The sun., 1919-04-13

Roman CatnOnc, since OreSles II. Dro"h-
son published his Spirit Ropper in 1854
has Just come from the press. The au-
thor is Baron Johan Liljencrants, some
time an officer in the Swedish army, and
later a student at various educational in
situations in the United States, where he
became a convert to Catholicity. The
Baron was ordained to the priesthood by
Cardinal Gibbons in 1915. His book,
Spritism and Religion; Can You Talk
to the Deads, was a dissertation submit
ted by him to the Faculty of the Sacred
Sciences at the Catholic University of
america in partial fulflment of the re-
Sllrements for the doctorate in theology!
As it has a foreword by the Hon. Maui
rice Francis Egan, an appreciation by
Cardinal Gibbons, in which it is declared
to be "sound III its thinking" and as it
bears also the Mill 0bstat of the Censor
Librorum and the imprimatur Of Car
dinal Farley we may conclude that this
volume of 800 pages agrees with the
opinions of spiritualism that are held by
the leading Roman Catholic churchmen
Of America, if not indeed of the entire
world.
DIR. Brownson's work appeared at
time when America, the cradle of modern
Spiritualism, was in fever over the Fox
sisters and their immediate successors.
Baron Liljencrants publishes his volume
at time when books on spiritualism are
being printed more rapidly than ever be-
fore. "The book is most opportune,"
says Dr. Egan in his foreword, ''for half
the desolate world seems to be crying out
for the raising of the curtain between
this world and the next-'and with no
language hut cry
That the author should employ the
word "spiritism" instead Of Spiritual
ism" was to be expected, for in the ter
minology of theologists the latter word
has an entirely different meaning. The
reader has only to remember that spirit
ISM, as DR.. Liljencrants uses it, is
synonym for modern spiritualism; it is,
in fact, the form usually written in
France. As for psychical research, a
science frequently confused with spirit
ualism, the author takes pains in his
preface. to make clear his views:
"Psyehical research, which is rapidly
gaining recognition as a new branch of
science, is gradually bringing large por-
tion Of the spiritistic phenomena, and the
occnlt in general, into the realm of nature,
divesting tin its objective nature--Of
the attributes of a prete:natlral order
with which it until very recently has been
generally conceived. 1t is in an attempt
to adjust the theological verdict on spirit
ism to this new order of things that this
book is written"
Occult phenomena, says DIR. Liljen-
Grants, has been recorded in many parts
of the world in many ages, but he does
not admit that THERE'S logical or his
torical connection between these and the
movement which began at Hydesville,
n. Y, in 1S48-a movement already pre-
pared for in way by Swedenborgianism
and mesmerism.
DIR. Liliencrants does not set out TO de-
molish the work of the spiritists as scien-
fists He is to pursue the theological side
of the inquiry Theology, he says, is not
seeking new proofs of immortahty-''it
already possesses proofs to that fact of
nature infinitely stronger than could ever
be produced by a poor, weak, entranced
spirit medium. Nor does it absolutely
deny the possibility of intercourse with
the departed. Let these two things be
proven according to the rules of profane
science and theology need not open its
mouth. But when Il new revelation or a
new religion energies ii is time for theol-
ogy TO step in-in its rightful province
and to pronounce IFS verdict in the name
n RI -. 4. 4