The Prince of Hohenlohe, healing medium.

— Healing mediumship is the order of the day, and everything connected with this question offers a topical interest. We take from the Vérité, of Lyon, of October 21, 1866, the following article on the cures of the Prince of Hohenlohe, which made a great sensation at the time. This account forms part of a series of very instructive articles on healing mediums.

In this regard, we are glad to note that the Vérité, which is in its fourth year, successfully continues the course of its wise and interesting publications, which cast light upon the history of Spiritism and show it to us everywhere, in antiquity as in modern times. If, on certain points, we do not share all the opinions of its principal editor, Mr. A. P…, we nonetheless recognize that, through his laborious researches, he renders the cause a real service, which all serious Spiritists appreciate.

Indeed, to prove that the present Spiritist Doctrine is the synthesis of beliefs universally widespread, shared by men whose word carries authority and who were our first masters in philosophy, is to show that it does not rest upon the fragile foundation of the opinion of a single individual. What do Spiritists desire, if not to find the greatest possible number of adherents to their beliefs? For them, it must be a satisfaction and, at the same time, a consecration of their ideas, to find them even before themselves. We have never understood how men of good sense could conclude against modern Spiritism that it is not the first inventor of the principles it proclaims, whereas therein lies precisely what constitutes a part of its strength and ought to give it credit. To allege its antiquity in order to disparage it is to show oneself supremely illogical, and all the more clumsy since it has never claimed for itself the merit of the first discovery. It is, therefore, to be strangely mistaken about the sentiments that animate Spiritists, to attribute to them very narrow ideas, and a foolish pretension to think of vexing them by objecting that what they profess was known before them, when Spiritists are the first to explore the past in order to discover there the traces of the antiquity of their beliefs, which they trace back to the first ages of the world, because they are founded upon laws of Nature, which are eternal. No great truth has come forth, with all its parts, from the brain of a single individual; all, without exception, have had precursors, who foresaw them or glimpsed them in some respects. Spiritism is honored, therefore, to count its own by the thousands and among the men most justly esteemed. To bring them to light is to show the infinite number of points by which it is connected to the history of Humanity. But nowhere is Spiritism found complete; its coordination into a body of doctrine, with all its consequences and its applications, its correlation with the positive sciences, is an essentially modern work, but everywhere its scattered elements are found, mingled with superstitious beliefs from which it was necessary to sift them out. If one were to bring together the ideas that are found disseminated in the majority of modern philosophies, in sacred and profane writers, the innumerable and infinitely varied facts that have occurred in all epochs, and which attest to the relations of the visible world and the invisible world, one would come to constitute Spiritism just as it is today: this is the argument invoked against it by certain detractors. Is this how it proceeded? Is it a compilation of ancient ideas rejuvenated in form? No; it came forth entirely from recent observations, but, far from deeming itself diminished by what was said and observed before it, it feels itself fortified and enlarged. A history of Spiritism before the present epoch is still to be made. A work of this nature, done conscientiously, written with precision, clarity, without superfluous and tedious developments, which would render its reading painful, would be an eminently useful work, a precious document to consult. It would be rather a work of patience and erudition than a literary work, and one that would consist mainly in the citation of passages from the various writers who put forth thoughts, doctrines, or theories that are found in the Spiritism of today. He who undertakes this work in earnest will have deserved much of the doctrine. Let us return to our subject, from which, without wishing it, we have strayed a little, but perhaps not without usefulness.

— Modern Spiritism did not discover or invent healing mediumship and healing mediums, just as it did not discover or invent the other Spiritist phenomena. Since healing mediumship is a natural faculty, subject to a law, like all the phenomena of Nature, it must have occurred in various epochs, as History attests; but it was reserved for our time, with the aid of the new lights we possess, to give it a rational explanation and to bring it out of the domain of the marvelous. The Prince of Hohenlohe offers us an example, all the more remarkable because the facts occurred before there was any thought of Spiritism and of mediums. Here is the summary given by the newspaper Vérité: “In the year 1829, there came to Würzburg, a considerable city of Bavaria, a holy priest, the Prince of Hohenlohe. The infirm and the sick went to ask him, in order to obtain their cure from heaven, the help of his prayers. He invoked upon them the divine graces, and soon a great number of these unfortunates were seen suddenly cured. The rumor of these marvels resounded afar. Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, a great part of Europe were informed of it. Numerous writings were published, which will perpetuate the memory of it. Among the authentic and trustworthy witnesses, who certify the reality of the facts, it suffices here to transcribe a few, the whole of which forms a convincing proof. “As a preliminary, here is an extract from what Mr. Scharold, counselor of legation in Würzburg, and witness of a great part of the things he relates, writes on the subject.

