STEAD: SPIRITUALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 3113, 12 November 1913, Page 75

STEAD: SPIRITUALIST.

QUEER REMINISCENCES OF A GREAT JOURNALIST. {Special to the Westminster Gazete.) Biography of an unusual kind is issued to-day by Mr Heinemann, in the fbrm of a book entitled “My Father.” The book is compiled by Estelle W. Stead, and is devoted to the ** personal and spiritual reminiscences” of the late W. T. Stead. The “spiritual” reminiscences predominate. The book might almost have been called “W. T. Stead—Spiritualist," so largely looms that aspect of the subject, but the author does endeavour, at the same time, to give a comprehensive account of her father’s remarkable career. His “ conversion ’’ at school is not forgotten, nor his journalistic achievement—on the Northern Echo, the Pall Mall Gazette, the Review of Reviews, and the abort-lived idealistic venture ofvthe Daily Paper; nor his interviews with the Czar of Russia and the Sultan of Turkey, nor his relationship with Gladstone, Gordon, Carlyle, Cedi Rhodes, and Madame Novikoff—“ the M.P. for Russia.’’ Considerable space, for instance, is devoted to the friendship with and the scheme which so nearly saddled Stead with the responsibility of dispensing the South African millions. Considerable space is devoted to this friendship, and very interesting indeed is the story disclosed: but one feels that the important section of the book so far as Cecil Rhodes is concerned, in the eyes of the author, is that which deals with the attempt to obtain a spirit-photograph of him after his death! Premonitions. — The essential beginning of the book is at the point where Mr Stead experienced “ his first premonition.” He had a premonition that he would leave Darlington and take up work upon the staff of a London newspaper. Relying upon this premonition he informed a friend : “ This is the last New Year’s Day I shall ever spend in Darlington. I shall leave the Northern Echo this year. Humanly speaking, I see no chance of my leaving Darlington, yet I have no more doubt than of my own existence that 1 shall'be gone this~ time next year.” And so it came about.

His second premonition was to the effect that upon a certain date he would have sole charge of the Pall Jdall Gazette. The conviction with, which he held to this led to an amusing scene with Mr Morley, the then editor. . . .

“ Nobody at the office paid much attention to my vision, and a couple of months later Mr Morley came to consult me as to some slight change which he proposed to make in the terms of his engagement, which he was renewing for another year. As this change affected me slightly, he came, with that courtesy and consideration which ho always displayed in his dealings with, his staff, to ask whether I should have any objection to-this alteration. As he was beginning to explain what this alteration would be I interrupted him. ‘Excuse me, Mr Morley,’ I said, ‘when will this new arrangement come into effect?’ l ln May, I think,’ was the reply. ‘ Then,’ said I, ‘ you need not trouble to discuss it with me. I shall have sole charge of the Pall Mall Gazette before that time. You will not be here then; yon will be in Parliament.’ “ ‘ But,’ said Mr Morley, ‘ that is only your idea. What I want to know is whether you agree to the changes I propose to make, which somewhat affect your work' in the office.’ ‘But.’ I replied, it is no use your discussing the matter with me. You will not be here, and I shall be carrying on the Pall Mall Gazette; so what is the use of talking about it?’ “ Then Mr Morley lifted his chin slightly in the air, and, looking at me, with somewhat natural- disdain, he asked : ‘ And, pray, do you mean to tell me that I am not to make a business arrangement because you have had a vision?’ “Not at all,’ said I. ‘You, of course, will make what business arrangements you please. I cannot expect you to govern your conduct by mv vision. But as I shall have charge of the paper it is no use your discussing the matter with me. Make what arrangements you please. So far as I am concerned thev are waste-

paper. I ask you nothing about the arrangement, because I know it will never , come into effect so far as it relates to my work on the paper.’ Finding that T was impracticable, Mr Morlev left, and concluded his arrangement without consultation” The Judge’s Sentence.— And so it came about. Another 'premonition told him the extent of the imprisonment he was to suffer as the result of ‘‘ The Maiden Tribute,” . . . “ When the inevitable verdict came and we stood up for sentence, the judge sentenced me to three months’ imrisonment I was so certain that I was going to prison for two months that I with difficulty restrained myself from saying; ‘My lord, have you not made a, mistake? It ought to be two months.’ I, fortunately, restrained myself. When I got ipto my cell I found that the sentence ran from the opening of the session, and that the precise period of detention I had to undergo was two months and seven days. The judge had come as near verifying my Tirediction as it was possible for him to do.” Again, there was the premonition of death. (Writing from prison, he said: “When I have my hour’s walk I perambulate the infirmary grounds round and round like a horse in a'thrashing machine, seeing apocalyptic visions of a new earth, in which * the only thing X see quite distinctly is that I am called to play a groat part and then get killed at the end of it «11 ’ In another letter he developed the same theme: “And I told the Bishop [Dr Wilkinson, of Truro] that I knew

what the end would be. That after the work was done which my living could do, I should be killed, and my killing would do more good than my life, and a lot more.”

