The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-10-10 00:00:00

DR. SLADE AND SPIRITUALISM.

In our last number we called attention to the fact
that Dr. Shade was to be prosecuted under the Vagrant
Act by Professor Lankester, as a common impostor;
we expressed our opinion that it was high time *lane
such step should be taken, awl ventured to hope that
the public would support Professor Ludo:miter in his
undertaking; we also suggested that anybody who
might be able to give evidence as to the character and
antecedent,' of Slade, or his agent, could not possibly
do better than to put themselves in communication
with Madera. Lewis and Lewis, of Ely Place. When
the case came on ou Monday last, the legal gentleman
who appeared for Dr. Slade called attention to our
remarks, 'and melted the magistrate to express his
opinion that they were scandalous, and amounted to •
contempt of Court. To this modest request Mr.
Flowers replied that whatme had said would in no
way affect or bias his judgment, and that it would
perhaps be better to get at once to the real business of
the day, instead of wasting valuable time over stray
newspaper paragraphs. We can assure Mr. Munton
that we have no wish whatever to commit contempt of
Court, or to prejudge, or even anticipate, the decision
at which Mr. Flowers will ultimately arrive. Our
interest in his client, Dr. Slade, is of • purely scientific
character. Dr. Slade professes that he is in direct
communication with the spirits of the dead, and that
he receives messages from them, which are written, not
by him, but by them upon a slate. He further
professes that people who visit him are pushed,
Pinched, Patted, and knocked about by the spirits, and
for an opportunity of witnessing these marvels he
charges the moderate price of a sovereign. Now, about
such a matter only two opinion.' are possible. Some
people may firmly believe that Stole's professions
are genuine ; that the spirits really do write messages
on his state; and really do pinch, slap and pull about
the sitters at his Seecu. Others will be of
~pinion that Slade is a common rogue, playiN
off a common and vulgar trick No th'
opinion or compromise of any kind is poesible.
Slade puta under his table what he ensures his
visitors is a blank slate. He brings it up with a
message written on it. Either he writes the message
on it or the spirits write it, and if, as we believe, he
writes it, he consequently must know that, when he
mays the spirits write it, he is telling a lie, and that on
the strength of that lie he is obtaining money. It
seems to us that such a matter is one on which a news-
paper has a perfect right to express an opinion. If the I
Examiner has really committed an offence against
public justice—for to talk about contempt of Court in
such a case is childish—in expressing before hand its
conviction that Slade is a common rogue, the
Spiritualist papers have fallen into the same offence
by declaring him to be an undoubted medium possessed
of marvellous and hitherto unequalled powers. The
matter, it seems to us, is one which it is not only a right
but almost a duty to express an opinion. A man who,
like Slade, puts himself forward as possessing these
extraordinary gifts, challenges criticism, and most ex-
pect it. As to the actual facts, which are to be stated,
or have been stated, before Mr. Flowers we say
nothing. It will be for that learned magistrate to de-
cide upon them. Professor Lenkeiter's cm's-examin-
ation is not yet concluded; Dr. Donkin has yet to be
called; there are other witnesses for the prosecution;
and we presume that Mr. Munton will think it
necessary to call witnesses for the defence. One way
and another, there will be a very large mass of evidence,
and we can assure Mr. Munton that we have too much
respect for the law to express an opinion upon the
evidence of a witness while it is still before the Court.
It is posaible, of course, that Professor Lankester and
Dr. Donlcin will, upon cross-examination, break
utterly down, and we have no wish whatever to declare
beforehand that will not be the case. All that we
claim is, our right to express our distinct conviction
that, when a man declares that, if he holds a slate
under the table, the spirits of the dead will write
messages upon it, he is telling an untruth. This is a
mereinatter of scientific opinion. With the particular
question of the particular evidence that may or may
not be given by Professor Lankester and Dr. Deakin,
we have nothing to do; but, if it is to be judged con-
tempt of Court to avow a profound disbelief in
Spirtualisra during the course of proceedings against a
Spiritualist as a rogue and a vagabond, the doctrine of
contempt of Court mud be something very different
I from what it is commonly understood to be.
I There are two charges against him. Under one
summons he is charged with being a rogue and
vagabond. This is a istatotable offence, and, according
to the Act under which the summons it, taken out,
anyone is liable to imprisonment as a rogue and vaga-
bond who "uses any subtle craft, mean., or device by
palmistry or otherwise, to deceive and impose upon
I Her Majesty's subjects. The other summons charges
Slade, jointly with Simmons, his agent, of a con-
spiracy to obtain money by false pretences. Under
the first summons it will hardly, we imagine, be
necessary for Mr. Flowery' to consider whether the
explanation given by Mr. Shute of what takes plate
at his aritnees is true or false. The statute-book does
not gay that it is impossible for an old woman to tell the
future; it merely says that any old woman who
profess' to tell the future, and takes money for doing
so' is to go to the House of Correction. Similarly,
the Act does not say that spirits cannot write upon a
slate, hut simply says that any peptone who deceive
Her Majesty's subjects by subtle crafts, means, and
devices, are to be puniehed. Whether a man who
holds a slate under a table and twinge it up with n
message on it, which he lays the spirts have written,
Is or is not tieing a subtle device to cheat and impose,
is a question of legal interpretation rather then of
fact. On the second enminons, however, that for
conspiracy, the issue of fact can hardly be avoided,
I unless the magistrate should come to the opinion that
the people who pay Slade their guinea are not directly
induced to do at by the pretence that they will
receive some direct communication from the Spirit.
land. On this point it seems to us there is room
for a very ingenious legal defence. Accoeiling
to Professor Lankester, Slade obtained a guinea
from himself and his friend Dr. Donkin by the false
1 pretence that a spirit would write a message fur
them. But to convict a man of obtaining money by
false pretences, three thing,' hare to be proved: that
the pretence was false as a matter of fact, that it WWI
fable to the knowledge of the perm' making, it, and
that the money was only paid or given upon the
strength of the pretence, and would not have been
paid without it. Now, in the present cage, apart alto-
gether from the question whether Slade's pretences
are false, and whether he know,' them to be false,
there is the further question whether Professor
Lankester did not himself know and believe them to
be false when he paid his guinea, and if so, whether
he has to right, in the eye of the law, it. declare that
money has been obtained from him by false pretence.
The Hume thug raised is not unlike the old legal joke
of a plea of leave and license to account for assault and
hewn.. The case, however, will turn upon it, and
Mr. Munton will, we hope, overlook our past sins for
our candour in venturing to express an opinion that,
on this point, his chances of a successful remelt are
very bright It is not that Dr. Slade is not a rogue,
but that his dupes are not really dupes. They know
him to be a rogue the whole time, and they con-
sequently cannot, in strict fairness, complain that
they have been cheated. To properly sustain the
charge, unless we are mistaken, it would be necereary
for Mr. Lewis to call a witner who would be able to
declare that he went to Slade and paid his guinea in
the expectation of getting a message from the dead,
and that he should not have paid his money but for
that expectation and upon that understanding ; and
this witness would further have to reasonably satisfy
the Court that, on the occasion in question, the
IlleWlage did not come from the dead, and that Dr.
Static knew it did not. Such a witness is, for obvious
reasons, not easy to procure. There are plenty of
people in the world who are foolish enough to believe
anything, but such people have an inveterate objection
to deposing to their own folly upon oath in an open
Court, Mr... Lyon, it is true had the courage to face
the ordeal ; but, then it must be rememlered that
she h c
had a very 'nstherable fortune at stake on the
result of the proceedings. In the present instance
nothing is at stake but the interests of justice and
common decency, and evidence will consequently be
more difficult to procure. No man likes to come
forward in a court of justice and publicly avow that
his credulity has been practised upon, and that he has
made an INS of himself.
However the proceedings may end, they cannot but
do good. The reylish people who allow themselves to
be mixed up with Spiritualism on the ground that it
Is impossible to know whether there is not "something
In it, will, perhaps, be brought to their senses when
they realise the fact that a medium is, in reality,
much the same kind .1 person AA an itinerant fortune-
teller. There are a large number of credulous potpie
who lmow nothing of natural science, but who have
idle time on their hands, and consequently entertain a
very great idea of their own importance. These rod
folk are the natural prey of the professional medium.
As at.,.. as, they take up with Spiritualism they find
themselves pen. me of importance. The greenest
flattery is heaped upon them; great court is paid
them ; and in a einall circle they achieve a certain
notoriety which, however cheap and nasty it may
really ley, is yet net without its attractions for vain
and weak mmim,m,ls. It is very gratifying to the average
Euglieh M. Jourdan' to euddenly discover that he
knows more about the laws of nature than such
benighted materialists as Tyndall and Huxley, and
more about inetaphyeks and the laws of thought
than Milt Such conceit growe with what it feet' on,
and from all inquirer the leer silly dupe develops*
into a believer, and steuetimes even into a medium.
The benefit of the proceedings taken by Professor
Lankteter is that, however they may end, they will
servo to show Spiritualism as what it is—a disreputable
kind of thing, with which honest men and women
cannot have too little to do. Slade may be convicted,
committed, ac.mitted. It matters nothing which
fate befall' him. What is important is that weak and
foolish people ehould see that pried facie there is no
distinction between a professional medium and a Amy
vagabond. Fewer people would allow themselves
to be mixed up with Spiritualism if the character
of professional medium,. were better understood.
Examiner.

