism through the conversation he then became more talkative.”
One can see the kind of knowledge they had about Spiritism. Thinking that they had deceived us with their smart language, they were the ones playing the comedy.
“
He started talking in an obscure way about the soul and the Spirits. In the beginning his voice was calm but he finished his speech with a singular emphasis. After we asked him how to distinguish between the bad and good Spirits he said that each Spirit had to go through an examination phase before anything else; if the Spirit was not in contradiction with the moral and religious beliefs of the Spiritists they were considered pure. Following my question why he was only concerned with moral issues and not did not touch scientific and political matters, something that visibly displeased him, he responded something like this: The Spirits do not get involved with these things.”
Politics is generally the danger terrain to which false brothers try to bring the Spiritists. According to them the moral principle is something really banal and vulgar; that is much of the same; something positive is needed. A rewarded individual sneaked into a group of workers in Lyon where there were also some military personnel, proposing the following question: “
What do the Spirits think of Henry V?” The answer given by the Spirits and by the followers discouraged him to go back.
“
After certain hesitation he allowed us to attend the Spiritist session on Friday. He wanted to question a colonel of the guard, a medium that had died a short while ago. We then left. I am interested in the Friday session and will tell you everything about it. People say, however, that he charges one hundred francs per session. If that is true let it be clear that I will not be able to see or hear anything. I can sacrifice ten francs, no more.
Paris, 2/14 November 1864”
Regardless of our well-known principles, clearly stated in our books with respect to the exploitation of Spiritism in any form or shape, the more than six thousands of attendees that were given access to our sessions at the Spiritist Society of Paris, since its foundation on January 1
st, 1858, may give account to any contribution, compulsory or optional, or even if any condition was imposed for the attendance of the meetings, like the purchase of a single book or subscription to the Spiritist Review. When someone exploits the general public, the choice is not difficult; one aims at the quantity. How to conceive then our hesitation to accept those gentlemen? Instead of allowing them to join we would have invited them. They betray themselves by these words alone but they did not think of that.
From the time they heard that they would be charged a hundred francs per person and would be prepared to pay only ten, how come they did not make a confirmation beforehand? It would have been very natural, even necessary, to have asked us in order to avoid surprises. There is here a perfidious but awkward insinuation. In the report below, they talk about the session that they attended but mention no payment. Well, since they would sacrifice ten francs it means that it costed them nothing. They stepped back before their own statement but then said to themselves: “
Let us just throw the idea there; something may come out of it”. But when there isn’t anything then nothing may come out. Yes, there is something, the shame of the liar.
As a matter of fact, this is not the first time that malevolence and envy employ such means to try to belie the Spiritist Society before public opinion. Not long ago a person in Nantes affirmed that the ticket to attend the sessions were sold for five francs per person. It would be remarkable that after eight years in operation people don’t know yet if the Society charges eight francs or one hundred francs. Truly, one must be really blind by the intent of causing harm in order to try to deceive the public about something as material as this and that is belied every day, be it by the persons that do attend the sessions or by the principles that are professed by the Society and that are unequivocally formulated in our writings.
Such a calumny, however, leads to a teaching. Since our adversaries believe to cast shame upon our Society, saying that it demands a contribution from the visitors, it means that they consider to be more honorable not charging anything. Now, considering that the Society demands nothing; that instead of seeking quantity of attendees it restricts that number as much as possible, it means that the Society does not speculate with them; it therefore eliminates any suspicion of charlatanism.
The circumstance involving the colonel that was supposed to be evoked gave us the hint to determine the session that those gentlemen attended. Since their names were not in the list of attendees it means that they utilized false names. This was very easy to confirm because the session on that day was private and only accessible to the members of the Society, and to which only four or five foreigners in visit to Paris had been exceptionally allowed. By sending us their true names our corresponding member reveals that they are the sons of a high commissioner of the Russian clergy.
“At 8pm last Friday we attended the session at the Spiritist Society. We arrived early; there wasn’t many members yet so that we were able to carefully examine the environment. A very large room contained several rows of chairs. Near one of the walls there was a table covered with a green cloth, surrounded by chairs that were to be occupied by the main members of the Society. On table there was a pile of blank paper with a number of sharpened pencils. Nothing else. Above the table there was the image of the blessed Savior.”
Such a detailed analysis, to the point of examining the papers, is very indiscrete from the part of persons that supposedly kind men admitted as a favor in a private place and in a meeting that has nothing of public. There isn’t absolutely nothing above the table. Near the table there is a statue of St. Louis, the spiritual President of the Society, wearing Kings’ garments, and that those gentlemen took by that of Christ.
“
The walls were covered by singular paintings. I examined them in detail. The largest is an oil painting, representing a casket with chains falling around; an original site with fantastic plants surrounding the casket. A caption explains that the image was painted by Allan Kardec.”
