London Dialectical Society
A British professional association that in the late 1800s investigated the phenomena ofSpiritualism. Established in 1867, the London Dialectical Society was a highly regarded association of professional individuals. With the appearance and popularity of Spiritualism in England, the society resolved on January 26, 1869, "to investigate the phenomena alleged to be Spiritual Manifestations, and to report thereon." A committee was convened on which 33 members were appointed: H. G. Atkinson, G. Wheatley Bennett, J. S. Bergheim, Charles Bradlaugh (later a famous atheist leader), G. Fenton Cameron, George Cary, E. W. Cox, Rev. C. Maurice Davies, D. H. Dyte, Mrs. D. H. Dyte, James Edmunds, Mrs. James Edmunds, James Gannon, Grattan Geary, William B. Gower, Robert Hannah, Jenner Gale Hillier, Mrs. J. G. Hillier, Henry Jeffery, H. D. Jencken, Albert Kisch, J. H. Levy, Joseph Maurice, Isaac L. Meyers, B. M. Moss, Robert Quelch, Thomas Reed, G. Russel Roberts, W. H. Sweepstone, William Volckman,Alfred Russel Wallace (later a famous psychic researcher), Josiah Webber, and Horace S. Yeomans. Thomas H. Huxley and George Henry Lewes were both invited but refused, Huxley stating that even "supposing the phenomena to be genuine, they do not interest me."
De los participantes dice:
(...) of the 33 acting members of the committee, only 8 believed in the phenomena from the outset, while not more than 4 accepted the spiritual theory. During the inquiry, at least 12 of the complete skeptics became convinced of the reality of many of the physical phenomena through attending the experimental subcommittees, almost entirely by means of the mediumship of members of the committee. At least 3 of the previous skeptics later became thorough Spiritualists. The degree of conviction was approximately proportionate to the amount of time and care given the investigation.
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