The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 18, 1898, Page 18

18 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1898. f =% DAVID:OTARR JORDAN ProE JosEPH LE CONTE ... FaTHER MACCORRY.... DR.JOHN HEMPHILL.... Rags) 1BV o DR ROBT A MS{EAN dent of the American Society of Psychical .arch, to the belief that spiritism is a re- and not a sham, and the frank admission or William James, the eminent psychologist of Harvard University, that he has found the phe- which were instrumental in the conversion T HE recent conversion of Dr. Richard Hodgson, that he has ever known, have aroused much interest in the thinking world. er since death first entered into the scheme of the human heart has longed to know the truth, - something of the truth, of the after death. The fact that such a distinguished and thoroughly relia- ble man as Dr. Hodgson has, after seven years spent | the most rigid investigation and unremitting study of the subject, openly declared that he is convinced that it is possible for disembodied spirits to return 1 hold communication with their living friends has ted a most decided sensation among the foremost students of such phenomena. ome of our prominent local scientific and profes- al men have expressed themselves on the subject ollows: I have not seen the full text of Dr. Hodgson's report f the singular case of Mrs. Piper, nor has he given —— the most striking features PRESIDENT DAVID STARR JORDAN, | Stanford University. | of this case to the public, because he regards them as too personal to the al- s > leged spirit of ‘“George Pelham.” All that I can give then is a tentative sum- of my own impressions. 1 see nothing in the report that would give to me ightest foundation for the belief that the spirit dead man called “George Pelham” had any fon with these phenomena. We may accept Professor James' statement that . was no conscious fraud in the case, and that Dr. Hodgson was not a conscious accomplice in any deception. We nomena, the operations or taking place unde puzzling to the ou of observe i dance with their own theories. ases of this type no revelation or out- above the intellectual level of the *‘me- Hence the silliness of all “revelations f the spirit world” thus far recorded—except fraudu- .nt ones. Professor James well says that “The spirit hypoth exhibits a vacancy, triviality and inco- ence of mind painful to think of as the state of departed.” he th that there are many subjective phe- ults of unconscious, unguided mental subliminal” nerve action, and that these special conditions are extremely r. We know that even the are liable to interpret these We giving ris: dium” himself. of “floating mind-stuff in the universe” itself in these grotesque ways seems to or James' remaining sugges- ect_one. Mrs. Piper's own v action “masquerades antastic tricks before that Profes tion is probably the co brain in its unconscious or cra in this ; and plays these hig® heaven, using its preternatural (I should say, rather, diseased or abnormal) powers of cognition and wmemory for the basest of deceits.” In all cases of alleged spirit manifestation (not e fraud) of which I have knowledge the plain ex- T s in the nature of the ed “medium.” In other I when not assumed or fraudulent) to the category of symptoms of nervous derangement ord e and their testimony has the same objective realit. ae that of the inebriate who mistakes the pressure of cerebral congestion for snakes and mice. The theories of witchcraft and demonlacal posses which troubled our grandfathers and which de- eived far subtler minds than Dr. Hodgson, rested on similar phenomena and were supported by many cases of abnormal mental action quite as difficult to ex- n. But these manifestations which failed to prove xistence of witches and devils likewise fail as fs of immortalit: . . While T cannot say that I believe in supernormal manifestations of any kind and can truthfully declare s ~ | that I have never had any SROF. JOSEPH LE CONTE, | bersonal experiences that | T.do not feel certain were | clearly explainable on T plain, stralghtforward, na- tural lines, 1 have yet always avoided taking the position of simply denying the existence of such mani- festations and experlences. It is most certainly possible that others can see University of California, and hear and know of things to which I am blind and deaf, and of which I am totally ignorant. I can only state that for twenty years I have valnly tried to obtain some positive proof of that to which Dr. Richardson Hodg- son has become a convert. Like many others, I found the questions of life after death and spirit return to this \ gn]r‘lh vitally interesting and I faith- { ully endeavored to learn the answer. I approached the subject with a per- Y=, fectly fair and open mind which if pre- disposed at all was predisposed to be- lief rather than to skepticism. Many of the exhibitions given were simply silly— too trivial and foolish in their nature or too obviously sheer humbug to merit the slightest serious considera- tion. Others again were puzzling and mystifying, but unsatisfactory in the extreme. Several experiences which I had were seemingly unexplainable by any known natural laws, but they were none of them of such a nature as to convince me that théy were caused by the disembodied spirits of humanity. In the majority—the great majority—of cases I be- lieve that the so-called mediums were merely mercen- ary frauds, who deliberately deceived their