General meeting of the Bordeaux Spiritists

Ladies, Gentlemen, Let us render to God the sincere homage of our gratitude, for having cast upon us a paternal and benevolent gaze, granting us the precious favor of receiving the teachings of the good Spirits who, by His order, come daily to help us discern truth from error, to give us the certainty of a future happiness, to show us that punishment is proportional to the offense, but not eternal, and to make us understand this just and equitable law of reincarnation, cornerstone of the Spiritist edifice, which serves for our purification and to make us progress toward the good.

I said reincarnation! But, to make this word more comprehensible, we yield the floor for a moment to one of our spiritual guides, who was ready, for our Spiritist instruction, to develop in a few words this subject so grave and interesting for our poor Humanity.

He says: “Reincarnation is hell; reincarnation is purgatory; reincarnation is expiation; reincarnation is progress. It is, in short, the holy ladder by which all men must ascend; its rungs are the phases of the various existences to be traversed in order to reach the top, for God said: To come to Him one must be born, die, and be reborn until one has attained the limits of perfection, and no one reaches Him without having been purified by reincarnation.”

Still a neophyte in the Spiritist science, we had only zeal and good will to divulge it. God was content with this and blessed our frail efforts, causing the seed of the divine word to germinate in the heart of some of our brothers of Bordeaux.

Indeed, since the month of January we have occupied ourselves with the practical science and have seen joined to us a certain number of brothers who occupied themselves with it in isolation; others who heard of it through the voice of the press or through fame, that resounding trumpet that took upon itself to announce, in all points of our city, the appearance of this consoling faith, irrefutable witness of God's goodness toward His children.

Notwithstanding the difficulties encountered along the way, strengthened by the purity and rectitude of our convictions, sustained by the counsels of our beloved and venerated chief Mr. Allan Kardec, we had the welcome satisfaction, after nine months of apostolate, with the help of some of our brothers, of being able to gather today, under his eyes, for the inauguration of this Society which, I so hope, will continue to bear fruit in abundance and will spread like beneficent dew over hearts parched by materialism, hardened by egoism, swollen by pride, and will bring the balm of resignation to the afflicted and suffering, to the poor and to those disinherited of earthly goods, saying to them: “Confidence and courage; the earthly trials are short, in comparison with the eternal happiness that God reserves for you, in reward for your struggles and suffering here below.” Yes, I confess aloud and clearly, I am happy to be the interpreter of a great number of members of the Spiritist Society of Bordeaux, in protesting our fidelity in following the route traced by our dear missionary, here present, for we understand that, to be secure, progress is made only gradually, and that, by combating strongly certain ideas received for centuries, we would postpone the moment of our spiritual emancipation. It is possible that there be among us divergent opinions in this respect; we respect them. As for us, let us march little by little, following this maxim of the wisdom of nations: che va piano va sano. n Perhaps we shall arrive later, but we shall arrive more securely, because we shall not have broken with the faith of our ancestors, ever sacred to us, whatever it may be. Let us make use of the light of Spiritism, not to tear down, but to better ourselves, to progress. By bearing with courage and resignation the vicissitudes of this life, where we are but passing through, we shall merit the favor of being led to the end of our trials, by the Spirits of the Lord, to enjoy the immortality for which we were created. Permit, dear master, that in the name of the members of this Society, who surround you, I thank you for the honor you have given them, in coming personally to inaugurate this family gathering, which is a feast for us all, and which will doubtless mark a point in the annals of Spiritism. Receive, likewise, on this day that will remain engraved in our hearts and in a very particular manner, the very sincere expression of our keen gratitude for the paternal goodness with which you have encouraged our frail labors. It was you who traced the route for us, and we feel happy to follow you, convinced beforehand that your mission is to make spiritual progress march forward in our beautiful France, which, in its turn, will impel the other nations of the Earth in such a way as to permit them, through intellectual and moral progress, to attain little by little to happiness. [1] Translator's Note: The phrase will be perfect if we substitute the word que (French) with chi (Italian).