Spiritualism is not an end in itself, but a means of advancing humanity both morally and materially. How much this advance is needed has never been more forcibly shown than at the present time. Plague and Famine, the most terrible famine of the century, raging almost unheeded in India; England engaged in crushing out two nationalities with fire and sword in South Africa; America doing the same in the Philippines; and all the great powers uniting in the plunder and massacre of the helpless Chinese--all this by the professed followers of the Prince of Peace, and under the lying pretence of civilisation and Christianity. Oh! the mockery! the pity of it!

     The first duty of Spiritualists is, not only to protest with voice and pen against these national crimes, but to render them impossible in the future by the regeneration of our social system, which, in its awful contrasts of luxury and starvation, of vicious idleness and the grinding toil of millions, is the real cause of them. We must claim for all that perfect equality of opportunity, which is the only safe foundation of a really civilised society.

     If you will continually keep this duty before you, asking yourselves how you can best further this great Cause, your spirit-guides will, I feel sure, impress you how you should act so that the New Century may witness the birth, and perhaps even the maturity of a truly moral and spiritual civilisation.

Your friend and well-wisher,

Alfred R. Wallace.