1872.] 75") 
NOTICES, OF *BOO KS, 
Report on Spiritualism by the Committee of the London Dialectical 
Society ; together with the Evidence, Oral and Written, and 
a Selection from the Correspondence. London: Longmans 
and Co. 
Tue London Dialectical Society is an association professing 
perfect liberty of thought and speech. It was designed for the 
free discussion of every topic—social, political, and religious— 
and the hearing of all opinions and theories, however strange or 
heterodox, subjecting all equally to the ordeal of open debate, 
in confidence that the conflict of minds will promote the advance- 
ment of the truth, whatever that may be. 
A creed so novel and strange as that of Spiritualism could not 
expect to escape the ordeal of examination by such a society. 
But too little was known of it to provide material for debate, and 
therefore a committee was appointed to inquire into the subject 
and to report upon it to the Society. The members of that 
committee were fairly selected, comprising a few votaries of the 
faith to be investigated, but an immense majority of positive 
unbelievers, and of those who knew nothing at all about it. But 
it comprised a great variety of minds and callings—men of 
science, literary men, lawyers, men of business—the whole being 
a jury of more than average qualifications to pronounce a fair 
verdict. 
The committee resolved to divide their labours into two parts: 
the first business was to receive evidence of the experience of wit- 
nesses; the second duty was to examine and test the phenomena 
personally by the aid of their own senses and intelligence. 
The General Committee took upon itself the work of examining 
the witnesses who might tender themselves for or against the 
new faith, and no difficulty was found in procuring them. Careful 
notes were taken of the examinations and cross-examinations, 
and the business was strictly limited to this. In addition, a 
great number of letters on both sides of the question from persons 
of distinction, scientific and social, were received, and these, 
with the reports of the viva voce examinations, occupy the greater 
portion of the volume. 
We must say that in our judgment it was a mistake to have 
printed anything more than narratives of facts: the committee 
were appointed to inquire into phenomena, not to investigate 
causes. Aconsiderable part of the Appendix is occupied with mere 
opinions, many of them ingenious, but some ridiculous and wild, 
which can interest nobody and are utterly worthless. In any 
future edition these should be omitted. 
VOL. II. (N.S.) L 
