SPIRITUALISTS AND MEDIUMS

Otago Witness, Issue 3898, 27 November 1928, Page 70

SPIRITUALISTS AND MEDIUMS

FIGHT AGAINST MATERIALISM. POLITICAL POWER. (From O. Own Correspondent.) LONDON, October 16. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has outlined the means by which Spiritualists hope to •Rain political freedom through using political power.” The statement was made at a luncheon to Sir Arthur and Lady Conan Doyle on the eve of their departure for South Africa. The need had been brought to a head, “ e ,” y Gie recent prosecution of two bpirituahsts who were com-icted -under the obsolete Vagrancy Act.” “ The prosecution was technically successful,” oir Arthur said. u and we have to meet the situation. It will all be a blessing in disguise if it really arouses us to energetic action. “ We have a weapon to our hand. That weapon is political—there is no other one. roul do not get justice in this world by waiting for it; you have to go out and call for it. It would not be sufficient, he said, merely to approach individual candidates; they had to go to the beads of the parties. e want to point out,” ne continued, that mediums are needful for our religious and scientific work, and that interference with our use of them or with the development of them, is religious persecution.” ” The Home Secretary, to whom this had been pointed out, he added, had given a discouraging reply. “If the Conservatives show that they can or will do nothing for us, our choice lies between Labour and the Liberals. We are not. to be despised. 1 think 200,000 is p T modest estimate of the Spiritualist voter I am sure there are 10 Spiritualists for every Communist. are we ’ 1 organised in our churches and the situation can be explained from our platforms. Remember that is really a great cause for which you fight. Matters of the spirit—those gifts which St. Paul stated were the very signs of the earlv Christian —are denied bv the law of England. ” “Black materia" ounds us. We * have to break through this. We have to let the light of the Spirit into this benighted world. We represent the young hope of the world among all the decayin" forms of religion which surround us. “ Everybody who thinks of the 7,000,000 of war dead in Europe alone, must think also that this has come after 1900 years of Christianity. It will be urged that we are mixin" religion with politics. What of it. Does not the Church of England? Do not the Nonconformist Churches? It will be said also that we are loosing a flood of charlatanism.' The charlatans exist now. When things are legalised we would ourselves find means to cleanse ourselves from these people.” Speaking of his mission to Africa, Sir Arthur said, “ the tour of tropical Africa will be an ordeal, but as long as I have 1 spirit help I fear nothing at all. When that help fails I shall know that rav job is done.”