Observations placeholder
Stainton-Moses, William - Spirit Identity - SEVEN MONTH OLD INFANT COMMMUNICATES IN FRENCH
Identifier
015623
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Fascinating. I think Moses genuinely believes this and what he relates did come through him, but it is straightforward inter composer communication and it comes from Dr Speer. It does not prove anything other than the openness of Stainton Moses to having thoughts transplanted into his mind and the apparent deviousness of Dr Speer.
An infant of seven months is unable to communicate in words, even when living and as for communicating in French! It is a shame we don’t know who else was there as they too may have played their part – Mrs Speer for example.
This said it is a marvellous example of how a gullible person can be led to believe they are communicating with the dead and how thoughts can be transferred between two living people – it does prove inter composer communication between living souls, as long as we believe Moses.
Note the last sentence. Moses endorsed the spirit photography of Édouard Isidore Buguet, however, Buguet was later exposed as a fraud [which is to be expected].
A description of the experience
Spirit Identity – William Stainton Moses
I pass to a case in which a spirit, who first manifested her presence on September 4th 1872, has remained in permanent communication with us ever since. I note this case because we have the advantage of prolonged intercourse to aid us in forming an opinion as to identity and because the spirit has not only given unequivocal proof of her characteristic individuality, but has evidenced her presence in various ways. This is a remarkable case too as tending to prove that life, once given, is indestructible and that the spirit which has once animated a human body, however brief its tenure, lives on with unimpaired identity.
The spirit in question announced herself by raps, giving a message in French. She said she was a sister of Dr Speer’s and had passed away at Tours and infant of seven months old. I had never heard her mentioned and her brother had forgotten her existence, for she lived and died before his birth….
From the time of her first appearance she has remained attached to the family and her clear joyous little rap, perfectly individual in its nature, is a never failing evidence of her presence. It never varies and we all know it at once as surely as we should the tone of a friend’s voice.
She gave particulars of herself and also her four names in full. One was new to her brother and he verified it only by reference to another member of the family. Names and dates and facts were alike unknown to me. I was absolutely ignorant of the fact of the existence of any such person.
This little spirit has twice manifested her presence on the photographic plate. One of these cases was attested by direct writing.