fellow creatures and trampled on their tenderest and holiest feelings—the longing for some word or sign from some lost loved one—for the sake of enriching themselves. In a few instances I believe that the medium was actually self-deceived and believed thoroughly in his or her possession of supernatural powers. Some in- dividuals in this latter class really astonished me in certain instances, but it seems to me that what is known as “mind reading” is the most rational and probable explanation of these cases. It is customary with many to account for certain mystifying things by saying that ‘“‘our senses deceive This is untrue. Our senses never deceive us; we deceive ourselves often through errors of judg- ment. Any one who studies the theory of vinocular vision as I do knows that there are hundreds of facts upon which we base judgments that drop out of con- sciousness; indeed, much that we call “intuition” is based on such facts—things experienced but gone from our consciousness. Light gives us nothing but color and the existence, direction and intensity of light; form, distance and size are all matters of judgment, and judgment is not always Infallible. Hearing gives us less than sight, since it gives us little or no idea of direction and our judgment regarding sounds is often very poor. What we see and what we hear, therefore, being so greatly matters of judgment, it is not at all strange that the “believing” frame of mind upon which mediums insist helps us to see and hear many things which really do not exist. The materialism of the present age is so strong that any positive proof or assurance of life and con- sciousness after death would be most gratifying to many of us, but my efforts to obtain such assurance have been most signal failures. After twenty years of investigation I am not con- vinced, but in fairness I must say that I do not feel justified in denying the possibility of spiritism. I simply hold my mind in suspense, with, however, a strong tendency—born of my many experiences— toward skepticism. Spiritism in some form or other is as old as the world. You will find it responsible for the great T 3 apostacy.of ‘the:Centiles REV. FATHER MACCORRY, | Which fllowed the con- s ipag usion of the tongues of Paulit—St Marys Chureh. | Bapel, It was practised S Eee o gt e - by the magicians of the Orient and the oracles of Greece and Rome as far back as history will carry us. Its comparative recent development, however, that of table-turning, table-rapping dark-room seances, ete.. took form in our own country somewhere, I think, about the early forties of the present century. Are not the phenomena produced by certain me- diums difficult to explain? They are! But first of all T believe that nine out of every ten so-called achievements are arrant and un- mitigated humbug. How often have they been demon- strated so? Many instances occur to me even now whers#the witnesses of seances locked the door and having secured the operator found all the parapher- nalia of legerdemain. Other performances may be ascribed, perhaps, to mesmerism or animal magnetism, while a small residuum must be referred to some pre- ternatural agency. That agency cannot be God. Why, the whole Scriptures are ablaze with his indignation against the practice. “I shall be a swift witness against the sorcerer,” He says in one place. And Y 3 = ili = apunog ) [0 I again, “There shall not be among you a consultor of spirits or a wizard or a necromancer, for all that do these things are an abomination to the Lord.” We are forced back then upon the only other possible alternative—that such phenomena as cannot be ex- plained on natural grounds are the production of sheer and consummate deviltry. The criteria of demoniac invasion as laid down by the Catholic Church for the guidance of exorcists,in this connection are interesting. They are seven: 1. Power of knowing the unexpressed thoughts of others. 2. Understanding of unknown languages. 3. Power of speaking unknown or foreign tongues. 4. Apparent knowledge of future events. 5. Apparent knowledge of things passing in distant places. 6. Exhibition of superior physical strength. 7. Suspension of the body in the air during a con- siderable time. Now, of course, while this enumeration does not pretend to exhaust the power which the devil may exercise among men, we have yet to hear of an in- stance in modern spiritism which will not, at least in- directly, classify under some one of these headings. If we but examine with some diligence the nature of the phenomena presented we will have little difficulty in attributing them to their proper sources. All satanic invasion brings trouble and perturba- tion, while the incoming of the Holy Ghost is calm and full of peace. No man who is not terribly deceived could refer the violent disorder, the trembling and foaming at the mouth so common with spiritist me- diums to other than evil influences. The Lord was not in the fearful wind that rent the mountain; He was not in the fire that seethed it in flame, but in the still, small voice that made the prophet step forth from his cave to listen. When God comes to us M his gracious visitations all is serene and sweet. There is no disturbance of the physical system, no whirling, no wringing and twisting of limbs, no abnormal development or exercise of the faculties to mark the advent of the spirit of love. How can you explain such strong minds being at- tracted by the tenets of