What Arthur Findlay says

What Arthur Findlay says about the college.
Recorded many years ago through the Direct Voice Mediumship of Mr Leslie Flint.

These words are Spoken by Arthur Findley.

And put in writing by David Breakell.

Man says, Hello. A Lady then says something unintelligible

Arthur Findlay:

As a matter of fact. it's quite understandable, I would have
thought. Youre so deeply involved, both of you, with the work. And yet
endeavouring in your own way to serve, and my goodness me, you do serve. I only
wish to goodness others who have this movement at heart would do as much as you do.

Lady :

Who are we speaking to? Bless you for coming.

Arthur Findlay, unannounced up to this point
:

We are very saddened and very concerned about the state of the Spiritualist
movement. The whole shortage of excellent mediums is an instance, and I am
quite convinced that others could be developed and brought into being, and the
movement would prosper as a consequence. For I do regret that there does not
seem to be any harmony, and it is a most unfortunate thing that this great
truth, this great knowledge which you have been placed with, the help, and the
guidance and the Spiritual realisation that has been presented to you in your
world, that so little has been done by so many who might be of great service, who
might propagate these things of which we so long have endowed the wait.
We are very depressed, you know, and I suppose that strikes you as odd that
we on this side should ever be depressed, but it is our only crime in the
conditions of life over here. We are not depressed, of course. We do relate to your
world, we do relate to the conditions in your world which have been created
by humanity or the worldwide. We get very disconsolate, very depressed, very
sad, and think we mind those who confess to know these truths, who should be
propagating them and demonstrating them, not only in the psychic and the
Spiritual sense, but in their daily lives, as examples. They should be setting examples.
How can you speak? how is it possible?

Lady asks -

Are you Mr. Findlay?

A.F.

Yes.

Lady:

I thought so, Bless you.

A.F.

And I am very disheartened, I realise that human beings are human
beings. No one is perfect, of course. This is to be expected. And I know that there
are sincere individuals who are doing their utmost as best they can in their
own particular way But I do realise only too well that there is a great
undermining of the movement going on here and there. I only wish to goodness it
were possible to sort it out, and straighten it out and put the movement back on
the pinnacle which I feel sure it should occupy.

Lady.

Mr Findlay. may I ask you a question about all this.

A.F.

By all means.

Lady:

Is it possible that if I were more often at Stansted Hall, you would be
able to help people realise a lot more how wrongly they are going. And thank
you very much for using me, for being able to use me.. Should I make myself
more available for you.

Speaking together:

AF I hope so..... Lady: I know very well....

AF:

I dont want you to get the wrong impression, but I want to clarify if I
can, certain points. You know as well as I do that I have devoted many years
of my life to the movement, of propagating the movement through my books, and
the endowment that I gave to the Spiritualist movement. How that it should be
an open forum, that it should be utilised, that the house should be utilised
for propagating this truth for the development of these students who can serve
and be of great service in an outer world, and they should use the college as a
college where they can be trained, and where they could be sent out.
Id always hoped that it could be used in that sense, that it could be a
training college where people could learn about the movement, the aspects of
mediumship, the development of mediumship. Where they could be trained, where
they could be housed, where they could be educated, where they could find a way in
which which they could best serve, and they could be sent out and about, to go
to societies churches, to propaganda meetings, presenting the subject
intelligently, rationally, and evidentially. But it seems to me as if it has
developed into what is a second rate hotel, with not very good service. And poor food!!
im sorry if I have to say this but the standard of mediumship by and large
is enough to put most intelligent people off. I think this is very sad. I
realise there is a shortage of first class mediums, and not enough encouragement
and development is taking place for other forms of mediumship such as the
physical, which after all is what convinced me. It was the physical aspect of this
whole subject that gave me the conviction, through Sloane, and occasionally
others, and I feel it is sadly lacking.

im not suggesting that you mustn’t have or shouldn’t have mental mediums.
Of course you must have mental mediums, and they are the absolutely necessary
essential you should have healing also. But the point is that I do feel there
is a great dearth of good physical mediumship. And we need physical mediums.
Why aren't they utilising this form of mediumship. Why aren't mediums being
developed. Why isn’t the college being used as a development centre of good first
class mediumship that can demonstrate the truth to the world.

