The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-21

East Indian and theoSOphical sDecuIa-
ton. the real Simon Pure spiritualist is
hard to find. He commonly calls his
faith by some other name. If he is
pretenti0l1s and pharisaical he is apt to
pronounce himself a tfeosophist. But
whenever you actually happen upon the
spiritualist, he never in these days
quotes scripture to you-on the
contrary he hurls Buddha at you, and
German professors "on the fourth di-
mension of matter" or Professor Wal
lace of London, or Professor James of
Harvard, or Professor Hyslop of Co
lumbia- In these days he never found
his faith, or your credence on the in
filings of the Spirit. or the gift of
tongues, or the intoxication of the oracle,
or the confusion OF Paul on his way to
Damascus. His whole appeal of faith
is to science" By science" he stands
or falls. The simple scriptura1 faith of
Enoch Willoughby is dead.
The tale would be long-and best told
by Professor Wickersham-to recount
the spiritual struggle which Enoch and
all the family go through in giving up
the old and in accepting the new in
depreciation of the descent of spirit. But
acceptance is forced upon them-after
much Misunderstanding. 1t is a conviction
of right. There is nothing else for them
to do. The sacrifice involves for them
not only spiritual cleavage from the
old meeting Friends, but almost social
ostraciSm. Some of those the family best
love stop visiting them. Enoch's gentle
sister-in-law, Winsome QuakereSs, is
condemned by the family of the man
she loves and would marry. But the
pretty love story of which she is the
center finally comes to a. bright and
gratifying end Enoch's energetic, out
spoken, nervously overwrought wife,
Hannah, is subjected to some of the
nasty littleness which women can visit
upon one another. Yet her independence
and conviction still persist
Such a spirit as this of Enoch's could
not end with qualification at its own
knowledge. Such restlessness could not
selfishly hold the truth it deemed golden
when once it were felt within grasp. The
spirit of proselytism seized the man.
'-And Hannah said to Enoch: 1T is very
| foolish for thee to try to convert people:
what is the difference what they believe?
it and enjoy it myself But that was not
/ Enoch's idea; the same spirit that made
him generous in money matters made
i look upon himself as subject to the will
| of a higher power, and obliged to obey
And then, if she thought of Enoch Will
/ loughby, she would blush for very shame
ed through her mind With him principle
was everything, because it was eternal;
while the world and all that there is in it
/ is but ephemera1 as day AND now
sure such mans course must be- With
| what Satisfaction ne must review ms
| acts! How he can mark out line ana
g It viii turn again to Christ. William
| he said, be sure it will; for, though these
| people do not speak of Christ much as
yet and are more occupied with signs and
| omens, with miracles and visions, they
/ will find these as Jesus said, all unsat-
| isfactory at last unless they are connect
ed with a strong and great personality.
| That is what makes the Divine on earth.
1 The place of all these people is in the
| church of Christ, and that is where they
will eventually be found. with new insight
and stronger faith. tell thee the church
itself is in danger, for it has lost the be-
lief in the miraculous. 1t boots at the
! verify of dreams, and SCOTS at PRESENT.
ments and spiritual warnings; 1t derides
| the secret converse of the soul with God,
and the spiritual world; it turns a deaf
ear TO the inward voice, and its greatest
! heroes of the modern days are such men
| as practise the dogmas of an absolutely
unreligious morality; as though the deep
mankind without the previous awakening
of spiritual insight As well might one
expect the seed to geTEm 1aiS t ana gro"
The last scene of the story is in KAN
/ sas-in Tonganoxie-and strange hap
penings there were there-neighboriy
viIifieation, and white caps intrudtng
/ upon the prophesyfng Enoch until the
| more intense narrow minds are driven
/ to shame by his active, temperate God
fearing life, and to a kindly reception
of his simple faith and kindly deeds.
| 1t had not then been proved that the
more one studies and has faith in the
| world of so-called spirits, the less he IS
! fitted for living in and being part OF
this world of facts. This Enoch vii
Ioughby did not know. But as the story
| ends it shows that he exemphhes the
rule. A dallying with and listening 20
| controllers seems never to fail TO IN
| hinge from the practical and destroy
| sanity of Judgment. 1t hath in 1t some
| thing of the tabled Siren song for caus-
ing forgetfulness
The book you have noticed is strong
| ~ religious-necessaril for it deals not
only with the more intimate religious
feeling existing between the individual
and the universal soul, but also with
problems of social morality. For social
tolerance and social largeness OF heart
are always social morality. In material
things Enoch WillOughby asked and
had only the most meagre; in spiritual
content he was enriched with all the
opulence of ardent faith, and that mys-
teal elevation that stands face to race
to and looks with eyes of flesh upon the
glories of the Divine. He was self-help
full, self-sustaining, self-dependent in
all the work of hands and home and the
same spirit entered his religious zeal.
To such solitary solving of the world S
great problems-even if for ones self
alone-the mediation Of priest or
prayer were insolence and sacrilege,
and a drawing of the veil between ones
soul and the hottest. Such mysticism
is as near the Presence as Moses him
self upon Mount Horeb.
The book is, to my reading, in part
unquestionably photographic 1t has
| the photographic note Enthusiastically.
There is a child who comes into the
pages, and the child may be now the
mature man. Inc intensity Oh the Ieei-
ing in the story, and the strenuousness
of its defence, tell to those who in read
ing a volume see the life experience OF
it's author. that this book comes from
the heart and the ardor of actual suf-
fering. It is not difficult to see that tbs
plain living and high thinking, the high
endeavor and wrapt spirituality were
vital elements in the authors own de-
velopment.
But whatever of such scenes the
author may have witnessed in his ear
lier life the long-continued and compre-
hensive study Of his maturer years, anc
. the sobriety and poise of mind sucf
studies give. are evident throughout tht
tale He holds his material with firm
: hand, and an objective intellectual view
l of its forces and problems is always
dominant. The deep sympathy Of his
1 nd fo4. he f,~fo Jfe7f for