The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-03

Two thousand years ago the Roman civ.
ilization was familiar with our modern
phenomena. Pliny's famous ghost acted
like our modern ghosts. The Oracles
were ancient mediums, the mysteries were
sacred seances; knocks, voices, lights fly
ing around the room, reading OF sealed
letters, the use OF music to induce mani
festations, naturalization OF spirits, these
and other kindred phenomena the ancients
knew quite as well as we know them
Our familiar tricks OF mediums were
venerable in the days OF Caesar. The use
OF the alphabet TO spell out the messages
of the table was Roman discovery before
it became an American invention. the
intervening ages slip insensibly by when
we come across notice OF party OF
Roman Senators being watched by the
police on suspicion OF practicing evocation
OF the dead, and when we find no less a
man than Paul charged by sectarian jeal-
ousy with table moving.
Despite the bad repute into which Nine.
Bavatsby has brought occutism, the sa-
cred books OF India show that llindoo
adopts bad systcmatized the art OF medium
shin ages ago The burnt brick books Of
Chaldean libraries reveal 10 us the secrets
OF our supposed new "ism" in the magic
OF Akbad Spiritualism was really born
into the world with the primeval savage.
With added emphasis in capitals instead
of italics, we must put again the question:
Is il case OF persistence or OF insstencef
A WORLDWIDE, BEAUTIFUL FAITH.
4. Spiritualism has been MS widespread
geographically rs il has been old histori-
cally. Itpeeps No in widely separated an
cicnt lands, in the far east o. China as well
az in Rome. II Is To be traced among peo-
pies on as widely different planes OF devel-
opment ~ our American Indians and the
llindoos Is 1t, then, a growth OF n beau
tiful faith, whose seeds are fortunately
found wherever hearts love and long, or is
IL iungoid growth OF superstition, whose
indus il, unfortunately, found rankly in
human nature2
8. Spiritualism, thus continuing in his
tory along belt Ms broad rs civilization,
has not always been equally active.
From latent power 1t has at
times burst forth into an active force.
1t has appeared generally in epochs, MS
| though obeying some law OF penodicity.
These epochs OF activity have often, even
II not generally, been coincident with the
important eras Of history, and notably
with the creative ages OF religion. The
! Old Testament records of the Mosaic age
and the New Testament records OF original
Christianity alike show us It's familiar
phenomena, yelled in sacred garb. The
most characteristic experiences OF our
American ''isms" shed n light Of weird
reality on the we'll known stories OF tho
early Church. Tho Reformation, the rise
OF Qunkerism, the early days OF Meth
a h.. lee attf Valt-
gious socialism OF the Shakers, ~ well as
later and wholly orthodox rUyivais, have
reproduced the Pcntecostal experiences.
Other religions tell the same tale plain 70
all ears in the story OF Mohammed. Is
this pcriodicity aiaw OF mental disease or
OF hcalthiul intellectual Development
DO these recurrent manifestations mark
the outbreak OF an epidemic or the thrush
OF an inspimuon-the sohwdrmrd OF hal
lucination or the real experiences Of men
led within the veil 10 hear new truths2
ARR GnosrLY INFLUENCES At woRK2
q. Modern Spiritualism IL plainly but
the latest Of these periodic eruplions into
prusaic history from the shadowy back
ground OF the ghost world-be that what
Il may. II Is no local outbreak merely,
hut widespread movement; no patented
invention OF America, but an indigenous
DEVELOPMENT OF the Old World, coincidcni
| with the stir In our own land. From abou
| 1910 Onward there has been In all part
! of the world n movement closely parallel
ing that with which we are familiar on oui
own shores. Similar phenomena have at
tended this movement among oil these
widely different people.
Beneath all the dissimilaritcs Of Ian
gungc, crccds and customs one and the
same experiences have made themselves
felt This new growth OF different soils,
apringing up nj the same time, has not
been merely the result OF transportation.
American mediums have indeed carried
our newest "ism" 10 England aud other
/ lands, aud have kept triumphant domoc.
/ racy wcll at the front, even on these i'm
/ material lines. but this growth has begun
aud gone on wholly apart from them, 10
| producing the same typo. This striking
Tact shows that the seeds Of this ism" lit
in the human soil everywhere, waiting
only for favorable conditions In order q
ripcn, and that In our generation those
conditions have somehow combined over
the entire globe 10 produce this general
development
Does this TACT show further that such 4
world-aidc conicmpOuneous growth pro
dicaics some extra mundane influence, som,
common origin outside OF man, In th,
mysterious unseen world, whence fron
time 10 time issue tho impulses aud in
spiraiions which rccrcaio history
THE EVOLUTION or srHITUAiIsN.
Z. spiriiualsm everywhere evolves Il
varied phenomena In n certain uniform
order They do not occur la haphakar,
manner, but rather DO they seem 10 com
forward as the multiiorin parts Of a con
ncctcd whole, na thr successive stages la
natural evolution. Through all the my
Rad aoanccs, IN all parts Of the world
with their varieties 81 phenomena. Ger
tain order OF development Hrcms plainl
disccmablc. Physical phenomena cam
iiut, aud these, In the beginning. 81 Oh
simplest and most automatic forms. whicl
gradually take on murr and more III
characteristics Of an Intelligent action
seeking and finding ever highorexprcai0n
Of thought until % appears 10 pass out d
pufc spiritual actiyly.
, Tho original phenomena at liydCavill
} wow knoCkings. movement Of iumitup
noises Of various noria. through whic
} / glmmUtcd no recognizable meaning u
j degrees the appearance OF intelligence !
. these unacc1unlablc phenomena grew =
runs the ccurd-untiI, with the suggcstio
! ct tho alphabciic code Of signals, a NEAR
! ing SEEMED 10 come out II these meaning
. les disturbances, and the noises inlcl
{ | prctrd Themselves Ia the hearers as a.
. constrained action Of an intelligence or ,
! intcll.gcnccs Of some sort From th
point on tho development Of mcdumshi
I bus seemed 10 free thc nclion OF this int