spiritism? Ah, yes; that is why I hate it so. It takes ad- vantage of a man in the hour of his weakness. We lose a friend. The trial is sharp, keen, suffocating. The house is lonely. The world is dark. Our hearts are empty. The separation is insufferable. Then spiritism approaches us and says: “Come with me to-night, and in the darkness and the shadow if you cannot hear his voice again at least you can hear the tapping of his hand!” It les! If he hears anything from the spirit world it is the drumming of the claws of Satan. In the afterglow of bereavement there always comes an instinctive longing to commune in some way with our dear departed. Most of us have felt that. It seems part of our nature. But oh! I pity deep down in my heart a man that can satisfy such sacred long- ings with the miserable, stifled, half-utterance of the seance room. 5 The Catholic doctrine of the Communion of Saints, and it alone, can bring into the heart made desolate true consolation and the peace of God. “Spiritism!” I once said to a man who had dragged his outraged physical organism—a mere wreckage— from its grasp. “Spiritism!” he repeated, “I would to God I could gather up all the raps it has ever heard from spirits damned or saved and gather them all on its own head in one thundering rap of annihilation.” I hate spiritism, too, because it is an affair of dark- ness. Speaking of Saul, you will remember he con- sulted the Witch of Endor by night. He did not go in the day time beeause he was ashamed. Besides that, he knew that this medium, like all her succes- sors, performed her exploits by night. The Daven- ports, the Fowlers, the Foxes, the spirit mediums of all ages have chosen the night or a darkened room. I wonder why? Are the souls of the saints of God creatures of darkness or creatures of light? Would you want the soul of your child that cied last year to come down from its place by the throne of God to crawl under a table in g darkened room? ‘Would God permit it? Spiritism is an affair of darkness! I wonder why? Does it fear God's light? Besides that spiritism is a social curse. It stabs at the heart of the marriage sacrament. It stabs at the life-principle of the state. Has not the licentiousness enacted under its pa- tronage been a stench in the nostrils of the Almighty? Has not the law been invoked to stop the crime? Has not its ‘“elective affinities” and “affini- tal relations” driven some of our men and women into open profligacy? One of its public organs has declared that “marriage is the monster curse of civil- ization.” Have you read the address of a certain woman on “Woman's Rights,” read before a recent spiritist convention? It appeared at the time in the Banner of Light. “I am aware,” she says in part, “that I have chosen almost a forbidden subject; forbidden from the fact that any who can or dare look at the marriage question in the face, candidly and openly denouncing the institution as the sole cause of woman’s degrada- tion and misery, are objects of suspicion, of scorn and opprobrious epithets. * * * She (meaning woman) must demand her freedom; her right to receive the equal wages of man in payment for her labor; he’x: right to have children, when she will and by whom. May God keep back the day when our women shall have such ‘“rights” as that! I tell you a religion that would advocate that prin- ciple alone is unclean, adulterous and damnable. But spliritists, father? Oh, yes! *“We love the sinner, but we hate his sin!” ey Looking at the matter as I must from the stand- point of & medical man the widespread restless curi- osity of the present day in regard to those phe- nomena which our scien- tists have designated as ! spiritism, hypnotism, tel- epathy and “super-normal” influences and occurrences seems deplorable. I ‘do not deny that there are mys- teries in this world which no man has as yet satis- factorily explained. Such mysteries surround us and are parts of our dalily lives, but we are accustomed to them and therefore accept them as simple facts of existence. Wonderful things are to be seen and heard and experienced continually, but we have been rendered carelessly indifferent to them by reason of their con- stant and systematic recurrence, or by the familiarity which has robbed them of their interest. Our fore- fathers would see evidences of witchcraft and demon- ism where we see only practical application of forces which give us the modern conveniences that have become necessities. Leaving this aside and dealing strictly with the matter in hand it may be said most solemnly that when people begin to try to reach out into the un- knowable they are reaching out toward their osn mental destruction. The first step taken in this diree- tion is the first step toward the lunatic asylum. This has been proven times without number in the past, and most assuredly will be proven over and over again in the future. The man of woman who devotes him- self or herself to this line of speculation, investiga- tion and experiment will inevitably become more or less insane. Correct mental poise is impossible to those who here seek to solve the questions which are common to us all concerning the hereafter. Look up the records of those who have attempted this in the past; watch the careers of those who are attempting it at the present time and you will find that my words are true. Sanity and investigative spiritism cannot exist together in the same individual for any great length of time. ROBERT