[5]

Excerpts from the Correspondence of

J. Edward Morgan

(Poet, scholar, lecturer, esotericist)

To the Editor of Round Robin:

This is to acknowledge, with thanks, receipt of my copy of Round Robin ... With apologies for my incompetence, I want to make some criticism of the trend of the S.P.R. both here and abroad. It seems to me that science, as represented by both the English and American Psychical Research Societies, deliberately set out, not to discover the true cause of a mass of race-old and completely proven psychic phenomena ... but rather to disprove universally accepted belief, the foundation of all religions of the past, probably of the future also.

How far would nuclear science have gone if the scientists of all the nations concerned had taken the attitude of the SPR investigators? The American scientists largely took for granted the reports of the Cuies, Becquerel, Le Bon, and of English, German, Danish and other scientists; they combined efforts and collaborated like intelligent human beings. They were not obsessed by a passion to disprove, but to learn everything possible, as quickly as possible, about atomic energy. If they had conducted themselves in the spirit of the SPR investigator they would still be wrangling, and the atoms would still be holding their mighty secret. It was a great shock to many scientists, to yield their arrogant pronouncements on the nature of matter, but to bear up under it, sustained by their determination never to yield to the spiritualistic ghost. There official science makes its last stand. As one of them has declared with finality, "A ghost is the last thing I will give in to." God help him! ^§

Was not the report of Crookes, on Home and Florence Cook, supported by many similar reports of scientifically observed phenomena, such as those of Geley, Richet, Bonazzi, Schrenck von Notzing - were these not sufficient for the SPR as proof of the phenomena at least? I find in a foot-note to Darwin's Descent of Man, an item by Darwin stating he had taken certain facts from which he deduced theories, from a book titled The Origin and Antiquity of Man, by Hudson Tuttle, whom he thought to be a great American scientist. In fact, Tuttle was but [6] a stripling farm boy, uneducated, who had not read a book on science, but was a spiritualist medium and wrote under spirit control. He thus wrote The Arcana of Nature, from which the great German materialist Buchner quoted freely in his Matter and Force - in his effort to prove that these two are eternal and indestructible and account for all phenomena, so that spirit does not exist. Yet according to Tuttle, his Arcana and other books were actually dictated by spirits of deceased scientists.

One would suppose that Darwin, and Buchner also, would have made inquiry as to the identity of Hudson Tuttle before using him so extensively as a source. But Sir Charles Lyell, eminent English geologist, who came quickly forth to buttress Darwinism with his mighty learning derived from the rocks, also grabbed the stone-slinging arm of this David for support. While lecturing in America in support of Darwinism, he made good use of a very long canvas chart, expertly and correctly painted, illustrating "Evolution From Star-Dust to Man". This panorama was the work of this same farm youngster, and was painted by him under spirit control to illustrate the evolutionary theory outlined in the Arcana. Lyell heard of this canvas and borrowed it, knowing nothing of its origins. Densmore, researcher for the ASPR, published these facts with a statement from Lyell himself.

I don't know whether Darwin ever learned the truth about Tuttle or not, but Buchner certainly did. He lectured before the Turnverein Society (in Cleveland, I think it was), and there met young Hudson Tuttle, age 19 years. Some one told him that "spirits" wrote the book for Tuttle, and Buchner guffawed loudly. Then he asked Tuttle to define "spirit". Tuttle replied, "You are a scientist and a much older man; suppose you lead off and define matter." There were no definitions given, either way. My notion is that Tuttle, 'ignorant' as he may have been, knew more about the nature of both matter and spirit than any scientist living either then or now.

A later scientific guess, or discovery, is that the electrons, neutrons, and so on, are wholly immaterial and are purely mathematical points. Will scientist yet discover that in their atom-splitting they are freeing the Holy Ghost? Or Lucifer?

And here are some additional facts about Darwin and his friend Romaines. Romaines had in his house a medium - an aunt, I think. They sat at a table in Romaines' home, and the table jumped about and rapped and answered questions, and Romaines in his amazement wrote to Darwin about it, asking for some scientific explanation. Darwin replied courteously enough, tho hardly curiously enough, it seems to me, for a man who had spent 30 years studying earthworms and their doings. He told Romaines he was not up on the subject of jumping tables, and referred him to Alfred Russell Wallace, an acknowledged spiritualist as well as a distinguished scientist. At the same time, without telling Romaines, he sent Romaines' letter to Wallace.

Now, the rest of this incident comes from a book by Wallace himself, which he wrote as a result of his American lecture tour. In it he gives an account of Romaines private seances. And it seems that Wallace had published some criticism of a paper written by Romaines, [7] and the latter attacked Wallace bitterly in reply saving, "This is not the scientist Wallace who shares the honors with Darwin, but Wallace the muddled spiritualist" and so on, impeaching him on the ground that no one could be a spiritualist and a scientist at the same time. Wallace in reply, reproved him for indulging in personal abuse, and then added, "It may be news to you that I have the letter you sent to Mr. Darwin telling of your own secret seances. What do you suppose I think of your behaviour in publicly condemning me for a belief which I acknowledge openly, while you hold the same belief secretly and are ashamed to acknowledge it?"

