People from the other world

The practice of materialization mediumship is an unusual advancement which because of its difficulty and rarity invites fraud by those without the skill to do this work authentically. As an investigative reporter for the New York Sun the author is a man of great diligence and skill who found a legitimate family plying such skills in a remote part of Vermont. His careful and thorough observations leave little doubt of what went on during these séance sessions. A glance at the table of contents gives a sense of the wide-ranging complexity that developed during his investigation. Initially he found that because of the low-lighting needed it was difficult for a first time observer to make accurate observations and conclusions. He spent a long time doing a first rate job both at the site and in follow-up research. As early as 1857, the Faculty of Harvard University pronounced the opinion that “any connection with spiritualistic circles, so called, corrupts the morals, and degrades the intellect;” and they even had the effrontery to say that they deemed it “their solemn duty to warn the community against this contaminating influence, which surely tends to lessen the truth of man, and the purity of woman.” So clearly most scientists were not about to do their job by doing the necessary field work. If the Eddy family ventured into the community they would run into crowd mobbings, beatings, bullets and all manner of hostilities from disbelievers. “I breathed not a word of my purpose to write for the newspaper, and left the place without having had a single opportunity to draw out their side of the story from the Eddys, the public has reason to admit that in saying what I did in their favor I was at least actuated by no feelings of partiality.” This work was not written from the spiritualistic standpoint. It is intended to show the progressive reflections of a mind (unbiased, of ordinary intelligence, anxious for the truth at any cost of preconceptions or prejudices), which is brought into relations with a series of unfamiliar and striking phenomena. It aims neither to display the trained shrewdness of the juggler, the profundity of the scientific investigator, nor the acuteness of the police detective; but to reflect the careful and patient method of the average layman, whose sole object is to get at the facts, that he may have the means of forming an opinion for himself upon matters for which he finds no explanation at the usual sources of knowledge. Since the spiritualistic movement had acquired such force and breadth that it could not be stayed, the author asks “how long must we wait for the wise men to tell us how we can enjoy the communion of the saints, and escape the assaults of the powers of darkness?” We cannot remain ignorant, for we must forge onward. What is at stake clarity of the immortality of the soul of man,