"The two classes of phenomena, therefore, differ fundamentally; and it is a most convincing proof of Mr. Tylor's very slender acquaintance with either of them, that he should even suggest their identity. The real connection between them is quite in an opposite direction. It is the mediums, not the assistants, who are sensitives.' They are almost always subject to the mesmeric influence, and they often exhibit all the characteristic phenomena of coma, trance, rigidity, and abnormal sense-power. Conversely, the most sensitive mesmeric patients are almost invariably mediums. The idea that it is necessary for me to inform 'Spiritualists' that I believe in the power of mesmerisers to make their patients believe what they please, and that this 'information' might bring about investigations leading to valuable results,' is really amusing, considering that such investigations took place twenty years ago, and led to this important result that almost all the most experienced mesmerists (Prof. Gregory, Dr. Elliotson, Dr. Reichenbach, and many others) became Spiritualists! If Mr. Tylor's suggestion had any value, these are the very men who ought to have demonstrated the subjective nature of mediumistic phenomena; but, on the contrary, as soon as they had the opportunity of personally investigating them, they all of them saw and admitted their objective reality."

2

BIBLE SPIRITUALISM.

THERE seems to be a growing controversy between Bible and anti-Bible Spiritualism in England, with some danger of sectarian odium and intolerance. This does not promise to be directly useful to the cause of Spiritualism as a mission of religious evolution.

Christian Spiritualists should remember that neither the Romanists nor Protestant churches have been able during the present century to convert unbelievers to the religion of the Bible, nor to a belief in the existence of a future life; and that anti-Bible Spiritualists, entrusted with a special mission, have converted within the last twenty years hundreds of thousands, and possibly several millions of unbelievers or so-called Atheists, to a belief in the continuous existence of disembodied human spirits and the immortality of the soul. This is a magnificent result, achieved by spirits in the other world influencing certain mediums in this, who were themselves in sympathy with anti-Bible rationalistic modes of thought.

The reasoning faculties of this class of minds are on a lower phase of religious understanding than that of Bible Spiritualism, though hardly inferior in any sense to the irrational theology of nearly all the religious sects of Christendom, Roman, Lutheran, or Calvinist. It is the Bible Spiritualism of these sectarians which is so highly offensive to the anti-Bible class of modern Spiritualists, and causes them to feel a strong antipathy for all sects of Christianity, and even for the Bible itself, so often and perversely invoked by these dogmatic and intolerant sects. Moreover it is this so-called rationalistic antipathy to the Bible itself and to all sects of Christians, which gives a marked preference to missionaries of modern Spiritualism amongst the most unbelieving class of minds. We Bible Spiritualists should appreciate this anti-Bible mission for what it is worth, and not feel angry with its want of higher understanding, which higher plane of reason, is beyond the present reach of such a class of minds, and if applied to them would be utterly incomprehensible.

Our advice then is, that Bible Spiritualists learn to tolerate and even to appreciate the modes of thought of anti-Bible Spiritualists for the sake of the good which the latter can do, where the former are powerless. Let each class of minds find work for itself where the harvest is ripe and the reapers are few.

We do not wish to insinuate that Bible Spiritualists are not to think for themselves, and even criticise the views of all sects and parties, and from this point of view we may offer a few observations on the divergent sects of modern Spiritualism. There are two distinct classes of mind busy in the movement, and two sects in each of these, namely:

In France the reincarnationists of the school of the late Allan Kardec are very numerous, while they are very few in England; in America the free-lovers are said to be very numerous amongst anti-Bible Spiritualists, while they are very few in England, and indeed we may say would not be tolerated in society. Freelovers and reincarnationists being out of the question in England, the dissidence is between Bible and anti-Bible Spiritualists, and this difference of opinion is open to controversy with or without intolerant bigotry or enmity, on either side.

Dupuis, Volney, Voltaire, Paine, Godfrey Higgins, Andrew Jackson Davis, and many others are accepted luminaries of antiBible Spiritualists, in opposition to the Bible, as a divine revelation and a religious authority. Some of them admit the God of nature as divine authority, and these are called Deists,

while others deny that there is a God of justice and benevolence in nature, or such a God could never have created tapeworms, and hundreds of other parasitical torments of the human body; not to mention rattle-snakes and tigers to worry and devour harmless creatures.

The God of Nature has certainly created some strange creatures, and the God of the Bible revealed some strange things, and human reason must endeavour to understand the motives of divine reason in all such cases; but certain minds revolt against the horrors of these things, and say they cannot be divine, they must be diabolical; as if that made any difference to the problem to be solved.

Dupuis, Volney, Voltaire, and Paine were learned men, we know, because we have read some of their works; Godfrey Higgins may be very learned for ought we know, we have not read his works. Andrew Jackson Davis is a very good man, with a frank and friendly bearing, as far as we knew of him in New York City, where we sometimes met him in society in 1856, 7, and 8; but he is not a learned man, though a medium for some learned spirits, who have impressed him to write books on various topics, in a copious and popular style very acceptable to many unlearned readers, though superficial and tedious to those who know more than the writer on questions of purely natural science.

