The morning times., 1896-05-10

Dating from ltS late IcappedTdnce DIV
Hydesville, in the State Of New York, in
1 S4S, as a religious factor in the worlds
progress, it will hardy be denied that
Spiritualism has made greater advance
ment in the number Of its converts. and
those accepting its theories, in this and other
civilized countries, than has any other re-
ligious sect or denomination. and probably
more than all others combined, i'll the same
length of time.
For the want OF earlier organization or
| other reliable means of a historical record.
! i'll attempting TO trace brief history Of this
| rapidly advancing scientific religion, it
Will he necessary TO assume some facts
| and figures, ill the absence of rela Bile
statistics. But as | do not propose to go
| back to earlier history than has been de-
| velopcd since the so-Called Rochester
rappings,' the principal events can be
| substantiated, by living witnesses, who
will bear testimony TO all / assume,
In the aggregate, it is claimed that Spirit
| uaISts are numbered by millions. This
! is an assumption. But Judging from the
rapid increase in America, it is not an un-
| reasonable estimate, when including the
| civilized nations of the world.
! Butin the absence of statistics fromforeign
countries. l Will confine myself to what is
| known in America, except some brief
reference, perhaps TO the names of those
| scientists. scholars, professors and
| crowned heads of Europe, who have de-
clared their adherence 10 this philosophy
| over their own signatures much more en-
liphatically than citizens have done in
| America, ami i'll much larger numbers.
| human nature Is the sane everywhere
that the present demonstration is no new
| thing. But its methods differ from the
| developments OF earlier times, but are no
more wonderful than tie phenomena ex-
| hibited in Egypt five thousand years ago,
! but which are now better understood. AS
| the present generation is more interested
| in the events OF today, than in ancient
| lore or religion, | trust To entertain the
| readers of The Times Sunday issue, by
| calling attention to a few welf-estabished
| facts. which common observation will
confirm, without statistical data, as the
phenomenal advance OF spritualsn is
hardly realized, even by It's friends.
| Commencing at the obscure village OF
| HydSville, i'll a more obscure family, forty
| eight years since, spirstualsm has eX-
| tended its influence and enlargedits borders
until the remotest civilized nations of the
| earth feel its influence and recognize its
| phenomena, which have been scientifically
| established beyond Cavil.
| But SO intimately connected is what is
| known as modern spiritualiSm, and that
| which has been known ever since history
has been written, and with which the Bible
is filled, that il is difficult to draw the
! line except by date. Perhaps the distiu-
| gushing feature between ancient and mod
| ern spirituaism may be seen in the physical
developments made more apparent at
Hydsville in 1S4S, and since that time.
than in anything else. although through its
whole history, both prnfane and sacred.
there have been manifestations OF physical
as well as of spiritual developments.
But il seemed necessary that some new
| impulse, some increased physical develop
| ment, should be brought TO the surface,
and hence the whole civilized world was
astoniShed by the simple raps produced
through two little girls, called mediums
The wonderful manifestations made through
the Westleys, i'll England, in the seven
| teenth century, and by Swedenborg, in
| Sweden, and A. ]. Davis, in America, as
late as 1916, and many other equally
| wonderful exhibitions OF spirit power ana
| presence, were not sufficient 10 arouse
the thinking classes to a realizing sense
| of The stupor into which they had fallen
through the false teaching of theology.
After thorough and persistent investiga
tions by large number of learned and
impartial men and women it was deter
mined that the raps were genuine, and 10
| fraud was involved, and that they were
7 whatthey purported TO be, produced through
spirit power Very soon the Influence
extended, and was felt i'll many portions
of this country, and almost simultane ouSly
| it reached Europe, and ere long Asia,
| Africa and Australia.
Spiritual mediums were rapidly de-
velopcd, and through them new phases
of phenomena We're brought before the
public, and great excitement was created
not only in this country, but in all others
Even among the Indians, who were al
ways spiritualsts, this influence seems
to prevail, and created new interest aDG
excitement. Following the Fox sisters
the Davenport brothers and many others
were early i'll the field, and travelled eN
tensively, giving public exhibitions of the
wonderful spirit power they possessed
They made many converts, but were So
verely criticised and maligned But there
has been, from that time to the present
a constant addition TO the number OF
mediums of both sexes, until there are
known TO be from twelve 10 fifteen hun
dred public mediums in this country alone
some of whom are eloquent platform teach
ers, from among all professional classes
in society, and from the theological inStl
tutions of this and foreign countries, ant
the number is rapidly increasing.
There are now some eight or ten spiritua
papers printed in America, out of the larg,
number of ephemerai efforts that have beer
made from time TO time in the last fort V
five years. The Banner of Light"
think, has the age, and is entitled TO til,
honor. The thousands of volumes o
spiritual literature are too great to enumer
ate i'll this short article. But the author!
are among the best writers Of the age.
During this time there have been organize
and are now in working condition. more
than 500 local spiritual societies. SCattcre'
through thirty States. and others are ra pidl
forming. Also some twelve or lift eel
State organizations, and forty odd cam
meeting associations, beside the nationa
association located in this city. larg
number of these societies have attache
to them lyceum, or Sunday-school, which il
considered the most important auxiliary il
education and moral reforms. The rapidt,
with which this sect is increasing ha
| demonstrated the necessity in late year,
of building churches chapels and places c
worShipand education of their own and ther
are now built and Occupfed in this countr
some twelve or fifteen such spiritual houses
and many more are to be erected in the nea
future.
Judging from the many spiritual paper
that reach us from abroad, and from tn
exchange of sentiment aud sympathy e1
tened from all parts OF Europe and Othe
foreign countries, it is fair to conclude tha
the advanCein spiritualismisquit asmarke,
abroad as it is in America.
And when it has received and is sti
receiving the unqualified Endorsement G
such well-known and popular scientists
scholars and members of royal families a
Prof. E. S. varley, archbishop OF Whotely
Lord Lytton, Sir Charles Napier, De MOI
gan Alfred R. Wallace, d. d. Home, julie
Favres, Prof. w. Crookes, Victor Hugo
Prof. Hare, Hon. Madison Cowper Mis-
Nortimore and a host of others, it wi
not require great stretch of imaginatio
to see that the religion Of spiritualsm /
advancing to the front
w.GOULD,