< Mme Blavatsky (continued from page 3-88) >
as Dr. Beard. But 1 am obliged to confess that I really do not believe in having done any good—at least, any practical good— to Spiritualism itself; and I never hope to perform such a feat as that were I to keep on bombarding for an eternity all the newspapers of America with my challenges and refutations of the lies told by the so-called “scientific exposer.”
It is with a profound sadness in my heart that I acknowledge this fact, tor 1 begin to think there is no help for it. For over fifteen years have I fought my battle for the blessed truth; I have traveled and preached it—though I never was born for a lecturer—from the snow-covered tops of the Caucasian mountains, as well as from the sandy valleys of the Nile. I have proved the truth of it practically and by persuasion. For the sake of Spiritualism I have left my home, an easy life amongst a civilized society, and have become a wanderer upon the face of this earth. I had already seen my hopes realized, beyond the most sanguinary expectations, when, in my restless desire for more knowledge, my unlucky has star brought me to America.
Knowing this country to be the cradle of modern Spiritualism, 1 came over here from France with feelings not unlike those of a Mohammedan apmoaching the birth-place of his prophet. I had forgotten that no prophet is without honor save in his own country.” In less than fourteen months that I am here, sad experience has but too well sustained the never-dying evidence of this immortal truth!
What little I have done towards defending my belief, I am ever ready to do it over and over again, as long as I have a breath of life left in me. But what good will it ever do? We have a popular and wise Russian saying that “one cossack on the battle-field is no warrior.” Such is my case, together with many other poor, struggling wretches, every one of whom, like a solitary watch, sent far ahead in advance of the army, has to fight his own battle, and defend the entrusted post, unaided by no one but himself. There is no union between Spiritualists, no entente cordiale,” as the French say. Judge Edmonds has said, some years ago, that they numbered in their ranks over eleven millions in this country alone; and I believe it to be true, in which case, it is but to be the more deplored. When one man—as Dr. Beard did and will do it yet—dares to defy such a formidable body as that, there must be some cause for it. His insuits, gross and vulgar as they are, are too fearless to leave one particle of doubt that if helloes it, it’s but because he knows too well that he can do so with impunity and perfect ease. Year after year the American Spiritualists have allowed themselves to be ridiculed and slighted by every one who had a mind to do so. protesting so feebly as to give their opponents the mo.st erroneous idea of their weakness. Am I wrong, then, in saving that our Spiritualists are more to be blamed than Dr. Beard himself in all this ridiculous polemics? Moral cowardice breeds more contempt than the “familiarity” of the old motto. How can we expect such a scientific slight-of-hand as he is to respect a body that does not respect itself? We ourselves brought upon our heads that shower of abuse lavished by his hand with the dexterity and ability of a drunken London cockney.
My humble opinion is, that the majority of our Spiritualists are too muck afraid for their “respectability” when called upon to confess and acknowledge their “belief.” Will you agree with me, if I say that the dread of the social Acropagus is so deeply rooted in the hearts of your American people, that to endeavor to tear it out of them would he undertaking to shake the whole system of society from top to bottom? “Respectability” and “fashion” have brought more than one utter materialist to select (lor mere show) the Episcopalian and other wealthy churches. But Spiritualism is not “fashionable,” as yet, and that’s where the trouble is. Notwithstanding its immense and dally increasing numbers, it has not won, till now, the right of citizenship. Its chief leaders are not clothed in gold and purple and fine raiments; for not unlike Christianity in the beginning of its era, Spiritualism numbers in its ranks more of the humble and afflicted ones, than of the powerful and wealthy of this earth. Spiritualists belonging to the latter class will seldom date to step out on the arena of publicity and boldly proclaim their belief in the lace of the whole world; that hybridous monster, called “public opinion,” is too much for them; and what does a Dr. Beard care for the opinion of the poor and the humble ones? He knows but too well, that his insulting terms of “fools” and “weak-minded idiots.” as his accusations for credulousness, will never be applied to themselves by none of the proud casts of modern “Pharisees;” Spiritualists, as they know themselves to be, and have perhaps been such for years, if they deign to notice the insult at all, it will be but to answer him as the cowardly apostle did before them, “Man, I tell thee, I know him not!”