“Two years ago, a princess of seventeen years, Mathilde de Schwartzemberg, daughter of the prince of this name, was in the health establishment of Mr. Haine, in Würzburg. It was absolutely impossible for her to walk. In vain had the most famous physicians of France, Italy, and Austria exhausted all the resources of their art to cure the princess of this infirmity. Only Mr. Haine, who had availed himself of the lights and the experience of the celebrated physician Mr. Textor, had managed, thanks to the care lavished upon the patient, to put her in a condition to stand, and she herself, making efforts, had managed to execute some movements as if to walk, but without really walking. Well then! on June 20, 1821, she suddenly left her bed and walked with complete freedom. “Here is how the thing happened. About ten o’clock in the morning the Prince of Hohenlohe went to visit the princess, who lodges in the house of Mr. Reinach, dean of the chapter. When he entered her apartment, he asked her, as if in conversation, in the presence of her governess, whether she firmly believed that Jesus Christ could cure her of her infirmity. At her answer that she was entirely persuaded of it, the prince told the pious patient to pray from the bottom of her heart and to place her confidence in God.

“When she ceased praying, the prince gave her his blessing and said: “Come, princess, arise; now you are cured and can walk without pain…” Everyone in the house was called immediately. They did not know how to express their astonishment at a cure so prompt and so incomprehensible. All fell to their knees in the liveliest emotion and intoned praises to the Almighty. They congratulated the princess on her happiness and joined their tears to those that joy made flow from her eyes.

“The news spread through the city and caused astonishment. People ran in crowds to assure themselves of the event with their own eyes. On June 21 the princess had already shown herself in public. It is impossible to describe the ecstasy she experienced, seeing herself out of her state of cruel sufferings.

“On the 25th the Prince of Hohenlohe gave another remarkable example of the grace he possesses. The wife of a blacksmith of the Rue Semmels no longer heard the great hammer-blows of his forge. She went to find the prince in the courtyard of the presbytery Hung and implored him to help her. While she was kneeling, he laid his hands upon her head and, having prayed for some time, with his eyes raised toward heaven, took her by the hand and lifted her up. What was the astonishment of the spectators when this woman, rising, said that she heard the chiming of the church clock! Returning home, she could not tire of telling all who questioned her what had just happened to her. “On the 26th, an illustrious person (the crown prince of Bavaria) was immediately cured of an illness which, according to the rules of Medicine, was to require much time and would cause much suffering. This news caused lively joy in the hearts of the inhabitants of Würzburg.

“The Prince of Hohenlohe was no less fortunate in the cure of a patient whom they had twice attempted to cure, but who, each time, had obtained only a slight relief. This cure was performed on the sister-in-law of Mr. Broili, a merchant. For a long time she had been afflicted with a very painful paralysis. The house resounded with cries of joy.

“On the same day the widow Balzano recovered her sight, for she had been completely blind for several years. I convinced myself of this fact.

“Scarcely had I left the spectacle of this touching scene when I witnessed another cure, performed in the house of Mr. General D… A young woman had her right hand so gravely crippled that she could neither use it nor extend it. She immediately gave proof of her perfect cure by lifting a very heavy chair with that same hand.

“On the same day a paralytic, whose left arm had withered, was completely cured. A cure of two other paralytics occurred soon afterward. It was just as complete and even more prompt.

“On the 28th I myself saw with what promptness and certainty the Prince of Hohenlohe cured children. They had brought him one from the countryside who walked only with crutches. A few minutes later this child, transported with joy, was running through the streets without crutches. Meanwhile, a mute child, who only uttered a few inarticulate sounds, was brought to the prince; a few minutes later he began to speak. Soon a poor woman brought her little daughter on her back, crippled in both legs; she placed her at the feet of the prince. A moment later he handed the child back to her mother, who then saw her daughter run and leap for joy. “On the 29th, a woman of Neustadt, paralytic and blind, was brought to him in a cart. She had been blind for twenty-five years. About three o’clock in the afternoon she presented herself at the castle of the residence of our city, to implore the help of the Prince of Hohenlohe, at the moment when he was entering the vestibule, built in the form of a great tent. Falling at the feet of the prince, she implored him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to help her. The prince prayed for her, gave her his blessing, and asked whether she firmly believed that she could, in the name of Jesus, recover her sight. As she answered yes, he told her to rise. She withdrew. Scarcely had she gone a few steps when her eyes suddenly opened. She saw and gave all the proofs they asked of her of the faculty she had just recovered. All the witnesses of this cure, among whom were a great number of lords of the court, were enraptured with admiration. “The cure of a woman of the civil hospital, whom they had brought to the prince, is no less admirable. This woman, named Elisabeth Laner, daughter of a shoemaker, had her tongue so severely affected that, at times, she would go a fortnight without being able to articulate a single syllable. Her mental faculties had suffered much. She had lost almost completely the use of her limbs, so that she lay in her bed like an inert mass. Well then! this poor unfortunate went today to the hospital without anyone’s help. She enjoys all her senses, as she did twelve years ago, and her tongue has loosened so well that no one in the asylum speaks with as much volubility as she. “On the 30th, in the afternoon, the prince gave an extraordinary example of cure. A wagon, around which thousands of spectators were gathered, had come from Münnerstadt. In it was a poor student, paralytic in his arms and his legs, withered in a frightful manner.

