SPIRITUALISM

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 111, 11 May 1923, Page 10

SPIRITUALISM

SIR OLIVER LODGE AND

HIS BELIEFS

A SELF-CONSECRATED ARCH-

BISHOP

(»noH omt own coriiespoxdint.)

LONDON, 27th February. In addressing the members of Mark I, Toe H. ; on "The Destiny of Man," Sir Oliver Lodge said he was one of I those who believed in and was convinced by scientific evidence of a continued existence—that death did not change us, and that we were much the same after I it as before, retaining our character, our memory, and' affections. He sometimes talked .to his son Eaymond. He had a talk with him that afternoon, and there came unexpectedly a message to Toe H— not from him; it was spelt out to a medium through whom he (Sir Oliver) often I had talks with his friend, Mr. Myers, j with Eaymond, and others. They did ! not wish to be regarded as specially sact red or holy, but in a friendly way, like I the'other boys—not made o. fues of, but just as one of the,family. • Sir Oliver remarked that Mrs. Alfred Lyttelton now allowed it to be mentioni ed that she received messages from her late husband. Why some persons had this faculty of communication he could not say. But he could not say why some had the faculty for painting, or for music, or mathematics. They took things as they found them. Speaking of the destiny of man^ Sir Oliver said man must have a great destiny, both as regarded the individual and the race. The race had not existed on this planet very long—probably fifty thousand years. That was a trifle in the history of the world, which had lasted four hundred million years. The pain in the world would be oppressive if we were the creatures of a day. "Vfe shall have to live with ourselves through all eternity, and it is wise to make ourselves something worth living with," he added in conclusion. "There must be such an outcome I as none of us can conceive, and yet of which some glimpse has been caught by inspired writers." EVIL SPIRITS. Strong condemnation of occult practices was giyen by Dr. A. T. Schofield, in a lecture on "The Forces Behind Spiritualism," before the Victoria Institute. But spiritualism was not' all fraud, and he affirmed his own conviction that marvellous phenomena were actually produced, the. evidence being too strong for denial in certain instances of heavy furniture being moved, and particularly in the testimony of several well-known persons that they saw the famous medium. D. D. Home, float out of a window 85ft above the ground, travel 7£ feet to the next window, and there glide in feet foremost.

The chief force in spiritualiatic manifestations v?as that of evil spirits, ever seeking to possess the medium or inquirer, and many sorrowing war-mothers had been deceived by them. The second was also non-human, but it was less terrible, being merely freakish and useless, and was often imitated fraudulently by conjuring. This category included levitation and such performances as the floating by Home, luminous appearances, and automatic writing. We could only fall back for explanation on Maeterlinck's suggestion, that old demons loved to make fools of those who sought the secrets of the other world.

The third force was not superhuman, but consisted of occult powers that human beings mostly possessed. They were connected with the unconscious: mind, and thought-transference, which accounted for most supposed messages fiom the dead. The.'sitter was convinced by the truth of information about the departed, perhaps known only to the parent, bufc these details, presumed to come from the spirit world, in reality came from the sitter's brain, which the medium unconsciously read. Sometimes, however, this process might be combined with communications from evil spirits. Spiritualism was a heavy evil abundantly condemned in the Scriptures, and- Harley Street was making a good harvest out of its injurious influence. GREAT BARRISTER'S. CONVICTION. Sir Edward Marshall-Hall, X.0.. in an introduction to a new volume entitled "Guidance from Beyond," relates how he became a firm believer in automatic writing. It was about thirty years ago, when Miss K. Wingfield had been giving an exhibition of her powers. Asked to test the messages, Sir Edward took a letter from his pocket which he had received at his chambers in the Temple on the previous day. He placed letter and envelope in a clean envelope and sealed it. After a considerable delay the automatic writing wrought the message : "The writer of that letter is dead."

"This was handed to me by my sister," says Sir Edward, "and naturally caused me some surprise and increased my unbelief, but, wishing to clinch it, I asked another question: 'When and where did the writer die?'

"Again the answer came back: 'He. died yesterday-in South Africa.' I had mentioned no sex and given no indication of locality, and the answer, though curious,' seemed ridiculous, seeing that I had the letter actually written by the man said to be dead." The letter was from his brother in South Africa. Three weeks later he received a letter from Archdeacon Gaul, in which he said: "I little thought when I wrote you last . . . that I should have to tell you that your brother was found dead in his bed this morning." "I came to the conclusion, then," says Sir Edward, "and I still believe that message can only have been communicated through Miss Wingfield by some agency outside this sphere." ' NO HALF-MEASURES. Mr. James Bartholomew Banks, who j has started a church on his own account, j seems to have a sense of humour, and an instinct for advertising. At any rate, he has managed to get his picture into the illustrated papers and a generous ac- J count of his scheme into at least one" of the daily newspapers. It seems that he wears patent leather shoes, and sees spirits, and had three women as congregation at his first service. " My services," he said in an interview. " are short, as I, think long services nowadays bore people. To-day's service was a little rag-timey, I tear, but, it -\ijill be quite all right soon." The founder oE' the new " church " calls himself " Archbishop of Windsor and' Patriarch-elect. ' He is not yet thirty. - He stated' that he was " consecrated a, bishop," but he preferred not to mention the namo of the person who

" consecrated "him. " I became :i doctor of divinity when I became a bishop," said Mr. Banks. Ho lives in a small, comfortable flat attached to the church, and after service lie wore a brilliant scarlet cassock, with a gold cross on n chain round his neck. "'I was originally intended to talia holy orders," ho snid.

" but I never really felt happy at any church, so I have founded my own. My church is orthodox in every way, and my service is a revival of the old Roman liturgy. I have, however, made my church far more broad-mindod than any

othar. I have cut out the cringing parts of the service and the hell-fire stunts. The church is dedicated to men who fell in the war, and I myself have seen their spirits present in the church. Others, too, have seen them." A striking feature of the ne\y "church" is an altar draped in pink. The " church " is a large room, across wETc'h are hung little lamps that glow with a small red flame. The altar is lighted with candles. The air in the room is heavy with incense. The "'arclfibishop" wore an immense blue cloak over a white cassock. On the back was embroidered a. large black cross. His patent leafSer shoes had gold buckles, His finger* gleamed with rings. 'Mr. Banks bowed and knelt continually before the altar, er else prayed with' upstretched hands He administered Communion, and an as sistant rang a bell when fie gave a sign