Mendeleev against magicians

Despite the development of science, the popularity of spiritualism in Russia at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries does not fall. Even the great chemist Dmitry Mendeleev, who actually declared a war, did not help. Even at the beginning of the new century, which did not foresee anything good, many preferred not to turn to reality, but to the world of spirits, where, however, they also actively monitored the political agenda: for example, the spirits of the dead in the Moscow riots of 1905 loved to break furniture and smear the faces of participants in spiritualistic sessions of all sorts of muck. Samizdat “Batenka, you are a transformer” along with the project “1917. Free history ” plunged into the diaries and archives of those years to find out what the perfumes had done before the revolution.

In the 1870s, Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev was one of the leaders of Russian science. He has already substantiated the periodic law and defended his doctoral dissertation “On the connection of alcohol to water”. Mendeleev was a longtime enemy of Spiritov.

On May 5, 1875, at a meeting of a physical society, a member and organizer of which he was, Mendeleev said: “It seems that the time has come to pay attention to the distribution of classes called spiritualist or mediamic phenomena, both in family circles and among some scientists. Spiritism threatens the spread of mysticism, which can tear many from a sound look at the subjects of science and strengthen superstition. ” To study spiritualism, Mendeleev created a commission into which, in addition to him and professor of physics, Fedor Fomich Petrushevsky, novice scientists and laboratory assistants were included.

Aksakov and Wagner agreed to “provide” mediums to study the commission. At first they were invited by the Petty brothers, then, after their failure, Madame Claire. Mendeleev did not even participate in the first sessions so as not to initiate accusations of addiction. And when he was present, he behaved quite brazenly - once he lit a match in the dark room where the session was held to follow the movements of the medium. The session, of course, failed, and attacked Mendeleev with claims: what if someone lit a match in his laboratory during experience? The reproach is fair, however, the truth of their talents by the Spirita of the commission did not prove the truth of their talents. Aksakov and the company insisted that they did not allow mediums to concentrate and the very doubt in their abilities created uncomfortable conditions. Mendeleev claimed that the evidence -based methods of the spirituals are unscientific. The commission broke up without working, but left its conclusion: “Spiritan phenomena come from unconscious movements or from conscious deception, and the Spirit teaching is superstition”, on March 25, 1876, published in the newspaper “Voice”.

Soon, after the publication of the conclusion, Mendeleev gave public lectures that expanding spiritualism. Lecture advertising was placed in all the largest newspapers; The price of tickets started at 50 kopecks. At the lectures, Mendeleev read the minutes of the meetings of the commission, and then published them in "Materials for judgment on spiritualism." In the lectures and works, Mendeleev used the same technique - he contrasted the anti -scientific postulates of spiritualism by the rational laws of meteorology.

Surprisingly, Mendeleev could see in the spirituals ... competitors. As Michael Gordin explains, “a lot of spiritual texts spoke about the luminiferous broadcast as a space in which the perfumes live, so that the sessions were believed to help scientists investigate the interaction of broadcast and matter. From the point of view of Mendeleev, who at that moment was seriously involved (financially and personally) in experiments on the study of ether as a form of matter, such statements threatened to discredit the entire study program. His attack on Spiritov used the rhetoric of protecting the scientific methods and forms of discussion in part, in order to prevent amateurs like Aksakov, to intervene in studies that were already in critical condition. His references to meteorology were only an open expression of concern about the problem of the ether. Evidence of this is easy to find in the Mendeleev library. He classified books on spiritualism (twenty-five works) along with books on chemical and physical cosmogony (ninety-seven works) and light and interplanetary ether (fifteen works). ”

The Russian public as a whole welcomed the work of Mendeleev’s commission. However, of course, there were quite a few citizens who accused the scientists of not allowing mediums to work normally. There were demands to resume the work of the commission. The goal of Mendeleev was not achieved - he not only did not “rebel” Butlerov, Wagner and Aksakov, but it seems that he only advertised their activities.

"Otherwise, the top will take telepaths ..."

From 1881 to Sundays in St. Petersburg, the entertainment sheet “Rebus” began to appear, where Sharades, comic feuilletons, cheerful rhymes, intricate puzzles were placed. However, spiritualistic novels, articles about spiritualism, were advertised by spiritualistic literature, for example, Robert Owen’s book “A controversial area between the two worlds: observations and research in the field of mediumic phenomena. With drawings. " The articles of Alexander Butlerov, Nikolai Wagner, Alexander Aksakov were also printed here. Over the years, the magazine turned from an entertainment leaf into a “serious” spiritualistic publication.