At a seance held in 1881, the first Stead ever attended, the medium, a Mr Btirns, rose and solemnly addressed him as follows: “Young man, you are going to bo the St. Paul of Spiritualism!'’ but his interest in the occult languished tor some years, and was reawakened by Madame Blavatsky. The influence which most strongly affected his spiritualistic leanings, however, was “Julia” —an American journalist named Julia A. Ames.

Miss Ames was not a Spiritualist —she was a highly religious woman and a Methodist, very level-headed and possessing a great amount of common-sense. My father writes of her: “She was about 30 years of age, an ardent and enthusiastic Christian, and one of the most promising and gifted of the women journalists of my acquaintance.” Shortly after her return to America, Miss Ames was taken ill with pneumonia and died at Boston, and my father, to quote his own words, “never had the slightest idea I should hear from her again.- ’

It was by riteans of “automatic writing” that Stead maintained his communications with Julia, and it was a “control” named Frederick who persuaded him to try "his hand at automatic writing. The first attempts were unsuccessful, but persistent messages from Frederick, through another "medium,” urged him to try again I said, somewhat roughly, that I had given her two chances, and that I could not go on fooling around for ever with a spook that would not write when it got the chance. "Frederick” then wrote that Mrs D. begged for another trial. 1 said, “Well, I will give her one more trial, but I have not the time to waste sitting with a. pencil in ray hand, waiting for it to move, when I know all the time it never will write anything.” “Frederick’ then wrote that Mrs D. would be willing, if I would give her nine minutes in the morning before 1 began -work. I said I would, and the next morning I tried. Before. I had sat three minutes my hand began to move, very tremulously at first, and making marks that were at first almost unintelligible. After a little these marks became more legible,

and, at last, slowly, and apparently with infinite difficulty, a message was written out, imploring me to do what I could to save her son. When that one brief message was written the power seemed to be exhausted, and my would write no more.

His "hand was next controlled “by something who called itself ‘Henry L.,’ ’’ but it, or he, was discarded, mainly because “he repeatedly made egregiopsly absurd statements” about Stead’s friends. In addition to his communications with Julia, Stead also maintained intercourse with living friends by means of “telepathic automatic writing.” With regard to this, shortly before his death, he wrote : My own experiences justify me in feeling confident that, given a little more time and patience, and the study of the laws that govern this system of thoughttransference,, it will be uossible for us in time to communicate with eacli other as accurately without the aid of am instrument as we do now with the aid of the telephone or the wireless telegraph. 1 am an extremely busy man. and it is a constant marvel to me that I should ever bo able to attain tha-remii-site degree of passivity to secure accurate messages; but, notwithstanding all the rush and whirl of ray daily life. I have moments of detachment. If they were more frequent, I should make better progress. I sometimes say that I shall never he able to really solve this mystery of telepathy until ‘I have the good fortune to undergo another term of imprisonment. In the seclusion of a prison think that I might find out many things impossible to me in the hurly-burly of the busy world. —“Julia’s Bureau.”— The crowning accomplishment of Julia, undoubted Iv, was the institution of "Julia’s Bureau.” “I have long wanted to establish a place,” wrote Julia, “where those who have passed over could communicate ' with the loved ones left behind. . .” What is wanted is a bureau of communication between the two sides. Could you not establish some sort of office with one or more trustworthy mediums? If only it were to enable the sorrowing on earth to know, if only for once, that their so-called dead live nearer them than ever before, it would help to dry many a tear and soothe many a sorrow. I think vou could count upon the eager co-operation of all on this side. Julia’s Bureau was founded “to enable those who h<fd lost their dead, who were sorrowing over friends and relatives, to get in touch with them again.” It was formally opened on April 24, 1909, with Mowbray House as its London office, and Canißridge House, Wimbledon, as its “Inner Sanctuary.” , One of the most interesting features of the Bureau was undoubtedly the Morning Circle, when the staff met for communion with the helpers across the Border, and to ask for guidance and •help during the day. A chair was always placed for Julia at the head of the table. Each member in turn had to take the service—choose the reading and prayer, Julia generally selecting the hymn. The Morning Circle gradually grew to be a great meeting-ground for many who had thrown off the physical body and passed onward, to come and communicate with those still on the earth plane. Many were the religious discussions with, ~ and communications from, those who had filled high places in the churches of the world, as well as

