Progress of Spiritualism.
By Editor
THE late Spiritualist and Free Love Convention at Rutland, Vt., has caused a good deal of attention to be drawn to the subject of Spiritualism, and that which appears to be a necessary attendant upon it—the Free Love system. And we have been surprised at the growth which a few years have given to this system, or systems, at the number of its converts, and the rapid, yet insidious progress which it is making in all ranks of society, from the highest to the lowest. We find in the Spiritual Register an estimate of the actual number of professed Spiritualists, compiled from extensive correspondence undertaken for this object, and with the facilities of an editor and an itinerant, who had surveyed and gone over the ground. The following is the result: SPIRITUALISTS IN AMERICA.
|
|
|---|
| Maine, |
12,000 |
| New Hampshire, |
7,000 |
| Massachusetts, |
90,000 |
| Rhode Island, |
3,000 |
| Connecticut, |
15,000 |
| Vermont, |
20,000 |
| New York, |
300,000 |
| New Jersey, |
4,000 |
| Pennsylvania, |
70,000 |
| Delaware, |
1,000 |
| Maryland, |
6,000 |
| Virginia, |
2,000 |
| North Carolina, |
2,000 |
| South Carolina, |
2,500 |
| Georgia, |
2,500 |
| Kentucky, |
6,000 |
| Tennessee, |
15,000 |
| Ohio, |
120,000 |
| Indiana, |
120,000 |
| Mississippi, |
6,000 |
| Dist. of Col'bia, |
1,500 |
| Illinois, |
80,000 |
| Michigan, |
60,000 |
| Missouri, |
20,000 |
| Alabama, |
5,000 |
| Arkansas, |
1,000 |
| Florida, |
1,000 |
| Wisconsin, |
60,000 |
| Iowa, |
20,000 |
| Texas, |
15,000 |
| California, |
20,000 |
| Minnesota, |
2,000 |
| New Mexico, |
2,000 |
| Oregon, |
1,000 |
| Cuba, |
1,000 |
| Brit. Provinces, |
30,000 |
| South America, |
10,000 |
| Total, |
1,037,500 |
This may be considered a larger number than actually exists, but taken in connection with other facts connected with the growth of Spiritualism, it will be found rather an under than an over estimate. The Register gives the number of six hundred professional speakers and mediums, with their names and addresses, as actively engaged in urging forward the movement, whilst the names of thousands of others are withheld because it was not known how far they were willing to become subject to calls outside of their immediate circles. The large sales of Spiritualists' books and publications would also seem to corroborate the estimate of the Register. Over one hundred distinct publications on the subject of Spiritualism are on the book catalogues, which are set down for as much demand as the new religious books of any other sect usually average. Judge Edmond's book has had a sale of 10,000 copies; those of Davis, of which there are ten, have reached already as far as 8,000 for his best volumes; certain pamphlets, in the early stages of the movement, had a vastly more extensive circulation. The newspapers devoted to the subject as far as we have their names are, The Spiritual Telegraph, New York, weekly. The Age of Progress, Buffalo, N. Y. Spiritual Universe, Cleveland, Ohio, weekly. The Spiritual Age, Boston, weekly. Spiritual Messenger, Cincinnati, Ohio, weekly. Northwestern Excelsior, Waukegan, Ills., weekly; Ira Porter and J. C. Smith, editors and proprietors. Commenced November, 1856, and still continues. Spiritual Clarion, Auburn, N. Y. The Weekly Monitor, Conneaut, Ohio. Journal de l'Ame, monthly; Docteur Rœsinger, Geneva, Switzerland. El Spiritualista, monthly, Carracas, Venezuela, South America. Le Spiritualiste de la Nouvelle Orleans, New Orleans. The Principle, New York, weekly. The Vanguard, Dayton, Ohio. The Yorkshire (England) Spiritual Telegraph. Practical Christian, weekly, Hopedale, Mass. Herald of Light, New York. There are probably other periodicals not included in the above list. We know of one, which is regularly forwarded to us from Kane county, in this State, the name of which has escaped our memory. It will thus be seen that Spiritualism has seized hold of the two great levers of public opinion—the Pulpit and the Press—and is pushing itself into the very heart of modern Society. Making, as it does, the majority of its converts from the intelligent middle classes of society, it has already, even in the day of its life when most new theories have excited ridicule rather than a serious opposition, exhibited an astonishing growth and progress. What must these be, when the system begins to present itself to the serious consideration of society, and meets with the opposition which it necessarily will, from the Doctors of Divinity connected with every other sect? If Spiritualism be a delusion, nevertheless, it has in a few short years, since the first demonstrations were heard in an old house in Rochester, N. Y., made more converts in the same period than almost any other sect since the days of the Reformation. And, again, if all these people have been merely deluded, it is certainly a reproach to the other religions of the day, as exhibiting the very slight hold they must have upon the public mind and heart, when over a million well meaning people have been carried away and lost to the Fold by a delusion which is denounced as of the most transparent character. It appears from their papers and periodicals, and from the steady movement towards consolidation, that the Spiritualists are now endeavoring to render themselves more effective for the spread of their peculiar doctrines, which, it may be said, propose to regulate almost every department of human society, and bring the whole body, religious, moral and political, under control. A writer in one of their papers says, that they feel keenly the unsparing onslaught which has been made upon them, but with confidence in their principles and in their increased and increasing number, and the unparalleled progress which they have achieved, they will go on conquering and to conquer. There is no doubt, but that the merciless way in which they have been attacked and ridiculed has given them an internal strength and fixedness of purpose which are inspiring them to retaliate blow for blow, and in future we may expect they will display more activity than ever in the promulgation of their tenets, and that the power of the medium and the trance subjects to unfold the mysteries of the other life will increase in proportion to the numerical strength and unity of purpose of the believers. It is the law of all such organizations, and Spiritualism will prove no exception to the general rule. In addition to their belief in the ability of the departed to communicate with mortals, the Spiritualists have a formula for their guidance in all matters pertaining to religion, which is nothing more or less, than a direct attack upon present church organizations. It may be given in a few words, in the language of a cotemporary: "They lay it down as a cardinal duty to oppose and destroy all 'authoritarianism' in religion. They have meetings for lecture and worship, but no appointed or recognized ministry; they hold conventions for discussion, but make no election of delegates; the expenses of their places of worship they are anxious to have paid upon the straightforward cash plan of a small fee at the door, and settle all round when the service is closed. They have no ordinations or covenants of creed; they have no funded property, real estate or leases of church buildings; they have no chartered institutions, or any written or implied compact of association; they will recognize no organization, and assert the absolute, uncontrollable sovereignty of each individual as only answerable in the sight of God. They do not ask their disciples even to come out of existing organizations, but, if possible, remain in them and leaven them with new doctrines. Notwithstanding these apparent hindrances, they claim to be already a religion, and a harmonious church—a power of the first rank among Christian sects. It will be seen that in this system of tactics there are elements of great power, which are indicative of future strength and progress. And without passing an opinion one way or another upon the doctrines, or even the alleged phenomena of this new and strange sect, we would merely add, that it appears to us it has grown to such proportions that its presence and aims can no longer be ignored by the leading religious sects of the day. If it is a gross delusion and error, then it is more dangerous and more fatal to religion and society than Mormonism; for the latter being separated from cannot hurt us; while the former is growing up in our midst, in the midst of our churches, in the bosoms of our families, and in the hearts of our wives and daughters. Let those opposed to this error, if error it be, face it manfully and fight it fairly, with the weapons of reason and common sense. In no other way, to our view, can it be conquered and put down.