The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-01


tears, Lord, ! believes; help thou mine unbe-
| lief" Like these doubters and unbelieVers I
seek the positive and hold to the practical.
Enlightened spiritualists-if / may assume to
speak for them-neither deny nor disparage the
analogy, nor many Of those which come TO us
from seltstyled orthodox sources.
l met last summer at watering place one Of
the digDitaries of the Church. He introduced
the subject of Spiritualism, and we dropped
INTO quiet conversation. At the outset
begged him, If he felt free to do, to tell me in
what light he had been led to regard Spiritual
ism and spiritual phenomena. He answered
frankly, II see around me evidence ofinhdellty
widely spread and steadily increasing As an
illustration, he added I'm recent conversation
with q Professor of Harvard that gentleman
expressed an opinion that of all the principal
scientific men in our country, three-fourths or
more are unbelievers-not outspoken inhdels,
but men who see no sufficient evidence for any
existence beyond the present. Even In our own
profession" proceeded my clerical friend,
'skepticsm prevails. few weeks ago / was
called to the death.bed of brother minister
who had devoted long lie, with rare faithful
ness, to the interests of religion. As we spoke
OF the evidences of Christianity, he said All
Bishop, the proofl the proof!-h we only had
'fhe spirit of materialism is even more
evident in Europe than among us. 1t prevails
throughout the civilized world. The evidences
of orthodoxy which sufficed to satisfy our an
cestors are deemed insufficient to-day by many
of the most honest of their descendants. Sad
dened by such a state of things, / have been
looking around for remedy. have concluded
to look to SpiTitualism and its phenomena for
an answer" As listened to this common-sense
view of the case regretted that some OF those
who are In the habit of saying: what possible
good can spiritualism do % were but there TO
hear our conversation. 1t has been the popular
objection that the phenomena referred to by my
friend, which are called physical manifesto
tions, are devoid of dignity. But we must bear
in mind that the noblest superstructures ever
erected have no
rudest facts and the simplest observations--so
rude and simple that for ages the world has
passed them by, not knowing their improve
ment.
Gods ways are not as our WAYS He does
not sound trumpet before His doings. For the
greatest work He sometimes selects the humblest
instruments Unlettered fishermen first spread
the great truths of Christianity. The value of
these phenomena, If they be genuine, consists
in this-that they furnish an absolute solution
OF the great problem in regard to another world,
with proof stronger than any which historical
evidence can supply. Stronger than it Ito use
| Tennyson's words), because "Things seen are
| greater than things heard"
Spiritualists do not allege or believe that any
| phenomena in which they find proof of immor-
| tality are miraculous. They believe in the uni
versatility of law. They do not regard the won.
drous things that took place in Jesus days as
| exceptions to natural laws, but as phenomena
| which occurred under laws then in force, and
with which we are bat imperfectly acquainted.
| They see reproduced under their eyes modern
| types Of some of these signs and wonders; and
| they find in such reproduction one of the
| strongest arguments to sustain the general
| truth OF the New Testament narrative. Intelli-
gent spiritualists reject the doctrine of infalli
bility. They have no belief in plenary inspiration.
They accept the advice of one of Oxford's essay
| lists CDr. Temple), who said, "If Scripture ap-
| pears before they, 1t behooves us to consider in
the first place whether we are not incorrectly in
| terpretlDg the phenomena, and in the second,
| whether the message may not have come to us
more or less perverted from the messenger"
This is what orthodoxy must come to if she
would save the credentials of her creed. We
believe that there are some varieties of charac-
| ter in the next world, as in this. We believe
that when we cast off the natural body there is
new and potent change; yet not instantaneous.
Moral, social and intellectual qualities which
may have distinguished us in this world will be
with us in another. So with the evil that is
| in us.
While there is life there is hope, and there is
life beyond the vale We believe that the
! Christian world has been and still is bllghted
with false conceptions Of death. Death is, as
| Plato taught, the enemy of lite. He is life's
| best triend-a friend through whose agency life
| is ennobled and perpetuated Orthodoxy has
! taught us to think the contrary of this
| Spiritualists find that the enfranchised spirit
rejoices in the change, and would. not, II it
| could, on any condition, return to Its earthly
bondage. Grief is caused by DEATH. but
mother grieves when she parts with beloved
| daughter who is about to visit foreign land,
| though she be satisfied that she will be happy
| again.
How many desolate friends and lovers, how
many bereaved parents, has SPiritualism, with
its living evidences, comiorted Spiritualism
| opens up to us heaven such as the best aud
wisest may earnestly desire. The heart OF the
Christian is not reached by the prospect OF
eternal life commonly presented to HIM. The
Spiritualists believe that when we pass into the
next world we shall not be restricted to one
| occupation, nor inspired exclusively with one
sentiment. They believe that our duties will be
as manifold, and our enjoyments as various, as
here upon earth. How numerous and distin-
gushing are the virtues that now move the
heart of man, promoting acts of beneVolence,
and deeds of goodwill, courage, perseverance,
resignation, devotion, and the yearnings of COM
passion! What varied list is here Are these
to perish with the body? or, at best, slumber
there, eteInally inactive, unemployed?
SpIritualsts believe that he who strives for
self culture, morally and intellectually, on this
| earth, will be allowed to perfect his task
where there is no flesh. They believe that the
philantbropist, whose life has been one long
series of benefactions TO the race. will not be
| called upon to surrender at death the good that
he has done They believe that he whose days