A glance at Spiritism in 1864.

— Has Spiritism progressed or lost ground? This question is of as much interest to its partisans as to its adversaries. The former affirm that it has grown; the others, that it is declining. Which of them are deceiving themselves? Neither one nor the other; for those who proclaim its decadence know very well why they act thus, and prove it at every instant by the fears they manifest and the importance they grant it. Some, however, act in good faith; they have such confidence in themselves that, having made a great move, they say with a serious air: Spiritism is dead! or, rather: It must be dead!

The Spiritists rely on more positive data, on facts that they themselves can ascertain. By our position, we can judge even better the movement of the whole, and we feel happy to affirm that the doctrine is gaining ground incessantly in all classes of society, and that the year 1864 was no less fruitful than the others in good results. In the absence of other indications, our Review would already be a material proof of the state of opinion regarding the new ideas. A special journal that reaches its eighth year of existence and that, each year, sees the number of its subscribers increase in remarkable proportion; that, since its founding, has seen the collections of previous years sold out three times, does not prove the decadence of the doctrine it upholds, nor the indifference of its adherents. Up to the month of December it received new subscriptions for the year ending, and the number of subscribers on the 1st of January 1865 is already a fifth larger than it was at the same period of the previous year. This is a material fact, certainly not categorical for outsiders, but which, for us, is all the more significant because we solicit subscriptions from no one, and do not impose them as a condition in any circumstance. There is, then, none that is forced, or results from a particular condescension. Moreover, we flatter no one to obtain their adherence to our cause; we let things follow their natural course, telling ourselves that if our way of seeing and doing is not good, nothing could make it prevail. We know perfectly well that, by not having flattered certain individuals, we drove them away from us and they turned toward the side from which the incense came. But what does it matter to us! For us, serious people are more useful to the cause, and we do not regard as serious those who are attracted by the bait of self-love, as more than one has experienced. We do not want them; we regret that they gave more value to the smoke of words than to sincerity. We are conscious that, in all our life, we never owed anything to flattery or intrigue. That is why we have not made a fortune, and it is not with Spiritism that we would begin to make one.

— We gladly praise the facts accomplished, the services rendered, but never, in advance, the services that may be rendered, or even that are promised to be rendered: first, on principle and, then, because we have only a mediocre confidence in the real value of trade drawn from pride. This is why we never bargain. When we cease to approve, we do not censure; we keep silent, unless the interest of the cause forces us to break it.

Those, then, who come to us do so freely and voluntarily, attracted solely by the idea that suits them, and not by any solicitation, or by our personal merit, which is a secondary matter, considering that, whatever that merit might be, it could not give value to an idea that had none. That is why we say that the testimonies we receive are addressed to the idea, and not to our person, and it would be foolish presumption on our part if we were to take pride in it. From the standpoint of the doctrine, these testimonies come to us, for the most part, from people we have never seen, often to whom we have never written and to whom, certainly, we would never be the first to write. This is why, setting aside all idea of cooptation or of a clique, we say that the situation of the Review has a particular significance, as an indication of the progress of Spiritism, and it was only for this that we spoke of it.

— Furthermore, the year saw the birth of several organs of the idea: Le Sauveur des peuples, La Lumière, La Voix d’outre-tombe, in Bordeaux; L’Avenir, in Paris; Le Médium évangélique, in Toulouse; Le Monde musical, in Brussels, which, without being a special journal, treats the question of Spiritism with seriousness. With all certainty, if the founders of such publications had believed the idea to be in decline, they would not have ventured into such undertakings.

— In 1864 progress is also marked by the increase in the number of Spiritist groups and societies, which were formed in a host of localities where there were none, both in France and abroad. At every instant we receive notice of the creation of a new center. This number is even much greater than it appears, owing to the quantity of intimate and family gatherings, without any official character. Against these gatherings, the rigors of a systematic opposition show themselves powerless, even were they inquisitorial, as in Spain, where, nevertheless, they exist in more than thirty cities and in the homes of people of the highest classes.

Alongside these material indications, there is what is revealed through social relations. Today it is rare to meet people who do not know Spiritism, at least by name and, almost everywhere, one finds those who are sympathetic to it. Even those who do not believe in it speak with more reserve, each one being able to ascertain how much the mocking spirit has diminished, which generally gives way to a more rational discussion. Except for a few jests from the press and some more or less acrimonious sermons, violent and impassioned attacks are incontestably rarer. It is that the deniers themselves, in repelling the idea, suffer, despite themselves, its ascendancy and begin to understand that it has won its place in opinion; the majority, moreover, find their adherents in their own ranks and among their friends, who may mock in private, but who do not dare to insult publicly. Furthermore, everyone has noticed under how many forms most of the Spiritist ideas are today reproduced in literature, in a serious manner, without the word being pronounced. Never had so many productions of this kind been seen as in these latter times. Whether it be conviction or fancy on the part of the writers, it is no less a sign of the popularization of the idea, since, if they exploit it, it is with the thought that it will find an echo. Nevertheless, progress is far from being uniform. In certain localities it is still held in check by prejudices or by a hidden force, but it often appears when least expected. It is that, in many places, there are more partisans than one thinks, but who do not put themselves in evidence; one has the proof of this in the sale of the works, which far exceeds the number of known Spiritists. It then suffices for one person to have the courage of opinion for progress, from being latent, to become overt. It must have been thus in Paris, which, for a long time, remained in the rearguard of some provincial cities. Since two years ago, but above all, for a year, Spiritism has developed here with surprising rapidity. Today the declared groups are numerous and the private gatherings innumerable. There is certainly no exaggeration in evaluating the number of adherents at one hundred thousand, from the top to the bottom of the scale. In sum, the progress during the year that has just ended is incontestable, if we consider the whole and not the localities in isolation. Although it has not manifested itself by any resounding sign, nor by any exceptional event, it is evident that the idea infiltrates more and more into the spirit of the masses and always with more force. However, one must not conclude that the period of struggle has ended. No; our adversaries do not give themselves up for beaten so easily. They set up new batteries in silence, which is why we must remain on guard. On this we shall say a few words in a forthcoming article. [See article: On the Perpetuity of Spiritism.]

[1]

[Le Sauveur des peuples, journal du spiritisme… — 1864 — Google Books.]

[2] [Le Médium évangélique… journal spirite… - Google Books.]