WCP2616

Letter (WCP2616.2506)

[1]

New Well Wynd

Linlithgow

27th. Oct[ober]. [18]96

Dear Sir,

I have just once more been glancing through my old copy (1881 edition) of your "Miracles and Modern Spiritualism".

In common, I daresay, with the great majority of Spiritualists on both sides of the Atlantic I should be glad to see that work circulated throughout the entire English-speaking world in tens, even hundreds, of thousands.

From the "Weekly Scotsman" of date 15th December 1894 I take the enclosed, which I then wrote to that paper. It has sometimes occurred to me that if the statement were, in judiciously selected newspapers, inserted as an advertisement, accompanied by further short statement as to price, publisher, "new edition", the good ultimately accruing to Spiritualism might be enormous. So many open and candid [2] minds — particularly of the rising generation — simply do not know of the existence of such a book.

But Mr. Redway1 is, I understand, a very experienced man. He would probably be the best judge.

In any case memories of what the book did for me fourteen or fifteen years ago lead me to subscribe myself your [illeg.] unchangeing [sic] and grateful friend.

John Hardie2 [signature]

P.S. In finishing I recal [sic] that a year ago you asked "Tien"3 through Light certain questions about the double. Had I known your address I should have ventured at that time to mention that you will find the best account of the rationale of the double in Maria M. King's4 "Principles of Nature" Vol III. I am glad to find that our ablest minds are gradually awaking to the vast importance of this writer's books. Well [3] did Emmette Coleman5 say to me in one of his letters dealing with mediumistic books generally (including those of A. J. Davis6), "but, in my opinion, Maria M. King's books tower far above all others".

A. R. Wallace Esq D.C.L. &c.

Godalming, Kent

Redway, George William (1859-1934). English publisher.
British Museum stamp underneath.
Tien Sien Tie. Chinese spirit guide of the trance speaker James Johnson Morse.
King, Maria M. American Spiritualist and medium.
Coleman, William Emmette (1843-1910). American spiritualist and author.
Davis, Andrew Jackson (1826-1910). American Spiritualist.

Please cite as “WCP2616,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 30 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2616