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{{Style P-HPB SB. Title|An Irrepressible Conflict.}}

 

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| author = Olcott, H. S.(?)

| title = An Irrepressible Conflict

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The Boston Investigator goes out of its way to defend Prof. Tobin from our strictures, and insinuates that what we said of him was begotten by a dread of his exposing the frauds in Spiritualism more thoroughly than we would desire. It also intimates that we wrote without having attended Mr. Tobin’s lecture, and informed ourselves as to what he really said.

The Boston Investigator goes out of its way to defend Prof. Tobin from our strictures, and insinuates that what we said of him was begotten by a dread of his exposing the frauds in Spiritualism more thoroughly than we would desire. It also intimates that we wrote without having attended Mr. Tobin’s lecture, and informed ourselves as to what he really said.

We do not ask these people to believe in the occurrence of supernatural phenomena, for we do not believe in it ourselves. We do not require them to accept anything that cannot be as clearly and satisfactorily demonstrated as any phenomenon in physical science, for we occupy just such an attitude ourselves. Our knowledge of Spiritualism is the result of long and patient observation of facts, not a theory, the outcome of sentimentality and credulity. We never blamed the disciples of Comte and Herbert Spencer for demanding proof of our doctrines ; we simply denounce their dogged refusal to investigate them in the spirit of candor and impartiality, agreeing to stake every cherished notion upon the result. We take them upon their own ground, and say that if they approach the subject with a sincere disposition to learn the truth, we will meet them half way. But when they behave towards us and our beliefs with the insolence displayed by Sir Humphrey Davy, Faraday, Tyndale, Huxley, Stokes, and the pamphleteers of the English American scientific journals, we return scorn for scorn, epithet for epithet, blow for blow, and defy the whole circle to the colleges and academies, to put us down or seriously retard the march of our social Cause. And while we have a pen to write and an organ to communicate through, we shall denounce such scientific cheats as these “ex-lecturers of the Royal Polytechnic Institute,” who mislead the public as to the real scientific importance of the spiritual phenomena, by giving them the go-by, devoting their whole time to exposing the frauds which we all admit are mingled with them, and saying in so many words that the assertion that immortal man can operate from the world of spirit upon the world of matter is too ridiculous to permit of argument. Nothing could better express their views than the language of Lecky, in his “ History of the Rise and Spirit of Rationalism in Europe,” where he remarks that educated men receive an account of a miracle taking place—his idea of a miracle being something that controvenes their notions of gravity, chemical combination, and the conservation and correlation of force—“ with an absolute and even derisive incredulity which ''dispenses all examination the evidence''.”

We do not ask these people to believe in the occurrence of supernatural phenomena, for we do not believe in it ourselves. We do not require them to accept anything that cannot be as clearly and satisfactorily demonstrated as any phenomenon in physical science, for we occupy just such an attitude ourselves. Our knowledge of Spiritualism is the result of long and patient observation of facts, not a theory, the outcome of sentimentality and credulity. We never blamed the disciples of Comte and Herbert Spencer for demanding proof of our doctrines ; we simply denounce their dogged refusal to investigate them in the spirit of candor and impartiality, agreeing to stake every cherished notion upon the result. We take them upon their own ground, and say that if they approach the subject with a sincere disposition to learn the truth, we will meet them half way. But when they behave towards us and our beliefs with the insolence displayed by Sir Humphrey Davy, Faraday, Tyndale, Huxley, Stokes, and the pamphleteers of the English American scientific journals, we return scorn for scorn, epithet for epithet, blow for blow, and defy the whole circle to the colleges and academies, to put us down or seriously retard the march of our social Cause. And while we have a pen to write and an organ to communicate through, we shall denounce such scientific cheats as these “ex-lecturers of the Royal Polytechnic Institute,” who mislead the public as to the real scientific importance of the spiritual phenomena, by giving them the go-by, devoting their whole time to exposing the frauds which we all admit are mingled with them, and saying in so many words that the assertion that immortal man can operate from the world of spirit upon the world of matter is too ridiculous to permit of argument. Nothing could better express their views than the language of Lecky, in his “ History of the Rise and Spirit of Rationalism in Europe,” where he remarks that educated men receive an account of a miracle taking place—his idea of a miracle being something that controvenes their notions of gravity, chemical combination, and the conservation and correlation of force—“ with an absolute and even derisive incredulity which ''dispenses all examination the evidence''.”

