Vestiges of the Middle Ages.

— We inform the readers of nothing about this fact that they do not already know through the press. What is astonishing is that certain newspapers, which generally pass for well-informed, should have cast it into doubt. The doubt does not surprise us, but the fact itself seems so foreign to the times in which we live, is so far removed from our customs, that, however great the blindness we may recognize in fanaticism, we think we are dreaming when we hear it said that the bonfires of the Inquisition are still being lit in 1861, at the very gates of France. Under these circumstances the doubt is a tribute paid to European civilization and to the Catholic clergy itself. Today, in the presence of an incontestable reality, what ought to surprise us most is that a serious newspaper, which daily falls without pity or mercy upon the abuses and usurpations of sacerdotal power, should have found, to record this fact, nothing but a few mocking words, adding: “In any case, it would not be we who would amuse ourselves at this moment in turning the tables in Spain.” (Siècle of 14 October 1861). So the Siècle still sees Spiritism in the turning tables? Is it so blinded by scepticism that it does not know that an entire philosophical doctrine, eminently progressive, has come forth from those tables which were so mocked? (The Mediums' Book) Does it not know that this idea is fermenting everywhere? That in the great cities, as in the small localities, from the top to the bottom of the social scale, in France as much as abroad, this idea is spreading with unheard-of rapidity? That everywhere it stirs the masses, who hail in it the dawn of a social renewal? Is not the blow with which they imagined they could strike it down an indication of its importance? For no one hurls himself thus against a childishness without consequence, and Don Quixote did not return to Spain to struggle against windmills. What is no less exorbitant, what causes astonishment in that one sees no energetic protest, is the strange pretension that the bishop of Barcelona arrogates to himself, of policing France. When the re-exportation of the works was requested, he answered with a refusal justified thus: The Catholic Church is universal; and these books being contrary to the Catholic faith, the government cannot consent that they should go to pervert the morals and the religion of other countries. Behold, then, a foreign bishop who sets himself up as judge of what is or is not suitable for France! So the sentence was upheld and carried out, without even exempting the addressee from the customs duties, the payment of which was demanded of him. Here is the account that was addressed to us personally:

“Today, the ninth of October, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, at half past ten in the morning, on the esplanade of the city of Barcelona, the place where criminals condemned to the ultimate punishment are executed, and by order of the bishop of this city, three hundred volumes and pamphlets on Spiritism were burned, namely:

“The Spiritist Review, director Allan Kardec;

“The Spiritualist Review, director Piérard;

“The Spirits' Book, by Allan Kardec;

“The Mediums' Book, by the same;

“What Spiritism Is, by the same;

“Fragments of a sonata dictated by the Spirit Mozart;

“Letter from a Catholic on Spiritism, by Dr. Grand;

“The History of Joan of Arc, dictated by herself to Miss Ermance Dufau; n “The reality of Spirits demonstrated by direct writing, by Baron de Guldenstubbé.

“There were present at the auto-da-fé:

“A priest in sacerdotal vestments, holding the cross in one hand and a torch in the other;

“A clerk charged with drawing up the record of the auto-da-fé;

“An assistant to the clerk;

“A superior employee of the customs administration;

“Three customs attendants, charged with feeding the fire;

“A customs agent representing the owner of the works condemned by the bishop.

“An incalculable crowd filled the sidewalks and covered the immense esplanade where the bonfire was raised.

“When the fire had consumed the three hundred Spiritist volumes or pamphlets, the priest and his assistants withdrew, covered by the jeers and curses of numerous bystanders, who shouted: Down with the Inquisition!

“Afterward, several persons approached the bonfire and gathered up its ashes.”

A portion of the ashes was sent to us. Among them is a fragment of The Spirits' Book, half consumed. We preserve it preciously, as an authentic testimony of this act of folly.