HUNYADI JANOS MINIDIAL WATER. —The best and
moot agreeable natural aperient.—" Far the most
valuable and most palatable of our aperient mineral
waters. I have been moot agreeably surprised with
the result of a clinical investigation.' —Professor
Alaciuunara, Professor of Afateria Medica, Royal
I 'tale& of Surgeons hi Ireland. Editor of " Neligan's
Bloch...hies, their Uses, ke." Seventh Edition. In
original bottles, price 2s. and 1..6.1., of all chemists.—
A wine-glass full a dose.
BRIM K ISO TUN RANKS. —At the Kingston County
Bench John Prbe, a gentleman residing at West
Moulsey, was .Ullllll.llthi for assaulting William
Ilawkim.. a trooper of the let Life Guards, stationed
At 11:unptoti Court, by at him on the morning
of Sept. 21. A detachment .4 the Guards was passingthrough East Idoulsey, when the defendant, in
charge of ii home and trap, was alleged to have
thriven through and broken the ranks, to the danger of
the complainant. When asked by the officer in
charge why he ounmitted the offence, he said he had
done it before and should do it again. This statement
was now denied by the defendant, who said he was
driving hurriedly to the railway station, and seeing an
opanest in the ranks he drove through. The Bench
in, fine of £5, or two months' imprisonment
told the defendant that if tlu) offence were.
repeated he would be mot to prison without the option
of & fine.