New American mediums in Paris.

As regards physical manifestations, the American mediums certainly surpass those of the old continent in number and in force. Indeed, their reputation is so well established, especially since Mr. Home, that the title alone seems to promise prodigies. For many people, Mr. Squire was designated only as the American medium. A charlatan who some years ago traveled through cities and fairs to give performances passed himself off as an American medium, although he was perfectly French. Now two new ones come to us who have nothing of the medium but the name, and of whom we would never have spoken, since their art is foreign to our subject, had their arrival, announced with so much fanfare, not caused a certain sensation, by the nature of their pretensions. For the edification of our readers, and so as not to be accused of partiality, we transcribe verbatim their prospectuses, with which Paris has just been inundated. “Entertainments of the Parisian salons. – Novelty, nothing but novelty!!! – Soirées for families and private gatherings, given by the American Mediums, Mr. C. Eddwards Girroodd, of Kingston (Lake Ontario), Upper Canada, and Mrs. Julia Girroodd, nicknamed by the English and American press the Gracious Sensitive.

“An album of more than two hundred pages, each of which is a letter of congratulation, signed by the greatest names of France, both from the nobility, the magistracy, the army, and literature, as well as by sixteen archbishops and bishops of France and by a great number of ecclesiastics of high distinction, is at the disposal of persons who, wishing to give a soirée, would beforehand desire to assure themselves of the good taste, the richness, and the novelty of their experiments.

“Mr. and Mrs. Girroodd, the only ones in France to perform experiments, have not yet spent three months in Paris and have already given forty-two sessions in the principal salons of the capital, at the Tuileries (May 12, 1861), and at the residence of several members of the imperial family.

“They have at once placed their experiments far above everything that until now had been seen as recreation for soirées.

“Contrary to the custom of the gentlemen physicists, their sleight of hand requires not the least preparation or particular arrangement, and the artists operate easily in the midst of a circle of attentive spectators, without fearing for a single minute to see the illusion destroyed.

“The marvels are only an insignificant part of their varied talents. The World of Spirits obeys their voices: Visions – Ecstasy – Fascination – Magnetism – Electrobiology – Rapping Spirits – Spiritualism, etc., etc., all that science and charlatanism have invented, that astonishes the credulous of our day, even to giving them a robust faith in all that is nothing but skillful juggling, in which one is an accomplice without knowing it. In a word, Mr. and Mrs. Girroodd, after having shown themselves as sorcerers – but sorcerers of fine bearing – wise as Merlin the Enchanter, will demonstrate, if necessary, the secrets of their science.

“The Christian faith will only gain by clearly seeing that all that it has not taught is nothing but brilliant charlatanism.

“For small gatherings or soirées for children, Mr. Girroodd has engaged, for the whole winter, one of the most skillful physicists of the capital and a ventriloquist nicknamed The Man with the Talking Dolls, who will give sessions at reduced prices.”

As may be seen, this gentleman and this lady have, nothing more, nothing less, the pretension of killing Spiritism, and they pass themselves off as defenders of the Christian faith, which is no doubt much surprised to find in sleight of hand an auxiliary. This, however, seems to increase a certain clientele.

They call themselves mediums and do not trouble to omit the title of Americans, an indispensable passport, like names ending in i for musicians, and this to prove that mediums do not exist, for, according to them, they can reproduce, aided by skill, by mechanics, and by means particular to them, all that mediums do. This proves one thing: everything can be imitated. Illusion is a question of skill. But because a thing can be imitated, must one conclude that it does not exist? Sleight of hand has imitated, to the point of deceiving, somnambulistic lucidity; must one therefore deduce that there are no somnambulists? Copies of Raphael have been made so perfect that they were taken for originals; does this mean that Raphael never existed? Mr. Robert Houdin turns water into wine and makes come out, from an unprepared hat, thousands of objects, capable of filling a large box. Does this prejudge the miracles of the Wedding at Cana and the multiplication of the loaves? And yet, he does even better, for, from a single bottle, he makes come forth half a dozen different and delicious liqueurs. All physical manifestations lend themselves marvelously to imitation and, for this reason, are exploited by charlatanism. The charlatans go far beyond the Spirits, above all in cases of transports, for they produce them at will and at the right moment, which is achieved neither by the Spirits nor by the best mediums. Moreover, justice must be done to that gentleman and that lady, for not seeking at all to deceive the public. They do not pass themselves off for what they are not and present themselves clearly as skillful imitators, in which they are more respectable than those who falsely call themselves mediums; and they are indeed so, much more than the true mediums who, in order to produce more effects and surpass their competitors, add subterfuge to reality. It is true that frankness is often good policy; to pass for vulgar conjurers is already well worn out, but to wish to prove that mediums are tricksters is an attraction of novelty for which the curious will pay generously. As we have said, their skill prejudges nothing against the reality of the phenomena; far from harming them, it will be of great usefulness. Above all, it is one more trumpet that will draw attention and make people who had not heard of Spiritism think about it. As in all critiques, they will want to see the pro and the con. Now, the result of the comparison leaves no room for doubt. A still greater usefulness is that of guarding against the possibility of fraud and subterfuge by false mediums. By proving the possibility of imitation, their credibility can be ruined. If such skill could cause any harm, it would be to the confidence placed in them, perhaps a little lightly, and in the prodigies that certain mediums obtain so easily on the other side of the Atlantic, for it is not said that Mr. and Mrs. Girroodd have the privilege of their secrets. If one day we are given to attend one of their sessions, we shall take pleasure in relating it, for the instruction of our readers. When we say that everything can be imitated, we must except the truly normal conditions in which spiritist manifestations can be produced. Hence one may say that every phenomenon that departs from these conditions must be considered suspect. Now, to judge a thing sensibly, it is necessary to have studied it. The intelligent manifestations themselves are not safe from charlatanism. There are some that, by their nature and by the circumstances in which they are obtained, defy the most consummate skill of imitation, for example, the evocation of dead persons, revealing true particulars of their existence, unknown to the medium and to those present and, better still, those dissertations of many pages, written at one stroke, without erasures, with rapidity, eloquence, correctness, depth, erudition, and sublimity of thoughts, on given subjects, beyond the knowledge and capacity of the medium, and that he does not even understand. To execute such feats a universal genius would be necessary. Now, universal geniuses are rare and, moreover, do not give spectacles. And yet, this is what is seen every day, not by one privileged individual, but by thousands of individuals of all ages, sexes, social conditions, and degrees of instruction, whose honorability and absolute disinterestedness are the best guarantee of sincerity, for charlatanism gives nothing for free. If Mr. and Mrs. Girroodd were willing to accept a struggle, it would be on this ground that we would summon them, leaving them with great pleasure that of physical manifestations. Note. – A person who claims to be well informed assures us that Edwards Girroodd should be translated as Edouard Girod, and Kingstown, Lake Ontario and Upper Canada, as Saint-Flour, Cantal.