NOTES AND GLEANING S.

MR. ALFRED WALLACE ON THE RELATION OF SPIRITUALISM

TO SCIENCE.

MR. ALFRED WALLACE, in the last number of the Quarterly Journal of Science, concludes a review of Mr. Owen's Debateable Land as follows:

"It is now becoming almost a common thing to acknowledge that there is a certain amount of truth in the facts; with a proviso, always, of the writer's repudiation of the spiritual theory. For my own part, the only thing that makes the facts credible on evidence is the spiritual theory. Mr. A., or Prof. B., or Dr. C., may state that they know certain of the facts are true, but that all these facts can be explained without calling in the aid of spirits. Perhaps they can. But why should I, or any other reader, accept A., B., or C.'s facts, and reject Mr. Owen's, when the former are not one whit more intrinsically probable, or supported by one iota better testimony, than the latter? Yet these latter actually force upon us the spiritual theory, just as the facts of geology force upon us the belief in long series of ancient living forms, different from those now upon the earth. I must accept all the equally well-attested facts, of equal intrinsic probability, or reject all. I cannot believe in Cretaceous fossils as realities, and reject Silurian as freaks of nature; neither can I accept the facts B. may have witnessed, and reject those of the rest of the alphabet. Yet if all the main classes of facts are admitted, the spiritual theory appears as clearly a deduction from them as the theory of extinct animals follows from the facts presented by their fossil remains. The position of the Quarterly Review is, that there are no facts worth speaking of, and, therefore, no true spiritual theory can be founded on them. This is safe ground, as long as all the evidence for the facts is carefully denied, misrepresented, or ignored. But when there are ten thousand witnesses to these facts, of whom say nine thousand are as good and competent as A. or B., it is not safe ground for A. or B. to admit just so much of the facts as they have witnessed themselves, and reject the rest. The problem we have now to solve is-how much of the facts are true. Till this is done by some better test than individual experience, it is premature to discuss what theories may or may not explain them. In the meantime, let no one prejudge the question till they have studied Mr. Owen's facts, and carefully weighed his arguments."

DR. CARPENTER CALLED TO ACCOUNT.

The Daily Telegraph, of April 22nd, contains two columns of correspondence upon Dr. Carpenter's asserted reputation of Mr. Crookes's experimental proof the existence of a hitherto unrecognised force. Called upon to apologize for the wrong he had done Mr. Crookes by his misrepresentations, Dr. Carpenter threw the responsibility from himself upon those whom he stated were his informants. Mr. Crookes accordingly wrote to Professor Stokes and Sir Charles Wheatstone, and publishes the correspondence, leaving it to the judgment of the scientific world. From a letter of Mr. Crookes's, in reply to a criticism of Sir Charles Wheatstone on one of his experiments, we quote the following passage:

The only sentence in your letter bearing in any way on my actual experiment is the last one, in which you say, "I cannot see what part you intended the water to play when you subsequently placed the vessel over the dead point, and it appears to me contrary to all analogy that a force acting according to physical laws should produce the motion of a lever by acting on its fulcrum."

In this I entirely agree. I, too, cannot see the part the water played; nor can I trace the analogy between the psychic force and a force acting according to known physical laws. Yet the fact recorded in my papers is true for all that.

SERMONS ON SIGNIFICANT BOOKS.

We have long been of opinion that the usual narrow range of pulpit topics might be enlarged much to the interest and edification of the "dear hearers," by whom listening to the dull monotony of sermons is so often only submitted to as a wearisome duty. A good example in this respect has recently been set by the Rev. F. R. Young, Minister of the Free Christian Church, Swindon. He has lately begun a series of monthly sermons on "Significant Books," the third, a few Sundays ago, was on Mr. Owen's Debateable Land between this World and the Next, of which an extended report appears in the North Wilts Herald. After pointing out the high qualifications of the author for such a work, and describing the contents of the volume, Mr. Young read some of the narratives in it, which we are told were listened to by the congregation with intense and almost painful attention. Mr. Young then read the chapter entitled "The Conclusion of the whole Matter," and concluded by stating that although a known believer in, and public professor of Christian Spiritualism, he had not intruded the subject upon the notice of either friends or foes; but had contented himself with allowing it to he clearly understood that he occupied the position of a believer, and was willing to take all the consequences. He now wished them to understand, once again, that in this public way he renewed his profession of belief, a belief he was bound to

cherish and avow. if he would not be a coward and a sneak. A man was profited nothing if he gained the whole world, and lost his own soul; in other words, nothing could compensate any man for failure in obedience to conscience, and following the dictates of what he knew to be true and believed to be right. If Spiritualism were true, it was a revolutionary truth; hundreds of old things must then pass away, and many an aspect in man's Spiritual world must become altogether new.

NEW MANIFESTATIONS.

