408 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



LETTER FROM MR. KIDDLE. 

 To the Editor of the Popular Science Monthly. 

 rriHERE seems to be nothing so capable 

 1 of throwing a " scientist " into a parox- 

 ysm of rage as the serious attempt to talk to 

 him of sjjirit, spirit-world, "spiritual body" 

 etc. In the words of Brewster, " spirit is 

 the last thing he will give in to " ; or, to put 

 it in Huxley's mild way, " supposing the 

 phenomena to be genuine, they do not inter- 

 est me." One might suppose that men whose 

 habits of mind are the offspring of careful 

 investigation and calm inquiry, would take 

 any class of phenomena, and at least con- 

 template them with scientific patience, keep- 

 ing their minds poised and ready to receive 

 more light. But no ; some favorite hypoth- 

 esis seems to be in danger, and our modern 

 philosopher, who either claims the paternity 

 of it, or hangs to the skirts of him thus highly 

 honored, has always a choice assortment of 

 literary missiles to hurl at the trespasser. 

 When a man feels that he can not meet an- 

 other in fair argument, he usually greets him 

 with such choice epithets as fool, driveliyic/ 

 idiot, lunatic, etc., etc. How scientific ! How 

 worthy of a scientific journal is such mean 

 and cheap scurrility ! 



Such is the temper in which you have 

 chosen to assail me and my recently pub- 

 lished book, " Spiritual Communications," 

 in the June number of " The Monthly." Of 

 course, I can not contend with you in throw- 

 ing mud ; your vocabulary of abuse is richer 

 and stronger than any I could possibly com- 

 mand ; and I acknowledge, therefore, that 

 you have the advantage of me in this re- 

 spect; but let me suggest to you that one 

 who claims to be a scientist should resort 

 to the weapons of logic, not the bludgeon 

 of a ruffian. Nor was even this brutal treat- 

 ment sufficient to satisfy your scientific in- 

 stincts. You seemed to think your literary 

 crucifixion would be incomplete unless you 

 brought a murderer to share my fate ; but 

 remember that the greatest being that ever 

 walked upon the surface of this planet was 

 crucified between two thieves ; and remem- 

 ber, too, who did it. " Woe unto the world 

 because of offenses, but woe unto that man 

 by whom the offense cometh ! " Your arti- 

 cle does, indeed, show the " survival of sav- 

 agery." 



The editor of this book may, indeed, 

 claim some consideration for accredited 

 ability to investigate phenomena brought 

 to his notice, as well as yourself. What 

 right have you, who know nothing of the 

 facts and will not listen to the evidence 



on which they rest to abuse me for stating 

 them, simply because they do not fit into your 

 notions, your conceits, and your theories ? 

 The man who refuses to investigate, or lis- 

 ten to the results of investigation who 

 shuts his eyes against the sun of truth, and 

 angrily protests there is no sun he is the 

 idiot ; or, if he continues in that course, 

 will soon become one. If you had read my 

 book, you would have seen that, instead of 

 setting aside all other spiritual revelations, 

 that which is offered in the book strengthens 

 and confirms the divine revelation of the 

 Scriptures, and is presented in that relation 

 to it ; but it adds to it, and makes clear 

 many things previously left in obscurity. 

 Jesus said (John xvi. 12): "I have yet 

 many things to say unto you, but ye can 

 not bear them now." Science is constantly 

 giving birth to new theories, as you your- 

 self very well know. What, for example, 

 is the science of chemistry now, compared 

 to what it was when you first called at my 

 school with your chart of its nomenclature ? 

 Why, then, should you quarrel with revela- 

 tion if God chooses to expand it, and give 

 us a little more spiritual light? Is your 

 soul (excuse me, your mind) so bathed with 

 heavenly radiance that you are afraid any 

 addition to it will blind you? 



Still, there is one part of your article 

 on savagery that gives me real pleasure. 

 You appear to be anxious for the integrity 

 of " spiritual revelation." It does really ap- 

 pear as if you could look beyond the uni- 

 verse of matter to the far greater super- 

 sensuous world of God's creation. I con- 

 gratulate you and the world upon this heav- 

 enly change. Who knows but the millen- 

 nium may be at hand, when the lion will lie 

 down with the lamb (outside of him), and 

 the editor of " The Popular Science Monthly" 

 will be able to read " Spiritual Communica- 

 tions " without losing his philosophic tem- 

 per, and without becoming lost to all sense 

 of scientific and literary decency ? 



I commend to you, in conclusion, the 

 words of Mr. Parke Godwin, which you are, 

 doubtless, able to recall : " Let us b.e assured 

 that some truth has come a good while ago, 

 that it is coming still, in many ways, and 

 will come in broader and rosier flashes in 

 the future, though not to him who, ostrich- 

 like, buries his head in the sand, or muffles 

 his eyes against any of its illuminations." 



I have the honor to subscribe myself, 

 Very sincerely your friend, 



Henry Kiddle. 



New York, June 5, 1879. 