Andrew Jackson Davis has no doubt been used as an instrument to convert Atheists to a belief in the immortality of the soul, and the existence of a spiritual world; and his own natural state of mind fits him for this mission. He told me himself, that the Bible has become stale and unprofitable spiritual food for mankind; that new spiritual food is necessary for the regeneration of the human race. He does not understand the Bible-not many do, perhaps. His mind is not capable of understanding very deep spiritual truths. I told him so, on one occasion; in consequence, of which, he said, as we were leaving the house, that he had a crow to pluck with me. I told him to choose his own

time, but I have heard nothing from him since. Perhaps he will do it now. He will remember the occasion in the winter of 1857-8, when Mr. Alcott came to New York, and we were all invited to meet him at the house of a gentleman whose name I forget, but who was a dentist by profession.

I hope Mr. A. J. Davis will feel inclined, because I see in the Medium of February 23rd, and March 1st, that a letter on "The Parentage of Jesus and Free-love" indignantly blamed by Mr. Gerald Massey, has called forth a profession of faith from the editor, in which he reiterates in his own way the faith he has long maintained, and which being duly analysed

amounts to this, there is no God but God, and Andrew Jackson Davis is his prophet.

A controversy on this subject would perhaps be useful in clearing to some extent, the mental atmosphere of modern Spiritualism.

Paris, March 3, 1872.

HUGH DOHERTY, M.D.

SPIRIT-PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN IN LONDON,

UNDER date of March 12, 1872, Mr. Samuel Guppy, of 1, Morland Villas, Highbury Hill Park, writes:

"On the 4th inst., I accompanied my wife to Mr. Hudson, photographer, 177, Palmer Terrace, Holloway Road, to have her picture taken for some cartes de visite. After her sitting was finished I asked her to try an experiment, to see if I could get a spirit-photograph. I arranged the drapery, sitting myself in front of the screen of black cloth, my wife being behind it. While so sitting, waiting for Mr. Hudson to bring the prepared plate, a wreath of artificial flowers was placed on my head. Mr. Hudson brought the plate, took and developed the picture which showed a draped figure, in white, standing behind me. My wife was dressed entirely in black, and neither she nor I had any idea of trying for spirit-photographs when we went to Mr. Hudson; in fact, the idea only entered my head five minutes before I put it in execution. We tried again, and got another curious figure of white drapery, with an opening in it resembling the ace of spades. The third time we tried I arranged the drapery so that instead of one large background two curtains met. This time the black curtain appears to have been drawn aside, and there is white drapery with a dark place in the centre.

"Two days after, Mr. Hudson had sent me the proofs, and Miss Houghton called on my wife and seeing the proofs, begged her to step over with her to Mr. Hudson's and make a trial. Three pictures were taken of Miss Houghton. In the first there is a veiled figure behind Miss H., and a spirit-hand near Miss H.'s shoulder; in the second there is a veiled figure, in which there are indistinct traces of a face; in the third there is no figure; but Miss H. felt her hairpin (a tortoiseshell, with a cross) removed, and above her head are three illuminated points representing a cross.

"As far as I know, these are the first positively and indubitably spirit-photographs taken in this country. They are

neither very handsome nor very perfect, but they show a spiritpower of acting on the salts of silver much stronger than anything I have seen from America. Mr. Hudson will show the pictures to any person who calls on him."

We have also received the following letter with the photographs referred to, and which correspond with the description given :To the Editor of the "Spiritual Magazine."

20, Delamere Crescent, W., March 11th, 1872. SIR, I went on Thursday, March 7th, to Mrs. Guppy's, and in the afternoon Mr. Guppy showed me three photographs, and told me that the spirit who usually converses audibly with them, had given particular instructions as to the needful arrangements to be made, which they had carried out at the photographic studio of Mr. Hudson, which is very near their own residence, and those photographs were the result of their first trial. Mrs. Guppy was in a kind of extemporised dark cabinet, behind Mr. Guppy, who, while sitting in readiness to be photographed, (of course in the full light of day), felt a wreath of flowers lightly placed upon his head, and so the portrait was taken, while a large veiled figure is seen standing behind him. I believe they were artificial flowers which Mr. Hudson had in his room for the use of any sitter who might wish for such an ornament. In the other two photographs there are also gleaming white figures to be seen behind Mr. Guppy, but not very defined.

Mr. Guppy then suggested that as it was such a fine afternoon, we might as well go over to Mr. Hudson's, and make the experiment with me as the sitter. Mrs. Guppy was not very well, and therefore feared the attempt would be useless, but my spirit friends urged it, so Mr. Guppy and I started immediately to get everything ready, leaving Mrs. Guppy to follow us, and she arrived at the very moment that she was wanted. While Mr. Hudson was in his dark room preparing the plate, she told me that after I had come away, she had had a message from the spirit to the effect that mamma would try to manifest herself, and to place her hand on my shoulder. Of course as soon as Mr. Hudson began to develope his negative, we questioned eagerly whether there was anything to be seen on it, and hearing that there was, went in to see as soon as we could be admitted without risk of damaging it by letting in the light; and behind me there is a veiled figure with the hand advanced almost to my shoulder; there is also behind the hand, a glimpse of a face belonging to another spirit, but being out of focus, it is not very distinguishable, although I do recognise it.

A second plate was then prepared-and there, within a brilliant light appear two figures as far as the bust, but the