Patent Religions

There are in the U. S. 32 patent religions definitely organized, according to the latest compilation (Hartmann's Who's Who). These support 123 publications and buy the several thousands of books put out by 813 authors.

Devotees of these esoteric cults are sincere in their beliefs, although many of their exploiters are out and out charlatans. For dabblers in spiritualism, regular supply houses advertise "zodiac rings," "Arabian Sheik rings," "talismanic jewelry, charms, pendants, brooches, rings, pins, bracelets," hardwood ouija boards, gazing crystals, "destiny charts," "astrological guides,"; "Grand Imperial Incense." "prayer incense, collapsible trumpets, aluminum trumpets, "luminous bands" and a host of other accessories.

Among the exploiters women seem to predominate in numbers over men, usually heading the organizations.

Doubtless Dr. Robert Norwood, rector of St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan, knew most of these facts when he spoke before the Episcopal Church Congress in Richmond, Va., last week. At any rate he berated well such devotees, taking some of his words out of their very mouths. Said he:

"Since the Great War we have had a tidal wave of occultism. Spiritualism-- with all its paraphernalia of ouija boards, trumpets, dark cabinets, materializations, automatic writings and spirit photographs--the laying on of hands, deep breathings, vegetarianism, fastings, formulae of monotonous sayings of the genre of Coue's, with its smug 'Every day in every way I am getting better and bet-ter'--these are those rivers and tributaries that feed the encroaching sea of modern occultism. It is the business of the church to take her stand upon the sayings of the Master to the effect that 'an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign'; that 'the kingdom of God cometh not with observation."'