Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1865

When we say novel, we say works of imagination. The very essence of a novel is to represent a fictitious subject, with respect to the events and characters. But even in that kind of literature there are rules from which common sense does not allow to run away from, and that together with the quality of the style, constitute its merit. If the facts are not true in themselves, they must, at least, be verisimilar and in perfect agreement with the environment where the action takes place.

In historical novels, for example, one must respect the local ambience and there are anachronisms that are not acceptable. The reader must be able to mentally travel in time and to places that must be correctly represented. That is the great talent of Walter Scott. When we read him, we find ourselves right in the Middle Ages. Had he attributed the events and gestures of Francis I to Louis XI, or even had he made the latter and the characters of his court to speak in the times of Renascence, and he could not be forgiven for his mistakes, even if utilizing the most beautiful style.

The same happens to historical novels. Its merit lies in the truthful images because it would be extremely ridiculous to give a Spanish vassal the habits and character of the British.

Novel, to begin with, seems to be the easiest genre. We believe it to be more difficult than history, even though it is less serious. The historian has the picture outlined by the facts from which one must not deviate an inch; the Novelist must create everything; nonetheless, some think that a bit of imagination and style suffice to create a good novel. A serious mistake: one needs a lot of erudition. To write Notre-Dame de Paris, Victor Hugo should know his old and archeological Paris as much as he knew his contemporary Paris. One can write a novel about Spiritism as it can be done about anything else. We even say that when Spiritism is known and understood in its essence, it shall provide arts and literature with an inexhaustible source of poetry. But that would not be the case for those who would only see it in the turning tables, in the ropes of the Davenport brothers or in the art of the charlatans. As in the historical or customs novels, the embroiderer does need to know profoundly the screen that will receive the needlework, does avoiding non-sense that would provide so much ignorance. The same applies to a musician that produces variations of a theme that must be acknowledge through the added fantasy. Anyone who has not studied Spiritism thoroughly, in its spirit, in its tendencies, in its maxims as well as in its material forms, is as unsuitable for making a spiritualist novel of any value as Lesage's to make Gil Blas, if he had not known the history and customs of Spain.



Is it therefore necessary to be a believer and fervent Spiritist for this? Not at all; it is enough to be truthful, and one cannot be truthful without knowing. To make an Arabic novel, it is certainly not necessary to be Muslim, but it is essential to know enough the Muslim religion, its character, its dogmas and its practices, as well as the mores so that one would not make the Africans act and speak like French knights; but there are those who believe that it is enough to give the stamp of the race, to lavish wrongly and plentifully use the name Allah! the names of Fatima and Zulema, because that's about all they know about Islamism. In a word, if one does not need to be a Muslim, one must to get impregnated by the Muslim spirit, as if to make a Spiritist work, even a fantastic one, one must soak up in the spirit of Spiritism; lastly, by reading a Spiritist novel, the Spiritists must be able to recognize themselves, as the Arabs must recognize themselves in an Arabic novel, and be able to say: you got it; but neither will recognize themselves if they are misrepresented, and the author will have done a poor job, as if a painter had painted French ladies in Chinese costumes.

These reflections come to mind in connection with the serial novel that Mr. Théophile Gautier is currently publishing in the Grand Monitor, with the title of Spiritist. We do not have the honor of knowing the author personally; we do not know his convictions or his knowledge regarding Spiritism; his work, which is at the beginning, does not yet allow us to see its conclusion. We will only say that if he only considered his subject from a single point of view, that is of manifestations, while neglecting the philosophical and moral side of the doctrine, he would not cover the general and complex idea embraced by his title, although this name of Spiritist is that of one of his characters. If the facts which he imagines for the need of action, did not fall within the limits drawn by experience; if he presented them as happening in unacceptable conditions, his work would lack truth, and would make one suppose that the Spiritists believe in the marvels of the tales of Arabian Nights. If he lent the Spiritists practices and beliefs which they disown, it would not be impartial, and from this point of view, it would not be a serious piece of literary work.

