MODERN SUPERSTITION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10301, 4 November 1911, Page 4

MODERN SUPERSTITION.

("Tho Queen.'') From the days of Saul and the Witch of Endcr down to the Servian peasant who lately murdered a man to una part of hi 3 flesh in a "black magic" ceremony iu order to discover hidden jewels of which he had draamed, mankind has sought desirable or guilty knowledge from witches, seers, spirits and other supernatural mediums; but that modern English society should do so scorns us incredible as it is reprehensible. And yet, unfortunately, there is too much evidence to this effect to deny the charge, however much ono may wish to do so. The degrading superstition new permeating certain strata of London society is exhibited in several forms, from the trifling with Eastern and especially mystic religions to crystal-gazing and fortune-telling; from occultism to palmistry, and from divination and spiritualism to seeking "tip,';" for Stock Exchange speculation and betting on horse races. The best-attended "At Homes" during tho nnst London season have been those at which it was announced that tho smartest "gazer," palmist, "Egyptian" fortune-teller, American medium or other quack would attend. We are. told, and with such circumstance that we cannot deny it. that engagements to marry have been made or broken off, journeys advised on, and even dates cf functions and the names of possible guests dictated by professional seers j while, impossible as it may seem, a responsible organ of tho Press declares that a Avell-known financier changed his residence because the " mystic number" of his house name gave out adverse "vibrations," and that a managing director of a powerful corporation employs a woman mystic at a regularly yearly salary to advise him in all his business transactions.

That gamblers should bo superstitious is easily comprehensible, but that educated English women should lend themselves to such ignoble beliefs and degrading actions as those referred to is beyond belief. Possibly this phase of "occultism" is a mere fashionable fad, and will yield to some other crazo next season. Even then it will not have passed harmlessly away, for it will have left behind it a moral weakening of the character of all who have dabbled in these mock mysteries, theso stupid seances, these fraudulent divinations. For, bo it well understood, all these "manifestations" of alleged spiritual, psychic, hypnotic or telepathic power have been well paid for by their dupes. These '' professors," seers, ga:;crs, mystics, mediums or what not, mostly hailing from the land of wooden nutmegs and other cute Yankee " notions," requiro and receive huge monetary considerations for exhibiting their spiritual prowess. Long lines of carriages of tho wealthy, long queues of distinguished people have not been ashamed to wait on these vulgar, money-making impostors in order to obtain information regarding the future, their fortunes, whether in love or finance, their futures, whether,in this world or tho next! Servant maids are deemed silly because thoy " cross with silver" tho hand they submit to a gipsy, and gipsies are punished by law for fortune-telling; but wealthy and aristocratic patrons of crystal-gazers and mediums are thought "smart" by society, and seeni and professors wax fat on the gifts of their victims, and live in luxurious suites of apartments in fashionable hotels.

It is this professionalism that net only vulgarises all this "seeking after truth," as some of its votaries dignify their cult of superstition, but does harm to the Ecientifio study of that marvel of creation, man,, and his wonderful attributes. Undoubtedly there are "more things in heaven and earth" than are dreamt of in our philosophy, and it is man's duty as well as pleasure and profit to seek to know all that can be known about himself and his surrounding, about his past and his future. But truth is a delicate, elusive thing, not to be evolved by force or discovered by fraud, much less by vulgar, mercenary and ignorant quacks, who despise abstract truth as much as they fear the concrete truth about themselves. Not only are there many things not known in the realm of physical science, but in that of psychology there in still room for patient exploration and investigation. For thousands of years mankind ha 3 been investigating the mysteries of the mind no less than those of Nature, and if " occultism " be the latest society fad. psychical research has been going on from tho time of the Neoplntonist, Porphyry, who dealt with prophecy, tho movements of inanimate bodies (untouched), apparitions of spirits, their replies to questions, tho falsehood of those replies, the " levitation" of mediums, and so forth, down to the Society for Pyschical Research, founded in 1882, and still pursuing its investigations. At this moment a reward of £IOOO is being advertised for satisfactory proofs cf thought transforonco by some wellknown gentlemen- in Louden who are convinced that the existence of ghosts, spirit rappings, etc., are all nonsense. Tho phenomena referred to by Porphyry were all attributed to saints and witches from time immemorial; and apparitions, especially of the dying or the dead, the stereotyped disturbances in haunted houses, and the miraculous healing of diseases are current in classical and mediaeval records. The exhibition of remote or even future events to gazers in mirrors, crystals, vessels full of water, or drops of bloorl or ink, are equally notorious in ancient, Oriental, lnedheval and modern literature, while the whole range of these phenomena is found in Chinese, Japanese, j Hindu, Ancient American, "Red Indian ! and savaae belief. From St Augustine '■ to Bir "William C'nwkes, clever, thought- ; ful. earnest and honest men have investigated these subjects, and the mere recital of the titles of the works written on them would (ill this column. There is, therefore, not the least excuse for ' ; thoso in search of novelty or excitement ; to pretend to be seeking after truth when amusing themselves with the clap- ' trap of paid "professors" of humbug ' by whatsoever liiuh-souuclin/r title they j may call it. There is unrest in the : mental, spiritual world as in the political and labour world, and many earnest : minds are—and iiave for hundreds of years, been—thinking deeply " on all these things " ; but for modern society to affect to take them up, as a draw-ing-room entertainment or as "parlour tricks," is as insulting to the truth as: ! it is ridiculous for them to pose as ■'students.' - Barring speculators and , ga molars, a.M "- 1 — £ - J Emoted t.g take j

part iu nny of these mental orgies should read John Wellington Wells's song in "The, Sorcerer," and laugh themselves out of the morbid state of mind which .seeks pleasure in the mummery of paid mystics and the antics of very substantial spiritists. All superstition is degrading, whether it leads to burning witches or consulting quacks with reference. t:> match-making or money-making, or any other sordid and selfish undertaking.