The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-27
BRITISH PREACHER
IN GREAT EARNEST
Rev. Frank Swanson in Full.
Pursuit of SpirituaIiStiC
Mediums.
LATTER ARE RETREATING
ARMY OF KING EDWARD LACKS
CANDIDATES FOR STRAPS.
BY PHILLIP EVERETT.

London, Dec. 26.-In all this great city
of London there is probably no more
interesting clergyman than the Rev.
Frank Swanson Of st. Barnabas par
ish. who is known throughout the me
/ trOpolis as the terrible vicar"
Mr.. Swanson is the clergyman who
has been carrying on a ruthless cam
paign against spiritualism in his parish.
A month ago he exposed in his church
the alleged frauds practiced by the dis
ciples OF the Satanic art" and went
10 the unparalleled length of denOUncing
by name a Holloway spiritualist as a
Wife-deserter. At the same service he
issued a challenge Gin association with
Mr.. Maskelyne of Maskelyne & Cook
to the spiritualists to a public debate
and test seance, the challenge to be
taken up in one month.
The month having elapsed, 1 called
On Mr.. Swanson TO inquire if the chal-
lenge had been accepted. NO" said
the vicar. Il think it right to assume,
therefore, that the spiritualists are
afraid to risk the ordeal of public in
dependent test
DO you contemplate any further ac-
tion?"
Il am now seeking an opportunity TO
the vicar.
Not An idle Threat.
Mr.. Swanson has already given suf-
ficient proof of his resolution to show
that this is 10 idle threat, and it may
be confidently anticipated, therefore,
that the lively incidents of the past
month viii be followed by even HvelieT
developments
The seances of the London spiritual
lists during the four weeks have been
several times thrown into confusion by
the efforts of the terrible vicar to OBJ
tain admission. These attempts have
so far beer successfully resisted, but
DR.. SWainsOns ingenuity is equal to his
determination. one certain change Of
address in North London the vicar
claims to be a direct result of his cam
paign.
81 have had a very heavy correspond
ence over the whole business" said the
vicar, and showed a bundle of about
fifty letters that had reached him from
all parts of the country Nearly all
were sympathetic TO his crusade. Some
told highly pathetic stories of the re-
suits of dabbling in spiritualsm.
One of the most curious read:
4 and my husband were curious
enough to form a spirit circle. Through
meddling with the thing we got into
communication with evil spirits, not the
dead. We both became deVil-Obsessed,
and for some time our lives were too
awful for description. They were like
hell. The atmosphere about US seemed
impregnated with evil spirits. Once it
was so awful that my husband stayed
awake all night with me, and although
he is not, strictly speaking, a religious
man.. called upon our Savior to help and
save us, repeating over and over again
a verse from Bach's Passion Music "
In addition, said Mr.. Swanson, he
had received liberal number of abusive
postcards; but it takes much more than
an abusive postcard to ruffIe the terri
bic vicar"
Aeroplane Trade.
There is quite remarkable activity in
the aerOplane trade, and there must be
upwards of a hundred machines being
made privately in this country to say
nothing of the makers of toys of models.
The firms which make a speciality Of
supplying various parts and fittings for
aerOplanes are very busy, and the aero
plane makers catalogue has already
put in an appearance.
The first from Handley Page, whose
list provides a lot of useful infOrma-
ton about special aluminium parts, wire
and fabric At this firms manufactOry
and private aerodTOme work is proceed
ing rapidly on a number of machines.
Here DeveraIl Saul and Major Baden
Powell have their quadruplanes.
/ hear, by the way, that the AerOnaU-
teal society is giving up the expert
mental ground at Dagenham.
If Great Britain has not done much
aviation. we can at any rate boast the
most complete catalogue. This has been
issued by the AerOplane Supply compa-
ny, and il contains the prices of all the
principal machines, together with lists
of motors and various accessories and
materials. There are portraits of the
leading aviatOrs, terms for lectures,