The Spiritist doctrine is not secret like that of masonry; it has no mysteries for anyone, and spreads out in the broad day light of publicity; it is neither mystical, abstract, nor ambiguous; but clear and within everyone's reach; having nothing allegorical, it can give rise neither to ambiguities nor to false interpretations; it bluntly says what it does admit and what it does not; the phenomena recognized by the doctrine are neither supernatural nor marvelous, but founded on the laws of nature; so that it does neither makes miracles nor wonders. Anyone who does not know it or who misunderstands its tendencies does not want to bother to know it. This clarity and popularization of the Spiritist principles, which have followers in all countries and in all ranks of society, are the most peremptory refutation of the diatribes of their adversaries, for there isn’t a single one of their false allegations that do not find a categorical answer.

Spiritism can therefore only benefit from being known, and that is what those who believe they are ruining it by attacks devoid of any serious argument are unsuspectingly working on. The deviation from convenience in language produce an effect quite opposite to that one would expect; the public analyzes them, and it is not in favor of those who do such a thing; the more violent the aggression, the more it leads people to inquire about the truth, even in the ranks of hostile literature. The calm of the Spiritists before this outcry; the composure and the dignity which they kept in their answers, make with the acrimony of their antagonists a contrast which strikes even the indifferent ones, throwing uncertainty in the opposite ranks, which count today on more than one desertion.

The Spiritist novel can be seen as a transient transaction between negation and affirmation. It takes real courage to face and defy the ridicule that attaches to new ideas, but that courage comes with conviction. Later, we are convinced, serious champions of the doctrine will emerge from the ranks of our adversaries in the press. When the tendencies of the work by M. Théophile Gautier are better defined, we will give our appreciation from the point of view of the Spiritist truth.



The above reflections naturally apply to works of the same genre on magnetism and somnambulism. The phenomenon of double sight recently provided Mr. Élie Berthet with the subject of a very interesting novel published by the Siècle, adding the merit of accuracy to the talents of the author. The author has undoubtedly had to make a serious study of this faculty; to describe it as it does, one must have seen and observed well. However, we could criticize him for a bit of exaggeration in the extension he gives it in some cases. Another mistake, in our view, is to present it as a disease; Now a natural faculty, whatever it is, can coincide with a pathological state, but is not a disease by itself, and the proof is that a large number of people gifted to the highest degree by the double sight, are doing perfectly well.

Here the hero is a young and cataleptic girl: that is her real disease. The faculty that she enjoys caused misfortunes by the misunderstandings that followed, and that is why she deplores the dismal gift that she received; but this gift was only made dismal by ignorance, inexperience and imprudence of those who used it clumsily; from that point of view, there is not one of our faculties which cannot become a lethal gift by the bad use or the false applications that one can make of it.

Having made the reservation above we say that the phenomenon is perfectly described. He describes precisely the vision of a detached soul that knows no distance, that penetrates matter like a beam of light crosses transparent bodies, being a visible and positive demonstration of the existence and independence of the spiritual principle; he also accurately describes the picture of the strange transfiguration that takes place during ecstasy, and the impressive lucidity that confounds for its accuracy in certain cases, and that sometimes causes embarrassing illusions.

To the characters in the drama, it is the true representation of the feelings of believers, non-believers, the skeptical and the scared ones. There is a doctor that oscillates between belief and skepticism, but as a man of wisdom, he does not believe that science has already said the last word. He observes, study and confirms the facts. His behavior, during the crises of the young lady, attest his shrewdness. There is also the discouragement of the exploits, duly repelled in that work.

