ONE of the most remarkable things in this time is the way in which scientific men have gone over to the side of the mysterious manifestations of telepathy, mind reading, hypnotism, etc. The following paragraph from Edgar Lucien Larkin gives something of a picture of the modern scientific mind. In answering a question in regard to the medium or the cause of telepathy, he says:
“The mass of obscure things, such as telepathy, mind reading, action of mind on mind, as in hypnotism, action of mind on matter without physical contact, influence, suggestion, personal magnetism, automatic writing, drawing, painting, reading closed books, causing sound to be heard, conversations in space between invisible personalities, warnings, sending of messages from dying persons to their friends, rescues from danger by mind influences, transmission of drawings and pictures to minds of others by mind processes—all these and perhaps as many as one hundred more most remarkable mental things are now occurring constantly in some part of the world.”
Mr. Larkin is one of the most voluminous writers of the time upon scientific subjects. He has the name of being profound in science; and the foregoing paragraph shows that such spiritistic manifestations as “automatic writing,” “conversations in space between invisible personalities,” etc., are regarded by him as being within the realm of science, and worthy of scientific investigation. And Mr. Larkin is by no means unique in this particular.
Several years ago, it was published in the Delineator that there were not more than two scientific men of note throughout the world but were studying from the scientific standpoint these “spiritistic phenomena.”
The greatest minds among the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans, busied themselves in similar studies. The modern scientist tries to make himself believe that in these investigations he is on a different plane from the old Assyrian astrologer, sorcerer, necromancer, and prognosticator. But however profound he may be in his investigations in true science, when he steps out of that realm to assume that the occult arts of spiritistic phenomena are on the plane of true science, he is working on a wrong basis.
ITALIAN FIELD BATTERY
Spiritism has been Satan’s medium through which he has sought to delude men all through the ages. And it is characteristic of the great deceiver to suit his work to the conditions of the age in which he operates. The world of to-day has made science one of its chief gods; and yet every right-minded person would recognize that true science has worked wonders in this time. It has revolutionized almost everything, and has given us blessings that are valuable beyond estimate.
But these things that should be said in favor of science do not overthrow the fact that scientific men, with all their splendid training, become the sport of the trickeries of Satan the same as the most ignorant and superstitious. In fact, all of these “spiritistic phenomena” belong really within the realm of both ignorance and superstition; for however intelligent a man may be in scientific lines, if he is ignorant upon this topic, he becomes the medium of the superstitious vagaries of the archdeceiver and apostate.
God said to the Israelites, as He was leading them out of Egyptian bondage and seeking to lead them away from Egyptian superstition, “Regard not them that have familiar spirits [the mind reader, the automatic writer, the reader of closed books, etc.], neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Lev. 19: 31.
The text shows that the work of these familiar spirits in that time would defile. It will do the same in this year of grace 1915. Seeking to make spiritistic investigations a department of science, will not take away its defiling and superstitious influences.