Apart from any opinion, this case raises a grave question of international law. We recognize the right of the Spanish government to forbid, within its territory, the entry of works that do not suit it, as it does that of all prohibited merchandise. If the works had been introduced clandestinely and fraudulently, there would be nothing to object to; but they were dispatched openly and presented to the customs; there was, therefore, a permission legally requested. The customs deemed it necessary to refer to the episcopal authority which, without any procedural formality, condemned the works to be burned by the hands of the executioner. Then the addressee asked that they be re-exported to the place of their origin and, finally, he was answered that he would not receive them, as reported above. We ask whether, in such circumstances, the destruction of this property is not an arbitrary act and against common law. Examining the case from the point of view of its consequences, we shall say, first of all, that there is no doubt that nothing could have been more beneficial to Spiritism. Persecution has always been profitable to the idea that one wished to proscribe: it exalts its importance, draws attention to it, and makes it known to all those who were unaware of it. Thanks to this imprudent zeal, all the world in Spain is going to hear of Spiritism and will want to know what it is; that is all we desire. Books may be burned, but ideas are not burned; the flames of the bonfires overexcite them, instead of smothering them. Besides, ideas are in the air, and there are no Pyrenees high enough to stop them. When an idea is great and generous it finds thousands of lungs ready to breathe it in. Let them do what they will, Spiritism already has numerous and deep roots in Spain; the ashes of the bonfire will make it bear fruit. But it is not only in Spain that such a result will be produced: the whole world will feel the counter-stroke. Several newspapers in Spain have stigmatized this retrograde act, as it well deserves. Among others, Las Novedades of Madrid, of 19 October, contains a remarkable article on the subject. It will be reproduced in our next issue. Spiritists of all countries! Do not forget this date:

October 1861; it will be marked in the annals of Spiritism. May it be for you a day of celebration, and not of mourning, for it is the guarantee of your approaching triumph!

Among the numerous communications that the Spirits dictated on the subject, we shall cite only the two following, given spontaneously at the Society of Paris. They summarize the causes and all their consequences.

ON THE AUTO-DA-FÉ OF BARCELONA.

“The love of truth must always make itself heard: it tears the veil and shines at the same time everywhere. Spiritism has become known to all; soon it will be judged and put into practice. The more persecutions there are, the more quickly this sublime doctrine will reach its apogee. Its most cruel enemies, the enemies of the Christ and of progress, act in such a way that no one can be unaware of the permission of God, granted to those who have left this Earth of exile, to return to those whom they loved.

“Be assured: the bonfires will extinguish themselves; and if the books are cast into the fire, the immortal thought survives them.”

Dollet.

Note. – This Spirit, having manifested spontaneously, said that he was that of a former bookseller of the sixteenth century.

ANOTHER.

“It was necessary that something should strike certain incarnate Spirits violently, in order that they might resolve to occupy themselves with this great doctrine that is going to regenerate the world. Nothing is done uselessly on your Earth. We, who inspired the auto-da-fé of Barcelona, knew perfectly well that in acting thus we would take a great step forward. This brutal fact, unbelievable in present times, was carried out with a view to drawing the attention of the journalists who remained indifferent before the profound agitation that was taking hold of the cities and the Spiritist centers. They let things be said and done, but, obstinate, they turned a deaf ear, answering by silence the desire for propaganda of the adepts of Spiritism. Whether they wish it or not, they must speak today; some, attesting the history of the Barcelona case, others denying it, have given rise to a controversy that will go round the world and from which only Spiritism will profit. This is why today the rearguard of the Inquisition has practiced its last auto-da-fé, because we willed it so.” Saint Dominic. n [Review of December 1861.]

AUTO-DA-FÉ OF BARCELONA.

(See the issue of November 1861.)

The Spanish newspapers were not so sparing of reflections as the French newspapers on this event. Whatever the opinion one professes regarding Spiritist ideas, there is in the fact itself something so strange for the times in which we live that it excites pity rather than anger against people who seem to have slept for several centuries and to have awakened with no consciousness of the road that Humanity has traveled, believing themselves still at the point of departure.

Here is an extract from the article in question, published by Las Novedades, one of the great newspapers of Madrid:

“The auto-da-fé celebrated some months ago in La Coruña, in which a great number of books were burned at the door of a church, had produced in ours and in the mind of all men of liberal ideas a very sad impression. But it is with indignation still greater that the news of the second auto-da-fé in Barcelona, in this civilized capital of Catalonia, in the midst of an essentially liberal population, has been received throughout Spain — a population to which they doubtless offered this barbarous insult because they recognize in it great qualities.”

After relating the facts, according to the Barcelona newspaper, it adds:

“Behold the repugnant spectacle, authorized by the men of the liberal union, in the full nineteenth century: a bonfire in La Coruña, another in Barcelona, and still many others, which will not be lacking, in other places. This is what must happen, for it is an immediate consequence of the general spirit that dominates the present state of things and that is reflected in everything. Reaction at home, relative to the bills presented; reaction abroad, supporting all the reactionary governments of Italy, before and after their fall, combating liberal ideas on every occasion, seeking on all sides the support of reaction, obtained at the price of the most disastrous concessions.” There follow long considerations, concerning the symptoms and the consequences of this act, but which, by their eminently political character, do not fall within the competence of our newspaper.