On Saturday night, April 13th, at a semi-public dark séance at Messrs. Herne and Williams, 61, Lamb's Conduit-street, streaks of bright light from two to three inches long, and of a phosphorescent character were seen rising from tops of the heads of the mediums. Then the light gradually spread over their heads till all their hair was visible, and dark hands were seen in the luminous smoke, apparently drawing the brighter streaks of light out of the centres of their heads. Then near Mr. Williams the name of a spirit was written in the air in large letters of light, and Mr. Clifford Smith, who was present, knew both the spirit and the handwriting. While some more letters were being written with great velocity, there was a flash and a sharp snap like an electrical discharge, and the whole room was up for an instant. Then for a time all was in darkness, after which, behind Mr. Herne, one of the veiled figures seen in the spirit-photographs became visible from head to waist, the drapery being all phosphorescent, but the appearance lasted only a few seconds. The spirit Katie said that before long she would make herself and her face visible to the whole circle.

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AN INCIDENT FROM DREAM LAND.

The Revue Spirite relates the following incident:-" On a recent visit to an old lady friend at Antwerp," says the writer, "she told me that she had several times had money stolen from her secretary drawer, and could in no way find a clue to the mystery, while the loss placed her under no little embarrassment. Lately a thousand francs disappeared, and a child of her own household began to be suspected. Feeling ill over the matter, she uttered a most fervent prayer and fell asleep. During the dream or vision (whichever you choose to call it) which then came to her, she saw her master workman plunging his hand into the box containing her jewelry and bank-bills marked so that they could be identified. Waking on the instant, she called a commissary of police, who, at once proceeding to this man's house, found the articles and money marked as before stated."

SWEDENBORG AND OPEN INTERCOURSE WITH SPIRITS.

That we are not for ever to be shut up in darkness-shut out from the visible and spiritual world, is very evident. The only thing that makes it so now, is our sinful and evil state. Open intercourse involves an opening on both sides-to the heavens and to the hells. That is what makes it so dangerous. But it is the true and normal state of humanity to enjoy that openness at all times when occasion requires. Swedenborg's case was not an exception in this respect, except in the matter of its prominence and vastness, in regard to his great mission as the Herald and Scribe of the first New Church. In this respect he stood alone. But in addition to this grand distinction, he stands as a prophecy for the whole human race. The last is in the first. All men on earth are to be delivered from the fatal bondage of sin and its privations, and this earth is again to be restored to its pristine spiritual state, only with greater and stronger powers in consequence of its thorough and terrible discipline. A new earth and a new heaven to come! God be praised! But we are not to take advantage from this truth, and try to hasten such a condition before its time. God will accomplish it in his own good time. He has begun it already. "Modern Spiritualism" is only its precursor. There is much in it that is evil and dangerous, but still a vast amount of simple, good, useful instruction for those who need it. There are also quite a number in the present New Church who have partial openings, of which they are more or less conscious. Indeed, a New Church in its fullness and reality, includes this beautiful and satisfactory state as a necessary consequence. It is a new and perfected and spiritual state of humanity. "Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."-"It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." How beautiful will be that day! We know it, many of us, by absolute, partial, present experience. How have Swedenborgians misrepresented this whole subject! Even the angels, said Swedenborg, were impatient for the time to come, when they could once more come into conscious communication with man. And yet we have a little work on "Pythonism," put forth by the Ministers of the Massachusetts Association, for the express purpose of showing the nature of Modern Spiritualism, in which this great truth is not only studiously concealed, but Swedenborg is half quoted and misrepresented in order to conceal it. The writer gives this extract from Swedenborg, A. C. 69): "Man was so created by the

Lord, that during his life in the body he might be able to speak with spirits and angels, as was also actually the case in the most ancient times; for he is one with them, because he is spirit clothed with a body: but because in process of time men so immersed themselves in corporeal and worldly things that they cared for almost nothing else, therefore the way was shut," &c.

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And so, by this quotation, from all that appears to the contrary, the reader is instructed that the way is always and for ever to be shut. How disingenuous this is! How unworthy of a body of ministers! For the very next words of Swedenborg "Nevertheless it is again opened as soon as bodily things are removed, and then man is introduced amongst spirits, and dwells with them." Which agrees with his own state and with his other teachings, and is a plain declaration that only man's materialized and sensual condition keeps him, or ever can keep him from the conscious, visible, and beautiful communion with angels. Such will be the final state of men upon this earth. Such is partially experienced now with many, both in and out of the church. The Lord be praised for his abundant power and goodness.-New Church Independent.

LAST MOMENTS OF MONTALEMBERT.

Bishop Butler would have drawn a new argument for his great thesis, that the soul's life is strongest when the body is weakest, from a most remarkable and touching letter which Montalembert, just before he died, penned to Baron Hübner. The Baron, when known in the political world as being the diplomat in whose ears the Emperor of the French spoke the hostile warning which resulted in Magenta and Solferino, has lately sought fame in the literary arena. He has written a

life of Pope Sixtus the Fifth, and a revised copy of the work was sent to Montalembert, who perused it during his last hours. We confess our ignorance whether his Excellency's book merits all the praises which an enthusiast and fellowhistorian like the late Count lavishes upon it; but it obviously secures historic note by eliciting this remarkable proof of the vivacity still inspiring a fine intellect almost at the supreme moment. The Count wrote the long epistle an hour or two before he died-and it is as calm, coherent, and incisive as though it had been the production of the serenest health. The soul about to depart deals with topics of abstract criticism as though it had no "sense of "saving time;" cheerful and collected, it seems to pour its last earthly minutes out upon the ground of literature, after the manner of a Greek libation to the gods. For, though Montalembert's departure was sudden,