SUPERSTITION, MEDIUMS AND ILLUSIONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 599, 30 August 1909, Page 8

SUPERSTITION, MEDIUMS AND ILLUSIONS.

I < BX:DpTUDpR.,JONES;'/; ; ; ::i;;. ■,■':•£■ ■•'tißt';nigHt"'extra Seating]accommodation had ■ ■;;■.to be obtainij'd at ths .Unitarian: Free:. Church. j f Dr.'.' Tudor - Jones 7 announced'.that v he': iwould : :^:eMak ; s on;"Tb>|Dang'ersyto.-NewvZealand-frdm'- • ■•■■■■ &uperstition ( ..Mediuras',v Illusions/:and; Halludi-' •' ; . I/ha tions^Vpn ; all; the.-^unday'evenings .' ,°l»r,!i : ,;.ThV;preato : ;\; 'ing ,pnfa v :matte_r,:.'.ii)firthe;- greatest vimportanoe. i ■[''"Hβvfelt'|hat :: rthis: cbuntrß.was. in ; real ,1; vfroin vthe- infltix' -of 'q'u'acks.' and'/pretenders ;6f ■;;-v:''all-':kindsv'vyiibl 1 ■■ by ; .a of ■.•people--.in and' ■;'.jother'towns -acclamation.. "■ '.The.' speaker t kmdvo£:'i»dteridl ) '■;■!-. ,presented; ; tOithe?JEiepple iinder,-the-.name of reli- : fidn^'wqtild , 'chtcked,^ in kin-; nite r 'Jiariji;,/aiid?;w6.uld;..brin'g:Hthe : icpuntry iintb' : disfepute/'l^ltjwouid^eatV.atf^ ■ .'; .tan'eyoljitioh' of i religip'n",froina'-'the.sensu , dtis'.'tp 4v: ; tKei.'^!iical.^vln'- : th«?pnmitive r rworld/\Bhdr'in-.!' .';>-. deed right 'up.^to ptiri.iuodern 'times, . leligipii:: '■■•y.wes^lareely':B'.^liinß , ..pf>'th«;-Mnses—it, cb'nsisM-' .?:"-iB-the'things which are.'iiiiifeVy/seen'and heard. .; ;'",and. felt.>!.:-No. progress'icould 'take' ;place on :;-,:. .'lines.-v : We 'had; reached through •V /Ecience; and '.philosophy:. ; a:''cqnception .of ilife' : : v-. wh'iph:is. free,'from'.the" animismyof ■'the '■■•. past.. ■•:!> We "no loriger : believed in. : :angeTs'ahd.:demoh3| .. ■'•' : and > gdbd and evii'spirits visiting man.; .That / : st'age vof' thought ..belonged to .the best ;in the' , ' ; .;■ Old World) there was':real. danger^that:>,it\might come, to 'New.Zealand :to>liye.>.The ---: next, dealt'• with .';■ the,-mediums, .'and' ;> " was_ ready-.to believe : that many of' them; were ;.;'-. honest enough: in.'their.'.trarices'to ,believe .that ':-■ ;-they:-were' possessed -by': a'-spirit ;Troin '...ariother. ■ :^Cworld.'.;^. There^were: : ;thousands, of ;peppl& .in. :> • onr mental v hbspitals 5 who believed in; the. "same, 7 V; : kind-,ooff f thing..-, There had rbeen'. at separation,, i,'■'•'•■'a"cleavage';!-in , ' , ,their.'.personality.' '.'Hr'.: Tudor"; i' ;ft-Jonbsi pointedjpuf: ; next>;;that' in ;halWQJnatiohs ; a 'real M.finger: consisted,'if' these, V. , rwere!'developed.::and>'-not checked.-;. ; ;lnstances; ■■]■'■ : were brought 'from' Wales of the. hallucinations j . - ; '■'■: -;of sight and hearing,.: and', their r erave conse-: '. quences. ; : : 'Hallucinations','.-.' althongh ' occurring: :;:'£.* vf'* small 1 percentage of .sane people, n early.^al-; v ways'occnrred.iri the , -insane;-; They were/signsj 'i ■ -of disturbances of'.the' central ; nervous. organ-! : - 'always''showed; that s soiriething. was: ■■ ■' ■' ; ' on the" verge of - getting pnt; Of .-gear. ..-Illusions. i^S-'inigh i t.v.b6.,.develop«idi v by/- / taoking :the' memory k ' - : Image ; - : on • any iperoept 4n'.thb external ! - world,' : '. *. and , if-;the-,confused ■;memory..images '.wereVde-,. '.'•:-i yeloped) they, would'render : the'. person; : .i,or later unable' to .'distinguish .between 'the , /' ■ Teal ahd'-the' imaginary, loss-of:mental ability : , 'occurred in this way, and-further., a loss :o :■ :■■ stability of oharacter,-'and even, if.the'man.dic v~ : nbt-becomo a'nervous-wTepk.Vihe,would most ■■ ■ probably, \ become ■'■ a useless..intellectual; mem- ; vi.-zW °f society, , , giving further, the. v ':'■'■ real.:progress' 1 of.the' world.:,r"-:Dr,:-Jones .con- , :- : :>''eluded .by. stating':that ; ,we -needed .sanity'and. . Cultivation of mind and will .inUhis world, on ■ ■■'-' '.v -line's whichwere normal 'and rational. Nothing ; ■ but: this. would avail. for.' ,the' progress. of a -" ?1 -nation,"and Vnin imaginations originating only '■' • ■ in'a brain which was tired or slightly out .of i ; . -~:-"balance prevented the growth of all that was '■:<:. National and, individual '■ ; - down to the -level of:the past, and;undid all : . • the work of civilisation' and culture. This was -"■ which v we heeded here to-day.. ■