The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-24
MERITS OF SPIRITUALISM
RET. MR. DICKERMAN oF THE
 CH URCH OF THE MESSI1H.

Talks of This seot's Views and Tells of Their Good Points-Many Things to be Commended.
 "Spiritualism" was the subject of the Rev. William F. Dickerman's sermon last evening. He said in part
 "A technical Spiritualist is one who claims to know that humanity survives death; that the spirits of the dead can communicate with those on earth. The theoretical Spiritualists believe that spirits still live. Man may be classed to be either Spiritualists, materialists or agnostics. He either believes that the spirit of man is deathless or that it passes away with the death of the hu- man body, while the agnostic says that he does not know.
 All Christians are theoretical Spirit ualists. Spiritualism is as old as his tory. Back of all institutions lies the question, If man die, shall he live again? All things lose their interest # this question cannot be answered. Splr- itualism pretends to answer it. In the years that have gone we sang 'ACharge to Keep I Have But the question comes, Have I soul? The relation of the church at large to Spiritualism has been peculiar one.
 "One would naturally suppose that Q body of people who believe in the im- mortality of the soul would receive with open arms any one who would prove it, but it is not so. The relation of the church toward Spiritualism has been most bigoted and narrow, when the natural inference would be that it would extend the right hand to it's most powerful ally.
 Within few years MT. Gladstone has said that the time has gone by when we can afford to sheer at Spirit ualism.
 Tt is singular that people will believe almost anything that is antique. There are people in New Haven who believe that Jesus was raised bodily from the dead, and if you should say that a man was raised from Evergreen cemetery last night these same people would want you committed to an insane asy- 1unl.
 This reminds one of the story of the sailor who returned from a long voy- age and told his mother of the flying fish that fell on the deck of his vessel. The good old mother said, Now, my son, why do you make fun of your poor old mamma by telling such stories?' Oh, but mother cried the boy, that is not all the wonderful things I saw. When we weighed anchor in the Red sea we pulled up one of the wheels Of Pharaoll's chariot The old mother cried out, Now, my son, that is more like it. Do not tell any more such sto- ries as the one about the flying fish
 There is more faith without the evil dence of demonstration
 There is more evidence to-day that people have been raised from the dead in the last twenty five years than that the saints rose or that Lazarus arose.
 HMr. Joseph Cook had such experi- ence in Boston that he said to his con- gregation if these things exist it dem- onstrates my belief. If God intended that we should grasp eternal life by faith, why did He give so many demon- strations of it? Men say, because of the unbelief of the people. But let me tell you there is more unbelief in Mas sachusetts than there was in Palestine.
 When it is said that dyspeptics and long haired people and cranks are spiritualists it only displays the ignor- ance of those who make the assertion Spirtuaiism has been the dumping ground for everything, and for that req son men have come to say I am not a Spiritualist because of the association.
 Prof, Guerney, Prof Sidgwick Lonn- brossa Victor Hugo, w. H. Harrison and the vast array of intelligent and in- tellectual men of all vacations are neither cranks nor insane people. Many say, I do not like the way the spirits come back admitting that it is true that they do. They come to strangers Why should not the spirit of my reIa- tives come to me? Let me say that if we are to be in communication with the spirit world there must be signs. You would not think it ludicrous to make sings and signals which, were you walk ing on the street, you would think ex- treme1y so Our friends must choose the avenues that offer the least resist ance.
 Another question often asked is, WfldI SOOQ IS It. fIHlS IS ilOC u SClenClIC question. The scientific questionel says, what are the facts, not what good are they? Besides, there is a difference in the ideas of good If money making is good then these demon strations are of no good. Literature and science may not be advanced, for if men come to Knowledge by revelations they would languish But it is a good thing for men to know that there is something beyond this life. It is good that man should feel that this body of clay is not all that there is of man.
 Anything is good that whispers ir the ear of men that they are to live for ever. Go, tell these things to the pool and the down trodden of earth, to the soul that has given up all hope ot brightness in this life. Go whisper it ir the poor mothers ear be of good cheer and give her the absolute assurance that she will enter into brighter world and live,and watch the life come back to her pallid cheeks, and then ask if you will, what good are these things Go to the French nation that is top. bling over the precipice of unbelief. Ge to the ever increasing number of busi- ness men of your own city and make the eternal life demonstrated fact and you will then see the good. There are T,nrcot,c ir, tbic unru hOl1Sh fa-riob1