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Herculano Pires and the Works of
Andre Luiz
(Part 2) |
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The arising
of the
French
Spiritist
Union
A timely
digital
publication
was
published by
the
Classical
Spiritist
Authors
gathering
the speeches
and
decisions
recorded in
the Minutes
of the
meetings
held between
December 24,
1882 and
January 15,
1883,
related to
the founding
of the Union
Spirite
Française (French
Spiritist
Union).1
The
presentation
is by
Alexandre
Delanne,
Allan
Kardec's
great
friend, who
commented:
"The
principles
of our
philosophy
have been
gathered, as
you know,
into a body
of doctrine
by our
master, who
we miss so
much, Allan
Kardec: it
took his
genius and
the
cooperation
of the
invisible
world to
spread so
much and so
quickly, in
the masses,
our so fair,
comforting
and so great
ideas. His
departure
from Earth
was a very
delicate
loss for his
followers
and a great
loss in the
development
of our
Doctrine.
Since his
death, in
fact, we
have noticed
that
Spiritism
has slowed
down”. He
mentions as
a cause the
Franco-Prussian
war and the
dispersion
of the
Spiritists,
losing the
"unity in
study".1 Remarkable
speeches
were made by
Gabriel
Delanne and
by Leon
Denis, this
one with a
warm appeal
to union and
concord.
The Statute
of the
French
Spiritist
Union
defines in
its Article
1:
"The Union
has the
purpose of
gathering
the French
Spiritists,
the study of
all
Spiritist
phenomena,
and the
propagation
of the
philosophy
and morality
of Spiritism
by all means
authorized
by law and
especially
by the
publication
of a
bi-monthly
newspaper
entitled Le
Spiritism,
an organ of
the French
Spiritist
Union”. The
purpose of
the new
magazine is
to teach
"according
to the ideas
enunciated
by Allan
Kardec,
i.e., in a
simple,
clear, and
especially
within the
reach of the
new
followers,
who only
want to know
the customs
in the world
of the
Spirits, the
great
homeland to
which we
will
return”.1
Thirteen
years after
the
disincarnating
of the
Encoder, the
publication
on the
French
Spiritist
Union
registers
historical
moments
about an
environment
of
dissension
and concerns
with the
situation of
Spiritism.
The founding
of this
Union was a
reaction to
the
misrepresentations
influenced
by Leymarie
regarding
the
Anonymous
Society for
the
Continuation
of Spiritist
Works by
Allan Kardec
and the Spiritist
Magazine.
Of the list
of 18
founders we
highlight:
Alexandre
Delanne,
Gabriel
Delanne,
Leon Denis,
and Berthe
Froppo.
There are
large
numbers of
signatures
as members
of the Union
and
subscribers
to the new
magazine.
The support
of Amelie
Boudet,
already in
the last
moments of
his physical
life, and
the
commitment
of the
founders of
the French
Spiritist
Union, show
that the
genuine
friends and
followers of
Allan Kardec
were
idealists
and faithful
to his work.
As a
synthesis of
the last and
complex
decades of
the
nineteenth
century,
articles of
the time,
were
collected -
from the Revue
Spirite and Le
Spiritisme -
in the
publication
entitled
"Influences
on Spiritism
after Allan
Kardec",
translated
by Rogerio
Miguez
(2018)7.
Of
particular
note were
texts by
Henri
Sausse,
Berthe
Fropo,
Amelie
Boudet,
Gabriel
Delanne,
Leon Denis,
and Anna
Blackwell,
who took the
lead in
defending
the Doctrine
of Spirits.
The
translator
highlights
"according
to the
reports of
Henri Sausse
and Berthe
Fropo, when
they
challenged
Pierre
Leymarie to
seek the
truth under
the seal of
a Jury of
Honor, it
seems that
it was not
accepted.
For whoever
is sure of
what he says
is not
afraid to be
subject to
man’s
justice to
clarify the
facts, if
need be,
because that
of God will
be done
inexorably,
but with
mildness and
mercy."2
The
translator
Miguez
ponders that
"we are by
no means
meant to
judge Pierre
Leymarie,
for this
judgment
belongs to
God,
nevertheless:
to inform
the movement
about
ancient
discussions
of interest
to all;
demonstrate
how there is
a consistent
doubt about
who made
changes in
theGenesis;
to build a
part of the
History of
the
Spiritism,
highlighting
old
personages
who remained
in the
obscurity
and had
great
importance
in the
development
and
spreading of
the
Doctrine;
and more, to
arouse the
curiosity of
the
Spiritists
in knowing
how many
difficulties
arose after
the
disembodiment
of Allan
Kardec, will
always be
opportune,
healthy and
recommended
to those
looking only
for the
truth and
nothing
else".2
In 1889
Paris hosts
the 2nd Spiritist
and
Spiritualist
Congress3,
the year
following
the
pioneering
event held
in
Barcelona.
The
publication
of the
Minutes of
the Congress
of Paris
register
that it
gathered
"the
principal
spiritualist
schools: the
Kardecists,
the
followers of
Swedenborg,
the
Theosophists,
the
Kabbalists
and the
Rosicrucians".
