False brothers and inept friends.

— As we demonstrated in our preceding article, nothing could prevail against the providential destiny of Spiritism. Just as no one can prevent the fall of that which, by divine decrees – men, peoples, or things – must fall, no one can halt the march of that which must advance. With respect to Spiritism, this truth stands out from the facts already accomplished and, even more so, from another capital point. If Spiritism were a mere theory, a system, it could be combated by another system; but it rests upon a law of Nature, just as much as the movement of the Earth does. The existence of Spirits is inherent in the human species; one can no more prevent them from existing than one can prevent their manifestation, just as one cannot prevent man from walking. For this they need no permission and they laugh at every prohibition, for one must not lose sight of the fact that, besides mediumistic manifestations properly so called, there are natural and spontaneous manifestations, which have occurred in all times and which occur daily among a great number of people who have never heard of Spirits. Who, then, could oppose the development of a law of Nature? Being the work of God, to rise up against it is to revolt against God. These considerations explain the uselessness of the attacks directed against Spiritism. What Spiritists have to do in the presence of these aggressions is to continue their work peacefully, without bravado, with the calm and confidence given by the certainty of reaching the goal.

— Nevertheless, if nothing can halt the general march, there are circumstances that may provoke partial obstructions, just as a small dam may retard the course of a river without preventing it from flowing. Among these are the thoughtless attitudes of certain adepts, more zealous than prudent, who do not properly gauge the reach of their acts or their words, thereby producing an unfavorable impression upon persons not yet initiated into the doctrine, more apt to drive them away than the diatribes of the adversaries. Without a doubt Spiritism is very widespread; yet it would be even more so if all the adepts had followed the counsels of prudence and kept a prudent reserve. Without a doubt one must take their intention into account, but it is certain that more than one has justified the proverb: Better an avowed enemy than an inconvenient friend. The worst of this is the furnishing of weapons to the adversaries, who know how to skillfully exploit an indiscretion. It could never be recommended too much to Spiritists that they reflect maturely before acting. In such cases prudence dictates not relying on one's personal opinion. Today, when groups or societies are forming on all sides, nothing is simpler than to reach an agreement before acting. Having in view nothing but the good of the cause, the true Spiritist knows how to make a renunciation of self-love. To believe in one's own infallibility, to refuse the counsel of the majority, and to persist in a path that proves to be bad and compromising, is not the attitude of a true Spiritist. It would be to give proof of pride, if not of obsession. Among the ineptitudes one must place in the first rank untimely or eccentric publications, since they are the facts of greatest repercussion. No Spiritist is unaware that Spirits are far from possessing sovereign knowledge; many among them know less than certain men and, like certain men too, have the pretension of knowing everything. On all things they have their personal opinion, which may be just or false. Now, like men too, in general those who have the most false ideas are the most obstinate. These pseudo-savants speak of everything, construct systems, create utopias, or dictate the most eccentric things, feeling happy when they find complacent and credulous interpreters who accept their lucubrations with eyes closed. This kind of publication has a grave inconvenience, for the medium, deluded and often seduced by an apocryphal name, takes it as a serious thing, of which criticism promptly seizes to denigrate Spiritism, whereas, with less presumption, it would have sufficed to have taken counsel with colleagues in order to be enlightened. It is very rare, in this case, that the medium does not yield to the injunctions of a Spirit who, like certain men too, wants to be published at any price. With more experience he would know that truly superior Spirits give counsel, but never impose nor flatter, and that every imperious prescription is a suspect sign. When Spiritism is completely implanted and known, publications of this nature will have no more inconvenience than the bad treatises on Science in our day. But, we repeat, in the beginning they cause much trouble. In matters of publicity, therefore, no amount of circumspection is too much, and one could not calculate with enough care the effect that it might perhaps produce upon the reader. In short, it is a grave error to believe oneself obliged to publish everything that the Spirits dictate, because, if there are good and enlightened ones, there are also bad and ignorant ones. It is important to make a very rigorous choice of their communications and to suppress everything that is useless, insignificant, false, or liable to produce a bad impression. One must sow, without a doubt, but sow the good seed and in opportune time.

— Let us pass to a still more serious subject: the false brothers. The adversaries of Spiritism – some at least, since there may be those of good faith – are not, as is known, so scrupulous as to the choice of means. For them every struggle is valid; and when they cannot take a fortress by assault, they undermine it. For lack of good reasons, which are loyal weapons, we see them every day vomiting lies and calumnies about Spiritism. Calumny is odious, they know it well, and a lie can be refuted; thus, they seek facts to justify themselves. But how to find compromising facts among serious people, except by producing them themselves or through their affiliates? As we have seen, the danger lies not in the open attack, nor in the persecutions, nor even in the calumny. It lies in the hidden intrigues employed to discredit and ruin Spiritism by itself. Will they succeed? That is what we are going to examine now.