exciting political discussions with those who had held prominent office in Parliament and State. People of all nationalities—stretching far back into the ages—came to that upper chamber, and all testified to the continuance of life and work after passing through the veil, and gave impressions—coming back to physical conditions, it appears to be Impossible to do more—of what that life and

work really Is. In all, the author states, over 600 persons received help and consolation during the three years t>f the Bureau’s activity, “and were confident that they had. been brought into communication with their loved ones who had passed on before.” —Stead’s “Passing—and Return.”—

The heavy financial burden which, fell upon Stead ultimately caused a considerable diminution of activity, but the Circle continued to meet until Stead’s death :

An attempt was made to expose Julia’s Bureau, shortly after its foundation, by a well-known weekly. It was a dismal failure. The representatives of the paper —although they came in the guise of authentic applicants wishing to 1 be put into communion with their “ loved ones ” never got beyond the threshold of the Bureau, »o vigilant were the workers on both sides. They were refused a sitting, but given at their request a list of mediums —to two of whom they went, ■the Bureau having nothing whatever to do with the visits. They based the alleged “exposure” on the results obtained from these mediums —and even then had to admit that some of the evidence they had received was difficult to explain, and, considering the “conditions” these gentlemen must have gathered around them, it was to be wondered at that they received anything at all.

The concluding chapter is headed “ His Passing and Return,” and closes with the following statement; Three weeks after his passing he came to the upper room in the inner sanctuary of Julia’s Bureau. In that room where he had himself so often spoken of the life to come, and conversed with those who had already passed onward, he—the beloved chief —came and spoke to those who prayed and waited, knowing he would come. Clearly he showed his face that all might see, and as it faded into darkness, his voice rang through the room, and he spake, saying. “All I told you is true.

There is a reference above to a spirit photograph taken of Cecil Rhodes. The narrative makes interesting reading : “There is a round-faced, well-set-up man here with a short moustache and a dimple in his chin. Do you know him?'’ said the pi otographer. “No,” I said, “I don’t know any such man.” “Well, he seems to be very busy about you.” “Well,” I said, “if he comes upstairs We shall see what we can get.” ” 1 don’t know,” said he. When I was sitting he said, “ There he is, and I see the letter R. Is it Robert or Richard, do you think?” “ I don’t know any Robert or Richard,” I said. He took the picture. He then proceeded with the second plate, and said, “ That man is still here, and I see behind him a country road. I wonder what that means.” He went into the dark room, and presently came out and said, “I see ‘road or roads.’ Do you know anyone of that name?’’ * (>f course,” I said, “ Cecn Rhodes.” “Do you mean him as died in the Transvaal lately?” said he. I said "Yes.” “Well,” he said, “was he a man like that?” “Well, he had a moustache,” I said. And sure enough, when the plate was developed, there was Cecil Rhodes looking 15 years younger than when he died. Of course, it may be said that it was well known I was connected with Cecil Rhodes, and that the photographer therefore would have no difficulty in faking a portrait. I admit all that, and therefore I would not have introduced this if it had stood alone as any evidence showing that it was a bona fide photograph or an invisible being. But

it does not stand alone, and I have almost every reason to believe in the almost stupid honesty, if I may use such a phrase, of the photographer. I am naturally much interested in these latest portraits of the African Colossus. They are. at any rate, entirely new, no such portraits, to the best of my knowledge (and I have made a collection of all I can lay my hands on), exactly resembling those portraits which 1 obtained at Mr B.’s studio.

“ I have dwelt more especially on his interest in spiritualism,” says the author in her Foreword, “ and have sought hi show, by quotations from his own writings, that spiritualism was indeed spiritual td him. And that it was his belief in a Higher Power that made him undertake many things which he knew, without that Power, would have been impossible.” ' “My father,” she says also, “ was always ready and anxious to give anyone a hearing who claimed to have any manifestations of the sixth sense—and a fair chance of proving their powers. He looked on mediumship as a precious gift. “Clairvoyants, crystal grazers, trance mediums, palmists, and every sort and description of person having any claim to the power to penetrate the veil, would be sure of patient hearing if they came to my father. For was it not possible among the many that he might find one who would be a perfect instrument of communication —and then there would be no ‘ stained glass.’ no colouring culled in passing through? The records of his investigations prove how sincere he was in the search.”