The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-23
PULPIT BACKS SPRITUALISM.
PASTOR BARTHOLOW THINKS
THERE'S SOMETHING IN 1T,

BAT Doesn't like the Pepper Brand-He
Also IndOrses PhrenOlOGy and Mind
Reading-Cttes Incidents. and Women
OF His Flock TWitteF Mere by Phone
The Rev. DR.. Otto F. Bartholow, pastor
Of the Jares Methodist Church, Brooklyn,
has announced publicly a mild belief in
spirtualism. He Ia down on Mrs. May
Pepper and other platform demonstrators,
but he ia Of the opinion that the subject
Ia worth reverent study, and has 30 adj
vised his flock. He Ia also for olairvoy-
ance, mesmerism and phrenoloU.
u was In a talk on New Continents
before the Mems League Of his church on
Tuesday evening that Mr.. Bartholow came
out for spiTitualism. He told how Column
bus had persisted In his belief that the
world was round and that there was land
10 the vest how he fought the sayants Of
his day for seventeen years before he had
q chance to prove that he was right. just
40 there may be continents Of the mind
Al whose very existence the wise men soof.
Bishop Warren said DR.. BartheloW
'on.e dreamed that there Is a Garden Of
Eden at the north pole He wrote a book
on the subject-people called II q dream
and a poem. There were dreams and
poems before the day Of Columbus, and
Peary and Fiala, wiser than other men,
may find a new continent.
I'm coming to the opinion that we've
nearly worked out the field Of physical
science Psychology in all its branches
Is going TO be the science Of the future.
Take, for example, phrenology. It is not
bosh. It is a continent which Is going 10
be explored. The great Or. Wallace called
Il the science Of the hour. Away back
in the last century Gall discovered the
principle that the type Of mind manifests
itscf in the conformation OF the head.
II was taken up by ignorant followers.
Then came science to prove that many
Of its bumps were only seams and sutures
OF the skull-and science called IL bosh
It IL not bosh. When II Is developed TO
the point where II should be developed,
employers will know their employees by
just the shape Of the skull. Why, a college
professor Of mine once read my character
by my head In the most marvellously ac-
curate fashion.
Then there Is clairvoyanoe. They
laughed at Il once. Does any true scientist
laugh at It nowi remember an eIpe-
Renee Of my grandmother. During the
civil war her brother, while at Fort Gaines,
climbed into a tree 10 sleep. During the
night he fell out Of the tree and broke his
NIB. His companion cried: My God, they
have shot JimmieP
my grandmother In Illinois woke her
husband, saying:
BENJAMIN, 1 see Jimmie. He Is at the
foot Of tree and he has fallen, and a man
- ~ H. CrsA hav
shot Jimmiel'
Mr. Bartholov went on 10 set the seal Of
bis approval on mind reading. He quoted
specific instances in proof. Further, he
mentioned mesmeTism as an UNEMPLOYED
continent, and told how, by a pass Of the
La and a glare Of the eye a hypnotist
al a public meeting had charmed a theologi-
cal seminary chum Of his into believing
that he was Alexander the Great astride
Of Bucephalus. Then he touched on spirit
uahsm, and there was where the congrega-
ton sat up and took notice.
Because some mediums are proved
fakes" he said, @because they show you
how Mrs. May Peppers tricks are done,
don't condemn the thing wholly. A half
statement Of the case Is not truth, and II
you prove that thing Is false In 90 cases
out Of 100 that doesn't prove that it Is
false in the hundredth case. ] saw a great
deal Of the so-called mediums when was
in college. Ninety-hve per cent Of their
work believe to be jugglery. Personally
believe that all the mediums who give
public exhibitions and advertise In the
pa pers are takers but how about the other
i've por cent? / have heard things from
mediums, messages from the dead, which
cyuld explain away on no natural OF
scientific grounds. They weren't from
wasn't paralyzed by emotion. Some Of
tieir rappings, also, l cannot explain.
III Spiritualsm Is not true, then the
Scriptures lie. In the Old Testament We
read that the witch Of Endor called up the
spirit Of Samuel and it spoke. The
eyecetists have tried to explain away that
! assage, but there Il stands. In the New
testament the Apostles cast out demons !
gifted with prophecy.
Il would rather lie inclined TO say that !
thesa modern spirits are demons; for l |
have noticed among the devotecs OF Spirit |
uslsm a tendency TO loosen moral bonds |
G-d 10 drift toward free love.
Don't be afraid to investigate this thing. |
J. doesn't lead away from Christianity. |
There is nothing in IL inconsistent with |
our Christian profession: Indeed, II inn
mortality should ever be demonstrated |
scientifically, II would only prove TO the |
mind what the soul has always known.
Faith usually goes ahead OF reason.
Columbus had faith in the new continent |
before the eyes Of his flesh ever saw it
Dr.. Bartholow's views got circulated |
among his congregation during the day, |
and they got into the Brooklyn afternoon
papers All the afternoon and evening |
be was getting telephone calls from the
women members Of his congregation.
This was the usual formula on the feminine
end Of the line:
Re this DR.. Bartholowi'
well. DIT. Bartholow, did you really |
cav that you believed in spirits?'