Spiritist Society of Paris.

— Gentlemen and dear colleagues, The Society begins its seventh year, which is most significant when it concerns a new science. A fact of no lesser importance is that it has constantly followed an ascending march. Yet, gentlemen, you know that it is less in the material sense than in the moral sense that its progress is achieved. Not only did it not open its doors to the first comer, but it did not solicit anyone whatsoever to become a part of it, aiming rather to circumscribe itself than to expand indefinitely.

Indeed, the number of active members is a secondary question for any society that, like this one, does not aim to amass treasure. As it does not seek subscribers, it is not attached to quantity. The very nature of its labors, which are exclusively scientific, requires this, for they demand calm and recollection, and not the tumult of the crowd.

The sign of the Society's prosperity, then, lies neither in the figure of its membership nor in the amount of its bank reserve; it lies entirely in the progression of its studies, in the regard it has won, in the moral ascendancy it exercises abroad, and finally in the number of adherents who adhere to the principles it professes, without, for that reason, taking part in it. In this respect, gentlemen, you know that the result has surpassed all expectations and, remarkable thing! it is not only in France that it exercises such ascendancy, but abroad, because, for true Spiritists, all men are brothers, whatever the nation to which they belong. You have the material proof of this in the number of societies and groups that, from various countries, come to place themselves under its patronage and to ask it for advice. This is a notorious fact and all the more characteristic in that this convergence toward it occurs spontaneously, for it is no less notorious that it neither provoked nor solicited it. It is, then, voluntarily that they come to place themselves under the banner it has raised. To what is all this owed? Its causes are multiple; it is not useless to examine them, because this enters into the History of Spiritism. One of the causes comes, naturally, from the fact that, being the first regularly constituted, it was also the first to broaden the circle of its studies and to embrace all parts of the Spiritist science. When Spiritism was barely emerging from the period of curiosity and turning tables, it resolutely entered the philosophical period that, in a certain way, it inaugurated. For this very reason, it soon centralized the attention of serious people.

But this would have served no purpose had it remained foreign to the principles taught by the generality of the Spirits. If it had only professed its own ideas, it would never have imposed itself on the immense majority of adherents in every country. The Society represents the principles formulated in The Spirits' Book. These principles being taught everywhere, they very naturally became linked to the center from which they emanated, whereas those who placed themselves outside this center remained isolated, for not having found an echo among the Spirits.

— I will repeat here what I have said elsewhere, because it could never be repeated too often: The strength of Spiritism does not reside in the opinion of one man, nor in that of one Spirit; it lies in the universality of the teaching given by the latter; universal control, like universal suffrage, will in the future resolve all disputed questions; it will found the unity of the doctrine far better than a council of men. Be assured, gentlemen, that this principle will make its way, like the Outside of charity there is no salvation, because it is based on the most rigorous logic and on the abdication of personality. It will thwart only the adversaries of Spiritism and those who have faith only in their personal lights.

It is by never having departed from this path traced by sound reason that the Society of Paris has won the place it occupies. They trust it, because they know that it advances nothing frivolously, does not impose its own ideas, and, by its position, is better qualified than anyone to ascertain the sense in which is pronounced what may justly be called the universal suffrage of the Spirits. If it ever placed itself alongside the majority, it would necessarily cease to be the point of connection. Spiritism would not fall, because it has its point of support everywhere, but the Society would fall if it did not have its own everywhere. Indeed, and by its exceptional nature, Spiritism likewise does not rest upon a society, just as it is not seated upon an individual; that of Paris has never said: Outside of me there is no Spiritism; thus, were it to cease to exist, Spiritism would not for that reason deviate from its course, because it has its roots in the innumerable multitude of interpreters of the Spirits throughout the whole world, and not in any given assembly, whose existence is always contingent.

— The testimonies that the Society receives prove that it is esteemed and considered, which is certainly cause for us to congratulate ourselves. If the primary cause lies in the nature of its labors, it is fair to add that it owes this also to the good opinion of its sessions carried away by the numerous foreigners who visited it; the order, the bearing, the gravity, the sentiments of fraternity that they saw reigning there convinced them, more than all words, of its eminently serious character.

