100 years ago in Spokane: A rise in spiritualism pointed to the Christian church’s shortcomings, a local pastor said

A fad for spiritualists and mediums was sweeping the U.S. and Britain – and Spokane’s Episcopal bishop said the Christian clergy had only themselves to blame.

“As long as movements like Christian Science and spiritualism represent an unmet need, and so long as the accredited representatives of the Christian church fail to meet this need, people will seek help and solace in unusual ways,” said Bishop Herman Page.

Not that he believed in or approved of spiritualists, especially the kind who claimed to speak to the dead.

He called spirit communication “trivial and highly unsatisfactory.” He said they “project a pale sort of mortality into life beyond, rather than an effort to magnify Christian immortality in our life here,” he said.

Coincidentally, the Pantages Theater was playing host to the famous “Alexander – The Man Who Knows,” a vaudeville seer who staged seances in which he “answered questions of the past, present and future.” He routinely broke attendance records, and this time he was booked for a 10-day run.

From the census beat: The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Spokane’s 1923 population at 104,573, making it the 68th-largest city in the U.S.

Seattle was the only other city with more people in Washington, Idaho or Montana.

For comparison purposes, the bureau’s most recent estimate for Spokane, from 2021, showed a population of 229,071, and Spokane was ranked 96th in the U.S.