New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-10
CHAMPIONS SP|R|TUAL|SM
MonSignor Benson Says That He
Also Believes in Ghosts.
DEN0UNCES CHEAP SEANCES
Declares God Would Not Permit
Communication with Dead
by Mountebanks.

Monslgnor Robert L. Benson son OF the
| late Archbishop of Canterbury. believes
frankly and passionately in manifesto.
! tons from the spiritual world" as he told
the members OF the League for Political
Education who gathered at the Hudson
! Theatre yesterday morning to hear this
distinguished clergyman and author speak
on Modern Psychical Research"
lie told them, Furthermore, that he was
thoroughly justified in believing in
ghosts" because their appearance was
quite In accordance with his philosophy OF
lie ana death. People who do not believe
In the life Of the soul after death. who
believe the vital flame goes out like a can
die, he said. could not be expected to ac-
cept as truth accounts of appearances after
death. He did; that was all.
For the common epiritualistic seances.
however, he had little use. 1t was incon-
ceivable, he said, that Almighty God would
permit saint like Cardinal Newman to
make himself known TO man only through
the medium OF third rate men in the fool
ish and extraordinary scenes usually con-
nected with these seances. Ninety-nine out
OF hundred spirtualstic phenomena were
fakes, he said, but the one hundredth was
not.
lie was perfectly sure that there is a
part Of our being which does not share in
mortal dissolution, and that can under
proper conditions make itself known to
living creatures. All these views were
based on facts generally accepted by psy-
biologists to-day, so that there is now no
chasm between science and religion.
Believed in Haunted Houses.
He said that most certainly he believed
In haunted houses-not all haunted houses,
Of course, but the reliable ones, vouched
for by intelligent persons. who knew the
difference between q wailing voice and the
wind in the garrett.
No" he explained II cannot believe
that the whole human race has been wrong
about this all these centuries. We find
ghosts and haunted houses in all countries
and in all times. There must be something
in Il.
The explanation usually given by psy-
biologists is based on the theory of the
sub-conscious self; that is, in addition TO
the practical workaday mind with which
We are equipped for the material side Of
life. we have also a sub-conscious self
which records spiritual and elusive things,
like the memory, imagination and creative
powers.
Now, then, to return to the haunted
chamber Well say It is in castle where,
IN the reign Of Anne, younger brother
cut the elders throat. You know how a
material thing may gather emotional
value-a ring belonging TO dear one has
a power of arousing thoughts and feelings
In you, quite independent of its material
appeal TO your eye or touch. That appeal
is to your sub-conscious self, the treasure
house Of your emotions. Now, II is con-
ceivable that in our haunted castle
the material surroundings, the spot
spot where tho moonlight falls on the
blood stained wall, are so charged with
the emotions of that fatal night that they
penetrate the sub-conscious selves OF per-
sons to-day who are sensitive TO these
things. When the right person goes into
the room the emotion vibrating from these
walls makes itself felt, just as Neloa's
voice vibrating on the photograph can be
heard again under proper conditions.
Now, We may not understand all this.
any more than we used to understand SOUND
waves OF electricity. but It is certainly eX-