A. McLEAN, M. D. . . As a minister of the gospel I must and do believe in spiritualism—spiritualism of the highest and holiest +—————————— 7 kind, the spiritual life which comes to be a part of the true Christian life. ‘ Spiritualism, using the E . _ word in iis best sense, is a part of real religion—the religion which is a vital and blessed fact, animating and dominating the pos- sessor’s earthly existence and giving him or her the comforting and uplifting assurance of blessedness to come. In what is known as “spiritism” I have no in- terest and with it I wish to have no commerce. I will not deny that there are things in this world, many of them, which I do not understand; very many thingsindeed which even the most advanced scientists who make a study of the mysterious and the hidden cannot hope to fathom in this present age of the world. We are surrounded by mysteries into which we are not expected to pry. In the fullness of time, perhaps, these mysteries will be mysteries no longer. At the present moment I confess that I am dreadfully afraid of them. The impatient hand that tears open the bud will not possess the perfect flower—that has JOHN HEMPHILL, D. D, Calvary Presbyterian Church. been ruined in the process. The man who waits pa- tiently and trustfully for a promised blessing receives and enjoys it at the proper time. Whatever is meant for us to know will be revealed to us sooner or later. ‘What I most distrust and dislike about spiritism is the devious paths into which it seems to lead its devotees. Those who yield themselves to its influences rarely if ever find a satisfactory return for their ef- forts to discover the truth concerning the strange manifestations and phenonema upon which it is founded. Those who devote themselves to trying to solve the here unsolvable problems concerning the life beyond unfit themselves for performing their duties in this life. Twenty years ago a lady came to me and told me that her daughter, then a mere child, was the center of certain mysterious happenings which alarmed and puzzled her, and asked my advice concerning the mat- ter. It was evident that the child was what is called strongly “mediumistic,” and I thought over the mat- ter very seriously before expressing my opinion. Then I advised that the mother discourage and ignore the peculiar conditions and phenomena as much as pos- sible, believing that this course would ultimately re- store her to a normal state. Years afterward that mother and daughter came to me and thanked me most warmly for my stand in the matter. Grown to womanhood the daughter felt that she had escaped a great peril and was more than grateful to me for the words which had placed a barrier between her and the strange influences which had surrounded her early youth. ., Perhaps I should feel differently about this line of investigation had I not seen so much of absolute fraud and deceit connected with it. I was especially in- terested in the proceedings of the Philadelphia board of inquiry, which, being supplied with funds for the purpose, made an exhaustive study of spiritistic phe- nomena a few years since. Paul’s warnings were meant not alone for his own age, but for all time, and we should do well did we lay them to heart and meditate upon them more than we do. ai e te No man can speak intelligently concerning a sub- ject of which he knows absolutely nothing. This is a self-evident proposition, and therefore I will say candidly that I cannot | speak of spiritism or any - L ____'of the supernormal phe- nomena which are engaging the attention of some, of our scientists. I do not mean by this that I have never given such subjects any thought; far from it On the contrary I have devoted time and money to investigations along this line. and have endeavored to learn all that is possible of such matters, with the result, however, which I have stated. I have learned nothing whatever that has either helped or satisfied me, but I have learned that in most cases so-called medinms practice the most cruel and wicked decep- tion for the sake of material gain for themselves. T do not wish to say one word against sincere and honest believers in the doctrine of spiritualism. There are many very intelligent and excellent persons who subscribe to that faith and are fully convinced of its truth, and such persons are surely entitled to the respectful consideration of us all. I can only say that it has been my misfortune, in spite of all'my earnestly directed efforts to the contrary, to see only such maui- festations as lacked the power to convince me of any- thing save the existence of certain forces of which we at present know very little. The day of belief in the supernatural is, I hope and believe, nearly past. This age is a practical one, and we are beginning to realize that in time all things which puzzle us now will probably be clearly ex- plained on natural lines. The science of psychology is something which we shall be able to grasp after awhile. Like all hidden forces it is little understood now, but it is undoubtedly the science of the future. Psychology is neither a mystery nor a supernormal thing; it is a plain, prac- tical science, founded on principles which are capable of demonstration and application. Some day in the future humanity will realize and profit by this. At present we are, as far as real knowledge goes, mere infants in the cradle of the great Creator; centuries hence we shall attain our full stature and become perfect men. Meanwhile we must learn to creep before we try to walk; we must learn our letters before we try to read, and we must make mistakes in order to learn by experience. RABBI M. S. LEVY. I have never investigated, never had time to in- vestigate the extraordinary phenomena classed as — ———————— spiritism and other forms of belief considered as heterodox by the ortho- dox world. My own mind = on the essential qgestions 1 this life and the next became fixed many ,;'g:x?; ggo and I do not care to have the foundations of my faith disturbed. 