Spiritualism, or spiritism,
Words applied to the belief that certain phenomena or visible manifestations of power are produced by the spirits of the dead.
These phenomena have been witnessed and commented upon in all ages; notable instances within the last 250 years at
Woodstock, 1649; at Tedworth, 1661; at the Epworth parsonage, in the family of
Mr. Wesley, the father of
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism; the case of the
Cock-lane ghost, in
London; at
Sunderland, at the residence of
Mr. Jobson, 1839 (all these in
England). The
Fox sisters in the
United States, 1848 (noted below), and, as some suppose, in the
Salem witchcraft cases of 1692.
They have been attributed to diabolical agencies.
It is claimed that under favorable circumstances, by a force apparently residing in the subject itself, and with no external source, inanimate objects (articles of furniture, etc.) are moved, rappings are heard, articles disappear from one closed apartment to appear in another, writing is produced purporting to be by spirits of the dead, and apparitions of the dead are recognized by voice and feature.
Multitudes of people, including many of education and intelligence, have embraced the vague beliefs taught by professional mediums; but the teachers have never agreed upon any coherent system of doctrine, nor have their practices been satisfactorily distinguished from delusion and imposture by scientific tests.
Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) asserted his
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intelligent communion with departed spirits and his direct knowledge of a spiritual world, reciting at length his detailed personal experience.
The more recent forms of spiritualism may be said to have begun in Hydeville,
Wayne co., N. Y., in 1848, when the daughters of
John D. Fox, Margaret (1834-93) and Kate (1836-92), first practised what is known as “spirit-rappings.”
From Hydeville,
Fox soon after removed to
Rochester.
The excitement aroused by the rappings soon spread far and wide.
Many “mediums” arose professing similar powers.
Andrew Jackson Davis published
Principles of nature, etc., 1845, said to have been dictated to
the Rev. William Fishbough in New York City, while the author was in a clairvoyant or trance state; many other works since on a variety of subjects, all ascribed to spirit dictation, but of no scientific value.
Judge John W. Edmonds, of New York (1799-1874), adopted the belief in 1851, and published a work on
Spiritualism, 1853-55, as did
Dr. Robert Hare (1781-1858) of
Philadelphia, who published (1855)
Spiritual manifestations scientifically demonstrated; among other noted persons who have avowed their belief that the phenomena are of spirit origin are
Dr. Robert Chambers,
Robert Owen (1771-1858) and his son,
Robert Dale Owen, all of whom wrote on the subject.
Of the many “mediums” (channels of communications) none ever attained to the celebrity, as a medium of this power, of
Daniel D. Home (born 1833; died harmlessly insane, 1886; published
Incidents of my life, 1863).
A society termed “The London Society for Psychical research,” was founded in 1882, under the presidency of
Prof. H. Sidgwick, of Cambridge University, for the purpose of investigating that large group of debatable phenomena known as mesmeric, hypnotic, psychic, and spiritualistic.
Reports of a large number of varied and careful experiments in induced telepathic communication are published in their
Proceedings; branches of this society have been established elsewhere, notably in the
United States.
In this connection also an international congress of experimental psychology has been formed: First meetings held in
Paris, 1889; second, at University College,
London, 1893; the third at
Munich in 1896.
In a report of this congress, 1893, it was stated that in a census of hallucinations undertaken by 410 members of the congress, 17,000 answers were obtained from
Great Britain,
France, America,
Germany, etc., to the question, “Have you ever, while in good health and believing yourself to be awake, seen the figure of a person or animated object, or heard a voice which was not in your view referable to any external physical cause?”
The answers in the negative numbered 15,311, and those in the affirmative 1,689; out of these latter, after careful investigation, the committee classed 348 as actual apparitions of living persons, 155 of dead people, 273 as unrecognized.
A remarkable class of cases was that of collective apparitions, the same hallucination being experienced by two or more persons at the same time and place.
Some hold that all psychic phenomena, normal and abnormal, whether manifested as mesmerism, hypnotism, somnambulism, trance, spiritism, demonology or witchcraft, genius or insanity, are in a way related, and are to be classed under some general law of nature yet to be discovered, which will withdraw them from the domain of the supernatural.
The National Spiritualists' Association of the
United States of America and Dominion of
Canada was organized Sept. 29, 1893, in
Chicago, Ill., and incorporated Nov. 1, 1893, under the laws of the District of Columbia, where its permanent headquarters were established.
Its objects are: “The organization of the various spiritualist societies of the
United States and
Canada into one general association, for the purpose of mutual aid and co-operation, in benevolent, charitable, educational, literary, musical, scientific, religious, and missionary purposes, and enterprises germane to the phenomena, science, philosophy, and religion of spiritualism.”
In 1900 there were 625 local associations of spiritualists in the
United States and
Canada, nineteen State associations, and fifty-five camp-meeting associations devoted to the interests of spiritualism.
The bone fide membership of these associations was 150,000, while the total number interested in spiritualism in the
United States and
Canada was 1,500,000. Three hundred and
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fifty lecturers, ministers, and platform mediums were actively engaged in promulgating the doctrines of spiritualism.
The number of psychics before the public for various phases of phenomenal manifestations was 1,500, while some 10,000 persons utilize their mediumistic gifts in their homes.
The spiritualists had eighty-five churches, temples, auditoriums, etc., in the
United States.
The valuation of their public buildings, camp-meeting property, and
real estate was $1,250,000. The membership of the National Spiritualists' Association consists of spiritualist societies only.
Twelve regular periodicals, weeklies, and monthlies are published in the interests of spiritualism.
The headquarters of the association are at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, S. E.,
Washington, D. C. 