We already drew attention to this maneuver in the account of our journey of 1862, because, on our way, we received three kisses of Judas, by which we were not deceived, though we did not manifest ourselves. Moreover, we had been forewarned before our departure of the snares that would be laid for us. But we kept watch, certain that one day they would be unmasked, because it is as difficult for a false Spiritist as for a bad Spirit to simulate a superior Spirit. Neither one nor the other can sustain their role for long.

From various localities they point out to us creatures, men and women of suspect antecedents and connections, whose apparent zeal for Spiritism inspires only a mediocre confidence, and we are not surprised to find there the three Judases of whom we spoke: they exist in the low and in the high strata. On their part it is often more than zeal; it is enthusiasm, a fanatical admiration. In their opinion, their devotion goes as far as the sacrifice of their interests, and despite this, they do not attract sympathies: an unwholesome fluid seems to envelop them, and their presence at the meetings casts a mantle of ice. Add to this that there are some whose means of subsistence become a problem, especially in the provinces, where everyone knows one another.

What principally characterizes these supposed adepts is the tendency to make Spiritism leave the paths of prudence and moderation through their ardent desire for the triumph of truth; to encourage eccentric publications; to go into ecstasies of admiration before the most ridiculous apocryphal communications, which they take care to spread; to provoke at the meetings compromising subjects about politics and religion, always for the triumph of truth, which cannot remain under the bushel; their praises of men and of things are flatteries that make one shudder: they are the braggarts of Spiritism. Others are more affected and hypocritical; with oblique glance and mellifluous words they blow discord while preaching union. They skillfully raise the discussion of irritating or stinging questions, capable of provoking dissensions. They excite an envy of predominance among the various groups and would be most content to see them stoning one another, and, in favor of a few divergences of opinion on certain questions of form or of substance, generally provoked, they raise banner against banner.

— Some, so it is said, incur enormous expense on Spiritist books, of which the booksellers take no notice, and an excessive propaganda. But, by the work of chance, the choice of their adepts is unfortunate; a fatality leads them to address themselves preferentially to exalted persons, of obtuse ideas or who have already given signs of aberration; after a failure that they deplore by crying out everywhere, it is established that these people were occupying themselves with Spiritism, of which, most of the time, they did not understand a jot. To the Spiritist books that these zealous apostles distribute generously, they often add, not critiques, for that would be a lack of skill, but books of magic and sorcery or politically unorthodox writings, or ignoble diatribes against religion, so that, should any mishap arise, fortuitous or not, everything may be confounded in a subsequent verification.

Since it is more convenient to have things at hand, in order to have docile accomplices, which is not found everywhere, some organize or have organized meetings where they occupy themselves preferentially with that which Spiritism recommends not occupying oneself with, and where care is taken to attract strangers, who are not always friends. There the sacred and the profane are unworthily confounded; the most venerated names are associated with the most ridiculous practices of black magic, accompanied by cabalistic signs and words, talismans, sibylline tripods and other accessories. Some add, as a complement, and at times, aiming at profit, cartomancy, palmistry, coffee grounds, paid somnambulism (Lde), etc. Complacent Spirits, who there find no less complacent interpreters, predict the future, read fortunes, discover hidden treasures and uncles in America and, if necessary, indicate the quotations of the Stock Exchange and the winning numbers of the lottery. Then, one fine day, justice intervenes or one reads in a newspaper the description of a Spiritism session that the author attended, recounting what he saw with his own eyes. Will you attempt to bring all these people to sounder ideas? It would be wasted labor, and one understands why: reason and the serious side of the doctrine do not interest them; it is what most thwarts them; to tell them that they harm the cause, that they furnish weapons to the enemies, is to flatter them; their aim is to discredit it, while having the air of defending it. As instruments, they fear neither compromising others, making them suffer the rigors of the law, nor themselves, for they know how to find a compensation.

— Their role is not always identical; it varies according to social position, aptitudes, the nature of their relations, and the element that makes them act, although the end is always the same. Not all employ means so coarse, but no less perfidious. Read certain publications that say they are sympathetic to the idea, even those that appear to defend it; examine all the thoughts and see whether, at times, alongside an approval placed by way of cover and label, you do not discover, as though tossed at random, an insidious thought, an insinuation of double meaning, a fact related in an ambiguous manner that may be interpreted in an unfavorable sense. Among these, some are less veiled and, under the mantle of Spiritism, aim to stir up divisions among the adepts.

— Certainly they will ask whether all the vile deeds of which we have just spoken are due, invariably, to hidden maneuvers or to a comedy with self-interested aim, or whether, also, they cannot result from a spontaneous movement; in a word, whether all Spiritists are men of good sense and incapable of being deceived?