The tragic events of the beginning of the 20th century spurred interest in spiritualism: the shameful Russian-Japanese war and the 1905 revolution. It became clear that the usual world is changing, its foundations were shaken, which, of course, stirred mystical moods among the masses. “Rebus” did not stand aside: on October 20-27, 1906, the magazine organized the Congress of the “Society of Russian Spiritov”, in which more than four hundred people participated. Subsequently, the magazine will publish the works of the All -Russian Congress of spiritualists - over three hundred and fifty pages with drawings and drawings. From the content: “immortality according to the traditions of Asian Rosicrucians”, “radiation of the human body and their use to the treatment of diseases”, “hypnotic outpatient clinic in the city of Barnaul”, “On mental (transcendental) photography (with drawings)”.

According to Michael Gordin, by the beginning of the 20th century only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, there were allegedly more than a thousand six hundred Spirit circles. The movement went beyond the borders of the capitals and became an all -Russian phenomenon. On the eve of the First World War, more than thirty -five occult groups were officially registered in St. Petersburg.

In 1915, the magazine "Rebus" already proudly wears the subtitle "Popular and Scientific Journal of Spiritualism, Psychism and Mediumism." Funny rebels, touching rhymes disappeared. Now the whole leaflet is in two columns of the harmonious text that is full of expressions like: “sensual image of the world”, “our posthumous existence”, “death cannot lead complete metaphysical enlightenment”, “pine forests, more often a different atmospheres can give rise to unhealthy illusions, works of elementary life, delicious phenomena” ...

The magazine regularly publishes reports from the meetings of the Russian Spiritualist Society. The meeting, held on October 19, 1915, “was devoted exclusively to the exchange of opinions about the manifestation of persons killed in the war. Many facts of such manifestations have been reported recently. The conversation was conducted almost exclusively about excess phenomena in connection with the war. ” At the meeting on October 26, Madame A. I. B. read some “messages from the other world” related to the time we have experienced. On November 2, Ms. Filippovich made a message about phenomena on spiritualistic sessions in Nikolaev, and Mr. Vesla read a report on telepathy in a dream, where the recently died agent (that is, inspiring) was.

On the last pages of the magazine - stories like “otherworldly in life. The stories of the old Miller - the peasant of the village of Apples Semyon Savelich Smallo. ” Ads: “Alfred Wu-Peters (the famous medium, psychometrist and clairvoyant) came to Moscow for a short time and stopped at the editorial office of the journal“ Rebus ”. Moscow, Arbat, Tolstoy’s house, apartment No. 2. You can sign up for its sessions every day from eleven to three in the afternoon. ” Cases that occurred at the spiritualistic sessions of famous mediums, for example, Yana Guzik: are described:

“Under Yana Guzik, sometimes a very violent spirit of a certain Egorov, who was, as far as can be judged by blows to the table, during life on the ground by a carpenter and killed in 1905 during Moscow riots. They told me a lot about the rampage of this spirit: breaks furniture, painfully beats session, smears their face with some kind of muck; According to one of the victims, at one of the sessions with a Guuzik, he, along with a chair, was thrown into the middle of the room.

... Despite the most polite by our part, bypass, at our sessions, he will indistently rage: it will take a hat from the table and begins to beat everyone in the face, then he will throw everything from the table to the floor, then he will pull out the chair from someone so that he will fall ... "

The struggle of Mendeleev and his colleagues against the Spirites failed. In 1904, a seventy -year -old scientist published his last article on spiritualism, where he once again emphasized the correctness of the conclusions of the 1876 commission. Alas, Russian society no longer wanted to be disappointed in mysticism. The fascination with spiritualism also returned to the imperial palaces. You can just finish the material with excerpts from the memories of this hobby for Nicholas II and his family. So, what did the king and the queen do while the revolutions and wars went?

November 21, 1916

The occupation of secret sciences has always been in honor of the Russians; Since the time of Vedennorg and Baroness Kryudener, all the spirituals and illuminates, all magnetizers and fortunetellers, all the priests of esotericism and miracle workers met a warm welcome on the banks of the Neva.