There were
many
celebrities
present. The
inaugural
session was
presided
over by J.
Lermina,
assisted by
the
philosopher
Charles
Fauvety, the
Duchess of
Pomar,
Marcus de
Veze and
Eugene Nus.
The
rapporteur
of the works
was Dr.
Encausse
(Papus), an
occultist,
leader of
the hermetic
magazine The
initiation.
There were
commissions
on
spiritualism
in general,
philosophy
and social
issues,
occultism,
propaganda.
The latter
was presided
over by Leon
Denis, who
soon aroused
the
attention of
the
congressmen
and his
first speech
was
interrupted
by applause
and he
already
revealed
himself as a
leader.3,
4
In this
Congress
there were
strong
disagreements
on certain
points of
the
Spiritist
Doctrine,
including
with
Leymarie
interferences.
During the
discussions
Denis
appeared as
the safest
defender of
the
Kardecist
thesis. The
president of
the Congress
had accepted
this thesis
with
restraint,
considering
it only a
hypothesis
of
transition
between the
Christian
concept and
the one of
the future.
Contrary to
the
president,
referring to
the small
dissident
schools
which had
criticized
Allan
Kardec's
work, Denis
said: "It
has been
strived, he
said, to
divulge in
France a
Spiritism
called
positivist,
a dry and
cold
doctrine
having
nothing in
common with
Kardecism.
[...] Allan
Kardec has
been, they
say, very
cautious and
gave reason
in his work
for the
mystical and
catholic
ideas. It is
not
accurate.
The Master
defended
Christianity
rather than
Catholicism.
Allan Kardec
kept the
gospel
morality
because it
is not only
the morality
of a
religion, of
a people, of
a race, but
because it
is a
superior,
eternal
morality
that it
rebuilt and
will rebuild
both earthly
societies
and
societies of
space”.4
The Revue
Spirite reports
the
launching
of the Genesis in
2018,
according to
the first
edition of
1868, and
comments:
"On this
occasion,
several
Spiritist
researchers
from all
over the
world
(Uruguay,
Argentina,
Colombia,
Brazil,
United
States and
France)
worked on
the subject,
sometimes
independently
of each
other, and
all of them
have
established
that there
is a
legitimate
doubt about
the present
edition of
the Genesis,
which is in
conformity
with the 5th
edition
published in
1872, after
the
disembodiment
of Allan
Kardec"5 (free
translation
of the
author). And
it states:
"The Genesis,
elaborated
by Le
Mouvement
Spirite
Francophone,
elaborated
according to
the texts of
the first
four
editions,
published
during the
life of the
author";
i.e. the
editions
made by
Allan Kardec
in 1868.
This
Francophone
magazine
transcribes
a chapter of
the book of
Simoni
Privato
Goidanich's6 into
French. The Revue
Spirite is
a
continuation
of the Magazine founded
by Allan
Kardec in
1858, being
an official
organ of the
International
Spiritist
Council
edited by Le
Mouvement
Spirite
Francophone.
In the
"Editor's
Note" of the
new French
edition of
The Genesis,
it is
commented
that "the
analysis of
the changes
shows that
numerous
passages
were
suppressed
in the 5th
edition,
others were
altered..." 7
Some facts
referring to
the 20 years
after the
disembodiment
of Allan
Kardec
already
point to
complex
moments
lived by
Spiritism in
France and
its
repercussions
in several
countries,
and which
should
deserve some
reflection
in our days.
References:
1) Foundation
of the
French
Spiritist
Union.
Translated
by Ferreira
Filho,
Abilio.
Digital
Publisher
Classic
Spiritist
Authors,
2018: click
this link-1
2) Influences
on Spiritism
after Allan
Kardec -
Articles
from Revue
Spirite and Le
Spiritisme.
Translated
by Miguez
Rogerio,
Digital
Publisher
Classic
Spiritist
Authors,
2018: click
this link-2
3) Compte
rendu du
Congres
Spirite et
Spiritualiste
International.
Paris:
Librairie
Spirite.
1890. p.
454: click
this link-3
4) Luce,
Gaston.
Translated
by Maillet,
Miguel. Life
and work of
Leon Denis.
Sao Paulo:
Edicel.
1968. P.
240.
5) Nouvelle
edition de
la Genese
selon le
Spiritisme. Revue
Spirite.
161e année.
1st quarter
2018. pp.
36-42.
6)
Goidanich,
Simoni
Privato. The
legacy of
Allan Kardec.
1st ed.
Sao Paulo:
USE. 2018.
p. 446.
7) Kardec,
Allan. The Genesis,
miracles and
predictions
according to
Spiritism. 1st
Edition. Le
Mouvement
Spirite
Francophone. 2018.
P. 368.
Antonio
Cesar Perri
de Carvalho
was
president of
FEB
(Brazilian
Spiritist
Federation)
and member
of the
Executive
Committee of
the
International
Spiritist
Council.
Translation:
Eleni
Frangatos - eleni.moreira@uol.com.br