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or uninteresting for him to master, no subject so apparently unimportant and unworthy his attention but
he would easily acquire an intelligent conception of its details. And this applies equally to the whole range
of more or less trivial matters which make up the sum total of nineteenth-century every-day life, as well
as to those deeper and more serious subjects which, being akin to his own especial one, naturally
engrossed most of his attention. From the time that he first began to realise of what vast importance it
was to establish the possibility of communion with the world of the future, to the end of his life, his zeal in
proving the truth of his teachings never failed. In spite of the demands made upon his time by school and
press work, he contrived to bestow an immense amount of energy upon his Spiritualistic researches; his
enormous correspondence with thousands of inquiries all over the world affording quite sufficient
material to occupy the life of any ordinary man. But in this as in everything else he was conscientious to
the last degree, and never considered time wasted that was expended in answering the queries and
solving, to the best of his ability, the doubts of earnest seekers after truth. A certain proportion of his
time was devoted to visiting many of the most important people in the country important both socially
and politically and also those who were distinguished for their eminence in the scientific, literary, and
artistic world. During the lifetime of such people their names cannot be divulged, but it is not too much to
say that Stainton Moses had interviews, more or less frequently, with most of the illustrious personages
of his day; and all who took any interest in the phenomena of Spiritualism, whatever their position or
attainments, were alike anxious to hear his opinions and experiences of that subject, on which none were
so well qualified to speak as himself.
Apart from Spiritualism, Stainton Moses possessed in his own character a rare combination of
remarkable qualities, not often met with in the same individual. He had the keenest sense of justice and
equity, his judgment was invariably sound and discreet, and in addition to all this, no man ever possessed
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Biography of W. STAINTON MOSES
a kinder heart or livelier sympathies, or was more ready to assist with counsel or advice those who came
to him for either. Notwithstanding his varied spiritual experiences, unique in themselves, he was never
puffed up by them in the smallest degree, and though impatient of mere frivolous or ignorant opposition,
he would never refuse to join issue in friendly argument with any opponent however much beneath his
attention. In these various encounters, Stainton Moses s clear understanding and extremely logical habits
of mind enabled him to score heavily and with decisive effect off those antagonists who sometimes had
the temerity to attack him with very little reason and still less knowledge. His crushing rejoinder to Dr
Carpenter, who some eighteen or twenty years ago lectured at the London Institution on the  Fallacies
of Modern Spiritualism, will probably be still remembered by a good many people as a striking instance
of logical reasoning and effective sarcasm, which, significantly enough, was never answered. Considering
the then unpopular nature of the subject which he had unmistakably made his own, and of the
conclusions which he deduced from a close and systematic study of the same, it is a matter to be
wondered at that he was not more often attacked by narrow-minded religious bigots, pseudo-scientists,
and superficial penny-a-liners. But however this may be, the fact remains that with a few insignificant
exceptions he was not so attacked; when he was, his power of showing up the weakness of his
opponent s case and ignorance of the matters on which he presumed to dogmatise was only equalled by
the polite ridicule and quiet satire which he was always ready to bring to bear upon the author of any
unprovoked piece of aggressive meddling.
It was a noteworthy feature about Stainton Moses, that in spite of his being compulsorily drawn in many
ways into a conspicuously public position, no man ever hated publicity more than he did. Retiring and
modest by nature, he detested the making of speeches, delivering of addresses, presiding over meetings,
and other similar functions for which the singularity of his own powers and the extent of his knowledge
naturally marked him out as being eminently fitted. Though richly endowed with gifts sufficient to stamp
him in any age as a leader of men, his own inclinations would, had he been untrammelled by force of
circumstances, have led him to prefer a life of studious ease and unostentatious retirement. But this was
not to be; so he trod his allotted path with zeal, courage, and discretion; did his duty with an utter
abnegation of self; and died at his post in the prime of manhood, carrying with him to the grave the
affectionate regard and esteem of hundreds who will cherish the memory of his friendship as one of their
most precious legacies.
It is quite impossible within the limits of a short biography like the present to do more than present a brief
sketch of the character of Stainton Moses; but I should like to once more insist upon the entirely
admirable ingredients of which that character was composed, and I might fill volumes in dilating upon his [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]