Gontran, winner of the Chantilly races.

— The following fact, as well as that of the ballad of Henry III, which we have just related, is likewise taken from the Grand Journal of June 4, 1865, in which, together with the preceding one, it forms but one and the same article, signed by Albéric Second.

“Those who do us the honor of reading us know, no doubt, that we profess a radical skepticism with regard to Spiritism, to Spiritists, and to mediums. — Show us the facts, we would say to those who strove to convert us to their theories and their doctrines. And considering that they gave us no conclusive proof, we persisted in denial and mockery.

“First of all, the one who signs these chronicles is a writer of good faith; thus, he believes himself bound not to put the light under the bushel. Let them draw from his account whatever inferences they please, that is not his concern. Like a presiding judge, he will limit himself to reproducing the facts in a quick, impartial summary, leaving to the readers the task of pronouncing a verdict at will.”

After this preamble, which is that of a loyal man, as it were to be wished that all our antagonists might be, the author narrates, in the witty manner familiar to him, that one of his friends, finding himself at the home of a medium, asked whether a Spirit could designate who would be the winner of the upcoming Chantilly races. The medium, who is, so it is said, a peasant woman recently come from the mountains of the Jura, which is to say little lettered and little versed in the habits of sport, having evoked the Spirit of one of our most celebrated sportsmen, obtained by raps the designation of the letters, forming the name of Gontran. “Is there, then, asked Mr. Albéric Second, a horse of this name among the entered competitors? — To tell the truth, I know nothing of it, replied his friend; but if there be one, you may count on it that it is on him that I shall bet.

“Now, last Sunday was May 28. The Derby of Chantilly was run that day, and the winner was Gontran, of the stud of Major Fridolin (the racing pseudonym of Messrs. Charles Laffitte and Nivière).

“The facts I have just related are known to a great number of persons in the world of the Exchange. Mr. Émile T. was amply rewarded for the result of his absolute confidence in the predictions of the peasant woman of the Jura, and his friends who shared his faith likewise had good profit. — And to think that your servant lost so rare an opportunity of winning, with all certainty and without effort, 1000 or 1500 louis, which would have been most welcome! Is that not great stupidity?”

— Facts of this nature are not those that best serve the cause of Spiritism; first, because they are very rare, and secondly, because they would falsify its spirit, leading people to believe that mediumship is a means of divination. Were such an idea plausible, one would see a multitude of individuals consulting the Spirits as one consults the cards, and the mediums would be turned into fortune-tellers. It is then that there would be reason to invoke against them the law of Moses, which strikes with anathema “the diviners, the enchanters, and those who have the spirit of Python.” It is to avoid this grave inconvenience, which would be most prejudicial to the doctrine, that we have always risen up against exploiting mediumship. We shall not repeat what has been said a hundred times and largely developed, concerning the disturbance that would be brought about by the knowledge of the future, hidden from man by divine wisdom; Spiritism is not destined to make it known; the Spirits come to make us better and not to reveal it to us, nor to indicate to us the means of earning money with all certainty and without effort, as the hero of the adventure says, or to occupy themselves with our material interests, placed by Providence under the safeguard of our intelligence, our prudence, our reason, and our activity. Thus, all those who, with premeditated design, think to find in Spiritism a new element of speculation, on any pretext whatever, are mistaken; ridiculous mystifications and, at times, ruin instead of fortune, have been the fruit of their error. Behold what all serious Spiritists must strive to propagate, if they wish to serve the cause usefully. We have always said to those who have dreamed of colossal fortunes through the concourse of the Spirits, under the specious pretext that the sensation such an event would produce would make everyone a believer; that, if they succeeded, they would deal a fatal blow to the doctrine, exciting cupidity instead of the love of good. This is why attempts of this kind, encouraged by mystifying Spirits, have always been followed by disappointments.

— Some years ago, someone wrote to us from Hombourg, because, having lost at gambling and finding himself without resources to leave, he had the idea of addressing himself to a Spirit, who indicated to him a number, on which he placed his last florin, won, and got out of his difficulty. The person invited us to publish the fact in the Review, as proof of the intervention of the Spirits. Supposing the action of a Spirit in such a circumstance, he did not see the severe lesson that was given to him, by the very fact that they furnished him the means to go away and that they extricated him from a bad pass. In truth this was to know us very little, or to suppose us frivolous enough to judge us capable of extolling such a fact as a means of propaganda, for this would have been made in the name of the gambling houses, and not of Spiritism. It would indeed have been curious to see us making the apology of the Spirits who favor gamblers and, in particular, theft, because to win with all certainty, whether with marked cards, or by any indication whatever, is a veritable fraud.

