Banquet

— At this intimate and familiar gathering, one of the members, Mr. Guillaume, saw fit to set forth the sentiments of the Lyon Spiritists in the address that follows. On reading it, you will understand that we must have hesitated to publish it in the Review, despite the wish that was expressed to us. Thus, it was only by yielding to insistence that we consented, fearing, on the other hand, that a refusal might be interpreted as a lack of gratitude for the testimonies of sympathy we received. We therefore beg the readers to set aside the person and to see, in these words, only a homage paid to the doctrine.

“To Mr. Allan Kardec; to the zealous propagator of the Spiritist Doctrine!

“It is thanks to his courage, to his lights, and to his devoted perseverance that we owe the happiness of being gathered today at this congenial and fraternal banquet.

“May all the Lyon Spiritists never forget that, if they have the happiness of feeling themselves improved, in spite of all the pernicious influences that so often divert man from the path of good, they owe it to The Spirits’ Book.

“If their existence has been softened, if their heart is more purified and more affectionate; if from it have been expelled anger and vengeance, they owe it to The Spirits’ Book.

“If, in private life, they bear with courage the reverses of fortune; if they reject all means based on cunning and falsehood for acquiring earthly goods, they owe it to The Spirits’ Book, which made them understand the trial and kindled in them the light that dispels the darkness.

“If one day, which is perhaps not far off, men become humane, fraternal, and devoted to one and the same faith; if, for them, charity is no longer a vain word, this too they will owe to The Spirits’ Book, dictated by the best among them to Mr. Allan Kardec, chosen to spread the light.

“To the sincere union of the Lyon Spiritists! To the Parisian Spiritist Society, whose radiance has enlightened all, a true advanced sentinel, charged with clearing the difficult road of progress! Paris is the brain of Spiritism, just as Lyon deserves, by its union, its labor, its lights, and its love, to be its heart.

“When heart and spirit are united in the same faith, to reach the same goal, soon there will be in France only loving and devoted brothers. Let us grow, then, through union in love, and soon our sentiments, our principles will cover the whole world. Spiritism, ladies and gentlemen, is the only means by which we may swiftly reach the Kingdom of God.

“Honor to the Parisian Spiritist Society! Honor to Mr. Allan Kardec, the founder and the first link of the great Spiritist chain!”

Guillaume.

REPLY OF MR. ALLAN KARDEC.

Ladies, gentlemen, and all of you, my dear and good brothers in Spiritism.

The welcome, so friendly and benevolent, that I have received among you, ever since my arrival, would be enough to fill me with pride, did I not understand that such testimonies are addressed less to the person than to the doctrine, of which I am but one of the humblest workers; it is the consecration of a principle, and I feel doubly happy, because this principle must one day assure the happiness of man and the repose of society, when it is well understood and, better still, well practiced. Its adversaries combat it only because they do not understand it. It falls to us, to the true Spiritists, to those who see in Spiritism something beyond more or less curious experiments, to make it understood and spread, preached as much by example as by word. The Spirits’ Book had as its result the making evident of its philosophical scope. If this book has any merit, it would be presumption on my part to take pride in it, for the doctrine it contains is not my creation. All the honor of the good it has done belongs to the wise Spirits who dictated it and who chose to make use of me. I can, therefore, hear the praise without my modesty being wounded, and without my self-love being thereby exalted. If I had wished to make use of it, I would surely have claimed its conception, instead of attributing it to the Spirits; and if I could doubt the superiority of those who cooperated, it would suffice to consider the influence it has exerted in so short a time, by the power of logic alone, without relying on any of the material means apt to overexcite curiosity. Be that as it may, gentlemen, the cordiality of your welcome will be for me a powerful stimulus in the laborious task I have undertaken and of which I have made the reason for my life, for it gives me the consoling certainty that men of heart are no longer so rare in this material age, as people are pleased to assert. The sentiments that these benevolent testimonies awaken in me are better understood than expressed, and what gives them, in my eyes, an inestimable value is that they have no personal consideration for their motive. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, in the name of Spiritism and, above all, in the name of the Parisian Society for Spiritist Studies, which will be happy with the demonstrations of sympathy you deign to give it, and proud to count in Lyon so great a number of good and loyal colleagues. Allow me to describe, in a few words, the impressions I take away from my brief passage among you. The first thing that struck me was the number of adherents. I well knew that Lyon counted them in great number, but I was far from suspecting that it was so considerable, for they are counted by the hundreds and soon, I hope, they will no longer be countable. But if Lyon is distinguished by number, it is no less so by quality, which is even better. Everywhere I found only sincere Spiritists, who understand the doctrine from its true point of view.

