THE VARIETY OF SPIRITIST SCHOOLS
Before examining the spiritist theories, it must be noted that although these theories vary widely according to the school involved they all hold in common the hypothesis of communication with and manifestations of the dead by sensible means. Apart from this, divergences may and in fact do exist, even on points as important as reincarnation, which is admitted by some schools and rejected by others. The fact of these divergences itself constitutes grounds for serious doubts as to the value of the so-called spiritist revelations. In fact, what gives spiritism its special character is that what it offers as its doctrine is based entirely upon the teaching of the 'spirits'. This is a counterfeit of 'revelation' as understood in the religious sense, which is a point worth underlining because the spiritists do not hesitate to claim that what is involved is of the same order as the manifestations that accompanied the beginnings of the religions, the founders of which they categorize as men who were very powerful mediums, seers, and wonder-workers combined. They diminish miracles to the measure of the phenomena produced in their séances, prophecies to the 'messages' they receive, [1] and the Gospel healings to the exploits of their 'healing mediums. [2] It seems
that these people want above all to 'naturalize the supernatural'. We even have the example of a pseudo-religion, Antoinism, a cult founded in Belgium by a 'healer' who had previously been the head of a spiritist group and whose teachings, piously collected by his disciples, scarcely included anything more than a kind of Protestant moralism expressed in an almost incomprehensible jargon. The same can be said almost verbatim of certain American sects such as 'Christian Science' which, if not spiritist, are at least 'neo-spiritualist'. And now that the occasion arises, we must note that the spiritists are fond of interpreting the Gospels in their own way, following the example of Protestantism, the influence of which cannot be denied in all these movements. Thus they even believe they find in the Gospels arguments in favor of reincarnation. If some spiritists willingly call themselves Christians, they are such only in the manner of liberal Protestants, for this label does not imply that they believe in the divinity of Christ who, for them, is only a 'superior spirit'. Such is the attitude of the French spiritists of the school of Allan Kardec (there is even a splinter group calling themselves 'Kardecist Christians'), and also some who adhere to the 'neo-Christianity' imagined by the vaudeville writer Albin Valabrègue, himself Jewish. We know of occultists who, rather than call themselves Christian like everybody else, prefer to be known by the term 'Christic', indicating thereby that they do not belong to any organized Church. The spiritists should also settle on some unequivocal word, for they are certainly further removed from real Christianity than are the occultists we have just mentioned.
But let us return to the teachings of the 'spirits' and to their innumerable contradictions. Even if we take these 'spirits' at their word, what interest can there be in considering what they say when their assertions do not agree with one another and if, in spite of their change of condition, they know no more than the living? We know the spiritist response well enough: that there are 'inferior spirits' and 'superior spirits' and that only the latter are worthy of belief; the others, far from being able to 'enlighten' the living, are often in need of 'enlightenment' by the living. And this is not to speak of 'rogue spirits' who provide a host of trivial and even obscene 'communications' and who must simply be chased away. But how is one
to distinguish between the various kinds of 'spirits'? The spiritists believe they are in contact with a 'superior spirit' when they receive a 'communication' of a somewhat 'elevated' character, or because it has a sermon-like character or because it consists of vaguely philosophical divagations. Unfortunately, those without prejudice generally see nothing but a tissue of platitudes; and, as often happens, if this 'communication' is identified with a great man, it makes us think the deceased has in no way 'progressed' since his death, which casts doubt on spiritist evolution. On the other hand, these 'communications' are those which contain the spiritist teachings properly so called; as there are contradictions among these teachings, they cannot all emanate from 'superior spirits', and the grave tone they affect is hardly a sufficient guarantee. But what other criterion do we have? Each group naturally admires its own 'communications', but challenges those received by others, especially when it is a question of groups between which there is some rivalry. In fact, each of these groups generally has its own recognized medium and these mediums display an unbelievable jealousy in regard to their confreres, claiming to monopolize certain 'spirits' and contesting the authenticity of the 'communications' of others. And the entire group follows them in these attitudes. All the circles in which 'universal brotherhood' is preached are more or less in the same situation. When there are contradictions in the teachings, it is quite another story; all that one group attributes to 'superior spirits' is seen by the others as the work of 'inferior spirits', and reciprocally, as in the quarrel between reincarnationists and anti-reincarnationists; each group appeals to the testimony of its 'guides' and 'controls, [3] that is to say to the 'spirits' in whom confidence is placed, and who obviously try to confirm the group in their own 'superiority' and in the 'inferiority' of those who contradict them. In such conditions and when the spiritists are so far from any mutual understanding as to the quality of their 'spirits', how can one have any faith in their faculties of discernment? And even if the provenance of their teachings is not questioned, can these teachings have much more value
than the opinions of the living, since these opinions, even when wrong, persist after death as it seems, and are not put aside or corrected except with extreme sluggishness? Thus, for example, while the majority of 'communications', especially in France, reflect the 'deism' of the late eighteenth century, there are some that are frankly atheistic; there are even materialistic ones, which is not so paradoxical as it might seem given that materialism is in the air and given the spiritist conceptions of the future life. For the rest, 'communications' of this kind can also find partisans in other settings. Did not Jules Lermina, the 'little old employee' of the Lantern, willingly accept characterization as a 'materialistic spiritist'? In the face of such incoherences, it is only prudent on the part of the spiritists to recognize that their doctrine is not absolutely firm, that it is susceptible of 'evolving' like the 'spirits' themselves; and perhaps, with their special mentality, they may see in this a mark of superiority. In fact, they declare that they 'rely on reason and on the progress of science, reserving to themselves the right to modify their beliefs in the measure that progress and experience demonstrate the necessity. [4] Certainly no one can be more modern and more 'progressive' than this. The spiritists probably think, like Papus, that 'this idea of progressive evolution puts an end to all the more or less profound theological conceptions regarding Heaven and Hell. [5] These poor people have no suspicion that, in waxing enthusiastic about this idea, they are quite simply dupes of the most naive of all illusions.
