Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-04-13
|SP|R|TUAL|SM REAL,
SAYS CONAN DOYLE

LONDON.-By mail.)-"Spiritua
ism is real-just as real as you or
l."
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who is
on mis- way to the United States to
lecture on the subject which has be-
come for him a religion, today made
this the opening statement of an i'm
pressive, exclusive interview. "You
can tell America" Sir Arthur said,
that I am utterly serious. I am
coming over. not in a commercial or
otherwise interested frame Of mind,
but merely to tell the truth Of spirit
uaIism."
The distinguished creator Of Sher-
lock Holmes has for several years
made deep study of psychic
phenomena. From being in the first
instance a scoffer, Conan Doyle has
become the leader of spiritualists
the world over. His books on the
subject are known in every coun-
lIys 1lS OSoIIA VI LIS SOIl1 h1llSu
in the World war, had a profound
effect upon Sir Arthur's views to-
wards the "life hereafter" He is
himself a healthy, outstanding broad
sholdered man.
Some of His Ideas
Gin spiritualism, we have to build
from below upwards; every brick
must be tested and laid" Sir Arthur
said.
"In all other cases of mystic
PHILOSOPHERS, they begin at the apex
and work downwards. 1t is, there
fore, easy for them to give answers
to large sweeping questions depend
ing on the future or upon conditions
outside our immediate knowledge.
ST think that if spiritualism be-
gan to do this, and to answer large
questions which must be more or
less speculative, it would lose that
claim for precise knowledge which
at present it can make.
Therefore, when faced with ques-
tions as to life on distant physical
worlds, such as the planet Mars, we
can give no decided reply. We don'f
know. When, however, we are
asked as to the conditions of post
mortem life, we are then, in my
opinion, in a strong and precise
position to answer, and we do SO.
We have detailed accounts from
hundreds of sources, each indepen-
dent of the other, which give us
clear conception of the life of those
whom we call dead. have had a
great number Of such communica-
tons myself.
"They differ only, and occasional
ly, in small details, as do accounts
from living people of the present
life in different parts of the earth,
but although some Of them differ
in spe-ulations, especially on the
question Of reincarnation, in the de-
scriptions of what they see and what
they feel and what they do there is
most remarkable agreement.
Three Modern Seers
1.-THE three great modern seers,
Swedenborg, Davis and Vale Owen,
each independent of the other, and
each asserting the same general sys-
tenn from direct inspiration, are con-
firmed by an enormous cloud of
smaller witnesses.
II think it is no exaggeration to
say that an earnest student can
form clearer conception Of life in
what Davis called the Summer
Land"-the goal to which all human
ity attains-than we can of life in
central Asia or central Africa"
Asked whether it is possible for
human beings to be prompted in
their every day business life by
spirits from the other world, Sir
Arthur replied:
MANY of the promptings which
come to us in every day life may
come from invisible assistance, but
none the less, if we consciously lean
on such spiritual promptings and
aids to too large an extent, it would
obviously destroy our own powers
Of initiative.
Sat the same time, I think it
quite possible for us, if we ask no
material gain, to obtain much val
liable assistance"
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle arrived
in New York April 9, and will lecture
and make special study of Sweden
borgian faith in the United States.
Copyright, 1922, United Press)
Copyrighted in Canada)