To claim that all Spiritists are infallible would be as absurd as the pretension of our adversaries to hold the exclusive privilege of reason. But if some are deceived, it is that they are mistaken as to the meaning and the end of the doctrine. In this case their opinion cannot make law, and it is illogical and disloyal, according to the intention, to take the individual idea for the general idea, and to exploit an exception. It would be the same as taking the aberrations of a few savants as rules of Science. To these we will say: if you wish to know on which side lies the presumption of truth, study the principles admitted by the immense majority, if not, indeed, by the absolute unanimity of Spiritists of the entire world.

Believers of good faith may, then, be deceived, and we do not incriminate them for not thinking as we do. If, among the vile deeds related above, some were no more than personal opinion, we would see in them only isolated, regrettable deviations; it would, however, be unjust to hold responsible the doctrine, which openly repudiates them. But if we say that it may be the result of self-interested maneuvers, it is that our picture is made from models. Now, since it is the only thing that Spiritism really has to fear at the moment, we invite all sincere adepts to put themselves on guard, avoiding the snares that might be laid for them. To this end, they could never be circumspect enough as to the choice of the elements to introduce into the meetings, nor repel with excessive care the suggestions that would tend to denature its essentially moral character. By maintaining in this the order, the dignity, and the gravity that befit serious men, who occupy themselves with serious things, they will close off access to the ill-intentioned, who will withdraw when they recognize that they have nothing to do there. For the same motives, they must decline all solidarity with the meetings formed outside the conditions prescribed by sound reason and the true principles of the doctrine, if they cannot lead them to the good path.

— As one sees, there is certainly a great difference between the false brothers and the inept friends, but, without willing it, the result may be the same: to discredit the doctrine. The nuance that separates them frequently lies only in the intention, which, at times, might confound them, and, seeing them serve the interests of the contrary party, lead one to suppose that they were won over by it. Circumspection, then, especially at this moment, is more necessary than ever, for we must not forget that inconsiderate words, actions, or writings are exploited, and that the adversaries are most satisfied to be able to say that this comes from the Spiritists.

In this state of things, one understands what weapons speculation, in view of the abuses it may give rise to, will offer to the detractors to support the accusation of charlatanism. In certain cases, therefore, this may be a snare, of which one must be wary. Now, since there is no philanthropic charlatanism, the absolute abnegation and disinterestedness of mediums takes from the detractors one of their most powerful means of denigration, cutting off at the root all discussion in this respect.

— To carry distrust to excess would be a grave error, without a doubt, but, in times of struggle and when one knows the tactics of the enemy, prudence becomes a necessity that, moreover, does not exclude moderation nor the observance of the proprieties, from which we must never separate ourselves. On the other hand we could not be mistaken as to the character of the true Spiritist; there is in him a frankness of attitudes that defies all suspicion, especially when corroborated by the practice of the principles of the Doctrine. Let banner be raised against banner, as our antagonists seek to do: the future of each is subordinated to the sum of consolations and moral satisfactions that they bring. One system cannot prevail over another except on the condition of being more logical, and only public opinion can judge with sovereignty. In any case, violence, insults, and acrimony are bad antecedents and an even worse recommendation.

— It remains to examine the consequences of this state of things. Such intrigues may, incontestably, lead to some partial, momentary disturbances, which is why they must be aborted as much as possible. However, they could not harm the future: firstly, because they will not have time, since they are maneuvers of the opposition, which will fall by the force of things; secondly, because, say what they may, they will never take from the doctrine its distinctive character, its rational philosophy, and its consoling morality. However much they torture and distort it, however much they make the Spirits speak at their will or gather apocryphal communications to cast in contradictions among them, they will not make an isolated teaching prevail, whether true or imaginary, against that which is given everywhere. Spiritism is distinguished from all other philosophies by the fact of not being the product of the conception of a single man, but of a teaching that each one may receive at every point of the globe, and such is the consecration that The Spirits' Book has received. Written without possible equivocations and within reach of all intelligences, this book will always be the clear and exact expression of the doctrine and will transmit it intact to those who come after us. The angers it excites are indications of the role it is called to play, and of the difficulty of opposing to it anything more serious. What made the rapid success of the Spiritist doctrine are the consolations and the hopes that it gives. Every system that, by the negation of the fundamental principles, tended to destroy the very source of these consolations, could not be received with sympathy. We must not lose sight of the fact that we are, as we have already said, in a moment of transition, and that no transition operates without conflict. Let no one be surprised, then, to see the passions at play stir themselves, the compromising ambitions, the failed pretensions, and each one trying to recover what he sees escaping, clinging to the past. But, little by little all this is extinguished, the fever calms, men pass and the new ideas remain. Spiritists, raise yourselves by thought, look twenty years ahead, and the present will not disquiet you.