Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-05-30
CONVERTS TO SPIRITUALISM
DR.. A. Conan Doyle a Recent AC.
CeSS.On
WAVE SWEEPS PARTS OF ENGLAND

Il is Claimed That Mothers are Get
ting Into Communication With Thei
Dead Soldier Sons-Dr. Doyle Say,
That We are Far Behind Japan.
London, May 24.-A wave of spirit
ualism such as no country has eve
experienced before is rolling owe
Great Britain carrying with it thou
sands of persons of high and loV
degree. Backed by men of scienc,
and letters, with Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle as the leader the movement ha!
assumed such proportions that whe1
a gathering is held in London, thu
Royal Albert Hall one Of the larges
amphitheaters in the world is engaS-
ed.
Conspicuous amons tie growing
membership are the wives and mothers
of soldiers slain on the battlefield, and
since the recent announcement made
by Sir Arthur that no less than thirty
women, from his personal knowledge
have been vouch-safed the deep con-
ISOLATION Of direct Communication with
their beloved lost, scores Of sorrow
stricken women are frequenting the
seances.
Says Movement is Leading Him.
Holmes of Baker street and DR..
Watson with the needle have passed
lief of Scotland Yard) for the spinner
lief to Scotland Yords) for the spinner
Of the most fascinating Of modern de-
tective yarns has become an impas-
stoned zealot who conceives it his duty
to traverse the country avowing that
the dead really live and are clamoring
to be recognized. The only books that
Conan Doyle will now put his pen to
are books on spiritualism. Following
closely 1.-The New Revelation, will
como "The Vital Message" about to be
published. For his lectures Sir Arthur
receives no remuneration. He is not
leading the movement, he declares; 1t
Is leading him. His activities have
passed beyond his control"
AS a result of the reputable array OF
the cult, the quacks are reaping rich
harvest, and, though their seances are
characterized by the usual tamborine
playing, weird knockings, coat-throw-
ing, ble-lifting, etc., the faith Of the
believers is not shaken
I attended the great memorial held
by the National Spiritualist Union in
Royal Albert Hall for the dead-al-
though they do not call them dead
It was unusually vile weather, but
thousands ATTENDED. The majority
wore the white rosette, the insignia
testifying that the wearer believes
himself to have received a direct COM
munication.
Address Invisible Audience.
It was the most remarkable meeting
I ever saw. The visible audience was
all but ignored; the invisible audience
which all but the unregenerate believ-
ed to be actually present, was address
ed. In an atmosphere made electric by
the very faith Of the congregation, Sil
Arthur thanked the vast army whose
spiritual bodies they were certain were
there for the great service they had
rendered civilization, the great service
of saving the world from barbarism, OF
Strengthening out the boundries of op-
pressed nations; and the greatest SER
vice of all, in his opinion, that Of prov
ing by their manifestations that there
is no death.
Conan Doyle can vitalize speech on
spiritualism with the same magic he
employs in vitalizing mystery story
He is a robustious, effective speaker
and he has the fire that comes only
with absolute sincerity. Even to rank
outsider such as myself, his manner OF
appealing 10 the great khaki-clao
army that has gone west" was dra-
matte enough to create for u few min
ptes the illusion that they must be pre-
sent.
Declaring that such a meeting was
unique in the history Of Europe, but
not in Asia, he recalled how, after the
Russo Japanese war, Admiral Togo
went to a barren spot by the seashore
and invoked the spirits Of his dead
seamen. Standing there. Togo rejoic-
ed with them over the issue Of the wal
and thanked them for contributing to
the victory.
when we have got to the level OF
Japan in psychical research" said SiI
Artf ur. coming back to earth again
"it will not be the average civilians
like ourselves, but the great chiefs OF
the army and navy who led these men
to battle and to death who will well
come and thank them for their SER
vices. I know one army commander
who is a convinced spiritualist ,anc
who would rejoice to stand here and
address his vanished men,"
"Ghost Stories" from the Trenches.
Everybody knows, of course, by this
time that thousands of soldiers have
returned from the CORY conflicts OF
the great war with an unshakable be-
lief in the naturalization of spirits
and the crop of ghost stories thai
have come from the trenches are a:
numerous as they are picturesque. The
Angel Of the Marine who thousands o.
practical, fighting men are convinced
appeared to them from out of NJ
Mans Land on the now historic battle
field is perhaps the most familiar in
stance. Writers, even the best of then
such as Edith Wharton, caught th'
contagion.
Fresh fuel has been added to bright
en- the flame by the publication o
statements made by the officers am
crew Of the Royal Oak" of the British
Navy which received the SURRENDERED
German fleet at Scarpa Flow They de
clare unequivocally that they hear'
brakes drum the entire time that tn
British fleet was closing around TN
German vessels. Admiral, captain
commander, officers and men of TIT
wa