The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-10-21
Spiritualists Eliminate the Word
"obey" and Place Women on
Equal Basis With Men.
FAIL TO ELECT OFFICERS.
Nomination by Ballot Is Violent
1y Opposed-Railroad Rates
Discussed and Anrimpdium
Society Arraigned.

At the evening session of the National
| Spiritualistic Association at the Temple
| of Spiritualism, No. 30l5 Pine street. lag,
! night during a short bushes session be-
| fore the programme for the regular en-.
tertainment began. the new marriage Ger.
emony prepared by the committee ap.
pointed Thursday was adopted
The ceremony Is along spiritualistic
lines. and eliminates all of the inequalities
of orthodox or legal ceremonies and places
the man and woman on an absolutely
equal basis of a contract.
The giving and taking and promising to
obey. common in most usages, are omit
ted. as the Spiritualists contend that no
person can give away another, and that
the promise to obey is the subsection Of
one mind to another.
The decision of the association to ncm-
mate the officers by ballot kept the as
sembly in an uproar for two hours.
Those who wanted to make nominating
speeches were shut out entirely. and those
who would have liked to hear their vir-
tues set forth In eulogy were denied that
satisfaction.
After the announcement that nomina-
tfons for the presidency were in order.
and the ballot had been taken, the dis
cussion came up as to how they were 60
ing to vote for the vice president until
they knew who was nominated for the
presidency. They did not want to have
the result OF the balloting read. for, as
some suggested, they might as well elect
then and there.
1t was finally decided to lay the matter
over until to-day, when each officer would
be nominated and elected in turo 20 that
each contingent might have a fair show
at representation in office. as one person
could not be run for more than one Of
fee at the same time. The nomination
and election OF officers will take place to-
day.
At the morning session the question Of
what was a minister and what was not,
and what was d medium and what was
not, was asked, the question evolving
from the fact that certain delegates had
secured half rates to st. Louis, while 9TH
ers had not.
This precipitsted discussion which
completely obscured the second letter of
challenge from the antimediums which
took up 50 much Of the time Wednes-
day; Tne delegates requested that 1t be
explained just who were entitled to half
rates on the railroads, and Mrs. NJ T.
Longiey. secretary. attempted to explain.
@ sae SAID: M Any person who makes
OF books or charms. who gives seances
and private sittings or does secular work
on newspaper for pecuntary purposes.
titled to half rates: But a platform me-
dunn who gives platform readings and
works to secure converts for the further
ance Of the faith is minister and is en-,
titled to half rates"
This Interpretation of the word minis
ter did not fall to the liking Of many of
the delegates. who demanded the floor. G.
W. Katos Of Philadelphia was recognized.
legally ordained is minister. end only
State associations have power to legally
ordafn them"
Referring to the second letter of chal-
lenge. which was printed in yesterday
mornings Republic. President Barrett
said: I'VE will take no further rctice of
these persons. II they want to ccme to
our meetings and witness for themselves
may come and welcome. We co not ask
them to come and stand before us and
give evidence Of what their faith can do
not Offering them anything for sale, we we
are making no contract to rerform GER
tain features for their material benefit
or proft to ourselves.
Therefore. since neither We nor they
have anything at stake. We reed not rec
ognize these attempts to craw US into
controversy with q view to the exposition
Of what Is called by them "a fraud" We
have a work to perform. for the rccom-
plishment of the end which we believe Is
to be ours. SO let us continue onward In
the right way. nor give a thought to these
disconcerting influences. unless 1t be to
call the doubling ones into cur midst and
convert them to our faith. This challenge
has blown up and has fallen OF its own
weight
GIVE TEST READINGS.
Considerable feeling was expressed at
the evening session. despite the fact that
President Barrett had seemingly dismissed
the subject, over the second letter of chal-
lnge. sent to the Spiritualists by the anti
mediums
The test readings proved almost conclu-
sively, 1t was said, the stand taken by the
exponents of Spiritualism. The Reverend
E. W. Sprague. who gave several spirit
messages" directed his whole attention to
the skeptics. He said: Let ]. r. Haga-
man come here and refute tehse facts. He
claims to have been a medium for twen-
ty years and to have defrauded the gullible
public all that length Of time. and then
he got religion. / think that IL was time
he did get religion after a career of that
kind"
No test could raave proved more con-
clusively. the Spiritualists say. the grounds
on which the science is based. than that
performed before an audience Of more
than 500 persons in the Temple of Spirit
ualism last night. Some mistakes were
made, but the Spiritualists do not claim
to be infallible. they only say that the
grounds ON which they base their claims
are substantial, scientifically. psychically
and spiritually. and they stand ready to
prove them