These men were not credulous fools. They saw and
deplored the existence of frauds. Crookes' letters upon the
subject are still extant. In very many cases it was the
Spiritualists themselves who exposed the frauds. They
laughed, as the public laughed, at the sham Shakespeares and
vulgar Caesars who figured in certain seance rooms. They
deprecated also the low moral tone which would turn such powers
to prophecies about the issue of a race or the success of a
speculation. But they had that broader vision and sense of
proportion which assured them that behind all these follies and
frauds there lay a mass of solid evidence which could not be
shaken, though like all evidence, it had to be examined before it
could be appreciated. They were not such simpletons as to be
driven away from a great truth because there are some dishonest
camp followers who hang upon its skirts.
A great centre of proof and of inspiration lay during those
early days in Mr. D. D. Home, a Scottish-American, who possessed
powers which make him one of the most remarkable personalities of
whom we have any record. Home's life, written by his second
wife, is a book which deserves very careful reading. This man,
who in some aspects was more than a man, was before the public
for nearly thirty years. During that time he never received
payment for his services, and was always ready, to put
himself at the disposal of any bona-fide and reasonable
enquirer.
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