The Diario de Barcelona, an ultramontane newspaper, was the first to announce the auto-da-fé, saying: “The titles of the burned books were enough to justify their condemnation; that it is the right and the duty of the Church to make its authority respected, all the more so as a free hand is given to freedom of the press, especially in countries that enjoy the terrible scourge of freedom of worship.”

La Coruña, a Barcelona newspaper, made the following reflections on the subject:

“We hoped that our colleague (El Diario), who had given the news, would have the kindness to satisfy the curiosity of the public, seriously alarmed by such an act, incredible in the times in which we live; but it was in vain that we awaited its explanations. Since then we have been assailed by questions about this event, and we are obliged to say that the friends of the government suffer more pains from it than do those who oppose it.

“With a view to satisfying the curiosity so keenly excited, we set ourselves in search of the truth; unfortunately the fact is true. The auto-da-fé was celebrated under the following circumstances:

(There follows the account that we gave in our last issue)

“The expedients employed to arrive at this result could not have been more diligent nor more effective. The above-mentioned books were presented to the control of the Customs. They answered the commissioner that they could not be dispatched without a license from the lord bishop. The lord bishop was absent; when he returned, a copy of each work was presented to him; after having read them or had them read by persons of his confidence, conforming to the judgment of his conscience, he ordered that they be cast into the fire, as immoral and contrary to the Catholic faith. They protested against such a sentence and asked the government, since it did not permit the circulation of such books in Spain, that the owner be at least permitted to re-dispatch them to the place of origin; but even this was refused, on the allegation that, being contrary to morals and to the Catholic faith, the government could not consent that these books should go to pervert the morals and the religion of other countries. Despite this, the owner was obliged to pay the duties which, it seems, ought not to have been demanded. A great crowd attended the auto-da-fé, which is not to be wondered at, if one takes into account the hour and the place of the execution and, above all, the unusualness of the spectacle. The effect produced upon the bystanders was one of stupefaction in some, of laughter in others, and of indignation in the greater number, as they realized what was happening. Words of hatred came from several mouths, followed afterward by the jokes, the grotesque and biting sayings of those who saw with extreme pleasure the blindness of certain men. In this they are right, for in this reaction, worthy of the time of the Inquisition, they glimpse the most rapid triumph of their ideas; they mocked so that this ceremony should not increase the prestige of the authority which, with such complacency, lends itself to truly ridiculous demands. When the ashes of this new bonfire had cooled, it was observed that the persons present, or who were passing in the vicinity, informed of the fact, made their way to the place of the auto-da-fé, there gathering up a part of the ashes. “Such is the account of the events, which do not fail to provoke comments among the persons who meet. They are indignant, they lament, they rejoice or they exult, according to the manner of interpreting things. The sincere partisans of peace, of the principle of authority, and of religion are distressed by these reactionary demonstrations, because they understand that reactions are followed by revolutions, and because they know that those who sow the wind can only reap tempests. The sincere liberals are indignant that such spectacles should be given to the world by men who do not understand religion without intolerance, wishing to impose it as Mohammed imposed the Koran. “Now, setting aside the qualification given to the burned books, we shall examine the fact in itself. Can jurisprudence admit that a diocesan bishop should have an authority without appeal and be able to prevent the publication and the circulation of a book? It will be said that the press law indicates what must be done in this case. But does the law say that if the books are bad and pernicious, they shall be cast into the fire with such apparatus? In it we find no article that could justify a similar act. Moreover, the books in question were publicly declared. A commissioner declares books to the customs, because they might be listed in the category of those designated in article 6; they pass the diocesan censorship, the government could forbid their circulation and the matter was finished. The priests ought to limit themselves to advising their faithful to abstain from this or that reading, should they judge it contrary to morals and to religion; but there ought not to be granted to them an absolute power, which makes them judges and executioners. We are not going to emit any opinion on the value of the burned works; what we have in view is the fact, its tendencies, the spirit that it reveals. Henceforth, in what diocese would they fail to use, if not to abuse, a faculty which in our opinion the government itself does not have, if in Barcelona, in liberal Barcelona, they do it? Absolutism is very shrewd; it tries whether it can strike a blow of authority somewhere; if it succeeds, it dares more. Let us hope, however, that the efforts of absolutism will be useless and that all the concessions made to it will have no other result than to unmask the party which, by repeating scenes like those of last Thursday, hurls itself ever more into the abyss toward which it runs obstinately. This is what leads us to hope for the effect produced by the auto-da-fé in Barcelona.” [See also the Review of August 1862: Obituary: Death of the bishop of Barcelona.] [1] Translator's note: Dufau, in the original. The correct form is Dufaux (Ermance Dufaux).

[2] [See Saint Dominic de Guzmán.]