Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-02-19
Not a Substitute For
Christian Truth.
Its Success Due to Feats of
Legerdemain.
The Grossest 0eceptions Are Prac.
ticed In Its Name.

"Modern spiritualism has done moth
ing for the intellectual welfare of
mankind" said Rev. James III. w.
Blake, Sunday evening, in his series
of discourses upon modern substitutes
for Christian truth. TT has added
nothing Of value to literature OF sci
cncc; neither has it enlarged mans
mental horizon in any way"
/ 1t presents the greatest facilities
for the practice of the grossest decep-
tions. AS a system, there is in it
enough, to excite the curious. and pos
sibly enlist the attention of a student
of science. In no way can modern
spiritualism be regarded as n substi-
tute for Christian truth.
"a number of years ago, Mr.. Henry
Siebert, an enthusiastic believer in
modern spiritualism, bequeathed to the
University of Pennsylvania, a fund
for the endowment of a chair of phil
osophy. With the bequest, were sew
eral provisions, and among them was
1t especially stipulated that modern
spiritualism should be investigated.
Accordingly II men were chosen to
constitute commission of investiga
ton. The report of these men tells
us that they did not discover one sim
gle new fact. The methods involving
slatewriting, they unanimously de-
clared to be nothing but Iegerdemain.
The irresistible conclusion is that
the. rappingsl and tappings are solely
due to the efforts of the mediums,
themselves The NATURALIZATION of
spirits, the commission unhesitatingly
declared was based upon trickery.
"This reports. itself crushing blow
to spiritualislp, was followed by the
confession of the Fox Sisters, who
acknowledged that the rappIngs by
which people had been deceived, were
the result Of their own physical con
fractions of the joints and muscles.
1.-THE question is often asked, If all
this be true, why does any one be-
come spiritualist?'
"Wemust not forget that there is
an inner craving in every soul, to as
certain something about the departed.
When such feelings are the strongest
then it Is that the spirits rap Ioudest.
Again, spiritualism receives many
converts, by virtue of a strange pro-
pensity possessed by some people, of
giving way to delusions. Tho whole
community is swept like wild fire and
the people are carried away by n
wave of popular enthusiasm. Finally
they drop back to their normal state,
but few are ashamed to admit their
folly and remain in the fold.
"Again we can account for the
growth of spiritualism In a measure
by the number Of designing and nu-
balanced. There are those who are
in 1t for what they can make out of
1t, and it is time warning was ut
tered against such practices. Upon
the other hand there are many mono
maniacs, who have been broken down
by some great sorrow and are seeking
consolation. Such are to be pitied.
"Some are not willfully deceiving
themselves or others, but really be-
lieve what they have been taught. To
all such we say why cling TO that faith
when the curch of God contains ev-
erything that is good in spirltualism,
Christs church believes in the con.
tinual life of the departed. How
much they know of our life, we know
not. Through God, they live on the
other side, as we do on this