I feel there is a great lack of co-operation, a great lack of co-ordination.
And it seems to me at the moment that your work is, well I don’t know whether
I should say split, but it certainly seems bereft to a certain extent
anyway of harmony and love and friendship and brotherhood. Why don’t they pool
their resources? Why don’t they cast out for themselves all these stupidities and
weaknesses which are wrecking the movement? Why don’t they get on with the job?

Man speaks:

Well unfortunately there’s a lack of finance here. I do what I
can, Arthur, but Im afraid Im a voice in the wilderness, almost.

My dear man. Finance in a sense I think it is true to say has got nothing
to do with the development of first class mediumship. You don’t need to have
money in the bank to become a good medium

Man:

No, that’s true

Im not saying that the College does not need financial support, that it
doesn’t need more money to run it as it should be run, but I do appreciate, and
I think everyone should appreciate the fact that good mediumship invariably
springs, and always did spring from often people who sadly lacked education,
and had little background and money, or no money at all. Look at Sloane. You
couldn’t have had a better medium than Sloane, but he had little or no
background, little or no education. He was a sincere genuine honest man who
developed a marvellous mediumship.

This is what the movement needs. A dedicated group of people who come
together in love and in friendship and in brotherhood to further the powers of the
spirit. And they utilise those powers for the common good, for the propagating
of this great truth. I don't see that happening down at Stansted. It seems to
have become - I don’t know what I should say - I know what I feel like saying.
I dont know. Its like a second rate hotel. People seem to come to drink
together down there, in scandal and heaven knows what else goes on, which I find terribly depressing.

Man:

I think that drink department should be removed. Vie been suggesting this

It seems to me that they’re developing the wrong kind of spirits.
(Laughter) I don’t object to anyone having a drink, don’t misunderstand me. Im not
suggesting that they shouldn’t have a certain amount, but it does seem to me
all rather sad, that a place that should be a place of education and upliftment,
and the realisation of the power of spirit, should be demonstrating to the
best possible ability to the individuals concerned. And it seems to me now to be
developing into something absolutely different to what I envisaged, and Im
getting very distressed about it, you know.

Man:

We are trying Arthur to...

I know you’re trying...

Man:

...to extend activities into a wider field, and cutting out the sole
ownership of the SNU. Trying to extend it, and we can hope that it will
eventually be what I know you wished it to be, and that is a proving ground for human
activity in the mediumistic sense.

I visualised it to be as a centre of light in a darkened world.

Man

But it is very difficult, you know. One is up against a lot of human
beings

Speaking together:

Lady: Where are the rest of the........

When a medium passes out, or comes over here, I don’t know, I wouldn’t
know. I regret to say this, but it seems to me that there is such a dearth of
good mediumship, and those that are good are overtaxed and obviously they are
doing too much, and in consequence their health will fail, or their mediumship
will fail, and they will lose their powers. This is happening, of course here
and there. It is all very tragic and very sad. I feel its partially due to the
fact obviously the reason as you say is money, but I would like to see the
College used as a place where people could develop the powers of the Spirit,
where under certain circumstances they could be helped financially during their
development, and certainly be given encouragement in every possible and
conceivable way, and gradually brought out into public to do the work of the spirit,
to demonstrate the powers of the spirit. It seems to me that they depend on
anyone that they can get hold of, whether they are good bad or indifferent, and
they have got to keep a programme up. And my goodness me, some of the
programmes Im afraid I wouldn’t want to be seen dead amongst them. (Laughter) Its a
pity they don't get some poltergeist phenomena down there to brighten things up.

Man

That’s true. Well, I do what I can, Arthur.

I know you do. Bless you, Im sure you do.
My best wishes to all my friends, I presume I still have some left Oh yes, oh yes.

Of course Im being facetious. But anyway, bless you. Continue the good
work, and you too, my dear. Give my remembrances to all, and dont think that
because Im being a bit caustic that Im being unkind. I don’t mean to be
unkind, but I must admit that I am very disheartened and just occasionally
disappointed with the college. Its not what I anticipated. Its not what I intended,
and it certainly isnt going in the way in which I hoped it might go. I
realise the lack of finance. I realise that you have to run it more or less like a
second rate hotel to keep it open. But its all very sad, I think, because
what is important is the work that is to be done

Man

I wonder if its possible for you to impress us to use again.......

(Interrupts) The power is waning, Im told, but bless you, and I trust
well have another chance to have a conversation. Perhaps one of these days you
might bring some of your friends, and we might get down to business and
discuss these things. Goodbye.