the names of several men known not only as Spiritualists, but as holding high and honourable places in the world of science and of letters. May we be as faithful in our day as they were in theirs! May we all realise, as they realised, the blessings which a true Christian Spiritualism is so well calculated to impart! As we enter on the labours and responsibilities of another year, we are encouraged and stimulated by these memories of the past, and these hopes of the still brighter and better future.

May the Christmas bells which now send forth their joyous peal on the frosty air ring out old shapes of error and ring in new forms of truth; ring out the darkness and spiritual blindness of the land and ring in the glad new year of peace and charity and good-will and devotion to the higher spiritual life; ring in the "good time coming," when with open mind and reverent spirit and loving heart men shall drink in the new light ever streaming freely around them-though, alas! too often they know it not and feel their fellowship with the blest immortals, and rejoice in the privilege of communion with them!

May the year 1872 be a year of peace and amity among all nations and a red letter year in the life calendar of all our readers; and so, with all the cordial greetings and kindly feelings especially appropriate to this hopeful season, we wish for them and for the world

A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

THE DIALECTICAL SOCIETY COMMITTEE'S REPORT ON SPIRITUALISM.

MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE, CORRESPONDENCE, COMMUNICATIONS FROM NON-MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, NOTES OF SEANCES COMMUNICATED TO THE COMMITTEE.

THE evidence, oral and written, laid before the Committee, and presented under these several heads, is most voluminous and valuable.

Within our limited space it would be impossible to present even the briefest resume of the testimony thus given by more than fifty witnesses, who attest phenomena which came under their personal observation, or who record the conviction of the truth of Spiritualism which these left upon their minds. is the less necessary to do so, as specimens of this evidence have been laid before our readers from time to time as the investigation of the Committee proceeded; and the nature of

It

the facts deposed to is so clearly and concisely stated in the Committee's Report, which we have already given. It may, however, be well to indicate the

POSITION AND CHARACTER OF THE WITNESSES FOR

SPIRITUALISM.

We find then that literature is worthily represented by WILLIAM HOWITT, T. ADOLPHUS TROLLOPE, EDWARD LAMAN BLANCHARD, NEWTON CROSLAND, EDWIN ARNOLD, M.A., and ROBERT CHAMBERS, LL.D. The following gentlemen are honourably associated with societies for the advancement of science and learning, and the learned professions:-LORD LINDSAY, F.R.S., CROMWELL F. VARLEY, F.R.S., ALFRED R. WALLACE, F.Z.S., H. D. JENCKEN, Barrister-at-law, M.R.I., W. M. WILKINSON, Solicitor, J. LOCKHART ROBERTSON, M.D., Commissioner in Lunacy, THOMAS SHORTER, Member of Council of the Working Men's College, J. GARTH WILKINSON, M.D., J. G. DAVEY, M.D., and JACOB DIXON, L.S.A. have also the testimony of a distinguished French savant, M. CAMILLE FLAMMARION, Professor of Astronomy of the Polytechnic Association, and formerly of the Observatory of Paris, and of M. LEON FAVRE, Consul-General de France (brother of M. Jules Favre). We have likewise the testimony of men of business, gentlemen of fortune, persons of rank, and of several ladies favourably known for their contributions to literature and art.

WHAT IS TO BE DONE WITH THE TESTIMONY?

We

What is to be done with evidenee like this-with the testimony of highly-intelligent and honourable men, who speak that which they know, and testify to that which they have seen? It is mere trifling and impertinence to say they did not see what they saw, but only thought they saw it. Such a notion we think can scarcely be seriously entertained by any one who carefully reads the evidence, and still less by any who have ever witnessed the phenomena for themselves; and if the genuineness and objective character of the phenomena be admitted, we are content to let them tell their own story, satisfied that the more they are investigated and their significance considered, the more it will appear that no other explanation than that of spiritual agency will adequately account for them.

Besides considering the trustworthy character of the witnesses, we should also note that their conclusions have not been hastily arrived at; for the most part their investigations have extended over a period of many years, and are not therefore to

be offset by any opposite conclusions arrived at from a few crude experiments, performed, it may be, under unfavourable conditions by men more anxious to confirm a foregone conclusion than to ascertain the truth, and therefore, as might be expected, with unsatisfactory results. Truth is a coy damsel, who can only be won by long and patient wooing and sincere affection.

Many of the most startling phenomena of Spiritualism, such as levitation, elongation of the body, and the free handling of fire are amply attested, and the facts most circumstantially related by competent witnesses; but as we have gone with considerable fulness into these phenomena in former numbers, we need only advert to the confirmation of them which is here supplied. There is, however, one interesting phase of spirit manifestation with which Spiritualists generally are less familiar, namely, that of visions presented in crystals and mirrors. Lord Lindsay relates an instance of this in his own experience, which is confirmed by Mr. J. Hawkins Simpson, the electrician, and other instances are fully detailed by Mr. Frederick Hockley, a gentleman who stated to the Committee that his investigations into Spiritualism, and more particularly into this phase of it, had extended over a period of forty-five

years.

