THE NEED OF SPIRITUALISM

Lorenze Aber

Spiritualism, unlike all other systems of religion, has a system more of mercy, of charity
and light, and there is more in it than is calculated to elevate man and bring him closer to
his Creator than is offered by any other philosophy or systems of religion. True,
Spiritualism rejects the idea or theory of salvation as suggested by divine government
because it finds the hypothesis upon which the belief is based to be diametrically opposed
to, and therefore out of harmony with man's conception of what his relation to his maker
really is; hence the Christ idea of a central person to bridge over, as it were, in some
mysterious way a purely imaginary gulf of dark rolling waters, which separates God from
man, is not accepted by Spiritualists as having any foundation in fact. The concept of
Spiritualism, although unwritten, is stamped upon every created thing. It was formulated
by the Divine Mind and its application made universal. It is interwoven with creation that
its purpose cannot well be mistaken.

As a lamp it shines unto the feet of man, it shines continually and lights him in the way of
moral and intellectual worth which is Nature's highway to everlasting felicity in the spirit
world; but nowhere does it teach that sin can be redeemed by another. He must out-grow
his sins, and redeem himself, or else go on forever a total failure with no one but himself
to blame for he is the incarnation of boundless capabilities and infinite progress, which is
Nature's given birthright of every human soul.

A man may be a firm believer in the philosophy of spiritualism and yet be a very bad
man; but no man can be a consistent Spiritualist unless he be pure in mind and heart.
Spiritualism points out how happiness here on earth and in the spirit world may be
secured. But upon the road which we would have mankind to travel, nothing is found that
is uncharitable, nothing that is selfish, nothing that is impure, nothing that defileth either
the body or soul. It is walking with Nature all the way. In short, the underlying principle
of the philosophy of Spiritualism is that spirits help you by example, and that is all we
can do for you; you must look within yourselves, and not without for your redeemer. You
yourselves must pay the penalty of violating the spiritual and physical laws; that neither
can be avoided, and finally, that man's highest duty to himself is to be ever on his guard
against the evil influences which continually surround his animal nature, and that his
highest general duty is to love Nature's Laws with all his might, and his neighbor as
himself.

Man is just what he is, no more, no less, and what he is in the material world he will be
"in the spirit world," at least, until he grows into a better state. The characteristics the
good, the evil, the quality of the man does not go down into the grave. He that is unjust in
earth life will be unjust in the Spirit world; holy in the body will be holy here; he that is
filthy in body, will be filthy over here, and he that is pure of heart in the body will be
pure of heart over here.

The change called death recreates no man. It merely takes away the outward husk and
leaves him standing a purely spiritual man without the slightest change in his moral
character. He will continue in that condition until by his own efforts he is brought out. He
will come over here just as he left his material life. He may have sentimentalized a great
deal over what he thought the mercy of God would or should do for him after death had

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robbed him of further opportunity to feed his unholy appetite, but in all that he simply
admits his utter unworthiness to be other than he really is, and adds to his own
degradation by hoping that by some strange chance or through the mercy or love of God,
he may be enabled to escape the consequences of a deliberately misspent earthly life.

The body goes down to the grave blameless for everything it did while it was the
tenement of the soul. It can never be a question of what the body does; for it is merely a
machine, but what the soul causes the body to do is a question, and a question, too, that
demands your careful attention every hour. The body cannot of itself steal or bear malice,
nor yet can it do a good act, but a pure soul within it will make it do good continually, as
will an evil soul move it to wicked deeds. The body may do a very bad thing at
instigation of a pure soul, but it cannot be called evil, nor should it be punished; for
wrong was not intended; and evil is not visited with condemnation when good was
intended. It is that which actuated the soul that makes the act a crime or not; hence it is
not always the act in, and of itself which reflects the character of the individual; but it is
true that almost always the deeds of an evil disposed person are evil in their effects upon
others. Vice is always aggressive and always imprudent; but no man has the right to say
he cannot resist its attacks, for by assiduous watchfulness with an honest desire to do the
right, vice is not difficult to overcome, but vulgarity, profanity and evil associations are
by no means helpers in a struggle against it. By virtue, he will overcome vice. "Can it be
true that our spirits live on after death and can return and tell of the country they inhabit?"
is the question asked by countless numbers upon the earth plane. The spirit-world seems
such a far distant and unknown country that those who return from there and tell of its
beauties, do not receive any credence from the majority of people, than the teller of a
clever fairy story would. Yet there are around these same people each day numerous
things they cannot understand. When science tells them that there is no substance known
that has its particles in a state of rest, but that all, even in the most solid substances, are
continually vibrating below the range of human perception, they do not scoff or sneer.
The base of the theory of the Marconi telegraph is that ether, the substance of all others
furtherest removed from weight and the sensible qualities, with the exception of that
substance known as psychic ether, has particles which are capable of moving on each
other with either the least possible friction or with no friction at all; and also they are
capable of interpenetrating all other substances whatever.

