As for the evocation of the dead, the mere thought that the butcher on the corner can force the soul of Hugo, Balzac, Baudelaire, to converse with him, would put me beside myself, if I believed it.

Ah, no.

Materialism, abject as it is, is less vile than that." "Spiritism," said Carhaix, "is only a new name for the ancient necromancy condemned and cursed by the Church." Gevingey looked at his rings, then emptied his glass.
"In any case," he returned, "you will admit that these theories can be upheld, especially that of the elementals, which, setting Satanism aside, seems the most veridic, and certainly is the most clear.

Space is peopled by microbes.

Is it more surprising that space should also be crammed with spirits and larvae?
Water and vinegar are alive with animalcules.