Spiritism in France and Switzerland
By Jean Vuilleumier
(From Our Own Correspondent) The great war of Armageddon, predicted in the Scriptures (Rev. 16: 12-14, and elsewhere), is laid to the subtle working of the spirits of demons. These go to the kings of the earth, endowed with miraculous tho' deceptive power. Such is the character of modern Spiritism. The authenticity of its miracles was recently proved by “Le Matin,” one of the leading papers of Paris. That journal asked M. Camille Flammarion, the distinguished astronomer, to tell what he knows to be absolutely certain about the phenomena. In his answer, M. Flammarion mentioned the experiences of such men of good faith as Count de Gasparin, Professor Thury, of Geneva, and Victor Hugo, and those of the Dialectic Society of London. As strong believers in spirit manifestations, he quoted the electrician Varley, author of the first transatlantic cable; the naturalist Wallace; Dr. Lapponi; Schiaparelli, director of the Milan observatory; Zollner, director of the observatory at Leipsic; Farro, director of the observatory at Turin; Professor Lodge, rector of the University of Birmingham; Dr. Dariex, Count de Rochas, Professor Richet, Victorien Sardou, Sully Prudhomme, Jules Claretie, Adolphe Brisson, Professor Duclaux, the famous chemist Currie, Arsonval, professor of physics, Dr. Maxwell, etc. Then, after citing the best-known phenomena, Flammarion says that he has observed them for forty-five years; that some of them have been photographed and are thus absolutely incontrovertible. But he does not decide whether they are the work of disembodied spirits or of demons. Yet he adds the following significant confession: “There are other phenomena stranger yet than the above and for which it seems that we are obliged to admit the existence of invisible, odd, and incoherent beings.” Elsewhere in the same article he says: “I have heard violent blows struck on a table, on a door, blows capable of killing a man. Generally these blows are protest against unbelief. For instance, when I say: ‘All this foolishness does not prove that there are spirits in these things,’ then three mallet blows fall with crushing power on the table.” “THIS PROVES,” says Flammarion, “THE EXISTENCE OF A WILL-POWER WHICH IS FOUND MANIFEST IN ALL THE PHENOMENA.” What other evidence is needful in order to recognize that we live in the days predicted in Scripture in which “signs and lying wonders” would prove that the coming of the Lord is near at hand?