Bulletin

Reading of the minutes and of the proceedings of the session of May 25.

Upon proposal of the committee and after a verbal report, the Society admits to the number of its free members:

Mrs. E…, of Vienna, Austria.

Administrative matters: The committee proposes and the Society adopts the two following propositions:

Considering that the Society, under the terms of article 16 of the regulations, may make known, at the end of April, the intention of certain members to withdraw;

That the appointments made by the management and the committee before that time might fall upon members who would no longer be part of the Society;

That it would not be reasonable for those who had such an intention to take part in the appointments, Resolves the following:

“The appointments to the management and to the committee shall be made at the first session of the month of May. The members in office shall continue in their functions until that date.”

The Society, considering that a very prolonged and unforeseen absence of the members of the management and of the committee may hinder the progress of the works;

Resolves the following:

“The members of the management and of the committee who absent themselves for three consecutive months, without justification, shall be considered as having resigned from their functions, and provision shall be made for their replacement.”

Various communications: 1st Reading of a spontaneous dictation, obtained by Mrs. L…, on relative honesty, signed by Georges, a familiar Spirit.

2nd Another, from Mrs. Schmidt, concerning the Influence of the medium upon the Spirit, signed by Alfred de Musset.

Account of a fact concerning two persons, one of whom is a poor young woman, and whose present relations are a consequence of those that existed in her previous existence. Apparently fortuitous circumstances brought them into contact, and the two reciprocally felt a sympathy that revealed itself by a singular coincidence of mediumistic power. Questioned about certain facts, a superior Spirit said that the young woman had been the daughter of the other in the previous existence and had been abandoned; in the present existence she was placed in her path, in order to give her the opportunity to repair her errors by protecting her, which she is disposed to do, despite her rather precarious situation, for she lives only by her work. This fact, which contains details of the highest interest, comes in support of what has always been said about certain sympathies whose cause goes back to previous existences.

Undoubtedly, this principle gives one more reason for being to the fraternal sentiment, which makes of charity and benevolence a law, inasmuch as it tightens and multiplies the bonds that ought to unite Humanity.

Studies: 1st Evocation of the great Françoise, one of the principal convulsionaries of Saint-Médard, of whom a first evocation has already been published (see the issue of May 1860). This Spirit was called again, at her own request, with the aim of rectifying the opinion expressed about the deacon Pâris. She accuses herself of having slandered him, distorting his intentions, and thinks that the retraction made spontaneously may spare her the deserved punishment. Saint Louis completes the communication with information about the worlds destined for the punishment of guilty Spirits.

2nd Analytical and critical examination of Charlet’s communications about animals. The Spirit develops, completes, and rectifies certain assertions that had seemed obscure or erroneous. This examination will be continued at the next session (Published further on).

3rd Two spontaneous dictations are obtained, the first by Miss Huet, on the continuation of the Memoirs of a Spirit; the second by Mrs. Lesc…, signed by Georges, her familiar Spirit, on the critical examination that the Society proposes to make of the Spiritist communications. The Spirit greatly approves of this kind of study and considers it as a means of preventing false communications. FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 1860.

(General Session.)

Reading of the minutes and of the proceedings of the session of June 1.

Mrs. widow G…, a former titular member, not being on the list of April 30, in compliance with the new regulations of the Society, writes to explain the reasons for her abstention, asking the Society to be reinstated as a free associate. With the consent of the Committee, she is admitted in that capacity.

Various communications: 1st Reading of a spontaneous dictation received by Mrs. Lesc… and signed by Delphine de Girardin, on the first impressions of a Spirit. It presents a poetic and very real picture of the sensations that the Spirit experiences upon leaving the Earth.

2nd Another dictation, by the same medium, signed by Alfred de Musset, entitled Aspirations of a Spirit.

3rd Mr. M…, of Metz, relates an interesting, personal fact, about the influence that a medium can exert upon another person, in order to develop in him the mediumistic faculty. It was by such a means that this faculty was developed in Mr. M…; but what is peculiar in this circumstance is the verification of action at a distance. The medium being at Châlons and Mr. M… at Metz, they arranged the hour for the test, and Mr. M… was able to verify the precise moments at which the medium influenced him or ceased to act. Still more: he described the moral impressions that the medium felt, impressions that he could not have suspected, and, on the other hand, the medium wrote the same words traced by Mr. M… There also occurred, with the same medium, a very curious fact of spontaneous direct writing, that is, without provocation and without any intention on his part, because he was absolutely not thinking of such a thing. Several words, which could not have had any other origin, when one knows the circumstances, were unexpectedly found written, with manifest intention, and appropriate to the situation. Having tried to provoke a new similar manifestation, the medium obtained nothing. Studies: 1st Various questions addressed to Saint Louis: 1st On the state of the Spirits; 2nd On what is to be understood by sphere or planet of the flowers, of which some Spirits speak; 3rd On the latent intellectual faculties; 4th On the signs of recognition for verifying the identity of the Spirits.

2nd Evocation of Antoine T…, who disappeared some years ago, without leaving any indication as to his whereabouts. A first evocation having been recognized as inaccurate, he explains the reason and gives new details about his person. Experience will show whether they are more truthful than the first.

