The Spiritualist newspaper > No.142, May 14th 1875

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mind was very open, her faith very large, amounting even to
credulity, and she had no hesitation in admitting that people
who even differed from herself and opposed her were visited
by the Spirit of God and acted by authority. To prove the
mission of their own Church, therefore, the two gentlemen
found of no use. She was beforehand with them. She
acknowledged it. They could not argue with her. Her faith
was larger than theirs ; for she received all their faith, whilst
they rejected part of hers. Yet she was an ignorant, unedu¬
cated woman, spoke bad grammar with a cockney style of
pronunciation, which sometimes gave the most solemn sayings
which she uttered a most ludicrous character.
What surprised Edward most was the faith which these two
gentlemen appeared to possess in the reality of her visitation.
They did not seem to regard her as an impostress; they only
treated the spirit as an outlaw who had no legitimate mission
to the Church, and whose word could not be received or
depended upon because it was not subject to the authority of
the Apostles at Albury, the seat of Henry Drummond.
He felt disposed to take another stand, and argue upon the
vulgar principle of imposture, or mania, or enthusiasm, or
indigestion, or some other scientific cause which modern phi¬
losophers appear to understand so well. But when he looked
at Eva he felt the dread of her rebuke, as well as the weakness
of the argument, and he resolved to be quiet, and listen to
the controversy. It ended as all other controversies do, by
each party regarding the other with contempt or dissatisfaction
for not suffering itself to be beat.
• THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION SOIREE.
On Wednesday evening, last week, the usual monthly soiree
of the British National Association of Spiritualists was held
at their Rooms, 38, Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury, London,
W.C., under the presidency of Mr. Martin R. Smith. There
was a large attendance of friends—as large, in fact, as could
be accommodated in the five rooms at the disposal of the As¬
sociation for social gatherings of this kind.
Among the friends present were Mr. Martin R. Smith, Mr.
F. Smith, Mr. W. Crookes, F.R.S., Mr. Frederick Collingwood
(Secretary to the Anthropological Institute), Major S. R. I.
Owen, F.L.S., Mr. Frederick Varley, F.R.A.S., the Misses Var-
ley, Mrs. Elgie Corner (Florence Cook), Mr. Henry D.
Jencken, M.R.I., Miss Leith, Miss Carpenter, Mr. and Mrs.
Fay, Mr. Christian Reimers, Mr..and Mrs. Keningale Cook,
Mr. and Miss Shorter, Miss Lottie Fowler, Mrs. Gunyon, Mr.
H. Withall, the Misses Withal, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Cook, Mr.
and Mrs. Earl Bird, Mr..E. T. Bennett, Mrs. and Miss Kisling-
bury, Mrs. Maltby, Miss Amelia Williamson, Miss Ellen Wil¬
liamson, Mr. and Mrs. Everitt, Mr. E. P. Ashton, Mr. E.
Dawson Rogers, Mrs. Rogers and family, Miss Houghton,
Mr. G. R. Tapp, Mrs. Lowe, Mr. Cogman, Mrs. and Miss Sex¬
ton, Miss Malvina Claxton, Mi'. Glendinning, Mr. Selwood,
and Mr. Harrison.
The apartments thrown open on this occasion were the
Library and Reading-room, in which a few speeches were
made in the course of the evening; the Council chamber, in
which a piano had been placed for the occasion—so this room
was thronged by those guests who were partial to music; the
seance room, in which were some spirit drawings and paint¬
ings. The tea was given in a room unfurnished for want of
funds, but which some of the members hope will soon be used
for the purposes of a philosophical department; the other
room open was the branch office of The Spiritualist newspaper,
in which, towards the close of the evening, Mr. Frederick
Varley exhibited a reflecting galvanometer, designed by Mr.
Harrison, for the purpose of testing duplication of form in
cabinet seances, on the principle adopted by Messrs. Varley and
Crookes. This instrument was made by order of Mr. Charles
Blackburn, who generously intends to present it to the
National Association. It was not at work on this occasion, but
probably will be shown in action at the next soiree.
May 14, 1875.
