West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-04-05
OCCULTISM.
For The Atcus

arranged although for obvious reasons not
very apparent in the surface movement Of
life, nevertheless the interest in the problems
presented by Spiritism and modern psychieal
investigation is keen and wide spread and
is growing in intensity day by day. The
innate desire Of most men to have some
| definite answer to the whence and whittier
Of human life has brough, the question of
the hour care the dead communicating"
and is agitatng the public mind as never
before.
Science has rendered its verdict. We
have It on the authority of men whose verac-
i,y eanno, reasonably be doubted and whose
| Scientific authority no one can reasonably
call in question, who, moreover have risked
their reputation in giving their testimony.
1. THAT the much disputed phenomena
occur and that many of them are of an OBJ
jee,ive and tangible character.
2. THAT they are often governed by in
telligenee-that intelligence in many
Instances ex,raneous in its nature and oper-
| atoms.
"This testimony IS being added 10 day by
day by the published writings of eminent
foreign scientists aud is being confirmed by
thousands of intelligent spiutis,s and of
private Investigators all the world over"
These things which the scientific world
seofed at MS absurd and impossible, now
one after another, after being subjected to
the close scrutiny of the scientific and skep-
tical, prove to be real facts.
Testimony of such character and coming
from such quarter is bound to powerfully
affect the public mind and in the course of
time give rise to questions OF the gravest pos
sible import, and the burning question now
Is the one with reference to the nature and
aim of the intelligence which is thus dis
playing itself. Is il human in characteri
Are we by these means receiving demonstra-
tive evidence that the dead are alive in the
world beyond the grave1 To those familiar
with the subject it is impossible TO doubt
that science itself is tending in the direction
OF an affirmative answer to the question. A
certain learned reserve still characterizes
Official statements, but individual scientists
| speaking in their private and personal capac-
ity leaves no room for doubt in the matter
and the cry which they have sent forth has
found an echo in thousands of human minds
and has given an impulse to the spiritisuc
movement, the effect of which are but too
| plainly visible on every sphere of our social
life So strong are the impressions created
that the utmost impotence is being exhibited
toward those who would raise a note of
warning and who cannot join In the exultant
cry of the multitude.
Ignorance, prejudice, religious bigory,
and narrow mindedness are the epithets APP.
| piled to persons who, while admitting the
actuality and intelligence of the phenomena,
nevertheless deny that it has been shown TO
be that of the dead.
| /. II is certain that the identity of the
communicating intelligences has not been
in practically every instance the entities
claim to he the spirits of departed men and
women; IL is certain that that claim has in
variably broken down IN the presence of real
test conditions. The most recent psychical.
research in this direction has yielded wholly
negative results. Those whose names were
best known in spirItstIc and psychical re.
search circles and who practically spent
their lives in the search for such evidence,
have after death, been unable to furnish il
| themselves.
| This "missing link" in the spirtistc
hypothesis, like the missing link of the evo-
luton theorIst makes null the arguments of
both; they SIMPLY "beg the question"
2, So constantly does the Characteristic of
the intellIgences display itself that it consli-
tutes the chief difficulty in the way of salts
factory Investigations. Fraud and trcLe.y
on every side and the most heartless de-
| cep,ion imaginable even from those supposed
to be the most trusted spirit friends" or
relations, sometimes after years of intercourse
and often on their own admission turned out
to be masquerading entities whose moral de-
pravity IS appalling as disclosed in the end.
As tar back as 1877 DIR. l.. S. Forbes
Wnslow wrote: "TeB thousand unfor-
tuna,e people are at the present time con-
| fined in lunatic asylums on account of hav.
ing tempered with the supernatural. +ssH
could quote instances where men Of the
highest ability have, so to speak, neglected
all and followed the doctrines of spirituallsm
only to end their days IN lunatic asylum"
Grave and weighty warnings are more
recently given by Prof. Barrett, former
president Of the society for psychcal re.
search, and by DIR. Van Eeden, who has de-
voted much time and labor to the study Of
these phenomenas. The latter tells us that
in this unsxplored region lie risks Of error
more serious than in any other department
of science and not merely Of error, scientific
and intellectual, but also OF moral error:
and IL is tins which seems 10 him TO Justify
the orthodox religions in condemning the
evocation Of spirits as immoral
3. The teaching impaired by the intelli.
gsnees is wholly contradictory in character.
There is but one point OF unanimiiy only;
they seek 10 present Chris, as a medium, or
seer, or human being Of exceptional power
and degree Of development while the ulti.
mate aim is the subversion Of all faith in
| Him as Savior, AMI to leave their victims
robbed Of all faith IN Christianity and suffer.
ing the keenest grief and disappointment
under which their minds give way and they
end their lives in suicide or the asylum. A
dangerous and subtle enemy is silently
creeping into our homes. The one sided
presentation Of the subject and the scientific
support which is being given 10 it is hourly
increasing the spread Of the evil.
'Let u once be clearly and fully known