“Beseeched by the unfortunate man to relieve him, the prince came to the wagon. He prayed for about five minutes, his hands joined and raised toward heaven. He spoke several times to the student and, at last, said to him: “Arise, in the name of Jesus Christ.” The student really arose, but with feelings he could not dissemble. The prince told him not to lose confidence. The unfortunate man who, a few minutes before, could not move arms or legs, straightened himself and stood perfectly free in the wagon. Then, raising his eyes toward heaven, where the most tender gratitude could be seen depicted, he exclaimed: “O God! you have helped me!” The spectators could not hold back their tears. “The miraculous cures performed in Würzburg by the Prince of Hohenlohe could offer subject matter for more than a hundred ex-voto pictures.”

— One will note the striking analogy that exists between these facts of cure and those of which we are witnesses. Mr. de Hohenlohe found himself in the best conditions for the development of his faculty and, for this reason, preserved it until the end. As at that epoch its true origin was not known, it was considered a supernatural gift and Mr. Hohenlohe a worker of miracles. But why is it regarded by some persons as a gift from heaven, and by others as a satanic work? We know of no healing medium who has said that he draws his power from the devil; all, without exception, operate only by invoking the name of God and declaring that they can do nothing without his will. Even those who are ignorant of Spiritism and act by intuition recommend prayer, in which they recognize a powerful auxiliary. If they acted through the demon, they would be ungrateful to renege on him, and the latter is not so modest, nor so disinterested, as to leave to the one he seeks to combat the merit of the good he does, because this would be to lose his auxiliaries, instead of recruiting them. Was a merchant ever seen praising to his customers the merchandise of his neighbor at the expense of his own and compelling them to go to him? In truth, they are right to laugh at the devil, for they make of him a very foolish and very stupid being.

— The following communication was given by the Prince of Hohenlohe at the Society of Paris.

(Society of Paris, October 26, 1866. — Medium: Mr. Desliens.)

Gentlemen, I come among you with all the more pleasure since my words may become for all a useful subject of instruction.

A frail instrument of Providence, I was able to contribute to causing his name to be glorified, and I come willingly among those who have as their principal aim to conduct themselves according to his laws, and to progress as far as is in them along the path of perfection. Your efforts are praiseworthy and I shall consider myself greatly honored to assist sometimes at your labors. Let us, then, proceed at once to the manifestations that prompted my presence among you.

As you have said with full reason, the faculty with which I was endowed was simply the result of a mediumship. I was an instrument; the Spirits acted and, if I was able to do anything, it was only through my great desire to do good and through the intimate conviction that all is possible to God. I believed!… and the cures I obtained came incessantly to increase my faith.

Like all the mediumistic faculties, which today concur in the popularization of the Spiritist teaching, healing mediumship has been exercised in all times and by individuals belonging to the various religions. — God spreads everywhere his most advanced servants, in order to make of them landmarks of progress, even among those who are most distant from virtue and, I will even say, above all among these… Like a good father who loves all his children equally, his solicitude is manifested upon all, but more particularly upon those who most need support in order to advance. — It is thus that it is not rare to find men endowed with faculties extraordinary to the multitude, among the simple. And, by this word, I understand those whose purity of sentiments has not been obscured by pride and by egoism. It is true that the faculty can also exist in unworthy persons, but it is not, nor could it be, anything but transient. It is an energetic means of opening their eyes: so much the worse for those who persist in keeping them closed. They will re-enter the obscurity from which they came, with confusion and ridicule for their retinue, if God himself does not punish, from this life, their pride and their obstinacy in failing to recognize his voice.

Whatever the intimate belief of an individual may be, if his intentions are pure, and if he is entirely convinced of the reality of what he believes, he can, in the name of God, perform great things. Faith moves mountains: it gives sight to the blind and spiritual understanding to those who before wandered in the darkness of routine and of error.

As for the best manner of exercising the faculty of healing medium, there is only one: It is to remain modest and pure and to refer to God and to the powers that direct the faculty all that is accomplished.

Those who lose the instruments of Providence are those who do not deem themselves simple instruments; they want their merits to be in part the cause of the choice made of their person; pride intoxicates them and the precipice opens beneath their feet.

Educated in the Catholic religion, imbued with the holiness of its maxims, having faith in its teaching, like all my contemporaries, I considered as miracles the manifestations of which I was the object. Today I know that the thing is very natural and that it can and must be reconciled with the immutability of the laws of the Creator, so that his grandeur and his justice remain intact.

God could not perform miracles!… because that would then be to give one to presume that the truth was not strong enough to affirm itself by itself and, on the other hand, it would not be logical to demonstrate the eternal harmony of the laws of Nature while disturbing them with facts in disagreement with their essence.

As for acquiring the faculty of healing medium, there is no method for it; everyone can, to a certain extent, acquire this faculty and, acting in the name of God, each one will perform his cures. The privileged ones will increase in number as the Doctrine becomes popularized, and it is very simple, for there will be more individuals animated by pure and disinterested sentiments.

Prince of Hohenlohe. n [1] [Karl Philipp or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg (April 18, 1771 - October 15, 1820) was an Austrian field marshal.]

[2] [v.

Prince of Hohenlohe.]