The Spiritualist newspaper > No.155, August 13th 1875

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THE SPIRITUALIST.
(KoTOspminence.
[Qreat freedom is given to correspondents, who sometimes express opinions
diametrically opposed to those of this journal and its readers.]
A FEW SUGGESTIONS.
Sib,—Several gentlemen, and ladies also, who were some
time ago led to the study of Spiritualism, and have been
greatly assisted therein by the perusal of the varied contents
of The Spiritualist newspaper, have expressed a desire “ to
interchange right hands ” with you. As they have received
help through the organ of the British National Association of
Spiritualists, they are desirous to do something to help the
circulation of that organ, that it may become more widely
known and appreciated, as it deserves to> be. The idea sug¬
gested is, that the various circles and local societies through¬
out the three kingdoms should in some way become allied to
the British National Association, and contribute a regular
yearly or half-yearly subscription to its funds. Then, for the
purpose of keeping themselves well acquainted with the pro¬
gress of Spiritualism, that they adopt The Spiritualist news¬
paper as the recognised paper of the local society, procuring
copies both for distribution to strangers, and also as their own
“ household weekly.” L may say that to my own knowledge
several persons have given orders for The Spiritualist, because
theyfeltthey could, withoutfear ofrevulsion,lendorgiveitaway
to their neighbours and friends. Should other local societies
have seen, or be led to see, the necessity of adopting such a
course as has been suggested, I trust they will be encouraged
to take immediate action. Could not the National Association
Library be made available for local societies, and books be lent
’jput if due security were given, and carriage paid? Are
printed catalogues to be had ?
Nonno Bissolum.
[The writer of the above letter makes a mistake in supposing The
Spiritualist to be the organ of the National Association. The Association
and this journal both believe in friendly union among Spiritualists, in or¬
ganisation, in elected representatives, and in published and properly cer¬
tified accounts. So in the bonds of principle and of spirituality of charac¬
ter, the Association and this journal work very harmoniously together.
"We have struck out from the above letter some complimentary remarks
about The Spiritmlist, and some uncomplimentary remarks about our neigh¬
bours.—Ed.].
DB. TEST’S DEPABTUBE FOB AMEBICA.
Sib,—On the eve of my departure for my native land, I wish
to acknowledge the pleasure and satisfaction I have derived
during the weeks of my stay in this city, in visiting—as I
have done almost daily—the reading-room of the British
National Association of Spiritualists, 38, Great Russell-street.
Every one coming, like myself, an entire stranger to the great
city, must fully realise and appreciate the privilege and im¬
portance of the opportunity here afforded to Spiritualists from
abroad of becoming acquainted with each other and with
leading English Spiritualists, to say nothing of the liberal
supply and attractive variety of reading matter, both Spirit¬
ualistic and miscellaneous, which the shelves and the table
of the room so abundantly furnish, among which, from the
first, I have hailed with especial interest and pleasure the
weekly appearance of The Spiritualist, with its full record of
Spiritualistic news and doings, its able and impartial discus¬
sion of the latest facts and phases of the movement*, and its
instructive array of things “new and old.”
Bidding you and the Association a hearty God-speed in your
noble aims and endeavours, I remain faithfully yours,
Z. H. Test.
London, Aug. 5th, 1875.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS.
Sib,—As one of the members of the National Association
of Spiritualists, I should like some information upon the fol¬
lowing point, if any one will kindly furnish me with the same.
