Spiritualism in America
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:—It is impossible for me to find words to express the feelings of pleasure and gratitude with which I respond to your affectionate and hearty welcome, and to the kind greeting you have extended to me this evening.
I have been deeply touched, from the first moment of my landing in England, by the evidences of interest in my welfare, and anxiety for my safety, shown by innumerable friends, even by those from whom I could have least expected them, and I only wish I were worthy of half the kindness that you have lavished upon me. Much of the anxiety, though so kindly meant, was unnecessary, for I was favoured with very fine weather on my passage home, and my only source of suffering was the knowledge that my friends would be imputing all sorts of imaginary misbehaviour to the winds and waves, and would be distressing themselves uselessly on my account. Well, I rejoice to be amongst you once more, joining in the work in which I really delight, with renewed health and vigour. And let me take this opportunity of returning my sincere and grateful thanks to those who have carried on the secretarial work in my absence; especially to our friend, Mr. Algernon Joy, who has displayed even more than his usual efficiency and vigilance in keeping all branches of work, and all persons concerned, in the completest order.
I have been asked this evening to give an account of my spiritualistic experiences in America. Lest you should be disappointed with their paucity, let me remind you that my leave of absence was granted me solely on the grounds of failing health, and that I went away accompanied by warnings from my friends, and almost under a promise to some of them, not to enter into the pursuit of Spiritualism; and, above all, not to attend seances or public meetings. For some time after arriving in America, I had neither health nor inclination for any such pursuit, and I persistently refused all invitations to public receptions and platform-speaking. Nevertheless I had the pleasure of meeting and conversing with those honoured and distinguished representatives of Spiritualism who have long been so well known to us by their writings and their activity in our cause. From them I learned far more than I probably could have done in my two months’ stay by personal observation, especially as at that time of year the dwellers in cities, as is the case with ourselves, are dispersed in the mountains and watering-places, and the mediums are absent from their accustomed haunts. Here and there, however, I had the opportunity of witnessing some interesting facts, which I will narrate further on.
The testimony of the majority of the Spiritualists with whom I came in contact, pointed to the conclusion that Spiritualism in America is, as a movement, on a much lower footing than with us in England. It may be more widely spread, it may have a greater number of mediums, presenting a greater variety of manifestations; but, alas! such is the disorder and disrepute into which blind credulity, objectionable teachings, and unchecked and untrained mediumship have brought it, that most persons of good sense and of high moral character, and who value the peace and purity of their homes, refuse to associate with Spiritualists as a body, or to identify themselves with the movement. Of course, some hold back, as with us, from fear of Mrs. Grundy, who is as well known in America, I found to my surprise, as in England. The most earnest-minded Spiritualists look to England, and to this Association in particular, to clear Spiritualism of its follies and errors, and to place the subject in its proper light before the inquiring world, as a valuable, and, as Mr. Sargent wrote to me, a “demonstrable truth.”
Of course there are in so large a country as America, and where Spiritualism is numerically much stronger than in England, a very large number of persons to whom the above remarks do not apply. What I wish to convey is that the movement has no adequate corporate representative before the world, no standard of public opinion within itself, no central point of attraction round which to shape itself and by which to preserve its own integrity.
Mr. and Mrs. Newton, those earnest friends who stand at the head of the Society of Progressive Spiritualists in New York, have been for some time anxious that local organization should be attempted, if not upon the scale, at least according to the system, adopted by the British National Association; and they called a few friends together, to hear from me how the work was being carried on in England; but, beyond the evening’s discussion, no result is likely to ensue. Some friends in the Western States, as represented by the Rev. Mr. Watson’s Spiritual Magazine, are still hopeful of accomplishing organisation on a national basis, but their plans are, I think, likely to remain in the theoretic stage. In America national association is next to impossible, for geographical reasons; the country is too wide, the cities and centres are too far apart for any common action to be taken; but, at least, an establishment similar to our own might exist and prosper in each important city, if the right people could be induced to take it up. But I found few willing to join in such a work. One gentleman, with whom I discussed the subject very fully, and who has given it his best attention, assured me that he considered organisation impracticable, and that, if it were attempted, he should feel it his duty to refuse to join in the work, especially on account of the number of objectionable persons who are connected with Spiritualism in America, and with whose opinions and practices it has become identified.
At one time the American Spiritualists had amongst them a man eminently fitted to be their leader; one who had served and deserved well of his country, and who had shown himself capable of sacrificing his best worldly interests for the sake of principle; a man of varied experience and acquirements, a born orator, and one whose special talents for organisation and administration have been more than once recognised by the United States Government. I speak of Colonel H. S. Olcott. But the American Spiritualists did not know their best friend. When Col. Olcott perceived that Spiritualism was drifting towards imbecility from want of proper guidance, and that it was likely to founder from its own internal rottenness, he gathered together a remnant of faithful souls, and formed an association, or brotherhood, under the title of the Theosophical Society. The object of that society was to pursue the study of occult or psychical phenomena side by side with that of ancient and mediæval philosophy, and to seek for an explanation of the causes of such phenomena as are now presented in the wisdom stored up for thousands of years in the writings of Indian, Egyptian, and Grecian sages. In course of time, however, those members of the society who only cared for unlimited sensationalism in phenomena, and very little for philosophy, dropped off; the objects of the society were misunderstood and misinterpreted, and its leaders were regarded as the enemies of Spiritualism. Col. Olcott held steadily on his way, and the Theosophical Society, since reconstituted on a basis of secrecy, continues to flourish. Lately the work entitled Isis Unveiled, characterised by one of its reviewers as among the greatest literary wonders of the age, has been written and published by that society’s learned and distinguished secretary, Madame H. P. Blavatsky. Among the many themes of which it treats, this book contains some <... continues on page 4-106 >
* An address delivered at the last soiree of the British National Association of Spiritualists.
Editor's notes
- ↑ Spiritualism in America by Kislingbury, Emily, London Spiritualist, No. 277, December 14, 1877, pp. 277-9
London Spiritualist, No. 277, December 14, 1877, pp. 277-9