Goodwin Criticizes Kiddle's Book on Spiritualism
Thos. S. Goodwin, in the Advance of May 29, speaks as follows concerning Kiddle's book on Spiritualism: “Of all possible occurrences nothing comes so near to being a blast of the fetid atmosphere of the infernal world, poured out upon a defenseless community as the issue of the New York School Superintendent Kiddle's book in advocacy of Spiritualism. “Practically the whole juvenile population of this city of a million of inhabitants, and largely its parents and teachers, have been for nine years required to look up to this man as an honored safe, and worthy guide and pattern of their moral and intellectual manhood and womanhood. Now what do they discover him to be? An intellectual suicide—a moral abortion—bowing down to pay divine honors to whom? to what? No matter whom—no matter what—provided it be some semi-intelligence from Hades, about whom nothing is known, nothing is discoverable, save that it mutters some silly and incoherent utterances in murdered English.”