Evening journal., 1920-03-09
SPIRITISM FAKE,
SAYSNOVELIST
Hughes Declares Lodge and
Others are Either Bogus
or Buncoed"
ALL FRAUD AND
TRICKERY, HIS VIEW
BY LORRY A. JACOBS.
NEW YORK. March 5.-"Liars r.


Believers OF lies and missionaries
for liesr
These are the classincations into
which Rupert Hughes, one Of the
worlds greatest short story writer's,
divides those who believe In communi-
cation with the spirit dead.
Hughes, who perhaps has gone as far
in a study Of spiritisn as any person
in America, is perhaps its greatest dis
believer in Occultism.
America today is divided into four
classes, says Hughes.
% Those who believe in cOmmuni-
cation with the dead and hesitate TO
say so.
(2) Those who for their own gain or
because they are duped frankly declare
their beliefs.
(3) Those who do not believe, but
hesitate to say sa, because so-called
great thinkers" support spiritism.
(4) Those who admit they do not
believe because they haven't investi-
gated and won't do so.
what we need now" declares
Hughes, 'is a fifth class OF folk who
not only do not believe in spirltlsm, but
say they don't"
Lodge, Maeterllnck and Conan Doyle,
Hughes classifles as follows:
Lodge "A scientist who throws
science overheard.
Maeterlinck-A romancer who throws
common sense overheard
Doyle-A detective writer who can't
ietect.
DO not misunderstood me-" says
hughes, Il have all praise for Maeter-
lnck as a poet and playwright. For
Lodge as a man and physicist, / have
very regard. ! admire Conan Doyle's
ibility as a story teller.
But when Lodge talks OF spirits IN
stead OF electricity; Maeterlinck writes
OF trick horses instead OF blue birds
and when Doyle writes Of spooks and
not crooks, my respect ends.
Il say 10 these men: You are elther
bogus or buncoed.
Hughes thinks these three spiritism
leaders have been vicitimized.
But ! insist they do not tell the
whole truth"
Hughes, like Rim, is ready to make
the unqualified statement that every
thing mediums claim TO DO Is lrauu anu
trickery. He doesn't claim to explain
am these tricks, but he says every
mediumistic stunt" has a rational,
mundane explanation.
"For example," Hughes says, "a
prominent author published Dook
telling how New York medium ralseu
ueoplc from the dead. This medium
,yorkinQ in a dark room, produced rae
slmile signature sof those ne eaheu
back" IAN .
s.iord ~ mine found that the medium
obtained the signatures from telepnons
.ontracis saws Hughes. The medlun
- iho secretary OF a man who had
....e.- fo an the telephone contracts IN
80 YORK We found he drew out the
contracts bearing the names OF those
NJ ,vould summon before the seance.
hughes saws people are too prone 10
dssignaie as supernatural what they
,.snnof read ~. explain as natural. sci
enrs cannot investigate spiritlsm De
,.ouee there is nothing definite 10 WORK
rrom. Hughes holds.
~ odge admits others eaten ms meu-
,,,n1s taking" declares Hughes, 'Dut ne
80 hack TO them and says he believes
in tbem. Lodge is convinced before ne
goes. .. .h,t ,,io
late every law OF science, common sense
and experience2 These people bring
nameless suffering by deluding thou,
esnds into wanton waste OF their hard
earned money. -,
sTd rather dig in graves and steal
,oId teeth from the, jaws Of dead men
man impose on poor, grievlns hu-
manity as these humbugs with theT
faxed messages from dear ones.