Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-15
SPIRIrUALISM DEFENDED.
Wheeling, May Is, 1895


To the Editor of the Register.
Sir:-I note that the Wheeling Reg
lister of Friday contained an editorial
on the subject of spirituaiism, from
which it is an easy deduction that the
writer considers that people who be-
lieve in the possibility of communicat-
ing with unseen and invisible intelli-
gences are simple" and 'credulous.
This statement can only be made by
uniformed persons whose negative
knowledge at least is stupendous. Spir-
itualism has active propogandists the
world over whose intelligence cannot
be questioned, nor whose ability to
properly weigh evidence cannot be i'm
pugned. The most noted learned body
in the world, that of 1.-THE British AS
sociation for the Advancement OF
Science" has for its president one Of
the most intellectual men OF this cen
fury, Sir William Crooks, the eminent
chemist and physicist, and Sir William
has been the leading investigator of
spiritualistic phenomena in the world
for the last quarter of century, and
in his address accepting the honors OF
the society just recently, avowed to the
swo thousand assembled scholars his
firm and unqualified adherence to all
his past affirmations of the truth of
spiritualism. The retiring president of
the same learned body, Prof. Oliver J.
Lodge, LII. d., F. r. S., D. &C., profess
sor of physics in University College,
Liverpool, a distinguished writer on
electricity, is also an active propaganda
,sxA &c y, ;c vi 1nal iy,c N a -
uralist in the world and co-laborer in
the field of Natural Selection with
Darwin, Alfred Russell Wallace, has
printed two books in defense of the
doctrine that the possibility of inter-
communication between the two worlds
can be and has been scientifically DEM
onstrated. The two leading astrono-
mers of the world, Flamare of France,
and Schiaparelli of Italy, are both adj
Tanced believers in spiritualism
Would it occur to you to call these men
ignorant" Simple" "deluded" or
"credulous?" When we had in Wheel
ing mad dog scare and sent persons
who had been dog bitten to the Pasteur
Institute, New York, to be treated by
DR.. Paul Gibier. did it occur to the
editor of the Register to call DR..
Gibier simple, credulous or ignorant
man? And yet the doctor is an intel
lectual spiritualistic light and has just
issued volume advocating the truth
of spiritualism. That many of its adj
herents are ignorant, simple and cred
ulous can no more be denied than that
many church members are equally so,
but what fair minded man could allege
that all are simple and "credulous''-
yet Robert Ingersoll so does with the
effect of making those on whom he
bestows the appellation, fighting
mad" I do not argue because these
eminent scientists accept spiritualism
that it must be true. l only wish to
correct the impression that no doubt
largely prevails in Wheeling, as well
as elsewhere, that only ignorant people
believe in the veridical character of the
phenomena / will add, however, that
there is but one instance that | can
recall of any scientific writer who has
painstakingly investigated spiritualism
that denies it's truthfulness, and that
writer admits the correctness and gem
uineness of the phenomena, but denies
that it proves the possibility of COM
municating with the dead, though adj
hitting that it proves the souls immor
tally. Thompson H. Hudson is the
writer referred to, and interested per-
sons can get his books on application
at the public library
SPIRITUALIST.