, 1922-04-14
PASSING OF

~h every man would give to the world what he
is best qualified TO give, and that only" observes the
use the gifts the world doesn't need from him. or is
better supplied with. existence here below would be a
much better balanced affair.
Here is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. for instance.
Millions of people IN two hemispheres waited on his
every word when he was using the real gift that was
his. He is a born story teller, and the world needs
good stories. We could not have too much Sherlock
Holmes. Like children who will cry for no other medt-
cine but the one with the attested label, we demanded
the one and only Sherlock Nobody could give hin
to us but Sir Arthur, and suddenly Sir Arthur snatched
him away and announced that he had something better.
The creator of Sherlock Holmes had made one OF
those distressing discoveries men arc always making
about themselves. He discovered that his real gift was
not for story telling, but for spiritualistic revelation
1t was as Il Raphael after starting the "Transfgura-
ton" had announced that painting was just a diver
sion for him, and that his real gift was for olive -cul-
ture, to which he should henceforth devote himself.
Men would have said. Of course. that Italy had plenty
of olive growers, but never could have too many. Ra-
phael canvnses. So of Sir Conan Doyle. The world
has plenty of spiritualistic dscoyerers, but too few
good story tellers-
"Sir Arthur, after revealing himself in his new
role in England and Australia, has come TO the United
States with his message from the spirit world. He is
welcome, of course, and will have a hearing. But
what a falling off is herei The creator of Sherlock
Holmes, who had entertained and delighted a vast
American audience, comes now to urge us to dismiss
Holmes and to take something substantial, real and
nttested in his plaee-spirits of the other world!
Holmes was fiction, says Sir Arthur in effect, and
not worthy our serious thought. Spirits are real, and
therefore much more important Holmes fooled us
merely; there was no such person and he did no such
things as are recorded of him. Spirits are telling US
the truth; they exist and the things they do must not
be Chased with the trivial exploits OF romances.
"But many of US will feel that Sir Arthur has his
values badly mixed. Sherlock Holmes is much more
real than the spirits Sir Arthur is now interpreting.
The things that Holmes did, too, sensational as they
were, were much more rational than the things the
spirits do; not more rational only, but more useful,
constructive and valuable. Holmes attacked bad mem
bers of society and uncovered their frauds and misdo-
ings- He was on the right side. The spirits, despite
all the high minded and sincere men like Sir Arthur
have done in their behalf, are still the agents of many
persons who prey on society quite as much as did the
criminals whom Holmes pursued. 1t is hard not to
feel that the creator of Holmes ought to be exposing
the frauds of the spirits, or of the humans who pretend
to speak and act for them, rather than to be on their
side helping them. Sherlock Holmes would not have
been deceived by the phenomena which Sir Arthur
now accepts as semitic fact. Holmes would have
shivered all that false structure into so much poor
lumber. He would have been delighted with the case
IL Sir Arthur had assigned him to it, and all of us
would have been delighted with his handling of it.
"But Sir Arthur decided otherwise. He rejected
Holmes as fiction and accepted the spirits as real.
Americans will hear his case, but viii regret he is not
on the side Holmes would have taken The world
needed the gifts that gave it that matchless detective
and exposer of fraud. 1t cannot feel that it needs
the gifts that would give it spirits and their human
helpers in their place."