We regret that some of the witnesses allowed themselves to be allured from the firm and sure ground of fact into the seductive but slippery uncertain paths of theory and speculation: in particular, we regret that so large a space, (more than oneeighth of the volume) should be occupied with a paper chiefly of this kind—an ambitious essay on "The Philosophy of Existence,' which, though very ingenious and suggestive, and entertained by the school of Spiritualists who are disciples of M. Kardec, has really as little to do with Spiritualism proper as the theories of Swedenborg, Davis, Harris, or a score others on the same subject, and which might, with about as much propriety have been foisted on the attention of the Committee. Like most theories of the kind, it is based on assumptions unproved, and, as we think, unprovable; instead of facts, we are offered speculations; and where there should be proofs we have only affirmations. Such theories instead of explaining facts, serve only to obscure them.* Towards the end of her paper,

That these theories find favour with some spirits is an argument of but little weight. What doctrine or fantasy has not been taught by spirits? As remarked by Miss Blackwell's friend and fellow disciple, the Countess de Pomar (page 347):-"No Spiritualist has ever imagined that absolute reliance is to be placed in what spirits say. We must always use our own judgment in regard to these communications, and take each of them for what they may be worth."

however, Miss Anna Blackwell favours us with some curious and instructive examples of spirit action that have occurred in her own experience, or in that of her immediate friends.

EVIDENCE ON THE ADVERSE SIDE.-PROFESSORS HUXLEY
AND TYNDALL-MR. GEORGE HENRY LEWES.

As stated in their Report, the Committee invited the attendance, and requested the co-operation and advice of scientific men, who had publicly expressed opinions adverse to the genuineness of the phenomena, and also invited the attendance of persons who had publicly attributed the phenomena to imposture or delusion; but while successful in procuring the evidence of believers in the phenomena, and in their supernatural origin, they almost wholly failed to obtain evidence from those who attributed them to fraud or delusion. The evidence for the opposition-if it may be so called-is indeed of the mildest character. The "scientific men who had publicly expressed opinions adverse to the phenomena," and who were expected to play the lion, have been as discreet as Bottom the Weaver, and roared as gently as any sucking dove. Professor Huxley excuses himself from co-operating with the Committee on the plea of want of time and want of interest in the subject; and in a subsequent letter, he adds:

If the gentlemen whom you mention, and for whose judgment and capacity I have every respect, have not been able in the course of some months to arrive at results satisfactory to themselves and capable of being stated satisfactorily to the scientific public, it would be mere presumption in me to entertain the hope that I should be more successful, without a much greater expenditure of time and trouble.

Very true!

Professor Tyndall simply expresses to the Secretary of the Committee his willingness "to accept the personal invitation of Mr. Crookes, should he consider that he can show me phenomena of the character you describe;" as if the spirit-world was a peep-show, which, as a scientific man, he might condescend to look at when open to exhibition, to oblige a friend. Mr. George Henry Lewes recommends the Committee to find out, if they can, the means by which the phenomena are produced, which looks a little ironical. He affirms that in his experience these means have "been proved to be either deliberate imposture, aided by the unconscious assistance of spectators, or the well-known effects of expectant attention; and his chief suggestion to the Committee is "to distinguish between facts and inferences from facts." Very good advice, certainly, though it implies a not very

flattering estimate of their intelligence and discernment. He might have added-in the words of Robert Burns—

And may you better reck the rede,

Than ever did the adviser;

for, assuredly, in dealing with Spiritualism, no man has more flagrantly violated his own canon of criticism than Mr. George Henry Lewes.

LORD LYTTON.

Lord Lytton affirms that as far as his experience goes, * the phenomena, when genuine, are traceable to material influences, of the nature of which we are ignorant. They require certain physical organisations of temperament to produce them, and vary according to these organisations of temperament. He adds, that he has universally found that "the phenomena are more or less striking in proportion to the electricity of the atmosphere;" and argues that, "If matter be moved from one end of the room to the other, it must be by material agencythough it may be as invisible as an electric or odic fluid-and the matter of a human brain is always needed to convey an impression to the auditor or spectator. He is of opinion that they who adopt the conclusion that spirits of another world are concerned in the production of the phenomena, "stop all genuinely scientific inquiry, and are apt to be led into many dangerous and mischievous errors and delusions."

Here we have the common fallacy of confounding the instrumental means with the operative" cause. That the human spirit

It is a pity that Lord Lytton did not favour the Committee with some of the incidents of his experience; as, for instance, the following, as related by Mr. Benjamin Coleman, who was present on the occasion.

"The Right Hon. Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton and his son paid a visit, in 1854-5, to Mr. Rymer's, at Ealing, where Mr. Home was then on a visit. Among the manifestations, a spirit, whose rappings were unusually loud, said in answer to Sir Edward's demand to know who, &c., &c., 'I am the spirit that influenced you to write Zanoni.' 'Indeed! I wish you would give me some proof of your presence. Will you take my hand?' His hand was grasped with great power, which made him start from his seat. The alphabet was called for, and the words 'We wish you to believe in the- Whilst they were suggest

ing the word, the sentence was closed by a cross being put into Sir Edward's hand. It was made of card-board, and had been lying on a small table containing little drawing-room ornaments in a distant part of the room. Sir Edward asked permission to take the cross away as a souvenir, to which Mrs. Rymer consented, provided, as she jocularly said, 'You will promise, Sir Edward, to observe the injunction.'

It must have been a particularly intelligent "electric or odic fluid" which did all this.

Some of the direct spirit-writings and drawings (produced in the absence of a medium) would, at all events, seem an exception to this. For instances see Guldenstubbe's Ecriture Directe des Esprits, 1851.