A journalist, Middleton approaches the discussion of the séance with an open mind. He organised the evening’s events in an attempt to put spiritualism to the test, and to see for himself the actions of ‘Lizzy’ Lightman. He can be critical of blind faith both in spiritualism and in science, can see the potential similarities between the two, and is an advocate of first-hand observation, and of transparency and reportage to a wider public.
Middleton knows just how popular spiritualism has become with the public: hundreds of letters have been sent to the paper and plenty of articles are appearing about table turning. He thinks that it has become a bit of a craze and the public are probably just seeking entertainment – it is a very silly fashion. But by enthusiastically attending séances and allowing themselves to be entertained in this way there are:
1) Making fools of themselves and showing themselves to be less rational and more ignorant than they should be. It is a very said indictment upon the British education system that people would be such fools. Does not do the standing of Britain as a nation any good whatsoever. Britain has an empire and has to maintain authority over millions of people – this authority is predicated on the superior nature of British civilisation.
2) Lining the pockets of fraudsters.
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