— An individual who was not a Spiritist — let us hasten to say it — but who absolutely did not deny the intervention of the Spirits, came one day to make us a singular proposal. He said:

“Gambling houses are profoundly immoral; the means of suppressing them is to prove that one can struggle securely against them. I have found a new combination, an infallible means of making them all blow up. When they see themselves ruined and unable to resist, they will be forced to close, and the world will be rid of that plague, which is organized theft. But for this a certain capital is needed which, oh! I am far from possessing. Could you not indicate, by means of the Spirits, someone to whom I might address myself with security? Imagine the effect this will produce, when it is known that it is through the Spirits that so great a result is obtained! Who would be free from believing in it? The most incredulous, the most obstinate, will have to yield to the evidence. As you see, my aim is most moral, and I would not be annoyed if on occasion I had the counsel of the Spirits on my combination.” — Without consulting the Spirits, I can easily give you their opinion. Here is what they would answer you: “You find that the gain at the gambling banks is illicit and that it is an organized theft. To remedy the evil you wish, by an infallible means, to take possession of this ill-gotten money; in other words, you wish to rob the robber, which is no more moral. We have another means of arriving at the result you propose: instead of making the gamblers win, ruin them as much as possible, in order to discourage them. The disasters caused by this passion have closed more gambling houses than the most fortunate gamblers could do. It is the excess of the evil that opens the eyes and leads to salutary reforms, in this as in all things. As for propagating the belief in Spiritism, we have likewise more efficacious and, above all, more moral means: it is the good that it does, the consolations that it affords, and the courage that it gives in afflictions. Thus, we would say to all those who take to heart the progress of the doctrine: Do you wish to serve the cause usefully? to make a really profitable propaganda? Show that Spiritism has made you better; bring it about that, seeing you transformed, each one may say: Behold the miracles of this belief; it is, then, a good thing. But if, alongside a profession of faith of believers, they always see you vicious, ambitious, hateful, covetous, envious, or debauched, you will give reason to those who ask what Spiritism is good for. The true propaganda of an essentially moral doctrine is made by touching the heart, and not by aiming at the purse. This is why we favor some and frustrate the calculations of others.”

— Let us return to Gontran. Cases of foresight of this kind, although having examples, are nevertheless very rare and may be regarded as exceptional; moreover they are always fortuitous and never the result of a premeditated calculation. When they occur, they must be accepted as isolated facts; but quite mad and imprudent would he be who relied upon their realization.

These kinds of revelations must not be confused with the foresight that the Spirits sometimes give of great future events, of whose realization they can make us foresee in the general interest. This has its utility in keeping us alert and exhorting us to march in the good way. But predictions on a fixed day, or with an excessive character of precision, must always be held suspect. [See: The sixth sense and spiritual vision, item No.

On the foresight of future events.]

In the case in question, the little fact had its utility; it was the means, perhaps the only one, of drawing the attention of certain persons to the idea of the Spirits and their intervention in the world, much more than to a serious fact; this is necessary for all characters. Among that number, some will simply have said: “It is singular!” but others will have wished to go deeper into the thing and will have looked at it on the serious and truly useful side. Even were there only one in ten, they would be so many elements of gain and of propaganda to the cause. As for the rest, the idea sown in their spirit will germinate later. In relating the fact, since it has merited great publicity, we have wished to bring out its consequences; but we would not have done it without commentary and merely as an anecdote. Spiritism is an inexhaustible mine of subjects of observation and study by its innumerable applications.

— The author of the article says in the preamble: “Show us facts.” Certainly he imagines that the Spirits obey orders and that the phenomena are obtained at will, like experiments in a laboratory or like the tricks of sleight of hand. Now, it is not thus that it happens. He who wants phenomena must not ask that they be brought to him, but seek them, observe them, and accept those that present themselves. These phenomena are of two natures: those that are the product of mediums properly so called and which, up to a certain point, can be provoked, and the spontaneous phenomena. The latter have, for the incredulous, the advantage of not being suspected of preparation; they are numerous and present themselves under an infinite variety of aspects, such as: apparitions, visions, presentiments, second sight, unusual noises, uproar, disturbances, obsessions, etc. The case of Mr. Bach [see Aria and words of King Henry III.] belongs to this category and that of Gontran to the first. For however many wish to convince themselves seriously, facts do not fail, and he who asks for them has perhaps witnessed them more than once without suspecting it; the majority err, however, by wanting facts in their own way, at the appointed hour, and not contenting themselves with those that Providence places under our eyes. The uncertainty of obtaining these phenomena and the impossibility of provoking them at will are proofs of their reality, because if they were the product of charlatanism or of fraudulent means, they would never be lacking.

What is lacking to certain persons is not facts, but patience and the will to seek and study those that present themselves.