Modern spiritism; its science and religion - SpiritArchive.org

186 MODERN SPIRITISM
Julia, established by Mr. Stead, and which, I fear, is
by no means a solitary example.
He went there in all innocence, in great grief,
having recently lost his mother, and soon got into
(supposed) touch with her; and then the interviews
became more and more frequent, but with most
disastrous results. One day, on the parade ground,
he gave a series of ridiculous orders, and he was
brought home a lunatic. He tried to kill his aged
father that night, obsessed by the vision of his
mother; and it was my melancholy duty to take
him, the next day, to a suitable retreat, a total
loss to the Army of one of their bravest and most
efficient officers.
With regard to the dangers of "possession," I
have already given some remarkable instances of this
condition, so that what I refer to is well understood :
for I believe that now, in this twentieth century,
there are cases in our asylums as clearly those of
"possession" by unclean spirits as ever there were
on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in our Saviour's
time.
The Rev. Cyril E. Hudson, in the Nineteenth
Century for May, 1919, says: "Spiritists know that
if
you rend the thin veil which separates this world
from the next, you can have no guarantee whatever
as to the character of the personalities which
will avail themselves of the rent. You are running
an awful risk."
"It is
simply puerile," says another, "to refuse
to face the possibility that evil spirits may rush to
the threshold when the door is opened."
A writer in the Occult Review says: "Spiritists