PROFESSOR HUGO.

Manawatu Times, Volume X, Issue 1292, 11 September 1884, Page 2

PROFESSOR HUGO.

: To the Editor. -j Sib, — In your Monday's issue, I nbtice an ! extract from the Woodville Examiner, which will tend to mislead the- public: — "Professor ] Hugo said he had challenged a trancci medium iv Palmerston to a debate, J and he had refused. He (tbe Professor) thought tbat -would he a j good test of genuinen_iss. When he saw such' an attempt to avoid fair discussion, he .was justified m drawing this conclusi n. That these ir.eu knew it was a fraud, and were afraid to test it m the light of en quiry,' ancC Were' ' wilfiilly and delij 'berately deceiving the people." • ' | Such an asierlion as tho above, iq f_ls» iv the extreme, but emanating Irom the source it does, renders ie entirely valuele.-s. It would take up too much time and space to go fully into this matter, for if: the correspondence connected, with-, the matter were laid before your reader*., they would not fail to see that fraud 'arid deception were closely knit np m the writer, and not m the medium. When the question of debate was ; first mooted, I arranged with Mr Dinsdale to accompany Mr tv atson to- Wpodvilje, on a, ■ certain, / evening and debate the subject. This 'aiS rangment di* 1 not suit our worthy jirofPSßbr^and a^thoughy-ye our part of the engagement, he did not turnup, but set up the. excise 'that he' would hot' be' pr£p_.red' ' on that date, preferring to hold the de— ; bate m Paltridi'stbh jfor/ two nights, '■ where we might expect large houses and divide the takings. A few uncomplimentary remarks with reference, to. the Pulpit; atrijd expressing a feeling of indifference as to bow the debate resulted, it be r ing quite a matter of _8; s. d. with the Professor. Fropa the whole of the (jorrespon** dence, I "rightly " set the man down as an adventurer, and declined to have any further truck with 1 him, and advised the medium m questiou tion to do likewise: - Th'e' subject to be debated, was far away beyond the Professor's ability orcotnprehon. sion, and m no respect do I consider him capable even to form an opinion on so important a subject : verily a foeman unworthy of our steel. I claim a privilege,, .as this matter has been brought before the public, vi?., .the inSßjrtiori of the following ebctralcfr _rotn_the/< Whod villa corresa pondent to the N-Z. Times showing the high estimate formed of the Professor in' that locality. Professor Hugo, of all men, ha*" not only delivered a l'.-c"ur. intendei as a "crusher against the ' spiritualistic movement so common here,' but has managed to get on a debate with Mr J, Dinsdale on the subject he (the Professor) arguing the falsity of the, phenomena. On*, prominent featur. m these leoturi.s and debates is that of being held on Sunday evenings, and charges of a shilli'ig entrance made to the audience. It has an appearance of fa money mak'n^ desire under cover of proving to the public' mind their erro;- of prosecuting su h 'false' /investigations.," His aiguments, 'however, or his l'-crares has not borce sufficient weight or proof to be ac?eptod even* by tlie most "utterly" sceptical portion of the I community, aud ther fore ..little, hann;he, has rtqne the cau-e. In fact, I believe people' are •■'becoming more e-rnest and interestei daily m their i re-stigations, despite su -h ,_ounte iofl-i nc-e , which, after all, jareiscarcel) ■ worthy of-^meniion. At the debate, Professor Hugo proclaimed tlie hitherto unexplained supernatural power and intelligence to be a thin gi or matter (I am not clear -which], ealle fl " spiriticism." The word is to me an <-n.i''ely.new one, pe.hsps, moulded ..for .the occasion, as' ; " jawbreakers'- in the Pro pessor's estimation appears tb be one way of "fetching his audience. Mr Hugo cHnn'ot'explairi what "-spiriticisni"'is nor of what it U coir posed, all' be knows is that it is '" sfj-ritieism," ff such 'giit it the disclaimer of a great and wondrous truth ctmu>osed;< k Psychological .Society is now talked of, and I hope it may devel>p info an accomplish d institution. I an glad to say that, ir his debate, he found too formidable ah o'ppbnehtMi. Mr Dinsdale who was loudly and' frequ nly applauded l by tb.q.aa^|:nce, mo tof jwhQin are, to a more or less extent, investigators of, or full believi. m,. the truth — Spiritualism. Can ye'u explain tan na nr- 1 . or origin o " Spiriticism ?', If jo, yo-s would confer & favor on many of us up-country ''smsage nnd potato crushing mat-Junes," as Mr Hugo ;.waS ..pleased- to trm the mass s. j He afc least'tried- m those word, lo raise a laugh against a eh infinitely of mors importance than himself, and who' work hird to pain an honest living l>y the swt-at of their^-brows. . That is a ." crush ing. for the wonderful '* prcfessor" he cannot gainsay, with all his Taunted eflucatiofaal •ibi'ities, He ha 9 raised 'he ire of the Woodville per pie against him, and had his sojourn '7' be-'n-- extended, he may' hay. learned that owr citizens are entitled, to, and would demand, the same measure' of respect from Professor Hugo as from any mortal. ' '' ,-■•' I am, <fee, T. E. Walton.