Such is, gentlemen, the position that, as founder of the Society, I had to secure for it; such is, also, the reason why I never yielded to any incitement tending to divert it from the path of prudence. I let the impatient ones, of good or of bad faith, say and do what they would; you know what they became, whereas the Society is still standing.

The mission of the Society is not to make proselytes, which is why it never convokes the public. The objective of its labors, as its title indicates, is the progress of the Spiritist science. For this it makes use not only of its own observations, but of those made elsewhere; it gathers the documents that reach it from all parts; it studies them, investigates them, and compares them, in order to deduce the principles and draw out the instructions that it spreads, but it does not do so thoughtlessly. It is thus that its labors profit everyone and, if they have won a certain authority, it is because they know that they are made conscientiously, without systematic prejudice against persons or things.

It is understood, then, that to attain such an objective, a more or less considerable number of members is a matter of indifference. The result would be obtained just as well, or even better, with a dozen than with several hundred. Aiming at no material interest, there is no reason to seek numbers; its objective being grave and serious, it does nothing with curiosity in view; finally, since the elements of the science would teach it nothing new, it does not waste time repeating what it already knows. As we have said, its role is to work for the progress of the science through study; it is not to it that those who know nothing come to convince themselves, but that the already initiated adherents come to gather new instructions; such is its true character. What it needs, what is indispensable to it, are extensive relations, which allow it to view from on high the general movement, in order to judge the whole, to conform to it, and to make it known. Now, it possesses such relations, which came of their own accord and increase daily, and you have the proof of this through the correspondence. The number of assemblies that form under its auspices and solicit its patronage, for the reasons set forth above, is the most characteristic fact of the social year that has just passed. This fact is not only most honorable for the Society but is of capital importance, for it bears witness, at the same time, to the extent of the doctrine and the sense in which unity tends to establish itself.

— Those who know us know the nature of the relations that exist between the Society of Paris and the foreign societies, but it is essential that everyone know it, in order to avoid the misunderstandings to which the allegations of malevolence could give rise. Thus, it is not superfluous to repeat: That the Spiritists form among themselves neither a congregation nor an association; that between the various societies there is neither material solidarity nor occult or ostensible affiliation; that they obey no secret watchword; that those who form part of them are always free to withdraw whenever it suits them; that if they do not open their doors to the public, it is not because something mysterious or occult takes place there, but because they do not wish to be disturbed by the curious and the importunate; far from acting in the shadows, on the contrary they are always ready to submit to the investigations of the legal authority and to the prescriptions that may be imposed upon them. That of Paris has, over the others, only a moral authority, which it won by its position and by its studies and because it was seen fit to confer it upon it. It gives the advice that they require of its experience, but it imposes itself on none. The only watchword it gives, as a sign of recognition among true Spiritists, is this: Charity toward all, even toward our enemies. It would therefore decline all moral solidarity with those that departed from this principle, that had material interest as their motive, that, instead of maintaining union and good harmony, tended to sow division among the adherents, because, for that very reason, they would place themselves outside the doctrine. The Society of Paris cannot assume responsibility for the abuses that, through ignorance or other causes, may be made of Spiritism; it does not claim, in any way, to cover with its mantle those who commit them; it neither can nor must take up their defense before the authority, in case of persecution, because that would be to accept what the doctrine disapproves. When criticism is directed at such abuses, we have nothing to refute, but we only respond: “If you would take the trouble to study Spiritism, you would know what it says and you would not accuse it of that which it condemns.” Thus, it falls to sincere Spiritists to carefully avoid everything that may give rise to a well-founded criticism; and they will certainly succeed in this, if they hold to the precepts of the doctrine. It is not because an assembly entitles itself a Spiritist group, circle, or society that it must necessarily have our sympathy; the label has never been an absolute guarantee of the quality of the merchandise. But, according to the maxim: “The tree is known by its fruit,” we appreciate it according to the sentiments that animate it, the motive that directs it, and we judge it by its works. The Society of Paris congratulates itself when it can inscribe, on the list of its adherents, assemblies that offer all the desirable guarantees of order, good manners, sincerity, devotion, and personal abnegation, and can offer them as models to its brothers in belief.

