O Livro dos Médiuns — Part I, ch. III — Method

18The very natural and praiseworthy desire of every believer — a desire that cannot be too much encouraged — is to make proselytes. It is with the view of facilitating their task that we propose to examine here the surest way, according to our ideas, to attain this end, in order to spare them useless efforts.
We have said that Spiritism is an entire science, an entire philosophy: he who would seriously know it should, then, as a first condition, compel himself to a serious study, and persuade himself that no more than any other science can it be learned by sport. Spiritism, we have said, touches on all the questions that interest humanity; its field is immense, and it is most especially in its consequences that we should view it. Belief in spirits, doubtless, forms its basis; but that belief no more suffices to make an enlightened spiritist, than the belief in God suffices to make a theologian. Let us see, then, what is the fittest mode of procedure, in these instructions, to lead most surely to conviction.
Let not believers be frightened by this word instruction; there is other teaching than that given from the pulpit or the tribunal; there is also that of simple conversation. Every person who seeks to persuade another, whether by way of explanations or by experiments, instructs: what we desire is, that his trouble shall bear fruit, and it is for that purpose we give some advice, by which those who wish to instruct themselves may also profit; they will here find the means of more certainly and quickly reaching their end.

19It is generally believed that, in order to convince, it suffices to show facts. This seems, indeed, the most logical way, and yet experience shows that it is not always the better; for we often see persons whom the most palpable facts can never convince. Why is this? We shall try to demonstrate.
In Spiritism the question of spirits is secondary and consecutive; it is not the point of departure; and there, precisely, is the error into which we fall, and which causes us to fail with certain persons. Spirits being naught else but the souls of men, the true point of departure, then, is the existence of the soul. But how can a materialist admit that beings exist outside of the material world, when he believes himself to be but matter? How can he believe in spirits outside of himself, when he does not believe he has one within? In vain would you accumulate before his eyes the most palpable proofs; he would question them all, because he does not admit the principle. All methodical teaching should proceed from the known to the unknown: with the materialist the known is matter; begin, then, with matter, and try, above all, in making him observe it, to convince him that there is within him something that escapes the laws of matter; in a word, before making him a spiritist, try to make him a spiritualist. But for that an entirely different order of facts is requisite, a teaching wholly special, in which we must proceed by other means. To talk to him of spirits, before he is convinced of having a soul, is to begin at the end, for he cannot admit the conclusion if he admit not the premises. Thus, before undertaking to convince the skeptic, even by facts, it is necessary to be assured of his opinion in regard to the soul; that is, if he believe in its existence, its survival of the body, its individuality after death; if his answer is in the negative, it will be trouble wasted to talk to him of spirits. This is the rule: we do not say there is no exception, but then there are probably other causes which make him less refractory.

20Among materialists are two classes. In the first we place those who are such from system; with them it is not doubt, but absolute negation, reasoned after their own manner; in their eyes man is a machine, which goes as long as it is wound up, which gets out of order, and of which, after death, there remains but the carcass. Their number is, happily, very restricted, and nowhere constitutes a boldly-avowed school; it is not necessary to insist on the deplorable results to social order from popularizing such a doctrine; we have said enough on that subject in the Book 011 Spirits (No. 147 and conclusion, § iii.).
When we say that doubt ceases with the skeptic in presence of a rational explanation, we must except pure materialists — those who deny all power and all intelligent principle outside of matter: the greater part confirm themselves in their opinion through pride, and consider their self-love engaged to persist in it. This they do in the face of and against all contrary proofs, because they do not want to yield. With such people nothing can be done; we must not even be taken by the false seeming of sincerity of those who say, Make me see, and I will believe. Some are more frank, and say plainly, I should like to see what I will not believe.

21The second class of materialists, and by far the most numerous, — for a real materialism is an unnatural sentiment, — comprises those who are such through indifference, and one might say, for want of better, they are not such from deliberate purpose, and ask nothing better than to believe, for uncertainty is a torment to them. There is within them a vague aspiration toward the future; but this future has been presented to them under colors their reason cannot accept; from thence doubt, and, as a consequence of doubt, skepticism. With them disbelief is not a system; show -them something rational, and they accept it eagerly; such persons can understand us, for they are nearer to us than they themselves suppose. With the former talk neither of revelation, nor angels, nor paradise; they would not comprehend you; but place yourself on their ground, prove to them, first, that the laws of physiology are powerless to give a reason for everything; the rest will follow. It is otherwise when skepticism is not confirmed, for then belief is not absolutely null-; it is a latent germ, filled with ill weeds, but which a spark can reanimate; it is the blind to whom one can give sight, and who is joyful in once more seeing the light of day; it is the shipwrecked to whom one may extend a plank of safety.

