The Cordova daily times., 1922-07-19
THEORIES OF
 CONAN DOYLE
 ARE REFUTED

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, July l9. Sir Conan Doyle's lectures in the Aca demy of Music here on Spiritism are receiving pointed criticisms from prom inent Philadelphians. Among others an answer to his claims has come from Prof. Paul l.. s. Johnson, one of the best known Biblical scholars ir America.
 He claims that "Spiritism is re vamped ancient necromancy-curren among all ancient heather nations as a part of their religiOn"- and that tthe spirit medium is the modern coun terpart of the ancient heather spirit familiar and necromancer and of the less ancient Indian medicine man."
 Prof Johnson declares that his un. derstanding of Spiritism is not only the teaching of the Bible on the sub- ject, but is also corrobated by multi tudes of reformed Spiritists, whose experiences with the spirits give Gin controvertible evidences that they are the devils underlings the fallen angels-palming themselves off as the dead"
 'I agree with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's intimatiOn to the effect that he has not a soft head" declared Dr. Johnson. "On the contrary, he has an unusually full and level head and, better still, a good kind heart. It strikes me that he has only one empty lobe in his brains. This vacu- um in his head is the absence of cor rect knowledge on the nature of the spirits with whom he communicates in spiritistic seances. This lack of knowledge on the subject, combined with his brilliant mind and kind heart, makes him an advocate of Spiritism.
 FAILS AS DETECTIVE
 "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the au- thor of the best detective story in existence, has failed completely as a detectives; for the persons that he is Investigating have completely deceived him and thrown him off the track as to their identity plans and works, if the Bible is true in it's teachings on the subject and if the testimony of multitudes of undeceived former Spir- itists is to be accepted
 Replying to the question, How has Conan Doyle been deceived as to the identity, plans and works of the spirits that he has been investigat- ing?" I would say, according to the Bible corroborated by the expert ence of multitudes of reformed spirit fsts-the spirits that appear in seances are not at all dead human beings, but fallen angels-devils or demons-who impersonate the dead. This is my reply to his request for an answer, as his claimed due, to his question as to the identity of his communicating spirits, the familiar spirits of the Bible.
 "These demons are wonderfully in- telligent, knowing all of us intimate 1y, even in the minutest particulars that most of us thing are completely secret from everybody except our loved dead and ourselves. They are also deeply deceitful being the lying spirits of the Scriptures. They use their knowledge and cunning to palm themselves off as dead friends and relatives.
 "lMPERsONATE OUR FRIENDS"
 "All of us know that when death sewers us from loved ones there is left an aching void in our hearts, which yearn for the return of fellow ship with the departed The fallen angels, taking advantage of this long ing, through Spiritism impersonate our friends and relatives the more thoroughly to gain influence over us to their advantage and our harm. The great success that they have achieved in this matter attests their wonderful knowledge of our lives and their al most unbelievable deceitfulness.
 +The activity of fallen angels - demons-palming themselves off as our dead friends and relatives is what genuine Spiritism is nothing more and nothing less. Thus Spiritism is simply revamped ancient necromancy, and the medium is the modern coun- terpart of the ancient spirit-familiar necromancer and Indian medicine man.
 "The question, why the spirits that Conan Doyle has been Investigating might not be his son, mother, etc., ,,yo,,Jd orcpo,. tooorJ;p,r +o tho D;b1c