6

out, but a demon that makes these answers so as to deceive the hearers.' The writings of spiritists themselves confirm this view. Swedenborg, for example, says: When spirits begin to speak to a man, he ought to beware that he believes nothing from them, for they say almost anything. For instance, if they were permitted to describe what heaven is, and how things are in the heavens, they would tell so many lies, and indeed with such solemn affirmations that a man would be astonished. Let men beware, therefore, how they believe them. For this reason the state of speaking with spirits on earth is most perilous. They induce so strong a persuasion that it is the Lord Himself who speaks and commands, that a man cannot but believe and obey' (Spiritual Diary, N. 1622).

6

"The late William Stead, also writing on The Seamy Side of Spiritualism,' says: There is little difference of opinion among the better class of spiritualists themselves as to the moral and physical degradation which overtakes the professional medium. A system cannot be defended which wrecks the moral and physical health of its votaries. The phenomena of trance which are to be witnessed at the séance, when the medium professes to be taken possession of by any intelligence, are not such as to commend them to any prudent man or woman who has any respect for his individuality. When in the trance, as it is technically called, women who cannot bear the smell of tobacco will smoke a pipe as eagerly as an inveterate smoker, and teetotalers will drink whisky as eagerly as if they were habitual drunkards. To expose yourself to all the chances of such things may be justifiable, if out of the midst of all the temptations and suggestions to mental and moral disease you have a tolerable certainty of being able to gain any counterbalancing advantage. But so far as I can see the chances of ordinary men and women are too slender. The tree of knowledge of good and evil seems to bear so much more evil than good that Eve had better stay her hand.’

"Even the spirits are said to testify against other spirits, for 'Imperator,' the spirit guide' of Mr. Stainton Moses, says: 'The lowest spirits, those hovering near the earth, are those that most frequently manifest at circles, and simulate characters that do not belong to them.'

"Therefore, having both the testimony of God's Word, and the evidence of some who have tested it, against spiritism, we cannot doubt its lying character. Its chief promoter can be no other than

the father of lies'; for, as this method of communication has always been forbidden by God, it follows that it is only rebellious and therefore wicked spirits who do communicate in this manner.”

Mr. SYDNEY T. KLEIN wrote: I agree with Dr. Schofield that the name 'spiritism' is preferable to that of 'spiritualism,' but I would suggest that his statement that the former denotes only that which is spurious and evil' is, in our present ignorance of the forces apparently behind its manifestations, rather too sweeping. From the many statements of scientists who have personally witnessed these forces, it is, to my mind, becoming as difficult to disbelieve as it is to believe in their existence, which is saying a good deal. It is well to keep an open mind for new discoveries, and we may be sure that when, by further patient investigation, we have learnt the nature of those forces, the truth will be made manifest.

'I have learnt to look upon the whole world of appearances as being spiritual, all the forces of nature are our finite outward aspect of spiritual activity, and I am so far optimistic as to look upon even this strange movement of spiritism as part of the great Divine purpose, perhaps necessary at this materialistic stage of human mentality, to help us to think more clearly to our advantage. I have followed the movement pretty closely and have not yet seen any proof that would satisfy me that the dead can communicate with us through mediums. There is evidently much fraudulent pretention, but there are also many mediums who are, I think, quite incapable of conscious fraud. A medium when in trance has lost, to a great extent, control over her thoughts, and is therefore abnormally sensitive to suggestion; she believes that she is controlled by or is actually the dead person with whom it is desired to communicate, and she concludes that the thoughts flowing through her mind are those of that person. There seem to me to be two probable explanations. The first is that she is unconsciously acting the part. Take an example of an actor on the stage, who throws himself wholly into his personification. Henry Irving, when he was asked how he felt when he acted Mephistopheles, said: 'I feel that I am the devil'; and those who have visited any of our large asylums have seen similar delusions in those who have lost their self-control: a lady of high culture will, for instance, be seen sitting erect in her armchair; she is Queen Elizabeth, and looks it, giving orders to her admirals and

ministers of state; but we don't jump to the conclusion that Irving is controlled by the devil, or that the spirit of the dead queen is speaking through that lady. The other explanation is the one given by Dr. Schofield, namely, that the subconscious self of the medium is abnormally sensitive to the thoughts of those standing round, either in some form of thought reading or by what is called telepathy. The instance given by the writer in the case of Professor Myers is very pertinent, and I think strongly conclusive against the belief in spirit communication.