St. Peter was the only one of the remaining eleven that denied his Christ thrice before the Pharisees; that is just the reason why, of all the apostles, he is the most revered by the Catholics, and has been selected to rule over the most wealthy as the most proud, greedy and hypocritical of all the churches in Christendom! And so, half Christians and half believers in the new dispensation, the majority of those eleven million of Spiritualists stand with one toot on the threshold of Spiritualism, pressing firmly with the other one the steps leading to the altars of their “fashionable” places of worship, ever ready to leap over under the protection of the latter in hours of danger. They know that under the cover of such immense “respectability” they are perfectly safe. Who would presume or dare to accuse of “credulous stupidity” a member belonging to certain “fashionable congregations? Under the powerful and holy shade of any of those “pillars of truth” every heinous crime is liable to become immediately transformed into but a slight and petty deviation from strict Christian virtue. Jupiter, for all his numberless “Don Juan” like frolics, was not the less considered for it by his worshipers as the “Father of Gods!”
One of Buguet`s Pictures
New Orleans, July 27th, 1875.
To the Editor of the Spiritual Scientists:
Dear Sir:—I have seen in several recent publications, and that too with a flourish of trumpets, that Buguet, the spirit-photographer of Paris, is also a fraudulent dealer in human weakness, for one can scarcely call it any other name. Spiritualists need not care for this, if they will only see its cause. Every effort of priestcraft, and church-power is being used to bring discredit on a movement that will eventually cause the absurdity of their long rule of power, to become apparent. Religion I honor; true religion I strive to follow; Christianity, as I see it practiced, I despise. Truth, like the spear of Ithariel, will demolish it at last; and we will worship God, not men; the Creator, not the created expounder of dogma.
I have in my possession a photograph of a well-beloved friend, taken by Buguet while she was in Paris a year ago A spirit-figure, claiming to be her husband's life-long guide, stands behind her chair, the whole head and face, clearly defined. The likeness, of course, no one pretended to know; but die wonder lies not in the spirit-figure, but in the fact that my friend's face, arms and body are covered apparently by a transparent, filmy, lace veil. So thick is this drapery piled upon her lap, that the black silk dress she wears is scarcely seen through it This drapery flows down from the head of the spirit-form, and literally envelopes the sitter, whose face is as plainly seen, one-third covered by this veil, and the like ness is as fair for recognition as if it had been sought for that purpose alone. I showed this picture to an acquaintance who claims to have some sense, as well as confidence in human nature; telling her how it was obtained, and how honest and earnest a seeker for truth my then absent friend was. After looking at it for about a minute, she turned to me with a sneer of ineffable scorn, saying, “And do you tell me that you can possibly believe for a moment that that thing is a spirit?” I replied, “It is easier for me to believe that every spirit in the hosts of Almighty God has descended to earth, and walks among men, than to think the woman who sits there, would have lent herself to a deception so grossly mean and wicked; and that veil never could have covered her in that way, if placed there by the artist, without her knowledge and consent; thus I am compelled to believe that it is what the artist claims—the manifestation of a power exercised by some unseen force in Nature, that he believes is spiritual; but which, in any event, cannot be explained by any known law, unless the spiritual be accepted.” The woman who sat for this picture has a mind as keen and clear as an Arctic glow, free from prejudice, seeking alone for truth.
I write and make this statement for our Cause. Every honest Spiritualist will do well to rouse himself, and if he possesses a lance to hurl in defence of Truth and Science, free inquiry and honest mediumship,—the time has come for that lance to be set in rest, and with the famous war-cry, “God and my right,” each man do his devoir as of old, else every right, even that of thought, win at length be curtailed.
Editor's notes
Sources
Spiritual Scientist, v. 2, No. 23, August 12, 1875, p. 266