{{Style P-HPB SB. Title|Untitled. “The Encyclopedia Britannica has an article...”}}

{{Style P-HPB SB. Title|Untitled. “The Encyclopedia Britannica has an article...”}}

We have referred to this article in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' because an opinion such as that cited above, in a publication of such high standing, is worthy of more than passing notice. No matter how wonderful the events that are related by the fanatics who generally make up the congregation of Spiritualists, their revelations have little effect an any one outside the circle of their immediate followers ; but let a man of some scientific attainments, and, moreover, a member of the Royal Society, and his testimony to the truth of these events, and we see that he may deceive even the very elect. It was generally understood, when the last edition of the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' was announced, that it was to be scientist in the best sense of the term, and, while giving due weight to popular beliefs and superstitions, that it would endeavor to sift away the chaff with which many of them are enveloped, and reveal their real character. We are to understand, then, from the article under consideration, that such investigations as have been made by some of the more distinguished converts to Spiritualism can properly he classed under the head of scientific experiments, which, while perhaps not absolutely conclusive, leave the matter ''sub judice''. When we remember the character of the evidence on which all the modern miracles depends, the difficulties if not impossibility of making a thorough investigation with the facilities afforded at a seance, and the complete exposure of all the notorious cases of spiritual visions, our readers will probably venture to doubt whether the treatise on “ Apparitions ” in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' either gives a clear understanding of the actual facts with Spiritualism, or re represents in any sense the views of scientists generally in regard to the matter. No mention is made, for instance, of the exposure of the Katie King fraud in this country, while the vision or this airy being, produced in England under the auspices of the same mediums, is given as one of the strong arguments for allowing Spiritualism to have a standing scientific men. For our part, we can say that we never heard of any event at a spiritualistic seance that at all approached the movements of the wonderful Psycho, in London, whose rationale escaped detection for months, with exhibitions in open day, and with apparently every facility for investigation that could he desired.”

We have referred to this article in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' because an opinion such as that cited above, in a publication of such high standing, is worthy of more than passing notice. No matter how wonderful the events that are related by the fanatics who generally make up the congregation of Spiritualists, their revelations have little effect an any one outside the circle of their immediate followers ; but let a man of some scientific attainments, and, moreover, a member of the Royal Society, and his testimony to the truth of these events, and we see that he may deceive even the very elect. It was generally understood, when the last edition of the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' was announced, that it was to be scientist in the best sense of the term, and, while giving due weight to popular beliefs and superstitions, that it would endeavor to sift away the chaff with which many of them are enveloped, and reveal their real character. We are to understand, then, from the article under consideration, that such investigations as have been made by some of the more distinguished converts to Spiritualism can properly he classed under the head of scientific experiments, which, while perhaps not absolutely conclusive, leave the matter ''sub judice''. When we remember the character of the evidence on which all the modern miracles depends, the difficulties if not impossibility of making a thorough investigation with the facilities afforded at a seance, and the complete exposure of all the notorious cases of spiritual visions, our readers will probably venture to doubt whether the treatise on “ Apparitions ” in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' either gives a clear understanding of the actual facts with Spiritualism, or re represents in any sense the views of scientists generally in regard to the matter. No mention is made, for instance, of the exposure of the Katie King fraud in this country, while the vision or this airy being, produced in England under the auspices of the same mediums, is given as one of the strong arguments for allowing Spiritualism to have a standing scientific men. For our part, we can say that we never heard of any event at a spiritualistic seance that at all approached the movements of the wonderful Psycho, in London, whose rationale escaped detection for months, with exhibitions in open day, and with apparently every facility for investigation that could he desired.”