1 am convinced that restless- ness in this direction is the worst manifestation of the age and the immediate cause of individual, social . and political demoralization. There is nothing more beautiful than the conception of guardian angels, who watch over us, while we are perhaps unconscious of their presence, and this exquisite truth or fancy, Whichever it may be, is common to the race and con~ sistent with every form of theology. HENRY E. HIGHTON, Attoney. WORK BEGUN ON THE BIG SAN PEDRO BREAKWATER OFF LOS ANGELES Will Cost Several Million Dollars When Completed, and Will Ad1 Another Important Harbor to the Pacific Coast. NE thousand three hundred and three dollars nineteen cents eight mills per day. That is the amount the Government will ex- pend for one thousand days in the construction of the San Pe- dro breakwater, off San Pedro, com- mencing with the 12th day of Novem- ber, 1898. Mr. Neu, the junior member of the firm of Heldmaier & Neu of Chicago, whose contract with the Government for the construction of the breakwater was signed August 12, was in this city in the past week in consultation with Major Charles E. L. B. Davis, United States engineer officer, and en route to Los Angeles, where he will at once be- gin the preliminary arrangements for the actual work of construction. Since the report of the commission, composed of John G. Walker, Rear Ad- miral, U. 8. N.; Augustus F. Rogers, Assistant United States Coast Suryey; ‘Willlam H. Burn, Richard P. Morgs.ni and George S. Morrison, recommend- | ing San Pedro as the proper site for | the comstruction of a Government | breakwater, on March 2, 1897, Southern California_has been aglow with antici- pation. This emotion has been quite equally shared by all portions of the State, directly or indirectly to be af- fected in a commercial sense by the expenditure and the permanent re- sults of such expenditure of more than three million dollars to be appropriated by Congress. The contract made with Heldmaler & Neu calls for the performance of I bor and furnishing material that must exhaust the first annual appropriation of $400,000, by ivovember 12, 1899; and so the work shall continue until more than thirteen hundred thousand dol- lars of appropriations hall have been applied to the construction of the breakwater. This milllon and a half of money to be paid to the Chicago contractors for The survey as made by the Government en semi-circular breakwater beginning at a point from the east shore of Point Firmin, extending a mile south of the jetties already constructed. foien am o e rerien o Enhon m; 1 al ‘oin rmin, wi orm a sure Xxge that will be perfect, not only in artificial ggind:trumct'lg;.mb.utnfi into a re * z natural protection. There neer officer contemplates a hree-eighths of a mile dl easterly along a line about will” be erected on which, In addition to the light- the construction of the breakwater does ! not represent all that is to be expended in the completion of one of the finest harbors for commerce and safest refuge for vessels that the waters of the world can boast. The Government contemplates ‘the improvement of the inner harbor between the jetties al- ready constructed, by deepening that channel at an estimated cost of about $400,000, of which amount $50,000 has already been appropriated. 'Add to that the construction of wharves and erection of lighthouses and the prob- able extension f the breakwater be- yond the specified 8500 feet of length, and the expenditures of Government money at San Pedro will in the course of five years considerably exceed three million dollars. In fact, four millions would be nearer the figure. ‘The pro- posal for bids under which the con- tract with the Chicago firm was made providés for an increase in the length of the breakwater, if found practic- able, not to exceed an aggregate cost of $2,900,000; and while that increase would not be great in number of feet. owing to the increased depth at the east end, it would greatly enlarge the outer harbor and add to its safety as a refuge. The survey, as made by the Govern- ment Engineer Officer, contemplates a semi-circular breakwater beginning at a point three-eighths of a mile distant from the east shore of Point Firmin. extending easterly along a line about a mile south of the jetties already con- structed. There will be erected on either end of the breakwater a light- house, which, in addition to the light- house now maintained at Point Firmin, will form a sure guide to the mariner into a refuge that will be per- fect not only in artifictal construction, but in natural protection. The sub- structure of the breakwater will be 198 feet in breadth at the base in nine fathoms of water, and it will have a surface breadth of superstructure of twenty feet. The sunerstructure will have a breadth of base at mean low water of thirty-eight feet and a height of fourteen above that point. stant