3rd Evocation of the astrologer Vogt, of Munich, who committed suicide on May 4, 1860. Little detached, his Spirit still finds itself under the dominion of the ideas that had preoccupied him during life.

4th Two spontaneous dictations are obtained simultaneously: the first by Mr. Didier the Son, on Fatality, signed by Lamennais; the second by Mrs. Lesc…, signed by Delphine de Girardin, on Human Masquerades.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1860.

(Private Session.)

Reading of the minutes and of the proceedings of the session of May [June] 8. n Upon proposal of the committee, the Society admits, as free members, the Count of N…, of Moscow, and Mr. P…, a property owner in Paris.

Various communications: 1st Reading of a letter reporting that in certain localities the clergy is seriously occupying itself with the study of Spiritism, and that well-enlightened members of that body speak of it as of a thing called to exert great influence in social relations.

2nd Reading of a private evocation, made at the house of Mr. Allan Kardec, of Mr. J… the Son, of Saint-Étienne. Although of private interest, this evocation presents useful teachings through the elevation of thoughts of the Spirit called, and was heard with keen interest.

3rd Observation presented by Mr. Allan Kardec regarding a prediction that was submitted to him by a medium of his acquaintance. According to this prediction, certain events are to occur on a fixed date and, as verification, the Spirit had told the medium to have it signed by several persons, among others Mr. Allan Kardec, in order to be able to certify, at the time of their occurrence, the period at which it had been made. I refused, said Mr. Allan Kardec, for the following considerations: “Many have seen in Spiritism a means of divination, which is contrary to its purpose; when future events are announced and come to pass, it is no doubt an exceptional and curious fact, but it would be dangerous to consider it as a rule. For this reason I did not want my name to serve to legitimize a belief that would falsify Spiritism in its principle and in its application.” Studies: 1st Evocation of Thilorier, a physicist, who had died supposing that he had found the means of substituting condensed carbonic acid for steam as a motive force. He recognizes that such a discovery existed only in his imagination. (Published further on).

2nd Continuation of the critical examination of Charlet’s communications about animals. (Will be published).

3rd Evocation of a rapping Spirit who manifests himself to the son of Mr. N…, a member of the Society, by physical effects of a certain originality. He said that he had been a drum-major in the pope’s military music band, and that his name was Eugène. His language does not belie the quality attributed to him.

4th Spontaneous dictation obtained by Mrs. Lesc…, on the development of the intellectual faculties, apropos of the evocation of Thilorier, signed by Georges, a familiar Spirit. It is to be noted that this Spirit often adapts his communications to the present circumstances, which proves that he attends the conversations, even without being called. The fact occurred likewise on several other occasions, on the part of other Spirits. Another, by Mr. Didier the Son, signed by Vauvenargues, and containing a few scattered thoughts.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1860.

(General Session.)

Reading of the minutes and of the proceedings of the session of June 15.

Various communications: 1st Reading of a spontaneous dictation obtained by Mrs. Lesc…, on Reverie, signed by Alfred de Musset.

2nd Account of a fact of spontaneous natural mediumship, as a writing medium, presented by Mrs. Lub…, a member of the Society. The person is a peasant girl of fifteen, who, without possessing any knowledge of Spiritism, writes almost daily, sometimes entire pages, in an entirely mechanical manner. An intuition tells her that it must be a Spirit who speaks to her, because, when she feels impelled to write, she takes a pencil saying: Let us see what he is going to tell me today. Her communications often refer to episodes of private life, whether for her or for persons of her acquaintance; they are almost always of extreme accuracy, even for things that she is completely ignorant of. It is probable that this faculty, if it were cultivated and well directed, would develop in a remarkable and useful manner. Studies: 1st Questions about the transitional animals that may fill the gap existing in the scale of living beings, between the animal and man. The study will be continued.

2nd Questions about inventors and premature discoveries, apropos of the evocation of Thilorier.

3rd Physical manifestations produced by the son of Mr. N…, a boy of thirteen, who was spoken of at the last session. The rapping Spirit who attached himself to him makes him simulate, with his hands and fingers, with incredible volubility, all sorts of military evolutions, such as a cavalry charge, artillery maneuvers, assaults on forts, etc., taking all the objects within his reach to simulate weapons. He expresses the various sentiments that agitate him, such as anger, impatience, or mockery, by violent raps and very significant gestures of pantomime. What is noticed, moreover, is the impassivity and unconcern of the boy, while his hands and arms give themselves over to this kind of gymnastics. It becomes evident that all the movements are independent of his will. During the rest of the session, and even when the experiment had already ceased, the Spirit took the opportunity to manifest, in his own manner, his contentment or ill humor regarding what was said. In a word, one sees that he takes hold of the boy’s limbs and employs them as if they were his own. Such a kind of manifestations offers a curious object of study by its originality, and may give us to understand the manner in which the Spirits act upon certain individuals. Questioned as to the consequences that these manifestations may have upon the little boy, Saint Louis gave warnings of great wisdom and advised against provoking them. Moreover, he had the Society pledge itself not to enter upon this path of experiments, which would have as its result the withdrawal of the serious Spirits, and to continue occupying itself, as it has done up to now, in deepening the important questions. [1]

[The minutes read are always those of the previous meeting, which was June 8 and not May.]