In 1902, the resurrect of French hermetism Mage Papus, whose real name was Dr. Ankoss, came to Petrograd, where he soon found zealous fans. In subsequent years, he was seen here repeatedly during the stay of his great friend of the healer Philip from Lyon; The Emperor and Empress honored him with their full confidence. In early October 1905, Papus was called to St. Petersburg. The defeats in Manchuria caused revolutionary unrest, bloody strikes, robberies, murders, and fires everywhere in the empire. On the very day when Papus arrived in St. Petersburg, Moscow was terrorized by an uprising, and some mysterious organization declared a universal railway strike. The magician was immediately invited to Tsarskoye Selo. After a brief conversation with the king and the queen, the next day he arranged a solemn ceremony of witchcraft and evoking the spirits of the deceased. The intensive concentration of his will, the amazing exaltation of his fluid dynamism, the spiritual teacher managed to cause the spirit of the pious Tsar Alexander III; Undoubted features testified to the presence of an invisible shadow. Despite the horror of his heart, Nicholas II asked his father a question whether he should or should not fight the liberal movements that threatened to captivate Russia. The spirit replied: “You must suppress the beginning revolution at all costs, but it will still be reborn and will be the stronger the more severe repression should be. Whatever happens, awake, my son. Do not stop the struggle.” The amazed king and the queen still puzzled over this ominous prediction, when Papus stated that his logical power gave him the opportunity to prevent a predicted catastrophe, but that his spell will stop, only he himself would disappear “from a physical plan”. Then he solemnly performed the ritual of the spell. And the magician Papus disappeared “from the physical plan”, and the action of his spell ceased.

Maurice Paleolog. "Tsarist Russia on the eve of the revolution"

“... Protopopov (the last Minister of the Interior of the Russian Empire - M. G.) tell that he had recently been engaged in spiritualism, caused Rasputin’s spirit and assured the empress, as if Rasputin’s spirit, Protopopova, was, as a result of which the empress believed it madly in him.”

Lev Tikhomirov. "Diary 1915–1917". March 13, 1917

“... I heard the story of a spiritualistic session held by Protopopov for the king yesterday. It was in Tsarskoye Selo. The king, queen, their two senior daughters, the minister and his right hand were collected around the table. Suddenly, Protopopov became stern, with frozen eyes, stressed with outstretched hands; A few minutes later he gathered his strength and said: “The spirit of St. Grigory Rasputin just came to me; he proposes to continue the policy of the absolute monarchy.” The king sat motionless, believing his every word. I heard this story with some changes, but it is considered as a true truth in many “well -aware circles”. ”

James hoteling. "A Diary of the Russian Revolution." February 19, 1917

“... as you know, Nicholas II was very fond of spiritualism. So, for example, when Stolypin was the Minister of Internal Affairs, spirituality sessions were arranged in the king daily. Once upon a call in Tsarskoye Selo, Stolypin found out that on the night before his arrival, the king in the circle of some close faces spent time until three in the morning behind a spiritual session. Stolypin did not like Nicholas II and enjoyed the same feeling of the king. At the lesson hour, Nicholas II received Stolypin, and the following conversation took place between them:

“I decided not to go to Kyiv celebrations,” Nikolai remarked.

“Yes, but this, Your Majesty, will be inconvenient, categorically inconvenient,” Stolypin emphasized with his characteristic sharpness.

“But what to do,” said Nikolai, “I have thorough reasons to refrain from this trip.”

Stolypin began to prove to the tsar that in security terms everything is safe, that exceptional measures were taken both in Petrograd and in Kyiv to protect His Majesty, but the king stood on his own.

Then Stolypin said:

- Then we need to cancel the celebrations, for I have nothing to do there. I understand that your solution has serious reasons, but you, Your Majesty, are tired, and I would prefer to listen to your decision another time.

Nikolai immediately guessed that Stolypin knew about the spiritual session, and he objected:

- I lay down late yesterday, had fun a little by spiritualism.

Stolypin returned to Petersburg in severe irritation and in the presence of people close to him told about this outrageous story.

At the spiritual sessions of the king, General Voeikov was often present. Once Witte expressed his negative attitude towards spiritism in general, but the king interrupted him indignantly, showing Professor Papus a former premiere.

- What are you, what are you, read! There are such revelations that if you follow them, you can manage the country without ministers even, ”he finished his sharp joke, smiling.

For a long time, Nikolai and Alexander Fedorovna were very oppressed by the heir to the heir, and when the last daughter of Anastasia Nikolaevna was born, a spiritual session took place in the king’s palace. The lights were repaid, Makarov (later the minister) guarded the curtains, from where the medium was supposed to appear, and the session began with no violated silence. The medium was a certain Volkov, who did not play any role at the court, but placed his crowned couple with his “inner strength”.

Suddenly, the curtains, whose Makarov was on duty, fell off with a noise, and fiery signs appeared in the half -enveloped gallery, with a combination of which the word “heir” turned out. It is difficult, of course, to say who organized this clever focus, but it is natural that without the participation of electrical engineering “heir” could not appear.

That evening, Nicholas II was happy, his courtesies had no boundaries, and he was so sentimentally configured that, turning to one of the maids of honor, he said:

“What a wonderful freckle in your arms ...”

Samuel Fried. "Exchange Vedomosti." March 8 (21) 1917