22Besides materialists, properly so called, there is a third class of unbelievers, who, though spiritualists without the name, are not the less very refractory; these are intentional disbelievers. They would be sorry to believe, because that would disturb their quiet in material enjoyments; they fear to see the"condemnation of their ambition, of their egotism, and of the human vanities that constitute their delights; they close their eyes that they may not see, their ears that they may not hear. One can only pity them.

23We will speak only from memory of a fourth category, whom we shall call interested unbelievers, or those from insincerity. These very well understand Spiritism, but ostensibly they condemn from motives of.personal interest. Of them there is nothing to be said, as there is nothing to be done with them. If the real materialist deceive himself, there is at least the excuse of sincerity; he can be redeemed by being shown his error: here it is a thing settled, against which all arguments come to naught; time will open their eyes, and show them, perhaps to their cost, wherein their true interest consisted; for not being able to hinder the spread of the truth, they will be carried away by the torrent, and with them the interests they thought to save.

24In addition to these various categories of opponents there is an infinity of shades, among which may be reckoned the skeptical from pusillanimity; courage will come to them when they see others are not burned; the skeptical from religious scruples; an enlightened study will teach them that Spiritism rests on the fundamental basis of religion, and that it respects all beliefs; that one of its effects is to give religious sentiments to those who have them not, to fortify them with those who are wavering: then come the skeptical from pride, from the spirit of contradiction, from indifference, from frivolity, &c, &c.

25We cannot omit a class which we shall call that of t lie skeptical from deception. It comprises persons who have passed from an exaggerated confidence to skepticism, because they have experienced disappointments; then, discouraged, they have abandoned all, rejected all. They are in the position of him who denies all sincerity because he has been deceived. Again, it is the result of an incomplete study of Spiritism, and of a defect of experience. He who is mystified by the spirits is, generally, he who asks of them what they ought not or cannot tell, or because he is not sufficiently clear on the subject to distinguish truth from imposture. Besides, many see in Spiritism only a new means of divination, and imagine that spirits are made for fortune-tellers; so light and mocking spirits are not to blame if they amuse themselves at their expense. In this way they predict husbands to young girls, honors, inheritances, hidden treasures, &c, to the ambitious; from thence often arise disagreeable deceptions, from which a serious and prudent man always knows how to preserve himself.

26A very numerous class, the most numerous of all, indeed, but which cannot be placed among opponents, is that of the uncertain; they are usually spiritualists in principle; with the most of them there is a vague intuition of the spirit idea, an aspiration toward something they cannot define; it is only necessary that their thoughts should be regulated and formulated; for them Spiritism is like a flash of light; it is the daylight that disperses the fog; thus they seize it eagerly, because it delivers them from the agonies of uncertainty.

27If, now, we cast a glance on the various classes of believers, we shall find, first, the spiritists without knowing it: it is, properly speaking, a variety or a shade of the preceding class. Without ever having heard of the spirit doctrine, they have the innate sentiment of the grand principles that flow from it, and this sentiment is reflected in certain passages of their writings and discourses to such an extent, that, in listening to them, one would suppose them thoroughly initiated. We find numerous examples of them in sacred and profane writers, in poets, orators, moralists, in ancient and modern philosophers.

28Among those whom a direct study has convinced, we may distinguish, —
First. Those who believe purely and simply in the manifestations. Spiritism is for them a simple science of observation, a series of facts more or less curious: we shall call them experimental spiritists.
Second. Those who see in Spiritism something besides facts; who comprehend its philosophy, admire the morality that flows from it, but do not practice it. Its influence on their character is insignificant or null; they change nothing of their habits, neither deprive themselves of a single enjoyment; the miser remains sordid, the proud full of himself, the envious and jealous always hostile; to them Christian charity is but a beautiful maxim: these are imperfect spiritists.
Third. Those who are not contented with admiring spirit morality, but who practice it and accept all its consequences. Convinced that the terrestrial existence is a passing trial, they try to put to profit these short moments, to walk in the road of progress which alone can elevate them in the hierarchy of the world of spirits, forcing themselves to do good, and to repress their evil inclinations. What they relate is always true, for their convictions take from them all thought of evil. Charity is in all things the rule of their conduct. These are the true spiritists, or, better still, Christian spiritists.
Fourth. Finally, there are exalted spiritists. The human species would be perfect, if it would take only the good side of things. Exaggeration in anything is injurious; in Spiritism it gives too blind and childish a confidence in the things of the invisible world, and causes the too easy acceptation of what reflection and examination show to be absurd or impossible; but enthusiasm does not reflect — it dazzles. This kind is more injurious than useful to the cause of Spiritism; they are the less easy to convince because they doubt, and with reason, their own judgment; they are very sincere dupes, whether it be of mystifying spirits, or of men who wish to play upon their credulity. If they alone were to suffer the consequences, the evil would be but half; the worst is, that, without wishing it, they arm the skeptical, who are always seeking occasions to impute to all the folly of some. This is, doubtless, neither just nor rational; but, it is well known, the adversaries of Spiritism recognize only their own reason as being good gold, and to know thoroughly the subject on which they speak is the least of their cares.

