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Christian religion, a system rather resembling the religion of Buddha,
with its reincarnations and transmigrations of souls while struggling
after eternal after-progress. This is fully and clearly explained in an
article on "Spiritism in its True Character" in the English publication
called "The Month," for September, 1892. But with this phase of it we
are not now concerned. As to the facts, it is enough to remark that
spiritists claim a following of 20,000,000. Suppose there are only
one-half that number. 10,000,000 people are not readily deceived about
matters of their daily observation, for their meetings or seances
consist chiefly of those manifestations which others call impostures.

Their adherents are chiefly among the educated classes, I believe.
Certainly they include multitudes of doctors, lawyers, professors,
scientists, magistrates, clergymen, close students, keen intellects,
even such men as Alfred Russell Wallace, Profs. Morgan, Marley, Challis,
William Carpenter, and Edward Cox. If one has still lingering doubts on
this matter let him read the four learned articles written by my
predecessor in this chair of Medical Jurisprudence, Rev. James F.
Hoeffer, S.J., the former president of Creighton University. They are
found in the "American Catholic Quarterly Review" for 1882 and 1883.

What must we think of the nature of spiritism, with its spirit-rappings,
table-turning, spirit-apparitions, and so on? Can such of the facts as
are not impostures and realities be explained by the laws of nature, the
powers of material agents and of men? All that could possibly be done by
the most skilled scientists, by the most determined materialists who
believe neither in God nor demon, as well as by the most conscientious
Christians, has only served to demonstrate to perfect evidence that
effects are produced which can no more be attributed to natural agency
than speech and design can be attributed to a piece of wood. One
principle of science throws much light on the nature of all those
performances, namely, that every effect must have a proportionate cause.
When the effect shows knowledge and design, the cause must be
intelligent. Now many of these marvels evidently show knowledge and
design; therefore the cause is certainly intelligent.

A table cannot understand and answer questions; it cannot move at a
person's bidding. A medium cannot speak in a language he has never
learned, nor know the secret ailment of a patien