New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-28
MGR BENSON EXPLAINS
BLACK MAGIC PHENOMENON
If the Supernatural Is Believed in All 1t Is Logical te
Think That Malehcent Influences Can Aid
Those Who Seek Their Aid.

simply with the idea that the malefcent
Influences in the universe can aid those
who seek their aid
Speaking for some time on the phe-
uomend OF apparitiOns at the time OF
death. spiritualistc communiOns, haunted
houses and ma tcrlaliZatious-" apparitlohs
AT the time of death are an established
fact" he said land there are two or
three reasons why I think that they
occur by telepathy and not by the soul
travelling. 50 TO SPEAK. First. there is
no doubt that the same type of apparl-
ton can occur when both parties TO 1t
are very much alive. Secondly, when IT
occurs. the clothes Df tine person VINO
appears. as well as part OF the back
ground in which he happens to he dElhs
or alive. also often appear. NO one
thinks that material OBJECTS nave souis'
and so one must suppose tlat the APP
parltious are real. but are due TO the
appearing person being very muth
worked 10 subcUusciously by dying, OF
lev some other event, ami so being aOie
| TO affect along visual lines his wife OF
any other person who is sympathetic TO
! him but long way away.
Are haunted houses merely houses
saturated with some discharge from per
sonaIities long since dead under ara
matte circumstances? asked the lect-
urer. Expectancy Oh the part OF
some one sleeping in the house sets the
discharge free, and it is translated from
| its dormant condition into the active
visual condition. The event that &C.
CURED under such tragic circumstances
prscipitated itself, so TO speak, on to the
material surroundings, and when re-
ceptive person comes into contact with
/ il. IL reappears in terms of sight or
hearing"
! Proposing this theory. Monsignor Ben
son said there is no proof that subcon-
sciousness originates the vision.
1T may be a necessary condition or
| the vision. without being It's cause, he
said. This seems to be supported by
the fact that many OF these ghosts DIS
appear if something demanded by them
| is duly done-for instance, prayers said
for them
! The lecturer took the theory OF SUP
consciousness as used by modern psE-
biologists and applied ii TO spiritual
istic "materializations
1T is said that just as visual sense
images can be sent by telepathy he
said. 80 medium, that is to say
person who has powers to Affect one
subconsciously to an extraordinary de-
gree. can even reproduce the sensation
of touch. The materializations are
argued to be tactic sense-mages.
Black Mass Said in London.
The Black Mass. too MonsiSnor
Benson asserted, "has been said in Lon
don not lorger than four years ago. 1t
comprises every horror that IT is pos
sible to imagine. The object is TO insult
the Christian religion. Probably those
who recite It are insane. | would sooner
not say what these people do. II is
quite indescribable in its offensiveness
and blasphemy. The Black Mass has
been said in Rome. But France Is the
country for it," he said.
81 am afraid" he continued. this
shows that we are living in a period OF
decadent civilization. The worship OF
pleasure, above all else. and the decay
OF family life, arc unmistakabe signs OF
this The number Of people in this coun-
try who would believe the magicians TO
whom have referred is increasing-not
necessarily among the poor people. On
the whole the poor are much sounder i'm
their instincts that the weI-to-do The
wealthy are continually seeking fresh
stimulus and sensation. and their minds
become exhausted morbid. and decad-
cut. We see the decadence Of which
which have spoken in the growing
worship of occultism
PERSONALLY" concluded Monsignor
Benson. II think that England may
crumble. either from internal deteriora-
7 ti;n or external attack. That Is my own
pt1vate view"