ME. MAKTIN SMITH ON FRIENDLY UNION AMONG SPIRITUALISTS:—
A SUPPLY OP BOOKS TO THE READING-ROOM—THE OBJECTIONS
OP HOSTILE CRITICS CONSIDERED—THE BAZAAR.
Mr. Martin R. Smith addressed the friends in the library as
follows:—
Ladies and Gentlemen,—We meet in our own rooms to¬
night for the first time, and I confess itis with no little feeling
of gratification that I greet you here. The rooms might per¬
haps be bigger, might be more suitable for such meetings as
these, might doubtless be many things which they are not,
but they are our home, our first home, and as such we are all
more ready to take a pride rather than to pick holes in them.
I am sure that you will agree with me that it is all-important
for us to be domiciled as we are. Indeed, it is a wonderful
proof to me of the strength and soundness of our Association
that we have managed to hold together so long and so well as
we have without a roof over our heads.
There could not be a better time than the present to give
some expression to the great debt of gratitude which is owed
by the Association to certain of its members, especially to those
ladies and gentlemen who have placed their names on our list
of guarantors. I should explain, perhaps (as possibly some
among us may be strangers), that a sum of £200 per annum
or thereabouts has been thus guaranteed for three years to the
Association for the purposes of rent, furnishing, and so on.
This liberality has enabled us to venture upon the expenses we
have lately undertaken, and our most cordial and grateful
thanks are fairly due to those who have assisted us. Where
so many have lent generous aid, it may seem perhaps invidious
to mention names, but I cannot refrain from paying some
tribute to our friend Mr. Blackburn, whom you all know.
(Applause.) By his timely liberality he has enabled us to
furnish these rooms in a much more comfortable and at¬
tractive way than we could have otherwise hoped to have
done.
Last, but not by any means least, we are indebted to our
Offices Committee. For months, I may say, they hunted for
rooms for us—hunted with a patience and perseverance which I
hope and think has been appreciated by the Council. At last
they came to us with these rooms, and we were not slow to re¬
cognise that although perhaps not all that we could wish, yet
that they were in many respects very suitable. After some
consideration, we decided upon taking them, and here we are!
I must now say a few words upon a somewhat painful sub¬
ject, but I will only touch upon it.
It seems good to a certain small section of Spiritualists to
evince towards us a somewhat unkindly feeling; to criticise our
acts, our prospects, our finances, with a severity which I might
almost call ungenerous. We have been accused of squander¬
ing our resources upon these offices, and upon our secretary.
Apart from the fact that these so-called extravagancies have
been to a great extent provided for by special donations, I
maintain that it has been an outlay necessary to our very ex¬
istence. Our critics at any rate should be the last to find fault
with us upon these grounds, for they were never weary of
declaring that our Association was existent merely upon paper.
There are, indeed, some people whom it is almost impossible
to please. Our critics appear to me wholly to misunderstand
our objects, our constitution, and our intentions, and speak
and write concerning us with a hostility which, coming from
one section of Spiritualists towards another, I confess I find it
hard to understand ; but there is an old saying, “ It takes two
to make a quarrel,” and I am sure I express the attitude of all
here when I say that we stand with the right hand of fellow¬
ship always stretched out, and without a particle of animosity
towards those who so strangely misinterpret the objects of this
Association. (Applause).
Turning from this unlovely subject, I may congratulate the
Association, with all my heart, on the kind feeling and good
fellowship with which all its members have hitherto worked
together. Not a sound of contention has yet been heard, and
any differences of opinion have been overcome by mutual con¬
cession. Long, I earnestly hope, will this be the case, for the
day that we begin to quarrel must our power for goo4 cease.
You will observe that we have already, through the kindness
of some of our members, collected a few books, which I hope
will form the nucleus of an extensive and valuable library. I
am sure you will all acknowledge the importance of getting our
book shelves well and wisely filled, and I would venture again
to urge those among you who have the power to assist us by
the loan of a few volumes of standard works.
I do not mean that they should be exclusively upon spiritual
subjects, for the literature of Spiritualism is at present very
limited, and is probably comprised in some sixty or seventy
THE SPIRITUALIST.