There are, gentlemen, three categories of adherents: those who limit themselves to believing in the reality of the manifestations and who, above all, seek phenomena. For them Spiritism is a series of more or less interesting facts.

The second see something more than facts; they understand its philosophical scope; they admire the morality that results from it, but they do not practice it. For them moral charity is a fine maxim, and that is all.

The third, finally, are not content to admire the morality: they practice it and accept all its consequences. Well convinced that earthly existence is a passing trial, they strive to make use of these short moments to march along the path of progress that the Spirits trace for them, striving to do good and to repress their bad inclinations. Their relations are always trustworthy, because their convictions keep them far from all thought of evil. In everything, charity is for them the rule of conduct. These are the true Spiritists, or rather, the Spiritist-Christians.

Very well, gentlemen! I tell you with satisfaction that here I have found no adherent of the first category. Nowhere did I see anyone occupy themselves with Spiritism out of mere curiosity, or make use of the communications for futile matters. Everywhere the aim is noble, the intentions honest, and, if I am to believe what I see and what I am told, there are many of the third category. Honor, then, to the Lyon Spiritists, for having so generously penetrated this progressive way, without which Spiritism would have no aim! Such an example will not be lost; it will have its consequences, and it was not without reason, as I clearly see, that the other day the Spirits answered me, through one of your most devoted mediums, though one of the most obscure, when I was expressing my surprise to them: “Why be astonished? Lyon was the city of martyrs. Here the faith is alive; it will furnish apostles to Spiritism. If Paris is the brain, Lyon will be the heart.” The coincidence of this reply with the one given to you previously, and which Mr. Guillaume has just recalled in his address, has something very significant about it. The rapidity with which the doctrine has propagated in recent times, despite the opposition it still encounters, or, perhaps, for that very reason, can allow us to foresee its future. As a matter of prudence, let us avoid all that might produce a disagreeable impression and — I do not say lose a cause already assured — retard its development. Let us follow in this the counsels of the wise Spirits and let us not forget that, in this world, many successes have been compromised by excessive haste. Let us also not forget that our enemies of the other world, like those of this one, may seek to drag us along a dangerous path.

You saw fit to ask me for some counsels, and it is a pleasure for me to give you those that experience may suggest to me. It will be no more than a personal opinion, which I invite you to ponder with your wisdom and of which you will make whatever use seems suitable to you, for I do not have the pretension of imposing myself as an absolute arbiter.

You had the intention of forming a great society. On this subject I have already told you my way of thinking, so that I limit myself to summarizing it here.

It is known that the best communications are obtained in gatherings that are not very numerous, above all in those where harmony and communion of sentiments reign. Now, the greater the number, the more difficult it will be to obtain that homogeneity. As it is impossible that at the beginning of a science still so new some divergences should not arise in the manner of appraising certain things, from that divergence there would infallibly be born a malaise, which could lead to disunion. On the contrary, small groups will always be more homogeneous; people know one another better, are more as a family, and those whom we wish can be better admitted. And, since in the final analysis all tend toward the same goal, they can understand one another perfectly and will understand one another all the better as there is not that incessant touchiness, which is incompatible with the recollection and concentration of the spirit. The bad Spirits, who incessantly seek to sow discord by wounding susceptibilities, will always have less dominion in a small group than in a numerous and heterogeneous setting. In a word, unity of views and of sentiment will be easier to establish in it. The multiplicity of groups has another advantage: that of obtaining a much greater variety of communications, through the diversity of aptitude of the mediums. Let these partial gatherings reciprocally communicate what they obtain, each on its own side, so that all may profit from their mutual labors. Besides, the moment will come when the number of adherents would no longer permit a single gathering, which would have to fragment by the force of things. This is why it is preferable to do immediately that which they will be obliged to do later.

Incontestably, from the point of view of propaganda, it is not in great gatherings that neophytes can gather elements of conviction, but in intimacy. There is, then, a double reason to prefer the small groups, which can multiply to infinity. Now, twenty groups of ten persons, for example, will indisputably obtain more and make more proselytes than a single gathering of two hundred persons.