The position of the Society of Paris is, then, exclusively moral, and it never aspired to any other. Those of our antagonists who claim that all Spiritists are tributaries; that it enriches itself at their expense, extorting money from them for its own profit; that they reckon its profit by the number of adherents, either give proof of bad faith or of the most absolute ignorance of that of which they speak. [See: Thus is history written! The millions of Mr. Allan Kardec.] No doubt it has conscience on its side, but it has, moreover, to confound imposture, its archives, which will always bear witness to the truth, in the present as in the future.

— Without premeditated design and by the force of things, the Society has become a center toward which converge teachings of every nature concerning Spiritism. Under this aspect, it finds itself in a position that we might call exceptional, by the elements it possesses for establishing its opinion. Better than anyone, it can, then, know the real state of the progress of the doctrine in each country and appreciate the local causes that may favor it or retard its development. This statistic will not be one of the least precious elements of the history of Spiritism, permitting, at the same time, that the maneuvers of its adversaries be studied and that the extent of the blows struck to overthrow it be reckoned. This observation alone would suffice to allow one to foresee the definitive and inevitable result of the struggle, just as one judges the outcome of a battle by the movement of the two armies. In this regard, it may be said with entire truth that we are in the front line to observe, not only the tactics of men, but also those of the Spirits. Indeed, we see on the part of the latter a unity of views and of plan wisely and providentially combined, against which all human efforts must necessarily break, because the Spirits can reach men and strike them, while they escape the latter. As one can see, the match is unequal.

The history of modern Spiritism will be a truly curious thing, because it will be that of the struggle between the visible world and the invisible world. The ancients would have said: The war of men against the gods. It will also be the struggle of facts, but, above all and necessarily, that of the men who have played an active role in them, in one sense or the other, as true mainstays or as adversaries of the cause. It is necessary that future generations know to whom they will owe a just tribute of recognition; it is necessary that they consecrate the memory of the true pioneers of the regenerating work and that there be no usurped glories.

What will give this history a particular character is that, instead of being made, like many others, of years or of centuries outside of time, with faith in tradition and in legend, it is made as the events happen, based on authentic data, the most vast and complete archive existing in the world, which we possess, coming from incessant correspondence, arriving from all the countries where the doctrine is taking root.

No doubt Spiritism, in itself, cannot be reached by the lying allegations of its adversaries, with the aid of which they seek to distort it; nevertheless, they could give a false idea of its beginnings and of its means of action, denaturing the acts and the character of the men who have cooperated in it, if the official counterpart were not provided. These archives will be, for the future, the light that will dissipate all doubts, the mine where future commentators will be able to gather with certainty. As you see, gentlemen, this work is of great importance in the interest of historical truth; our own Society is interested in it, by reason of the part it occupies in the movement.

There is a proverb that says: “Nobility obliges.” The position of the Society imposes obligations upon it in order to preserve its credit and its moral ascendancy. The first is not to depart, as to theory, from the line followed up to today, for it is already gathering its fruits; the second lies in the good example it must give, justifying, by practice, the excellence of the doctrine it professes. It is known that this example, proving the moralizing influence of Spiritism, is a powerful element of propaganda and, at the same time, the best means of shutting the mouths of detractors. An unbeliever, who knows only the philosophy of the doctrine, said that with such principles the Spiritist must necessarily be a man of good. These words are profoundly true; but, to be complete, it is necessary to add that the true Spiritist must be, necessarily, good and benevolent toward his fellow men, that is, practice evangelical charity in its most vast acceptation. It is the grace that we must all ask God to grant us, making us docile to the counsels of the good Spirits who assist us. Let us likewise ask the latter to continue to protect us during the year that is beginning and to give us the strength to make ourselves worthy of them. It is the surest means of justifying and preserving the position the Society has won.

A. K.