As I understand it, it was found necessary, in order to comply
with the requirements of the Board of Trade in the event of our
enrolment, to introduce the proxy voting system at the annual
election of Councillors, in order to enable those members to
vote who could not attend the meetings. But the Board of
Trade not having enrolled the society, I wish to know whether
a better mode of electing officers has been replaced in the
rules. I believe the original plan was to send round a paper
to all the members, containing the names of the Spiritualists
recommended by the Council for election, and that each
member was at liberty to strike out any or all the names, and
to insert the names of any other person or persons if he
Aug. 13, 1875.
pleased. This is a much better plan than that of giving my vote
to some one else, and permitting him to vote for me by proxy ;
first of all because he might vote for some one I did not like,
unless I previously made a special arrangement with him to
the contrary; and secondly, because he might vote upon other
matters in a different way to that which I desired, and which
I would rather have left to the decision of the individuals
present at the debate, without any one of them having extra
influence by means of proxies. This matter deserves atten¬
tion, since one of the greatest benefits of the Association
is the extra freedom which it gives to its members, because its
accredited representatives have first to be invited and elected
to come to the front, and cannot appoint themselves. X.
VEGETAEIANISM AND SPIBITUALISM.
Sib,—A year or two ago I raised some questions in your
columns which I wish had been more fully answered by those
who possess information upon the subject, namely, What is
the influence of an exclusively vegetable diet upon medium-
ship and upon health ?
Since that letter was written to you so many cases have
passed under my notice that I know for certain that there are
many individuals, also some parents and their whole families,
who never touch animal food, yet are healthy and strong ; so
when doctors say that animal food is absolutely necessary for
man, the remark is probably due to want of thought, and to
the influence upon their ideas of prevalent social habits. In
the days of the Georges, when some of our gentry vied with
each other to see how many bottles of wine they could drink
before they fell under the table, it was a bad time for either
doctors or individuals to say a word in favour of teetotalism.
I have tried going without animal food for three or four
days at a time, and the effect upon me was that I could think
more clearly, and was better fitted temporarily for mental
labour; but at the end of a few days I found myself getting
weak, with a strong desire for meat growing upon me. This
antagonistic influence may have been from hereditary bias,
from the influence of which it is much easier for some people
to take a certain line of action in life than it is for others to
do the same thing; and the mistake is, that the former
sometimes arrogate to themselves superior virtues, without
taking differences of constitution into account.
I have a friend with feeble medial powers who tried a
vegetable diet, but the experiment did not succeed. He grew
weaker and weaker, but had the most beautiful visions of the
world to come. Although he was perfectly happy in this
experience, he thought it was not his duty to enter that world
before his time for the sake of abstaining from mutton chops,
so he seceded from the vegetarian faith.
Putting these slender experiences together, it seems that
vegetable diet will do for some people, and will not do for
others. Perhaps investigation will show that the children of
large meat-eaters would be killed if they were forced to live on
purely vegetable diet.
Sir John Lubbock’s little daughter once remarked to her
brother—“Johnny, if you eat so much goose you will go
silly.” Savages and children think very much alike. No
doubt the child came to this conclusion by the same process
of reasoning which induces some savages to think they can
make themselves warlike and fierce by eating the flesh of the
tiger. These ideas I take to be false, because some of the
vegetarians I know are among the most impracticable and
pugnacious individuals to be found anywhere; cabbages and
watercregses are not pugnacious, so if animal food caused the
pugnacious qualities of these men, their temperaments pro¬
bably originated from their accidentally eating earwigs in a
cabbage. One of your Manchester correspondents who op¬
posed me furnishes an instance in point. He gave me, quite
unnecessarily, some hard knocks for writing anonymously.
Now, anonymous arguments stand upon their own merits ; for
instance, supposing this letter to be written by the Prince of
Wales—and I do not say that it is not—it would carry undue
influence; but, under the present circumstances, the argu¬
ments in it go for exactly what they are worth. Your corre¬
spondent on that occasion being the leader of a local society,
no doubt his utterances carried immense weight with his
regular followers, who listen with open mouths to the words of
wisdom which flow from his learned lips. Now, had he
written anonymously, his arguments would have carried
neither more nor less than their proper weight among his
people.
There is a large amount of phosphorus in a combined state
in different parts of the human body, and I am told by medi¬
cal men they are puzzled to know whence a vegetarian gets