A moment ago I spoke of the divergences that may arise, and I said that they ought not to create obstacles to the perfect understanding among the different centers. Indeed, these divergences can occur only in the details and not on the substance. The aim is the same: moral improvement; the means is the same: the teaching given by the Spirits. If such teaching were contradictory; if, evidently, one should be false and the other true, note well that this could not alter the aim, which is to lead man to good, for his greater present and future happiness. Now, good could not have two weights and two measures. From the scientific or dogmatic point of view it is, however, useful, or at least interesting, to know who is right and who is wrong. Well then! You have an infallible criterion for appraising it, whether it be a matter of mere details or of radically divergent systems; and this applies not only to the Spiritist systems, but to all philosophical systems. Examine, first, what is most logical, what best corresponds to your aspirations, what can best attain the aim. The truest will evidently be that which explains best, which best gives the reason for everything. If one can oppose to a system a single fact in contradiction with its theory, then the theory is false or incomplete. Next, examine the practical results of each system; the truth must be on the side of the one that produces the greater sum of good, exerts a more salutary influence, produces more good and virtuous men, and impels toward good by the purest and most rational motives. Happiness is the constant aim to which man aspires. The truth will be on the side of the system that affords the greater sum of moral satisfaction; in a word, that which makes man happier.

As the teaching comes from the Spirits, the various groups, like individuals, find themselves under the influence of certain Spirits who preside over their labors, or direct them morally. If these Spirits are not in agreement, the question will be to know which one merits more confidence. Evidently, it will be the one whose theory can raise no serious objection; in short, the one that, on all points, gives the most proofs of its superiority. If everything is good, rational in this teaching, it matters little what name the Spirit takes; and, in this sense, the question of identity is absolutely secondary. If, under a respectable name, the teaching is deficient in the essential qualities, you may, without any hesitation, conclude that it is an apocryphal name and that it is an impostor Spirit, or one that is amusing itself. General rule: the name is never a guarantee; the only, the true guarantee of superiority is the thought and the manner in which it is expressed. The deceiving Spirits are capable of imitating everything, everything indeed, except true knowledge and true sentiment. I do not intend, gentlemen, to give you here a course in Spiritism, and perhaps I am abusing your patience with all these details. Nevertheless, I cannot refrain from adding a few more words.

It often happens that the Spirits, in order to make certain utopias adopted, affect a false knowledge and try to impose them by drawing from the arsenal of technical words all that may fascinate the one who believes too easily. They have, moreover, an easier means, which is that of feigning virtues. Leaning on the great words: charity, fraternity, and humility, they hope to make the grossest absurdities pass. This is what frequently happens when one is not forewarned; one must, then, not let oneself be carried away by appearances, as much on the part of the Spirits as of men. I confess: this is one of the greatest difficulties. Yet it was never said that Spiritism was an easy science. It has its reefs, which can only be avoided through experience. In order not to fall into the snare it is necessary, first, to guard oneself against the enthusiasm that blinds, against the pride that leads certain mediums to deem themselves the sole interpreters of the truth. One must examine everything coldly, weigh everything maturely, control everything; and, if one distrusts one’s own judgment, which is often more prudent, one must refer to others, according to the proverb that four eyes see more than two. A false self-love or an obsession can, by itself alone, make persist an idea that is notoriously false and that is rejected by the good sense of each one. I am not unaware, gentlemen, that I have many adversaries here. This astonishes you, and yet nothing is truer. Yes, here there are those who hear me with indignation; I do not say among you — thank God! — where I hope to have only friends. I mean to speak of the deceiving Spirits, who do not want me to give you the means of unmasking them, because I uncover their cunning and because, by putting you on guard, I take from them the dominion they might have over you. In this regard, gentlemen, I will tell you that it would be an error to imagine that they exert this dominion only over mediums. Be assured that, being everywhere, the Spirits act incessantly upon us, without our knowing it, whether one is, or is not, a Spiritist or a medium. Mediumship does not attract them; on the contrary, it furnishes us the means of knowing the enemy, who always betrays himself. Always, hear me well, and who only abuses those who let themselves be abused. This, gentlemen, leads me to complete my thought on what I have just said, regarding the dissensions that might arise among the various groups, in consequence of the diversity of teaching. I said that, notwithstanding some divergences, they could understand one another and ought to understand one another, provided they are true Spiritists. I gave you the means of controlling the value of the communications; now I will give you that of appraising the nature of the influences exerted upon each one. Considering that every salutary influence emanates from a good Spirit, that all that is bad comes from a bad source, that the bad Spirits are the enemies of union and concord, the group that is assisted by the Spirit of evil will be the one that casts the stone at the other and does not extend its hand to it. As for me, gentlemen, I consider you all as brothers, whether you are with the truth or with error. But I declare to you, loud and clear, that I will be body and soul with those who show more charity, more abnegation. If there were any — which God forbid! — who harbored sentiments of hatred, envy, jealousy, I would pity them, because they would be under a bad influence, preferring to believe that these bad thoughts come to them from a strange Spirit rather than from their own heart. But this would only make suspect to me the veracity of the communications they might receive, by virtue of the principle that a truly good Spirit cannot suggest anything but good sentiments. I will end, gentlemen, this address, surely already quite long, with a few considerations on the causes that must assure the future of Spiritism.

