The morning times., 1896-01-26
sPlRlrUALIs1s' COLUMN.
What Is spirItualism?
tby Harrison d. Barrett, president of the
National SpirituaIists, A Assocfatinnl

stead of the seeming and transitorv \, 4.
tine psychic Phenomena that are produced
| under certain favorable conditions. II IA
,ne science Duiided upon such phenomena,
Dased upon factsdemOnstrated by them. II
Is the philosophy deduced from known facts
| Wheh logically arranged IT Is the religion
| that pinds into perfect system the dem.
onstrated facts in both psychic and i,bysicaI
science, crowning Its oSrk with a positive
demonstration OF the Equity of all Iif.
! ana tne relation OF finite HE TO the infinite.
Splritualism, then, Is fourfold in its ma
| ture; IL binds these four separate narta int
one whoie, through which comes ln a system
| Vi tnought Tar in advance of ary that tha
"orid has yet received Given a phenome-
| hoh' TINS proves that there is a positive force
a' Wofk TO produce certain result Like
Iesui.s are produced from a series of s,miIar
pnenolheha, i,, all proving the existence c. this
independent force. Further Investigation
proves that this force is Intelligent "a nahIs
VI iosicai thought and power to reason.
| fioii tnis is deduced the fact that thero n
mentality back OF the force producino s,,h
phenomena. The relation OF these phe.
holheha, one to another, shows that thv,
81 naany ihehtaities beyond the pal- !.
the physical, and all uniting 10 testirv =
| one and the same fact
| ocience Is knowledge eexperimentaIlv dem.
| ohstrateu- experimentation in the nsvcbIo
iieid demonstrates the fact that an inteTJi.
| gent entity has survived the change called
| uealn. AS physical science deals with ma
ss, phehomena, so psychic science, OF thC
| higher science, deals with the real nbenorna.
ma or the spiritual Through the r,c,s Do.
duced by so-called physical science tha
phi'osophers have proceeded to speculate
| III reSaiu 10 the COSMOS, the origin nd des-
sihy OF man. From the facts demonstrated
oy psychio science, the higher philosophy
,' =, ueuuceo' that is predicated, upon the
| Ano"ieuge Oh what the cosmos is, from
| whence man came and what Ills f,Iture dog
| tny viii be. 1t Clearly proves anotbe-
point, concerning which theolngians and
phhosophers have speculated in vain fer
| centuries-the demonstration Of the In
Unite enthroned in the universe.
| IL Is the province OF spiritualism then,
| 70 90 all OF these things enumerated above.
~ gives US the phenomena, the science, the
| phlioSophy, which when blended into one
ness, gives to the world at last a religion
that is provable both by induction and de-
| uucuon, by scientific demonstration and
| spiritual revelation. 1t Is religious science
and scientific religion, a religious phil
| osophy and philosophical religion. It
| gives TO the world knowledge uf the future,
and has no negatives or speculatiuns to Of
| fer TO those who investigate its sublime
teachings. The theologian and Christian
say Il believe" The agnostc say Il don't
Enow, while the materialist affirms annt-
hilation of ofman'sconsciousness at the change
called death. Spiritualism has one answer
to all OF these speculations, and In two
words solves the difficult problem for all
mankind, saying II know
| knowledge is power, and as spiritualism
knows. it has something positive to give to
the world in place OF blind belief credulity
| and creedal speculations. Spiritualsm IL
the demonstration that man survives thu
change called death, is the same conscious
individual as before, has the same weak.
nesses, the same tendencies, the same men,
taltty as before; that man enters upon life
spiritual at the time OF change with all hi.
preconcetved ideas. all OF his peculiar viewf
consciously in mind. 1t shows that he rises
In the scale or being in ratio with his desire
Tor such unfoldment and progress. 1t is the
| demonstration also that this progress is not
interrupted by the change called dea tn, but ID
rather enhanced because or the larger views
that the enlancipated spirit Will have of
me and its Possibilities 1t is the demonstra-
ton that the soulworld is the only real
and that so-called matter is transitory in
ttsnatureandunendurin in its spotentialities.
IL Is also the demonstra tion that this SPIRIT
uai or soul-worid has within it the possibiIi-
tles OF eternal progression and unfolGment
Tor every human soul. 1t is also the positive
demonstration OF the fact that these souls,
enlanctpated from the thraldom of the flesh.
do not lose their love for those they left on
earth nor their interest in their moral aud
spiritual welfare. 1t further demonstrates
that life is as eternal as it is infinite
| IN Its power. The mother and father lose
not their affection for their children. nor
the children for their parents, the husband
or his Vile, the wife for her husband the
lover for the maiden of his choice nor the
friend for the companion in friendship of his
SOUL 1t brings all this knowledge instead
or faith and hope, and shows them the
| lirbf ,af bn f,,a
soul-world has for every sentient being.
| Spiritualism, then, is the knowledge of
life here and hereafter, the binding OF ths
TWO worlds into one, the destroyer OF mate
rialisin, the builder OF the spiritual king
dom OF God in the hearts and souls of men,
the messenger that flies from point to
point with the glad tidings OF great Joy
that there is no death. 1t is the phenomena
or all the ages, existing in all the ages, the
science OF all sciences, the philosophy of
all PHILOSOPHERS, and the religion of all
religions.
'Blest river of progression,
Pursue thy onward way;
Flow thou to every nation,
Nor in thy richness stay.
Stay not till all the lowly
Triumphant reach their home:
Stay not till all the holy
Proclaim, The truth is GOMEZ"
spiritualism is the beautiful child Of
our father Wisdom and our mother Love
the healer of all diseases, the illuninator and
destroyer of Ill darkness. the remover of
the veil of Ignorance and fear, the giver OF
light and knowledge, the sustaining friend
in the hour of trial. the comforter in the
hour of death, the delnonstrator of immor-
tality, the leader OF mems souls to the
| hilltoPS of truth, the emancipator from tn
serfdom of creeds, the purveyor of life,
and enters into mans soul wheresoever II
finds him and leads him upward over the
winding paths of truth into the temple OF the
Infinite, where he shall find that peace
which passes understanding, makes him
truly free, and proves the fatherhood OF
the Infinite, the motherhood of Nature, and
the universal brotherhood of all mankind.
What, then, is spiritualism? 1t is that
which proves. first, the existence of infinite
life, diffused and Differentiated through the
universe; second, that which proves tina
| truth reveals the infinite and CLEANS wis
dom former; third. that which demonstrate:
that every soul is immortal; fourth, tina
which proves that eternal progression
/ awaits every human soul; fifth, that which
shows spirits can aud do return to earth tC
prove to man that they have conquered
death; sixth, that which gives to men anC
women of the present time the principle
| of sympathy that makes life's burden:
easier to bear, and seventh. brings thc
knowledge from the higher life that low
Is the lever by which all classes of men car
be lifted to higher thought and action
Taken all in all, it is tie highest system
of scientific. philosophical and religion:
thought that the world has ever seen, auc
win. if adopted, prove the paDacea for ell
| social political and other ills that nov
beset the human family. Investigate 1t.
u ,afr