That allegoric painting is the one we talked about in the Spiritist Review, 1862. There is no chain or plants of any kind. Below there is an explanatory note attached to the painting, saying: “
Mediumistic painting. Allegoric image of the beginning and victory of Spiritism; painted by Mr. V…, young Pharmacy student, without any knowledge of painting. Lyon.” We do not know how come those gentlemen could see in those words that the painted was done by Allan Kardec. That gives a measure of the accuracy of their report and the confidence that the remaining deserves.
“
Further away all kinds of paintings and drawings, I do not even know how to call them, done by several persons under the influence of the Spirits. I cannot tell you the impression that all those paintings had on me. I examined myself over again and concluded that I was calm at that time, cold blooded, so that the impression that those paintings had on me were independent of my imagination. The paintings or drawings show an INSOLITO set of lines, points, circles, an original gathering, without any resemblance of anything. All have a particular and common style, but entirely indefinable. One could say that there isn’t anything particular about those lines and points, however, they still leave a very unpleasant feeling, like that of a nightmare. In a word, those drawings are not like anything that you have ever seen and to me they are very unpleasant.”
That collection of mediumistic drawings contains: Mozart’s house, published in the Spiritist Review, August 1858, known by everybody; a head of Christ, done in Mexico, of a kind that is admired by the experts; another Christ, crowned with spokes, molded in clay at the Spiritist Society of Madrid, and of a remarkable execution; two incredible heads of women, of a Greek profile, drawn at the Spiritist Society of Constantinople; the portrait of sightseeing drawn with a pen by Mr. Jaubert, Vice President of the Court of Carcassone and that any renowned artist would sign, etc. These are the lines and the points that disturbed the eyes of those gentlemen in such an unpleasant and disgusting way. We would really be tempted to believe that a malignant Spirit fascinated them making them see everything upside down, turning their report picturesque.
“
Finally, there are about seventy members of the Society gathered. Like in the true societies, they also have a secretary. They began by reading a chapter of the Gospel; then the minutes of the preceding session. I confess that I could not hear everything without taking risk. For example, in Lyon a Spirit was saying silly things because he had been excluded from the group of well-behaved Spirits. They then read the necrology of the Spiritist colonel that should be evoked during that session. Before, he had been a Saint-Simonianist. One of the attendees wanted to ask a few questions but the teacher stated that the others should not get involved with what not of their competence. I thought they would bring the device that was supposed to write but I was mistaken. Allan Kardec rang the bell and a young man with the appearance of a con man came from the adjacent room, ready in a word to say all kinds of memorized absurd for half of a ruble. We were told that he was a medium.”
Here is not only about inaccuracies. It is cynicism and lies. One only needs to mention such words to belie them. In France the authors would have been brought to the courts. Regarding inaccuracies we must only say that since the Society was established there has never been a bell in its office, and consequently, we could not have rung it. The ears of those gentlemen were vibrating like their eyes when they saw the drawings and the statue of St. Louis.
“
The public, mostly old persons, was characteristic; almost half of them were mad people. The young ones were high and untidy, focused on the movements of the medium. Some were blind believers that would be a sin to laugh at them. One could only feel sorry for them.”
It seems that lying is a lesser sin. It is true that certain persons believe that any lie told with good intention is excusable. Well, staining Spiritism is an excellent motive to some.
“
What did the Spirit respond? The Spirit responded by the chatting box of Mr. Allan Kardec that can be found in his books.”
The Spirit in question here is that of Mr. Bruneau, member of the Spiritist Society, former pupil of the Polytechnic Institute and colonel of the artillery, recently deceased. The minutes of his evocation can be found in the Spiritist Review, December 1864.
“Allan Kardec proposed the evocation of a
Saint-Simonianist boy”.
There were eight mediums that day and not one at the table. Since we had just evoked Mr. Bruneau, that had been a
Saint-Simonianist, and we had spoken about that doctrine, its former leader Père Enfantin, communicated spontaneously and without an evocation, through one of the mediums, and took part in the discussion. It was therefore Père Enfantin that the faithful reporter toke by a
Saint-Simonianist boy.
[1]“
As for ourselves, we were as much bored as displeased with the type of people there. We stood up and left. That is how our Spiritist visit ended. Yet, I cannot say if it is deception or madness. But that is enough!Paris, 9/21 November 1864”
The editor of the journal adds: “
The person that provided us with those interesting letters finishes with this observation: - A conscious report of the witness is very important, although it cannot explain everything. That is why we believe the present summary to be useful to the keen believers in the communication with the Spirits.”
The thoughts that are brought up by events of such a nature are summarized in the following article.
[1] Saint-Simonianism was a
French political and social movement of the first half of the 19th century, inspired by the ideas of
Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon (1760–1825)