Coming back to Darwin, there is an account in Edward Tylor's Primitive Culture about a strange experience which Darwin had in Egypt. It seems that he too held a few private seances, selecting a graveyard and the hour of midnight for his purposes. We went down into Egypt like the Holy Family, and found there a Kaffir family one of whom was a medium, and one of whose members had just been buried. The Kaffirs made up a kind of dummy or marionette of wood and rags, and all of them, with Darwin, went to the graveyard at midnight and put this dummy on the grave of the deceased. Then, to quote Darwin "It jumped and danced and cavorted about like a chair or table at a spiritistic seance." He said he examined it carefully but could find no threads or strings attached, and could not account at all for its strange performances. "But there it was, under the full moon, at midnight! Pure lunacy!" So far as I have been able to find out, Darwin never again adverted to this experience, or made any attempt to acquire further information.

I remember when my critics threw at me Harry Price and his "exposure" of spiritualism in England; I came back at them with Harry Price as investigator for the SPR, and his experiences with a young shop-girl medium, detailed in Scientific American. "Here seems to be, at last, genuine psychic phenomena scientifically attested," wrote the editor. That silenced the scoffers for one lecture at least. I warned them to remember Darwin, Buchner, Lyell, Harry Price, and Richard Hodgson, the Sherlock Holmes of the English SPR. The "exposure" of Blavatsky had not wholly burned up his wits. It was to him, thru the Piper mediumship, that Thomson J. Hudson came, jamming thru the crowd of spirits as he jammed into print with his fool book, The Law of Psychic Phenomena, doing mischief that many centuries must labor to undo. "This is Hudson, of Boston. I was a damned fool," he said.

"Yes" said Hodgson; "I know of you. Glad to make your acquaintance. You were a damn fool, you say? Anything else?"

And Hodgson might well have added that he was another one, for quite some time at least. And so was 'Billy' Sidgwick. He was so fearful lest the critics call him a spiritualist nut, or say that he and Hodgson were both 'in the trick.' You will remember how Hodgson reported Billy saying "They will say you were in the t-t-t-trick."

This was offered by Hodgson as a test, after his death.

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(Few minds are so richly stored as Mr. Morgan's with the personalia and anecdotes of modern spiritualist history. This movement, with all its follies and virtues, its social involvements and sufferings under persecution, its long list of distinguished names, still awaits a sympathetic and competent historian - in spite of the excellent work of Doyle and others... Mr. Morgan's running comment rings many a bell in the memory of older spiritualists and students of things psychic, and we hope to offer our readers more of his unusual and interesting writing. Ed.)

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Round Robin readers who are interested in the Flying Roll are reminded that the Delta issue, vol. I, should appear in about 30 days. If you have material to contribute, please send it in at once - and if you wish to make sure of securing a copy, please order in advance (.50). A few copies of the Gamma issue may still be had. New purchasers are asked to state their occult affiliations, if any.

____ _________ ___________ _________ ____

-- A Round Robin subscriber wishes the address of a dependable non-commercial psychic or medium, in or near Philadelphia.

-- A subscriber wishes to buy one or two copies of Flying Roll Beta, at $1.00 each.

Premium: Readers who obtain one new subscriber (1 year) for Round Robin will receive a free Huna pamphlet, or a copy of Letters to a Soldier. The former, by Max Freedom Long, F.H.F., is a concise summary of the Huna teachings, which have been running in Round Robin, and a very useful pocket companion for those interested in this subject. The Letters is not merely a war-time publication, but contains the basic ideas of spiritism and occultism, "written down" for the newcomer - as well as a basic reading list. By the RR Editor. (Regular price, $1.00)

During the first two months of 1947, there is an additional premium offer. For 3 new subscriptions (one yr each, at $3.00 ea), RR offers a copy of Geomancy - The Art of Divination by the Element of Earth. This is a mimeo. compilation, about 30 pages, letter-page size, by the Editor of RR, regular price $2.00. Contains diagrams and tabulations, and is the only separate treatise on this subject now in print in English.

We call attention to the Occult Science Library Service, in connection with Sunflower magazine, at 15 No. Maryland Ave., Atlantic City, N.J. Users of this service remit the full price of the book wanted, but this is refunded minus 5 ct. per day reading charge, if the book is returned in 60 days. Ask for their book lists - many useful titles.

§ "As to the alleged evidence for survival, we shall have to say that so far it is entirely mythological." (From press report of a recent address by the President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Ed.)

References

1. Tuttle, Hudson. The Origin and Antiquity of Physical Man Scientifically Considered: Proving Man to Have Been Contemporary with the Mastadon; Detailing the History of His Development from the Domain of the Brute, and Dispersion by Great Waves of Emigration from Central Asia. Boston: W. White & Co., 1866. Print. [Digital: <https://archive.org/details/originantiquityo00tutt>]
2. Tuttle, Hudson, and Emmet Densmore. Arcana of Nature; with an Introduction Giving an Account of the Phenomenon of Its Authorship, and the "Superior Condition" of Andrew Jackson Davis, Emanuel Swedenborg, and Other Psychics, by Emmet Densmore. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co; New York: Stillman Publishing Co., 1908. Print. [Digital: <https://archive.org/details/arcanaofnature00tuttrich>]
3. Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex. Vol. 1. London: J. Murray, 1871. Print. [Digital: <https://archive.org/details/descentman00darwgoog>]
4. Büchner, Ludwig. Force and Matter: Or, Principles of the Natural Order of the Universe. with a System of Morality Based Thereon. New York: P. Eckler, 1891. Print. [Digital: <https://archive.org/details/forceandmatter00unkngoog>]
5. Tylor, Edward B. Primitive Culture: Researches into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Art, and Custom. Vol. 2. London: J. Murray, 1891. Print. [Digital: <https://archive.org/details/primitivecultur01tylogoog>]