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commenced to assume the outline of a human form, it was watched by all with close attention
and absorbing interest. The sensitive struggled, as if to disengage his arm from me, yet never
relaxing the death-like grip of his hand. As the spectators continued gazing, the vapour if
vapour it can be called condensed, or if it were a substance, it contracted, gradually assuming the
shape of a human being until the complete figure of a tall, handsome-looking man, with a dark
beard, was materialised before the eyes of the eight persons composing the circle. When fully
developed, the 'spirit' was several inches taller than the sensitive. For several moments, 'spirit'
and sensitive stood side by side the sensitive being supported by the outstretched arm of the
'spirit' placed lovingly around him. At this point the sensitive released my hand, and withdrawing
from the 'spirit' a distance of from three to four feet, revealed a white band, about four inches in
width, connecting his side with that of the spirit. The cord of spiritual parturition was then
severed. Mr. Eglinton stumbled backwards into his chair, which had been placed behind the
curtain, leaving the sitters alone with the 'spirit.' Our materialised friend then walked before the
circle, shook hands with me, and with one or two others. His hand was warm, and as firm to the
touch, and as powerful in the grip as that of any human being."
Such testimony might be indefinitely prolonged; and amongst other witnesses who have
observed the same phenomenon may be mentioned Mr. C. Blackburn, Mr. Hensleigh Wedgwood
Miss Symons, of 43, Beaufort Street, Chelsea; Mrs. Lewis, of Weybridge Heath; Mr. F. W
Benthall, of Heybridge; Mrs. Raeburn, of Edinburgh; Dr. Morell, LL. D. (late one of H. M.
Inspectors of Schools); Mr. M. Theobald, of Granville Park, S.E.; the Rev. J. R. Phillips, of
Oldham; and Miss Corner, of 3, St. Thomas Square, Hackney, but I have no room, for further
cases. Scattered through the periodical literature of Spiritualism, there are numberless instances of
the kind. Surely, however, those I have quoted are sufficient to prove the reality of this, the
crowning phase of spiritual phenomena?
CHAPTER XVIII.
PHASES OF OPPOSITION; SPIRITUALISM AND ART; AND A PROBLEM
FOR CONJURERS.
IT had long been a moot point among intelligent Spiritualists whether it waspermissible to admit
neophytes or inquirers, with little prior knowledge, to materialisation seances. Having through
long experience come to regard indiscriminateintroductions to meetings of this nature as injurious
to the medium, and productive of little, if any good to Spiritualism, Mr. Eglinton determined to
make a bold stand in the matter, as far as he was personally concerned, with, I think, good
results. Looseness of conditions has ever been the curse of Spiritualism. In a letter replying to
one received by him containing a request for a materialisation seance, at which it was confessed
there would be present several persons entirely ignorant of the subject, he pointed out his
position, and as the reasons given are sound and sufficient, I think it desirable to place them on
record in his own words: "I hold that a medium is placed in a very responsible position, and that
he has a, right to satisfy, as far as he possibly can, those who come to him. Now, my experience,
which is a varied one, leads me to the conclusion that no sceptic, however well-intentioned or
honest, can be convinced by the conditions prevailing at a materialisation seance, and the result is
further scepticism on his part, and condemnation of the medium. It is different when there is a
harmonious circle of Spiritualists, who are advanced enough to witness such phenomena, and
with whom I shall always be delighted to sit; but a neophyte must be prepared by other
methods. If your friend cares to come to a slate-writing seance I shall be happy to arrange an
hour, otherwise I must decline to sit for the reasons stated above, and which must commend
themselves to you as to all thinking Spiritualists." His correspondent, I am pleased to say, saw
the force and wisdom of these remarks.
I have, as previously intimated, only quoted sample cases out of hundreds of reports of Mr.
Eglinton's seances which, during 1884 and 1885 especially, have flooded the Spiritualistic press,
and I am again obliged to do little more than briefly mention what were in reality very important
pieces of evidence.
The Whitehall Review had for a long time, while under the able editorship of Mr. Watson
Lyall, himself a candid and patient investigator, preserved a calm, philosophical attitude towards
Spiritualism, if it could not be said to have thoroughly endorsed it. "But a king arose in Egypt
that knew not Joseph," and on Mr. Lyall's retirement it fell into evil courses. Amongst its regular
correspondents, however, were some who had had practical experience in Spiritualism through
Mr. Eglinton's instrumentality, and a well-deserved rebuke was forth
184
Phases of Opposition; Spiritualism and Art; and a Problem for Conjurers. 185
with administered. A correspondent wrote: "I have just seen a copy of a recent issue of your
paper, and I much regret to find that you sneer, in an ignorant way, over the wonderful gifts that
Mr. Eglinton has received from his Maker. I say 'ignorant' advisedly, because you have no right
to sneer at anything that you know only by hearsay." A description of the writer's experiences
follows, and he winds up by assuring the Whitehall Review that although there might be plenty of
humbug mixed up with Spiritualistic phenomena, yet that "does not the least affect the facts,
absolute facts, such as I have just roughly laid before you, and you will make a strange mistake if
you allow your paper to sneer at the marvellous, yet most simple acts of communion that are
daily occurring between the spirit world and our own. The Bible is one long history of this
communion between the heavens and the hells and earth. Why should this have ceased, or how
can it have ceased? Our parsons' asseverations will not alter God's laws."
Truth followed suit, but while the Whitehall Review was never vulgar or abusive; the former
paper indulged in the most malignant and rancorous language, finding an able lieutenant in Dr.
Ray Lankester, of Bow Street notoriety. A lengthy correspondence took place in the Pall Mall
Gazette, introduced by a self-styled thought-reader, who, partly seeing an opportunity of making
some capital for himself, and partly acting as a decoy of Mr. Labouchere, entered the lists with a
pseudo-challenge, the circumstances connected with which are already familiar to the public. Dr.
Lankester, however, deserves immortalising, and I am not altogether unwilling to oblige him and
his confrere. I cannot do this more effectually than by quoting some of the opprobrious terms
used by him concerning Spiritualists in general and Mr. Eglinton in particular. Mr. Labouchere
was good enough to employ such epithets as "knave," "rogue," "cheat," "vagabond," while Dr.
Lankester's superior erudition gave him a somewhat wider choice in "sludge," "pickpocket,"
"unsavoury specimen of natural history," " vermin and skunk." No wonder Mr. Eglinton was
disinclined to meet the authors of bantlings like these, and I, in common with the majority of
Spiritualists, rejoice he did not fall into the trap, and demean himself in such company. As he
remarked, with true dignity, he could afford to bide his time. The facts will be acknowledged
some day, when prejudice has grown tired of its vain attempts to strangle them. There was,
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