Manifestations of the Spirits.

Mr. Paul Auguez is a sincere and enlightened adherent of the Spiritist Doctrine; his work, which we read with great interest, and in which one recognizes the elegant pen of the author of Élus de l'avenir, is a logical and learned demonstration of the fundamental points of that Doctrine, that is, of the existence of the Spirits, of their relations with men and, consequently, of the immortality of the soul and of its individuality after death. Since his principal aim is to respond to the sarcastic attacks of Mr. Viennet, he addresses only the chief points, limiting himself to proving by facts, by reasoning and by the most respectable authorities that this belief is not founded upon systematic ideas or vulgar prejudices, but rather that it rests upon solid foundations. Mr. Viennet's weapon is ridicule; Mr. Auguez's is Science. By means of numerous citations, which attest to a serious study and a profound erudition, he proves that if the adherents of today, even as their number grows without ceasing, as well as the enlightened persons of every country who join them, were, as the illustrious academician claims, unbalanced minds, this infirmity would be common to them, as it would be to the greatest geniuses who honor Humanity. In his refutations, Mr. Auguez has always known how to preserve dignity of language, a merit that can never be sufficiently praised; one does not find there those preposterous diatribes, turned into commonplaces of bad taste and which prove nothing except a lack of urbanity. All that he has said is grave, serious, profound, on a level with the scholar to whom it is addressed. Will he have convinced him? We do not know; we even doubt it, to speak frankly; but since, in the end, his book is made for everyone, the seeds it casts will not all be lost. More than once we shall have occasion to cite some passages from his book in the course of this publication, insofar as we are led to it by the nature of the subject.

Since the theory developed by Mr. Auguez is, except perhaps on a few secondary points, the very one we ourselves profess, we shall make no criticism whatever concerning his work, which will become noteworthy and will be read with profit. We would desire only one thing: a little more clarity in the demonstrations and method in the ordering of the matters. Mr. Auguez treated the question as a scholar, because he was addressing a scholar, certainly capable of understanding the most abstract things; however, he ought to have considered that he was writing less for one man than for the public, which always reads with more pleasure and profit that which it understands without effort.

[1]

In-12 brochure; price 2.50 fr.: Dentu, Palais-Royal and Germer Baillière, rue de l'École de Médecine, 4. [Les élus de l'avenir: ou, Le progès réalisé par le christianisme — Google Books.]

[2] Translator's note: The elect of the future.