SIR A. CONAN DOYLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 291, 6 December 1920, Page 7

SIR A. CONAN DOYLE.

A CONFIRMED SPIRITUALIST. 1 HAS FORSAKEN NOVEL WRITING. ! Among the passengers by the Maheno from Sydney this afternoon is a man ' whom very few of us expected to see in k his present role—Sir Arthur Conan ' Doyle, tlie creator of ""Sherlock Holmes" ' and the writer of an excellent account of * the Boer war. He has come out to the p colonies for the exprcß* purpose of pro- ' pafratingr Spiritualism, and he does not a display much enthusiasm for any subject ' outside that very debatable one. Many | j people who scout the «trance pretensions ' ' of his pet "ism" still have a great regard t for his literary works, and would very much like to know and discuss things in general with their creator, but he merely | tolerates reference to such things nowa- I x days. In this respect he is very much |' like Sir Rider Haggard, who seemed' , rather ashamed of his very readable I hooks once he was bitten by the agricul- ; s tural microbe, and was driven to ,20 about. 1. , le.-t tiring and investigating the best way ' to get the largest mangel wurzel or the j tubhiest cow. Sir Cunan D..yle is wrap- * per up heart and «>ul with Spiritualism, and he says h» is simply here for the J purpose of enlightening people on the matter. He "say* he is simply here to ■' talk about what' he has seen and handled. , • When he was asked if he intended to write any more books he disclaimed his intention of writing any more novels ' unless he can see a novel that will help * the people to more clearly understand.' Spiritualism. He intends to write an j account of his visit 1o Australia and New j Zealand, and will call it "The Wander- , j inigs of a Spiritualist." It is the same with everything. No matter what sul>- j ject is broached, he gets back to the one ,' uppermost in his mind—Spiritualism, j" Sir Conan is a big man with a very * broad head, and is not unlike Lord , j Kitchener in appearance. | At the two lectures which Sir Arthur j will deliver in Auckland on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings of this week he will ' cover the "whole subject of spiritualism, | and at the second he will show some remarkable psychic photographs, all of which he will explain and guarantee. The box plan for both lectures ie now open at Lewis Kady'e. Queen Street.