'May I suggest that the writer is also rather jumping at a conclusion when stating that some forms of insanity are caused by being possessed by an evil spirit. Minds with weak control are ever open to auto-suggestion and, in place of the milder delusion of being good Queen Bess, they, unfortunately, sometimes think they are the devil or one of his imaginary subjects. Possession by evil spirits was believed in from ancient times and appears to have been generally accepted at the time of our Lord, but has been swept away by progress in science and medical diagnosis. Dr. Gore, in his new book Belief in Christ, says that much of the demonology in the Gospels may be due, he thinks, to misunderstanding on the part of the disciples.

"In looking at the spiritual as the only reality, it seems to me impossible that there can be such entities as the devil or evil spirit. We have indeed inherited many violent passions and propensities from our animal progenitors, and these crop up with more or less virulence in those minds which have not learnt to control them by spiritual realization. Those propensities were not wrong in the purely animal nature, but take on the appearance of evil in the human being when they come in contact and therefore in competition with the good, beautiful, and true of the spiritual in man. Evelyn Underhill, in her charming book Spiritual Life, well says: It is true that every man has within him a tempting spirit, but its characters can better be studied in the Zoological Gardens than in the convolutions of a Theological Hell.'

"I agree with the writer that there is great danger, especially to women, who are more sensitive and imaginative than men, when they willingly lose their self-control by attempting mediumship or by frequenting spiritistic séances; it has certainly proved disastrous to many."

Reply to Mr. Klein by Dr. SCHOFIELD: My verdict of spurious and evil' is dependent on my premiss that modern and ancient spiritism are the same. This disposes of the strange suggestion that spiritism is part of the great Divine purpose'!

Belief in possession' has not in any way been 'swept away

by science or medical diagnosis. On the contrary, the latter has established it in many cases.'

H

651ST ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING.

HELD IN COMMITTEE ROOM B, THE CENTRAL HALL, WESTMINSTER, S.W., ON MONDAY, MARCH 12TH, 1923, AT 4.30 P.M.

GEORGE ANTHONY KING, Esq., M.A., IN THE CHAIR.

The Minutes of the previous Meeting were read, confirmed, and signed, and the Honorary Secretary announced the election of Miss D. Johnston as an Associate.

The CHAIRMAN then introduced the Rev. Professor A. S. Geden, M.A.,

66

D.D., to read his paper on Value and Purpose of the Study of Comparative Religion.”

VALUE AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION. By the Rev. Professor A. S. GEDEN, M.A., D.D.

IT

T is no longer necessary to apologise for the claims or to urge the importance of the study of Comparative Religion. The youngest of the sciences, it has won for itself a place in the foremost rank, and in importance and interest is second to no other. If there is a science of sciences, the science of Comparative Religion may reasonably claim to hold that place. It concerns itself not with dead matter, if matter indeed there be, but with the living thought of man; and not with the present thought only, but with every thought of the past as it has touched and been illuminated by the spirit of truth and faith and unbounded hope. If the mind is greater than the body, then a science that endeavours to understand and to classify and to make available for present and future profit the highest activities of the mind is not of secondary importance, but primary, and should be of interest to every one. And although the movements and endeavours of the mind may be more elusive than material qualities and forces, and lend themselves less readily to dogmatic assertion and description, they are incomparably more influential for the happiness and well-being of the human race. The wedlock of mind and matter, close as it is, is not equal. Mind