The Silence of Dr. Lang * Psychic Press Ltd. ONE SHILLING THE SILENCE OF DR. LANG PSYCHIC PRESS LIMITED 144 HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON W.C.r BOOK PRODUCTION WAR ECONOMY .. STANDARD TlilS BOOK IS PRODUCED IN COMPLETE CONFORMITY WITH THE AUTHORISED ECONOMY STANDARDS First Impression March 1942 Second Impression December 1943 MADE AND P RINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY EBENEZER BAYLIS AND SON, LTD., THE TRINITY PRESS, WORCESTER, AND LONDON THE SILENCE OF DR. LANG VER four years ago, the Primate of All England, O The Most Rev. Cosmo Gordon Lang, appointed a committee to investigate Spiritualism. After two years of patient and systematic inquiry, the committee made its report. It was sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was circulated among the diocesan bishops. And there, in the archiepiscopal .and episcopal archives, it rests. For over two years, Spiritualists, responsible Churchmen, and public opinion, as reB.ected in the clamour of the Press, have demanded that the report be made public. But Orthodoxy remains obdurate. The report is favourable to Spiritualism. THE SILENCE OF DR. LANG HE committee was appointed in 1937 after the Rev. G. Maurice T Elliott, the well-known Spiritualist, and Dr. Francis Underhill, then Dean of Rochester, had interviewed Dr. Temple, then Archbishop of York, now Archbishop of Canterbury, and pleaded that the time was ripe for the Church of England to investigate Spiritualism. Dr. Temple, despite his statement, three years earlier, that "It is positively undesirable that there should be experimental proof of man's survival after death," was broad-minded enough to agree. Dr. Lang thereupon nominated his committee. After it had been sitting for about a year, its chairman, Dr. Underhill, then Bishop of Bath and Wells, stated in an interview that it comprised "a number of men and women amply qualified to hear and weigh evidence," whose "sole aim is to arrive at the truth." Yet, when they arrived at the truth, a veil of silence descended on the committee's labours. Spiritualists, Churchmen and the Press reached the only possible conclusion-that the ban placed upon publication was in reality a resounding victory for Spiritualism. Two years after the committee began its deliberations, the Editor of Psychic News addressed this letter to Dr. Underhill: "I write to you because you were the chairman of the committee set up to inquire into Spiritualism. I understand that the report was completed some months ago. "It is now being freely stated that the reason for the report not being published is due to the fact that it presents Spiritualism in a favourable light. The suggestion is also being made that the report is deliberately suppressed for this reason. "As this is a matter of great interest to Spiritualists, I ask you to be good enough to confirm or deny the allegations being freely made." Dr. Underhill replied: "The report of the Archbishop's Committee on Spiritualism, of which I was chairman, was presented to the archbishops and diocesan bishops of England some months ago. The report itself disclosed much difference of opinion, and it was consequently felt that there was need of further careful investigation into the subject. On that account it was decided that the report should not be made public." Simultaneously with the request made by the Editor of Psychic News, three leading Spiritualists, Mrs. M. A. St. Clair Stobart, G. H. Lethem, and Ernest H. Hunt, wrote to Dr. Lang in these terms: "In the interests of truth, we ask whether the report is to be made public, and whether it may soon be looked for. 6 THE SILENCE OF DR. LANG "We are sincerely concerned that the nature and value of the facts for which Spiritualism stands should be made known. For we cannot believe that those facts will c;lo other than form an impregnable base on which, even as in the earliest days of the Church, a living Christianity may ground itself, and to-day immensely widen its appeal. "The world suffers in such dire straits that we consider that anything which truly helps the mind of men to take courage and comfort in the spiritual verities should be made patent and available to all." Replied the Primate's Chaplain: "It is not proposed at present (our italics) to publish the report. When it came up for review it was felt that further investigation was required, and that premature publication would be liable to give rise to misunder­ standing." Prominent personalities in the Spiritualist movement continued in no uncertain strain to state their views on the withholding of such an historic document. "I am confident that the report would have appeared if it had been adverse," said Frank Hawken, secretary of the Marylebone Spiritualist Association, voicing the opinion of many Spiritualists . Maybe it did not appear because its contents provided Dr. Lang with no valid reason, to quote his own