New-York tribune., 1919-09-05
Spirits and Spiritualisn
A Reply to Sir "A. Conan Doyle
By Jerome K. .Jernmr, in Common Sense

ing had been, for years, tho Alhambra
Theatre. To be always sure of a seat his
custom had been to book, stall for the
whole season. One evening his friend
dropped in to the Alhambra. During the
ballet he noticed an old gentleman making
his way slowly to empty stall. Reaching
the seat, the man turned round, and their
eyes met. To his amazement it was his
old friend whose he had been told-was
dying. AT the end Of the performance he
looked for him, but could not ind him, and,
assuming that he had gone out by another
door, and having train to catch, he left
without seeing him. The next morning he
had telegram saying that his fsis'a i4d
died the previous evening. Ten years later
he learned the explanation. The night
nurse, who had come on about O'Clock,
had made the old gentleman comfortable
and had seen him fall asleep. At 9 o'clock
her lover, soldier, knocked lightly at the
door. He was leaving the next morning
for India. The old gentleman was still
sleeping, and the girl thought there could
be no harm in slipping out for just an
hour. 1t was nearly II when she got back.
The old gentleman was lying dressed in
his evening clothes across the bed, dead.
She put all things as they should have
been and then rang up the doctor. Her
account was that he had passed peacefully
away in his sleep at about quarter to II.
OF similar story l happened myself to
be the chief actor. While on a lecturing
tour in the country l caught chill and
felt sorry for myself. l decided quite sud-
denly to return home. l reached my house,
in st. Johns Wood, little after midnight.
The gate on the latch. I bolted it be-
hind me and walked quickly up the path.
l let myself in with my latchkey. The
house was dark, and I gathered that every
body was asleep. ! switched the lights
and went into my study. / had opened a
letter and reading it, when my wife
entered. She was strangely dstraught.
She stared at without speaking for a
few seconds and then burst into a fit of
weeping. 1t turned out that her trouble
not due to my sudden return. but to
her conviction that l was dead 1t took
some effort to persuade her that was not
a spirit. An hour previously, having seen
the children asleep and sent the servants
W Dcu sue NAG sat QOWIl Oh the SOFA III tHc
bedroom and had opened book. Suddenly
she had heard the click OF the gate and my
step upon the gravel path-a step that for
her had unmistakabe pecularities. She
had heard ME open the door and switch on
the lights. She had heard me moving
about in the study and the sound of an
envelope being torn open. She had come
downstairs to greet me. The room was
dark. She had called me, and | had not
answered. She was sure that if l was not
already a spirit I about to become
one. 1t was quite long time before the
incident became a subject for our laughter
With gladness would I accept new re-
ligion founded upon human reason on
this side and upon spirit inspiration upon
the other" But what are we offered? On
this side the darkened room the ubiqui-
tous tambourine, the hired medium (some-
times detected in trickery" and sometimes
not), now tied into chair, and now locked
up in an iron cage; the futile messages,
proved frequently to be Connections"
vague prophecies OF the kind that we
read in any Old Moore's Almanac
These things do not appeal to my reason.
We have descriptions given to US of the
spiritual world that are supposed to clinch
the matter. 1t is description of the
sort of place that everybody wants to go
to. All our more respectable earthly de-
sires will be gratiied. Lies little luxu-
ries shall continue to enjoy without
trouble and expense. We are to be re-
united TO our loved ones, and everybody is
to be good looking and aged about thirty.
We are to be very, very happy Am l
asked to accept this sort of thing as proof
Of spirit inspiration"?
Where is this "new religion? What
does spritualism preach? Or is it content
with the world it is? I take the last
five years. Has spiritualism done anything
is it doing anything-to help man to be
less brutal, less hypocritical, less greedy?
Has it done anythng-s it doing anything
to lessen the appalling wckedness that
is threatening. like some foul weed to
poison the whole earth? For five years
savagery and cruelty have been preached
to US from pulpit and from press. Our
children are being taught It at their
mothers knees Vengeance and hatred are
the new virtues. Christ, amid roars Of
laughter, Is Knocked IN our parliaments.
What has spiritualism done-what is it
doing-to help mankind to recover its
Senses its manhood to rescue its soul
from being withered by lust and passion.
Cannot our dead dwelling around US, look
ing down upon world perishing for want
Of love, tell US of something else than
their own wonderful happiness--their pipes
and their pet dogs their music and their
kisses? Have they no Christ to help in
these days of His sore need? Can they
do nothing for the living? l am waiting
for their "new religion"
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NIGHT not he 1,eru nj ga san4 at tLo .arasa...