You all understand, by what you have before your eyes and by what you feel within yourselves, that a day will come when Spiritism will exert an immense influence on the social structure. But the day when that influence will be generalized is still far off, no doubt. Generations are needed for man to divest himself of the old man. Yet, from now on, if the good cannot be general, it is already individual, and because that good is effective, the doctrine that affords it is accepted with such facility, I will even say with such enthusiasm, by many. Indeed, setting aside its rationality, what philosophy is more capable of freeing man’s thought from earthly bonds, of raising his soul toward the infinite? Which is the one that gives him a more just, more logical idea, supported on the most manifest proofs, of his nature and his destiny? Let his adversaries substitute for it something better, a more consoling doctrine, one that better accords with reason, that replaces the ineffable joy of knowing that the beings who were dear to us on Earth are near us, that they see us, hear us, speak to us, and counsel us; that gives a more legitimate motive for resignation; that makes death less feared; that affords more calm in the trials of life; that, finally, replaces that sweet quietude experienced when one can say: I feel myself better. Before a doctrine that does better than all this, Spiritism will lay down its arms. Spiritism thus renders one supremely happy; with it, no more isolation, nor despair; it has already spared many faults, prevented several crimes, brought peace to countless families, corrected many imperfections. What, then, will it be when men are nourished by such ideas! Because, then, reasoning coming, they will fortify themselves and will no longer deny the soul. Yes, Spiritism renders one happy, and it is this that gives it an irresistible power and assures its future triumph. Men want happiness; as Spiritism offers it, they will cast themselves into its arms. Do they wish to annihilate it? Then let them give man a greater source of happiness and of hope. This as regards individuals.

Two other forces seem to have dreaded its appearance: the civil authority and the religious authority. Why? Because they do not know it. Today the Church begins to see that in it she will find a powerful weapon to combat incredulity, the logical solution of several embarrassing dogmas, and, finally, that it already leads to their duties as Christians a good number of stray sheep. For its part, the civil power begins to have proofs of its beneficial influence on the morality of the laboring classes, in whom this doctrine, through conviction, inculcates ideas of order and of respect for property, making them understand the nothingness of utopias. It witnesses moral metamorphoses that are almost miraculous and will soon glimpse, in the diffusion of these ideas, a nourishment more useful to thought than the joys of the cabarets or the tumult of the public square and, consequently, a safeguard for society. Thus, people, Church, and power, one day seeing in it a dike against the brutality of the passions, a guarantee of order and tranquility, a return to the religious ideas that are dying out, no one will have an interest in obstructing its march. On the contrary, each will seek in Spiritism a support. Besides, who could halt the course of this torrent of ideas, which already sets its beneficent waters in motion in the five parts of the world? Such are, my dear colleagues, the considerations I wished to submit to you. I conclude by thanking you once again for your kind welcome, the memory of which will always be present in my memory. I likewise thank the good Spirits for all the satisfaction they have afforded me during my journey, for, everywhere I stopped, I also found good and sincere Spiritists and was able to ascertain, with my own eyes, the immense development of these ideas and with what facility they take root. Everywhere I found happy people, the afflicted consoled, sorrows calmed, hatreds appeased; everywhere confidence and hope succeeding the anguish of doubt and uncertainty. Once again, Spiritism is the key to true happiness, and therein lies the secret of its irresistible power. Is it, then, a utopia, a doctrine that works such wonders? May God, in His goodness, my friends, deign to send you good Spirits to assist you in your communications, so that you may be enlightened upon the truths that you are charged with spreading. One day you will reap a hundredfold the fruits of the good seed you will have sown. May this banquet of friends, my most beloved colleagues, like the agapes of old, be the pledge of union among all true Spiritists!

I raise a toast to the Lyon Spiritists, both in my own name and in the name of the Parisian Society for Spiritist Studies.

Allan Kardec.

[1] Translator’s note: See The Mediums’ Book, second part, chapter XXIX, especially item 332.