29The means of conviction vary exceedingly, according to individuals; what persuades one is nothing to another; some are convinced by certain material manifestations, others by intelligent communications; the greater part by reasoning. We might even say that, for the greater part of those not prepared by reasoning, the material phenomena are of little weight. The more extraordinary these phenomena, and the further removed from known laws, the more opposition they meet, and for a very simple reason, — that one is naturally inclined to doubt a thing not having a rational sanction; each sees it from his own stand-point, and explains it after his own fashion: the materialist sees in it a purely physical cause, or a superstition; the ignorant and the superstitious sec a diabolical or supernatural cause; while a true explanation destroys these preconceived ideas, and shows, if not the reality, at least the possibility; they understand before seeing it; and from the moment its possibility is recognized, conviction is three quarters accomplished.

30Is it worth while to try to convince an obstinate unbeliever? We have said that it depends on the causes and nature of his disbelief; often the persistent efforts made to persuade one strengthen within him the idea of his personal importance, and become a reason for his increased obstinacy. If one is convinced neither by reasonings nor by facts, it shows that he must still suffer the trial of skepticism; we must leave to Providence the care of bringing together circumstances more favorable for him: there are plenty of people asking to receive the light; it is. not worth while to waste time on those who reject \tJ Address yourselves, then, to the willing, whose number is greater than is supposed; and their example, being multiplied, will overcome more resistance than words. The true spiritist will never lack good to do — afflicted hearts to soothe, consolations to give, despair to calm, moral reforms to effect: this is his mission; here, also, he will find his true satisfaction. Spiritism is in the air; it spreads by the law of events, and because it makes 'those happy who profess it. When its systematic adversaries shall hear it resound about them, even among their friends, they will realize their own isolation, and will be forced to be silent, or yield assent.

31To proceed: in the teaching of Spiritism, as in that of the ordinary sciences, the whole series of phenomena that can be produced should be passed in review, beginning with the most simple, and reaching, by successive stages, the most complicated; but this cannot be done, for it would be impossible to give a course of experimental Spiritism, as one would a course of physics or chemistry. In the natural sciences we operate on brute matter, manipulating it at will, and are nearly always sure of being able to regulate the effects; in Spiritism we have to do with intelligences that are free, and prove to us at every instant that they are not bound to obey our caprices; we must then observe, await the results, seize them 'in passing: so we here announce that whoever would flatter himself to obtain them at will must be either an ignoramus or an impostor. This is why true Spiritism never makes a spectacle of itself, and never mounts the rostrum. Besides, there is something illogical in supposing that spirits come to make a parade, and submit to investigation, as objects of curiosity. The phenomena, therefore, may either fail altogether when we want them, or be presented in an entirely different order from what we desire. Add, again, that to obtain them we require persons endowed with special faculties, and that these faculties vary infinitely, according to the aptitude of individuals; and as it is extremely rare that one person should possess all the aptitudes, it is one difficulty the more, for we should need to have always at hand a veritable collection of mediums, which is scarcely possible.
The means of obviating this inconvenience is very simple, — it is to begin with the theory; there all the phenomena are passed in review; they are explained, can be accounted for, their possibility understood, the conditions under which they can be produced and the obstacles they may meet can be known; then, whatever may be the order into which they may be led by circumstances, there will be nothing in them to create surprise. This method offers still another advantage — that of sparing the operator numberless disappointments; forewarned against the difficulties, he can be on his guard, and avoid acquiring experience at too great expense.
Since we have been engaged with Spiritism, it would be hard to tell the number of persons who have come to us, and among them how many we have seen remain indifferent or skeptical, in presence of the most glaring facts, and who have afterward been convinced only by a reasonable explanation; how many others who have been predisposed to conviction by reasoning; how many, also, who have been persuaded without seeing, but simply because they understood. Thus we speak from experience, when we say that the better method of teaching Spiritism is to address the reason before addressing the eyes. It is the one we follow in our lessons, and we can only praise it.

