Evening star., 1924-11-20
STRANGE HEALING
SOCIETY IS DIVIDED
"Panaceas," in England, Are
Assailed as Departing
From Original Ideas.

Ey Cable to The Star and New York World.
LONDON, November 20.-An- air of
deep mystery surrounds the newest
activities of a section of the follow
crs of Joanna Southcott, known as
he Panacea Society. It's members
practice divine healing and, although
some remarkable cures are reported,
here are signs of schism, and al
ready one devout Southcottian has
written a protest against the use of
the Southcott name by the new prac-
ticers of the healing art.
The following of Joanna Southcott
are fairly well known. For more
than century they have been trying
10 force the bishops of the Church
of England to open a box of divinely
inspired writings which Joanna
Southcott, their prophecies, left at
her death. The present leader of the
movement is Mrs. Rachael J. Fox of
Falmouth. a quiet, but determined
woman, whose appeals demanding
the unsealing of Joanna's writings
lave harassed the archbishop of
canterbury and scores of English
bishops on more than few occa-
>iOnS
Mrs. Fox and the prelates of the
Church of England cannot agree
upon the conditions and circum-
stances of the opening of the box
Of Southcott writings For her part.
Mrs. Fox ayers they are afraid, and
declares otherwise they would open
The box and expose Joanna as fraud
and d"lusion. But the bishops do
not act.
Lately, while rcIinquishng none
Of their ardor for the opening of
the mysterious box, a section of the
!~outhcottianS, likewise under the
leadership of Mrs. Fox. has turned
10 divine healing. and already many
cures are reported, although this
phaS" Of the movement is only a few
months old.
IN" nomenclature of the healing
society is both mysterious and i'm
presSive. The utmost secrecy is main
1Lined regarding the manner in
which it moves, its wonders to per-
form
Mrs. Fox is president of the PAN
hcca Society, and under her are the
fOur, the Twelve, the Inner and Outer
Circles and the Circle of Probation. At
this point enters diSconcerting figure
in the person of /. Godwins. who
writes from Sentinel House, South
ampton:
desire to protest against the
tanacea Society using the name of
Joanna Southcott as upholding their
own or any of the other present
day methods of so-called divine heal
ing. The truth is, that Joanna
Southcott. in her book known as Let
terS and Communications pages A
TO %. emphatically warns mankind
against such practices, condemning
thnm as from the devil, and not from
God
This curious healing sect in ad-
minister;ng the new form of healing
besides depending upon Divine mercy,
puts its faith in certain little discs
of cardboard. The discs are dipped
in boiled water and then the water
is applied to the aiiing patient, either
externally or Internally.
The deepest secrecy surrounds the
preparation of the cardboard discs.
This part of the work is intrusted to
a woman styled the Eighth Prophet
esS. and known to the healing cult
as Octavfa. Octavia presides over
cult of some hundred Panaceans. who
live under the communal system in
the outskirts of London.
Il supervise the manufacture of
the tablets and prepare the secret
essence myself" said the Eighth
lrophetess.'' ''Since January last,
when the secret was revealed, l have
neen doing it, and the cures are won
derful."
Although not vouchsafing any light
on the origin of the strangely effica-
cious cardboard discs. ]. Carpenter
smith. press agent for the Panacea
Society, gave this account of the
work:
The method of healing is simply
to dip the impregnated cardboard into
pint Of boiling water and to apply
the water externally or internally as
the case may me.
The water is ordinary plain water
supplied by the patient himself, but
The cardboard is prepared by means
"f Il secret process known only to a
few officials Of the society. There is
uothfng commercial in the aims of the
society; all it asks is Il stamped ad-
.irvSsscd envelope from the patient
who wishes To avail himself or herself
-; the healing"
The uom-Cummcrciitl character of /
Do" healing vocation is fully borne /
Ut. The Ianacra Society returns
r"jh cash and checks forwarded by I
i''.rSonS who have reported them !
selves as cured Of all manner of |
ualadieS under the ministration of |
these strange modern healers.
tcopyright, 1921