Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-04-15

Ing the alleged fncis OF tho great un'
seen. 1t has assumed name familiar
to believers since the days OF Jacob
Boehme, but carrying with It no char
scstic OF the spiritual conception Of his
school
Only brief generation ago spiritu'
alism, or rather spirilism, was at its
height. At the French court the Eng.
lish Medium Home performed HE ex.
perlments in the presence Of Emperor
Napll,on, Empress Eugenie, Primes
Murnt and others. So.called spirit.
hands were made visible. Even the
first Napoleon was supposed to have
favored the imperial circle with his
presence and given his hand to the
emperor and empress to kiss. Scien
tific llghts Joined 10 the stances. Pro.
fessOr CrOoke undertook to stake his
reputation on the genulneness Of the
experiments of Mrs.. Corner, who
went 30 far as to photograph the
alleged spirits. Professor u elluer in
LelIzlc became converted, and every.
thlng appeared to be favorable for the
general recognition OF the eupersti.
tious lad. But then the reaction
came.
Home had the misfortune Of being
convicted OF fraudulent conduct IN
certain ii ianolal operation md
had to refund to the heirs
OF q ROB widow COS, 600.
Shortly afterwards his periorms noes at
ST. Petersburg turned out complete
failure. Mr.. SlRde, who had gained
considerable iunuencs in scientific
circlas, consented to a strict invesliga.
tion Of his methods, but as the time
set for this arrived, he Disappeared
from Germs any and went 10 Australia.
Mrs. CJroer was detected at a seance
10 London and her spirit manifesto.
tilus found to be humbug. Eglinton
In Musnchen had similar experience
aud was compelled TO h1e to Pafi..
Others met with similar fate, ana in
a short time the whole movement was
ueIu up IN IT'S proper liRht.
tappears, however, that the defeat
OF spirltism resulted Ia It's resurseo.
ton In another form. Since 1856 pub.
iicatlon has. appeared in Germany as
the organ OF theosophy. Accord
ing to this the Theosophists have two
| organizations. Iu the first all those
are gathered In who may be- but Inn
perfectly prepared for the principles Of
the new faith. Tue idea Is to gather
among others the remnants OF the
scattered ranks OF spiritists In order to
lii them mp gradually to the "hlgheT"
plane OF theosophy.
with regsrI to tho origin OF this
religion, 1t ia known that It comes
rom India. Nine. BavAtsky and
Colonel Henry Olcott are mentioned
as the organizers OF the society.
Through their united Efforts the book
Isis unvelled was produced. L. is
claimed or this work that 1t was In
spired by deceased celebrities, and
that Blavatsky and Ocolt only acted
as amanuenaes to tue spirils.
rae celebrated English philosopher
Henry More, WIN dieu In 1857 and
who in his day was an enthusiastic a.
vooate OF Plato's philosophy, is said
to have been one OF those vino prompt
cd this literary production. B,Rvatsky
claimed TO have the most Intimate &C.
quRintauc co with this celebrated pro.
lessOT, rs Swedenborg clalmei per.
sonal interviews with the celebrities OF
antiquity. Thoosophisls believe this
and claim that sucl relations between
the living aud the dead are the
natural rteult Of familiarity with the
facts Of their "hlghsE" science.
In India and the United States
the new dycttine has found many
sdhereuts, particularly in the
former country, where 1t was found
that lheosophy borrowed many OF Its
tenets from Buddhism. 1t lie
essentially spirilualism In u new form,
anu 1t will not stand an earnest inves-
tigation with any more probability of
success than that system. 1t must be
condemned from the outset by all who
believe that nscr lmancy is prohibited
by the word Of God because OF the
fact that by all attempts to c0mmunl.
cate with the great beyond except In
the manner prescribed by God, people
arc in great danger OF encouulering
deceivlng spirits and OF being led into
error and darkness instead OF intelii-
| gence and Truth.
Those who have made theosophy the
subject OF a critical investigation re.
cogn.zs In 1t the rationalistic tenden-
Giles everywheIe visible where the
Christla, religion Is subjected to
"refining" processes OF mere human
wisdom. lis great principle is "From
God to God" o. the foundation OF
the recognition Of the image OF God In
man, Immortality and the necessity OF
a return to God ON the line OF ethical
principles, the system Ia built. But
these are not new principles. The
new arrangement is the union OF these
with the ancient doctrine OF re.it-
I