In conditions such as these, it is easy to see that spiritism is somewhat anarchic and that it cannot have a well-defined organization. Nevertheless, in several countries very large associations have been formed wherein diverse spiritist groups are united, or at least the largest among them are, though without renouncing their autonomy; it is a mutual accord rather than an actual managed administration. Such are the 'Federations' that exist notably in Belgium and in several South American countries. In France, a 'Spiritist Union' was founded in 1919 with larger claims, for at its head is a 'Direction
Committee for Spiritism'; but we do not know how much that direction is actually followed, and in any case it is certain that there are always dissidents. [6] There is not perfect accord even within the bosom of the Allan Kardec school; some, like Léon Denis, say they adhere strictly to pure Kardecism, while others, like Gabriel Delanne, want to give the spiritist movement a more 'scientific' aspect. Some spiritists declare that 'spiritism-religion must give way to spiritism-science'; [7] but fundamentally, spiritism in whatever form it may be clothed and whatever its 'scientific' pretensions, can never be anything other than a pseudo religion. Particularly representative in this respect are the questions that were raised and discussed in 1913 at the International Spiritist Congress held in Geneva:
What role can spiritism claim in the religious evolution of humanity? Is spiritism the universal scientific religion? What relationships currently exist between spiritism and other religions? Can spiritism be considered a cult?
This list did not emanate from the Kardecist school but is borrowed from the journal of a sect called 'Fraternism' which professes some very strange theories and has gained a considerable following, especially among the working class of northern France. We will speak of this group on another occasion as well as of other sects of the same kind which are not among the least dangerous.
In America, links between all these groups consist in large open air gatherings called camp meetings held at more or less regular intervals where several days are spent in discussions and exhortations by the leaders of the movement and by 'inspired' mediums, all this contrasting markedly with the European congresses. It is quite natural, moreover, that in its country of origin spiritism has given rise to very many associations of the most varied character. Nowhere else has it posed more openly as a religion than in some of
these associations. In fact, there are spiritists who have not hesitated to form 'churches', and to organize them in ways very similar to those of the innumerable Protestant sects of the country. Such, for example, is the 'Church of True Spiritism' founded under the inspiration of the 'spirit' of the Rev. Samuel Watson, a Methodist pastor who had converted to modern spiritualism. Others prefer the form of secret or semi-secret societies, which are held in such high esteem in the United States, and assume pompous designations all the more impressive to the 'profane'. An American can command respect from those who do not know better when he presents himself as a member of the 'Ancient Order of Melchizedek', otherwise known as the 'Fraternity of Jesus'; [8] or as a member of some 'Order of Magi' (of which there are several bearing this name). And one would be quite astonished to discover subsequently that it is only a matter of common spiritists. Some of these organizations are not expressly spiritist, but have many spiritists among their members. For the rest, among the many forms of 'neo-spiritism', there are some which are only a more or less refined spiritism. At this point one may ask whether the appearance of occultism and the esoteric pretensions of this or that group are not simply a mask worn by some spiritists who wish to isolate themselves from the mass and be relatively selective. If the spiritists generally repudiate all esoterism, the presence of some of them in properly occultist circles already proves that there can be many accommodations and transitional situations. The conduct of these people does not always rigorously conform to their principles, if indeed they have principles. The kinds of things just mentioned are found especially among the English and American spiritists. We have spoken elsewhere of a socalled Rosicrucian group in England called the 'Order of the Dew and the Light', which was accused by competing organizations of practicing black magic. [9] What is certain is that it did not have any
connection whatsoever with the ancient Rosicrucians from which it claimed to originate, that most of its members were spiritists, and that in reality they practiced spiritism rather than anything else. In a letter published in a Theosophist journal we read that
their guides are 'elementals' with the names Francisco the Monk, Mr Sheldon, and Abdallah ben Yusuf, this last being an Arab adept; they sacrifice goats; they have sought to form a circle in order to obtain information in a forbidden manner. There are also among them astrologers and unreasoning followers of Hiram Butler. [10]
This last named person had founded an 'Esoteric Fraternity' devoted to the 'study and development of the true inner sense of divine inspiration and the interpretation of all the Scriptures.' The numerous works Butler published contain nothing of serious interest. In the example given it cannot be said that a properly spiritist school is in question; but it may be supposed either that spiritism had infiltrated a pre-existing organization, or that it was only a disguise intended to deceive by using a usurped name. In any case, if it was really only spiritism, it was a spiritism affecting to be something other than it really was. We have cited this case in order to better show all the forms that a movement such as this may take. And in this connection we will recall the influence that spiritism has manifestly exercised on occultism and Theosophy, notwithstanding the apparent antagonism that exists between spiritism and these two later schools, of which the founders and the heads, for the most part having initially been spiritists, always retained something of their earlier ideas.