32The previous study of the theory has another advantage; it shows at one view the grandeur of the end, and the sweep of the science. He who begins by seeing tables turned or rapped, is more disposed to ridicule, because he can scarcely imagine that out of a table can come a regenerating doctrine for humanity. We have always remarked that those who believe without having seen, but because they have read and understood, far from being superficial, are, on the contrary, the ones who reflect the most; resting more on the fundamental principles than on the form, to them the philosophical part is the principal, the phenomena but the accessories; and they say to themselves that even did these phenomena not exist, there would not the less remain a philosophy that alone can solve problems hitherto insoluble; which alone gives the most rational theory of man's past and future; they prefer a doctrine that explains, to one that explains not at all, or explains badly. A thoughtful person will readily comprehend that the manifestations might be wholly done away with, and the doctrine none the less remain; the manifestations corroborate, confirm it, but are not its essential basis; the serious observer does not reject them, on the contrary, but he awaits circumstances favorable to his being a witness of them. The proof of what we advance is, that, before having heard of the manifestations, very many persons have had an intuition of this doctrine, which has but. given a body, a unity, to their ideas.

33At the same time it would not be strictly true to say that those who begin with the theory lack subjects for practical observation; on the contrary, they have plenty which should possess greater weight in their estimation, than those that might be produced before their eyes: these are the numerous facts of spontaneous manifestations, of which we shall speak in the following chapters.
There are few persons who have not some knowledge of them, if only by hearsay; many have themselves had experiences to which they have given but slight attention. The theory has this effect — it explains them; and we say that these facts have great weight when they rest on invincible testimony, because then neither preparation nor connivance can be supposed. If the induced phenomena did not exist, the spontaneous phenomena would none the less be present, and Spiritism, should it have no result but to give a rational solution of them, would be doing much. Thus, most of those who read recall these facts, thereby confirming the theory.

34Our ideas would be strangely misunderstood, were it supposed that we advise a neglect* of facts; it is by the facts that we have arrived at the theory; it is true that assiduous labor for several years, and thousands of observations, have been necessary; but since the facts have served us, and do serve us daily, we should be inconsistent to deny their importance, especially as we are writing a book for. the purpose of making them known. We only say that, without reasoning, they would not suffice to produce conviction; that a previous explanation, by destroying prejudices, and showing that there is nothing in them contrary to reason, disposes one for their acceptance. This is so true that, of ten persons, complete novices, who may assist at an experimental seance, were it the most satisfying one to believers, nine would leave it unconvinced, some more incredulous than before, because the experiments will not have answered their expectations. It would be quite otherwise with those who could understand them from a previous theoretic knowledge; it is a means of criticising, but nothing surprises them, not even want of success, because they, know in what conditions the facts are produced, and that they must not ask what cannot be given. The previous knowledge of the facts thus enables them to judge of all anomalies, but, above all, permits them to catch a multitude of details, often of very delicate shades, which arc, for them, means of conviction, and which escape the ignorant observer. Such are the motives for admitting to our experimental seances only persons possessing preparatory notions enough to understand what is being done, persuaded that any others wouLd lose their time, and cause us to lose ours.

35To those who would desire to acquire the preliminary knowledge by reading our works, we would advise the following order: —
First. What is Spiritism? This tract, of a hundred pages only, is a summary exposition of the principles of the spirit doctrine, a general glance, which permits us to embrace the whole in a brief outline. In a few words we see the end, and can judge of its range. Above all, here may be found answers to the principal questions, or objections, which novices are disposed to make.
This first, which calls for little time, is an introduction which facilitates a more profound study.
Second. The Book 011 Spirits. It contains the doctrine complete, dictated by the spirits themselves, with all its philosophy, and all its moral consequences; it is the destiny of man unvailed, the initiation into the nature of spirits, and into the mysteries of the life beyond the grave.- In reading this it will be seen that Spiritism has a serious aim, and is not a frivolous pastime.
Third. The Book on Mediums, intended to direct in the practice of manifestations, by the knowledge of the proper means of communicating with spirits; it is a guide either for mediums or invocators, and is the complement of the Book on Spirits.
Fourth. The Spirit Reviewed. This is a varied collection of facts, of theoretic explanations and detached fragments, which complete what is said in the two preceding works, and of which it is in some sort the application. It may be read at the same time, but will be more profitable and more intelligible, particularly after the Book on Spirits. This is all we can say. Those who desire to understand a science thoroughly must, necessarily, read all that is written on the subject, or, at least, the principal things, and not limit themselves to a single author; they should even read the for and against, the critics as well as the apologists, to know the different systems, to be able to judge by comparison. In this connection we neither extol nor criticise any work, desiring in nothing to influence the opinion that may be formed; bringing our stone to the edifice, we place ourselves in the ranks: it does not pertain to us to be judge and client, and we make not the absurd pretension of being sole dispenser of the light; it is for the reader to distinguish between the good and the bad, the true and the false.