words in a letter written after he received his committee's report, why "spiritualism and spiritualistic services are not countenanced or encouraged in the Church of England." That was the official reply made to Martin Liljeblad, a Swedish pastor, who had inquired the position of Spiritualism in England. Said a leading Churchman to Arthur Findlay, author of many widely­ circulating books on Spiritualism: "Spiritualism has won a great victory." The fact, he added, that the bishops had turned down the findings of their own committee meant that the committee decided in favour of Spiritualism, and the bishops were afraid to make the findings known. "The Nazis suppress any news which is not favourable to their creed," said Findlay. "So do the Anglican bishops. That is why they will not publish the findings of their own committee on Spiritualism. "It was stupid of them. ever to set up a committee, but dictators always do stupid things. Doubtless they thought that the report would be adverse, and that they would kill, once and for all, this ever-recurring menace to their creeds and doctrines." Nor was the Press slow to comment on the suppression of the report. Said the Daily Sketch, to cite one instance, after quoting from Psychic News: "Hundreds of clergymen, waiting for a lead, are disappointed by the decision. Spiritualists are jubilant. They believe that suppression of the report is clear evidence that the war against Spiritualism has crumbled in the face of facts. They will press for immediate publication of the ·report." Soon there followed the first newspaper announcement to contain any THE SILENCE OF DR. LANG 7 details of the report and its cir­ culation among the bishops, to­ "RECANTERBURY"? gether with the names of the committee and its terms of refer­ "JP the committee comes 'out ence. Psychic News, indeed, on the side of Spiritualism, added an epoch-making chapter I suppose the Primate will then to psychic history when it an­ be called the Archbishop of nounced in February 1940: Recanterbury"- Maurice Barbanell "The Church of England, by in Psychic News, April 17, nine votes to three, has decided 1937· that Spiritualism is true. The nine were all the influential members of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Committee on Spiritualism. The three, unimportant and unknown, merely 'reserved their opinions.' "Our authority for this statement is someone who has seen the com­ mittee's secret report. The statement is confirmed by a member of the committee itself. Both are famous. Both bear unblemished reputations. "Yet, for over a year, these historic findings have been hidden from the world, smothered by Orthodoxy! "They were arrived at after over two years of patient and systematic inquiry, after sitting with mediums, hearing witnesses and examining the evidence. "Then the report was printed. It was circulated to every diocesan bishop of the Church of England. "Yet it was kept back from the world. "We challenge the Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England, to dispute these facts. He can only reply by publishing the report, in full." Psychic News subsequently corrected its fust-published figures, to read "seven votes to three," upon being informed that one member of the committee had resigned and that only eleven had inquired. The signatories to the majority report which we are asked to believe disclosed so "much difference of opinion" are: Dr. Francis Underhill, The Bishop of Bath and Wells. Canon H. Anson, Master of the Temple. Dr. W . R. Matthews, Dean of St. Paul's. Canon L. W . Grensted, Examining Chaplain to the Archbishop of York. Dr. William Brown, the celebrated psychologist. P. E. Sandlands, K.C. Lady (Gwendolen) Stephenson. The three signatories to the minority report included the Bishop of Bath and Wells's secretary and the Bishop of Derby's wife. The committee's terms of reference were "to investigate the subject of communications with discarnate spirits and the claims of Spiritualism in relation to the Christian faith." Its members did not confine themselves to the examination of the evidence 8 THE SILENCE OF DR. LANG presented by Spiritualists. They considered the views of witnesses who were unfavourable to Spiritualism, and incorporated their statements in the report. They went in a body to seances. They asked questions of mediums and the spirit intelligences who manifested through them. Some obtained surprising results. Ernest W. Oaten, Editor of the Two Worlds, and a Spiritualist for forty years, addressed the committee. With great fearlessness and courage Oaten told the Church representatives a few home truths. His address was followed by an hour of questions and answers. Some of Oaten's most cogent points are reproduced as an appendix to this booklet. II The committee's findings are printed in two sections. The bulk is taken up by the majority report, signed by the seven most influential members.