German society of treasure seekers.

In various French and foreign newspapers one reads the following article:

“The Spiritists have just recruited new adherents in Germany. A certain physician of Zittau, named Berthelen, author of a pamphlet on turning tables, has organized a society which calls itself: Association of treasure seekers, and which has for its object to exploit the soil of localities liable to contain buried treasures. The operations of the enterprise are conducted by one of the most lucid somnambulists, Mme. Louise Ebermann, and began with daily excavations, executed at a fixed hour, in the midst of a tobacco plantation, where the sum of 400,000 thalers (1,500,000 francs) would be found hidden. The society counts only seven or eight members participating in the work and, up to now, its operations are limited to making prayers in common and to turning over, with a certain ceremonial, the earth taken from the soil, where they hope to discover the blessed treasure.” It is truly curious to see the eagerness of certain newspapers to reproduce everything which, in their opinion, may cast discredit upon Spiritism. The least unfortunate or ridiculous event, with which, rightly or wrongly, the word Spiritist is found associated, is immediately repeated everywhere, with more or less ingenious variants, without concern for the truth. Even the most improbable lampoons are accepted with a truly comic seriousness. With the apparition of specters in the theaters, all repeat without respite that Spiritism has foundered [See Simulated apparitions in the theater], and that its greatest tricks have, at last, been discovered; a charlatan, a mountebank, or a fortune-teller need only see fit to deck himself out with the name of Spiritist, and at once the adversaries point him out as one of the representatives of the doctrine. What has resulted from all this? The repercussion of the name; hence the desire to know the thing; ridicule for the jesters, who speak frivolously of what they do not know; hatred fallen upon the slanderers and, in consequence, an increase in the number of serious adherents, the only ones who count among the Spiritists. The above article belongs to the category of which we have just spoken. The author contradicts himself, saying that the searches are made with the aid of one of the most lucid somnambulists; it is not, then, with the aid of the Spirits. On what does he base himself to say that it is an association of Spiritists? Because the founder of the society wrote a pamphlet on turning tables, does it follow that he is a Spiritist? Not at all, for, at the time of the turning tables, one was still at the ABC of the science; and, besides, if he knew Spiritism, he would know that the Spirits cannot favor any search of such a nature.

Ever since somnambulism has been known, people have employed it in the discovery of treasures, but, up to now, no one has succeeded in anything but spending money on useless excavations, like those who formerly sought the philosopher’s stone. We predict the same fate for the new enterprise. When it was learned that the Spirits could communicate, a first thought, moreover quite natural, was that they might serve usefully in speculations of every nature; but it was not long before it was recognized that, on this point, one obtained only mystifications. For this there was a cause: it was the Spirits themselves who indicated it. Thus, there is today not a single enlightened Spiritist who wastes his time pursuing such chimeras, because all know that God does not give men such a means of enriching themselves and, for this reason, does not permit the Spirits revelations of this kind. It is, then, abusively that the author of the article placed the German association of gold seekers under the patronage of Spiritism. It is not among those who see in the Spirits only servants of ambition, cupidity, and material interests that the doctrine recruits its adherents, but among those who regard it as a cause of moral improvement.

For more ample instruction in this regard, we refer the reader to The Mediums’ Book, chapter XXVI, On the questions that may be put to the Spirits; no. 291, Questions on moral and material interests; no. 294, Questions on inventions and discoveries; no. 295, Questions on hidden treasures. [See also: How and why did I become a Spiritist? by Mr. Borreau.]