Religion and spiritualism, 1874-1913

Component identifier:

Series 5

Content Summary:

This series illustrates Deakin's youthful association with the Spiritualist Movement, as well as his lifelong interest in philosophy and religion. There are manuscript and typescript writings by Deakin, notebooks, notes, certificates, pamphlets, journals, printed material and other documents.

Deakin's unpublished religious writings include 'The script', undated, 'Impromptus', 1875-1881, 'A spiritual diary', 1880-1889, 'The boke of praer and praes', 1884-1913, 'The gospel according to Swedenborg', 1889, 'Personal experiences of spiritism', c.1895, 'Gospels', c.1895-1896, 'Ten letters', c.1897-1898 and his 'testament' to his daughters, 7 September 1890.

The series contains two early publications by Deakin, The Lyceum Leader (1877) produced for the Melbourne Progressive Lyceum, and A new pilgrim's progress (1871), which he wrote anonymously. There are also comments on Deakin's character made by an astrologer, a phrenologist and a graphologist, together with other papers.

There are further writings on religion and spiritualism in Series 3 and Series 4.

This series contains Items 5/1 - 5/1521.

Immediate source of acquisition:

On 3 December 1965 Ivy Brookes, the eldest daughter of Alfred Deakin, formally presented the Deakin Papers to the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, for permanent preservation in the National Library. After Deakin's death in 1919 his papers remained in the possession of his widow, Pattie, until her death in 1934. They were used extensively by Herbert Brookes, and by Professor Walter Murdoch while he was working on the first biography of Deakin, published in 1923. In 1945 the Deakin Papers were examined by an officer of the National Library and it was agreed that the papers would ultimately be deposited in the Library. In 1948 Professor R.M. Crawford of the University of Melbourne became custodian of the papers on the understanding that either an extensive selection of documents or a biography would be based on them. Subsequently his colleague, Professor J.A. La Nauze, began Deakin's biography and the papers remained in his custody until the work was completed in 1965. From time to time other papers relating to Deakin were added to the original collection by Herbert and Ivy Brookes, Lady Rivett and Sir Thomas and Lady White. Professors Crawford and La Nauze also added letters or copies of Deakin letters that they had acquired from other sources.

Names:

Brookes, Ivy

Contents

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