WCP3436

Letter (WCP3436.2923)

[1]

Meredith, Gloucester

27th October, 1875.

Dear Mr Wallace

It is now several years since I last had the pleasure of seeing you, but you may perhaps remember my visiting you more than once at Barking with Mr Hope1 of Parsloes and Mr Robert C. Graham, when I was [2] in Parliament. I venture to send you a short pamphlet written by my brother2, a member of the Indian Civil Service, hoping that you may have time to read it and perhaps to tell me in a very few words what you think of it. To me, it appears to be very logical & convincing. [3] I have just been reading with great interest your last publication on Spiritualism. I have seen something of the subject at various times, and although I am unable to accept the Spiritualistic explanation of the phenomena, I cannot doubt the genuineness of the phenomena themselves, nor the good faith of many of those, through whom they appear to be produced. [4] I believe that no thinking man, who takes any [illeg.] to enquire into these phenomena, will come to the conclusion that they are all the result of fraud, or hallucination; at least I have never met any such person.Those who take such a view of a Spiritualism are people who have never taken the trouble to enquire.

Believe me | yours very faithfully, | David Wedderburn3 [signature]

Hope, William (1834-1909). Scottish Colonel and ARW's neighbour at Holly House, Barking.
Wedderburn, William (1838-1918). British civil servant in India and politician.
Wedderburn, David (1835-1882). British politician. 3rd Baronet.

Please cite as “WCP3436,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3436