If these theories are capable of holding together, then what the spirits tell you of, slow
and rapid vibration in different substances should be given a hearing. One reason why all
people can not see spirits and the spirit-world at all times, is because the vibrations in the
ethereal substances of which spirits and the spirit-world are composed are so rapid that it
is impossible for those whose vibrations do not correspond, to see them with all its loud
professions of respect for spirits, the world has really been given its utmost efforts to
explaining them away; and that it has come forth with the edict that it is unable to learn
anything about them is not a bad thing for the spirits, or the spirit-world. It simply
relegates the whole thing to another field. The only results of the plainest and severest
statement of conditions in the spirit-world is to make them seem more remarkable and
improbable to the man who sees only material things. You wonder why so little help
comes to you from the spirit side of life, why so few are able to talk with spirits. The

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Bible must seem a long series of lies to those who deny the possibility of spirit touch and
presence; and to those who accept it, it must be a problem to know why man has lost his
sweet familiar way of conversing with the spirits. He has not ceased to talk with those
from the beyond, for at no time in the history of your world has man been in more
constant communication with the spirit-world, as our presence, tonight, attests. Those
who live in the spirit are the ones who come in perfect touch with the spirit-world. There
is in the makeup of every human soul the necessary elements to enable him to come in
touch with his spirit friends, if he would only cultivate it. All poets have signalized the
rare moments when they were superior to themselves—when a power comes to them
from some source they know not. You see and think as children, when compared with
these who have been studying the philosophy of life from a much higher point of view
than you, for hundreds or thousands of years and if these wise seers and teachers of either
ages condescend to teach you in things pertaining to life here and hereafter, shall you turn
your backs upon us because we would impart knowledge to you by spirit manifestation?
Friends, forbid that any avenue that leads man to a higher and clearer conception of his
duty to himself and his neighbor should ever be obstructed, must be closed, much less
closed by prejudice against the methods that spirit, teachers choose and employ for the
advancement of their earth friends. We hold that believers in Spiritualism and its
phenomena should not only encourage spirit manifestations and communications, but tell
it to the world and bear witness of the blessedness and joy there is in this belief. The
Methodist Church owes much of its marvelous growth to its practice of "giving
experience one to another" which is generally given with a zeal and enthusiasm that is
only edifying but encouraging to these who are less firm in their faith. So powerful,
indeed, are their methods of acquainting one another with their experiences in upholding
the banner of that denomination that other sects have adopted the plan, and the very best
results have always followed, and what are they but manifestations of joy, or happiness
for more spiritual light and spiritual knowledge? In truth they are for the upbuilding
spiritually of every individual participant, and many is the honest resolve there made to
be a better neighbor and a better citizen.

Now if this custom is so beneficial to them who walk by faith alone, why should not
spiritualists who are continually full to overflowing with new evidences of the nearness
of the "friends over here" and of the ability and willingness of those who have joined the
everlasting throng, come to you and talk to you face to face, and tell you what the home
of the spirit is like and describe to you its beauties and delights, proclaim whereof we
know from the house tops if need be? Now, let the table, the circle and the cabinet be so
many altars in the house of every spiritualist, and upon them, in the presence of his spirit
friends and kinsmen, let him sacrifice daily all uprising desires and inclinations that are
not in harmony with the higher type of life, purity of thought and action; and let them sit
at the feet of their spirit teachers and learn of them; but let them never obstruct or hinder
us from ascending before you, for when we go away it is but for a little time; and when
we return, we always come bearing precious gifts to the soul and encouragement and
consolation to the material man. Why, spirit manifestations ought to he dearer and
sweeter to the spiritualist than all the jewels of earth.

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The fear of things unknown has no doubt kept hundreds from investigating Spiritualism.
If its phenomena should he unexpectedly brought to their notice, they say, "Oh, that was
only a mere coincidence." But coincidences that continue to occur cease to be
coincidences and become the manifestation of some law. The laws governing spirit
phenomena are now what they have been and always will be. If an attempt may be made
to define the limitations of spirit power it follows that this wonderful power must be
considered from more than one point of view; after which it will be found that each of the
views thus presented, presents a number of varying phrases. If he is candid with himself,
a careful investigation will soon find himself forced to admit that spirit power is only
limited in its manifestations by the conditions upon the earth plane. Science can be
trusted to discover and abandon her own errors. She is now retracing her steps along the
path which has led to many false conclusions in regard to Spiritualism. Science can be
trusted to give a better explanation; and it behooves each and every one of you to
investigate the matter for yourself in order that you may be prepared to combat the
erroneous conclusions that rest upon nothing but arbitrary assumptions, growing out of
the old ideas of spirit phenomena. In fact, those who know the least of what such
phenomena really are, are the most assured of what their influence will be upon the
world.

If these persons had that sense of responsibility which always distinguishes the true
scientific thinker, they could not be persuaded to venture into groundless speculations,
but would aspire to higher conditions.