The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-04-18
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TUESDAY."..".~APRlL Is 1919


The Rev Minot J. Savage anuou"V0N
himself a spiritualist at the morning
service last week in the Church OF tue
Messiah of which he is the
nastor in New York city. lie went SO
far As 70 declare that he saw nothing
vulgar in the rapping of a spirit before
Il communicated with mortals. 'Ihe
significance of Spiritualism aud Its re-
lation to the Easter hope, was the
theme from which DR.. Savage spoke.
He said, in part
"As most of you know, the Easter
hone and the Easter celebration, ander
some name. in some form, is thousand'
of wears older than Christianity. But
the significance Of our Christian Easter
lies in this one fact-the bellet thM
man. whatever else ne may have been
after he had passed through the eXper'
fence called death, had been seem mao
demonstrated that death was not the
end of conscious existence. TINS Is the
significance of Easter, and this. pre-
cisely, is the significance tha' Is claim
ed for Spiritualism
g,"1 wish to call yOur attention emphaU'
cally to the fact that the significance
Of the Easter claim and the claim of
Spiritualism are precisely the same
and if they are true they demonstrate
the same great truth and fill the human
heart with the same great hope.
Il believe that at the heart Of Spirit
ualism there is great truth. perhaps
not vet clearly outlined, understood or
demonstrated, but have never been
able to call myself spiritualist because
as that word is used popularity in the
newspapers it would utterly misrepre-
sent me. There are so many things
connected with the movement that |
not only do not believe butwith which
am disguised beyond words, that l
am not willing yet to wear the name.
1t is no cowardice "
DR.. Savage said the opponents Of
Spiritualism find fault with its origin
among the poor and lowly. but he told
such that il was so with Christianity.
1t was among the lowly that Jesus
labored that the scribes and Pharisees
had not in any numbers believed in him.
He thought many persons of today
when contemplating Spiritualism, were
as the Pharisees, waiting for popu-
lar movement to join.
He said the number Of the people
who believe in Spiritualism is far
greater than those who openly profess
it; that it would be impossible 10 stand
anywhere in Manhattan Island land
sling a stone without there being some
where within the radius Of its fall one
or more families who are studying pri-
vately, but dare not let their neighbors
know it for fear Of ridicUle -
He referred to the recent published
statements about DR. Abbott's reputed
conversion to Siritualism, and also that
of Dr. Abbott's successor in Plymouth
Church pulpit, DR.. Hills, declaring
that both had acknowledged belief In
all that is essential to Spiritualism. but
both had been very careful to guard
themselves against such vulgar things
as a rap on table or a movement Of a
physical object. " The speaker did not
see anything foolish or degrading about
a rap.
ut is quite polite for courteous peO-
pie to so announce themselves before
entering ones house Why should not
spirits take advantage of the same
method pursued in life :'
In closing, DR.. Savage said 1t is
not a movement TO be treated with utter
scorn and contempt or as being con
nected with the securing Of the
earth. Early Christianity, you will
remember if you read over the writings
of Paul, was made up Of the people
that the respectable did not have any
thing TO do with. Spiritualism has IN
til modern times been made up Of the
same class of people
but now such names as Mrs. Eliza
beth Barnett Browning, Lloyd Garrison.
and others by the score, are associated
with it, and some of the noblest mos.
intelligent people with whose names
you are familiar were open and avowed
.dbararts If Cniritnalisfn -