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104 SPJRITU.4.L SCIENTIST.<br />
'than's mateh for all Ille wise counsellbrs of<br />
the Court of ~'rance; ber millUU'Y genius<br />
greater than the <strong>com</strong>bined skill' of the victorious<br />
generals of .:ngland I There 'vas a<br />
power In her 8upentltlbn which led. to vietory.<br />
Wbat was It?<br />
Can you tell the Q';akcr that the Inner<br />
IIght:"'tbe still small voice Is a delu.lon? 110<br />
has experienced Its monltlon8 too of len to<br />
beed you. Wo ha •., .eell powers produced<br />
by Mesmcrlsm in tho pe",on of an Ignorant<br />
lad, latent or acquired, by which in lillClllgellee,<br />
dleLion arid "ctlbn he would rise im·<br />
measureably above hi. ordinary normal condition<br />
and experience.<br />
'<br />
_ What wore thcy?<br />
• Can the <strong>com</strong>bloed fore,co of Scieuce Blld<br />
l'hll08ophy persdade I.he Splrltuali.t that 0ccult<br />
'orces l.a,·c not beeo at work in his p .......<br />
ence? No one doubts that a va.t amount of<br />
spirit wondcrs can be mimicked aud caricatured.<br />
/l large proportion' Is subject to raf,.<br />
lonal explanation wltbin the limits oC lIhy.l.<br />
cal law. Tbere is a1.'O an overv.'helo.h,g<br />
quantity of deceit Bimulating SpirituaJl.m,<br />
objeetivc aud subjective, to be encoUlitered<br />
by. luve.tlgat.onqJyet there Is a re.idue re·<br />
mainlng untollch~d. Intelligences are Ininvoked<br />
wbich no trickery or .elf Impo'ltlon,<br />
or any pbyslcal law, as ordinarily tiuder<br />
.lOod, can explain' ur .Imulate.<br />
What are tbey?<br />
, l>ld witcheralt and sorccry have no foun·<br />
dation In fact? What hideuu8 spell so bOclouded<br />
tb~ Intellect of thG b .. t men lit that<br />
age ot'8orcery to lead them to t .. tlfy ,In all<br />
Bolcmnity before a court oC justice, tbat they<br />
bad seco tbe victim. of witebc, aft Iloat :n the<br />
air alld Ily around tbe room, and tbat III<br />
spite of every precaution pin., knives and<br />
otber potty in.t.mmen .... of torture were to be<br />
found on tbeir persall.? What was th~ foundation<br />
of witchcraft?<br />
'<br />
lL Is u""Ie.... to dwell on tbe oft rc~ated<br />
explanat.on: 80perstitlou and Ignorallc~, and<br />
... bleh probably covered as much of Witchcraft<br />
as dece.t and bum bug covers Spi\iiual.<br />
,Ism al.d .Mesmeri"lD. The cry of delu_ion<br />
and balluclnatiol1 ollly DIak". the darkuess<br />
darker and brings us fl\Ce to face with other<br />
more insoluble problem ••<br />
Dr. Carpenter ha.s been lauded to the .kics<br />
,by Christian .ortbodoxy. ,U~. bas cheated<br />
tbem into prol.ing the harde.,t blow that<br />
tbeir Scripture.' has ever ",.stainl'd. l( thr.y<br />
accept his ccoclu..iobS ,Balam'8 Ass never<br />
.... w an an!l8lllor was ber tongue moved to<br />
.peak. Mary labored nnder a ballucina.<br />
tion wben Gabriel annoullced tbe <strong>com</strong>ing<br />
conception. The whole net-work of spiritual<br />
•• perlence aud .piritual blstory of t1.e Bible,<br />
and the Christian'. bope of salvation is ef.<br />
fectually demolished by Dr., Carpeuter's battle<br />
as. Anything ~o beat Spiritualls'D I<br />
Tbis occult power bas manifested ItselC in<br />
mallY varied form., in many degrees of bean.<br />
ty, utility and aspiraUollaJ dort., leaving<br />
nothing ulltun.cd, breaking IDto the most sacred<br />
place" 8urprlslo; us by Its utter Con_<br />
tempt for conventionalities, the conservation<br />
of science, philosophy and tbeology. When<br />
olle form i. de.troyed It b replaced by anotiler<br />
more my.terlou. and potent tban its pr ...<br />
dec""",,r., It i. h,.tinct!n thlliower' animal.,<br />
It is Inspiration In man. It Is the key whlcb<br />
wlll uulock all the roy.!lC31 words of evolution,<br />
biology and psychology. It I. In oue<br />
word-Itelii:!on, Not a ·creed·bolln,' v ..... al·<br />
age to a. cburch. or the mere rippon,ltag. of II<br />
priesthoud. ' Not un'Deanlng forms that fetter<br />
the Boul, but the free spontaneuus ouf,.<br />
bursts of tb~<br />
spirit as it r.scbes forward to<br />
tbe heaven, which It instinctively, insl,ira'<br />
tlonally feel. must be Its destiny. No church,<br />
n" party, no creed C311 monopolize this 0ccult<br />
prlrielple, tbis terribly prostituted prln·<br />
clple, called religion. It I. 811 free as tbe air<br />
of b.laven. It is tbe <strong>com</strong>mou property of all<br />
mankind. It caUDot be confined' within tbe<br />
lids of a. book nor be" feuced In by the JOost<br />
.acred enclusures. It Is yours, it I. miDC.<br />
The bihI. "f the air slog IL, pralses, alld by<br />
Its aid tbe ants prepare Cor the enmivc win- '<br />
ler.lt Is the b .... i. and tbe eud of' every<br />
form of life, and eve.·y thought J. but dn ex- •<br />
p ..... lon of Its e""!.ellce. lt i8 not confined '<br />
to the pure and .Inl_. TI .. barbarous ellief<br />
of a barbarollil !';\C/o III abarbarous age, gnilty<br />
of crime •• bocking eVen to tbose rude times,<br />
attuntd hi. beart and barp under Its influ·<br />
ence, alld gave to tbe ages a p.almody wbicb<br />
bas been a perrenulal oonrce of conoolatlon<br />
tc tbe weary travelers tbrough life'. pllgrl·<br />
mage.<br />
'<br />
We know not tbe full pow.. and plaotlc<br />
capacity of tbl. mystic principle, by Its protean<br />
character; it elud ... the grasp uf thosc<br />
who would monopolize 11 .. power. ills equ·<br />
ally at borne ill Occultism as in Spiritualism.<br />
It enCOl.rages tbo idolator and losplres the<br />
..illt.. .By Ita aid all thiQg>! arc pos.lble. "For·<br />
In truth. 1 say Ullto you, if ye b3VO faith as a<br />
grain of mustard oeed, ye s.y uuto this'<br />
mGulltain, ·nemove hence·to yonder. place,'<br />
and It Mhall relQQvc; and IIothlugsbali be im·<br />
1"",.ibI6 III you.'~
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