Occult, Psychic and Spiritual Realms - The Emma Hardinge Britten ...

116 HARTMANN'S WHO'S WHO
In December, 1921, while alone in the city of Los Angeles, California, we casually
entered the basement room of a neat looking Spiritualist Church where we noticed
the sign "Trumpet Medium"; the lady who said she was the pastor of the church
congregation, a middle aged woman of highly intellectual and ethical .appearance, by
name, Mrs. Ine'Z Wagner, kindly offered to attempt to give me a private trumpet
seance; we entered a small library or study and after placing two chairs and a trumpet
in the center of the room, lowered the blind on the window so that it was almost
dark as we seated ourselves.
Soon the trumpet seemed to lift itself into the air and these words were uttered
from same, "Charles Hyde, I am your father"; I am very certain that no person
thereabout knew me nor did any one knowing me, know where I was at that time;
no questions had been asked me and there was no possible way in which my name
could have been known to any one thereabouts, except under laws of nature not as
yet understood by many.
It was not a case of fraud, but a case of phenomena.
After some satisfying conversation with what purported to be my father's spirit,
another voice spoke through the trumpet saying, "This is Charles Leavitt, the man
you were named after"; I cannot remember that for years I had thought of Mr.
Leavitt, who was an old boyhood chum of my father's; there was certainly no one
in that city who knew the facts regarding my middle name .as given to me in the
conversation I had then and there with what purported to be the spirit or intelligence
of Charles Leavitt.
Other voices spoke to me, one a woman's voice who seemed unable to speak except
in whisper; she gave the name of Harriet Austin, a lady I had had business
dealing with many years ago.
Another wonderful experience I had a few years ago, I feel more free to speak
of, as my youngest son Theodore, then aged; twelve years was with me; my father's
form appeared in full materialization before me; I said, "Theodore, do you see what
I see?" and he replied, "Why yes, that is Grandfather, isn't it?"
Never in my experience have I been given at any seance or meeting I have
attended, any expression or communication which has had in it any immoral element;
everything that I have seen or heard .at such times has been of the highest moral
and ethical import.
In the face of such experience it is difficult indeed to ascribe it to evil forces
and one comes to know tha:t it is not delusion nor illusion; the terms of hypnotism
or telepathy or subconscious mind do not answer an intelligent mind as explanation
or cause.
I hold that it is much more reasonable to accept the explanations and interpretations
of numerous scientific minds, of the world's greatest personalities and pro·
foundest students of the subject, who have devoted years of their time and effort to
investigating and experimenting, with the sole purpose of ascertaining what is the
truth, what are the facts.
While it is true that as. yet manY' of our great scientific men have refused to
seriously investigate psychic phenomena, it is also true that those who have done
so, and they represent hundreds if not thousands, almost invariably finally come to
the same or harmonious conclusions.
Usually beginning (as was the case with the speaker), with strong tendency if
not firm conviction towards rationalism and materialism, but being lovers of fact in
preference to theory, they ultimately attain to a knowledge of spiritual life unclouded
with the fables or allegories of theology.
Seventy years ago the papers and magazines were full of sarcasm and rejection
of mesmerism or what is now more generally termed hypnotism; Dr. Baird, then a
leading surgeon of England, was refused the privilege of reading a paper upon it, by
the British Association; that ·subject was then treated quite similarly as the subject
of psychic phenomena has more recently been treated by the press at large; now all
science acc'epts the truths regarding hypnotism then rejected, as well demonstrated
and unquestioned knowledge.
How long will it be before it will be the brand of ignorance for any person
claiming scientific education, to question the reality of psychic phenomena? We
boldly state that such: time is now close at hand.
CHAS. L. HYDE, Sr.
October, 1922. Pierre, South Dakota.