The author’s job would have been incomplete if he had neglected the moral side of the issue. His objective is not to excite curiosity with extraordinary facts but to deduce their practical and useful consequences. There is one episode, among others, that demonstrates that he understood perfectly well this part in his program. The young clairvoyant lady finds important documents in the underground, documents that can end a serious lawsuit against the family. She describes places and circumstances in detail. The excavations that followed her instructions proved that she saw it very well. They find the papers and the lawsuit is nulled. Notice, in passing, that she made that discovery spontaneously, led by her care for the family and not out of a request. The main piece was a letter in old style that she read textual and completely, and as easily as if she had it before her eyes. It is here, in particular, that we believe her faculty was stretched too far. Later she sees another underground where huge treasures are buried and whose origin she explains. To get there one must cross a cave full of human remains, of numerous victims of the times of feudalism. Up until now nothing that is not likely; what is absolutely unlikely is the fact that the souls of those victims remained locked for centuries and can rise up menacing before those that dare to disturb their somber rest, looking for a treasure. That is the fantastic part. If it were the executioners there would not be anything surprising. We know, from a large number of examples, that it is frequently the temporary punishment of the guilty, condemned to remain in the same place and in the presence of their crimes, until touched by regret they raise their thoughts to God begging for mercy. But in his case it is the innocent victims that would be punished and that is not rational.





The owner of the old castle, the stingy old man, attracted by the discovery of the documents, wants to continue the excavations. These are difficult and dangerous to the workers, but he stops at nothing. The clairvoyant implores him to stop; she predicts that if he persists it will bring disgrace.

-Besides, she says, you will not do it.

-Then, such treasures do not exist, asks the stingy man.

-They do exist as I described them, I guarantee; but once more, you will not get there.

-And who is going to stop me?

-The souls in the cave that must be crossed.

The miser old man, hardened skeptical, admitted the extra corporeal sight of the young lady, although without understanding it very well, because he had just had a proof of that in his loss, since the documents found frustrated his pretensions in the process, but he believed more in the money than in the invisible forces. He then continues:

-How could them oppose? Those treasures belong to me because they are in my property.

-No. They will be found one day by the one that must enjoy them; but they are not destined to you. That is why you will not get there. I insist, if you continue, disgrace will come.

This is the essentially moral, instructive and true side of the report. These words seem to be taken from The Mediums’ Book, in the article about the help of the Spirits in the discovery of treasures: “If the Providence assigns hidden treasures to someone, that person will find them naturally; on the contrary, no.” (Chapter XXVI, No. 295). In fact, there is no example that Spirits, or somnambulists, have facilitated similar discoveries, as with the recovery of inheritances, an all that, by entertaining such a hope, made similar attempts, suffered a lot and spent a lot of money. Said and hard frustration await those that base their hopes of enrichment on similar means. The Spirits are not assigned with the mission of favoring greed and giving us wealth without work, something that would be neither fair nor morally correct.

There is no doubt that the lucid somnambulist sees but she only sees what is allowed to be seen, and the Spirits may, according to the circumstances, and from superior order, obliterate her lucidity, or raise obstacles to the realization of things that are not in the designs of the Providence. In the present example it was allowed to find the papers that would cease the family dispute; it was not that of finding treasures that would only serve to feed greed. That is why the old stingy man perished, victim of his own stubbornness.

The dramatic adventures imagined by Mr. Élie Berthet are not so fantastic as one could believe. They remind us of the more real ones endured by Mr. Borreau, from Niort, in searches of the same kind, and whose touching report is found in his own brochure entitled How and Why I became Spiritist (see our report in the Spiritist Review, December 1864). Another not less important lesson sticks out of the book by Mr. Élie Berthet. The young lady saw positive things, and in another serious case she was mistaken, attributing a crime to an innocent person. How did the author saw the consequence of that? Negation of the faculty? No. No, because despite all that he proves it; but this conclusion, justified by experience, demonstrates that the most attested lucidity is not infallible, and that one must not trust it in absolute terms, without control.

Vision, through the soul, of things that the body cannot see, demonstrates the existence of the soul. That is already a very important achievement. But it is not given for the satisfaction of human passions. Why, then, the emancipated soul does not see always clearly? The reason is that since mankind is still imperfect, the human soul cannot enjoy prerogatives of perfection. Although isolated, it shares the influences of matter until its depuration. That is the same with the discarnate souls or Spirits, and even with more reason those that are still linked to the corporeal life. That is what Spiritism teaches to those that do bother to study it.