SPIRITUALISM.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5558, 8 April 1905, Page 7

SPIRITUALISM.

A LADY “MEDIUM.” VISIT TO WELLINGTON OF AIRS LOIE F. PRIOR. Mrs Lofo F. Prior, a noted spiritualistic medium and lecturess in the United States of America, who is to commence a mission at the New Century Hall tomorrow evening, is an interesting person. She is a soft-sneaking woman of middle age, who iias seen more of life than is tho lot. of most of her sex, an experience tliat has had a refining influence on her naturally intelligent mind. She is frankly positive in , her belief, and is prepared to converse with all candour on that subject, which some minds sot down as psychic mysticism, and others perhaps as “pure rot.” The lady medium is a native of Carson City, up in the Itocky Mountains in tho wild .State of Nevada; but though that is her native city, she hesitates to say exactly what city she belongs to, as tor tiie last twelve years sho'has led a nomadic existence, visiting all parts of tho United States, Canada, Mexico, and oven penetrating to frozen Alaska, under Die theosophic banner of tlio National Spiritualists’ Association of tho United States and Canada. Prior to her departure for Now Zealand —m reply to a “call” from Wellington—Mrs Prior resided at Seat-tle-—on the Pacific slope—as resident minister of tho First Spiritualists Church in tliat comparatively new and flourishing city. As such, she hold the full powers of a minister of any recognised religious constitution, and christened, married, and buried her felloivs as occasion demanded. Airs Prior’s row was a pretty hard one to hoo when she settler! in Seattle, for there was a municipal by-law or ordinance in force that classed “mediums with fortune-tellers, phrenologists, palmists, and the rest of them, and thc c o were not allowed to put up their signs and tell about “the dark gentleman from across the water” without taking out and paying lor a license. This Airs Prior determined not to descend to. Tho tax-collector called for some advice, and incidentally asked il she did not intend to pay for a license. Her answer was’positively negative, so ho thereupon produced a warrant, and told 'her she must consider herself under arrest. She was brought before tlio Court, but states tliat the proceedings bordered on tho farcical, and in tlio end slio was dismissed. She was determined to have tho law altered, however, and was anxious that a test case should ho made. In the meantime a new City Council was elected, and Airs Prior was brought before a. committee, and cross-examined for two hours. Tho result was that tho by-law was altered, and her faith was recognised as legitimate, and subsequently she was vested with tho powers of a properly ordained minister.

Asked whether she could quote an instance whore a man had boon convinced despite himself-of tho deep truth of Spiritualism, Mrs Prior replied that there were hundreds of such instances., “Ones in Cleveland. Ohio, I was visiting a friend in tho evening, when a gentleman came in, and in conversation asked tor proof. I told him that his father stood beside him at that moment. ‘My father is alive,’ he said. I insisted that he was dead, ‘That was at 7.30 in the evening. The next morning I received a note, staling that the gentleman whom I had met had been called away, to Now I orb, his father having died suddenly at 5.30 tho previous evening- Ho was convinced !”

Mrs Prior says alio only became aware of her powers as a medium some twelve years ago. At- first she was totally unconscious when she wont into a trance ; then gradually she became only halfconscious, and now, while in a trance and ‘hinder the influence,-” she is wholly conscious of what is going on around her. She explains this by the fact that while working under an influence she would* for instance, be able to see a fight taking place in the audience, or she would notice a woman’s bonnet—if it was a nice one. Her own mind wa.s a thing apart from the influence that was .using her merely as a medium. The consciousness of her power came to her in. Salt Lake City, Utah, twelve years ago, and since then she has lectured and “demonstrated” over the greater part of North America.

“There is one thing X would like you to explain,” said Mrs Prior. “A great many people believe that we Spiritualists do not believe in God our Saviour. That is altogether erroneous. Our belief is based upon tho-highest religious teaching—indeed, it is the actual realisation, on earth of the Biblical life hereafter.'” During her peregrinations the lady medium has visited a groat number of prisons and asylums, and in none of such institutions lias she been able to discover an inmate whoso religion is set down in the records as that of a Spiritualist. She contends that this is proof of the effect of their line of belief, which dcos nob permit of any wrong-doing. Before returning to America Airs Prior hopes to visit other parts of New Zealand and also Australia.